Chapter 126: The Struggle of Kings

After a moment of silence, Song Yunhe asked softly, "Are you available to talk now?"

"Yes, Uncle, is this about the contract?" Gao Wu inquired.

"That's right. The headquarters have already negotiated with your agent. The annual endorsement fee is twenty million, plus a tiered bonus system. If you reach the upper limit of the terms, you could earn up to eighty million a year..." Song Yunhe had received a notification from Song Yunkun and had carefully reviewed the contract. He was quite surprised by the reward clauses it contained.

It was clear that Song Yunkun attached great importance to this and had ensured Gao Wu received very favorable terms. Of course, this was all company money; whether they gave more or less didn’t significantly affect Song Yunkun. If Gao Wu could successfully activate the Dragon Beverage series, this money would be a small matter.

Song Yunhe was genuinely pleased for Gao Wu given such generous conditions. He hoped to finalize the contract soon to avoid any unexpected complications.

However, after trying for some time, he couldn’t get through by phone and was surprised to learn that Gao Wu was actually with his father. Gao Wu was not only wary of Song Chunqiu but also knew that this man represented the military and was involved in confidential matters.

After speaking for a while, Gao Wu and Song Yunhe agreed to sign the contract two days later.

Once Gao Wu hung up, Song Mingyue remarked, "Actually, they don’t need us here."

She held little interest in exterminating the alien tribes and beasts and didn’t think Gao Wu needed to stay.

"I’m just trying to make a good impression on our grandfather. Besides, these aliens deserve to be killed!" Gao Wu responded.

The altar was hidden within a mirrored space, unseen by others, but Gao Wu could observe it clearly with his spirit projection. The scale of the blood sacrifice was truly hellish, stirring memories from his youth.

Creatures like the Ten-Thousand Azure Dragon—no matter how many he killed, he would never hesitate. The alien tribes were even more deserving of death. On the other hand, killing these villains and aliens earned vast amounts of merit points!

This behavior was recognized by the Book of Infinite Merits, which was a great benefit. However, since the Book was involved, even someone as close as Song Mingyue couldn’t openly discuss these matters.

Song Mingyue nodded slightly. She wasn’t interested in cleaning out the alien tribes, but if Gao Wu wished to continue, she would accompany him.

Gao Wu estimated that only a few aliens had escaped, and with such a large deployment, the problem should be resolved within two days.

The two rested in the tent for several hours until dusk thickened, then returned to Dacang Town.

News came from the front: the military camp guarding the Dacang Mountain secret realm had not been overrun but was besieged by numerous black-armored insect men.

As reinforcements advanced, the black-armored insect men scattered and fled. The next step was to hunt down the remaining stragglers and thoroughly clear the secret realm from Dacang Town to Dacang Mountain, establishing a buffer zone.

Within Dacang Town, dozens of hunter teams patrolled back and forth. The town consisted mostly of low single-story houses, with abundant timber and miscellaneous materials, making the environment complex.

Infrared imaging and other individual detection equipment were greatly disrupted within the secret realm. The insect men possessed strong concealment abilities, using their shells to mask various life signs, slowing the search considerably.

Unlike the hunters, Gao Wu had fully rested and could instantly activate his spirit projection to observe the surroundings.

No matter how well the insect men hid, they couldn’t conceal their life essence. Under his spirit projection, they appeared like fireflies in the darkness.

Gao Wu and Song Mingyue spent three hours patrolling Dacang Town, killing every one of the dozens of hidden black-armored insect men.

Among them, several had already condensed source energy but were powerless before Gao Wu and Song Mingyue.

Though their cultivation and source energy levels were only at the warrior tier, their short-term explosive power rivaled that of senior martial artists.

In such small-scale battles, their explosive advantage was fully displayed.

Taking down dozens of insect men earned Gao Wu nearly a million merit points, leaving him just 1.5 million short of ten million.

He was very excited; reaching ten million merit points would allow him to elevate the Vermilion Bird Divine Light Curse to a higher realm.

At that point, he could easily refine the Infinite Divine Weapon!

He had secretly tested once—his Destiny Sword could indeed absorb the Infinite Divine Weapon. However, the demon god aura contained within it was extremely strong, and the Vermilion Bird Divine Light Curse could not digest it quickly.

After much consideration, Gao Wu didn’t dare to take the risk.

Fusing the Infinite Divine Weapon could increase the Destiny Sword’s power but offered limited improvement to him personally.

