Chapter 283: Are You the Illegitimate Son of the Gym Master?

Chapter 283: Are You the Director's Illegitimate Son?

"You're quite unexpected too."

Qi Yuan glanced at the woman in the tight-fitting suit.

The woman in the tight-fitting suit paused briefly, a flicker of complex emotion passing through her striking eyes.

"Are you faking being sick?"

Surprise tinged her gaze.

She had seen Qi Yuan's medical report and spoken with the female doctor.

There was no issue with Qi Yuan's diagnosis.

"How do you know I'm not faking being sick?

Having a mental illness certificate makes things easier."

Qi Yuan said earnestly.

He had kept that mental illness certificate all along.

Right now, he was playing the role of a mentally ill person.

"Really?" The woman in the tight-fitting suit looked curious, her mind seemingly elsewhere.

"As genuine as it gets. Do I look like someone with a mental illness?" Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly.

Soon, the meal they ordered arrived.

Qi Yuan and the woman began to share it.

They ate and chatted.

"What about Cui Fan? Where is he? I need to see him urgently." Qi Yuan asked while gnawing on a chicken leg.

Finding Cui Fan was, of course, to borrow usurious loans—maybe even hundreds of thousands.

The woman in the tight-fitting suit smiled coquettishly: "He got caught. He's in prison."

"Huh?" Qi Yuan was taken aback. "What happened?"

What terrible luck!

Just the day before yesterday, he had been chatting with Cui Fan, planning to borrow some high-interest cash to spend, and now the guy was in jail?

"He was arrested for illegal loan sharking, violent debt collection, and so on.

Oh, and these days in Tianyue City, there's a crackdown. Most loan sharks have been rounded up." The woman in the tight-fitting suit laughed.

Qi Yuan was speechless.

"You're short on money?" The woman in the tight-fitting suit looked at him casually.

"Yeah, I was going to borrow some from a loan shark." Qi Yuan answered honestly.

From what Xiao Mei said, it seemed borrowing from loan sharks was off the table for now.

"Loan sharks aren't easy to mess with. Behind them, there's either organized crime or... if you're short on cash, it's better not to borrow from them." The woman named Xiao Mei said softly.

In Tianyue City, the connections of loan sharks were tangled and complex; those arrested were merely pawns thrown out.

"But... I need money." Qi Yuan said helplessly. "These cops are too diligent. Couldn't they have waited until I borrowed the money to arrest them? That way, I wouldn't even have to pay it back."

"What do you need so much money for, and how much?" The woman in the tight-fitting suit asked casually.

"I want to practice martial arts, to fight!" Qi Yuan's expression grew serious—this was also his main task now.

"Martial arts..." The woman in the tight-fitting suit paused, as if something had occurred to her. A complex look flickered in her eyes. "Martial arts have no future. Even if you become the best in Qinyuan Kingdom, at most you'll just be an internet celebrity."

"Wouldn't it be profitable for a mental patient like me to become an internet celebrity?

Or are you saying that practicing martial arts has less future than tightening screws in a factory?" Qi Yuan said in surprise.

The woman in the tight-fitting suit was at a loss for words.

It was because she stood at too high a level.

Indeed, for Qi Yuan, martial arts was indeed a way out.

"If you're short on money, I can lend you some. Do you want a hundred thousand?" The woman in the tight-fitting suit asked.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt disappointed.

He wanted to borrow money—money he wouldn't have to pay back.

With someone like Xiao Mei, it was clearly repayable.

"I'll borrow it, but can you lend me more?" Qi Yuan was in urgent need of cash.

Besides the resources needed for martial arts training, he also needed to buy various materials for his cultivation.

So he had to get more money.

"Do you have ninety million?" Qi Yuan looked at Xiao Mei with hopeful eyes—she seemed quite capable.

So he might as well borrow a lot; what if it worked?

Xiao Mei was speechless. She looked at Qi Yuan and finally said, "At most, three hundred thousand."

She had calculated the amount well.

Three hundred thousand was enough for Qi Yuan to dabble in martial arts.

"Alright, three hundred thousand it is." Qi Yuan was easily satisfied.

With that, he gave Xiao Mei his bank account number.

Xiao Mei narrowed her eyes as she looked at him: "First meeting, and it's a blind date. I'm willing to lend you three hundred thousand. Aren't you afraid... there's a scheme?"

Indeed, for anyone else, this situation would never happen.

"I have a mental illness certificate, so I'm not afraid of schemes." Qi Yuan said matter-of-factly.

"Now I really suspect you're faking it." The woman in the tight-fitting suit said.

"I've been faking it all along."

"Alright, take a look. I've transferred the money to you. Bye-bye."

The woman acted decisively, standing up directly. Her black tight-fitting suit clung tightly to her long, shapely legs, giving them a fuller look.

