"Starry Earth Essence Crystal?" Wan Qinghe's eyes showed confusion. What was that?
He had heard of several types of essence crystals, but he had never heard of one with that name.
On the other hand, the old man in black robes, Fei Qian, was shocked upon hearing this. "Starry Earth Essence Crystal? Sir, is that for real?"
He had only heard other flying martial artists mention this treasure in passing and had never seen it for himself.
"Are you questioning my decision?" A cold female voice came from the light screen.
"I wouldn't dare," Fei Qian quickly replied, lowering his head involuntarily.
As the city lord of a provincial capital and one of the top five figures in the Jiangbei branch of the Starfire Martial Hall, he held immense power in the eyes of ordinary people. Even the other three deputy lords of the province had to bow their heads in front of Lord Yang.
Why? Because of strength!
The difference between a level 29 source martial artist and a flying martial artist was like heaven and earth.
Human source martial artists were incredibly powerful, able to unleash speeds that reached the speed of sound. It was common for them to flatten a small town during a battle, but they couldn’t fly, and their source energy wasn’t limitless. With a large enough assault from hot weapons, they could be killed.
Flying martial artists? Bullets? Missiles? They might not even be as fast as a flying martial artist.
Unless it was a large-scale weapon of mass destruction, like a nuclear weapon, hot weapons were basically ineffective.
The key was to launch a surprise attack! Otherwise, if a flying martial artist saw you from a distance, they could easily escape the center of a nuclear explosion and survive.
A human nuclear weapon was no exaggeration.
"Beep~"
The communication was cut off.
"Ha!" Fei Qian finally let out a sigh of relief, sitting back down and glancing at the anxious Wan Qinghe beside him.
"My lord Wan," Fei Qian leaned back, placing his legs on the desk. "Are you going to say I’m getting old and confused, or that I don’t value talent? Go on, I’m listening."
One second!
A smile spread across Wan Qinghe's face, and he leaned forward slightly to pour tea. "Old Fei, you misunderstood me. You’re as wise as ever, just like you said."
Wan Qinghe quickly realized that after Fei Qian received Li Yuan’s information, he must have reported it to Lord Yang. Otherwise, the provincial lord wouldn’t have come looking so soon.
"I came today to mention Li Yuan, but mainly to report on the recent preparations for the martial artist competition at the Guanshan branch..." Wan Qinghe spoke and respectfully handed over a teacup. "Old Fei, this tea is clearly good tea."
"This was brewed last night."
"I was too lazy to change it this morning, so I just added some hot water," Fei Qian said, setting the teacup aside.
"What you’re talking about is the last pot." Wan Qinghe chuckled, looking quite honest. "This pot was brewed again while you were out just now."
"You rascal." Fei Qian shook his head with a smile. "You’ve probably cursed me in your heart a hundred times."
"I wouldn’t dare."
"If I didn’t know you were wise and magnanimous, how could I dare to come directly to you?" Wan Qinghe said with righteous indignation.
"Enough of that." The old man in black, Fei Qian, said seriously. "What you said about Li Yuan is indeed impressive. Before I even received his information, I had already been notified that he entered the 'Falling Star Rank' on the Star Combat Network."
"Falling Star Rank?" Wan Qinghe nodded, not surprised.
"Combining your information..."
"Giving him an A-level contract is about right," Fei Qian smiled. "But I chose to apply for an S-level contract for him. Do you know why?"
Wan Qinghe shook his head.
An A-level contract was something Fei Qian could decide on his own as the city lord. But for an S-level contract, it required the provincial lord's approval or at least the agreement of two deputy provincial lords.
"His rate of progress," Fei Qian said, emphasizing the four words.
Wan Qinghe pondered this.
"Martial arts geniuses usually follow two paths," Fei Qian smiled. "The first is like Jing He, who shows brilliance early on and rises to greatness, like Tian Dazhuang, who was signed by the Martial Arts Hall this year."
Wan Qinghe nodded; he had heard of Tian Dazhuang. In fact, in the evaluations from various powerful factions, Tian Dazhuang was rated slightly higher than Wu Dongdong.
