Chapter Seven: Madman

Luo Yuan walked out of the testing hall wearing his advanced trainee badge. The moment he appeared at the registration desk, a commotion erupted. The new recruits waiting in line all stared in shock at the advanced badge on his chest. Those who had spoken ill of him earlier now hung their heads in shame, fearing Luo Yuan might remember their words and hold a grudge.

Luo Yuan paid them no mind and made his way directly to the friendly female examiner. The mature and alluring woman greeted him with a warm smile.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity. As a quasi-warrior herself, she had seen many prodigies at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, but it was rare to encounter a newcomer who entered straight in as an advanced trainee.

"I’d like to know, do I still need to pay tuition?" Luo Yuan asked, his tone calm.

"No need at all. Talents like you are highly valued here. Not only is there no tuition, but you’ll also receive a five-thousand-yuan monthly stipend. Welcome to the Extreme Martial Arts Hall."

"Thank you, that’s all. I’ll be going now."

Luo Yuan exited through the new recruits’ registration passageway and then headed for the exclusive corridor for trainees.

With a beep, he scanned his trainee badge at the main entrance of the hall and entered the inner courtyard.

The soldier guarding the gate stared in astonishment at Luo Yuan’s back. Wasn’t this the newcomer who had come to the wrong place just moments ago? How had he suddenly become an advanced trainee?

"Senior!"

"Hello, Senior!"

On the paths and lawns within the martial academy, numerous trainees could be seen. Upon spotting the advanced badge on Luo Yuan’s chest, they all greeted him with respect.

"Hey, that advanced trainee—I’ve never seen him before," one student remarked to his companion in puzzlement.

"No idea, maybe he’s newly promoted. We can check the Hall’s announcement list to find out."

Amidst the respectful greetings, Luo Yuan made his way to the third floor of the advanced trainees’ teaching building—a place reserved for advanced trainees only.

The third floor housed a vast training hall, a hundred meters in both length and width, yet only a dozen or so people were present.

"So few people?" Luo Yuan muttered with some disappointment.

"Well now, are you a newly promoted advanced trainee? So young! Looks like we have another martial arts prodigy," a mature beauty in her twenties paused her training, casting a bold, appreciative look at Luo Yuan as he entered.

"Alright, Li Qiong, don’t scare the kid. Little brother, my name is Yang Wu, but you can call me Brother Yang. I’m a regular here—if you need anything, just come to me," said a lean but powerfully built man over 1.9 meters tall, his face marked by a fierce scar.

"Thank you, Brother Yang. Can I ask, why is such a large training hall so empty?" Luo Yuan asked directly.

"Well, even though we have more than a hundred advanced trainees, most don’t bother coming unless a teacher is giving a class. Unless they’re from poor families with nowhere else to train, most prefer to stay away. Wealthier students usually have their own private training rooms," Yang Wu explained patiently.

"I see, so economic privilege decides everything. The wealthy have their perks wherever they go," Luo Yuan remarked with a wry smile.

"This space is yours to use as you please," Yang Wu said, and then headed to a corner to lift weights. Watching him casually hoist several hundred kilograms as if it were nothing, his bare chest muscles quivering with each movement, Luo Yuan felt a chill at the man’s broad, beaming smile.

Luo Yuan eyed the floating bubbles scattered around the training hall, excitement lighting his face. These bubbles must be different from those dropped by intermediate or junior trainees. He approached a red bubble and touched it.

"Strength +2"

He felt nothing in particular; the increase must have been too slight. Scanning the room, he noticed only a few dozen bubbles, mostly red. Perhaps the color indicated their effect? He decided to test his theory and moved to a white bubble.

"Strength +1"
"Speed +1"

Now he understood—the different colors did indeed indicate different attribute points, though the specific attribute seemed random.

Once this was clear, he quickly collected all the bubbles in the training hall. He spent the entire morning doing just that. However, as time passed, the number of bubbles dropped by advanced trainees dwindled. Clearly, there was a limit to how many attribute bubbles one could drop in a given period; otherwise, he could have kept collecting indefinitely.

When there were no more attribute bubbles left in the advanced trainees’ hall, Luo Yuan moved on to the intermediate and junior training halls. The attribute points were lower, but the sheer quantity made up for it.

The intermediate and junior trainees were surprised to see an advanced trainee among them. Some eagerly approached, hoping Luo Yuan could help solve training problems, but he ignored them, tearing around the hall at lightning speed, collecting attributes faster than anyone could follow.

He had to dodge the other trainees while collecting bubbles, which sharpened his reflexes. As his evasive movements grew more fluid, he realized his footwork had reached a new level—something he intended to look into further.

The entire afternoon, Luo Yuan swept the lower-level training halls for attribute bubbles. His peculiar behavior quickly made him famous throughout the Yangzhou Extreme Martial Arts Hall, earning him the nickname "The Madman"—the lunatic who dashed wildly everywhere.

In the past, Luo Feng had earned the same nickname after defeating three wealthy advanced trainees in a fit of rage, but only the advanced trainees knew about that. Luo Yuan’s "Madman" moniker, however, was soon known to all trainees at the Hall. Luo Yuan paid it no mind; his skin was thicker than steel, and he no longer cared what others thought or said.

Yet, his odd behavior did not escape the attention of the Hall’s director, Jiang Nian. Watching the security monitor, Jiang Nian’s eyes glinted with interest as he observed Luo Yuan’s astonishing speed and ghostlike agility. Evasive footwork was categorized as Basic, Subtle, Perfect, and Mastery. Luo Yuan’s footwork was already close to the Subtle level.

"Pull up this person’s file," Jiang Nian instructed a staff member at the control panel.

Luo Yuan’s personal data appeared on the electronic screen.

"Luo Yuan, eighteen years old, orphan, height one-seventy-nine centimeters, weight sixty-eight kilos, senior student at Yi’an High, average academic record, low profile, no martial arts background, passed the advanced trainee test this morning with excellent results."

"Interesting. This young man really made a thunderous debut. He must have had private instruction from a martial artist—otherwise, there’s no way he could reach advanced level immediately. But why does he like running around the training halls so much? Is he honing his footwork?" Jiang Nian stroked his chin, baffled.

P.S. To all the great ones out there—please send your support, monthly votes, and add this novel to your collection. Luo Yuan is truly grateful.