A Haul of 610,000

"He's flying over here."

"The grandmaster is coming. Don't say anything out of turn, or you might anger him."

"Be respectful, and don't move around."

When the people present saw Lei Zhan flying over, everyone except Ning Yue, who knew who he was, felt uneasy.

For martial artists, each realm was a world apart. The strongest person present was Wan Qili, who was only in the Fourth-Rank Realm, far below the Seventh-Rank Grandmaster Realm.

To put it bluntly, everyone present combined couldn't withstand a single palm strike from Lei Zhan.

Just then, Ning Yue stepped forward.

"Ning Yue..."

Seeing this, their homeroom teacher Zuo Tianchang reached out to stop Ning Yue. He was also worried that the approaching grandmaster might have a bad temper. If Ning Yue angered him, he would suffer for it.

"Kid, don't move around. It doesn't matter if you die, but you'll drag us down with you."

Wan Qili spoke in a low voice, his eyes vicious. If he could, he would have killed Ning Yue himself.

"It's all right. I know this grandmaster."

Ning Yue spoke to his homeroom teacher and the others, reassuring them.

Wan Qili heard him too. He found it hard to believe, and surprise showed on his face.

"Uncle Lei."

Ning Yue knew why Lei Zhan had come: he must have spotted him. So when Lei Zhan flew over, Ning Yue took the initiative to speak.

"Ning Yue? What are you doing here?"

Lei Zhan was full of surprise. He had spotted Ning Yue while flying just now, but thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had come over for a closer look and hadn't expected it to really be Ning Yue.

"Uh, it was a coincidence. I went to get my First-Rank martial artist certification today, and then... I ended up here."

Ning Yue looked helpless too. He hadn't expected a simple trip to get certified as a First-Rank martial artist to end with a ferocious beast riot.

Lei Zhan thought for a moment, then nodded.

The Martial Artist Complex wasn't far from here, so it was only natural for Ning Yue to have been caught up in it.

"I have to clear out the ferocious beasts first, so I can't chat. When you're done, come straight to the City Lord's Manor. There's good news."

Lei Zhan placed particular emphasis on the last three words.

With that, he took flight again. Just before leaving, he made a point of glancing at Wan Qili.

His face was expressionless, and he didn't use a martial skill. He merely cast him a glance, but it frightened Wan Qili so badly that his legs went weak.

The Grandmaster Realm was also known as the Heavenly Human Realm. Heavenly human, heavenly human-a person of the heavens, who had left the ranks of mortals behind and was vastly different from them.

When ordinary people saw a grandmaster, it was like ants looking up at a divine dragon. Even when a divine dragon wasn't angry, its presence alone was intimidating.

Besides, Lei Zhan had singled Wan Qili out with that glance, and the warning in his eyes was unmistakable. It already took considerable willpower for Wan Qili to remain standing.

Only after Lei Zhan flew away did everyone present breathe a sigh of relief.

"Brother Yue, I never knew you knew a grandmaster too. That's so awesome!"

Gan Xiaomei held Ning Yue's hand, as thrilled as if she had found several hundred million yuan and as excited as a lackey.

"Not only do I know him, but you all know him too."

Ning Yue pulled his hand free from Gan Xiaomei's grasp with a slight tug and spoke calmly.

"Have you forgotten the ferocious beast parade a while back? His hunting team captured the Volcanic Giant Bull alive."

Seeing everyone shake their heads, Ning Yue reminded them.

Everyone looked as though they were trying hard to remember, but Wang Xueqing caught on a little faster.

"The captain of the Mad Battle Hunting Team?"

"Grandmaster Lei Zhan, the Mad Saber?" Liao Dong chimed in.

Ning Yue nodded.

Hearing their conversation, Wan Qili and the others also learned Lei Zhan's identity, and the relevant information naturally surfaced in their minds.

It was information about Xinyuan City's powerhouses that Wan Qili's father had told them when they were at university.

Lei Zhan: captain of the Mad Battle Hunting Team, second hall master of the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, nicknamed "Mad Saber." His specialized martial skills were Heaven-Leveling Single Slash, Mad Thunder Battle Technique...

