Chapter Twenty-Three: Awakening

To witness the suffering of all living beings and thus give rise to compassion—this is enlightenment.

Helping others is a positive act, and it typically brings positive feedback, making it an uplifting emotion.

At the age of fourteen, when the city was invaded by monstrous beasts, Gao Wu survived only because someone fought desperately to save him, sacrificing their own life in the process.

With such an experience, although Gao Wu awakened memories from a previous life, he still believed in the love and justice of this world.

All the more so since he possessed the Book of Infinite Virtues, which allowed him to gain tangible rewards from good deeds, further fueling his enthusiasm for doing good.

Gao Wu had never been a blind do-gooder.

He deeply understood a simple truth: kindness is not weakness, and good people are not fools.

To do good, one must be clever and strong enough. Otherwise, good intentions might come to nothing, or worse, lead to self-destruction.

Just like when he saved Song Mingyue at White Scale Lake—without the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Mantra, he would have perished alongside her.

Yet, seeing the miserable state of Monkey and Wang Tiesong, his heart was moved with pity.

The Shang family was ordinary, and with his own awakened understanding, Gao Wu was well aware of life's hardships. He could easily empathize with the burdens Monkey and Wang Tiesong carried.

Though their relationship was strained, they were not enemies. At its core, it was just the temperaments of youth clashing, with Coach Huang Hai’s subtle influence playing a part.

If he could, Gao Wu wanted to help his two classmates—not for any reward, nor to form alliances, but simply because helping others was good in itself. He could also gain virtue, achieving two goals at once.

From his current perspective, short videos were unlikely to quickly amass great virtue. Ordinary competitions yielded none either.

The chance to earn tens of thousands of virtue points at once would likely never come again.

He would have to proceed step by step, accumulating virtue from small deeds in his daily life.

That afternoon, Gao Wu added four more sets to his eight-hundred-pound barbell lifts during training, leaving Huang Long watching in stunned, unconcealed envy.

The other martial arts team members felt the same.

They knew this wasn’t just about adding a few sets—it meant Gao Wu’s strength was still rapidly growing.

Even with injections, such visible progress was astonishing.

Coach Huang Hai watched in silence, mind already working out how to arrange Gao Wu’s training, only worried that his progress might not be fast enough…

After training, Gao Wu rode his bicycle to find Song Mingyue.

Yunhu Manor was a high-end villa district, located on the eastern hills of the city, beneath Yunsong Mountain, with the downstream stretch of White Scale Lake at its foot. Surrounded by both mountain and lake, it was aptly named.

With the access card Song Mingyue had given him, Gao Wu easily swiped through the gate, but was stopped by the security guards.

The manor covered a vast area, yet there were only just over a hundred households, with all residents, maids, and cooks registered by name.

In the dead of winter, Gao Wu on a bicycle was a striking sight among the mansions. Even with the access card, security dared not let him in without question.

It was the first time Gao Wu had encountered such diligent security, so he gave Song Mingyue’s name.

The guard called Villa Nine, received confirmation from Aunt Lan, registered Gao Wu’s identity, and finally let him through.

At Song Mingyue’s door, Aunt Lan was already waiting.

She apologized, “I didn’t expect the security to be so strict. I should have told them in advance. Had I known, I would have come to meet you.”

“It’s nothing,” Gao Wu replied with a grin. “It’s their job, after all.” He added, “I wouldn’t trouble you, Aunt Lan. Riding over is good exercise for me.”

Aunt Lan had a good impression of Gao Wu and smiled, “Mingyue’s never had many friends since she was young. It’s wonderful you’ve come to visit…”

Compared to Aunt Lan’s warmth, Song Mingyue was rather aloof, greeting Gao Wu only with polite formality.

After a sumptuous dinner, they practiced together, then went to White Scale Lake to provoke the spirits.

The routine was identical to the previous day, except that Song Mingyue offered even deeper guidance on the Nine Forms of the Dragon.

Though the forms appeared simple, true mastery revealed countless subtle details.

As Song Mingyue explained, a person has thirty million muscle fibers. Even for ordinary training, there was much to consider.

While Gao Wu had yet to refine his practice down to the level of muscle fibers, there remained hundreds of details to polish.

He felt Song Mingyue’s understanding of the Nine Forms surpassed even the old master’s, especially in catching his technical errors—a rare talent.

Despite the old master’s injuries and diminished skill, his insight was still at the warrior level. That he was now outdone by an eighteen-year-old like Song Mingyue was remarkable.

Gao Wu guessed her spiritual perception was extraordinarily keen.

At the same time, her background as a scion of a martial family meant that from childhood she had studied advanced martial arts, giving her a head start unimaginable to most.

