Chapter 145: Choice

The applause was thunderous and lingered for a long time.

Gao Wu had originally intended to step down from the stage, but was stopped by the female host. Leaving amidst such an enthusiastic atmosphere would completely ruin the mood of the event.

With no other choice, Gao Wu returned, cupped his fists, and bowed to the audience in a traditional salute. After sustaining this for a full minute, he finally stepped off the stage.

"That was so handsome! You nearly blinded my eyes!" Zhou Hongying rushed forward excitedly, pulling Gao Wu into a tight, forceful embrace.

Zhou Hongying was well aware of the close relationship between Gao Wu and Song Mingyue. So what? They weren't married yet. If she liked Gao Wu, she had to take the initiative; why should she back down? There was no logic in that!

Even if Gao Wu rejected her, she would still choose to like him.

As the book puts it: I love you, and it has nothing to do with you!

Song Mingyue watched quietly from the side, feeling no jealousy whatsoever. No matter how tightly Zhou Hongying hugged Gao Wu, Gao Wu would never belong to her.

Even if Gao Wu were to embrace Zhou Hongying in return, it wouldn't change the relationship between him and herself.

Shang Qingjun's bright eyes also shimmered. Xiao Wu's performance today had been simply magnificent, truly conquering everyone in the audience.

She felt immensely proud of Xiao Wu. Her emotions were somewhat stirred, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

Gao Wu took the initiative to give Sister Jun a brief hug, followed by one for Song Mingyue. Being this happy, sharing the joy was only natural!

That young girl from earlier had been a blessing, providing him with the inspiration to pull off such a grand display! She practically felt like a plant planted by design!

The final move of sheathing the sword as it returned on its own had indeed been meticulously planned by him. Standing before numerous martial arts experts, he naturally wanted to put on a show.

Sheathing the sword relied entirely on precision control without employing any Yin Spirit. The returning sword wheel spun at a blistering speed of a hundred meters per second, and its landing trajectory had already been determined the moment it was unleashed.

Only by achieving hair-splitting precision could he execute the feat of having the sword seamlessly thrust itself back into the scabbard.

Gao Wu was extremely satisfied with his own performance. The enhancement of his spiritual roots by the Qilin Divine Hero Spell had granted him such exquisite control.

The freshmen in the audience merely watched for the spectacle and could hardly grasp the exquisite subtleties behind it. Only those whose cultivation had reached a certain tier, and who were present at the scene, could perceive that his sword-sheathing was entirely a display of pure technique...

Indeed, those seated in the front rows were at the very least Martial Masters. In this era, anyone aspiring to become a true leader could not afford to have lackluster martial cultivation.

Song Chunlin and the others all recognized Gao Wu's final display as a technique filled with imagination and strong expressive power, making it indeed well-suited for a stage performance.

While numerous martial arts masters present expressed their appreciation, none of them paid it excessive mind. When all was said and done, these were just flashy tricks—great for looking cool, but lacking direct significance for actual martial cultivation.

Grandmasters An Ziru and Bai Yan, however, were profoundly shocked. They had fought alongside Gao Wu before, and whether it was his swordsmanship or fist techniques, Gao Wu had always leaned toward being overly "forceful."

"Forceful" meant he exerted too much brute power, while "rigid" meant he lacked technical variation and adaptability. Given Gao Wu's age, his combat effectiveness was astonishing, yet his innate talent for martial arts was truly rather mediocre.

Even when Gao Wu slaughtered swarms of demons with his sword, it had been a forced eruption of his spiritual talent—his power was formidable, but subtle techniques were scarce.

Yet, in less than a month, Gao Wu had made such a colossal leap forward? It was simply unimaginable!

The better one understood Gao Wu, the more one could appreciate just how astonishing his performance today truly was...

Bai Yan couldn't help glancing at An Ziru. His gaze was full of inquiry, the meaning quite simple: had Grandmaster Lu Yuan been personally tutoring Gao Wu?

As old friends, An Ziru and Bai Yan naturally understood each other. She shook her head with a somewhat complicated expression.

If Gao Wu had displayed such proficiency a month ago, Grandmaster Lu certainly would have taken him in as a direct disciple on the spot. The current situation, however, was rather delicate...

Judging by Gao Wu's mastery over swordsmanship, coupled with his explosive special spiritual power and formidable physique, he should have already cleared the Nine Limits of the Heavenly Pole!

Even if he hadn't cleared it temporarily, passing through it was merely a matter of these past few days.

Looking at Gao Wu's demeanor, he seemed reluctant to enter Grandmaster Lu's sect?

An Ziru felt a slight headache at the thought. She could understand a youth's pride; Grandmaster Lu hadn't accepted Gao Wu back then, yet had chosen to take in Song Mingyue instead.

With such a move, Gao Wu naturally would have his own thoughts.

As a grandmaster of martial arts, Lu Yuan acted according to his own wishes without caring about others' opinions. Besides, Grandmaster Lu had treated Gao Wu quite well, even passing down a single form of the *Dragon Subduing Slays All Regrets*!

