If Zhang Hengxing hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it!
Advancing from a mid-tier quasi-warrior to a high-tier quasi-warrior in just 20 days—what kind of astounding talent does that require?
"Damn it! Keep cultivating? Cultivate my foot!" Zhang Hengxing angrily threw the water bottle in his hand to the ground.
Clearly, he was deeply impacted, thoroughly provoked by Su Xiaobai.
He had thought that through hard work, leveraging his family's resources, and relying on his own cultivation aptitude, he could stage a stunning turnaround. Yet someone else had silently crushed that dream in its infancy!
"But… a genius like this, since I've discovered him, I can't let other families beat me to it!"
Zhang Hengxing took several deep breaths, finally managing to calm down a bit. "If I can forge a connection with him and gain his assistance, perhaps my Zhang family can secure a place in Base No. 18 in the future!"
Base No. 18 had a population of five million.
Although the Zhang family could be considered wealthy, their influence and power were, in reality, pitifully small.
Otherwise, why would he come to the Warrior Hall's training room to cultivate?
Wouldn't it be far more convenient to simply build an expensive training room at home?
In this era, talent and elite individuals were the ultimate assets.
Attracting enough talented elites could add bricks to the family's foundation and prepare for future prosperity!
Thus, whenever a family discovered a genius, they would spare no expense to recruit them immediately.
"Su Xiaobai!"
With this thought, Zhang Hengxing no longer hesitated. He decisively chased after Su Xiaobai and called out to him.
"Huh?"
Su Xiaobai turned around to see Zhang Hengxing. At first, he felt a bit unfamiliar, but soon information about Zhang Hengxing popped into his mind.
A classmate.
One of the first in their class to advance to a beginner quasi-warrior.
At the same time, personal information about Zhang Hengxing appeared in Su Xiaobai's mind:
Human: Zhang Hengxing
Realm Level: Beginner quasi-warrior
Strength Level: Beginner quasi-warrior
Endurance Level: Intermediate quasi-warrior
Agility Level: Beginner quasi-warrior
Cultivation Aptitude: Basic
Mastered Skills:Moon Ghost Spear (Basic),Tiger King Technique (Basic)
"A beginner's realm, but his endurance has reached intermediate?"
"A talent!"
Su Xiaobai silently sized him up.
However, compared to Su Xiaobai's all-around high-tier stats, Zhang Hengxing was obviously several levels inferior.
"Zhang Hengxing, do you need something?" Su Xiaobai asked.
"Su Xiaobai, have you… already reached the advanced quasi-warrior level?" Zhang Hengxing hesitated for a moment before asking.
"?!"
Su Xiaobai's eyebrows raised, and a wary look instantly appeared in his eyes.
In this power-dominated society, while strength garnered respect, it also bred envy.
Powerful families and factions would often secretly assassinate any genius they deemed a threat to their status.
This was the darkest, most brutal reality of the world.
Su Xiaobai knew this all too well, which was why he had kept a low profile. Yet, someone had still noticed!
"Don't get me wrong! I have no ill intentions, nor did I investigate you on purpose… It's just that I happened to see you receiving subsidies at the Warrior Hall a few times."
Zhang Hengxing quickly explained.
Oh no!
I forgot about that!
Su Xiaobai suddenly realized.
In hindsight, he should have staggered his visits. Coming three times in one month—any observant person could pick up on it!
But he had no other choice. He'd spent all his previous funds, and without the subsidies, he'd have to go out and work!
Work? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.
"So, what do you want from me?" Su Xiaobai asked.
"I want to invite you to join the Zhang family!"
Zhang Hengxing said seriously, "Before the school break, you hadn't even become a quasi-warrior, but in just two months, you've already reached advanced level. Your cultivation aptitude must be extraordinary!"
"I have the authority to represent the Zhang family. If you agree to become a guest of our family, I assure you we'll treat you with the utmost respect and generosity!"
Now Su Xiaobai understood.
Zhang Hengxing had noticed his rapid progress, assumed he had exceptional talent, and wanted to recruit him early.
That made sense. If Su Xiaobai were in Zhang Hengxing's shoes, he'd likely do the same.
"Well… I'm not currently interested in joining any family or faction," Su Xiaobai said.
Zhang Hengxing's hopeful expression visibly dimmed.
"But… if your Zhang family can offer enough sincerity, I might consider it!"
Hearing this, Zhang Hengxing's eyes lit up again. "What do you want? Just say the word, as long as the Zhang family can provide it!"
"I don't want much. How about this: give me one million spirit coins, and I'll become your family's guest. How does that sound?" Su Xiaobai tested.
He hadn't planned on joining any family.
But seeing the money offered to him on a silver platter, why refuse?
He initially thought of asking for 200,000 coins.
But then he figured, if he could name a price, why not ask for more?
After all, he needed 200,000 to unlock the system and upgrade his cultivation space.
"One million spirit coins?"
"Deal!" Zhang Hengxing agreed instantly, his face full of excitement.
What?!
So straightforward?!
Wow! I undersold myself!
Su Xiaobai regretted his decision.
If he'd known Zhang Hengxing would agree so readily, he would've asked for five million!
"Forget it. It's a small loss. At least with this million, I won't need to struggle to scrape together the funds."
Without Zhang Hengxing's invitation, Su Xiaobai would have had to join a hunting team after becoming a warrior, venture outside the base to hunt beasts, and sell their corpses.
That would take several months, and there was always the risk of injury—or worse, death.
Zhang Hengxing's arrival had saved him a great deal of trouble!
"Honored guest, this is a Warrior Hall bank card with a one-million-coin balance. The password is six zeros!"
Zhang Hengxing respectfully handed a bank card to Su Xiaobai.
Although they were peers, this was the proper etiquette for treating an esteemed guest.
Looking at the card with a one-million-coin balance, Su Xiaobai's eyes lit up!