Chapter 9: Qi-Blood Baby, What the Hell Are You Doing?

The Martial Arts Association is an institution established by the state.

Every city has one.

Open 24 hours.

It is specifically tasked with managing Martial Artists and handling all matters concerning them!

Including but not limited to Martial Artist certification, welfare distribution, Earth God subjugation, and so on.

Xu Wei walked into the Martial Arts Association building.

Several black-clad Martial Artists stood at attention on either side.

These people were all responsible for maintaining security and order within the Martial Arts Association.

Similar to Security Guards.

But unlike Security Guards, these Martial Artists were all high-level Martial Artists with Fist Strength exceeding ten thousand Pounds.

In addition, there were steward Martial Artists stationed there with Fist Strength reaching 500,000 Pounds.

Therefore, hardly anyone dared to cause trouble in the Martial Arts Association.

... In the main hall, dozens of counters were lined up in a row.

Behind each counter, a pretty young lady handled the business.

Xu Wei walked over to the number machine and took a ticket.

Number 328.

Ticket in hand, Xu Wei stepped aside to wait for his number to be called.

As he was waiting,

"Eh, what's he doing here?"

Not far away, Liu Yue walked in. Because there weren't many people, she spotted Xu Wei at a glance.

"Steward Liu, do you know that young man?"

Qian Kun, standing beside Liu Yue, asked curiously.

"He's my student."

"Student? Could he be that genius student of yours, Jiang Nian?"

Qian Kun's eyes lit up.

He was from the human resources department of a Martial Company, specifically tasked with scouting outstanding Martial Artists for the company. He knew Liu Yue had a genius student named Jiang Nian.

This Year, as a senior in high school, his Fist Strength had already reached over 88,000 Pounds. Getting into a Martial Dao university was a sure thing!

"No, this is just a student from my regular class, named Xu Wei."

"Yesterday, during the Monthly Exam, his Fist Strength was only a little over eight hundred Pounds. He hasn't even learned any Martial Skills, so don't get any ideas about him."

Liu Yue shook her head.

"Oh."

Qian Kun immediately lost interest.

With a Fist Strength of just over eight hundred Pounds, he wasn't even a Martial Artist. Someone like that wasn't of much value to the company.

The two chatted for a few more sentences, then headed up to the second floor.

... On the other side.

"Please proceed to Counter 15 for service, number 328."

Xu Wei glanced at his number and went to Counter 15.

The Martial Artist certification process was now very standardized.

The entire certification process would not exceed one hour.

After spending five minutes filling out an identity form, Xu Wei went to the certification room on the second floor.

The certification room on the second floor had two doors, one for entering and one for exiting, separated by about a dozen meters.

At the entrance door, over a dozen people were lining up.

Xu Wei walked to the end of the line, behind the last person.

As he was waiting,

Several people walked out of the exit door.

Immediately, a group of people holding papers in their hands surrounded them.

"What are those people doing?"

Xu Wei was a bit puzzled.

"Those are the human resources departments of our N City's big companies and major families, recruiting Martial Artists here."

A young man in his twenties, standing in front of Xu Wei, said with a smile.

"Recruiting Martial Artists here?"

This was Xu Wei's first time at the Martial Arts Association, so he wasn't very clear on this aspect.

"That's right!

At this Martial Arts Association, beginner, intermediate, and advanced Martial Artists all get certified here."

"Many companies send dedicated personnel to station here. When they see a Martial Artist come out, they go up and try to recruit them."

"After all, once you become a Martial Artist, you're qualified to go down into the underground palaces. The underground palace development is booming right now, and everyone needs people."

It was just like the old labor shortage, where factory buses would drive straight into the countryside to recruit workers, pulling away anyone who was breathing.

The Martial Dao world was the same now.

Developing an underground palace was very troublesome, but the returns were absolutely outrageous!

At the very least, tens of millions; at most, hundreds of millions, or even tens or hundreds of billions.

But entering the underground palace requires one to be a Martial Artist.

Martial Artists naturally became hot commodities!

It wasn't unusual for major companies and clans to send people directly to the certification points.

