"Getting up to cultivate every day at four o'clock? Without rest?" Big Brother Lin was puzzled, "Even if you're an Origin Warrior, that must be impossible."
"Work and rest are both important, only then can one last long," Lin Lanyue replied calmly.
"Unless you reach the level of a Sky-Reaching Warrior, connect with the heavens, and merge with nature, then you can cultivate at any time. Otherwise, who can push themselves this hard?" Big Brother Lin said earnestly. "Even Senior Dongfang Ji only said to practice for sixteen hours a day."
Lin Lanyue did not speak.
Her mind involuntarily wandered back to the scene described by Gu Qianghan after returning from Jiangbei Martial University. "Sister, that Li Yuan is simply a madman, a self-tormenting maniac. He practices every night, and gets up again at four or five in the morning... I really admire him. If he doesn't succeed, who will?"
Gu Qianghan's impassioned words made Lin Lanyue have a deeper understanding of Li Yuan.
He was a person with extreme self-discipline, a firm goal, and the ability to strive towards it continuously.
"Brother, what’s the matter?" Lin Lanyue asked again.
"It's about Li Yuan," Big Brother Lin laughed. "Want to know?"
"Brother, just say it. If not, don’t waste my time on cultivation." Lin Lanyue glanced at him.
She knew the difference between her elder brother and her second brother; the elder brother would feel anxious if something was concealed from him.
"Alright, alright, I admit defeat." Big Brother Lin helplessly raised his hand and a light curtain floated up, revealing some information.
All of it was related to Li Yuan.
"Top in two subjects? First in Jiang City’s martial arts unweighted scores?" Lin Lanyue murmured to herself.
Full marks! That was an incredibly frightening achievement.
"Little sister, you don’t seem that surprised," Big Brother Lin said with a chuckle. "Did you know ahead of time? Or have you been in touch with Li Yuan?"
"No, I had no idea." Lin Lanyue smiled, "His achievements are indeed astonishing, but thinking about his efforts, it’s not surprising."
"His diligence is remarkable." Big Brother Lin nodded. "Aside from the exam scores from April, I just received news that he should have surpassed 300 points on the Falling Star test."
"Four段中阶技艺?" Lin Lanyue finally displayed a hint of surprise.
She knew that just a month ago, Li Yuan had only crossed into the fourth tier.
Such rapid improvement?
It should be noted that due to cultivating the Nirvana Divine Code, she had arrived at the Flying Star for special training ahead of time, and her physical constitution and skills progressed rapidly.
But even now, her skills were still a bit shy of the perfection in the third level.
"Fate often favors those who work harder." Lin Lanyue smiled slightly.
"Little sister, do you really like him?" Big Brother Lin suddenly asked.
"Like?"
In response to her brother's question, Lin Lanyue did not show any signs of embarrassment. After pondering for a moment, she replied, "Perhaps it's more about finding him admirable."
"Alright, you’ve always been opinionated, as long as you’re clear in your heart, that’s good." Big Brother Lin smiled.
He was someone who had gone through experiences, observing Lin Lanyue’s demeanor, he understood her thoughts very well.
But he didn’t mind.
Boys chasing girls and girls longing for boys have always been common since ancient times. Forcing it wouldn’t be as good as guiding it.
"Brother, just don’t tell Father and Mother about this," Lin Lanyue suddenly shot a glare at him.
"Haha, why would I tell them?" Big Brother Lin laughed. "You’re not a little kid, just be happy."
Big Brother Lin was very open-minded. If the family found out, they would definitely have opinions.
But who was he?
He was Lin Lanyue’s elder brother!
In his eyes, as long as his sister was not wronged, she could do whatever she wanted.
If the sky were to fall, he and their other brother could hold it up. Besides, he thought Li Yuan wasn’t bad at all.
"However, little sister, I still need to remind you."
"You mean well, but do you know what Li Yuan is thinking? You’ve done a lot for him. Just the matter of helping his uncle..." Big Brother Lin couldn't help but say.
"Brother."
Lin Lanyue interrupted him, frowning. "I told you before I came to the Flying Star: what’s done is done; it's not a big deal."
"I don’t care how he thinks."
"In martial arts, what matters is a clear mind and a determined heart."
"I do things for my own life. Helping him doesn’t mean I want him to do anything for me." Lin Lanyue spoke earnestly.
