Chapter 21: Even Renovations Come With Discounts

Hearing Su Mingyue’s slurred voice, Zhang Chu immediately knew that this woman was drunk.

"I, Su Mingyue, have become a Level 1 Martial Artist through my own efforts. Shouldn't you be congratulating me?"

Zhang Chu hadn’t expected that Su Mingyue was calling just to seek praise.

"You’re amazing, you’re the best, all right?"

"Check the class group chat, you’ve been completely roasted."

Zhang Chu had no intention of arguing with Su Mingyue, especially since she was a drunken lunatic at the moment. Becoming a Level 1 Martial Artist was something she’d want to celebrate with a full banquet. If that were the case for him, he’d have to treat the entire city to dinner.

He hung up and immediately blocked the unfamiliar number.

At this time, outside a KTV in Binzhou City.

Zhao Panpan stared at the disconnected call and began to curse Zhang Chu along with Su Mingyue, berating him for daring to ignore the goddess Su. The two of them were completely wasted, celebrating late into the night, and neither noticed the class group chat frantically tagging Su Mingyue.

It wasn’t until the next day that Su Mingyue was startled awake by Zhao Panpan’s exclamation.

They were staying in a chain hotel.

"Mingyue, you... you seem to have been dethroned!"

Zhao Panpan hurriedly opened the class group chat and handed it to Su Mingyue.

Su Mingyue was dumbfounded. She quickly got up, washed up briefly, grabbed her bag, and rushed towards the university.

She couldn’t accept it!

She had only become the top student at Binzhou University by buying Qi and Blood Pills through an online loan, and in just one night she had been overtaken.

Worse still, someone had written a tasteless post titled: "Goddess Su Climbs the Rankings, Only to Be Utterly Defeated Overnight!"

The post had been shared over five thousand times, and now the whole university knew.

Her pride was being dragged through the mud. "Who could it be? Other than Zhang Chu, who else would go out of their way to cross me?"

…

At the Martial Artist Center, twelfth floor.

Zhang Chu’s mood was unaffected by Su Mingyue’s call; he hummed a tune as he walked in.

Zhou Chuanxiong, seeing Zhang Chu enter, immediately rushed over. "Brother Zhang, you really hid your strength well. You’re definitely the youngest Level 2 Martial Artist in Binzhou, no question about it!"

"Breakfast! I ordered it especially for you."

Ever since Zhang Chu became a Level 2 Martial Artist, breakfast had become much more lavish. Spicy soup and steamed buns had been upgraded to pork buns and milk.

"Brother Zhou, line up twenty more matches."

On his way here, Zhang Chu had browsed the "Martial Artist Mall" app for Level 1 lower-grade defensive martial techniques. The cheapest was "Iron Mountain Shield," costing only 49,999 yuan.

That was within his means for now.

The Virtual Hunting Ground’s leaderboard prize event would end in seven days, so Zhang Chu had to make the most of it while he could.

Once again, Zhang Chu chose Level 1 beasts in Hunting Ground No. 1. His victory over the Level 2 Overlord Tiger in the beast preserve had been pure luck; he wouldn’t risk it again.

If he lost today and created a mental block, it could lead to negative reactions in real combat later, which would hinder his growth as a martial artist.

If money could solve the problem, Zhang Chu wouldn’t take risks.

By eleven in the morning, he had completed his virtual hunts and settlement, and with 64,000 yuan in hand, he headed straight to the equipment trading center on the eighth floor.

With his previous experience, Zhang Chu quickly swiped his card and purchased the defensive martial technique "Iron Mountain Shield."

As the staff handed him the printed manual for "Iron Mountain Shield," a system prompt echoed in his mind:

"Ding, martial technique 'Iron Mountain Shield' detected. Would you like to activate the Martial Technique Proficiency Module?"

Then a white popup appeared: "Initial proficiency will consume 50 Qi and Blood points. Execute?"

"Execute!"

Just as he expected, the Qi and Blood points gained from taking elixirs could be used within a certain period to improve martial technique proficiency.