Given Gao Wu's character and intelligence, he wouldn't harbor resentment toward Grandmaster Lu over this; he probably just didn't want to become his disciple anymore... The problem was that, vast as Beizhou was, there were very few experts stronger than Grandmaster Lu.

Actually, Gao Wu refusing to take a master had zero impact on Grandmaster Lu, but the consequences for Gao Wu himself were enormous.

The path of martial arts grew increasingly arduous the higher one climbed; without the guidance of an enlightened master, every single step forward was fraught with difficulty!

An Ziru wanted to sigh. Had she known it would turn out like this, she never would have brought Gao Wu and Song Mingyue to pay respects to Grandmaster Lu... Now, things had become somewhat troublesome.

The stage production had already moved on to the next act, but having just witnessed Gao Wu's overwhelmingly cool sword dance, watching the subsequent performances felt utterly insipid.

The freshmen in the audience were still animatedly discussing the sword dance they had just witnessed, speculating on how Gao Wu had pulled it off.

Quite a few people hurriedly whipped out their phones to post on their Moments and shared videos of Gao Wu's sword dance across online platforms. Without saying much else, they cleverly pinned their exact current location.

The young warriors of the White Emperor Mountain, however, had no mind for such activities. They were all discussing the sword dance in their private chat group, marveling at Gao Wu's frighteningly massive progress.

Limited by their vision and experience, they couldn't quite comprehend the sword-sheathing finale either.

Some claimed Gao Wu controlled the sword using spiritual power, while others argued it was driven by primal source energy. The group descended into a chaotic argument.

Bai Yushuang could no longer remain silent: "Regardless of the method used, who on earth could defeat a Gao Wu like this?"

The group instantly fell dead silent. Even the proud and arrogant Yuan Qiansheng kept his mouth shut.

"This kid has truly become the king of the youth generation!" someone muttered under their breath.

No one picked up the thread, but everyone knew the reality was precisely that. Gao Wu's blazing prominence was something no other youth could hope to rival.

Unless someone could defeat Gao Wu head-on—yet, who could possibly pull that off?

The trio watching the livestream online also logged off at this point. The remaining performances were not worth wasting time on.

"Focus on your cultivation!" Yanshan Yue left a single sentence in the group chat before closing it and even powering off her phone.

She had indeed been shocked to the core by Gao Wu's sword dance, to the point of feeling a sense of despair. Because Gao Wu had claimed the Nine Limits of the Heavenly Pole, she had always regarded him as her primary rival.

Realizing that Gao Wu was far too formidable and that she stood no chance of victory, her composure had momentarily fractured. Now that she had calmed down, the anxiety began to fade.

She still needed to hold true to her original aspiration. There were countless travelers on the path of martial arts; regardless of whether others walked fast or slow, she had to maintain her own rhythm.

Yanshan Yue drew her Tianshu Sword, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and wholeheartedly devoted herself to practicing her swordsmanship.

Few people paid attention to the freshman gala; even with the online livestream, very few cared deeply.

However, Gao Wu's stunning sword dance had still generated more than enough trending buzz.

Aided by the zealous promotion of over ten thousand people at the venue, short videos of the sword dance spread rapidly across the internet, sparking a new wave of viral momentum.

This wave of hype, in turn, attracted a fair number of viewers to flood into the livestream to watch the gala. Yet, such traffic came just as quickly as it went.

Fortunately, the organizers weren't overly concerned with the exact metrics; as long as the publicity goal was achieved, that was enough.

Once the gala concluded, Song Chunlin and a host of heavy hitters took the stage to pose for a group photo with the performers. He specifically called Gao Wu to his side, signaling the high regard he held for the young man.

Song Chunlin possessed long eyebrows and sweeping eyes, with his greyish-white hair meticulously groomed. He exuded a scholarly, refined temperament, and his facial features bore a striking resemblance to Song Chunqiu.

Gao Wu knew this man was Song Xuetao's biological son, Song Chunqiu's younger brother, and a direct scion of the Song family.

Counting properly, he was also Song Mingyue's grand-uncle, though the Song family was so vast that Song Chunlin might not even know who Song Mingyue was. There was no need to force a familial connection.

Standing in the center next to Song Chunlin, Gao Wu felt quite comfortable, especially since even An Ziru and Bai Yan were relegated to standing on the flanks.

As the photo session wrapped up, Song Chunlin took the initiative to shake Gao Wu's hand: "Your speech was excellent. The youth of today must possess a martial spirit and understand the greater cause; only then can they shoulder our future."

"This junior was merely speaking from the heart," Gao Wu said with a modest expression.

Song Chunlin turned to the people around him and remarked, "Student Gao Wu's speech was exceptional. He can serve as a role model for the youth of Beizhou..."

Everyone in the vicinity nodded in agreement. "Student Gao's perspective is grand, his vision far-reaching, quite out of the ordinary."

"Such a profound awareness is truly worth emulating for everyone."

For the Left Administrator to speak so publicly on such a formal occasion was by no means mere empty flattery; it was a deliberate expression of his stance and perspective.

