"That's enough."
"His martial arts skills are improving quickly, which must be related to his spiritual power, but the most important thing is his talent in spear techniques," said Zhong Cheng, dressed in a black suit, with a hint of excitement.
"At just seventeen years old... it's very different from someone who only enters the Blue Star Youth Rankings at nearly nineteen."
"At such a young age, his spear skills are already so high."
"Normally, he has a great chance of breaking through to the fourth level in the future," Zhong Cheng took a deep breath. "His spiritual power is extremely strong, and once his body gets even stronger, his spiritual power might quickly exceed level 20."
"Master Song, the two major hurdles to becoming a source martial artist are not a problem for Li Yuan in the future," Zhong Cheng looked at Song Yi.
As a formal member of the Starry Sky Martial Hall, Zhong Cheng was very familiar with how the hall operated.
He knew that the value invested in a pre-signed member was at least tens of millions of Blue Star Coins.
Even more.
And to invest such a large amount, would it only be to train a first-level martial artist with a physical constitution of just a few levels?
That wouldn't make sense at all.
The goal of signing early and focusing on training was clear—cultivating a source martial artist.
Someone like Song Yi was a source martial artist.
Because of her strong abilities, Song Yi could hold the position of deputy hall master in the Guanshan District branch.
"There are three major hurdles to becoming a source martial artist," Song Yi smiled slightly. "For most people, the hardest part is spiritual power, as it mainly relies on talent."
Zhong Cheng nodded in agreement.
Not having a high physical constitution? That could be improved with various treasures; theoretically, anyone could meet the physical requirements of a martial artist as long as they had enough money.
Martial arts skills? They depend on insight, but with a good teacher, improvement can be quick.
Spiritual power? The treasures that can enhance spiritual power are incredibly expensive, something even source martial artists can't imagine, so it mainly comes down to talent.
And now.
In Zhong Cheng and Song Yi's eyes, Li Yuan was that kind of person with exceptional spiritual talent.
Combined with his spear skills.
He was definitely worth nurturing!
"Should we contact him this week?" Zhong Cheng asked. "Invite him to the hall?"
"That's too hasty," Song Yi shook her head.
Zhong Cheng was taken aback and felt anxious.
Wasn't it the other party who wanted him to contact Li Changzhou immediately? Why say it's too hasty now?
"I wanted you to contact him right away to avoid being noticed by the Martial Arts Hall or Starfire Martial Hall, in case they beat us to it," Song Yi picked up a nearby coffee cup and stirred it gently. "But now it's almost confirmed that no one has contacted him."
"Li Yuan is still a kid; he might agree on a whim, but his uncle Li Changzhou is not foolish."
"If we approach them now, they'll definitely ask for better contract terms."
"So, let's wait a few days."
"Once they realize that only we are interested, it will be easier to negotiate," Song Yi smiled.
"Lowering the price?" Zhong Cheng frowned slightly.
Lowering the price wasn't a good choice.
Because a martial artist represents martial power, and martial power is the source of all authority.
If they lower the price when signing early, once the other party becomes stronger, it could easily backfire.
"First lower the price," Song Yi smiled slightly, then added three words: "Then raise it."
"Create a disparity in treatment."
"This way, it will show that our Starry Sky Martial Hall values talent, and it will also make Li Yuan feel grateful," Song Yi said with a smile. "Additionally, I'll leave the contract matter to you."
"I'll give you C-level contract authority at most; don't let me down."
"Thank you, Master Song." Zhong Cheng nodded repeatedly. "I'll definitely handle this well."
...
That night, around nine o'clock, after finishing his training, Li Yuan took an unmanned electric car home from school.
His aunt had been waiting on the sofa.
"Aunt!" Li Yuan called out.
"You're back? Drink the high-energy milk first; it's on the table, just made a while ago," his aunt said.
"Okay," Li Yuan nodded.
Except for Sundays when he ate at home, he usually had all his meals at school from Monday to Saturday.
His aunt always worried that he would overexert himself during his evening training, so she would time it to prepare a cup of high-energy milk every night.
Picking up the cup from the dining table, Li Yuan sat down in the living room.
"Aunt, with the two months' living expenses Uncle sent last time, plus the money I received today, I think I can manage until February, so you don't need to send me any more for now," Li Yuan said while drinking the milk.
"Alright," Chen Hui smiled, watching Li Yuan drink the milk heartily.
She had always been very satisfied with Li Yuan.
He was obedient, sensible, and sometimes showed a maturity that didn't seem typical for his age, which made her feel at ease.
As he grew older, Li Yuan also began to show impressive talent in martial arts.
What had worried Chen Hui before was that she and her husband couldn't provide enough financial support for Li Yuan.
This time, with Li Yuan earning two bonuses on his own, it eased her worries a bit.
"Your uncle sent me a message," Chen Hui said. "The Starry Sky Martial Hall is interested in signing you early. What do you think?"
