"Most of us here, myself included, come from ordinary families. Our parents have done their best to give us every possible advantage, but compared to those from true Martial Arts Families, our resources are pitiful."

"So what do we have?"

Xu Wuyi paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience.

"We only have ourselves."

"We have the grit to wake up at five every morning for our training while others are still asleep."

"We have the patience to be polishing a single basic move at eleven o’clock at night, while others are playing games or scrolling through videos."

"And we have the courage to wipe away the sweat and tears after every failure and get back on our feet."

His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear and powerful.

"I’ve seen too many people more talented than me end up as nobodies because they didn’t work hard enough. I’ve also seen people with less than me carve out a path for themselves through sheer, desperate effort."

"On the path of Martial Arts, talent determines your ceiling, but hard work determines if you can ever reach it."

The crowd was silent, his voice the only sound echoing through the auditorium.

"People ask me if there are any shortcuts, any secret formulas."

Xu Wuyi shook his head.

"I don’t have any."

"All I can tell you is this—practice every movement of the Basic Body Refining Technique to perfection, flawlessly synchronize every breath with the circulation of your Qi and Blood, and treat every instance of actual combat as a fight to the death."

"If once isn’t enough, do it ten times. If ten times isn’t enough, a hundred. If a hundred isn’t enough, a thousand."

He looked out at the young eyes in the crowd.

"I know it’s hard, exhausting, and tedious. I’ve thought about giving up, too. I’ve asked myself if all this struggle is even worth it."

"But every time I break through a bottleneck, every time I master a new Martial Art, every time I stand on a higher stage and see a broader horizon—I know it’s all worth it."

Xu Wuyi clenched his fists.

"People like us have no connections, no resources, and no lineage from a Noble Family. All we have is a burning desire to be more than ordinary and a body that can still be pushed to its limits."

"So—"

His voice suddenly rose.

"We have nothing but hard work, so we can only work even harder!"

For two seconds after he finished, the auditorium was silent. Then, a thunderous applause erupted.

Many students clapped forcefully, their eyes red with emotion.

His words had struck a chord deep inside them, touching on their anxiety, their confusion, and their refusal to give up.

The Q&A session that followed was lively.

The students asked a lot of practical questions: How should they balance their academic and Martial Arts Classes? What should they do when they hit a plateau? How could they choose a Martial Technique that suited them? Were there any tips for the combat portion of the university entrance exam?

Xu Wuyi answered each question with simple, practical advice. There were no empty theories, only lessons from his own hard-won experience.

The session lasted two and a half hours, and even after it officially ended, students crowded around him, asking questions for a long time.

Wang Wenhai and Principal Zhang watched from a distance, both smiling with satisfaction.

"That boy has really grown up," Principal Zhang said with feeling.

"He’s always known exactly what he wants," Wang Wenhai said. "That’s the rarest quality of all."

...

「Saturday. A rare family day.」

Neither Father Xu nor Mrs. Xu had to work, so the family of three spent the entire day at home.

In the morning, Xu Wuyi played a few games of chess with his father.

It was a pastime the two of them had shared since Xu Wuyi was a boy.

Father Xu was an average player, but he considered every move carefully, much like his approach to life.

"Are you running into any trouble at school?" Father Xu asked, placing a piece on the board as if it were a casual question.

Xu Wuyi knew what his father was really asking. "Everything’s fine. There’s competition among the students, but it’s mostly healthy. The teachers are very dedicated, too."

"That’s good." Father Xu nodded. "When you’re out on your own, always be careful, but don’t assume the worst in people."

"I know."

For lunch, Mrs. Xu cooked a spread of home-style dishes. It was more lavish than usual, but not as extravagant as the feast she had prepared on the day Xu Wuyi first returned home. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The family chatted about trivial things as they ate: the neighbor’s dog had puppies, the community’s green spaces were being renovated, a new director had arrived at Father Xu’s workplace...

It was mundane, but it was real.

In the afternoon, Xu Wuyi trained in his room while his parents watched TV in the living room, keeping the volume low so they wouldn’t disturb him.

As dusk fell, Xu Wuyi finished his training and came out of his room. He saw his mother watering plants on the balcony and his father reading the newspaper on the sofa.

It was a habit his father had maintained for years. Even with digital news available, he still preferred the feel of a physical newspaper.

The setting sun streamed through the window, bathing everything in a golden light.

Xu Wuyi leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene, and a sense of calm happiness washed over him.

’This is home.’

No matter what he experienced out in the world, no matter what he achieved, when he came back here, he was simply his parents’ son, a member of this ordinary family.

"What would you like for dinner?" Mrs. Xu asked with a smile, turning to look at him.

"Anything is fine. I love whatever you make, Mom."

"Then I’ll make your favorite braised pork ribs and a couple of vegetable stir-fries."

After dinner, the family sat on the sofa watching a Martial Arts competition on TV.

The host was commentating on a university league match, where two young Martial Artists were locked in a fierce battle on screen.

"These kids are so impressive," Mrs. Xu remarked.

"Our Ah Yi has been on TV, too," Father Xu said.

Xu Wuyi just smiled without saying anything.

He knew they were talking about the Federation Youth Martial Arts Tournament. His matches had been broadcast almost in their entirety.

A little after nine p.m., Xu Wuyi finished washing up. He was about to return to his room for his nightly Visualization training when the communicator on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

He glanced down. It was an emergency notification—a mass alert from the Dongjiang Province Martial Arts Hall.

He opened the message, and lines of text appeared:

[EMERGENCY NOTICE: Minor Star Realm Rift fluctuations detected in the region of 118.76° E, 31.05° N, at the border of Red River City and Silver Harbor City. Estimated Rift Level: Secondary (Controllable).]

[All Martial Artists in the vicinity with a Life Energy Level of 26 or higher, or any registered Martial Artists, are hereby summoned to assist in containment and cleanup operations.]

[MISSION TYPE: Voluntary assistance. Federation merit points will be awarded based on contribution.]

[All qualifying Martial Artists are to report to the Red River City Martial Arts Hall for assembly within two hours.]

’A Star Realm Rift?’

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted.

He had learned about them in his courses at Star Martial University.

Star Realm Rifts were temporary passages connecting the real world to an Otherworldly Space, from which all sorts of creatures from the Otherworld would emerge.

They were classified into five levels based on their size and stability, with Level One being the weakest and Level Five the strongest.

A Secondary Rift was considered moderately dangerous. Containing one typically required at least ten Martial Artists to lead the effort, working in concert with over one hundred Advanced Martial Artists.