Most importantly, Lei Zhan was said to be no weakling even among those in the Seventh-Rank Grandmaster Realm. He was among the top combatants; otherwise, he wouldn't have been worthy of the title "Mad Saber."

Wan Qili in particular felt even more upset as he thought about how thoroughly he had looked down on Ning Yue earlier. Your backing is this strong? Why didn't you say so sooner?

During the rest of the transaction, Wan Qili didn't run his mouth again.

When Meng Tian offered to pay an extra hundred thousand for the Vajra Giant Ape, Ning Yue firmly refused.

He had a scale in his heart. The Vajra Giant Ape was generally worth between three and four hundred thousand. After all, it was only one of the main ingredients for the Gold-Swallowing Pill, and it wasn't the only option; materials from other ferocious beasts could replace it.

Five hundred thousand was already no small sum. It would only sell for that much to someone who needed it.

Ning Yue guessed that Meng Tian and the others probably knew an alchemist who could combine the Vajra Giant Ape with other materials to refine multiple Gold-Swallowing Pills.

That way, they would still make a profit.

In the end, the Vajra Giant Ape sold for five hundred thousand, and both sides were satisfied.

They exchanged contact information, and Meng Tian and the others took their leave.

The City Lord's Manor.

"Teacher Zuo, once we come out of the City Lord's Manor, why don't you all come over to my place and have a cup of tea?"

Ning Yue extended the invitation to the others.

He lived in the South Bank Residential Complex, not far from the City Lord's Manor, so it was only proper to invite them over.

"Sure."

Liao Dong and the others nodded. They were all students preparing for the college entrance examination.

The martial path wasn't just about burying one's head in arduous training; it also involved navigating social relationships.

Judging by Ning Yue's performance recently, he was certain to become a martial prodigy in the future and might even have the potential to become a grandmaster.

They wouldn't belittle themselves, but befriending a future grandmaster would bring certain benefits too.

"All right... wait, I see someone I know."

Zuo Tianchang was about to nod in agreement as well, but he happened to catch sight of a familiar figure and shouted excitedly:

"Rijiu..."

Ning Yue and the others looked over. Wasn't that Captain Zuo Yidao?

A crew cut, a military saber, a capable, upright bearing, and a serious face.

"Big brother..."

Zuo Yidao saw them too. He hurried over to the group and warmly embraced Zuo Tianchang.

"It's been a long time, Rijiu."

"Big brother, my name is Zuo Yidao now. Could you stop calling me Rijiu?"

A fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Zuo Yidao's face before he spoke solemnly.

If Ning Yue hadn't had the help of the Eye of Heaven Observation, he might have thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"All right, Rijiu. Come, let me introduce you to a genius from our school."

"Big brother, I know Ning Yue. There's no need for introductions."

"You know him? When did you get back? You already know Ning Yue? Never mind, I can introduce the others to you instead. They're all geniuses from our school, no weaker than you were back then."

Zuo Tianchang then introduced the five students present one by one: Liao Dong, Wang Xueqing, Gan Xiaomei, He Sanshui, and Zhen Yijian.

When Zuo Tianchang once again asked when Zuo Yidao had returned, he also asked why the City Lord's Manor had summoned them.

Zuo Yidao said apologetically:

"I only got back to Xinyuan City from the Northern Wasteland last night. Before I had time to visit you, big brother, the ferocious beast riot broke out."

"The City Lord's Manor summoned you to distribute rewards to the martial artists who helped suppress the ferocious beast riot. I'll take you inside."

Afterward, Ning Yue and the others entered the City Lord's Manor, and each received a reward of a hundred thousand yuan.

During that time, the staff member distributing the rewards discovered that Ning Yue was still a Qi and Blood Realm martial apprentice. After a brief test, the staff member processed his First-Rank Realm martial artist certification.

All told, Ning Yue had not only saved the martial artist certification fee this time, but also earned 610,000 yuan. He still had a Shadow Cat crystal core in his storage slot that he hadn't sold.