Chapter 207: Application

At 3 p.m., Chen Chuan helped Lu Ke bring Yu Gang out of the alley. A car was already waiting outside.

The Chain Links Gang had sent it over. At the very least, they had some compassion and did not cast Yu Gang aside after using him.

This time, the Chain Links Gang had sided with the correct team, even though they had lost a lot of members because of this. Still, the most important thing was that they had participated in destroying Black Orchid Co., so they were considered to have contributed to the country.

Black Orchid Co.’s collapse and the destruction of dozens of powerful families meant that a lot of assets were left behind and plenty of market opportunities had opened up. They were all huge pie slices.

Even though the top government officials had already distributed the most important assets and market opportunities and only left behind scraps they didn’t want for those who had worked for them, they were still enough to fill people’s appetites.

After Chen Chuan helped Yu Gang into the car, he asked, “Mr. Yu, are there a lot of people who know the throwing art?”

“Any martial artist can pick up bits and pieces of it, as long as they’re willing to practice, but there aren’t many who have inherited proper throwing arts.

“The throwing art I have is something I got from a deceased, old friend. He had a proper throwing art he inherited from his master, so the book contains details on how to generate strength and how to use medicine while training the art.

“But if you want to search for someone who knows throwing arts, I suggest you check at the Resolution Department. They have comprehensive records of all martial artists who have shown their faces in public and what their strengths are.”

“Thank you, Mr. Yu,” Chen Chuan said gratefully.

“You’re talented and have a strong will. If you run into some problems that won’t interfere with your training, you should set them aside for the time being. Some time in the future, you’ll find a chance to solve them,” Yu Gang advised.

Chen Chuan nodded.

Once they helped Yu Gang into the car, Lu Ke got out and said, “Chen Chuan, Master Yu said that you’re definitely going to Central City. Is that true?”

“I’m absolutely going,” Chen Chuan answered with confidence.

“That’s great! We’ll leave ahead of you, but let’s meet again in Central City!” Lu Ke said excitedly and raised a hand.

Chen Chuan high-fived him and smiled. “Yes. Let’s meet again in Central City.”

They exchanged goodbyes, and Lu Ke got into the car again. The engine soon came to life. Lu Ke waved at him behind the windscreen, and Chen Chuan did the same. He stood at the entrance of the alley and watched the car fade into the distance.

Once he could no longer see the car, Chen Chuan went to the field in front of the Domain of Fists. The place was empty, but when he walked on the field, the scenery from a year ago was still fresh in his mind, as if it had only been yesterday since he last came here. He could recall every instant clearly, and every moment remained vivid.

A flock of birds flew by, leaving behind the sounds of flapping wings.

Chen Chuan cast a glance at the blue sky before going to grab his bicycle. He pushed it out of the alley, got on it, and went home.

Ten minutes later, he was back. Since there were only a few days left before the new semester, he needed to pack all the things he needed to bring to the dorm.

Over the next few days, everything was peaceful, though the news broadcasts were pretty lively. They were basically all talking about the forces of power that had connections with Black Orchid Co. A few days ago, the news only talked about companies that had worked with Black Orchid Co. Now, they were starting to talk about government officials from the Department of Administrative Affairs, which meant that the purge had reached its final stages.

On the 31st, Chen Chuan went back to the university with his luggage. This time, when he walked in, many of the students who had already come back greeted him and acted friendly.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Chen Chuan politely returned all their greetings. Things only returned to normal when he got back to his dormitory. Even there, though, when the students walking about the dorm saw him, they would say hello to him.

This was unavoidable. Chen Chuan had defeated the Mutual Aid Group by himself and got out of his trial unscathed. Nothing else was more worthy of admiration to the students. Most of them had also stood outside the tribunal court to support him, which they would always remember and look back on fondly.

Chen Chuan didn’t know this, but his reputation had been building over the past few days and had reached a height no other student had ever reached in the history of the university. Even the lecturers on the campus had to think carefully before taking action once they saw his name included.

When Chen Chuan went up to the dormitory supervisor to register being back, the dormitory supervisor handed him a form with a grin. “It isn’t easy being famous, is it?”

Chen Chuan took the form. “It really isn’t, but that’s okay. Once the semester starts, they won’t have the time nor energy to think about these things anymore.”

The dormitory supervisor nodded at that. “You’re right about that. They have too much free time right now and no way to release all that pent-up energy, but once the new semester starts and all sorts of training piles up on them, they’ll fall asleep the moment they hit the sack. They won’t have the time to even think about anything else.”

“By the way, is it just me, or are there more new students this year compared to the last?” Chen Chuan asked while filling out the form.

“The number keeps increasing every year. That’s the trend, but I think next year will have much more than expected,” the dormitory supervisor answered and gave Chen Chuan a meaningful look.

Chen Chuan knew what he was talking about. Thirty-seven recommended students were dead after the incident in the old factory, but it wasn’t that simple. A large group of university board members and sponsors were also arrested. The political situation in the campus had gone through a 180-degree change.

This meant that there was a power vacuum. The university management could ignore all the clauses and restrictions they had to adhere to in the past and treat every situation with the rules applicable only during special occasions. They could also allow more students to enroll.

Chen Chuan handed the filled-out form back. The dormitory supervisor took it back and grumbled, “If more students enroll in the university, I’ll have more students to manage. I’ve been the dormitory supervisor for years, so I should be happier seeing more students move in, but that also means more work. My workload will increase yet again.”

