"You’re saying you suspect someone is proselytizing offline?"
"I’m just guessing. I saw a lady surrounded by two men handing out flyers. Whether it’s true or not isn’t clear, you could do an on-site investigation."
"Alright, give me the address."
"Near Tianlin Street in Suzhong District, it was just here."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Chenzhou returned home.
Whether it was a cult or not, he was uneasy with such people loitering near his home; those two were ordinary people, no match for him at all.
But in a society governed by law, the first rule of martial virtue:
A hero may not use martial force to break the law!
Except under special circumstances, even a Martial Artist must not freely attack or kill ordinary people, as the abuse of private punishment could only lead to the breakdown of social order, leaving everyone insecure.
"Chenzhou, have you passed the assessment?"
"You scared the life out of me, mom. To think the assessment involves pitting one’s wits and bravery against Void Things, that’s so dangerous. I looked it up, and there have been accidents during past assessments."
"Mom, accidents can happen to anything. Foreign presidents walking outside might even get killed by a falling turtle. The probability of an accident during the assessment is less than one in ten thousand."
"Let’s not talk about that. It’s good that you passed. Lu Guoping, come out and take a look at our son’s certificate, his ID photo looks pretty good... Stop watching that lousy ball game."
Lu Guoping came out with great joy upon hearing this.
"Let me have a look... hey, this is issued by the Void Control Department, it’s worth more than my qualification certificate. You can’t hang this up to make money, can you?"
"No, that would be illegal, and it would be revoked if discovered."
"How do we buy a Void Blade?"
"We’re not buying it yet; it’s too expensive."
"...Let’s wait then."
Lu Chenzhou came home just to check on his parents. He hadn’t been home for half a month, and he reminded them to be cautious about safety, not to open the door to strangers, and to consult with him in advance in case of any issues, so as to avoid being lured into a cult company.
The economy was down, and many people had lost their jobs. He had seen quite a few cases where people, not being discerning when job hunting, were pulled into scam companies. It was necessary to be on guard. Many people thought that scammers used low-level tactics, but in reality, it was very easy to be deceived when facing it firsthand.
"I’m going now, mom. I’m off, dad."
"Go on, be safe, especially this late."
Lu Chenzhou took a taxi downstairs and headed towards Fangshan. Passing by the street corner from earlier, he noticed police cars. The two men were questioned for a while before the police let them go, it seemed they were wrongfully accused.
A flyer fluttered in the wind and stuck to the car window.
"Reject the inner consumption of women, enjoy a beautiful life."
"Beautiful Life Cosmetic Surgery Hospital, top surgeon Chen Yongjing..."
There was a refined and handsome photo of a doctor on the flyer.
He was said to be the best plastic surgeon in Su City.
Lu Chenzhou took out his phone and searched for the hospital, discovering it was a normal cosmetic company with beauty hospitals nationwide. The information on Tianyancha also showed everything was in order, with all licenses and permits complete, no issues. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on NoveI★Fire.net
"Maybe I’ve been a bit overly suspicious lately."
Lu Chenzhou got up at dawn and went to the zoo to watch the tigers. He was hoping for inspiration so he could master "Tiger Supreme Fist" sooner.
After practicing three times, Lu Chenzhou was already covered in fine sweat.
On the Martial Arts Tree, the sweat that represented his effort poured down in torrents.
[Tiger Supreme Fist: Beginner (6%) → Beginner (7%)]
"It looks like I won’t be proficient until next month."
Now he had another Second Class Martial Art to study, but he could not slack off in his cultivation of "Black Tiger Fist." For Third Class Martial Arts, Perfection wasn’t much more powerful than Great Success, and Lu Chenzhou was simply looking forward to nurturing a new Divine Seed.
He hoped this would compound with his comprehension of Fist Techniques.
While eating breakfast, Li Xianghua sent Lu Chenzhou a message.
[Chenzhou, there’s a package for you at home.]
Lu Chenzhou’s heart tightened, worried it might be from an offender.
"What is it, where’s it sent from?"
[It doesn’t say on the outside, but the return address is from the Martial Arts Association.]
"The Martial Arts Association? Then go ahead and open it."
Lu Chenzhou couldn’t think of what it might be.
[It’s a pair of gloves, labeled "Void-breaking Type Civilian Gloves," and there’s also a "Void Blade Instruction and Information Sheet"... Did you buy a Void Blade?]
Lu Chenzhou roughly understood.
"Mom, hold onto it for me, I’ll ask around."
He immediately phoned Qin Zheng.
"Qin Zheng, did you send a package to my house?"
It was obvious that Qin Zheng had just woken up and sounded groggy as he replied:
"Yes, did your parents receive it? I couldn’t find your school’s address, so I had to send it to your home instead. I actually wanted to buy the knife type, but they were out of stock."
"It’s not that... How could I accept something worth hundreds of thousands from you? I appreciate the thought, but you should take it back, brother. I’ll buy my own when I have the money."
"I didn’t say it was a gift. I bought it for myself, but I’m not at Fourth Rank yet and can’t use it... You use it for now, and you can give it back to me later."
"What? How did you buy it? You need a Void Blade qualification certificate to purchase that, right?" Lu Chenzhou was baffled by Qin Zheng’s move.
"There are always ways to buy, don’t worry, it’s the real deal!"
After some back and forth, Lu Chenzhou reluctantly accepted it. It wasn’t that he was being pretentious; it was simply too valuable. They were only high school classmates, not relatives.
Lu Chenzhou said earnestly:
"Qin Zheng, thanks, brother. I’ll keep it for self-defense for now. Later on, you can either take it back or I can pay for it, but I definitely won’t take your item for nothing."
"I’m going back to sleep, hanging up now... And man, you’re so freakish, getting up at five in the morning just to practice Fist Technique? Are you even human?"
"I’ve been up since four and finished training already."
After hanging up, Lu Chenzhou sent Li Xianghua the address of the Fangshan Security Office and asked her to flash-deliver it there. He soon got the Void-breaking Gloves. Unpacking the exquisite package, it was the same type as the ones Shi Ruyu had used, identical.
Using scissors from his drawer, he tried cutting the gloves but couldn’t even leave a scratch. It seemed that disarming an opponent barehanded wouldn’t be a problem; reportedly, it could even stop bullets.
He put on the gloves; they did not hinder his Fist Technique practice or using his phone.
Now armed, a sense of security naturally emerged. Reflecting on the sensation of pummeling those Void Things during the exam, there was an indescribable rush of exhilaration.
Time flew by, and before he knew it, May 20th arrived.
Tomorrow was the day of the Martial Arts Academy exchange competition.
Over the past week, Lu Chenzhou methodically continued his Fist Technique practice and studies. Cha Chihu kept his word and gave Lu Chenzhou three extra lessons, secretly helping him out.
Casually, Lu Chenzhou asked him if there were any other Tiger Form masters in Su City beside himself, and the first person Cha Chihu mentioned was the "Evil Tiger."
Lufang, from Su City, Top Class "root bone."
Studied at Hang City’s Jiangnan Wu University in the talents class, broke the First Shackles at 17, the Second at 24, and the Third at 34. Now only 44 years old, he was one of Su City’s most hopeful individuals to step into the Grandmaster Realm — heading the Pingjiang precinct.
He was considered one of the strongest in Su City’s police force.
Cha Chihu commented on this man:
He carved out his own unique Ghost Tiger Skill from the Tiger Form; a major talent!