The Martial Artist pathway!
Sequence 9: Martial Artist.
One must temper their body and master their strength before they can consume the promotion potion.
The ability provides enhanced body control and a significant boost to physical attributes.
The weakness: a strong tendency to become hot-headed.
Once the body can be perfectly controlled and physical attributes are raised to a certain level, one can advance to Sequence 8.
【Man of Honor】!
A Man of Honor needs integrity, responsibility, and a commitment to upholding justice to grow their spirituality.
However, the definition of 'justice' is subjective; everyone has their own understanding, and the justice they carry out differs accordingly.
After accumulating enough spirituality once more, one can advance to Sequence 7.
【Death Soldier】!
Ready to sacrifice their life for a great cause!
Whether it be for fame, wealth, or to repay a debt of gratitude!
This is a sequence that is almost entirely trustworthy.
But because of that, the mortality rate for a Death Soldier is terrifyingly high, and the difficulty of promotion is naturally self-evident.
If one manages to survive and accumulate enough spirituality, they can advance to Sequence 6!
【Hero】!
Among all the pathways, the promotion for Sequence 6 is perhaps the most peculiar.
This is because they require 'Gaining Fame'!
In the old days, this often involved killing a notorious tyrant or a corrupt official and leaving behind a message like 'So-and-so was the one who killed this man' before making a graceful exit, letting the rumors ferment.
The wider and louder the rumors spread, the more spirituality they would accumulate, and the faster they could build the fame needed to break through to Sequence 5.
【Grandmaster】!
But times have changed. If you were to kill two people and try to gain fame today, the authorities would block all the information you posted immediately, track you down through surveillance, and kill you!
That being said, in the modern era, as long as one survives the stage of a 【Death Soldier】, the subsequent ranks of 【Hero】 and 【Grandmaster】 offer a great deal of room for maneuver.
Xiao Zhou looked up, gazing at the butler with an expression of excitement.
“I'll be counting on your guidance from now on.”
The butler smiled and helped him up.
“Captain Zhou, you're too polite. We both work for the Master.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Zhou maintained a respectful attitude. Even after watching the butler leave, he remained standing at the door, as straight as a spear, as if nothing had happened.
However, the look in his eyes grew increasingly profound.
He was going to advance and become a hero—a true hero!
...
“Nie Yang, what's wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood today.”
“Huh?”
Yin Yang looked at Old Liu with some surprise. Old Liu casually handed him a wrap.
“Hungry? I'm always in a bad mood when I'm hungry. Maybe it's because I was traumatized by hunger when I was a kid.”
“I always feel like I can only be at peace when my stomach is full.”
Old Liu's words triggered a flash of memory for Yin Yang, making the memories he wanted to forget become increasingly vivid.
“Eat, eat, eat—is that something you should be reaching for? The shrimp is for your brother. Don't you know he's still growing?”
“Your father and I work so hard every day, only to raise a gluttonous good-for-nothing with no common sense like you.”
“Are those cardboard scraps and bottles you scavenged even worth enough to buy a single shrimp?”
“So greedy even as a child. You'll definitely amount to nothing when you grow up.”
Young Yin Yang's hand was struck hard by a pair of chopsticks, swelling up visibly.
He just stood there, watching his mother peel the shrimp and place it in his brother's bowl.
His brother sat there, swinging his legs back and forth with a smug expression as he ate the shrimp, saying as he chewed:
“Mom, let's burn the shrimp shells later. Otherwise, if Big Brother tries to sneak them and someone sees him, they'll think we're mistreating him.”
“Good, good. My son is always so thoughtful.”
The mother and brother laughed together. To the side, the father drank his liquor with a look of contentment.
“Nie Yang? Nie Yang?”
Old Liu waved a hand in front of Yin Yang's face. Only then did Yin Yang snap back to reality and offer a polite smile.
“Yeah, I also feel that I'm only at peace when I'm full.”
“What's the matter? Did something happen?”
Old Liu looked at Yin Yang with concern. He couldn't help it; the man was currently the 'God of Wealth' for their little group of stalls.
Yin Yang shook his head.
“It's nothing. I just stayed up too late.”
“Then you need to nourish yourself. My wife's soup is legendary. I'll bring some for you tomorrow. It'll definitely fix you up!”
“Alright, I'll take you up on that then.”
“Ha! No need to be so polite with me!”
During this period, Yin Yang had become quite familiar with Old Liu and the others.
The new stall owners had initially tried to join their circle, but Old Liu and his group were very 'exclusionary.' Every time they set up their stalls, they protected Yin Yang in the center position, making it difficult for anyone else to get close.
Before long, university classes let out, and Yin Yang became busy once again.
“Great Qi is really going too far!”
“Wangnian City has been the territory of our Great Wei since ancient times. How dare they claim it's theirs?”
“Those bastards. They want it that badly? Then send an army to take it!”
Hearing this, several students behind him chimed in with agreement.
“Exactly! Over the years, Great Qi has repeatedly provoked us at the border. Our Great Wei has been patient and yielding time and again, but who would have thought they'd mistake our generosity for weakness!”
“If you ask me, we should give them a crushing blow this time to let them know that Great Wei isn't to be trifled with!”
“Well said!!!”
The students' voices grew louder, their collective indignation rising.
The surrounding stall owners, however, acted as if they heard nothing, their hands moving nimbly as they prepared food.
Anyone who had been setting up a stall at Huangshan University for a while knew that these students often discussed national affairs.
Whenever a major news story broke, it was time for their grand speeches.
But this was normal; after all, there was a high probability they would become part of those very affairs in the future.
Yin Yang's eyes narrowed as he listened, feeling more and more that a major war might truly be coming.
As the saying goes, without a just cause, one's words carry no weight.
When a war begins, no matter the real reason, you must let the soldiers believe they are on the side of justice!
You can't exactly say, 'We're attacking them for their land, resources, and population,' can you?
And regardless of the era, the group that was the most hot-blooded, the most vocal, and the easiest to incite was always the same.
Students!
Therefore, as soon as Yin Yang heard this rhetoric, he knew his guess was likely correct. He just hadn't figured out why they were going to fight yet.
After all, for the common people, peace was the most precious thing.
“Sigh, what's so good about a war?”
“Once it starts, if nothing else, what will happen to the people of Wangnian City?”
“In prosperity, the people suffer; in ruin, the people suffer.”
“I disagree with your view! I believe that when it's time to strike, you must strike, and you must strike hard!”
“Otherwise, how will the neighboring countries look at us? Won't they all come to provoke us? When that happens, the lives of the people will only be harder.”
“That's where you're wrong! At any time and place, we should first consider the people. And right now, we are clearly not prepared for battle.”
“We aren't prepared, but is Great Qi? I... I'll take two grilled sausages, please.”
The student who was debating most fiercely realized it was his turn. He decisively scanned the code and even found a moment to say thank you to Yin Yang.
Once Yin Yang handed him the grilled sausages, he transformed back into a warrior.
“They aren't prepared either!”
“If they want war!”
“Then let there be war!”
Rate on N.U.
