Full-Time Martial Saint

The Xiangcheng branch of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy is a peculiar building that is nearly 30 meters high and looks like a giant sword soaring into the sky.

In this era where invasions by otherworldly monsters are possible at any time, it is rare to find high-rise buildings that are hundreds of meters tall across the planet. The Xiangcheng branch of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy is practically the tallest building in the entire Xiangcheng.

The driverless taxi stopped at the entrance. Chen Cong got out of the car and looked up at the giant emblem hanging on the front of the building.

With mountains as the base and green vines surrounding it, the badge features a powerful "武" (Wu) character in the center, flanked by two slightly smaller "青山" (Qingshan) characters.

Before coming, he had specifically researched the history of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy.

It is said that this organization was founded by two martial artists from the Great Xia Dynasty who were wandering in a foreign land at the beginning of the fusion world.

In order to resist the alien monsters that were ravaging the planet at that time, the Green Mountain Martial Academy gradually absorbed extraordinary people and martial arts masters from various countries, and traveled to various places to assist the world fusion battlefields of various countries.

Later, as the situation gradually stabilized, the Green Mountain Martial Academy, having gathered a large number of martial arts members, was regarded by some countries as a potential internal threat and was constantly suppressed. The Martial Peak Hall was a new force that rose under those circumstances.

Later, several martial arts masters and sages of Qingshan Martial Academy stepped forward and stated that they would take "non-interference in the affairs of other countries and strict adherence to the laws of other countries" as the first principle of Qingshan Martial Academy. They also agreed that the five strongest countries on Earth at the time would send representatives to establish a supervisory organization to be stationed in the upper echelons of Qingshan Martial Academy, and this turmoil was temporarily brought to an end.

Today, both the Green Mountain Martial Academy and the Martial Extreme Hall have grown into the two strongest martial arts forces on the entire Blue Star, but they have always adhered to the agreement made back then and basically do not interfere in the affairs of various countries and regions on the Blue Star.

Chen Cong stood in front of the door for a while, then stepped onto the steps and slowly walked towards the gate.

"Hello, I am a student from the Martial Arts Academy of Xiangcheng No.1 High School. This is my invitation."

The gate of the Xiangcheng branch of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy has an advanced facial recognition system. Since Chen Cong is not a member of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy, he can only take out the invitation and hand it to the martial artist guarding the gate.

After carefully checking the invitation in his hand, the middle-aged martial artist didn't say much and directly opened the glass door.

"The reception room is on the left-hand side on the first floor. You will be greeted by someone once you go inside."

"Thank you." Chen Cong said his thanks, put the invitation back in his pocket, and walked slowly toward the reception room.

"Hello sir, may I ask who you are...?"

At the entrance to the reception room, a beautiful woman in a sky-blue cheongsam greeted Chen Cong with a smile and came forward to inquire.

Chen took out the invitation again and revealed his identity.

The receptionist glanced at the invitation and respectfully handed it back, bowing slightly and gesturing, "Mr. Chen, please come in."

Chen Cong nodded and followed the other party into the reception room.

The receptionist brought over tea and then said again, "Mr. Chen, please wait a moment while I inform Steward Li."

Chen accepted the tea, nodded, and sat quietly on the sofa to wait.

About ten minutes had passed, and the tea in the cup was finished, but Li Xiuwen had not appeared, and the female receptionist who had spoken earlier was nowhere to be found.

Chen Cong glanced at the empty teacup, then looked around and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Leave yourself out in the cold?

To put it bluntly, his purpose in coming here at the invitation was actually to hold a negotiation with Qingshan Martial Arts Academy.

Currently, the initiative in this negotiation is in the hands of Qingshan Martial Academy. Li Xiuwen is deliberately keeping him at arm's length, and his purpose is simple: to make him feel that he is not valued by Qingshan Martial Academy, and that he should not have too high a price in mind.

If it were any other seventeen or eighteen-year-old, this method would surely have a miraculous effect, but Chen has lived for more than fifty years in both his past and present lives, and he doesn't care about such petty tricks at all.

Looking around, Chen noticed the holographic cameras in the corners of the reception room. He calmly got up, took his empty teacup to the water dispenser to fill it with water, and then returned to his original seat.

In his office at the top of the building, Li Xiuwen, wearing glasses, couldn't help but laugh as he watched Chen Cong's movements on the virtual screen in front of him.

Beside him, an elderly man dressed in an old-fashioned Tang suit couldn't help but remark with some surprise, "This person is quite composed."

"If it were any other child of this age, they would probably be pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot tin roof by now."

Li Xiuwen crossed his fingers in front of him and said with a faint smile, "It's hard to say whether he can keep his composure or not, but he does have some cleverness."