Those around him naturally understood Song Chunlin's intent: he intended to elevate Gao Wu as a designated role model.

While official quarters had backed Gao Wu a short while ago, today Song Chunlin had made such a pronouncement in person.

On the surface, this was an endorsement of Gao Wu; in reality, it was the expression of a political posture. Who was being supported mattered less than the gesture itself.

Naturally, choosing Gao Wu must have had its reasons. After all, having established such a figure as a benchmark, should anything go wrong, the Song family's face would take a hit.

From the current standpoint, Gao Wu remained thoroughly reliable—his image was pristine, his capabilities formidable, and his personality bright and cheerful. What made him even more precious was his eloquence and high emotional intelligence.

In particular, his resolute and unyielding stance against mutated beasts and alien races was precisely what was urgently needed right now.

Gao Wu understood the underlying currents as well. It wasn't that Song Chunlin favored him immensely, but rather that his timely appearance allowed Song Chunlin to push the boat along the current.

Regardless, offering a degree of modesty, expressing gratitude, feigning being flattered, and promising to keep working hard and doing a good job would suffice...

Once official matters concluded, Song Chunlin unexpectedly asked Gao Wu to bring Song Mingyue over, which caught Gao Wu slightly off guard.

It was Song Chunlin's first time meeting Song Mingyue. He didn't say much, offering only a couple of words of praise before instructing An Ziru to hold Song Mingyue to the strictest standards and under no circumstances grant her special treatment simply because she was a member of the Song family.

An Ziru nodded repeatedly, naturally grasping Song Chunlin's implication.

Everyone else around them understood as well. The man had made himself abundantly clear: Song Mingyue is a direct descendant of our Song family, so please look after her.

With the formalities completed, the VIPs departed first.

The remaining students exited the grounds in an orderly fashion under school guidance; evacuating over ten thousand people still required time.

Fortunately, Zhou Hongying had brought her car, so they hopped into the vehicle and set off ahead of the crowd.

Today's gala had been a resounding success. In high spirits, Gao Wu treated Song Mingyue and the others to a late-night snack, and by the time they returned to Building 18, it was already nearing eleven o'clock.

Late though it was, the two still headed to the martial arts hall for their routine daily practice, which included synchronized spiritual resonance training.
It wasn't until half-past twelve that Gao Wu finally returned to his bedroom.

Opening the local channel of the Kuaishou app, he saw that his sword dance video had already gone viral. It had been subjected to all sorts of edits and splices, bearing sensationalized titles designed to shock.

For the sake of internet traffic, self-media creators would say and do anything.

Several official media accounts had also shared clips of his speech, naturally interspersed with segments of his sword dance—clearly done to hook traffic.

Without traffic, even official media struggled.

Judging by the various videos, the traffic was exceptionally high. There might even be some collaboration involved with the Kuaishou platform, such as guaranteed traffic allocation support.

Gao Wu had contacted Shen Yue long ago, asking him to help edit a couple of videos to post on Kuaishou.

Shen Yue had already arrived in Anjing, attending a second-tier university.

There was no helping it; Shen Yue's academic performance was mediocre and his martial arts aptitude even worse. Even if Gao Wu had wanted to pull strings to get him into Anjing University, the entry barrier was simply too high for Shen Yue to breach.

Fortunately, with developed telecommunications, meeting up in Anjing wasn't difficult.

Opening his personal Kuaishou account, he saw that both videos boasted astronomical view counts, bringing in a fresh wave of new followers. This was pure merit in the making!

Gao Wu chatted with Shen Yue for a while, finalized some basic operational strategies, bantered a bit more, and agreed to grab a meal together in October before closing Feixun.

Opening the Immeasurable Merit Tome, he watched the pool of merit slowly and steadily grow.

As the saying goes, a tree that stands tall in the forest will be battered by the wind.

Stepping into the spotlight was naturally glorious, but it came with inherent risks. Setting aside the restless youths eager to challenge him—which were mere trifles—what he truly feared were cultists of the demon gods setting their sights on him.

Since he had been raised up as a banner and role model for the youth, demon god cultists might well decide that to shoot the horse, one must first shoot the rider; to break the formation, one must first behead the standard-bearer!

Staying within Anjing University was safe enough, but venturing into the Dragon Claw Peak Mystic Realm in a few days was another matter entirely.

If the Azure Dragon Divine Breath Spell upgraded once more, what kind of changes would it bring?

One lingering thought he had was whether upgrading it would directly boost his physique by 5 points, though that might just be wishful thinking on his part.

According to common sense, the higher the level, the more arduous the progression.

While the benefits of upgrading the Azure Dragon Divine Breath Spell remained unknown, upgrading the Qilin Divine Hero Spell offered countless tangible advantages.

Thinking up to this point, Gao Wu hesitated no longer and poured ten million points of merit into the Qilin Divine Hero Spell.

The Immeasurable Merit Tome erupted with divine radiance, and the majestic phantom of the Qilin emerged from the depths of his spiritual world...