"Wait, don't go. You haven't paid the bill yet!" Qi Yuan called out to the woman in the tight-fitting suit.

The woman paused: "I'm paying?"

"Have you ever seen a mental patient pay for a meal while the other person lets them?"

The woman's face stiffened. She gritted her teeth and looked at Qi Yuan: "Fine, I'll pay!"

Qi Yuan lowered his head and continued eating his Qindeji.

The woman in the tight-fitting suit paid the bill, left the shop, and got into a black sedan parked on the street.

Inside the sedan sat two people.

A male driver and a large, muscular woman.

Both sat in the front, the woman in the tight suit in the back row.

“Captain, is it done?” the large woman asked, her voice gruff.

“Mm…” The tight-suited woman’s eyes grew deep. “I saw the master’s son… He looks well enough, his body seems fine. It appears the earlier news was wrong.”

A few days ago, the tight-suited woman had received word that the master’s son was gravely ill, and she hurried back, intending to meet Qi Yuan.

But now that she saw him, though Qi Yuan seemed a bit weak, he could still eat, and her military-grade detection instruments hadn’t found any major issues with his body.

So the stone that had been weighing on her heart finally settled.

“It’s good that he’s fine.” The large woman forced a smile onto her face. “For him to grow up safe and sound is a blessing in itself.”

“He wants to practice martial arts.” At that, the tight-suited woman mused, a small knife pinched between her slender fingers, as if lost in thought.

“Martial arts?” The large woman’s pupils contracted. “Does that mean… he knows about the master’s death… and wants revenge?

But… how could martial arts be enough…”

The tight-suited woman gave a charming smile: “You’re overthinking it. I think he’s just learning martial arts to strengthen his body.

As for the master’s matter, we’ll handle it ourselves.”

“You’re right.” The large woman nodded. “Ah, lately I don’t know what’s going on—more and more missions, as if something strange is happening.”

“Mm, there seem to be more missions exploring ancient tombs and ruins.” The tight-suited woman frowned.

Such missions used to be rare, but now they’ve cropped up like bamboo shoots after rain.

“I feel like something big is about to happen.” The large woman murmured.

The driver up front laughed: “Even if something big happens, would it ever fall on small fry like us?”

…

Mingwu Martial Arts Hall.

Located in Tianshan Tower, it spans three floors—the second, third, and fourth.

Mingwu Martial Arts Hall ranks among the top eight in all the martial arts halls of Tianyue City.

Every year, many children come here to practice martial arts and strengthen their bodies.

At this moment in Mingwu Martial Arts Hall, a group of children in training uniforms were practicing in the main hall, throwing punches and kicks, looking quite impressive.

Qi Yuan leaned on the railing, watching the display below: “All showpieces. I could take ten of them with ease. Is there any real martial arts here?”

The staff member beside him couldn’t hold back, forcing an awkward smile.

The kids practicing below were at most eight or nine years old.

You’re an adult—taking on ten of them, and you have the nerve to bring it up? “If you want to learn real martial arts, the registration fee is higher—120,000.

But there will be other expenses afterward…” the staff member said.

“Fine, sign me up quickly.” Qi Yuan said.

He didn’t bother watching the kids’ moves any longer; those martial arts techniques were too shallow.

He wanted to see how the martial arts of this world differed from the martial skills of the Canglan Realm.

Soon, under the guidance of the staff member, Qi Yuan arrived on the fourth floor.

“This is the Second Senior Brother’s office.

To learn formal martial arts, you need to pass a test here.”

“Shouldn’t paying the money be enough to learn?”

Doing business with a test—what if you don’t pass?

“Learning real martial arts is definitely different.” The staff member’s gaze toward Qi Yuan shifted.

As the saying goes, the poor study, the rich practice martial arts.

Those who can truly learn martial arts must have some family wealth.

Otherwise, it’s impossible to learn.

Soon, the staff member knocked on the door.

From inside the room, a deep voice came.

“Come in!”

Qi Yuan followed the staff member into a spacious training hall.

The staff member quickly said, “Second Senior Brother, this person is here to learn real martial arts.”

Qi Yuan also looked at the man before him, his gaze sharpening.

The man had a crew cut, a square face, and a tall, sturdy build—clearly strong and powerful.

Qi Yuan noticed his nostrils were quite large, especially the left one, which was noticeably bigger than the right.

His eyes immediately fell on one of the crew-cut man’s fingers.

“You’re here to learn martial arts?” the Second Senior Brother asked, looking at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. “Your body seems to have some issues.”

“Just a minor ailment, nothing worth mentioning. How is the test done?” Qi Yuan asked curiously.

He was thinking, if it came to bone-reading, how would he refuse?

This Second Senior Brother, at first glance, looked like someone who often picked his nose.

“It’s simple.”

