Chapter 3: Bullying An Impoverished Teenager

"Chieftain, the general has a highly revered status. Even the county mayor treats him with respect. I'm just a martial academy student who hasn't reached the level of a sixth-grade martial virtuoso. I am not even qualified to see him, how could I have offended him?" Wu Yuan countered.

Wu Qiming stared at Wu Yuan, trying to glean some clues from Wu Yuan's eyes. However, all he could see was a wall of calm.

"Then why did General Xu suddenly invite me to his banquet tonight? And insist that I bring you along?" Wu Qiming questioned.

Wu Yuan immediately understood what was going on.

The four big shots of Li County were - the county mayor, county deputy, county magistrate, and the general of defense. The first three, under the county mayor's leadership, wielded great authority within Li City.

Though the general of defense seemed unable to intervene in local affairs, his command over the 600 soldiers of the Southdream Army granted him a military force that even the county mayor was reluctant to conflict with.

Such a figure would typically only invite the top ten families of Li City to their private banquets. The Wu family? They didn't even make the top hundred! Naturally, Wu Qiming thought Wu Yuan had somehow offended the general of defense. Otherwise, why would they suddenly receive an invitation?

"Chieftain, the only connection between General Xu and me is Xu Yuanhan, who is my biggest contender in the major tournament..." Wu Yuan spoke indifferently, quickly revealing his ‘grievances’ with Xu Yuanhan. In reality, the two had no real grievances. They had rarely interacted in the past.

However, every county martial academy could only send one person to the Cloud Martial Hall each year. This was a competition of interests.

"The Cloud Martial Hall? The champion of the major tournament?" As someone who managed to secure the position of a clan chieftain, Wu Qiming understood the reason for the invitation in a flash.

Given the capabilities of the general of defense, sending his son into the Cloudstride Sect was a walk in the park!

How could enrolling in an ordinary sect compare to enrolling in the Cloud Martial Hall? As the top martial academy, the resources, and secret techniques a disciple of the Cloud Martial Hall could obtain exceeded those available to disciples from ordinary academies tenfold.

"Wu Yuan, follow me to the banquet later. No matter what happens, do not do anything without my approval," Wu Qiming said in a low voice. "Understood?"

"Chieftain, I understand." Wu Yuan smiled, "Neither our Wu family nor I can afford to provoke the general of defense. No matter how unjust I may feel, I'll bear it for the sake of my mother and sister, as well as our clan."

General of defense? If a similar situation occurred when he was in his peak state in his past life, would that be someone Wu Yuan had to worry about?

Unfortunately, he was at the mercy of his circumstances. No matter how skilled Wu Yuan was, he could not defeat a fourth-grade expert with tens of times his physical strength. As long as his power was still insufficient, he had to endure injustice when the situation called for it. Furthermore, Wu Yuan had to consider his family's safety.

"Wu Yuan, you don't have to worry too much. The martial academy major tournament is a huge event that involves many interests. General Xu might not risk an intervention," Wu Qiming said in a quiet voice, "He might be inviting us to the banquet for other matters."

Wu Yuan nodded, deciding not to object.

Other matters? The chances of that were practically zero!

"Let's go, we shouldn't be late," Wu Qiming signaled to the coachman a short distance away, who slowly brought the carriage to them.

Whoosh!

Wu Yuan leaped off the balls of his feet and landed in the carriage.

With a trace of worry on his face, Wu Qiming boarded the carriage step by step via the stool, maintaining the dignity befitting a clan leader.

......

The Xu Manor was brightly lit, grand and magnificent.

As lower-status guests, Wu Qiming conscientiously arrived early with Wu Yuan. They didn't encounter any of the difficulties they anticipated; the steward of the Xu Manor courteously ushered them to their seats which were situated at the end, and served them tea and pastries.

As time passed, guests drifted in and out like clouds. The important figures of Li City that one rarely saw arrived one after another. At the end, even the county mayor and the county deputy arrived, and General Xu welcomed them personally.

This banquet truly introduced Wu Yuan to the standards of high society in this part of the world. There were more dance tunes than he could keep up with, and the songstresses were bewitching but not overly promiscuous. All sorts of rare delicacies were also continuously presented.