“You should ask for an increase in your wages, then,” Chen Chuan said with a grin.

“The chancellor won’t approve of it. He’s stingy,” the dormitory supervisor shot back.

“Then, I’ll approve of it when I become the chancellor,” Chen Chuan teased him.

“I like the sound of that, but unfortunately, you need to reach a certain age before you can become the chancellor, and I’ll be retiring by the time you do.” The dormitory supervisor let out a fake sigh.

“That’s fine. I’ll increase your pension then,” Chen Chuan said with a laugh.

“I’ll remember that.”

After the brief chat with the dormitory supervisor, Chen Chuan left the registration counter and walked into the elevator with his luggage to head to the seventh floor. The moment he stepped out, he saw Zhuang Zhi’s group in the public training room. When they looked over, he gave them a nod and headed toward the corridor.

Zhuang Zhi’s group felt a wave of complicated emotions in their hearts, but at the same time, they felt lost.

The Mutual Aid Group had disappeared overnight, and they were free of their shackles. They had gotten all the benefits of the Mutual Aid Group, they no longer had to obey the clauses in the contract.

It made them feel like they had hit the jackpot and should be grateful toward Chen Chuan, but the Mutual Aid Group’s reputation was down in the dumps, and all those who joined the group before were questioned by the university management. Even though nothing would be done to former members, their reputation would be ruined in the university, and if they told anyone outside that they were once part of the Mutual Aid Group, it would be seen as a stain on their lives.

They were thinking of ways to clear their reputation, and someone suggested they join the Aspiration Club.

This club had rushed over to support Chen Chuan once they learned that he went to the abandoned factory. At that time, the Mutual Aid Group and Black Orchid Co. were still around, so they had shown that they were willing to help without hesitation. Because of it, the club members had a good reputation among the students.

But the Aspiration Club didn’t accept just anyone. They weren’t welcoming toward those who had once joined the Mutual Aid Group. Because of that, the former members started talking about building another club for themselves so that they could support each other. It was as if the roles of the two groups had been flipped over.

***

After Chen Chuan returned to his room, he set down his luggage by the wall. His room hadn’t changed. Its layout remained the same. Last year, he had walked into his room just like this as well, but everything had changed since then.

Chen Chuan went to the floor-to-ceiling window and cast a glance at the Spring-Autumn Lake.

Tomorrow would be a brand new day.

He stood in front of the window for a while before he took out his things from the luggage. After putting them away and cleaning the room up a little, he went to do his daily training.

***

It was the first of September, and the new semester began. After the freshmen went through the opening ceremony, Cheng Zitong came to Chen Chuan’s door and set a stack of documents on the table.

“Take a look, Xiao Chuan.”

Chen Chuan picked up the papers and looked through them. They detailed what he had done while he was in Martial Valor University, including the missions he took, the evaluation points and reviews he got from the three governmental departments, and the proof that he had gotten his weapons permit and unrestricted defense permit. The pages were stacked with information.

Chen Chuan hadn’t realized that he had done so many things in just one year.

“I feel great just looking at your resume. It’s a pity that you don’t have the armor permit. Otherwise, it’d look even better.” Cheng Zitong sighed.

“It’s not as if I can’t get it,” Chen Chuan said after looking up.

Cheng Zitong stared at him for a moment before grinning. “It looks like you’ve done something again over the past few days. Good. I’ll be waiting for your good news. We’ll add it all to your resume. Until then, you can fill out the application form, and I’ll hand it to the chancellor for signing. Then, we can submit the materials.”

Chen Chuan nodded. The state summons had an NDA clause, so he was not allowed to say that he was part of it while the operation was ongoing and keep Cheng Zitong updated about it. Only once it was officially declared to be over that he could tell his mentor and openly add it to his resume.

But he could fill out the application form and have the university leadership approve it. Then, he would renew his resume before submitting it along with the application form to the main campus.

Chen Chuan filled out the form seriously. Once he verified every detail, he signed it and put his personal stamp on it before handing it back. Cheng Zitong checked it. Once he saw that there was no problem with it, he cleared his throat, picked up a pen, and, with great seriousness, wrote his own name in the mentor category.

He then picked up the form and checked it again before sighing with great emotion. “To think that I would see my own name in the mentor category of the student application to go to Central City.”

He then smiled and looked over. “I know my limits. I’m not that great of a mentor. It’s all because of you that I got to write my name here.”

“Without you, I wouldn’t have come this far,” Chen Chuan argued back right away.

And he meant it. Cheng Zitong had the courage to let him learn on his own and supported his ideas. If Chen Chuan had any other mentor and they put any restrictions on him, such as making him pick another refined force, things would have gone in a much different way.

Cheng Zitong stared at him for a while before he nodded. “The best choice I’ve made was agreeing to become your mentor.”

Then, his voice gained a regretful tone. “It’s a pity that we can’t put Lao He’s name here.”

“I think that Mr. He doesn’t need this sort of acknowledgement,” Chen Chuan said after some thinking.

“True. Lao He isn’t tied down by anything, and he doesn’t care about this sort of thing. But if Shen Zheng were still alive, his name would have been here.”

At the mention of Shen Zheng’s name, Chen Chuan said, “Mr. Cheng, while I was at the abandoned factory that day, I learned something from Wei Jun. To kill Shen Zheng, the Mutual Aid Group had found his long-lost sister and brought her to Central City.”