"Let's see what the Starry Sky Martial Hall offers," Li Yuan put down his empty cup and thought for a moment. "However, if the Martial Arts Hall is willing to give me a special recruitment, I would prefer that path."
"Right."
"Special recruitment would be best." Chen Hui said with satisfaction. "Special recruitment is like reserving a spot at one of the Five Major Martial Arts Academies, and they guarantee job placement after graduation; you might even go directly to the city martial arts bureau."
As a middle school teacher, Chen Hui understood special recruitment quite well and hoped Li Yuan would take that route.
In her view, national special recruitment not only guarantees job placement but is also much safer as long as he doesn't join the military.
But if he signed with the martial hall, the future was uncertain.
Members of the martial hall would be at the forefront of battles in the star realm, with a casualty rate comparable to that of military martial artists.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Aunt," Li Yuan smiled, understanding her concerns.
Li Yuan had his own thoughts as well.
The three major martial halls gathered a large number of martial artists, forming the strongest martial artist group, something the country couldn't match.
From the perspective of martial arts training, choosing a martial hall would lead to faster progress, but it was often more dangerous.
On the other hand, going through the special recruitment of the Martial Arts Hall would provide an administrative position, which would be best for his family in the future.
With national resources backing him, his martial arts progress wouldn't be slow either.
...
As Li Yuan was filled with anticipation, the developments that followed completely exceeded his expectations.
The day after he entered the Blue Star Youth Rankings, the Starry Sky Martial Hall contacted his uncle Li Changzhou.
After that, there was no more news.
Not only did the Starry Sky Martial Hall go silent, but the Martial Arts Hall and Starfire Martial Hall had no updates either; no one came looking for him... Days passed by.
In the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.
By mid-October, even though Li Yuan had a calm personality, waiting for so long left him a bit confused.
One afternoon, his uncle Li Changzhou called.
"Xiao Yuan."
"Your Uncle Zhong contacted me again today. He felt a bit embarrassed, which is why there hasn't been any news for so many days. He is responsible for contracts in the martial hall," Li Changzhou said seriously in the video projection. "He really wants to sign you."
"Okay," Li Yuan nodded slightly.
There was no doubt that Zhong Cheng and Uncle Li Changzhou were long-time friends.
"But he made it clear that your issue lies with martial spirit, which is why his application got stuck during the second review. The higher-ups in the martial hall are discussing it now," Li Changzhou looked at Li Yuan. "But the results should come out in the next couple of days."
"Results in the next couple of days? Because of martial spirit?" Li Yuan listened quietly.
Was it really because of martial spirit again?
"Don't be discouraged. Uncle Zhong also said he would do his best to fight for you," Li Changzhou said. "Let's stay optimistic; even if it doesn't work out, don't be disappointed."
"Keep up with your training as well," Li Changzhou advised.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'm not training for an early contract with the Starry Sky Martial Hall," Li Yuan smiled. "If they want to sign me later, I might not even agree."
After hanging up the video call, the smile on Li Yuan's face faded.
Standing in the martial arts room 4011.
"Martial spirit?"
"Is it because I haven't awakened that the Martial Arts Hall and Starfire Martial Hall are giving me no opportunities at all?"
"Perhaps without Uncle Zhong, the Starry Sky Martial Hall wouldn't have any hope either," Li Yuan tightened his grip on the spear, feeling silent inside. "Is there really no hope of becoming a strong martial artist without a suitable advanced cultivation method?"
Neither Li Yuan nor Li Changzhou considered that this was a deliberate act by the Starry Sky Martial Hall.
After all, compared to the Starfire Martial Hall and Martial Arts Hall, there was no news from either of them.
"Swish!"
Li Yuan suddenly thrust the spear forward, unleashing a terrifying force that almost left an afterimage, followed by a series of spear shadows changing rapidly, producing sharp whistling sounds in the air.
Suddenly, two notifications flashed in Li Yuan's vision.
"Your spear skill level has increased from 56% to 57% in the third level."
"Your life level has increased from level 6.8 to level 6.9."
...
The next day, just before ten o'clock at night.
While in his room, Li Yuan suddenly received a video call.
"Uncle Zhong?" Li Yuan's eyes brightened.
He answered the call.
Buzz~ A middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes appeared in the projection, looking quite energetic.
"Xiao Yuan," Zhong Cheng said with a smile.
"Uncle Zhong," Li Yuan replied.
"Xiao Yuan," Zhong Cheng said cheerfully. "I hope I’m not disturbing you with this late call."
"No."
"That's good." Zhong Cheng smiled, looking a bit emotional. "I have good news for you. Your contract application has been approved in the meeting; it's a D-level contract."
"Approved?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Uncle Zhong."
He had prepared himself for the possibility of not being approved.
"There's no need to thank me; it's your own excellence."
"Come to the martial hall at nine o'clock on Sunday morning, and we'll discuss the specific terms," Zhong Cheng said with a smile. "Is that okay?"
"Sure."
(End of Chapter)