Physical constitution was indeed important. But Tian Dazhuang's lack of resources meant he fell behind. Once he got the necessary resources, he might not lag behind Wu Dongdong.
"The second path is 'Fang Hai'," Fei Qian continued. "Initially dazzling and incredible, but as time goes on... they don’t seem as strong."
Wan Qinghe nodded again. Fang Hai was a well-known figure in the history of martial arts in Xia Country and even Blue Star, achieving the fourth level of skills at fourteen and the fifth level at sixteen... he was exceptionally talented.
He had once been regarded by the Starfire Martial Hall as a genius who could rival the Grand Master 'Dongfang Ji'.
Later... while his achievements were still good, they fell far below expectations.
"There are also very few who follow a third path outside of these two, the jade within the stone," Fei Qian smiled.
"Jade within the stone?" Wan Qinghe contemplated this metaphor.
"At first, it appears as a rough stone, but as the outer layer is gradually removed, its true form begins to emerge," Fei Qian said with a faint smile. "The more it is polished, the more it shines, eventually becoming a masterpiece."
Wan Qinghe held his breath. "Old Fei means that Li Yuan is...?"
"It's too early to conclude," Fei Qian smiled. "But if you only look at his middle school records, you can only say he was a decent middle school student."
Wan Qinghe nodded.
"In his first year of high school, his progress accelerated; in his second year, it accelerated even more," Fei Qian continued. "In the past six months of his third year, his rate of progress has been even more terrifying, surpassing other S-level students."
Wan Qinghe nodded. "Old Fei, you have a keen eye."
"Whether he is a piece of uncut jade still needs to be observed," Fei Qian smiled. "But at the very least, he is a piece of jade."
"Lord Yang probably has similar considerations, which is why he promised the Starry Earth Essence Crystal."
"What is the Starry Earth Essence Crystal?" Wan Qinghe couldn’t help but ask.
"Don’t ask."
"When Li Yuan comes back... not today, I need to go to the headquarters of Xia Country, and I won’t be back for twenty days," Fei Qian said. "Your application has been approved. You will sign the contract on my behalf, and when I return, you can bring him to see me."
"Understood," Wan Qinghe nodded.
"Go on," Fei Qian said. "Be attentive to Li Yuan. Report any changes to me at any time, and handle any small matters as you see fit."
"Yes."
...
Wan Qinghe left Fei Qian's office and headed straight to the third floor.
He entered one of the offices.
"Old Wan, what brings you here?" a chubby middle-aged man was flipping through documents.
"Old Hu, Fei Qian asked me to find you for something," Wan Qinghe whispered.
The chubby middle-aged man immediately understood it was a private matter.
"What is it?" he lowered his voice.
"Isn’t there a house that just became available in the Starfire South Lake community?" Wan Qinghe nudged the chubby man's arm and winked.
The chubby man stood up, looked around at the door, closed it, and then spoke. "Which one?"
"The one in Area One?"
"You’re quick on the uptake," the chubby man said. "Who’s it for?"
"A little guy who is about to sign an A-level contract. According to the contract level, he can stay in Area Two for free," Wan Qinghe whispered. "Old Fei wants him upgraded to Area One."
"Area One? That requires at least a source martial artist or an S-level contract," the chubby man frowned. "Or a special approval document from the city lord."
"Aren’t this year’s special approval quotas insufficient? If it could be done, why would Old Fei ask me to find you?" Wan Qinghe smiled. "Old Hu, I’ve sent you the information. Old Fei wants you to think of a way."
"I’ll wait for your good news. Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal."
With that, Wan Qinghe didn’t wait for a response, turned around, opened the door, and closed it in one smooth motion.
"A-level contract?"
"The approval was passed five minutes ago?" the chubby man murmured, glancing at Li Yuan's information in the contract. "Li Yuan? He hasn’t even awakened his martial spirit?"
The information didn’t include any recent updates on Li Yuan.
The middle-aged man wasn’t worried about Wan Qinghe lying. The fact that the city lord had just approved the A-level contract indicated that Fei Qian had already reviewed it. Putting together that Wan Qinghe came to find him right after... the answer was clear.
"Could he be the illegitimate son of Lord Fei? Hey, he looks quite similar."