"Sky Cannon" was already at intermediate proficiency, and he couldn’t further improve it at the moment with his current Qi and Blood points.

So he chose the defensive technique "Iron Mountain Shield."

Finding a quiet corner, Zhang Chu selected "execute."

Soon, a figure in his mind began to move rapidly, performing every move and stance of "Iron Mountain Shield."

In just two minutes, when Zhang Chu opened his eyes, he felt he had fully mastered the technique.

With a thought, he brought up his personal information panel:

Name: Zhang Chu
Level: 2
Total Qi and Blood: 751/1500
Martial Technique: Sky Cannon (Level 1, lower grade)
Proficiency: Intermediate
Martial Technique: Iron Mountain Shield (Level 1, lower grade)
Proficiency: Basic

What a relief!

Looking at the information on his panel, Zhang Chu felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

The Martial Artist Center restaurant offered discounts for those above Level 2, so Zhang Chu took full advantage before leaving, thoroughly content.

…

Moonstar Home Furnishings was the largest high-end home renovation mall in Binzhou.

With 160,000 yuan in hand, Zhang Chu went upstairs, where he was greeted by a statuesque saleswoman at the front desk.

After clarifying his budget, the beautiful sales consultant began her presentation.

Spending 160,000 yuan on basic renovations for a villa at Moonstar Home Furnishings was certainly a bold move.

But Zhang Chu had done his research the night before.

As a single person, his immediate needs weren’t many—a living room set, a bed for the master bedroom—totaling just over 100,000 yuan, but every piece was top-tier.

All brand-name finished products.

Zhang Chu finished his selections within half an hour.

"Sir, right this way to the checkout. That’ll be 150,000 yuan even. We’ll deliver and install everything within two hours, free of charge."

The beautiful saleswoman handed over the POS machine. "Will you be paying by card or third-party payment?"

By card!

A Martial Artist Card couldn’t be linked to third-party payment apps, a security measure to prevent theft of martial artist information.

As Zhang Chu pulled out his card, both the saleswomen were stunned. "My God, you're a Level 2 Martial Artist! We’re not even qualified to serve you; I’ll get the manager right away."

The orange Martial Artist Card denoted a Level 2 Martial Artist.

Tea was served, cigarettes offered, and every sentence began with "Brother Zhang."

The beauty hurried to call the Moonstar manager, who personally helped complete the final order.

For the first time since the awakening of spiritual energy in this world, Zhang Chu felt what true martial artist privilege meant.

With his Martial Artist Card, he could get discounts and extras at any store in Binzhou.

Combined with the store’s own promotions, Zhang Chu spent 150,000 yuan and nearly fully furnished his 300-square-meter villa with appliances, all installed by a dedicated team.

To save on taxi fare, Zhang Chu sipped tea and watched dramas in the store.

An hour later, he hitched a ride with the furniture delivery truck to the Martial Artist Residence.

The installation specialists were highly professional.

By eight that evening, all the furniture was installed, and with no formaldehyde present, he could move in immediately.

Zhang Chu trusted the specialists’ guarantee.

In this world, martial artists were protected; deceiving one was a crime.

He ordered takeout and Maotai, then changed into his new pajamas and sat on the villa’s living room carpet. He took a selfie and quickly added a caption: "Happiness is earned through hard work!"

While he was enjoying his late-night snack and catching up on dramas, a screenshot of his post was shared in the Binzhou University class group, causing an instant uproar.

"Damn, look, the inspirational Zhang Chu is now living in a luxury villa. This is the treatment of a Level 2 Martial Artist!"

"@Su Mingyue: Goddess Su, the one who used to pine after you is now ahead of you!"

Having just left the university’s Qi and Blood Testing Center, dejected, Su Mingyue heard the notification, curiously opened the class group, and in the next moment, her composure vanished.

It was one thing to be bullied by anonymous trolls, but now even Zhang Chu had advanced to a Level 2 Martial Artist and was living in a villa!