His combat strength was already sufficient; there was no need to risk it for weapon enhancement.

The following day, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue continued deeper into the secret realm but found very few black-armored insect men.

The large military force was simply too powerful. Even with high-tech equipment restricted, weapons like artillery and heavy machine guns could easily wipe out the low-level insect men.

Seeing no point in lingering, Gao Wu took Song Mingyue back to Dongjiang that day.

---

That evening, Gao Wu, Song Mingyue, and Song Yunhe met at Yunhu Pavilion.

A thick stack of paper contracts was filled with densely written clauses.

Though Gao Wu trusted Shang Qingjun, he insisted on carefully reviewing the contract now. Shang Qingjun wouldn’t cheat him but might make mistakes.

Of course, Gao Wu was a novice in business; if there were any traps in the terms, he might not even recognize them.

Still, he had to look through it to feel assured.

Song Mingyue also read the contract twice, more meticulously than Gao Wu.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ve had the legal team review it. There’s no problem,” Song Yunhe said with a smile.

He understood Gao Wu and his daughter’s caution but insisted that professional matters should be handled by experts.

This was a major issue, not only concerning Gao Wu but also his future, so prudence was essential.

Gao Wu skimmed the contract twice, exchanged a glance with Song Mingyue, who nodded subtly, seeing no issues.

Gao Wu signed and sealed the contract, completing the agreement.

With this contract, Song Yunkun would immediately begin promoting the Northern State Youth King competition, with the first finals scheduled for October in Anjing.

Only in the finals would Gao Wu need to fight; most of the time, he would simply promote the event through short videos, which was sufficient.

Gao Wu was satisfied. Earning money was secondary; the important thing was the strong backing from Longteng Company to keep his popularity high.

Popularity meant fans, and fans meant merit points. Over time, this accumulation would be considerable.

Having secured the contract, Song Yunhe was in high spirits and immediately transferred the promised bonus of over three million to Gao Wu—a substantial sum.

The endorsement fees would be paid in three installments to Sunshine Media’s account as stipulated.

Gao Wu wasn’t in a hurry. With nineteen million already in hand, he had plenty of funds.

Even buying a property in Anjing would afford him several hundred square meters—ample space.

As for purchasing potions, there was no immediate need. The priority was accumulating merit points; reaching ten million would enhance the Vermilion Bird Divine Light Curse, greatly boosting spirit power.

At that stage, refining the Infinite Divine Weapon would be much easier.

Stronger spirit power would also suppress the addictive nature of potions, allowing him to use them strategically to quickly increase strength.

According to the contract, in July and August, he would accompany the team on a tour across the seventy-seven cities of the Northern State to promote the Youth King event.

One day per city, seventy-seven days—this was quite time-consuming.

There were individual appearance fees for the tour, one hundred thousand per event, which added up.

Song Yunhe excitedly told Gao Wu, “If this event goes well, the Northern State Youth King could be upgraded to Alliance Youth King, or even Earth Star Youth King…”

Longteng Company held an important position within the alliance. Each of the fourteen states had its own semi-independent subsidiary, each claiming to be the headquarters externally.

The true headquarters was in the Central State.

If Gao Wu became the alliance’s Dragon endorsement representative, it would be a meteoric rise, enabling him to cross social strata rapidly.

Gao Wu had a rough understanding of the company’s structure. Becoming the Alliance Youth King would be excellent.

At least with sufficient funds, he could purchase higher-grade potions. With his Qinglong Divine Qi Curse at the refinement level and twenty points of constitution, he could freely use warrior-tier potions.

The issues in Dacang Town had been resolved relatively smoothly but at the cost of over a hundred thousand lives.

To prevent public panic, the matter was classified as top secret.

Both Shen An and An Ziru had specifically warned Gao Wu not to post any related information online.

The two martial arts masters were deeply concerned. The spatial anomalies were accelerating and expanding in scope.

If the trend continued, the world might become a vast secret realm within a few years.

At that time, humanity would face countless bizarre and powerful beasts, ferocious alien tribes, and pervasive source energy.

Shen An expressed his worries and helplessness to Gao Wu and hoped he would prepare by rapidly improving his cultivation and strength to face the brutal fate as a powerful figure.

Gao Wu agreed wholeheartedly. He had thought his progress was rapid, but after witnessing the devastation in Dacang Town, he became much more alert.

