bookpub Chapter 38 The Military's First Surname
Chapter 38 The Military's First Surname
Lu Qingchan suddenly opened her eyes, her expression one of disbelief.
"Mom, this crystal card...it looks like Yunyanbu's crystal card, but no!"
She thought of something and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Although it looks similar, it's not the Cloud and Smoke Step. It seems to be the same footwork that my classmate's younger sister, the little girl named Li Xianyu, practices."
Li Xianyu could only barely create two or three dull phantoms, while the crystal card's spiritual world could create dozens or even hundreds of phantoms. The phantoms were ethereal and their movements were varied, making it dazzling to behold.
This doesn't resemble a C-level martial art at all; it's more like a top-tier B-level martial art footwork technique.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Xu Yunyan squatted down, took the crystal card, and saw that the colors of the scenery had faded considerably.
Yang Shen laughed and said, "Little girl, this is a C-level footwork called Cloud Shadow Step, not a B-level martial art, nor is it Cloud Smoke Step."
"Pay now!"
Xu Yunyan stood up, took out her Star Coin Card, and swiped it on the card reader at the counter.
26 Star Coins were spent just like that.
"Let's go, Qingchan."
Lu Qingchan hummed in agreement and followed Xu Yunyan out of the store.
"Take care, come again next time!"
Yang Shen saw them off respectfully from behind.
After leaving the crystal card sales point, Xu Yunyan asked, "Qingchan, did that Cloud Shadow Step crystal card help your Cloud Smoke Step cultivation?"
"some!"
Lu Qingchan nodded: "Is this Cloud Shadow Step really just a C-level martial art? It seems to be nine-tenths similar to Cloud Smoke Step, and more like an advanced version of Cloud Smoke Step."
"As long as it's useful to you, that's fine. The shopkeeper at the crystal card sales point doesn't understand. You should know the definition of B-grade martial arts better than others. If you think this is a B-grade martial arts crystal card, then it is naturally a B-grade martial arts crystal card."
Moreover, the martial arts techniques in this crystal card appear exactly the same to your classmate's sister. Clearly, the spiritualist who created this crystal card is the same person who taught your classmate's sister the footwork.
How could an ordinary high school possibly have so many hidden talents?
Lu Qingchan nodded, then asked, "Mom, you just bought me two sets of Po Jun Quan crystal cards. Isn't that a bit wasteful?"
"It's useful for your martial arts cultivation, so how can you say it's a waste?" Xu Yunyan said. "In a little while, I'll also pick out some spiritual herbs to help you refine your qi and blood for a medicinal bath. Compared to that, what are two sets of Po Jun Fist crystal cards?"
"But my classmates are very frugal when using elixirs and crystal cards."
Each martial arts crystal card is used in only one set, and I've never heard of any other classmates using elixirs for refining qi and blood.
"Ugh!"
Xu Yunyan looked at Lu Qingchan and suddenly shook her head and sighed.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
"It's nothing."
Xu Yunyan said sadly, "Mom is worried about you. As a direct descendant of the prestigious Lu family of Dongchuan, you have actually fallen to the point where you have to scrimp and save to cultivate your martial arts."
Do you know that your siblings in the Lu family, and the children of your uncles, need to use at least a dozen sets of corresponding spiritual energy crystal cards after being instructed by a famous master to cultivate a martial art?
The amount of star essence they spend on refining their qi and blood, even for a single use of spiritual medicine, is more than all the star essence you've spent on martial arts cultivation so far.
Lu Qingchan couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Does their martial arts training cost so much money?"
"What's so special about this? Your Lu family of Dongchuan is the number one family in the military."
The martial arts training resources enjoyed by the younger generation of the Lu family are secondary. More importantly, the direct descendants of the Lu family can receive guidance from grandmasters several times a year, which is why they can make rapid progress in martial arts.
It's also your father's fault for losing his mind and falling out with your uncle and the others. Not only did he leave the Lu family, but he also caused you to not enjoy the treatment that the direct descendants of the Lu family should enjoy.
Otherwise, given your qualifications, your achievements might not be inferior to Yuan Hao's.
Fortunately, Mom brought out the betrothal money from the Lu family and the dowry from the Xu family when she married your father. Although you didn't enjoy the same excellent treatment as the direct descendants of the Lu family, you didn't lack the other resources needed for martial arts cultivation, and your martial arts didn't fall too far behind your peers in the Lu family.
Lu Qingchan said, "We can't blame Dad entirely; Uncle and the others were also quite unreasonable."
"The youngest of the direct descendants is suppressed by his elder brothers. This is the case in all the major families in Dongchuan Province. Why is it that he is the only one who cannot tolerate it?"
He left the Lu family in a huff, causing you to suffer as well. What kind of logic is that?
Before winter break, Mom will definitely persuade your dad to apologize to your uncles and make you return to the Lu family so you can enjoy the treatment due to a direct descendant of the Lu family.
However, before that, you must persist in refining your Qi and blood, maintaining their purity, and listen to your mother. If you have the opportunity, you must get in touch with this spiritual master who is the same age as you.
"If I could befriend such a young divine being, it would be a great help to my martial arts cultivation, even after you return to the Lu family."