Deep down, Lin Lanyue's character was quite stubborn, even a bit rebellious.
This was related to the fact that she had lived alone in Jiang City since she was young.
Although there was a butler, a nanny, bodyguards, martial arts teachers, and everything to make life complete, she missed a lot of familial warmth.
"Alright, alright, as long as you’re clear in your heart, that’s good enough."
Big Brother Lin surrendered with an upraised hand. "Do you want to take a day off today?"
"The longer I continue the ‘Fire Bath’ from the Nirvana Divine Code during my training, the better the effect will be." Lin Lanyue shook her head, "I think I've only lasted six days so far."
"Let’s see after today's session."
A hint of heartache flashed in Big Brother Lin's eyes, but he didn’t persuade her any further.
The Fire Bath truly involved burning in a special flame.
That kind of pain not many people could endure completely.
But he had to admit that his younger sister's willpower was indeed extraordinary. At her age, she was already at the top.
"Alright, I’ll take you to the ‘Changji Volcano’ later." Big Brother Lin said.
Watching her brother leave.
"Three washes of the spiritual marrow every month?" Lin Lanyue murmured, recalling the information she had seen about Li Yuan earlier.
She was very aware of the pain of washing the spiritual marrow.
"Six days?"
"Let’s see if I can hold out for ten days; I can’t afford to lose too much." A glint of determination flashed in Lin Lanyue’s eyes.
She continued to practice her spear techniques.
Every day, she spent half a day on spear techniques and then endured half a day of ‘Fire Bath’ to hone her body.
……
On the night of April 17, Li Yuan returned home.
"Brother, come quickly and see your program."
"It’s a replay!"
"Quickly, come!" Li Qianqian and Li Muhua rushed over, both quite excited.
In the distance, Aunt Chen Hui wore a smile.
"Program?" Li Yuan was momentarily stunned, then instantly realized it was an interview about himself.
It aired so quickly?
Pulled by his younger siblings, he didn’t even have time to take off his shoes before arriving at the living room.
The light curtain was indeed broadcasting Li Yuan's interview show.
"‘The Poor Jiangbei Martial Arts Champion? Exploring the Bitter Journey of a Martial Arts Genius’?" Li Yuan repeated the program's promotional slogan as the host announced it.
In that moment, he wished he could find a place to hide.
Which shocking department came up with this?
"Aunt, this is the promotional program for the Martial Hall, and the script was prepared in advance," Li Yuan quickly explained. "I understand."
"Don’t worry; your aunt used to study journalism," Chen Hui laughed. "I know about those things."
Li Yuan smiled and nodded, relieved that his aunt didn't think too much.
On the light curtain.
"Since I was young, I have aspired to join the Starfire Martial Hall," Li Yuan said, looking serious. "This is the hall established by Senior Dongfang Ji, whom I have always admired..."
"I heard that the Starry Sky Martial Hall was the first to invite you, and initially offered a D-level contract, right?" the host asked.
"No!"
"It’s true that the Starry Sky Martial Hall was the first to invite me and prepared a C-level contract for me. Pavilion Master Song Yi is very kind." Li Yuan’s face was full of the unique ‘sincerity’ of youth: "She specifically told me that although her authority is limited, as long as I am willing to sign, she will help me apply for a B-level contract later and even offered to sponsor me privately."
"Pavilion Master Song Yi is a very excellent and responsible master," Li Yuan continued seriously. "It’s not that the Starry Sky Martial Hall is bad, but I really want to join the Starfire..."
……"Li Yuan is the most outstanding young person I have found in recent years. At that time, I didn’t have enough B-level contract spots in hand, so I specially requested Pavilion Master Fei from our city’s Martial Hall. Pavilion Master Fei agreed immediately." Wan Qinghe, who was being interviewed in the VCR, stated.
……
"Li Yuan has a strong sense of justice, and he also holds the title of Young Hero," a classmate of Li Yuan mentioned during an interview.
……Finally.
"Back then, not being able to invite Li Yuan may be my lifelong regret," said Song Yi in the VCR, a hint of disappointment on her face but with some pride as well. "But his growth along the way proves that my initial judgment was correct; he is indeed a piece of raw jade."
"You can only blame Li Yuan for having such a firm will, sticking to his goals without changing easily."