Killing a half-dead Ten-Thousand Azure Dragon was not something to boast about.

---

The harsh future surged forward, and before being overwhelmed by it, he resolved to prepare as best he could.

The day after signing, Longteng Company’s team arrived in Dongjiang, led by a capable female manager named Zhou Qingyun.

She was well-formed, spoke and acted decisively, somewhat assertive but measured.

Gao Wu had a good impression of her—efficient, skilled, and professional. And she was quite attractive.

Shang Qingjun was on vacation and had brought along her close friend Zhou Hongying, who was already an official company employee.

Gao Wu was a bit surprised to see Zhou Hongying but was warmly embraced by her as her boss, without regard for Song Mingyue nearby.

Gao Wu offered a polite, light embrace, feeling that such Western-style greetings were somewhat presumptuous—not toward him, but rather toward Song Mingyue.

Fortunately, Song Mingyue didn’t mind and wasn’t upset.

Shang Qingjun was cautious, Zhou Hongying excelled at communication, and with them liaising with Zhou Qingyun, Gao Wu felt much relieved.

Together with Shen Yue, the three could handle various chores and shoot videos to maintain Kuaiyin’s popularity.

Promotion began through online, television, radio, and various media platforms.

Zhou Qingyun’s professional team produced several short videos to promote the Youth King event.

After a few days, the Northern State Youth King rapidly became a sensation among teenagers.

---

At the White Dragon Branch of Anjing University’s Martial Arts Academy, Bai Yucheng, the student council president, was quite influential.

Today, Bai Yucheng had specially invited Yan Shanyue to lunch, and she graciously accepted.

In terms of cultivation, Bai Yucheng was actually stronger than Yan Shanyue, but she was only seventeen—five years his junior.

Even though Yan Shanyue came from a small place like Changling and was still a young girl, Bai Yucheng valued her highly.

Yan Shanyue had long eyebrows, large eyes, and an oval face with dignified northern features. Her dark, bright eyes were clear and devoid of ordinary youthful frivolity.

“Junior, have you been trying the Nine Limits of Heaven’s Pole recently?” Bai Yucheng asked, as they weren’t close enough to discuss much beyond cultivation.

“Yes,” Yan Shanyue nodded slightly.

“Uh, how many levels have you passed?” Bai Yucheng pressed on.

“The fifth. The sixth is very difficult,” she answered frankly.

Bai Yucheng was surprised—he had been stuck at the third level. Though Yan Shanyue’s cultivation was weaker, she had already reached the sixth level; truly deserving of the title “genius.”

“You’re amazing!” Bai Yucheng sincerely praised, then glanced at the television showing an advertisement for the Youth King event.

Choosing that moment, he said, “The Northern State Youth King—have you heard of it?”

Yan Shanyue glanced at the screen, where Gao Wu dressed in a bright red martial arts uniform was demonstrating the Dragon Swimming Palm—each move vigorous yet graceful, strikingly beautiful.

She couldn’t help but watch a little longer before softly replying, “I’ve heard of it. His Dragon Swimming Palm is quite good.”

Bai Yucheng smiled, “That’s Gao Wu. This year, he led his team to win the Qilin Cup championship. He is indeed a genius. But calling himself Northern State Youth King is a bit arrogant!”

He said seriously, “In my view, Gao Wu is no match for you.”

Yan Shanyue understood Bai Yucheng’s intentions and shook her head slightly.

“Strength can only be judged by fighting.”

She paused, then said, “Senior, I’m not interested in competing with Gao Wu. If it were for the title of Girl Youth King, maybe I would consider it.”

Bai Yucheng laughed heartily, “I have no grudge against Gao Wu, but since he’s stolen the limelight in Anjing and has a little feud with my cousin, I’m a bit annoyed. However, at my age, I can’t fight him.”

“Wang Ye is proud and arrogant, and Ye Chang’an is naturally proud. Without anyone’s prompting, they’ll both challenge Gao Wu…”

Yan Shanyue knew these two peer geniuses well; they could not tolerate Gao Wu’s self-proclaimed title.

Bai Yucheng chuckled, “If they do fight, they’ll surely teach Gao Wu a lesson—showing him that there are always people stronger out there. This Northern State Youth King title is just a ridiculous boast...”

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(The last day, averaging 9,000 words daily this month—doing my best. I hope everyone will support with monthly votes to secure a good ranking. Thank you.)