For Luo Hua, who uses a wheelchair, going up and down stairs is a tremendous challenge.

“Yes.” Luo Feng smiled and nodded, pushing the wheelchair. “Hua, soon we won’t have to spend all year without sunlight, cooped up in that little room. Mom and Dad won’t have to keep sleeping on the couch either.”

Luo Hua nodded repeatedly.

This day… they had been waiting for it for so long.

“Someone’s coming,” Luo Hua looked ahead. A young man with glasses was approaching, smiling. He smiled at Luo Hua in the wheelchair, then turned to Luo Feng, “You’re Luo Feng, right?”

“And you are?” Luo Feng looked at him, puzzled.

The young man smiled, “Hello, Luo Feng. My name is Zhou Huayang! I was wondering if you’d have some time to talk somewhere?”

“Zhou Huayang?” Luo Feng’s mind stirred. “So, it’s him!”

The officer in the detention center had mentioned that Zhang Haobai had hired Zhou Huayang to arrange for people to come after him.

“You’re Zhou Huayang?” Luo Feng’s smile became a little more pointed.

Zhou Huayang felt a jolt inside and was unable to suppress his nervousness under Luo Feng’s gaze. Keeping his smile steady, he said, “Yes, that’s me. Luo Feng, could we go somewhere to talk?”

“All right.” Luo Feng nodded. “I have something to discuss with you as well.”

Not far from the Nan’an District, there was a place called the ‘Yangzhou Bathhouse.’ It was a high-end establishment where even the cheapest small room cost a thousand yuan. Luo Feng had heard of it but had never been there. This time, he brought his brother and Zhou Huayang along.

Yangzhou Bathhouse provided bathing, foot massages, relaxation, and entertainment.

“Please step out for now. I’ll call you if we need anything,” said Zhou Huayang to the attendant once they were inside a private suite.

“Yes, sir.” The attendant left the suite.

The suite had three rooms: a bath area for soaking, a lounge for drinking tea and holding meetings, and an entertainment room with internet access, TV, and karaoke.

“Hua, you can hang out here while I chat with Zhou Huayang,” Luo Feng said with a smile.

“Go ahead, bro.”

Luo Hua moved his wheelchair to the computer. He looked excited, “Wow, a 46-inch ultra-thin screen, voice control system—nice.”

Luo Feng sighed inwardly. The laptop at home was a cheap, entry-level model that required manual operation and had only cost a few hundred yuan. In contrast, high-end laptops now had voice control, and even top-tier models offered three-dimensional virtual holographic projection.

But the equipment capable of 3D projection was so expensive that even most wealthy families would struggle to afford one.

Luo Hua, seated at the computer, eagerly tested the voice control system. Luo Feng and Zhou Huayang, meanwhile, entered the lounge area.

Click. They closed the door, and the two sat down across from each other in the lounge.

“Tea?” Zhou Huayang poured Luo Feng a cup and said with an apologetic look, “I came here to apologize to you, Luo Feng! What happened… I feel ashamed, really!”

Luo Feng held his teacup and listened silently.

Zhou Huayang was… the type of person who has a wide network. His job was to take money and get things done. For people like him, it was just business; they bore no grudge against Luo Feng personally. Luo Feng’s real anger was directed at Zhang Haobai.

“Even if Zhang Haobai hadn’t hired Zhou Huayang to come after me, he would’ve found someone else,” Luo Feng thought. “Since Huayang came to see me, I’ll settle things with him directly.”

Seeing Luo Feng stay silent, Zhou Huayang hurriedly continued, “I only arranged people to come after you because Zhang Haobai asked me to, and I didn’t know your situation. This was a big mistake on my part! I hope you’ll be generous and let me off the hook.”

“Let you off?” Luo Feng grinned.

“This is just a small gesture of goodwill. I hope you’ll accept it.” Zhou Huayang pulled an envelope from his pocket, placed it on the table, and slid it toward Luo Feng. “It’s a bank-certified check, payable only to you, Luo Feng. You can cash it at any branch.”

Luo Feng opened the envelope. Inside was indeed a check, with a ten-day payment period, specifically payable to him and including his ID number.

But the most eye-catching part was the sum written on it—

One million yuan!

“One million?” Luo Feng was momentarily surprised. This was quite a significant amount. His family’s total savings had never exceeded 100,000 yuan. Even with the current purchasing power of the yuan, a million was still a considerable sum.

“I hope you can forgive me and put this behind us,” Zhou Huayang said earnestly.

One million…

Luo Feng’s family had never had that much money before. He thought there was no reason not to accept it.