"If I can get certified as a Martial Artist, maybe I can join some company too."

"That way, part of the Red Blood Pill problem can be solved."

Xu Wei's eyes lit up.

"By the way, brother, my name is Fan Hou. What's your name?"

"Xu Wei."

"Judging by your age, you haven't graduated yet, right?"

Fan Hou glanced at Xu Wei.

"Right, I'm a senior in high school this year."

Xu Wei nodded.

"There are only two months left until the college entrance exam. Coming to get certified as a Martial Artist now—you probably don't have much hope of getting into a Martial Arts university."

Fan Hou shook his head.

The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam is very difficult.

Xu Wei coming to get certified now meant his Fist Strength had just barely broken through to One Thousand Jin.

In the remaining two months, neither his Martial Skill nor his Fist Strength could make much progress.

He basically had no chance of getting into a Martial Arts university.

After all, back in the day, Fan Hou himself had been eliminated from the exam even with over fifteen hundred Jin of Fist Strength.

"If you can't get into a Martial Arts university and can't become a National Martial Artist, your best bet is to join a Martial Company or a big Martial Arts clan."

"Little bro, let me give you a heads-up. If someone wants to sign you later and offers decent treatment, and you want to join their company, make sure you read the contract terms carefully, especially the contract duration."

Fan Hou said in a low voice.

"Duration?"

Xu Wei looked puzzled.

"Right."

"Some Martial Companies love to trick fresh graduates like you. They'll offer you a contract with an Annual Salary of a hundred thousand."

"Don't ever sign that kind of contract."

Fan Hou said.

"Why? An Annual Salary of a hundred thousand is already pretty high, isn't it?"

Xu Wei was confused.

His dad worked himself to the bone and only earned one or two thousand a month.

A hundred thousand Annual Salary was very generous for a fresh Martial Artist!

"That's why I say you're a rookie."

Fan Hou chuckled and shook his head. "Think about it yourself. Your Fist Strength is one thousand Jin now, but in two years, three years, five years—won't it Breakthrough?"

"What if you Breakthrough to an Intermediate Martial Artist, or even an Advanced Martial Artist?"

"But because of the Contract, you'd still only get a hundred thousand a year. Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

True!

Xu Wei caught on.

Forget Intermediate Martial Artists.

Even a strong Beginner Martial Artist could earn over a hundred thousand a year.

If you reached Intermediate Martial Artist or Advanced Martial Artist, the Annual Salary would start at five hundred thousand or a million.

If they tricked even one person, the Martial Company would make a killing.

"That's true, but Martial Artists are hot-tempered. If they cheat people like that, aren't they afraid someone will come after them?"

Xu Wei was still a bit puzzled.

Martial Artists were people who lived on the edge of a blade—how could they swallow such a bitter loss? "Afraid? Are you kidding? Which Martial Company doesn't have a Martial General backing it? They'd just kill an Advanced Martial Artist with a backhand."

"Besides, these contracts are all filed and notarized with the Martial Artist Association."

"Even if you Breakthrough to Martial General, if the Martial Artist Association tells you to fulfill the contract, can you refuse?"

"Of course, those Martial Companies aren't too excessive either."

"If you really Breakthrough to Martial General, as long as you work for them, they'll still raise your treatment."

"After all, a Martial General is nothing like a Martial Artist—that's a terrifying force of a million Jin."

"A fearsome existence that can independently suppress an underground palace!"

"Even a Martial Company wouldn't want to offend them too much."

Fan Hou's face was full of longing.

A Beginner Martial Artist had a thousand Jin of strength.

An Intermediate Martial Artist had ten thousand Jin of strength.

An Advanced Martial Artist had a hundred thousand Jin of strength.

A Martial General had a million Jin of strength!

Don't think a Martial General is only ten times stronger than an Advanced Martial Artist in Fist Strength.

But once a Martial Artist Breakthroughs to Martial General, their life level undergoes a leap, and they begin to touch upon "Qi."

One person can independently develop a small underground palace.

Placed in any city, they are a boss‑level figure.

"Got it, thanks, Brother Fan."

