High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 356: Fame Shakes the Federation

What was even more eye-catching was that some influential, sensationalist media outlets with powerful backers couldn’t wait to toss out new topics shortly after the tournament ended.

[Another "Grandmaster Prospect"! Youth Tournament Champion Xu Wuyi Joins the Ranks of the Federation’s Four Most Promising Young Geniuses!]

The article mentioned that based on the Heart Image Prototype Xu Wuyi had displayed in the Youth Tournament, his ability to fight above his level, his terrifying rate of progress, and his frighteningly solid foundation, many things were clear.

Numerous Martial Arts commentators and analytical firms had unanimously placed him on par with three other young geniuses.

Those three were:

Ye Guanlan, the most outstanding disciple of Capital Xingjing’s Ye Family in this generation. He directly joined the Federation Star Realm Research Institute after graduation and, at twenty-eight, was already an Innate Martial Artist—the Federation’s youngest Innate-level powerhouse.

Pan Yan, who hailed from a military Noble Family. He had just graduated from Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy last year and enlisted directly in the army, where he already held the rank of second lieutenant.

Hong Nianyi, a third-year senior and the top student at Black Stone Academy, as well as the champion of the previous Youth Tournament. Her Saber Technique was divine and her Mental Realm profound. Her family was far from comparable to the previous two, but she was the disciple of the "Sword Emperor," Shen Jin.

The article dubbed these four the "Four Extremes Star," a metaphor for them being the four strongest contenders for the future position of Grandmaster in the Federation, four brilliant stars illuminating the path of Martial Arts for the younger generation.

Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly as he read these reports and commentaries.

’"Grandmaster prospect," "Four Extremes Star"... These titles sounded impressive, but in the end, they were just the outside world’s evaluations and expectations.’

The path of Martial Arts was fraught with thorns at every step; who could say for sure what the future held? Countless figures once hailed as geniuses had ultimately gotten stuck at some bottleneck and made a quiet exit.

Fame was a motivator, but it was also a pressure.

He turned off the light screen, no longer paying attention to the clamor of the outside world.

The most important thing right now was to digest his gains from the tournament, consolidate his cultivation, and then return to the West Desert to continue training under the guidance of Flame Venerable.

Winning the championship was just a new beginning.

...

Dongjiang Province, Red River City, Honghe First Middle School.

In the principal’s office, Zhang Qiming and Wang Wenhai sat across from each other. On the light screen of the coffee table between them, a highlight reel of the Youth Tournament finals was playing, along with a short virtual interview with Xu Wuyi after his victory.

"...Winning the championship wouldn’t have been possible without the school’s nurturing, my teachers’ guidance, and the help of many people along the way." On screen, Xu Wuyi’s voice was calm, possessing a composure rare for a young man. "I will continue to work hard and not disappoint."

Zhang Qiming turned off the light screen, and the office fell silent.

Both teachers wore expressions of gratification and sentimentality, along with a hint of indescribable pride.

"This kid..." Wang Wenhai shook his head and chuckled. "He really made us proud. Everyone’s calling him a ’Grandmaster Prospect’ now. Jeez, that’s a hell of a label to slap on him."

Zhang Qiming took a sip of tea, but the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide. "The title might be a bit much, but he can bear the weight. Second year, a Heart Image Prototype, the champion... I doubt Honghe First Middle School has ever produced someone like him since its founding."

"Forget Honghe First Middle School. How many years has it been since a genius of this caliber has appeared in the entire Dongjiang Province?" Wang Wenhai said with feeling. "Old Zhang, you didn’t see it, but the Education Bureau just called to congratulate us. They said the province might give the school a special award to recognize our contribution to his development."

"It’s all the kid’s own hard work." Zhang Qiming waved his hand dismissively, his tone turning serious. "The greater his fame, the more people will be watching him, and the harder his path ahead will be. The best we can do is support him quietly from behind and not cause him any trouble."

Wang Wenhai nodded. "You’re right. Still, seeing how happy his parents were today made me happy too."

Just that afternoon, Father Xu and Mrs. Xu had been specially invited to the school.

When they saw their son win the championship on the large screen in the principal’s office and heard the host excitedly announce "The new champion, Xu Wuyi," the couple’s eyes turned red.

Mrs. Xu kept wiping away tears, while Father Xu stood ramrod straight, his face brimming with irrepressible pride.

Zhang Qiming had specially arranged for a teacher from the school’s publicity department to take a few photos of Xu Wuyi’s parents. The backdrop was the gate of Honghe First Middle School and Xu Wuyi’s name on the "Champion Scholar Wall."

Father Xu had apparently tucked the photos away carefully, saying he wanted to take them back to his hometown to show all their relatives.

"By the way," Wang Wenhai said, remembering something, "Ah Yi sent all his prize money to his parents. One million. He didn’t keep a single cent."

Hearing this, Zhang Qiming was slightly taken aback, and then his smile grew wider. "This child always has his family in his heart. That’s good. To know gratitude means his heart is in the right place."

They both knew that for the current Xu Wuyi, one million Federation coins might not be a huge sum, but the sentiment behind it was priceless.

"We’re getting old." Zhang Qiming stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the familiar campus scenery. "Watching these kids grow and take flight, one batch after another... that’s the greatest achievement for us teachers."

...

Linjiang City, Lin Family Manor.

The atmosphere in the study formed a bone-chilling contrast to the warm gratification in the Honghe First Middle School office.

Lin Zhen sat in the main seat. The light screen before him was frozen on a news page crowning Xu Wuyi with the titles of "Grandmaster Prospect" and "Four Extremes Star" after his victory.

His expression was grim, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk. The dull TAP, TAP, TAP sounded like a hammer on everyone’s heart.

Seated below, Lin Liye had his head down, his expression unreadable.

Several other core members of the family were in the study, but all were deathly silent, none daring to speak first.

"Grandmaster Prospect... Four Extremes Star..." Lin Zhen finally spoke, his voice dry, laced with a weariness and frustration he was trying his best to suppress. "Excellent. Truly excellent."

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Lin Liye. "Liye, that insignificant little character we thought we could crush at will is now one of the most dazzling stars in the Federation. Tell me, isn’t that just fascinating?"

Lin Liye’s body trembled slightly. He looked up, his face drained of all color, his lips moving a few times without a sound escaping.

"Grandfather." Sitting on the other side, Lin Hao, Lin Liye’s son and the most outstanding member of the Lin Family’s third generation, finally broke his silence, his voice laced with indignation and a trace of panic.

"So what if he’s a genius, a Grandmaster prospect? He’s not a Grandmaster yet! Our Lin Family..."

"The Lin Family what?" Lin Zhen cut him off coldly. "What does our Lin Family have now? What can we use to contend with a future Grandmaster who has the attention of the Federation’s highest echelons, the full support of Star Martial University, and limitless potential of his own?"

"Rely on that little cleverness of yours? Or on our dwindling businesses and connections?"

Lin Hao was left speechless, his face flushing beet-red as he lowered his head, not daring to say another word.