"However, no matter which martial hall he joins, he is a genius of our Xia Country." Song Yi’s voice was strong, elevating the program's intent. "I have high hopes for Li Yuan, and I look forward to the day he becomes a Sky-Reaching Warrior and protects our Xia Country's realm."
……
Li Yuan watched the program, the corner of his mouth twitching!
He recalled the dinner from last night when both parties had a pleasant discussion.
Wan Qinghe had promised to give Song Yi a camera shot.
"Is it worth 4 million just for this one shot?" Li Yuan grumbled to himself. "Can the higher-ups of the Starry Sky Martial Hall really be trusted?"
However, Li Yuan didn’t care much; as long as the money came through, that was sufficient.
……
Li Yuan never expected that the evening program was just the beginning. In the following two days.
This show continued to gain traction, circulating around various regional online forums in Jiang City and even within Jiangbei Province.
Li Yuan began to truly show signs of becoming famous.
"Brother Yuan, that’s incredible!"
"You're on a show? When did you even film it, and didn’t tell us?"
"Brother Yuan, your followers on your social media skyrocketed! From over a thousand, now up to over thirty thousand."
"Over forty thousand!"
"Fifty thousand! You broke through fifty thousand!" Li Yuan once again became a figure of great interest at school.
"Brother Yuan, you're definitely going to get recognized by the owner of the noodle shop at the school gate now."
……
Li Yuan did not take the show too seriously.
A week later.
The Starry Sky Martial Hall’s triennial review ended successfully, and Song Yi passed without issues. She sent a ‘thank you’ emoji to Li Yuan via V-Comm.
In the Starfire Guanshan Branch Hall, in Room 7024.
"I extorted her a bit and I should thank myself?" Li Yuan shook his head, glancing at the digits on his bank statement.
Bank Balance: 18.79 million Blue Star Coins
Martial Hall Points: 4.08 million
Martial Hall Cultivation Points: 9.57 million
"I haven’t spent much of the Blue Star Coins yet. I gave my aunt 2 million, and I’ve also gained 10 million here." Li Yuan thought to himself, "I’m almost at 20 million."
However, the consumption of Martial Hall Points was significant.
In just one month, Li Yuan had already spent over 2.6 million just on purchasing cultivation resources.
The main reason was that his body’s evolution required more than what the cultivation plan estimated.
Each month, he needed 30 bottles of first-tier Vitality Elixirs, 4 Essence Power Pills, and with three washes of spiritual marrow each month, he had to spend 1.3 million points/Blue Star Coins monthly.
"Time to buy the second batch."
"It should last until the middle of May for my body’s evolution." Li Yuan murmured to himself.
Clang~
Li Yuan opened the ‘insulation box’ in the therapy room and took out a bottle of spiritual marrow wash.
Gritting his teeth.
"Damn, I'd have to go through this again."
"Are the people from Kunlun Martial University all freaks? Each one can handle more than I can?" Li Yuan whispered to himself, "It makes sense, university students must be stronger than high school students."
High school students are always somewhat in awe of university students.
After a while.
"Ah!" The sound of Li Yuan's moan echoed in the full-body therapy device once again, uncertain whether it was from pain or relief.
……
On April 27.
The Level 29 Source Warrior skilled in mental secret techniques, invited by Pavilion Master Fei, arrived at the hospital’s highest-tier ‘Consciousness Awakening Device.’
After an hour of effort.
Uncle Li Changzhou finally woke up.
……
On May 10, Li Changzhou was discharged.
He didn’t return to his old home but directly moved into the South Lake District of Starfire, their new home.
……
By May 15, Li Yuan and the others had moved everything they needed into the new home.
……
Time passed day by day. Li Changzhou temporarily didn’t go back to work and rested at home.
Aunt Chen returned to her job at school.
Following Dongfang Ji’s promotion of the 'Seven Star Alliance Progress Movement,' humans from the seven major planets of civilization, for martial arts universities and cultural universities selecting talents, all adopted an exam model akin to the college entrance exam.
Therefore, as June approached.
The entire Jiang City, even Xia Country, and indeed the whole Blue Star.
Almost all the countries and people’s attention fell on the annual college entrance exam.
This was an examination that decided the fate of countless individuals.
(End of Chapter)