Chapter 16: Donghua City’s No. 1 High Schooler

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Liu Yushu was quick with the money transfer. One hundred thousand coins were transferred directly to the bank account under Chu Yunfan’s name.

The sky was dark when Chu Yunfan got home. His father, Chu Wencheng, and mother, Yang Yayun, did not find it strange that he was late. He sent them a message earlier telling them that he was working that day and would be there two hours later.

Students were much more independent and opinionated in the Kunlun Era. Many kids from working-class families would get part-time jobs from a young age to pay for their living expenses, tuition fees, pocket money, and more. It was commonplace.

Chu Yunfan had worked many part-time jobs over the past two years, so his parents were not worried.

When he got home, his family had already finished dinner, but they left him some food. His mother Yang Yayun reheated the meal and served him.

Chu Yunfan thought about his future plans as he ate. He had gotten the advance of 100,000 from Liu Yushu, but he did not plan to purchase the Body Refining Pull with the money directly.

He had checked online on the way home. He found he could purchase the herbs to refine the Body Refining Pill on the market. The total would add up to around 50,000. The medicinal pill was usually sold at 100,000 as it included various agents’ cuts and logistic costs. The most important one was the pill refinement fee paid to the alchemist.

Until now, there was no way to mass-produce medicinal pills like other businesses. They had to be refined by humans, so the labor cost was high too.

Of the 100,000 selling price, at least 20,000 was the alchemist’s labor fee!

Naturally, what was crucial was that Chu Yunfan had inherited the Alchemy Emperor’s memories. He could say that he knew many pill refinement methods like the back of his hand. He could save the 20,000 labor fee if he refined it himself.

Moreover, the Body Refining Pill in his memory was different from the one that was popular now. It was a recipe that the Alchemy Emperor improved on back then. The effect was twice as great as the ones sold on the market.

Chu Yunfan was not dumb. Naturally, he knew how great a treasury the Alchemy Emperor’s memory was to him. The improved recipe of the Body Refining Pill alone could make one rich overnight. Although the medicinal pill was a basic one, there was a huge demand for it.

It was particularly sought after because humans gave birth to so many children every year, and they needed Body Refining Pills. Although most families could not afford it, the market for the wealthy was massive.

Therefore, he was not worried that he would be lacking money in the future. As soon as he realized a portion of the Alchemy Emperor’s memories were in his head, he knew it was enough to change his current situation.

The only thing he lacked was time.

What was urgent at the moment was the stream division exam a month later. It was the exam that would decide one’s fate. Just as Liu Yushu had said, getting into the martial arts stream was not what they were after.

There were regular classes and elite classes in No. 13 High School’s martial arts stream too. Although they were not as outstanding as the Calm Ocean City’s No. 1 High School that Liu Yushu went to, the resources and coaches provided by the elite classes were far beyond those in the regular classes.

However, he could not refine medicinal pills at home as he did not have the required alchemical furnace. Even the cheapest one would cost at least a million. The better ones would cost tens of millions and even up to 100 million. Meanwhile, the magic tool-grade alchemical furnace that was excavated would cost an astronomical price.

The best way was to go to the Calm Ocean City branch of the Alchemist Association to borrow the alchemical furnace. Naturally, he would need to pay to rent it. The cheapest one would cost 5,000 per day.

That was equivalent to one month of his parents’ salary. Chu Yunfan felt his heart break when he considered the cost. Nonetheless, there was nothing else that he could do since his family could not afford to buy an alchemical furnace. That being the case, this was much better than buying a Body Refining Pill directly.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingxuan’s bell-like laughter came from the living room, piquing Chu Yunfan’s interest.

Although she always seemed so sensible, whereby she tried her best to appear happy, it was rare that she would laugh so joyously.

“Mom, Dad, Brother, check this out. I made money today. I did a commentary on a competition and I got over 1,000 federal coins as a reward!”

In the living room, Chu Qingxuan lifted her tiny head, and there was some pride on her face.

Being ill since childhood, she was much more sensible than people her own age. She knew very well that her malady had placed a large burden on her family. Her little heart felt much better now that she could earn money on the internet to help with their expenses.

“What kind of competition did you commentate on that paid you so much?!” Chu Wencheng put down the tablet. Instead of watching the news, he looked at his daughter, feeling a little puzzled.

His monthly salary was only a few thousand. Including the benefits provided by the company, it would add up to around 10,000.