The extravagance and scale of the banquet far exceeded Wu Qiming's imagination. Despite his status as a chieftain, he found himself ill at ease. Even the Wu Clan's main family's annual celebration paled in comparison to this feast.

On the contrary, Wu Yuan looked uninterested. As the evening wore on, Wu Yuan felt increasingly bored and even sleepy. In his previous life, he enjoyed dances and music a hundred times more exquisite and partook in feasts ten times more lavish.

This world surpasses the ancient dynasties. This is merely a county town, there are also massive cities here with populations of several million. But no matter how opulent or grand, I'm afraid they cannot rival the celebrations of the Metaverse.

Wu Yuan observed with a calm eye.

As the music ended, the crowd dispersed.

The banquet continued into the night. After a long wait, Wu Yuan and Wu Qiming finally received an invitation from the steward for a discussion in the side hall. Both of them understood what this meant. The main event was about to begin!

The Xu Manor occupied dozens of mu [2] of land, the estate's periphery adorned with rockery corridors, waterside pavilions, and towers. However, the deeper one ventured, the simpler the decor became, bearing a solemn air akin to a military formation.

"Chieftain Wu, Young Master Wu, this way please," the gentle-faced, purple-robed Steward Xu [1] led the way forward.

Soon, they entered a side hall. Unlike the clamor of the main hall, it was remarkably quiet here.

"Wu Qiming pays respects to General Xu and Headmaster Zhang," Wu Qiming first performed a deep bow, then rose and bowed again slightly. Wu Yuan followed suit.

The presence of the martial academy's headmaster was the sole surprise for Wu Yuan.

"Please sit, Chieftain Wu." General Xu's voice resounded like a great bell. He had an imposing physique, and his face was a mirror of Xu Yuanhan's, bearing an 80% resemblance.

Despite his casual attire, he exuded an invisible aura. In Wu Yuan's perception, it was akin to a fierce beast. He was far more terrifying than Headmaster Zhang Da of the martial academy beside him.

The Cloudstride Sect decreed that only fourth-grade martial artists and above may assume the title of a county's general of defense.

In the thirteen continents of the Middle Land, martial artists were divided into nine grades!

Ninth-grade, eighth-grade, and seventh-grade martial artists were collectively referred to as martial novices, a standard even ordinary people who trained their bodies could aspire to reach.

A sixth-grade martial artist was called a martial virtuoso, marking one's true entry into the path of martial arts.

Reaching the level of a fifth-grade signified becoming an Adept. An Adept expert was a title respected in any corner of the world.

As for fourth-grade martial artists?

At the pinnacle of my previous life, I was likely inferior to this General Xu in terms of pure physical strength

.

The humans of the Middle Land were far stronger with regards to physical strength. An adult male could easily possess the strength of a thousand catties.

"I've heard that the martial academy has produced an awakened martial arts prodigy this year. Today, I finally got to see him," General Xu said with a soft smile, his gaze falling on Wu Yuan.

"We dare not claim the word 'prodigy' before the general," Wu Qiming quickly said.

"Brother Wu need not be modest. Among the martial academy students I've seen over the years, Wu Yuan is one of the top few," the black-robed elder, Zhang Da, chuckled at the side.

"It's all thanks to Headmaster Zhang's teachings," Wu Qiming said.

“Teachers can only lead one to the door, but one's cultivation ultimately depends on oneself. Were it not for Wu Yuan's dedication to his training, I doubt my instruction would have yielded any results," Headmaster Zhang remarked with a chuckle.

Unease grew within Wu Qiming as he listened. It was true that Wu Yuan's talent in martial arts shone brightly, particularly over the past month when he began to make progress at a mind-boggling rate.

However, no matter how much talent one had, it did not equate to strength. Wu Yuan had yet to reach the sixth grade, and was still far from being worthy of praise from the esteemed general of defense and the headmaster of the martial academy. One had to remember that these two were genuine martial experts!