The Second Senior Brother opened the drawer and took out a wooden token.

The token was pitch black, with an air of age.

“Drop a drop of blood on it.” The Second Senior Brother placed the token in front of Qi Yuan.

“Drop blood? That sounds like something from cultivation novels?” Qi Yuan looked baffled.

After all, this was the first time he’d seen martial arts requiring a blood drop.

Qi Yuan bit his finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the wooden token.

Qi Yuan watched the token, curious to see what would happen.

After a few breaths, several white lines appeared on the black token, spreading continuously.

“Three lines, hmm… barely meets the standard. Mid-to-low aptitude. You can practice martial arts.” The Second Senior Brother gave his judgment.

As he spoke, he put the token back into his drawer.

Qi Yuan lightly tapped his finger, and the blood that had seeped into the token silently returned to his body.

This scene went unnoticed by anyone else.

“Do these lines indicate aptitude?” Qi Yuan asked.

It seemed the martial arts of this world were different from those of the Canglan Realm.

“Mm!” The Second Senior Brother nodded emphatically. The strength of martial arts largely depends on aptitude.

"Generally speaking, everyone in our Qinyuan Kingdom possesses some degree of martial talent.

The higher the talent, the more suited one is to cultivate martial arts, and the greater the achievements one can attain.

When I was tested back then, I had five lines!"

As the Second Senior Brother said this, he straightened his shoulders.

Though in the outside world, martial arts are considered insignificant—after all, decades of training might be less effective than a single injection—within the circle of martial artists, there is still a hierarchy of high and low.

"What is the maximum number of lines?"

I heard from my master that the maximum is twelve lines.

A genius of that caliber might, after just a few months of training, be able to leap ten meters!" The Second Senior Brother's face showed a look of longing as he spoke.

Qi Yuan, hearing this, felt rather speechless.

He himself could already leap ten meters.

It seemed that the martial arts masters of this world were still somewhat weak.

"How strong is the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament? How many meters can they cover in one step?" Qi Yuan asked.

This was what he cared about most.

After all, he was destined to become the Martial Sovereign of the Human Path.

"They must be able to cover over ten meters in a single step?" The Second Senior Brother looked at Qi Yuan. "Don't aim too high; not just anyone can participate in the Martial Arts Tournament!"

He stared at Qi Yuan as if seeing through his thoughts.

He had seen many has-been idols come to learn martial arts and join the tournament, all in an attempt to revive their path to stardom.

Qi Yuan's looks were outstanding; even if he didn't achieve a good ranking, he could at least show his face.

He might even become an internet celebrity.

Qi Yuan, upon hearing the Second Senior Brother's words, was rather speechless.

Leaping over ten meters?

The champion of the Martial Arts Tournament?

That was far too weak!

The difficulty of this mission was far too low.

"Second Senior Brother, am I considered registered now? I'll transfer the money to you right away. When do I start learning martial arts?"

Qi Yuan asked.

The martial arts of this world, compared to those of the Canglan Realm—

Qi Yuan wanted to see what made them different.

"Alright, here's a technique for you."

The Second Senior Brother pulled a thin booklet from the drawer.

On the booklet were five ancient characters: *Mingwu Resonance Fist*.

"This technique is the signature art of our Mingwu Martial Arts Hall, consisting of twelve layers in total.

These are the first three layers; I'm giving them to you.

Remember, this technique must not be leaked, understand?" The Second Senior Brother warned.

"What about the subsequent layers?" Qi Yuan asked.

"For the later layers... you'll have to pay more.

Young man, these first three layers will be enough for you to train for a year." The Second Senior Brother answered truthfully.

When he had trained in this technique, it had taken him seven months just to reach the third layer's perfection.

Qi Yuan's talent was lower than his, so a year was reasonable.

"How much?" Qi Yuan asked.

"Well... three million in total?" The Second Senior Brother replied honestly. "Come, let me explain our signature art to you. The *Mingwu Resonance Fist* emphasizes the unity of the five viscera and six bowels with the muscles, achieving a resonance that unleashes tremendous power...

Don't let my lofty words fool you; it's extremely difficult to execute.

After all, who among ordinary people can control the vibrations of their internal organs?

It requires long experience... and..."

"Like this?"

But at that moment, Qi Yuan had already finished flipping through the first three layers of the technique.

He extended a fist and thrust it forward abruptly.

His entire body, his five viscera and six bowels, became astonishingly unified in that instant.

The blood vessels throughout his body seemed to converge into his fist.

*Boom!*

The powerful punch was unleashed, sounding like thunder.

The Second Senior Brother froze, his left nostril twitching upward.

"Are you... the master's illegitimate son?"

P.S.: Still unwell—coughing and vomiting. Sorry for the recent updates; I'll make up for them later.

(End of chapter)