Chapter 63: Highly Recommended—Has Su Mingyue Also Acquired a System?

The new semester had yet to officially begin. The Martial Arts Research Institute’s work had not started in earnest, and as a member of the Supervisory Office, Zhang Chu found himself idle and restless.

Fortunately, Zhang Xueying noticed his boredom and invited him to her office for a chat.

With the new term approaching, the Admissions Office was busy sorting students into classes. Zhang Xueying, deeply focused on her work, seemed especially captivating. Zhang Chu lounged on the sofa with his legs crossed, sipping milk tea that Zhang Xueying had ordered, while browsing the internal forum of the campus network.

Thankfully, the school’s internal forum was rife with gossip and rumors.

“I never would have guessed the Double Force Society wielded such power. No wonder even Zhang Xueying shakes her head.”

Zhang Chu felt he had finally unraveled the nature of the Double Force Society. Simply put, it was an officially recognized and respected organization, but its influence and status within the academy were unique—even Dean Luo Zhidong had no authority over it.

The Double Force Society had existed for over a century, serving as an association for Double Force Warriors. Its leaders were all of that rank, and its members included both faculty and students—anyone who achieved the Double Force Warrior level was eligible to join. As the Dean, Luo Zhidong was one of the society’s standing committee members.

The Starbeast Tree Hollow at the Binzhou Martial Arts Research Institute was controlled by the Double Force Society. To obtain permission to enter the Starbeast Tree Hollow, one had to go through the society.

Around noon, Zhang Xueying took Zhang Chu out to lunch alone. Rumors were swirling through the academy that the goddess Zhang Xueying and the newly arrived supervisor Zhang Chu were in a romantic relationship, with photos of them “feeding dog food” flooding the forum.

Zhang Xueying didn’t mind at all. If the goddess herself was unbothered, Zhang Chu certainly wouldn’t care either.

Shortly after lunch break, Zhang Xueying entered Zhang Chu’s office. “Mr. Chu, let’s go.”

“Go where?” Zhang Chu was still groggy from his nap.

If you’re working a nine-to-five, you have to respect the sanctity of the lunch break—this was the ultimate tribute to being on the official payroll.

“I’ve already submitted your application to the Double Force Society this morning, and your membership has been approved. This afternoon, we’ll just do a brief interview, and then they can recommend you for entry into the Starbeast Tree Hollow,” Zhang Xueying said with a smile.

Was it really that simple?

Zhang Chu sprang up from his folding chair, tidied himself up, and followed her out.

——

The Double Force Society was located in the university’s Physical Fitness Building—a place where students and faculty usually trained their vitality. The top floor housed the offices, and that’s where the society resided.

“Uncle Qiao, just finished your lunch break?” Zhang Xueying greeted an elderly man of about sixty as she entered the office with Zhang Chu.

The old man beamed, especially when he saw Zhang Xueying. He hurried over, clearly delighted. “Xueying, it’s been ages! You never come by to see your Uncle Qiao anymore.”

Zhang Chu was hardly surprised. After all, Zhang Xueying’s uncle was the vice-dean of the academy; her network was impressive. Moreover, he’d seen this old man mentioned on the school forum before.

Qiao Changnian, president of the Double Force Society, was the only eight-star Double Force Warrior at the Binzhou Martial Arts Research Institute—one of the top ten martial artists in Binzhou, and also an honorary deputy director at the Martial Arts Administration Bureau.

Zhang Xueying was adept at small talk, soon having Qiao Changnian laughing heartily. Taking advantage of the moment, she introduced Zhang Chu: “Uncle Qiao, this is Mr. Zhang Chu, whom Dean Luo personally recruited for our academy. I sent you his information this morning.”

“Mr. Chu, you’re truly impressive—a Double Force Warrior at twenty-one. You’re a real asset to our institute,” Qiao Changnian said warmly, extending his hand. “It’s an honor to have you join our society.”

Qiao Changnian showed not the slightest air of arrogance, quite unlike the intimidating reputation he had on the forum.

“President Qiao, you flatter me. It’s my honor to join the Double Force Society.”

After all, this was an eight-star Double Force Warrior—even if he looked down on people, it would be justified. Besides, Zhang Chu needed Qiao Changnian’s approval to enter the Starbeast Tree Hollow.

No matter how powerful his own system cheat was, Zhang Chu knew when to flatter those in charge.

After the official exchange of compliments, Qiao Changnian stamped the approval himself and handed Zhang Chu the society’s emblem.

“Uncle Qiao, now that Mr. Chu is a member of the society, the Starbeast Tree Hollow will open in two days. Could you see if Mr. Chu might have a chance this time?” Zhang Xueying pressed on, proving herself a true friend in times of need.

Zhang Chu had barely joined the society when she began recommending him. He felt a bit nervous; if Qiao Changnian agreed, he would have the chance to enter the Starbeast Tree Hollow. Three days inside would be enough to reach the two-star level—hundreds of times more effective than absorbing spiritual power in the forest using his passive devouring skill.

——

“Mr. Chu, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but there simply aren’t any spots left. If you’d come just half a day earlier, I could have put you on the list for Xueying’s sake,” Qiao Changnian sighed.

He explained that this year’s “Gift from Heaven” had arrived two weeks early, causing the world’s spiritual energy to become unstable, which in turn affected the Starbeast Tree Hollow. Just yesterday, several society members above the six-star level detected a major turf war among the starbeasts within the hollow.

Starbeasts were more advanced than ordinary beasts, developing something akin to human intelligence. The emergence of a starbeast horde could very well cause the hollow’s seal to weaken on the day of Heaven’s Gift, allowing the starbeasts within to enter the world.

As a result, Qiao Changnian himself was leading a five-person special operations team to investigate the Starbeast Tree Hollow the morning after tomorrow and repair the seal.

The hollow could only accommodate five Double Force Warriors at a time. To prove his point, Qiao Changnian even produced the society’s official document listing the special team’s members.

Aside from Qiao Changnian, the other three were all senior Double Force Warriors and associate professors at the academy.

“President Qiao, I see only four names on the list. Who is the fifth?” Zhang Chu asked.

“There’s one more—she was approved just this morning, strongly recommended by over half the standing committee. But the girl does have ability. As it happens, she seems to be connected to Mr. Chu,” Qiao Changnian said, pulling out a dossier and handing it over.

Zhang Chu glanced at it and froze: “Su Mingyue?”

“What?” Zhang Xueying was shocked as well.

One needed to be at least a one-star Double Force Warrior to enter the Starbeast Tree Hollow; otherwise, it was impossible to withstand the power of the seal.

How did Su Mingyue end up on the list?

Zhang Chu and Zhang Xueying curiously flipped through Su Mingyue’s application, scanning her personal details:

Name: Su Mingyue

Age: 22

Rank: One-star Double Force Warrior

Wait a minute!

What was going on?

Zhang Chu could hardly believe his eyes. He checked her information again and again. “How did she go from a level-four warrior to a one-star Double Force Warrior overnight? Could she have a system cheat as well?”