Faced with her mother's painstaking efforts, Lu Qingchan had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Meanwhile, after returning home, Chen Lie went to his training room to practice the "Basic Body Tempering Technique" to digest the nutrients from the spiritual medicine and beast meat meal.
At this moment, he felt that his Qi and blood levels had increased again, but not by much, and he didn't have any instruments at home to measure it.
At dinner time, Chen Lie and his family of three sat together.
Feng Yuelan said, "Your second uncle called again today to ask how our decision is going."
They even suggested that your father come home so that our two families could get together.
Chen Xingyao asked, "What's going on? Mom, what does my second uncle want? Why did he want Dad to come back?"
"It's your second uncle's son, Chen Ye. His Qi and Blood values have increased too quickly, leading to Qi and Blood deficiency. He wants your father to use his military merits to exchange for a Blood Mist Flower for Chen Ye to stabilize his Qi and Blood."
"What? That arrogant guy Chen Ye actually has qi and blood deficiency? He deserves it!"
Also, how come I didn't know Dad had military skills that could be exchanged for Blood Mist Flowers?
Chen Xingyao asked in confusion.
"Your father has kept his military merits for over ten years, mainly because he wanted to leave them for you and your brother," Feng Yuelan said.
"My second uncle's family is so snobbish. They need our help this time, so we definitely can't agree to it easily!"
"But Blood Mist Flower? What a strange name, Blood Mist Flower, Blood Mist Flower..."
Chen Xingyao put down his chopsticks, picked up his communicator, and searched on the Wudao Trade website. He was immediately taken aback.
"Blood Mist Flower, 69 million star coins per flower! It's classified as a martial arts rare treasure, and it's currently out of stock on the martial arts trade website?"
Chen Xingyao looked up and asked, "Mom, are Dad's military merits really that valuable? Can they be exchanged for rare treasures worth tens of millions of star coins?"
Feng Yuelan nodded: "Otherwise, how could you say that your father preserved your meritorious service for more than ten years, and he himself couldn't bear to use it?"
"Outrageous! How could my second uncle and his family have the nerve to ask for something so precious? They're utterly shameless!"
Chen Xingyao said indignantly, "Mom, you and Dad absolutely must not agree to them."
"I won't agree, but it's not good to refuse outright either. It would be best to have some reason," Feng Yuelan said.
Chen Lie said, "Just stall for time; we'll find a reason."
He knew his parents were shy and couldn't bring themselves to refuse, since they were relatives; otherwise, this wouldn't have happened in his previous life.
Chen Xingyao snorted and said, "They're all shameless enough to ask, so why shouldn't we be embarrassed to refuse?"
If you ask me, I should just refuse them and ask my second uncle and aunt if Chen Ye is worth tens of millions of star coins.
Didn't he know his strength wasn't up to par when he was training? Now that his qi and blood are weak, he's starting to covet his father's military achievements.
Even if an ordinary person develops qi and blood deficiency, it would take a very long time, right? Chen Ye must have known at the time that he was just trying to cheat and slack off in martial arts.
Even if such a person uses the Blood Mist Flower to stabilize their Qi and blood, they will definitely encounter various setbacks in the future, and will not achieve anything significant.
Chen Lie glanced at his sister in surprise, somewhat taken aback that she could say something so profound.
Only now did he realize that in his previous life, he had the mind of a child, far inferior to his sister. No wonder his sister was always so irritable and impatient with him; it was because she thought he was childish.
"Why are you looking at me? I said I would just refuse my second uncle and the others, are you still not happy about that?"
I remember your relationship with Chen Ye was just so-so, right?
Chen Xingyao saw Chen Lie looking at him and couldn't help but say something.
"It's nothing," Chen Lie shook his head.
"Mom, listen to me, let's do it this way. If you and Dad feel embarrassed, next time Uncle calls or comes to our house, just let me talk to him."
Chen Xingyao looked at Feng Yuelan.
"Alright, this is none of your business. Even if something does happen, don't say anything. Your father and I will handle it," Feng Yuelan instructed Chen Xingyao.
Chen Xingyao pouted and picked up her chopsticks to continue eating.
The next morning, Chen Lie did not go to school, but went to the Wuzhefang Market in the center of the provincial capital again.
Now that he has a fortune of 800,000 star coins, he naturally needs to consider purchasing the martial arts resources he needs.
He spent most of the day wandering around the martial arts market, but still couldn't find the martial arts resources he needed.
After leaving the last shop, Chen Lie realized he had reached the end of the market street and couldn't help but ponder, "Is the martial arts resource in Dongchuan Province really this poor? There's nothing here at all?"
Logically speaking, Dongchuan Province, as a province of Blue Star, should be so poor in resources that it shouldn't be unable to find even a decent martial arts resource.
Could it be that I have no access to the channels through which the powerful and wealthy purchase martial arts resources?
However, this problem was unsolvable for Chen Lie. The martial arts society on Blue Star was strictly hierarchical, and it was almost impossible for upper-class figures to appear in the same frame as ordinary people.
Take, for example, the key high school in Dongchuan Province where Chen Lie studied. In his previous life, he was just a student in an ordinary class, and for three whole years, he hadn't seen the school leaders more than a few times.
The elite class and the regular class are separated by a wall, but the elite students almost never interact with the martial arts students in the regular class.
This is a social class barrier, which is very difficult to break down.