Even the old master, a seasoned soldier, had experience but not the same deep foundation.

In any case, it was a great boon for Gao Wu.

His training was now on the right track, and he followed this regimen daily until Sunday.

That day, a citywide inter-school tournament took place: Ninth High versus Fifteenth High.

Fifteenth High was far inferior, ranking at the bottom of the city’s martial arts league.

Huang Hai made Gao Wu the anchor of the team. On the surface, it was a show of trust, but in reality, it meant Gao Wu would go last.

Ordinarily, Gao Wu wouldn’t get a chance to fight.

But the anchor of Fifteenth High, unwilling to accept defeat, injected himself with a berserker serum, sending Huang Long running wildly around the ring.

The serum erased the difference in strength, and Huang Long, afraid of injury, appeared utterly wretched.

The home crowd was displeased, many booing Huang Long. They had come to see Gao Wu, and grew restless when he didn’t appear.

With Huang Long’s miserable performance, their patience snapped.

The booing grew louder, and the school officials in the stands began to look uneasy. Huang Hai, seeing this, had no choice but to have Huang Long surrender and send Gao Wu into the ring.

As soon as Gao Wu stepped onto the mat in his white martial arts uniform, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Last weekend, Gao Wu’s dramatic comeback had made him the darling of the Ninth High, their most popular star.

His opponent now was a tall, strapping youth; the serum had flushed his cheeks and reddened his eyes, making him look drunk.

Oblivious to the crowd’s raucous shouting, the youth’s eyes held only a burning desire to win and a desperate determination.

Injecting the serum for a pointless match—only a teenager would go to such lengths.

There was a purity in him, and in that moment, Gao Wu saw the shadow of Bai Xiang.

A youth of humble origins, with nothing to wager but his own life.

It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong.

But the youth was physically weaker than Bai Xiang, and even with the serum, still far below Gao Wu.

A week of training with Song Mingyue at his side had honed Gao Wu’s spirit, agility, and strength to new heights.

The improvements in spirit and agility especially had transformed his fighting power. Even against a berserk Bai Xiang, he was confident of an easy victory now.

Out of respect for his opponent, Gao Wu deliberately took two punches head-on, then, like a giant python, coiled around the youth and executed a rear naked choke.

In less than five seconds, the youth passed out—a way to defeat him with the least harm.

The audience exploded in applause, the martial arts hall roaring with cheers.

Gao Wu gently laid the youth down, then stood and raised his arms, circling the ring to acknowledge the crowd.

He checked his Book of Infinite Virtues—no significant reward this time. He sighed inwardly; just as he’d guessed.

The last time, he’d gained so much because Bai Xiang’s brutality had incited the crowd’s sense of justice. Defeating him earned their heartfelt approval and a bounty of virtue.

But a match without a truly despicable villain yielded nothing; even defeating a villain at an away game probably wouldn’t win him much.

Back at the center of the ring, Gao Wu took the announcer’s microphone and declared loudly, “This victory is dedicated to our two teammates, Monkey and Tiesong, who are recovering in the hospital. I hope they get well soon and return to the team…”

He paused, then continued, “Both come from humble families, and the cost of treatment is a heavy burden. My own victories would not have been possible without their support.

“Taking this opportunity, I want to thank them sincerely, and will donate my prize money from both matches to them as a token of my gratitude…”

His speech caught the crowd by surprise. After a moment’s silence, the applause and cheers surged again.

Many in the crowd began chanting, “Saint Gao!”

Watching from below, Huang Long was thoroughly displeased, muttering, “That guy really knows how to show off!”

Someone beside him added, “Just grandstanding for fame—disgusting!”

Most of the martial arts team remained silent, not daring to contradict Huang Long, but inwardly they admired Gao Wu’s actions.

When tragedy strikes one of their own, it hits everyone hard. Seeing Monkey and Wang Tiesong’s plight, they all felt the pain, though none had the means to help.

Now Gao Wu had spoken up for them, and everyone felt a surge of warmth.

The school officials, after their initial surprise, soon showed approval, joining in the applause.

But in their hearts, there was some discomfort; Gao Wu’s public comments implied the school wasn’t doing enough.

In the hospital, watching the live broadcast, Monkey and Wang Tiesong both felt their noses sting with emotion.

Gao Wu’s earlier visit had already moved them deeply. They hadn’t expected he truly cared, let alone that he would speak for them in public.

At Anjing University, Shang Qingjun, watching the broadcast, was no longer surprised at all by Gao Wu’s ways.

The beautiful woman beside her, however, exclaimed in astonishment, “Your brother really is a good man!”