“Could it be because his martial arts skills are high?”
Lin Lanyue could only think of this possibility, then said, “Auntie, let’s go home. I have to do some problems when I get back.”
“Alright.” The young woman nodded, and as they walked, she looked at Lin Lanyue, “Yue Yue, you really didn’t know that Li Yuan signed with the Starfire Martial Hall early?”
“I really didn’t know.” Lin Lanyue shook her head.
“Why don’t you ask him about it later? A Grade B contract, the Martial Hall only has two or three slots each year.” The young woman said curiously, “It seems you have a good relationship with him.”
“I won’t ask.” Lin Lanyue shook her head decisively, “If he doesn’t say it himself, there must be a reason he’s keeping quiet.”
“Right, don’t talk about this in the parent’s group chat, and definitely don’t use it as gossip material,” Lin Lanyue warned her aunt with a glance.
She knew her aunt was quite the blabbermouth.
“Sure.” The young woman replied noncommittally.
“I’m serious,” Lin Lanyue said sternly, “otherwise, I won’t help you with the card later.”
“Okay, okay, my little ancestor, I promise not to blurt it out,” the woman in the mink coat surrendered immediately with a wave of her hands.
…
When Li Yuan was taking his younger brother and sister home in the Martial Hall’s designated car.
In the twelfth-floor office of the Martial Hall’s building, decorated in a simple style.
“Hall Master.”
Coach Xing entered through the door.
In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, a middle-aged man in traditional Chinese garb stood with his back to the door, looking down at the night view outside.
“How is it?” Lord Wan asked without turning around, his voice very calm.
“I asked, and I also pulled the data from the testing equipment in various martial arts rooms. The six members who signed ahead of time all performed well,” Coach Xing reported respectfully, “The one who performed the best and made the most progress should be Li Yuan.”
“According to Fang Longhu, Li Yuan’s physical quality should be close to Level 8; his skill level has even approached the perfection of the Third Stage,” said Coach Xing, “Compared to two months ago, his progress is astonishing.”
“Oh?”
“So, the progress is quite rapid.” It was then that Lord Wan turned around, smiling, “Coach Xing, what do you think?”
“Hall Master has discerning eyes,” Coach Xing replied, bowing his head.
“Old Xing, relax, don’t worry that I have any schemes,” Lord Wan said with a smile, “I know what you’re thinking. In your heart, based on Li Yuan’s current performance, he would barely qualify for a Grade C contract, right?”
“Subordinate wouldn’t dare,” Coach Xing replied hurriedly.
“Don’t worry,” Lord Wan laughed, “I have my reasons for giving him a Grade B contract. You just keep track of the data.”
“Yes,” said Coach Xing.
But inside, he muttered to himself, it doesn’t matter since you’re the Hall Master. As long as you don’t blame me later, you decide how to proceed.
After Coach Xing had left.
“The person recommended by Tie Ta is indeed not bad,” Lord Wan sighed inwardly, “but if in the end he cannot awaken the Martial Spirit, his development after level 10 might be somewhat difficult…”
He shook his head gently, then pushed the thought aside.
The early signing of martial arts prodigies was just a small part of his duties, requiring his attention once a month.
Half an hour later.
“Beep beep—alert—” A voice suddenly sounded in the office.
Hum~
Red lights started flashing on Lord Wan’s smart ring, changing his expression instantly as he checked the message, “Star Realm creatures? At least nine of the First Rank, with the strongest nearing the Second Rank? Appeared in the area from Southeast Lake to Binhu Road, causing at least thirty-five deaths?”
“Could it be remnants from the last sweep along the Xiang River basin?” Lord Wan thought immediately of the previous operation.
Each martial artist was registered with the Martial Arts Hall.
Their identity information was bound to their smart rings.
Whenever Star Realm creatures appeared and were detected by Xia Country’s ‘Sky Net’ system, the first to be informed would be the nearby martial artists, requesting assistance.
As a Prime Warrior, Lord Wan’s smart ring had a maximum sensing range of 100 kilometers.
That is, any Star Realm creatures of Entry Rank discovered within a 100-kilometer radius would send a notification to him.
Without hesitation.
“Dahe, send a message immediately to the combat-ready martial artists of the Martial Hall. First and Second Teams, deploy, coordinate with the military for a kill and containment,” Lord Wan issued orders one after another, “Bring me my weapon.”
“Yes, Master,” the voice of the assistant AI echoed in the office.
One of the important duties of the Martial Hall was to protect the local residents.
Each basic level Martial Hall had martial artist squads on combat-ready duty, able to deploy at any time.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two furniture robots dashed out from the nearby weapons room, one carrying a shield and the other a combat saber.
