Standing before his front door, Xu Wuyi calmed his racing heart and raised his hand to press the doorbell.

"Who is it?" His mother’s familiar voice came from inside, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

The door opened.

Mrs. Xu was wearing an apron, still holding the vegetables she had been halfway through preparing.

When she saw who was standing outside, she froze, so stunned that she didn’t even notice the vegetables slipping from her hand and falling to the floor.

"Ah... Ah Yi?" Mrs. Xu’s voice trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Mom, I’m home," Xu Wuyi said with a smile, opening his arms.

Mrs. Xu threw her arms around him, patting his back firmly. "You silly boy! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming! I haven’t prepared a thing... And your father..."

"Who is it?" Father Xu’s voice called from the living room, followed by the shuffle of slippers across the floor.

When Father Xu saw the mother and son embracing at the doorway, he froze as well, but his shock quickly gave way to a delighted grin. "Ah Yi? It’s really you! What brings you back so suddenly?"

"Things aren’t too busy at the university right now, and Principal Zhang happened to ask me to come back and give a speech, so I came home."

Xu Wuyi released his mother and stepped inside.

The house looked much the same as when he had left, save for a new slipcover on the sofa and a larger, curved-screen TV that had replaced the old one.

The familiar aroma of cooking filled the air—his mother was preparing dinner.

"Sit down, sit down!" Mrs. Xu said, wiping the corners of her eyes as she hurried Xu Wuyi over to the sofa. "Are you hungry? I’ll go make some more dishes! Old Xu, hurry downstairs and buy a fish, and grab some of the braised meats Ah Yi loves!"

"Don’t go to all that trouble, Mom. Whatever you’re making is fine," Xu Wuyi said quickly.

"Nonsense! It’s not every day you’re home!" Father Xu had already grabbed his wallet and was heading out the door. "Just wait, I’ll be right back!"

A warm feeling washed over Xu Wuyi as he watched his father’s retreating back.

Mrs. Xu bustled about in the kitchen, and the clatter of pots and pans was music to his ears.

Xu Wuyi put down his backpack and walked to the kitchen doorway. "Mom, let me help."

"No, no, you go rest!" Mrs. Xu waved her hands dismissively. "You must be tired after such a long flight, right?"

"I’m not tired." Xu Wuyi walked into the kitchen anyway and picked up the fallen vegetables. "I have to take care of myself at the university. I know how to do all this."

Of course, he was just saying that. With Anna at the university, none of the students knew how to do these things.

It was just something he’d known how to do since he was a kid.

Mrs. Xu watched him expertly trim and wash the vegetables, her gaze softening. "You’re all grown up... really all grown up now."

At dinner, the table was laden with food.

Steamed fish, red-braised pork, stir-fried greens with garlic, braised beef, and the pork rib soup Mrs. Xu had specially prepared—they were all Xu Wuyi’s favorite dishes.

"Eat up. The food at the university can’t compare to a home-cooked meal," Mrs. Xu said, constantly placing more food on his plate.

Father Xu opened a bottle of white liquor and poured a small glass for Xu Wuyi. "Here, have a drink with your old man."

The three of them ate and chatted.

Xu Wuyi shared amusing stories about his university life and his experiences in Star Martial City, carefully avoiding any mention of his dangerous combat missions.

Father Xu and Mrs. Xu listened with rapt attention, asking questions from time to time.

"By the way, how have things been at home?" Xu Wuyi asked.

"Much better!" Father Xu said with a contented smile after a sip of liquor. "Ever since you got into Star Martial University, the city gave us a monetary award. With that and our salaries, we’re much more comfortable now."

When Xu Wuyi had been the top scorer on the college entrance exam, Red River City had given him an award, though it wasn’t a large sum—only 150,000 Federation credits.

By then, Xu Wuyi had already left for Star Martial. That amount of money would barely cover his Potion expenses for half a month; it was a drop in the bucket. It was far better to leave it for his family to improve their quality of life.

After all, the financial aid he received from the university was strictly monitored and could only be used for his own expenses, not his family’s.

Mrs. Xu chimed in, "And your father insisted on saving it for you, for when you get married someday."

"Mom..." Xu Wuyi said, exasperated.

"But we really don’t need that much," Father Xu said with a serious expression. "Your mother and I talked it over. We’re planning to move to a slightly bigger place in a year or two. This old house is really showing its age."

Xu Wuyi nodded. "Don’t be too frugal. Spend what you need to. In another year or two, I’ll be earning enough money to give to you."

Students at the Three Greats often began taking on external missions in their third year, essentially starting their careers before graduation.

"We know, we know," Mrs. Xu said with a smile. "You’re successful now, so we don’t have to pinch pennies like we used to. But we’re so used to being frugal, it’s a hard habit to break."

The meal lasted for over an hour, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

After dinner, Xu Wuyi insisted on washing the dishes, then went back to his room.

The room was kept very clean; his mother had clearly been tidying it regularly.

His high school textbooks and notes were still on his desk, and on the walls were a few posters of Martial Arts stars—the heroes he had once looked up to.

Now, he was walking that same path himself.

Xu Wuyi took two Earth Fire Marrow Lamps out of his backpack.

He placed the lamps in the corners of the room and switched them on.

A faint orange halo spread out, and the concentration of Energy in the room began to slowly rise.

Sitting cross-legged, Xu Wuyi began his nightly cultivation. The Qi and Blood of the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace surged through his body, and the Heart Fire burned quietly in his Dantian.

Cultivating in the familiar surroundings of his room at home gave him a unique sense of peace.

...

「Friday afternoon. The auditorium of Honghe First Middle School.」

The eight-hundred-seat auditorium was filled to capacity. Not only was the entire senior class present, but many first and second-year students interested in Martial Arts had also come, and even a number of teachers were seated in the back rows.

A banner stretched across the stage read: "Experience-Sharing Session with Our College Entrance Exam Top Scorer and Outstanding Student of Star Martial University."

Xu Wuyi stood in the wings, dressed in his Star Martial University uniform.

Peeking through a gap in the curtains, he could see the sea of heads in the audience and all those young, expectant faces.

A year and a half ago, he had been one of them, sitting in the audience, listening to the upperclassmen share their experiences and dreaming of the future.

"Nervous?" Wang Wenhai asked softly, walking up beside him.

"A little," Xu Wuyi admitted.

If this were a fight, he wouldn’t be nervous even if he had to take on the entire audience by himself.

But giving a speech and sharing his experience? He was afraid of misleading them.

Teacher Wang smiled and patted his shoulder. "Just say what’s on your mind. Be honest. These kids need to hear the truth, not just empty platitudes."

After a brief introduction from the host, Xu Wuyi walked onto the stage.

A spotlight fell on him. The audience quieted down, all eyes focused on him.

Xu Wuyi adjusted the microphone and took a deep breath.

"Hello, everyone. I’m Xu Wuyi, a graduate of Honghe First Middle School’s class of 2XXX, and I’m currently a student at Star Martial University’s Martial Arts Academy."

Applause rose from the audience.

"When I received the school’s invitation to give this speech, I asked myself, what could I possibly talk about?" Xu Wuyi said in a calm voice.

"I wasn’t born into a Noble Family, so I didn’t grow up soaking in medicated baths. My parents are from an ordinary working-class family and couldn’t provide me with expensive cultivation resources. In my second year of high school, my Life Energy Level was even stuck at 8.6, a long way from the minimum needed to even qualify for a university."

The students in the audience listened quietly, and looks of recognition appeared in some of their eyes.

"But then I figured it out," Xu Wuyi continued. "What I have to share is born precisely from the fact that I started with nothing."