"He saw the holographic camera in the reception room and probably guessed that I was watching him. This composure might be a facade."

"Let's wait and see. Given the potential he's shown, the higher-ups are unlikely to offer him very good terms. If we don't keep him in the cold for a while, things won't be easy to negotiate."

The elderly man in the Tang suit nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was 6:40.

Chen arrived from Xiangcheng No. 1 Middle School at six o'clock, which took less than ten minutes. He has been in the reception room of the Xiangcheng branch of Qingshan Martial Arts Academy for more than half an hour.

He drank three cups of tea and went to the restroom, but Li Xiuwen was nowhere to be seen.

Inside the reception room, Chen Cong glanced at the time on his wristband, then at the camera opposite him, and suddenly stood up expressionlessly and walked out of the reception room.

"Hello, please tell your Steward Li that I have to leave now."

In the corridor, another female receptionist wearing a sky-blue cheongsam passed by. Chen called out to her and spoke calmly.

"Sir, you..." The female receptionist was still unaware of what had happened and was about to speak when Chen Cong didn't give her a chance to speak and rushed straight to the door.

"Gone?" In the top-floor office, the elderly man in a Tang suit saw Chen Congzhen had arrived at the door through a virtual screen and got up in surprise.

Li Xiuwen couldn't help but frown, his eyes fixed on Chen Cong, who was about to leave, on the screen.

"Ding Yan, stop him and bring him to my office."

After only a moment's hesitation, he gave the instructions to the screen in front of him.

At the building entrance, a middle-aged guard, having received orders, hurriedly approached and said, "Young man, our steward would like to invite you to his office upstairs."

Chen Cong stopped in his tracks, glanced back at the camera above his head, and without saying anything, quietly followed the middle-aged martial artist into the elevator and headed towards the top floor.

As soon as Chen Cong entered the luxurious office, Li Xiuwen stood up with a smile: "Chen Cong, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I've been very busy."

"Please have a seat."

"Someone, bring tea."

After taking his seat, Chen Cong smiled and said, "Deacon Li, please skip the tea. We've already had our fill in the reception room."

As soon as he said this, the old man in Tang suit who had been silent couldn't help but look at Li Xiuwen, and then chuckled and smoothed things over: "I am Tang Shengyao, advisor to the Xiangcheng branch of Qingshan Martial Academy."

"Qingshan Martial Arts Academy has been negligent in its duties, so please don't be angry, Chen Cong."

Chen Cong smiled and shook his head: "No, no, I just saw that Deacon Li was indeed busy, and I really did have something to do. I had an appointment to spar at the Divine Strike Arena at 7:30, and now..."

He held up his wristband and said, "It's almost 6:50. It will take me another ten minutes to get back."

Playing negotiation psychology?

Chen sneered inwardly. In his previous life, he had spent more than ten years struggling in the workplace, and he couldn't even remember how many negotiations, big and small, he had gone through.

Once you've gained the upper hand in negotiations, compressing time is just a basic skill.

His departure just now was actually a test. If Li Xiuwen didn't stop him, it would mean that Qingshan Martial Academy didn't value him, and even if they talked, he wouldn't get any good terms.

If Li Xiuwen chooses to obstruct, it will prove that the previous neglect was a game of strategy, and I will instantly gain the initiative in the negotiations.

By seizing the initiative and employing subtle tactics to reduce the time the other party has to stall, one can maximize their gains.

Sure enough, upon hearing Chen Cong's words, Li Xiuwen and Tang Shengyao in the office couldn't help but glance at the digital clock beside them.

"Since Chen Cong has other matters to attend to, let's get straight to the point." Li Xiuwen paused, picked up a folder from the table, and slowly walked over to him, saying, "You should already know about the special admission quota for Qingshan Martial Arts Academy."

"We've investigated your basic information. This is the price offered by Qingshan Martial Arts Academy. Take a look."

Chen took the folder, opened it, and examined it carefully, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

The conditions offered by Qingshan Martial Arts Academy in the document were indeed very tempting, including a training program, a one-time bonus, and various subsidies in the future. However, the requirements for him were also very demanding.

In particular, the requirement that he absolutely obey the transfer orders of the martial arts academy's higher-ups was something Chen Cong could never accept.

Closing the folder in his hand, Chen Cong said slowly, "Deacon Li, may I ask what level of contract this is?"

After a moment's thought, Li Xiuwen adjusted his glasses and replied, "Strictly speaking, this is a reserve contract, somewhere between a third-class contract and a temporary contract."

Chen Cong nodded and smiled, "Thank you, I'll think about it when I get back."

After saying that, he stood up, bowed slightly to Li Xiuwen and Tang Shengyao in front of him, and walked out of the office.