Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Thirty-Eight: Entering the Pavilion, Discovery
Wang Jue was still reeling from the shock when he returned home. He wanted so desperately to become stronger, but the five thousand yuan... Though his family owned a noodle shop, it barely managed to break even. With his aunt’s debts from high-interest loans, nearly all their money was being used to help her pay them off—including the sixty thousand he had contributed. Truthfully, there was hardly any money left in the household, and that was why he felt so embarrassed.
He sat silently on the living room sofa for quite a while, his mind consumed by ways to raise the money, never noticing that his parents—who should have been helping at the hospital—were already home, nor reacting to his sister Wang Xiaoyu’s provocations.
“Jue, is there something you want to talk about?” Wang Jianbin, his father, had been reading the newspaper since his son walked in, and after glancing at him and seeing how troubled he looked, asked casually.
Wang Jue remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. “Dad, I want to join a martial arts academy.”
His words startled his mother, who peeked out of her room. She remembered customers at the shop mentioning how expensive martial academies were...
Wang Jianbin’s expression did not change, but his hand holding the newspaper trembled slightly. He asked, “How much does it cost?”
“Five thousand...” Wang Jue answered honestly, not trying to hide anything.
The room fell silent at once. Even his mischievous little sister sensed the tension and shrank back into the corner, not daring to move.
His mother hesitated at her bedroom door, intending to persuade him. “Jue...”
“Say no more,” his father interrupted abruptly. “Give him the money.”
She glanced at her husband, then silently walked back into the room. Moments later she returned, carrying a stack of bills and handing them to Wang Jue. “Son, here’s the five thousand you asked for.”
Her words were clean and resolute.
“Do what you want to do. No matter what happens, your father’s got your back!” As Wang Jue opened his mouth to speak, Wang Jianbin stood up, put away the newspaper, and said unhurriedly, “It’s getting late. Go rest now!” As he passed his son, he even gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
Moved, Wang Jue instinctively clenched the money tightly in his hand. “Dad, I won’t let you down.”
Wang Jianbin paused, saying nothing more, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth...
That night, when all was quiet, Wang Jue couldn’t sleep. Feeling thirsty, he went to the living room for water. Unexpectedly, he overheard his parents talking in their bedroom.
“We still haven’t scraped together enough for my sister’s loan payments, and there’s the salaries for Xiao Li and the others at the shop...”
“I’m not saying Jue shouldn’t go to the martial academy, but maybe we could wait until next month, after we get through this rough patch...”
After a long silence, his father spoke. “Jue gave up sixty thousand without a word to help his aunt. Now he needs five thousand for the academy—he’s just taking back a fraction of his own money. Don’t forget, even after he takes five thousand, we still have over fifty-five thousand left. At most, I’ll just have to work a bit harder starting tomorrow.”
“High-interest debts can’t be delayed. The longer we wait, the more we owe. Maybe tomorrow we should tell Xiao Li and the others that their wages will be late this month, and then see if we can borrow some money to pay off the loans at your sister’s house first?”
Standing in the living room, Wang Jue felt as though his heart had been struck heavily. He never imagined that five thousand yuan could be so important.
The bedroom door creaked open a sliver, letting out a faint glow. His mother, eyes red, came into the living room and was startled to see Wang Jue standing there. She forced a smile. “Jue, you’re still up so late?”
“Mom, this five thousand...” Wang Jue hesitated.
Before he could finish, his mother cut him off. “The money’s yours, so keep it. It’s always been yours. As for the family’s troubles, you don’t need to worry. Your father and I are here—everything will be fine.”
In the end, Wang Jue forgot about drinking water and returned to his room, overwhelmed by emotions. Only then did he remember that he hadn’t received the three hundred thousand yet.
He quickly pulled out Lan Yiyi’s business card from his pocket and sent his new bank account number to her from his phone. He waited for quite a while, but there was no reply. Anxious, he wondered if he’d been deceived. But soon he dismissed the thought. After all, Lan Yiyi was a hunting team captain—she had no reason to cheat him.
Thinking of these things, Wang Jue comforted himself: what’s meant to be will come, what’s his will always be his.
In this world, martial strength was even more important than he’d imagined. In his previous life, after graduating from university, Wang Jue worked in the city, hoping one day to return in glory and give his parents a comfortable old age. After years of hardship, just as he was about to succeed, he inexplicably found himself in this new world.
He never expected that here, too, he would be so constrained.
“I must become stronger! Stronger than ever!”