Meanwhile, his daughter was making over 1,000 coins commentating on a competition. That was more than the salary many adults made per month.

Her mother, Yang Yayun, also said, “That’s right. I went to check it out after you told us that you’re doing commentaries on martial arts battles. I’m sure a newbie commentator like you would only make 1,000 to 2,000 per month!”

Although the guarantee of jobs for minors was high now, and there was nothing dangerous about doing virtual battle commentaries on the internet, her mother was worried. She had learned about the basics of the job.

Just like most industries, this one had a wide range. Some top commentators would make up to ten million annually, while it was pretty good for a newbie to make 1,000 to 2,000 per month.

Some beginners might not even earn that much.

Noticing her parents’ worried faces, Chu Qingxuan could not help but stick out her tongue and say, “It’s usually not that much, but I did a commentary on a major competition yesterday. The number of spectators was ten times more than the ones that I did in the past. Some of the audience thought I did a great job, so they gave me a reward!”

Relieved after hearing Chu Qingxuan’s explanation, Chu Wencheng casually asked, “Whose competition had such a big audience?!”.

“Dong Fanghao, the guy who is known as Donghua City’s No. 1 High Schooler now. You guys don’t know how powerful he is. He challenged an Energy Refinement Stage Martial Dao powerhouse today. There were over a million people watching the battle in real-time. I was just lucky that our website was one of those given the broadcast rights!” Chu Qingxuan explained.

“Dong Fanghao has already reached the Energy Refinement Stage?” Chu Yunfan’s voice came from the dining room to the living room.

He could not help but feel shocked hearing what his sister said. Of course, he had heard of the name Dong Fanghao. There were up to 100 million people in Donghua City. It was one of the ten base cities on Earth. There were many high school experts among them. Since Dongfang Hao was known as the No. 1 High Schooler, one could imagine how fearsome he was.

For instance, at No. 13 High School, the three most capable people in Class 11, Feng Deying, Tang Siyu, and Gao Hongzhi, were only at Tier-9 Physical Stage. The Qi Sea Stage would be after the Physical Stage, followed by the Energy Refinement Stage.

Such a cultivation base was already superior to that of most teachers in No. 13 High School.

Most of the teachers in No. 13 High School, especially those from the liberal arts stream, only had a cultivation base at the Qi Sea Stage. Only some older teachers had Energy Refinement Stage cultivation bases.

“That’s right, he’s incredibly powerful. Everyone was shocked today. Wasn’t it rumored that Dong Fanghao was only at the peak of the Qi Sea Stage? He broke through to the Energy Refinement Stage without telling anyone. I’m sure he’ll be on the news for the next few days!” Chu Qingxuan said, “However, I saw on the internet that our planet Earth is nothing. The truly powerful figures are in the Kunlun Realm. The Spirit Energy in the Kunlun Realm is ten times thicker than on Earth. There are many powerhouses over there. Although there aren’t many Energy Refinement Stage high schoolers, there aren’t that rare either. I thought it was a lie, but now it seems to be the truth!”

“That’s a genuinely powerful figure. If he’s aiming to get into Federation University, he’ll certainly be accepted. It’s a sure thing!” Chu Wencheng nodded and said. In truth, he did not really care. There were more and more geniuses among humans in recent years. There were so many of them, and they got stronger as generations went by. “I remember over 100 years ago, if there were high schoolers who had a Qi Sea Stage cultivation base, they could definitely get into one of the ten top schools and even Federation University. Now Qi Sea Stage students can’t even get into ordinary universities. We humans are getting more and more powerful these days!”

Chu Qingxuan nodded and said, “Of course. I saw on the internet that an expert said the journey that took us a century would have taken millennia in the time of the Ancient Zenith civilization. We’re advancing at a stunning speed every day!”

No matter Chu Wencheng or Chu Qingxuan, they merely treated Dong Fanghao’s achievement as an anecdote. To them, Dong Fanghao, the No. 1 High Schooler, was just too far beyond them.

On the other hand, it was different for Chu Yunfan. Although Dong Fanghao was so much stronger than he was now, it was hard to say if that would be the case in the future. Perhaps the Alchemy Emperor’s memories had given him an intense will to fight that he never had before.

He wanted to catch up to those people who might have just been legends to him in the past. In fact, he wanted to surpass them one by one.

After chatting with his parents for a little bit, Chu Yunfan returned to his room. There was a task he needed to perform before heading to the Alchemist Association the next day.. It was something that he had to do.