Level Up in Martial World

"What are you doing here, Lu Zhen?" Jui Luli spoke with a cold expression, her eyes fixed on Lu Zhen as she stood on the roof.

"What do you mean, why am I here? Didn't you invite me?" Lu Zhen chuckled, shrugging casually.

"Huh?"

She tilted her head, confusion clouding her face. Then she looked at the woman in yellow beside him, frowning.

"Hehe, sister, do you already know Mister? I invited him to make a contract with our merchant and participate in the Alchemy competition," Yin Li said sheepishly, smiling and sticking her tongue out.

"Haha." Lu Zhen chuckled. "You didn't tell your sister you hired me?"

"How was I supposed to inform her?" she said, rolling her eyes immediately.

"We just met…"

"And yet, you hired 'this' guy on the spot?" Jui Luli's face grew colder.

"Don't you know him, sister? Isn't he a good guy?"

"Of course, I'm a good guy. Don't taint my integrity." Lu Zhen spoke with a proud expression.

"Oh, you're definitely a 'good guy,'" Jui Luli muttered, resisting the urge to punch him. After practically turning her into his slave, he had the nerve to act virtuous? There was no way this person could be good. She had already decided he was her arch-enemy, but she knew she couldn't defeat him.

In the Martial World, strength rules above all; those with the bigger fists set the standards. Anyone who dared disagree would face their fists…

Jui Luli narrowed her eyes. "Are you really an Alchemist?"

"Yes," Lu Zhen replied with an honest nod.

"Good, then." She replied casually, and in an instant, her figure vanished from sight.

Yin Li looked at Lu Zhen, then at the empty space where Jui Luli had been, her eyes filled with confusion. "What just happened between you two?"

"Nothing at all." Lu Zhen shrugged with casually, striding confidently into the residence.

"I see." Yin Li pouted, trailing after him. "Is this my place or his?"

Watching Lu Zhen swagger ahead, she couldn't help but twitch her brows in irritation before stepping in right behind him.

Soon, Yin Li guided Lu Zhen to the main hall, where a familiar woman sat cross-legged in a chair, her arms crossed as she observed them.

"Quite the display you've got there," Lu Zhen chuckled as he casually pulled a seat from his spatial ring and sat down across from her.

Jui Luli's brow twitched in annoyance, her frown gradually deepened.

"Are you truly an Alchemist?"

"Yes." Lu Zhen nodded with sincerity. He was indeed an Alchemist, though his experience was limited—he had only refined pastes, not pills. But still, an Alchemist was an Alchemist, right?

"To refine a pill, I'd have to use my intent to gather all the properties and transform them into a perfect sphere," he thought to himself. But uncertainty lingered in his heart.

Surely it couldn't be as simple as that; if it were, Alchemists wouldn't be held in such high regard in the outside world.

After all, First-stage Martial Artists can live exceptionally long lives. Over the course of those years, they inevitably reach the limit of their potential, unable to grow any further, much like his ancestor Lu Ming and the other First-stage Martial Artist from a different family in the city.

Despite possessing nearly a quarter of the city's resources, they simply couldn't make use of them, as these resources were entirely ineffective for their growth.

Lu Zhen was able to quickly learn alchemy and create medicinal paste because of the system he possesses. However, this process wasn't particularly difficult—given enough time, anyone could master it.

It's often said that even a carp can transform into a dragon if given enough time. Whether or not this is true, the underlying idea remains: with hard work and the right amount of time, anyone can succeed.

If that were the case, the world would undoubtedly be filled with old First-stage Martial Artists turning into alchemists. Yet, it wasn't, which indicated that there was something Lu Zhen was missing. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, and the uncertainty only deepened his frustration.

"Are you sure?"

Lu Zhen snapped out of his reverie and looked at the beautiful face of Jui Luli. Her brows were furrowed even more but there was actually a certain charm, a certain beauty as he looked upon her.

"No, I'm not sure about making pills, but I can create as much paste as you want."

"Figured as much. Even though you're a First-stage Martial Artist, it's not that simple," Jui Luli said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"..." Lu Zhen silently stared at her.

"Cough, anyway, here." She pushed a piece of paper in front of Lu Zhen, a smile still on her face.

"A contract?"

"Yeah, we'll provide you with all the ingredients for the Alchemy competition. In return, you'll need to represent our faction's interests during the competition."

Lu Zhen gave the paper a brief glance before shaking his head. "No."

"...Why?"

"It looks like you have quite a few enemies. Personally, I don't mind making enemies, as long as I can get what I want. But these resources are simply not enough for me. I have more than this in my spatial ring." He paused, looking at her.

Even if this girl was beautiful, is Lu Zhen really running a fucking charity?

There was no way he would go through all that trouble for such paltry resources. However, if the incentive was right, he'd be willing to absolutely do it.

"I see," Jui Luli replied, taking back the contract with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"So, what would it take for you to represent us?"

A sly smile spread across Lu Zhen's face as he extended his hand. "First, I'd like a full-body massage. My body is aching quite a bit."

"You…" Jui Luli flushed with embarrassment, her eyes widening.

"It's just my first condition," Lu Zhen said with a casual shrug. "There's more where that came from."