Chapter Nine: Rising to Fame

A hundred thousand likes, thousands of shares—total views must have surpassed ten million by now...

Song Mingyue watched as a few lines of lyrics appeared at the end of the video. She thought the words were too blunt and juvenile, but it was clear many people liked them; otherwise, the number of likes wouldn’t be so high.

Seeing his daughter lost in thought and silent, Song Yunhe asked, “Do you want me to make a call and have the video taken down?”

He felt deeply embarrassed about what had happened to his daughter. But as her relationship with his second wife was strained, he was stuck in an awkward position between them. And that boy had even edited the incident into a video and spread it widely—hardly good for Mingyue, and even worse for him.

FlashNote was the largest short video platform in the League, with a user base in the billions and immense influence. If the video wasn’t limited or taken down, the Song family’s reputation would surely suffer.

He’d sent Gao Wu a red envelope with eighty thousand yuan, mainly because he believed family scandals shouldn’t be made public. The amount itself signaled his desire to keep things low-key.

The leaders at Ninth High School understood this as well and didn’t make a big fuss. Even the reports that did appear concealed Mingyue’s identity.

“No need,” Song Mingyue gently shook her head. She remembered the boy who had saved her, his bright, sunlit smile, and his words: “Swimming is not allowed in White Scale Lake.”

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she found being around him surprisingly comfortable—something she’d never felt before.

Song Yunhe looked at his daughter in disbelief. “Are you sure?” he asked again.

She nodded slightly.

“Alright then.” These past years, Song Yunhe had rarely seen his daughter and felt some guilt toward her. Since she was willing to help that boy, he didn’t want to press the matter.

Luckily, very few people knew Mingyue’s identity, and those who did wouldn’t dare gossip.

He continued, “I’ve done some digging. Gao Wu was born in Linhe Town. Four years ago, followers of the Demon God performed a forbidden ritual there, luring two Steel-Tailed Giant Lizards into town and causing devastating destruction.

“Gao Wu was the only surviving minor; his whole family perished. Afterward, he was adopted by a merchant family...”

“He’s always had a habit of helping others—saving you really was a coincidence. There was no special arrangement.”

At this point, Song Yunhe snorted coldly. “If that weren’t the case, I’d never have tolerated his insolence.”

Song Mingyue listened quietly, her delicate, luminous face as calm as still water. Her bright eyes gazed off into the distance, lost and vacant, as if she hadn’t heard a word her father said.

Seeing her like this, Song Yunhe couldn’t help but sigh. Sitting beside her, he lowered his voice and said, “Mingyue, if something’s wrong, tell me. Please, never do anything foolish again!”

When she continued to seem lost in thought, he sighed repeatedly. Though he prided himself on being decisive and capable, he truly felt helpless when it came to his own daughter.

After a moment’s thought, he spoke earnestly. “You should come home and rest for a while.”

Mingyue’s vacant gaze sharpened. After a pause, she replied, “I’m not going back.”

Her voice was soft, yet unwavering. Song Yunhe looked utterly exasperated. “What do you want, then?”

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” she explained, though she knew how hollow that sounded. She added, “I promise you—I will never attempt suicide again.”

Relief flooded Song Yunhe’s face. His daughter was a quiet, reserved girl, but she always kept her word. As long as she was safe, letting her live on her own might be best for everyone...

…

“Big Bro, a hundred thousand likes!” Shen Yuefei’s message came in.

Gao Wu hurriedly summoned the Infinite Merit Ledger and found over thirty thousand merit points had accumulated—both startled and delighted. In just one night, he’d earned so much. In the last four years of good deeds, he’d barely reached twenty thousand merit.

At this rate, he might have a real chance to amass a hundred thousand merit points this time. If so, perhaps he could unlock new divine incantations.

At the very least, he could upgrade the Azure Dragon Divine Aura Mantra by a whole level!

The mantra didn’t specify upgrade details, but his instincts told him that practicing the Azure Dragon Divine Aura Mantra a hundred thousand times should bring him to the next realm.