“I know you were just a middleman, so I won’t make this hard for you. I’ll take the money.” Luo Feng nodded, and Zhou Huayang sighed in relief.

“But cashing this check is a hassle. Let’s make it easier; why don’t you transfer it directly to my account?” Luo Feng suggested.

“Sure thing,” said Zhou Huayang.

Luo Feng picked up a pen and wrote down his bank account number and branch address on a piece of paper. “This is my bank account number, and the branch where I opened it is listed here. It’s registered to me personally.”

“Got it.” Zhou Huayang put the envelope and check away, then pulled out his phone and logged into his banking app. In just a few moments, he had completed the transfer.

Luo Feng’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and a notification showed a balance increase of one million yuan.

“Did the transfer go through?” asked Zhou Huayang with a smile.

“Yes,” Luo Feng nodded.

“Well, Luo Feng, if you ever need anything in Yangzhou, let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to help. You’re about to become a martial artist, but it’s often easier for someone like me to handle certain issues.”

“Alright. If I need help, I’ll let you know.” Luo Feng got up.

Huayang also stood and extended his hand, which Luo Feng shook.

“Then I’ll take my leave,” said Huayang, smiling. “The suite is fully paid for. You two can enjoy it until morning.” With that, he bid farewell to Luo Hua and left the suite.

Now, only Luo Feng and Luo Hua remained in the suite.

In the entertainment room, Luo Hua asked, “Bro, what did he want?”

“He came to give us some money,” Luo Feng chuckled.

“Money?” Luo Hua was surprised.

Luo Feng hadn’t told his family about the detention center incident; he didn’t want them to worry. He knew that as a martial artist, his path would be fraught with challenges, and some things were best kept to himself.

“By the way, Hua,” Luo Feng asked, “how’s your stock trading going?”

Luo Hua, who had been trading stocks for three years, replied, “The first year was rough, but the last two years have been good. I’ve doubled my initial investment and now have more than 20,000 yuan.”

“20,000?” Luo Feng was astonished.

The amount wasn’t surprising, but his brother’s efficiency was. He had doubled his investment twice in three years.

“Not bad,” Luo Hua smiled. “Stock trading is really a mix of psychology and math. As long as you control your position and follow the trend, it’s easy to make a profit… though market fluctuations can mess with your mindset. My losses in the first year were because I’d panic-sell.”

Luo Feng didn’t understand much of it, but he grasped one thing: his brother was making good returns.

“Alright, Hua, I’ll give you 500,000,” Luo Feng said with a smile. “Use it well.”

“500,000?” Luo Hua’s eyes lit up with excitement. “The market’s down right now, so it’s a great time to buy.”

Luo Feng was amused. While his neighbor Uncle Wang always hoped for market gains, his brother always wished for declines.

It seemed that market experts preferred bear markets.

“Where’d you get so much money?” Luo Hua asked.

“It was from that guy, Zhou Huayang.” Luo Feng laughed. “With this, you can grow our savings. Once I become a martial artist, earning money will be easy.”

“August 1 is the date for the martial arts assessment,” Luo Feng thought, clenching his cup so hard it shattered.

“Bro, are you alright?” Luo Hua asked in shock.

“I’m fine,” Luo Feng reassured him, but his mind was racing. “In the detention center, my gene energy cultivation boosted my strength. After awakening my powers, my strength soared even higher! But growing stronger so quickly also makes control harder.”

“I’ll go to the martial arts gym tomorrow and use the next twenty days to master my new speed and power and make my skills even sharper,” Luo Feng resolved.

The next morning at five o'clock, just as dawn was breaking, Luo Feng hurried to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Although he hadn't yet received his quasi-warrior certificate, Luo Feng still used his "advanced student" pass to enter the hall.

"Senior."

"Good morning, senior."

Inside the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, a number of students were training along the grassy paths. Luo Feng nodded with a smile and headed straight to the third floor of the advanced student training building. Since he hadn't received his quasi-warrior certificate yet, he was still limited to the advanced student training hall on the third floor and didn't have access to the fourth-floor instructors' area.

"Hah! Hup!" From the training hall, loud shouts and sounds of exertion could be heard.

Luo Feng looked inside and saw a young man in a white robe holding an iron spear, practicing powerful movements.

"Brother Tie," Luo Feng called out with a smile, "You’re here training with your spear so early? That’s unusual!"

"Crazy," the white-robed youth stopped, looking at Luo Feng with surprise and delight, "What brings you here? Haha, by the way, let me congratulate you for passing the quasi-warrior assessment!"

"How did you know?" Luo Feng asked, surprised.

Only a few people were supposed to know that he had passed the quasi-warrior test.