Lord Wan grabbed the shield and saber, then gently pressed a metallic button on his chest.
Immediately.
Before the naked eye, the previously loose-fitting traditional Chinese attire transformed rapidly into a thin layer of metallic battle garment that completely covered his body, with the entire garment black in color.
It radiated a sense of coolness and oppression.
“Master, the single-person flying vehicle has arrived,” the intelligent voice rang out. “Should I open the window?”
“Open the window,” Lord Wan commanded coldly.
“Rumble~” The floor-to-ceiling window that was originally closed quickly opened outward, fully exposing the interior to the elements and allowing gusts of wind to blow into the office.
Whoosh!
With a faint exertion of force in one leg, Lord Wan’s figure shot out, traversing dozens of meters in a lateral movement, tracing an arc through the air like a cannonball plummeting towards the ground.
This building was twelve stories high—over forty meters above the ground!
Boom!
A booming sound filled the air as a single-person flying vehicle resembling an assault boat whizzed past at an incredibly low altitude and at a breathtaking speed.
Precisely timed, it caught Lord Wan in mid-air.
The flying vehicle soared into the sky, reaching about a hundred meters above the ground, and rushed toward the scene of the incident at top speed.
…
The next day, after training for the entire night, Li Yuan stepped out of his home leisurely just after four in the morning.
Walking on the street.
In the winter, it was still pitch dark around five in the morning, with a light drizzle falling, making the ground slippery.
“Hm?” Li Yuan had just left his residential complex when he sensed something amiss—he saw an armed military patrol in the distance.
Along with two patrolling soldiers.
Occasionally, unmanned aerial vehicles flew by overhead, conducting surveillance patrols.
The security was extremely tight.
“Is this a manhunt for fugitives? No, could it be…” Li Yuan instantly thought of a possibility.
Without a moment’s hesitation,
he immediately opened his smart wristband, clicked into an app ‘Star Realm Creatures Alert’, and the location was directly marked as Jiang City’s Guan Mountain District.
His eyes scanned the dozens of alert messages that had been posted in succession.
“Could it really be Star Realm creatures? Daring to show up in Jiang City?” Li Yuan thought in shock, “But according to the news, so far, there have been dozens of casualties?”
“Over thirty Star Realm Creatures have also been killed.”
“And now, suspected Star Realm creatures are still at large, and the entire Guan Mountain District is under martial law, with a comprehensive manhunt underway?”
After a moment’s thought,
Li Yuan turned around.
He went back upstairs, to his home.
“Though there are military vehicles and drones on the streets, appearing to offer safety, walking alone like this is too conspicuous,” Li Yuan mused, “Binhu Road is less than ten kilometers from here.”
“Bad luck on the road, and I might really encounter a fleeing Star Realm creature.”
“At home,”
“There are alert systems overhead and underground in the residential area, the buildings and doors and windows are reinforced, and the stairwells require facial recognition for entry—home is very safe,” Li Yuan thought to himself, “The chances are slim, but it’s still not worth the risk.”
Yes!
As an elite student, Li Yuan’s martial prowess was stronger than most adults… but against firearms, they were in vain, not to mention Star Realm creatures?
The wise do not stand under a wall that is in danger of collapsing.
This was something Uncle Li Changzhou had always taught Li Yuan since he was little.
Similarly,
From an early age, all students were taught the rule: if you lack the strength of a Martial Artist, scatter and run at the sight of Star Realm creatures! Call for help immediately and report to the authorities at once!
In fact,
All Martial Artists received the same warning: without the strength of a Prime Warrior, do not engage a Star Realm creature alone lightly, wait for heavy weapons! Wait for attack drones and combat robots!
…
Back at home, Li Yuan was not too panicked.
Instead, he opened the door to his room.
Then, in his bedroom, he stood in quiet contemplation, practicing his punches and training in the Basic Cultivation Method.
Ever since he could remember,
Jiang City, where Li Yuan lived, suffered attacks from Star Realm creatures every half a year or so, sometimes even less.
It couldn’t be helped.
Jiang City, with its convergence of large rivers and many lakes and its extensive water system, was one of the cities within Xia Country most frequently attacked by Star Realm creatures.
Most of these attacks were small in scale, and it was best to calmly wait for the military and Martial Artists to clear the threat.
As for large-scale attacks? Li Yuan had only experienced one when he was very young, and his memories of it were quite vague.
Soon, it was past six in the morning.
“The alert has been lifted?” Li Yuan received a message notification on his smart wristband.