Practicing a hundred times a day, it would take about two and a half years to upgrade the incantation.

Reaching the “minor accomplishment” stage of a divine incantation would greatly simplify the chant and drastically reduce the time needed to recite it.

Using merit points to expedite the process would save him enormous amounts of time—something of immense importance to him.

By twelve-thirty, Gao Wu had arrived at school and headed straight for the cafeteria, where he enjoyed a hearty meal.

As a member of the Martial Arts Team, he received many perks: free meals and lodging, uniforms and training gear, as well as subsidies for transportation, training, and medical care—altogether about two thousand yuan a month.

Winning in combat brought additional prize money.

What he liked best was that meals cost him nothing.

Teenagers were in their prime growth years and already had big appetites; martial artists ate even more.

After injecting the Blood Dragon Serum, his meals needed to be the equivalent of seven or eight adults’ portions. That alone cost two to three hundred yuan a day.

At home, he hadn’t dared eat much, afraid the old man would notice anything odd. But at school, he could finally eat his fill without restraint.

The only problem was the cafeteria food was a bit bland—filling, but digested quickly.

Back in the dorm, Gao Wu practiced the Azure Dragon Divine Aura Mantra thirty-six times, followed by half an hour of the Nine Forms of the Dragon, and now he was a little hungry again.

He checked the Infinite Merit Ledger—his strength had increased by 0.1. Gao Wu was delighted.

Since the Blood Dragon injection two days ago, his strength had gone up by 5%—an incredible leap.

If this pace continued, a full course of ten Blood Dragon injections could boost his strength by 50%.

If that really happened, he might become a senior martial artist and earn the right to compete with the top high schoolers in Dongjiang.

At two in the afternoon, Gao Wu arrived punctually at the martial arts hall.

At three, there was to be a martial arts league match against Sixth High. The arena had been set up the day before—a ten-by-ten meter space cordoned off with tempered glass at the center.

Several fixed cameras surrounded the ring, and two mobile cameras slid along overhead tracks.

The high school martial arts league drew huge ratings in the League, often topping local viewership charts. Broadcast rights for Dongjiang’s school matches had long been sold to local platforms, and the filming process was highly professionalized.

That’s why, with a match today, Saturday had been given off as a rest day.

The Sixth High martial arts team had arrived early and were warming up in the ring, getting used to the environment.

The stands were already packed with students—over two thousand people, a sea of black heads.

Students from the host school could watch for free, and teachers typically encouraged attendance for the sake of school pride. Home matches were always packed.

It was rare, though, for so many to arrive a full hour ahead of time.

Gao Wu’s arrival set off a wave of cheers and commotion, with many shouting, “Saint Gao! Saint Gao!”

The nickname was originally a bit of a joke, but shouted by a crowd of high schoolers, it took on a tone of brash enthusiasm.

This was Gao Wu’s first time receiving such a warm welcome. He happily waved at the crowd, drawing even louder applause.

He knew well that this popularity came from FlashNote—the majority were just there for the excitement. If he didn’t seize the moment, this heat would fade as quickly as it had come.

Nearby, a Martial Arts Team member nicknamed Monkey snorted in disdain. “What’s he strutting for? He won’t even make it into the ring!”

Several other boys nodded in agreement, faces full of approval. Huang Long watched Gao Wu coldly, saying nothing.

In the locker room, team members munched on chocolate energy bars and drank Flying Peng energy drinks.

The Tai Chi Group’s energy bars, made from cocoa trees grown in another world, were high in calories, easy to digest, and contained a hint of source energy—perfect for replenishing strength.

Flying Peng drinks were packed with caffeine, taurine, and vitamins. They provided hydration and kept the brain sharp and alert.

Gao Wu wolfed down more than a dozen energy bars—twice as many as even the burliest team member, Huang Long.

Coach Huang Hai noticed this clearly. His face betrayed nothing, but inwardly he sneered: This kid’s had a taste of the Blood Dragon Serum—he’ll never turn back now...

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