I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

"Remains?"

Gu Yan nodded in response.

"I know, I learned about it in high school. It is said that there was once a mythical martial artist who proved his Dao through martial arts and reached a state close to godhood, capable of shattering the void and opening up new worlds."

In the past, some used these places to aid their disciples in cultivation, some founded sects and hid their sects within them, and some masters created grotto-heavens to live in seclusion. In short, these grotto-heavens, excavated by modern archaeologists many years later, are what we call "relics."

Of course, these are all common uses of grotto heavens.

Throughout history, various strange and unusual caves and grottoes have been discovered. Among the ruins unearthed so far are mahjong rooms used by sect elders, a "secret chamber" where the sect leader kept a mistress, and even a sect's garbage dump...

It is said that a relic was even found that was dedicated to collecting all kinds of bellybands, but it is unknown which big shot had this particular hobby.

Zhong Ding said, "That's right. It's alright to tell you in advance. Our Linjiang University has a special site for assessment purposes. It was discovered by the school in its early years, and after many years of development, it is now under stable control."

Every year, martial arts students are assigned to participate in practical assessments at the ruins. If you accept an A-level contract, you will most likely be assigned to participate in the most recent practical assessment with other martial arts students.

Once you pass the assessment, your contract review is considered officially approved.

Gu Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Then may I ask the teacher, is this assessment dangerous?"

If it meant taking on a high risk to his personal safety, Gu Yan figured that since he already had the cheat code, there was no need to risk his life to compete with others for the opportunity.

Of course, if there are no risks, the resources he obtains in reality will make his development in the game easier.

Ultimately, isn't the ultimate purpose of playing games to make life better in real life?

"After all, it's a real-world assessment, so I can't tell you there's no risk," Zhong Ding thought for a moment and said, "But we live in peacetime now, and the risk rate for real-world assessments is very low. Let me put it this way... Don't you see some cold medicine instructions saying that there's an extremely small chance of the medicine causing unconsciousness and death?"

Gu Yan understood.

He had done some research online before. The internet said that in the past, humanity had waged large-scale wars against ferocious beasts, and during that time, martial artists were the frontline warriors. To cultivate truly fearless warriors, the mortality rate for martial artists was very high, even in actual combat exercises.

But that was some time ago, and humanity won the war. Now the situation is stable, and we live in a time of peace.

Unless it's a military exercise, military personnel don't face a relatively high mortality rate. As for martial arts students, while there are risks in actual combat, they receive maximum safety guarantees, making the risk rate very low.

After understanding the situation, Gu Yan said, "I understand, teacher. I'm willing to sign."

"Okay," Zhong Ding said. "Then let's greet Dean Li."

The two returned to the meeting room and told Dean Li about Gu Yan's decision. Dean Li was not surprised and simply opened the contract that had been prepared beforehand.

Although he knew that there was little difference between reading the school's standard contract and not reading it, Gu Yan still read through the entire contract. After confirming it, he signed his name at the end of the contract.

Dean Li put away the contract and said with a smile, "Well then, welcome to the Weaponry Academy in advance, student Gu Yan."

Gu Yan said, "Thank you, Dean!"

Dean Li said, "But to be honest, you have to be careful. Professor Zhong used all the points he's accumulated over so long to redeem this contract for you; it's a huge investment."

Seeing that Gu Yan didn't understand, Dean Li laughed heartily, "You don't know this. There's a saying circulating among the students of the Weaponry Academy... Eh? What did they say, Professor Zhong?"

He smiled at Zhong Ding, but Zhong Ding, who had just been so gentle and refined, suddenly looked annoyed: "Dean, in front of my new student... let's not bring this up for now, shall we?"

"Anyway, he'll find out when he becomes your student," Dean Li said with a smile. "Besides martial arts, your Master Zhong doesn't have any other hobbies but likes to invest and do some financial management. Everyone says that Master Zhong buys the wrong things and ends up with a villa by the sea. Other people's investments are called investments, but Master Zhong's investments are called targeted donations. So far, none of his investments have ever broken even. His performance has been consistently stable, and his record remains unbroken."

Gu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, does that mean I've become Mr. Zhong's latest investment project?

No, teaching can't be considered an investment... well, it definitely can't be.

But upon hearing the phrase "Old Zhong bought a villa by the sea," Gu Yan's heart stirred slightly.

I'd like to ask Mr. Zhong, what are your plans for investment next? Could you share some details?

But I thought about it and didn't bring myself to ask.

However, he thought that since they could joke like that to each other's faces, the relationship between this Teacher Chung and the dean must be quite good.

After signing the contract, both teachers had things to do, so they said goodbye and returned to the Weapon Academy.

Gu Yan returned to his dormitory and immediately called his father, Gu Mingshan. Since his father had contacted Teacher Zhong for advice, he naturally needed to reply.

Gu Mingshan admitted that he was the one who contacted Zhong Ding. He asked, "How did it go, son? Were you confident you'd passed?"

Gu Yan told the truth: "I did pretty well, I should have passed. I beat the examiners."

Gu Mingshan laughed and said, "I think the signal is bad here, so I can't hear you very clearly. I thought you were saying you beat the examiner..."

Gu Yan said, "That's right, Dad, I beat the examiner."

Gu Mingshan: "?"

Gu Yan continued, "Oh, right, I also received an A-level contract from the Weapon Academy. It's the A-level contract for the Weapon Academy's elite talent program. From now on, I'll receive a subsidy of 3.88 million every year..."

As soon as they reached the other side, there was a "thud," sounding like a phone being dropped on the ground, followed by spraying water and violent coughing.

He could even picture his dad choking on his tea in his mind.

Gu Mingshan frantically picked up his phone, sounding like he was in a panic: "What...did you say? An A-level contract? What's going on?"

"Teacher Zhong said I performed exceptionally well and should have gotten a B-level contract, but he used his points to upgrade me to an A-level contract, worth 388 million per year," Gu Yan said. "However, I still have to participate in a practical assessment for review. But even if I fail the review, theoretically I'm guaranteed a B-level contract."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, broken only by increasingly rapid breathing, as if Gu Mingshan was processing what he had just heard.

After a long pause, Gu Mingshan finally said, "Good...good! Good! Hahaha...good lad!"

Gu Mingshan was clearly very excited, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. He would probably need a while to process this incredible news.

Of course, I also need to thank Professor Zhong Ding.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Yan rallied his spirits and returned to the game.

He knew perfectly well that this was only a temporary achievement. He needed to keep up the good work and accelerate his progress in the game; this was the only guarantee for him to gain strength, money, and status in the real world.

Back in the game, the character had only taken a few steps in Qingxi County when he quickly realized something.

A demon is following him.