High-level martial arts: Starting with a heart of steel, stats crush everything.

Chen Family, Taizhou City.

The Chen family was quite lively today. Apart from Chen Yi and Chen Mo, everyone else who had a good relationship with the Chen family was there.

Liang Yongsheng, Tian Xingxing, Wei Zhen, and Xiao Qifeng were chugging down a large bucket of liquor.

They were completely oblivious to the two masters who were having a drink nearby.

The two masters are Yu Jinling and Song Bin, who are chatting and drinking with Chen Li.

That's right, Song Bin came back after being busy in the South Island for a while, just to have a drink with Chen Li.

An ordinary person and a master became friends.

"His dad said the child should be able to come back before the New Year. Even Chen Yi came back earlier than him."

After returning the phone to Chen Li, Xu Liu was somewhat sullen.

As a mother, she supports all the choices her son makes, but longing is inevitable.

"Didn't he tell you?" Yu Jinling put down her wine glass and looked at Xu Liu.

"This year is the year the World Youth Championship is being held, and all the spots for this World Youth Championship have been given to the Great Xia Grandmaster Academy."

"But those freakish geniuses from the Grandmaster Academy are generally unwilling to do such troublesome things, so this task will probably fall to Chen Mo and his group."

"According to him, it's 99% true. The World Youth Championships will end before the new year, and he'll be back then."

"But...aren't the World Junior Championships mostly attended by young people in their twenties and thirties?"

Xu Liu frowned. Was the difference in strength too great?

"Don't worry, with Chen Mo's strength, he can easily defeat a level nine martial artist now."

Song Bin laughed heartily and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

As one of the most powerful grandmasters in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, Song Bin has a very well-connected network of information.

He was fully aware of everything Chen Mo had done at the Mountain City Martial Arts Academy and his progress in strength.

"Not to mention his children, each one of them is exceptionally talented and could easily handle those mediocre people outside."

"This is a matter of face for the Great Xia Grandmaster Academy, those old fogies will definitely take it seriously."

"I reckon they chose Chen Mo because they wanted him to act like a big shot, to gain recognition through that."

"That's what I think too. The team leader this time is Geng Lianhu, and that old man is extremely powerful."

Yu Jinling nodded, agreeing with Song Bin's words.

"Among the Grandmasters of the Great Xia Dynasty, this old man is the strongest besides that monster."

"Governor Yu, where do you rank among the Grandmasters of Great Xia?" Chen Li asked curiously after pouring Yu Jinling a glass of wine.

In Chen Li's opinion, Yu Jinling is almost as good as the legendary immortals, and probably ranks among the top few.

"Me? I can't even make it into the top 100."

Yu Jinling gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"Old Chen, you should know that our Great Xia is full of hidden talents and has many powerful individuals."

"Those truly powerful individuals do not operate in the open; they protect human society in places you are unaware of."

"Alright, that's enough." Song Bin frowned. It was better not to tell ordinary people like Chen Li some things.

Ordinary people should just live their own lives; they'll handle some of the problems.

The more you know, the more pressure you feel...

"Alright, alright, let's drink then. Forget what I just said."

Yu Jinling smiled, raised her glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Li and Xu Liu exchanged a glance. They knew that there were some things they shouldn't know, so they didn't press the matter further.

"Let's drink! Come all over for the New Year!"

......

The following morning, led by Geng Lianhu, Chen Mo and the others boarded a military vehicle to head to the airport.

"Dean Geng, it's better to fly with us than to take a plane."

As a member of an ancient martial arts family, Gu Feng knew very well that a grandmaster's flight speed was much faster than that of an airplane.

"Are you treating me like a donkey?"

Geng Lianhu glanced at Gu Feng. Of course, he had the ability to cross the ocean, but it was very tiring to do so.

It's much more comfortable to take a plane for ten hours.

"Our destination this time is Gran Island, where the World Junior Championships are held every year."

"That place is in the tropics, so the temperature is probably similar to that of the South Island."

"There are still nine days until the start of the competition, so you can relax a bit. It's best to avoid conflicts with other players, as that could cause some trouble."

Geng Lianhu knew Chen Mo and the others' personalities very well. Apart from Yang Zuo and He Miao, the other three were all hot-tempered and easily angered.

"What if they come and provoke us?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. Surely Great Xia wouldn't let them suffer such humiliation?

"I'm just saying try to avoid 'conflict' as much as possible."

Geng Lianhu emphasized the word "conflict".

"But you're not always by my side, so I can't control that."

"When you make your move, remember not to kill anyone. As long as no one dies, everything is fine. If they're not happy, let them come find me."

"If you really want to kill someone, it's not too late to wait until you're in the ring."

"Right?"

Chen Mo and the others smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

Indeed, getting into conflicts with other contestants isn't good for one's image, but what can you do when they're just a group of teenagers who have just turned eighteen?

If anyone should be held accountable, it should be Geng Lianhu, but who would dare to provoke this fierce man?

So the problem is quite simple.

As the car started, a figure appeared and blocked its way.

"Stone lion, what are you doing?"

Geng Lianhu frowned. Why was this old man stopping the car?

"It's none of your business. I have something to give to that kid Chen Mo."

Shi Jinshi ignored Geng Lianhu and walked to the car window instead.

"Kid, keep this safe, it could save your life in a pinch."

A sealed bottle, about the size of a thumb, was tossed into the car and landed steadily in Chen Mo's palm.

"You can also use it when tempering your body. Given the nature of a mutated martial artist like you, you might be able to forge a golden body ahead of time."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Shi Jinshi gave Chen Mo a martial arts salute.

"Principal Shi, please don't do this! How can I accept such a grand gesture!"

Chen Mo was shocked. The martial arts salute is the highest form of greeting among martial artists, let alone that a grandmaster was giving him the martial arts salute.