"General Xu, Headmaster Zhang. Since you've invited us here, I believe you have important matters to discuss with Wu Yuan and me. Please feel free to instruct us," Wu Qiming cut right to the chase with a polite smile.

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point." Headmaster Zhang's expression turned serious, "The martial academy major tournament is imminent. With Wu Yuan's strength, there is a high chance of him taking first place, and then advancing to the Cloud Martial Hall for training. But if you enter the Cloud Martial Hall now, you will just be an ordinary disciple."

"Next year is the 300th anniversary of our Cloudstride Sect. It is a year of great significance to the sect. Therefore, General Xu, the county mayor, and I held a discussion and came to a consensus. We hope that Wu Yuan will hold off on participating in this year's major tournament, spending an additional year training at the county martial academy. In a year's time, you will definitely grow stronger, and possibly get to vie for the number one spot among four provinces at the major tournament. If you clinch first place then, you will enter the Cloud Martial Hall as the top entrant, becoming the pride of the entire Li City! You will also gain more training resources, which will be of great use to you." Headmaster Zhang said in a sincere tone.

Each martial academy held a yearly major tournament where the winning disciple entered the Cloud Martial Hall. From there, these disciples would compete again in a tournament between counties.

The four provinces referred to the four provinces ruled by the Cloudstride Sect, including those past and present.

Taking first place meant being the most outstanding disciple admitted to the Cloud Martial Hall that year, naturally becoming the center of attention. On top of that, it would coincide with the sect's 300th anniversary celebration.

The words of Headmaster Zhang were truly grandiose. But how could Wu Qiming and Wu Yuan not understand his deeper meaning?

According to the Cloudstride Sect's rules, no one aged sixteen or above may enter the Cloud Martial Hall. And Xu Yuanhan was already fifteen this year.

If it was really for Wu Yuan's benefit, why invite the two to the banquet at the Xu Manor? Why would the general of defense meet them in person? By law, the general’s faction was not allowed to meddle in the affairs of the martial academy. This was common knowledge. All this was merely him making use of the banquet's extravagance to intimidate Wu Qiming and Wu Yuan, causing them to hesitate to refuse outright.

“Headmaster Zhang," Wu Qiming gritted his teeth and bowed his head, "It's not that Wu Yuan doesn't want to bring glory to the martial academy, but his family is poor and my Wu Clan is small, lacking the resources to fully support him. Without resources from external contributors, I fear he may not be able to secure the top spot among the four provinces even if he spends another year in the martial academy. It would be better for him to enter the Cloud Martial Hall this year. When he grows up, he will still be the pride of Li City."

Wu Yuan looked at Wu Qiming, slightly astonished. The chieftain actually had the guts to refuse?

"Do you not trust me?" Zhang Da's gaze narrowed slightly, his aura subtly shifting.

A thin sheen of sweat began to appear on Wu Qiming's forehead. He felt like he was being watched by a fierce tiger.

"It's not that I don't trust you. But in the path of martial arts, stagnation means regression. Delaying Wu Yuan's entry into the Cloud Martial Hall by a year would greatly affect his progress." Wu Qiming steeled his heart. He knew his refusal would land him in big trouble. But to him, Wu Yuan's future was far more important!

"Chieftain Wu has planned far ahead for Wu Yuan, I admire that," General Xu began in a gentle voice, "However, the people will not ignore Wu Yuan's efforts to bring glory to Li City. Here is a reward of 5000 silver taels to cover his training needs for a year." As he spoke, his gaze swept to one side.

With a creak, the side door opened and a servant respectfully presented a large stack of silver notes, each note marked with the number ‘100’. In the corner of each note, the word 'Starcom' was inscribed as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

5000 taels?

Wu Qiming's breath caught in his throat while Wu Yuan’s eyes flickered subtly. If the Wu Clan's Li City branch wanted to amass such a fortune, numerous households would have to sell off their properties. This was an exorbitant sum!

"Wu Yuan, are you willing?" General Xu looked directly at Wu Yuan as he asked.

1. The ‘Xu’ in Steward Xu is different from the ‘Xu’ in General Xu ?

2. 1 mu = 1/6 of an acre ?