Xu Wei nodded, keeping Fan Hou's words in mind.

The two were close in age, and Fan Hou, being naturally familiar, quickly began calling Xu Wei brother.

They chatted while queuing.

Soon.

It was their turn to undergo Martial Artist certification.

The Martial Artist certification is conducted with five people simultaneously.

Xu Wei and Fan Hou entered the certification chamber together.

Inside, five Punch Power Testers were lined up in a row.

Next to each machine stood a staff member in black.

Looking at their posture and aura, they were actually on the same level as the Security Guard at the entrance!

Each of them was a senior Martial Artist with Fist Strength exceeding one hundred thousand pounds!

"Truly worthy of the nation's Martial Arts Association."

"That's really perverse."

Xu Wei clicked his tongue silently.

Senior Martial Artists are the main force for exploring the dungeons, and their external Annual Salary starts at a million.

Only the state can assign senior Martial Artists as Security Guards and certification staff.

Of course, that's not wasteful.

Senior Martial Artists are formidable; ordinary people find it hard to cheat under their watchful eyes.

"Hello, I would like to certify as an intermediate Martial Artist."

Fan Hou spoke up.

"Brother Fan is actually an intermediate Martial Artist?"

Xu Wei looked at Fan Hou, surprised!

An intermediate Martial Artist has Fist Strength exceeding ten thousand pounds.

Fan Hou is not much older than him, yet possesses such power? Doesn't that make him a National Martial Artist? "No need to be surprised, I'm not a National Martial Artist."

"Just lucky, I happened to obtain some resources in the dungeon, which allowed me to Breakthrough to intermediate Martial Artist."

Seeing Xu Wei's surprised face, Fan Hou gave a slight smile and, in a pretentious tone, said, "Xiao Wei you don't need to rush."

"If you can become a Martial Artist now, a month of effort should increase your strength by a hundred pounds."

"Train for ten or eight years and you can become an intermediate Martial Artist like me."

Xu Wei: "…"

The dungeon was an archaeological discovery from several hundred years ago.

Archaeologists uncovered many Demons, Monsters, and Ghosts in the dungeon, as well as Martial Dao cultivation methods and heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Only then did humanity usher in the High Martial Age.

Dungeons are also classified as Small Dungeon, Intermediate Dungeon, Senior Dungeon, and Super Dungeon.

Fan Hou, a junior Martial Artist, usually enters Small Dungeon.

The chance of obtaining heavenly materials and earthly treasures in a Small Dungeon is very low!

"Getting such treasures in a Small Dungeon, your luck is indeed good."

Even the black‑clad certifier couldn't help but speak up, showing Fan Hou's luck was truly great.

"Alright, let's start the certification quickly; each person has three punching attempts, and the median value is taken as the final result."

The black‑clad certifier spoke.

Xu Wei withdrew his gaze, looked at the tester, and took a deep breath.

Then.

Bang bang bang!

He threw three punches straight away.

"1015 pounds, 1008 pounds, 1026 pounds."

"Taking the median, your Fist Strength is 1015 pounds, reaching junior Martial Artist status, congratulations."

The black‑clad certifier announced the three numbers, then handed Xu Wei a white card.

Receiving the card means certification success; after waiting in the lobby, someone will craft a Martial Artist badge and deliver it.

"Xiao Wei, congratulations."

"Brother Fan, congratulations as well."

Fan Hou also completed the certification, holding a black card, indicating his intermediate Martial Artist certification succeeded.

The two walked out of the certification chamber together.

"Brother, you're a junior Martial Artist at such a young age!

Promising future!

Want to join our Longteng Martial Company? We have five insurances and one fund, with annual income not less than 80,000."

"Friend, we are the Vast Dungeon Development Company; we not only provide five insurances and one fund to Martial Artists, but also family protection services, with an annual salary around 100,000. Would you consider it?"

Just as Fan Hou said, many Martial Artist company recruiters gathered around.

"Martial Artists really do make money; even the lowest offers five insurances and one fund, with annual income not less than 80,000, and the higher salaries even reach 100,000."

"Like father, exhausted to death."

