After lunch, students walked out of the cafeteria in small groups, heading toward the Martial Arts Building along the tree-lined path. Life for the third-year students was tiring, but during the rare free time at noon, most of them still wore bright smiles, full of youthful energy and dreams for the future. This was a stark contrast to the tired workers coming home from their jobs.
Li Yuan and Wan Xiao were on their way to the Elite Building. Zhou Qi and Yan Zhou took a different path, so they split up after finishing their meal.
"Is that Li Yuan?" one student asked.
"Looks like it," another replied.
"Wan Xiao was in the same class as him. If they're together, that must be Li Yuan."
"Is he the one who defeated Lin Lanyue?"
"I heard he likes Lin Lanyue, but he didn't hold back in that fight." Many students from Class 3 (1) noticed Li Yuan and Wan Xiao as they passed by, turning their heads to look.
"Li Yuan, after that fight, you've really made a name for yourself," Wan Xiao chuckled quietly. "Just now in the cafeteria, a lot of people were watching you."
"Your reputation is spreading throughout the entire grade, even among the first and second years," Wan Xiao exaggerated.
"Are you jealous? You're the one spreading the rumors," Li Yuan glanced at him. "Want to practice again?"
Wan Xiao was momentarily speechless. Yesterday on the Star Combat Network, Li Yuan had made him "practice" three times. It was a nightmare.
"I told you, it wasn't me! It was Zhou Qi..." Wan Xiao shook his head.
"You started it, and he made it famous," Li Yuan said clearly.
Suddenly, Wan Xiao changed the topic. "By the way, Li Yuan, do you really not have feelings for Lin Lanyue? I see a lot of boys in the Elite Class interested in her, but not many dare to confess. Is it because she isn't pretty?"
"Lin Lanyue is quite pretty," Li Yuan replied casually, not noticing what was happening behind him. With so many people around the school, it was hard to pay attention all the time.
Suddenly, two girls walked past Li Yuan and Wan Xiao. One of them was wearing a training outfit, tall and elegant, with her hair neatly tied up. She glanced at Li Yuan out of the corner of her eye.
It was Lin Lanyue.
"Did she hear that? Wan Xiao did that on purpose," Li Yuan realized instantly.
"Li Yuan, don’t be shy! If you like her, just say it out loud!" Wan Xiao shouted playfully as he ran off laughing.
Li Yuan shook his head helplessly, too lazy to chase after Wan Xiao. Instead, he waved at Lin Lanyue and greeted her openly.
This surprised Lin Lanyue for a moment. She had indeed heard Li Yuan's words but didn’t expect him to greet her first.
Looking at Li Yuan's smiling face, Lin Lanyue couldn’t help but think of their virtual battle yesterday and subconsciously touched her chest.
"Lanyue, he’s greeting you!" said the girl beside her, who had long hair down to her waist, teasingly nudging Lin Lanyue.
"Qi Qi, let’s go," Lin Lanyue said softly, adjusting her hair and quickening her pace. She didn’t respond to Li Yuan or look back at him.
"Lin Lanyue was polite the first time we met, but today she ignored my greeting," Li Yuan chuckled. He wasn’t the type to feel intimidated by pretty girls.
He watched as Lin Lanyue and her friend entered the Elite Building.
"Li Yuan, how did I do as your wingman?" Wan Xiao suddenly popped up from somewhere.
"Great job," Li Yuan replied.
"To thank you, let’s go to my Martial Arts Room. I’ll give you a free extra practice session," Li Yuan said, putting his arm around Wan Xiao's shoulder, making it hard for him to escape.
"Li Yuan, let go of me! I'm not interested in you!" Wan Xiao protested.
As they approached two o'clock, Li Yuan stood by the window in the 4011 Martial Arts Room, gazing into the distance. A thin layer of sweat was forming on his skin. He had just completed half an hour of the Basic Cultivation Method, and his physical condition had slightly improved.
Suddenly, a sound came from his smart wristband.
"Beep—" Li Yuan walked over, picked it up, and his face lit up. "Uncle?"
He answered the call, and a light screen projected in front of him. On the other side was Li Changzhou, wearing a helmet.
"Uncle," Li Yuan smiled, feeling a bit of worry lift from his heart.
