28: compensation

"Fine, fine, fine." Guan Zhenyue looked at Uncle He with annoyance.

"Stop beating around the bush here. Just tell me straight: what compensation do you want?"

Uncle He thought for a moment and held up two fingers.

"Because of the Duel Arena's actions, my nephew has suffered severe physical, psychological, and mental damage."

"For this, the Duel Arena needs to pay five million in medical expenses, treatment fees, and compensation for mental distress..."

"Done." Guan Zhenyue hurriedly interrupted Uncle He, "I agree."

It was only five million; it wasn't as if the Duel Arena couldn't afford that amount.

However, the corners of Uncle He's mouth curled up, revealing the look of someone whose scheme had succeeded.

"Besides that, as Canglan's Elder, you failed to take good care of him, so you must also bear responsibility!"

"But you have always been unreliable, so I can't blame you too much."

Having said that, Uncle He sighed, "Canglan needs someone to take care of him while he heals, and hiring someone costs a significant amount of money. Let's just round it up; you can pay another five million."

Guan Zhenyue's mouth twitched.

First, he was labeled as unreliable, and now he had to pay another five million!

Did they think he was easy to bully?

He had lost Face, and he had lost his dignity. In short: he was bleeding money!

Seeing that Uncle He was about to start listing more "charges," Guan Zhenyue acted quickly.

He pulled out a check from the Jinghai Martial Arts Hall, signed it for five million, and tossed it directly to Li Canglan.

"I've already given you the money. I have things to attend to at the Martial Arts Hall, so I'll take my leave."

Before his voice had even faded, Guan Zhenyue had already vanished.

Only a sound like rumbling thunder remained.

Li Canglan, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. "I've truly learned something new today."

In truth, Wang Hong hadn't gone for the kill during his first attack.

Although his injuries looked severe, they would heal after a few days of rest.

Ten million—that was complete extortion!

Seeming to sense Li Canglan's thoughts, Uncle He smiled and asked, "How was that?"

"Awesome!" Li Canglan gave a thumbs up.

Uncle He smiled confidently and led Li Canglan out of the Duel Arena.

On the way, Li Canglan asked, "Uncle He, why did you come here?"

Uncle He naturally wouldn't admit that he was worried about Li Canglan.

"I had nothing to do at the Martial Arts Pavilion, so I thought I'd come here to take a look."

Li Canglan smiled knowingly; he understood that Uncle He was just too embarrassed to say it out loud.

He had just given him a letter of introduction, and not long after, he arrived at the Duel Arena. How could there be such a coincidence?

However, because of this, Li Canglan felt even more moved.

He swore in his heart that one day, he would definitely repay Uncle He properly.

"Oh right, the Duel Arena didn't have your bank card, so they transferred it to my account." Uncle He suddenly glanced at his phone. "Give me your bank card number."

A moment later, Li Canglan received a transfer of eight million.

"Uncle He, wasn't it five million? Why is there an extra three million?"

"This is my savings from these past years." Uncle He didn't look back as he continued, "I suffered some injuries a few years ago, and most of my savings were used for treatment. This is all that's left—three million."

"I can see that you have a great need for resources to Cultivate, otherwise you wouldn't have asked me earlier if there were any ways to make money."

Uncle He's words made Li Canglan fall silent instantly.

To be blunt, he and Uncle He had only just met this morning.

Everything Uncle He had done for him far exceeded the scope of their relationship.

Even if he wanted to invest in him as a Genius, there was no need to go this far.

The previous Martial Skill scroll and the Leiming Sparrow Crystal Core were already enough to make him incredibly grateful.

Perhaps even real uncles and nephews wouldn't go to such lengths.

"Uncle He, what about your injuries..."

"They're mostly better." Uncle He smiled. "What's left are hidden injuries that aren't so easy to treat; otherwise, I wouldn't be content staying at the Martial Arts Pavilion as an Elder."

Li Canglan didn't speak, but he secretly made a resolution in his heart.

When his strength grew, he would definitely heal Uncle He's injuries.

As the two talked, they soon returned to the Martial Arts Association.

"I can go back on my own." Uncle He stopped and looked at Li Canglan with a serious expression.

"If I'm not mistaken, you possess the talent to devour crystal cores, right?"

Li Canglan was startled, but after thinking about it, he nodded.

He wasn't the only one with a devouring talent, so it wasn't strange that Uncle He could guess it.

It was just that other people's devouring talents were on a completely different level than his Gluttony Desire.

"With enough crystal cores, your speed of Cultivation will be much faster than others."

Having received confirmation from Li Canglan, Uncle He continued to advise, "You were very smart about one thing: not going to the Martial Arts Association to verify your Realm immediately after your Breakthrough."

"Doing so would only arouse suspicion from the higher-ups of the Martial Arts Association."

Li Canglan frowned slightly. "Is the inside of the Martial Arts Association not clean either?"

"In this world, where is there a place that is completely clean?" Uncle He seemed to recall something and smiled bitterly. "Even in the Martial Arts Association, which has undergone rigorous screening, there is no shortage of scum inside."

"Within Shenxia Country, there are many people who belong to the Descent Faction, believing that the arrival of alien races is what brought about the resurgence of Spiritual Qi."

"Gifted Martial Artists have also used this as an opportunity to transcend ordinary people."

"In their eyes, what the alien races bring is opportunity, and they should be allowed to coexist harmoniously with humanity."

"In their eyes, other Geniuses who insist on resisting are the obstacles to them welcoming the alien races!"

Li Canglan's expression hardened, and he nodded with a grave look.

He occasionally saw news about the deaths of Geniuses.

He had originally thought they had died in battle while facing alien races.

Now it seemed that this was completely organized, premeditated crime!

"The path of the Martial Artist is one that must be fought for! This is an unchanging truth!"

Uncle He truly regarded Li Canglan as his own Junior. "But everything needs to be built on a foundation of safety."

"I suggest you wait a while before going to the Martial Arts Association for verification."

"This way, even if those with ulterior motives want to make a move against you, they will misjudge your strength."

Li Canglan understood that Uncle He had already seen that his strength was not just the certified Body Refining Second Realm.

"But my resources..." If he didn't verify, the resource rewards he could obtain would be much less. This would slow down his speed of becoming stronger.

"If you need any resources, just tell me, and I can exchange them for you in my name."

"But you must ensure that you remain in the first tier of all the Prodigies."

"Do not be too flashy, but you must also demonstrate your value."

"The balance in this is something you need to gauge yourself."

Li Canglan knew that what Uncle He said made sense. Demonstrating value was to ensure the authorities valued him, which would allow him to obtain more resources.

Not being too outstanding was to ensure that those in the Descent Faction wouldn't focus all their attention on him. After all, neither the authorities nor Uncle He could stay by his side forever. Once danger was encountered, he would still need to Face it himself.