"The instructor told us during the lesson last night. He mentioned that among the advanced students, both you and Brother Yang have passed the quasi-warrior assessment." The white-robed youth scratched his head with a smile. "Seeing you both pass, I couldn’t afford to slack off, so I came early to train with my spear today."

Luo Feng nodded.

It turned out the instructor had shared the news. Although the Extreme Martial Arts Hall had over 30,000 students, it had only six instructors and one head instructor. The instructors often gave lectures in large halls, addressing thousands of students simultaneously.

However, they only lectured the advanced students in smaller sessions since there were fewer of them.

"Crazy, you passed the assessment, so what brings you here so early?" the young man asked with a smile.

"August 1st, warrior combat assessment. I need to prepare," Luo Feng replied, heading toward the adjacent weapons room. The door was open.

Inside the weapons room, various types of weapons were neatly arranged in cabinets. Swords, spears, staffs, maces, axes, hammers, and shields filled the room, with each category containing multiple types. For example, there were single-handed and double-handed swords, each with several different models.

"Blood Shadow Series." Luo Feng opened a cabinet containing a large number of Blood Shadow model combat knives. These were replica weapons, designed to match the weight, balance, and dimensions of real weapons but with cheaper materials, costing only a few hundred yuan compared to tens of thousands for real combat knives.

Swish!

Luo Feng pulled out a Blood Shadow 2-series knife, a blade 78 cm long with a total length of 101 cm, a width of 5.2 cm, and a thick back, designed for piercing and slashing.

"Hm?" Luo Feng swung it casually a couple of times, frowning. "This Blood Shadow feels too light now."

He'd used this series for some time, but it now felt strangely weightless in his grip.

"My strength has increased, so I need a heavier weapon to feel comfortable," Luo Feng thought, trying a few other models but finding each one too light.

"None of these feel right," he murmured, smiling. "Looks like my strength has grown a lot, and there’s nothing here that suits me." With that, he headed up to the fourth floor.

The fourth floor was mainly for instructors and high-level staff. Although quasi-warriors had access to the fourth floor, Luo Feng’s certificate hadn’t arrived yet, so he wasn't sure he’d be allowed entry.

At the top of the stairs was a small room where an older man sat at a desk on duty.

"Hm? Where do you think you're going? This area is off-limits to students," the man said, standing up. But when he saw Luo Feng, his expression softened, and he chuckled, "Ah, Luo Feng! I heard from Director Jiang that you passed the quasi-warrior assessment. Go on in."

"Thank you, Uncle Li," Luo Feng said with a sigh of relief.

If the guard had strictly enforced the rules and demanded to see Luo Feng's certificate, he’d have had no choice but to leave.

The fourth-floor training hall was much more luxurious than the one downstairs, with high-end equipment and facilities.

At that moment, Luo Feng was the only one in the hall.

"What a waste, such a waste!" Luo Feng sighed. "There are only six instructors, who mostly spend their time at the Extreme Headquarters training. Such a nice place, sitting empty most of the time."

Shaking his head, he went to the fourth-floor weapons room.

The weapons here, while also replicas, appeared far superior to those on the third floor.

"Blood Shadow 2-series... The weapons here are definitely heavier." After testing a few blades, Luo Feng finally found one that felt right—a model marked with its weight: 101 kilograms.

"What? 101 kilograms?" Luo Feng was taken aback. "Is this really the weight I find comfortable?"

The Blood Shadow series was known for its lightness and speed, yet he was now wielding a 101-kilogram version with ease. His physical strength had clearly grown by an impressive margin.

"With this increase in physical fitness, I should test my punch strength and speed later," he thought, excited. "But for now, I'll practice the basics." He selected his sword and picked up a six-sided shield.

In the training hall, Luo Feng held his shield with his left arm and gripped the Blood Shadow combat knife in his right.

"Hup!"

"Hah!"

He practiced the fundamental techniques of swordsmanship with precise, powerful strikes—slashes, upward cuts, chops, and consecutive slashes. Each move was executed with perfect form, without disturbing his balance, as he continued to refine and adjust his movements.

"My strength has increased, but my control still isn’t precise enough," he noted.

"Good physical conditioning alone isn’t enough; I have to be able to use it effectively." Luo Feng understood this well.

Even though two people might have similar strength, one might only be able to use 30% of it, while the other could achieve 50%, 60%, or even more. Some master swordsmen, through skill and experience, could even defeat opponents ten times their strength. Technique and experience made a huge difference.

Of course, if the gap in physical ability was too vast, technique alone couldn’t bridge it. But refining his technique would let him make the most of his growing strength.