Chapter 9: Privileges of Warriors

"Yan Luo is right!" Jiang Nian said to Luo Feng with gravity, "Your progress in our Yian District Limitless Martial Hall is unmatched. At 16, you joined our hall, and now at 18, you've already met the physical requirements to become a martial artist. If you go to college, wasting four years on education would be squandering such an opportunity!"

"You must understand, the fastest progress for a martial artist is between 16 and 30. The older you get, the harder it becomes," Jiang Nian stressed seriously. "Indeed, the four years of college are the prime time for martial artists to their skills. To waste them on academics would be a great sin in our eyes."

"Hmm..." Luo Feng was taken aback. "So maybe my college exam failure isn't such a bad thing after all!" he thought to himself. "The Heavens must have a plan for me."

"Hey, Luo Feng! How about joining our Limitless Martial Hall once you become a full-fledged martial artist?" Jiang Nian suggested with a smile. "As a member, you'll be assigned a detached villa in the best location—not that you can sell it—and receive a monthly base salary of 20,000 Huaxia currency."

"A detached villa? 20,000 a month?" Luo Feng gasped. "20,000 isn't much, but a detached villa is a luxury. In today's Huaxia, with only six major human settlements and land being extremely scarce, these villas are taxed at exorbitant rates. Ordinary apartments cost tens of thousands per square meter, while luxury villas and townhouses go for hundreds of thousands per square meter. And to own a detached villa, you need money, power, and special status. Plus, the tax alone would make a small villa worth over 200 million!"

"A villa of 300 square meters would be worth two or three billion," Luo Feng marveled. "Even a wealthy man like Zhang Haobai's father couldn't afford that. To live in such a villa with my family would mean I didn't come to this world in vain!"

"Our hall's benefits aren't much different from those of the national special forces," Jiang Nian continued with a laugh. "Their martial artists have base salaries and housing privileges, plus a 'license to kill' that allows them to execute civilians in emergencies. Of course, they can't just kill at will—they still have to report to their superiors. But our hall has its own privileges. If any ordinary person offends you, you can report them to the hall, and we'll have the Jiangnan City Security Bureau take them away after verification."

"License to kill?" Luo Feng had heard of this before. It was true that martial artists in the national departments had the power to kill on the spot.

"But our hall also has its perks. If someone annoys you, you can report them, and we'll handle it through the security bureau," Jiang Nian said with a smile. "Join us, and you'll have money, status, everything! You can focus on reaching the limits of humanity and martial arts!"

Jiang Nian pointed to Yan Luo beside him: "My young brother Yan Luo recently hunted down a monster and earned nearly 100 million Earth coins, which translates to over 300 million Huaxia currency. With your talent, if you work hard, you could reach Yan Luo's level one day."

Luo Feng was completely stunned. "So much just for hunting a monster? What level was that creature?"

"Work hard, Luo Feng. You have real talent. Don't let it go to waste," Jiang Nian said, patting Luo Feng's shoulder. "Kid, don't slack off. I believe you could become a Warlord-level martial artist one day. Then you'll have money, status, and women—all at your fingertips!" Yan Luo added with a grin. "I'd love to go monster-hunting with you then. Haha..."

With that, the two martial artists left, laughing. Luo Feng stood in the training hall, his mind in turmoil. Both Instructor Jiang Nian and the mysterious red-haired youth Yan Luo exuded a carefree arrogance in their conversation.

"Carefree? Arrogant?" Luo Feng's lips curled into a smile. "Yes! A man should live life to the fullest and forge his own destiny! The world's number one expert once said, 'A soldier who doesn't aspire to be a general is no good. A martial artist without the heart to be the best isn't truly a martial artist!'"

"What's the point of living if you're tied down?" Luo Feng thought. "I want to achieve something earth-shattering!"

At 18, a person's values are solidifying. After meeting Instructor Jiang Nian and the enigmatic Yan Luo, Luo Feng's perspective completely changed. "Time to set out on my journey!"

"The world's number one expert 'Hong' and the second 'Thunder God' founded the Limitless and Lightning Martial Halls respectively. Even the five great nations treat them as equals. If they can do it, why can't a third person?" Luo Feng smiled as he walked out of the training hall. "Men dream, and those with dreams dare to pursue them! Youth is capital! It represents limitless potential—all that's needed is effort and struggle!"

...

On the morning of June 28th, clear skies prevailed. Luo Feng and Wei Wen were on their way to the Yian District No. 3 High School to collect their graduation certificates and volunteer application forms. Today was the day they would receive their diplomas and make their future plans.

"Are you sure you can pass the Provisional Martial Artist Assessment?" Wei Wen couldn't help but exclaim. "I'm heading to the Limitless Martial Hall headquarters in Yangzhou City on July 1st to take the test," Luo Feng replied with a smile.

As they approached the school, Luo Feng felt a shift in perspective. "I used to see myself as one of them, but now, it feels like I'm from a different world. They'll go to college, work hard, get married, and have kids. But my path is different," Luo Feng thought as he and Wei Wen entered the school and went to their respective classes.

In the corridor of the teaching building, "Senior Brother Luo Feng!" other senior students greeted him warmly. "I heard you fainted during the college entrance exam," someone whispered from afar. Luo Feng, with his enhanced hearing, could clearly make out their comments.

Class 5, Senior 3 was Luo Feng's. "Luo Feng is here!" "Brother Luo!" Many classmates greeted him warmly, though some harbored jealousy towards his past academic excellence and martial arts prowess, their smiles tinged with insincerity. "Luo Feng used to be the top student here. Who would have thought he'd faint during the exam? Such bad luck!" they murmured in the corner.

As the class president, Qu Lin, distributed the graduation certificates and volunteer forms, the room fell silent when it was Luo Feng's turn. Everyone's eyes were on him, knowing about his exam incident. Luo Feng's score had been just four points short of the university admission line, a fact that some students had already discovered.

"Luo Feng!" Qu Lin handed him his certificate and form. "Let's go, Ah Feng," Wei Wen urged from the doorway. "Wait a second," Luo Feng said, crumpling the volunteer form into a ball and tossing it into the trash can. The previously noisy classroom fell silent in shock. "Luo Feng, why did you throw away your volunteer form? Aren't you going to apply for college?" a girl with freckles asked in surprise. "Luo Feng must be planning to retake the exam next year," others speculated. Wei Wen glared at them. "Retake? Are you serious? Ah Feng is about to take the Provisional Martial Artist Assessment. Why would he waste his time on some college degree?"

The class erupted in whispers. "Is Luo Feng really taking the assessment? That can't be true. He just became a senior student last year. How could he take the test this year?"

Subconsciously, the students couldn't believe that Luo Feng had met the physical requirements for a martial artist. After all, a martial artist was a transcendent existencearef