Zhong Shenxiu tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t help it and laughed.
He looked at the big man sitting next to him and said earnestly, "Uncle Niu, I know... but since I was little, I only knew how to practice martial arts. While others played, I practiced martial arts, while others went to school, I practiced martial arts. I’ve dedicated over ten years of my life to martial arts. What else can I do now?"
Beside his hospital bed sat a man in his forties, tall and strong, dressed in a jacket and jeans, with rough skin on his face, and features that seemed haphazardly shaped by the creator, but his eyes were filled with concern.
Upon hearing this, the man was momentarily stunned, then stood up and dropped a line, "I’ve paid the medical bills for you. Remember to come back for a meal after you’ve been discharged, you little stinker."
Zhong Shenxiu watched Uncle Niu’s figure leave, recalling Hua Wu’s life.
He was an orphan, adopted by Uncle Niu since he was young.
Uncle Niu used to be a famous martial arts coach but later faced some major setback and retreated to running a gym, where he adopted many orphans.
It could be said that Hua Wu’s first enlightenment in martial arts was actually from Uncle Niu.
His dream of becoming a martial artist might also have been to fulfill Uncle Niu’s wish.
"This is my obsession, how can I not fulfill it before returning?"
A smile played on the corners of Zhong Shenxiu’s mouth.
He checked his body and found no serious issues. He got out of bed, packed his things, and started the discharge procedure.
Hua Wu’s hospitalization was somewhat self-inflicted; he thought he had made some progress and participated in a boxing match, only to get beaten and sent here.
No one else to blame for that.
Compared to those who were killed outright in the ring, he was already quite fortunate.
No, perhaps Hua Wu was already dead.
Because the one who survived was Zhong Shenxiu!
Zhong Shenxiu opened his wallet, counted the three-digit sum of Star Coins, and suddenly felt a pain in his liver, his kidneys, everywhere.
This wasn’t ancient times; one couldn’t just hunt a silly roe deer in the wilds to survive.
This is modern society, where you can’t get by without money.
Though he didn’t have much, Zhong Shenxiu still flagged down a private car to take him back to the rented house he remembered.
In his view, it didn’t matter if he spent that hundred-plus bucks sooner or later; either way, he was poor!
Hua Wu, although adopted by Uncle Niu as a child, moved out as soon as he became an adult.
Zhong Shenxiu took out his key, opened the door, and found a small space inside, with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling and many exercise equipments around.
Other than that, the furniture was old, the clothes were tattered, he was practically without a single possession.
This Hua Wu, as he remembered, only knew to practice martial arts and would only do some odd jobs when he was really strapped. No wonder Uncle Niu had to pay for his hospitalization.
"You really beat me, brother. You only left behind so little inheritance that I can’t even spend it in two days."
Zhong Shenxiu tossed his bag aside, sat down on the couch, opened the fridge, found a long-missed bottle of fatso’s happy soda, tilted his head back, and finished it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh, "This is life."
He took out his phone and began surfing the internet, browsing forums, and watching videos until night fell.
"Damn it, this makes time fly even less noticeable than cultivating."
Zhong Shenxiu made a jesting remark and finally began to search, "What to do when you have no money?"
The results showed a bunch of lending platforms.
After thinking for a moment, he added a contact and chatted for a while. The other party immediately said, "Dear, our platform doesn’t require collateral and offers immediate loans. But the interest is high, and we’ll need a photo, oh."
"What photo? The kind without clothes? But I’m a dude."
"Male or female, the effect’s the same, you know? From what I’ve observed, some men are even more embarrassed to be seen...which means they tend to pay their debts at a high rate, very creditworthy. You’re a prime customer too, hon. ...Even if you can’t pay back the money for the time being, our company offers work-study repayment services. You can start working at the club straight away, and we even provide free training. You’ll learn how to make a rich old lady happy with ball games within three days..."
"Ah, piss off, goodbye!"
Zhong Shenxiu hung up the phone without bothering to try the rest.
He sat for a while, then began communicating with the Heavenly Show System.
[Name: Hua Wu (Zhong Shenxiu)]
[Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt: Beginner Level]
[Heavenly Show Points: 3 (5%)]
[The Thousand Gates: To Be Opened]
"My Martial Arts and Daoist Skills haven’t come with me? Makes sense...you say Martial Arts, but besides knowing the moves, there’s also the muscle memory, and even True Qi. This body hasn’t been through that kind of conditioning, so I can’t form the skills."
"But the Heavenly Show Points have come along. Might be of great use."
Although he would be able to regain all his strength from the Cultivation World rather quickly, Zhong Shenxiu had other plans.
He decided to cultivate the White Bone Dao Book!
"Since it’s not my own body, I won’t be heartbroken. Might as well try breaking through the Gang Sha Realm for a test run..."
The legacy that Zhong Shenxiu could cultivate in his hands was, in fact, only half of the White Bone Dao Book; the initial step of the Yellow Sand Daoist Scripture required Elixir Pills, which didn’t exist in this world.
As for the problems after breaking through the Gang Sha Realm, he hadn’t thought much about it.
This world might not even have a Gang Sha Realm to break through. Thinking about Divine Skills and such...that’s just wishful thinking.
Zhong Shenxiu had given careful thought to what he could gain from The Thousand Gates.
When he arrived in this world, it struck him.
He couldn’t bring back items, the only thing he could take back were the Heavenly Show Points acknowledged by the Heavenly Show System!
With billions of people on this entire planet plus advanced media information, even if the quality wasn’t as good as in the previous world, the smaller amounts would add up. Perhaps he could accumulate a substantial amount of Heavenly Show Points to bring back!
"Plan approved... First, I’ll cultivate the White Bone Dao Book, then I’ll aim for being the mightiest Martial Artist and get myself trending on the hot search."
Although following from ten thousand people here might not match the astonishment from Feng Xixi alone, it’s hard to beat the sheer numbers here.
Especially the grand events at the end, those are broadcasted worldwide.
Thinking this, Zhong Shenxiu no longer hesitated, opened his phone, and quickly searched: "How to become a Martial Artist?"
This idiot Hua Wu thought that having good martial skills meant you could just go and compete to be recognized as a Martial Artist.
But little did he know, that sort of thing was at most considered underground fighting. Even if they called themselves Martial Artists, they weren’t acknowledged at all.
To become a true Martial Artist, one first needed to register with the Martial Artist Association.
The registration requirements are to either have a special recommendation or to win once in an official regional competition or to achieve a high ranking in a national contest...
After a successful registration, you then have to pass some assessments from the association.
If you pass the assessment, you can become a recognized Martial Artist, reaping both fame and wealth.
If Hua Wu was this kind of Martial Artist before, that Uncle Niu probably wouldn’t have given a damn, instead, he would have supported him vigorously.
Because even a formal Martial Artist doing some commercial shows would have a salary and societal status comparable to professional baseball players in Fusang or eagle basketball players in the United States, counting so much money their hands would cramp, with a reputation and status to match.
What a pity, Hua Wu’s martial skills... well... heh...