Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then unlocked the door with his key and stepped aside. "Senior, please come in."
Right then, Luo Kaiyuan spoke up. "Call me if you need any help."
Chen Chuan looked at him in surprise, nodded, and offered sincere thanks. "Thank you, Classmate Luo."
The senior acted as though he had not heard their exchange at all. Wearing a faint smile, he followed Chen Chuan into the dorm room.
Chen Chuan invited him to sit down and poured him a glass of water before taking a seat across from him. "May I ask how to address you, Senior?"
The senior smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. Yu Ruizhi, a second-year student in the Grappling Division."
"A senior from the Grappling Division?"
Chen Chuan studied him. From his physique alone, one truly could not tell; someone like Zhong Wu was instantly recognizable as a product of the Grappling Division.
However, grappling encompassed many disciplines with all sorts of builds, even smaller-framed fighters, so this was not particularly unusual. He asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Senior Yu?"
Senior Yu maintained his gentle smile. "Do you think I'm here to hold you accountable, Classmate Chen?"
He shook his head and continued, "Not at all. Everything you did in the exam ring adhered to the rules; that much is undeniable, so no one is coming to settle scores. My purpose in coming today is simply to invite you to join the Mutual Aid Society."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough last time. Allow me to give you a formal answer today, Senior: I have no interest in accepting any sponsorship from the Mutual Aid Society."
Yu Ruizhi smiled. "Classmate Chen, I didn't come here to offer you any sponsorship. I am purely extending an invitation for you to join the Mutual Aid Society." He raised a hand in a brief pause gesture. "Don't be in such a rush to refuse, Classmate Chen. Let me tell you what you stand to gain by joining. You can give me your answer after hearing me out."
Looking at Chen Chuan, he pushed up his glasses. "First, Classmate Chen, you have to understand that a great fighter doesn't achieve success just by training casually. That's merely for street-gym brawlers. Anyone truly aspiring to achieve something on this path must undergo purposeful, systematic training.
"Such training is important—immensely important." At this point, he not only repeated the words for emphasis, but his tone carried a subtle, mysterious depth.
"You might say that the academy provides training teachers and advising instructors, but your instructors don't truly understand you. They teach you based solely on their past experience, using themselves as blueprints. Even though there are many modern aids, much remains unsatisfactory. Sometimes it only takes a tiny deviation to keep your potential from being fully realized, preventing you from reaching the heights you ought to reach."
His tone grew heavier. "And the Mutual Aid Society can help you achieve that."
Chen Chuan said, "Oh? The Mutual Aid Society is that capable?"
Yu Ruizhi replied with absolute confidence, "Of course. The Society's influence exceeds your imagination. If you join, we will conduct a comprehensive physical examination for you, tailor training methods specifically to you, and help you construct your own combat system. On top of that, we can provide various conditioning supplements.
"And that's just for the present. In the future, once you graduate from the academy, if you perform well, we can even recommend you to Molan Company. Cui Hong, the current deputy head of security at Molan Company, only attained his position with our backing. That is a company with a firm foothold even in Center City. What that means for your future goes without saying."
Chen Chuan thought it over and asked, "I have a question. Why approach me?"
Yu Ruizhi said, "Actually, you aren't the only one we've approached, Classmate Chen. Whether in previous years or this year, we extend invitations to every promising student."
He smiled again. "Classmate Chen, it was clear from your exam performance that you've mastered a breathing technique. Yet, unlike others, you didn't practice martial arts from childhood. That is rare; ordinary people can hardly endure such agony without prior training. But you pushed through, and naturally, you acquired the strength to contend with the student examiners.
"That gave you value ahead of schedule.
"Pardon my offense for using the word 'value,' but a person can be measured by value—and by the same token, can depreciate."
He fixed his gaze on Chen Chuan, seemingly trying to apply pressure. "You gained strength at the cost of overdrawing your potential, but this debt must be paid sooner or later. What awaits you in a few short years is injury, decline, or other dire consequences...
"And this might come sooner than you imagine. Right now, many Class A students haven't started training in breathing techniques, but once they do, they'll catch up to you in no time. The advantage you currently hold will vanish completely."
"Is that so?" Hearing him say this, Chen Chuan grew somewhat curious. "Senior Yu, by saying that, do you mean there's a way to remedy overdrawn potential?"
"Of course!" Yu Ruizhi gave an emphatic answer. Sensing Chen Chuan's interest, he explained with great care:
"Certain pharmaceuticals manufactured by Center City pharmaceutical companies can repair your potential and remedy your defects. However, setting aside their astronomical prices, they are considered contraband outside Center City. Only the Mutual Aid Society has the channels to acquire them. Moreover, the Society can promise that as soon as you join, you will see such medicines immediately."
Seeing Chen Chuan remain silent, he added, "Of course, if you feel medication isn't suitable and are reluctant, there are other options. For example... implants."
Hearing that, Chen Chuan could not help but look at him, repeating, "Implants?"
Yu Ruizhi said, "You may or may not have heard of them. They are biological constructs—military-grade biological implants that can grant you strength surpassing ordinary mortals in an instant."
Chen Chuan asked, "If that's the case, if one were implanted into an ordinary person, could it immediately create a prime combat asset?"
Yu Ruizhi shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. How well an implant performs depends on the host's load-bearing capacity. The higher an individual's upper limit, the greater the power unleashed. Thus, a strong body is an absolute prerequisite."
Chen Chuan fell into thought.
Yu Ruizhi waited a moment longer before asking, "After all I've said, what are your thoughts, Classmate Chen?"
Chen Chuan looked at him and refused decisively. "I appreciate the Mutual Aid Society's goodwill, but I prefer to walk my own path."
"Is that your answer? Understood."
Yu Ruizhi maintained his polite, gentle demeanor, showing no sign of irritation over Chen Chuan's refusal.
He produced a business card, placed it on the table, and stood up with a smile. "Classmate Chen, if you ever change your mind, you can find us anytime. Ah, by the way—fighting arts are not merely fighting arts, and the world isn't as simple as you think. Well then, I look forward to our next meeting. Oh, no need to see me out."
With that, he nodded to Chen Chuan and walked out. Out in the corridor, a knowing smile touched his lips before he pulled the door shut behind him.
Chen Chuan considered this. Yu Ruizhi's parting words seemed certain that Chen Chuan would eventually seek them out. Did they have some scheme in mind? Or was there some other reason?
He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the campus below. Across the academy grounds, lights shone everywhere, with the administrative building and the streetlamps encircling the lake glowing especially bright.
Yu Ruizhi had promised a great deal, but all of it would undoubtedly come at an even greater price. And Chen Chuan had come here to study fighting arts precisely to be free from shackles, to allow himself to reach greater heights.
He lifted his gaze to the scattered stars amidst the clouds. After all, no matter how bright the lights on the ground shone, how could they ever compare to the boundless expanse of the starry sky?
...
...
Chapter 43