The more the middle-aged man looked, the more he thought it was true.
...
At Jiangbei Martial Arts University, after lunch, everyone returned to their dorms to pack their things.
"Aunt."
Li Yuan received a video call from his aunt, Chen Hui.
"Huh? Wasn’t Uncle at Base Three? Not Base Seven?"
"Base Three has been secured? Good! That’s great!" Li Yuan pretended to just find out, looking excited while comforting his aunt.
In the past few days, he had communicated with his aunt twice.
"Aunt, I ranked first in the practical assessment yesterday," Li Yuan said with a smile. "I performed very well in this event, and Jiangbei Martial University and the military rewarded me with 3.5 million Blue Star Coins. Everything is going well, so don’t worry."
"I’ll be home tonight." Li Yuan also shared the good news of the past few days with his aunt.
As for entering the Falling Star Rank? He didn’t want to reveal too much since he hadn’t directly upgraded to an A-level contract yet.
After hanging up the call, he sighed. "According to Lin Lanyue, she knows more than what’s on the news, so Base Three should be safe now."
He thought to himself, "But still, there’s been no news."
"I wonder how things are going."
All morning, he had been browsing news about the war in the Lobu Sea, but there was nothing new.
"Li Yuan, let’s go," Gu Qianghan called, carrying his bag.
"Okay, I’m coming."
...
At two in the afternoon.
At Jiangbei Martial University, a large number of flying vehicles were parked on the massive runway.
"Li Yuan, see you online next time," Tian Dazhuang smiled and waved at Li Yuan.
"Sure," Li Yuan smiled and waved back.
The two had added each other on V-chat. Although they had just met and hadn’t talked much, they respected each other and felt a sense of camaraderie.
Soon after.
"Li Yuan, I’m leaving too. Come visit my house when you have time," Wu Dongdong said, showing his small tiger teeth.
"Sure thing," Li Yuan replied with a smile. Wu Dongdong had a carefree personality and got along well with others.
Before long, Li Yuan, Lin Lanyue, and the others boarded a flying vehicle heading to Jiang City’s Guanshan District.
They arrived at school at three in the afternoon.
Principal Tan, several vice principals, Xu Bo, and others were already waiting by the playground to welcome Li Yuan and the others.
"Haha, great! Li Yuan, Lin Lanyue, we’ve heard about your performance. We’re all very happy for you," Principal Tan Zhenlong said with a beaming smile.
Other school leaders were also smiling widely.
They all felt that this year's "college entrance exam results" were becoming more and more stable.
"The school has decided."
"To reward student Li Yuan with a scholarship of 200,000," Tan Zhenlong said solemnly. "And to reward Lin Lanyue with a scholarship of 100,000."
"Other students also have..."
The forced smiles on Li Yuan, Dong Haifeng, and the others finally turned into genuine smiles at this moment.
Money was what mattered!
...
After the welcome ceremony, Lin Lanyue, Dong Haifeng, and the others headed to their martial arts rooms.
Only Li Yuan was called aside by Xu Bo.
"Teacher," Li Yuan said respectfully.
"You did well this time; you really made me proud," Xu Bo said with a smile.
"Thanks to your guidance, Teacher," Li Yuan replied earnestly.
"Haha," Xu Bo laughed.
He viewed Li Yuan differently from other students.
Other students were just students.
But Li Yuan was like half a disciple to him.
"Alright, come with me to the office. Lord Wan has been waiting for you for a long time," Xu Bo said.
"Lord Wan?" Li Yuan asked, slightly puzzled. "What’s the matter?"
"It should be about upgrading your contract, but it seems it’s not just a simple A-level contract," Xu Bo said. "He didn’t want to say much to me."
"Upgrading the contract?" Li Yuan was taken aback; he hadn’t even met the standards for an A-level contract yet.
"Oh, right!"
"There’s one more thing." Xu Bo's expression suddenly turned serious. "A friend just sent me news that the first batch of people from Base Three has been rescued."
"Your uncle’s name is among them."
"But it seems he was injured, and the situation isn’t very optimistic," Xu Bo hesitated before saying. "You need to be mentally prepared."
(End of Chapter)