"And this is just a private enterprise; if one can become a National Martial Artist, the benefits are even richer."

Xu Wei shook his head, his heart yearning even more to become a National Martial Artist!

Joining a private enterprise would at most slightly change his parents' and Qingqing's lives.

Only by becoming a National Martial Artist can his parents and Qingqing truly enjoy a good life.

Moreover, even if Xu Wei dies, the state's compensation can keep them free from worry about food and clothing!

Of course.

There are still two months left before the college entrance exam.

He could indeed join a Martial Artist company first to earn some money; otherwise, the Cultivation Baby would truly suck him dry!

"Move aside, move aside, I am Feng Jun of the Feng Family, a Martial Artist; our clan recruits Martial Artists, uniformly offering five insurances and one fund, an Annual Salary of one hundred thousand, and death compensation of one million."

"Additionally, we have dedicated staff to liaise with families, allowing Martial Artists to fight in dungeons with peace of mind."

"Friend, would you like to join our Feng Family?"

While Xu Wei was thinking, a black‑clothed strong man walked over, pushed aside the others, and said to Xu Wei.

He spoke while handing over a sheet of paper that listed various benefits.

"The Feng Family's benefits are actually quite good!

Putting the one‑hundred‑thousand Annual Salary aside, they even have a dedicated person to coordinate with families, handling everything from grocery shopping to hospital care."

"Even, they arrange for families to travel each month."

"Aside from lacking privileges, these benefits are no worse than those of a National Martial Artist."

Xu Wei was very tempted.

"Could you let me see the Contract?"

"Sure."

Feng Jun tossed out a Contract outright.

Xu Wei took it and read the lines of text carefully.

"Let me tell you, we at the Feng Family treat Martial Artists as if they were family!

Being able to join our Feng Family is certainly your honor!

Just sign the Contract directly."

"If it weren't for the recent loss of personnel in our Feng Family's dungeon development, a newly certified beginner Martial Artist like you would be dreaming of joining us."

Feng Jun kept talking beside him.

Xu Wei frowned, ignored him, continued looking at the Contract, and soon his brows knit tighter!

"No wonder the benefits are this good; it's indeed a black‑hearted Contract."

"Fortunately, Fan Ge reminded me."

The Contract's benefits are indeed excellent, but the years match what Fan Hou said—there's something fishy, and it's even more outrageous, directly stating twenty years.

Moreover, all benefits require the Martial Artist to clear a high‑level dungeon before they are fulfilled.

But how can a beginner Martial Artist conquer a high‑level dungeon? Even a mid‑level Martial Artist would be nothing but cannon fodder in such a place.

"Sorry, I won't sign this Contract."

Xu Wei shook his head, handed the Contract back to Feng Jun, but Feng Jun didn't take it immediately; instead he sneered, "Are you sure you don't want to sign a Contract with our Feng Family?"

"Our Feng Family is one of N City's leading enterprises; refusing to join us means you are blind as a bat."

"Other companies wouldn't sign someone lacking any insight like you."

"Sorry, even if no company signs me, I still won't sign your Feng Family."

Xu Wei shook his head, his disgust for this black company deepening.

The Contract not only sets traps, but also threatens others; if you're a bit timid, you might actually be scared by it.

But Xu Wei didn't buy it; with so many companies recruiting, could none of them sign him? "Hehe, fine."

Feng Jun smiled and walked away.

"Hello, may I ask, are you saying you want to recruit Martial Artists?"

Xu Wei asked the few people who had just gathered, but before he could finish, those people fled as if avoiding a plague.

"These people were just now friendly, trying to recruit me into the company, but now they walked away; clearly Feng Jun is up to something."

Xu Wei's brows furrowed slightly.

Can't join the company.

Then there's no money to buy Red Blood Pill.

Wouldn't that mean I'd be sucked dry myself? Damn!

Wait.

"Qi Blood Baby, are you messing with gods and demons?"

"Adding insult to injury, right?"

Xu Wei, irritated, suddenly turned pale!

Because the nightmare‑like voice of the Qi Blood Baby suddenly rang in his mind!