The next afternoon after school, Wang Jue arrived as promised at Extreme Martial Academy.
Five thousand in total!
He didn’t question why the tuition at Extreme Martial was so much lower than at other academies, nor did he care. As long as it could help him become stronger quickly, that was enough.
Zhao Qingming happily accepted the money, visibly relaxed. “The basic sword technique looks simple, but the subtleties—force, advance and retreat, and especially vibration—must be practiced day after day. You won’t master it right away. I’ll teach you the movements first; get familiar with them, and ask if anything’s unclear.”
It was obvious that though Zhao Qingming was the master of the academy, he wasn’t like those at other places who took money but did nothing. Instead, after receiving payment, he was very conscientious, teaching Wang Jue personally and sharing every detail about the sword technique without reservation.
Wang Jue listened intently, mimicking the moves as he was instructed.
“Strength is the true way!” Resolute, Wang Jue made up his mind: he would practice diligently at the academy, striving to improve his abilities before the exam.
Having been given a second chance at life, he would never accept being a mere nobody as he had been on Earth!
He would fight—for his family and for himself!
Especially in this world where martial prowess reigns, if he wanted his family to live well, he needed enough strength to carve out his own place.
While he listened to Zhao Qingming’s explanations, Wang Jue’s gaze drifted to the students about three meters away, all earnestly practicing their skills.
Those learning sword techniques edged closer, listening to the instructions while practicing.
Suddenly, Wang Jue noticed something astonishing: around the bodies of the martial academy students within two meters of him, countless transparent bubbles appeared out of thin air.
The bubbles were all the same size, floating beside the students.
To confirm he wasn’t seeing things, Wang Jue discreetly looked away, waited about ten seconds, then glanced back.
The bubbles were still there!
Goodness, he wasn’t hallucinating, was he?
Realizing something, Wang Jue’s eyes burned with excitement. “Could it be that only I can see these transparent bubbles?”
Curious about what they might be, Wang Jue deliberately moved closer to the students who were “auditing” the class as he practiced.
The students noticed his approach but paid him no mind, continuing their practice.
Seeing his actions went unnoticed, Wang Jue felt a thrill of excitement.
The bubbles were right before him. Without hesitation, he reached for the nearest one.
His hand touched nothing—like grasping air.
But then something remarkable happened. The bubble seemed to evaporate, vanishing instantly, so quickly he almost thought he had imagined it.
The next moment:
[Experience +5]
A new message appeared on Wang Jue’s system panel, and he quickly checked his personal stats.
[Name: Wang Jue]
[Level: Body Forging, Stage 3]
[Talent: Crimson Grade (Medium) 0/100]
[Technique: Stellar Soul Formula, Stage 1 (Unknown) 0/1000]
[Star Source: 2]
[Experience: 5]
Staring at the newly added experience, Wang Jue was taken aback—just like in a game, there was experience?
He tried using it, but frustratedly discovered it didn’t enhance his talent or technique at all. He had no idea what it was for.
“Could this experience be meant for improving martial skills?” Suddenly, Wang Jue’s heart raced. “Does that mean I can use this method to level up my martial skills?”
“Collecting experience, reaping benefits, skipping the learning process and mastering skills effortlessly?”
“Is this the real way to unlock my golden finger?”
“Looks like my cheat is truly extraordinary!”
Wang Jue nearly exclaimed aloud in excitement, but clamped his mouth shut, forcing himself to hold back his urge to shout out his delight.
At that moment, he forgot all about Zhao Qingming’s explanations, and became like a busy bee, treating the practicing students as flowers and gathering “nectar”—the transparent bubbles—from their midst.
[Experience +5]
[Experience +6]
[Experience +7]
[Experience +5]
...
Wang Jue grinned with satisfaction as he collected the bubbles, while Zhao Qingming raised his voice, worried Wang Jue might not hear, explaining with great passion.
By the time Zhao Qingming finished, Wang Jue was thoroughly pleased. He looked at the information on his system panel, his smile growing wider.
[Name: Wang Jue]
[Level: Body Forging, Stage 3]
[Talent: Crimson Grade (Medium) 0/100]
[Technique: Stellar Soul Formula, Stage 1 (Unknown) 0/1000]
[Star Source: 2]
[Experience: 134]
He had to admit, Wang Jue had hit the jackpot—less than twenty students had given him more than a hundred and thirty experience points. Though each contributed varying amounts, most gave five or six points, and occasionally seven. He hadn’t seen any below five.