"Xiao Yuan."
"Your aunt called me," Li Changzhou said, sitting in an office chair with a smile. "Good job, kid. You’ve done well. I’ve been on the Star Combat Network for decades and never reached 500 points in the Gold Rank."
Li Yuan felt warm inside, not because he surpassed his uncle, but because of his uncle's recognition.
"How’s everything on your side?" Li Yuan asked.
"Nothing to worry about," Li Changzhou replied with a smile. "A large number of people from the Starry Sky Martial Hall have arrived. I estimate there will be a big counterattack in a few days... I’m sending you a video, and there’s something related to you."
"Go ahead, Uncle," Li Yuan urged.
"It’s your Uncle Zhong. He called me specifically," Li Changzhou said, looking at Li Yuan. "From what he said, it seems he wants to recruit you into the Starry Sky Martial Hall."
"Join the Starry Sky Martial Hall?" Li Yuan was slightly surprised.
Human civilization has three major Martial Halls—Starry Sky Martial Hall, Blackstone Martial Hall, and Starfire Martial Hall. The Starfire Martial Hall was founded by the strongest human, Dongfang Ji. The Blackstone Martial Hall was created by the second strongest, Lante. The Starry Sky Martial Hall was just as powerful as the other two.
The three major Martial Halls represent the most terrifying forces among martial artists and are the main force against Star Realm Creatures. Their branches are spread across seven planets.
From what Li Yuan learned from the virtual network and books, the three major Martial Halls have more influence in the highest meetings of the Seven Star Alliance than the major countries on each planet.
Within Xia Country, only the Starry Sky Martial Hall and Starfire Martial Hall have branches, and they hold significant power.
"Isn’t it only martial artists who can join the three major Martial Halls?" Li Yuan asked in confusion.
"First, you become a preparatory member," Li Changzhou explained. "Your Uncle Zhong probably found out that you made it onto the Blue Star Youth Ranking from some source... This kind of thing happens often."
Li Yuan listened attentively. His uncle, Li Changzhou, was a martial artist and, as far as Li Yuan knew, had also been a member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall in his early years, so he was quite familiar with this.
"There are three types of membership in the Martial Halls," Li Changzhou continued. "The first is a registered member, which is just a formality. There are no benefits or rights. Like me, I’m still just a registered member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall."
"In theory, all martial artists in human civilization are supposed to join one of the Martial Halls, but most are in this kind of relationship."
"Registered members can still join other large groups or martial artist organizations, or even the military or special government departments."
Li Yuan nodded; being a registered member didn’t seem useful.
"The second type is internal members," Li Changzhou explained. "They are like company employees. They must sign a contract with the Martial Hall, receive a salary, and use the Martial Hall's resources for training. They also have to follow the Martial Hall's orders in critical moments."
"Your Uncle Zhong is an internal member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall," Li Changzhou added.
Li Yuan nodded slightly. Uncle Zhong had a good relationship with Uncle Li Changzhou. Every time he bought Basic Vital Blood Elixirs, it was through Uncle Zhong, who had an internal price and could give him a 5% discount.
"Internal members are also divided into levels. If someone is too weak, like below level 15, the assessments are often very strict," Li Changzhou said. "It’s not easy to get in."
Li Yuan understood. It was like big companies hiring employees; they often require high education, work experience, and interviews. It was normal for the Martial Hall to have high standards for internal members.
"The third type is preparatory members."
"You can sign up before becoming a martial artist, usually for martial arts geniuses," Li Changzhou said with a smile. "Your Uncle Zhong wants to find you, which shows he has high hopes for you."
"The benefit of being a preparatory member is that you can access a lot of training resources in advance, including guidance from famous teachers, vitality elixirs, and so on, all for free."
"Free?" Li Yuan's eyes brightened.
"Let me finish," Li Changzhou said. "There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You must give something in return."
"Once you sign the contract to become a preparatory member of the Martial Hall, when you become a martial artist, you must join the Starry Sky Martial Hall and become an internal member."
"Moreover, ordinary martial artists can pay a price to terminate their contracts after joining the Martial Hall as internal members."
"But if you sign up early, the conditions for termination later will be much stricter," Li Changzhou said seriously. "So, you need to think carefully."
(End of Chapter)