Chapter 115 – The Old City Circle and the New World

Entering the café.

The interior was quite beautiful, with many areas illuminated by warm yellow lamps even in the morning.

A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air, and an obscure blues tune quietly flowed through the large space.

“It seems to be a piece by a famous musician from the Distant Star Federation…”

Lu Yuan thought idly as he wandered through the hall.

The Distant Star Federation was the first nation in this world to venture beyond its planet, extending its influence to outer space.

In terms of technology, military, and arts, it surpassed the Xia State in every aspect.

Anything popular in the Distant Star Federation quickly became a global trend.

But he didn’t care much.

Previously, his mind was solely focused on studying, and now it had shifted to martial arts practice.

At eight in the morning, the café was nearly empty, occupied mostly by white-collar elites working on their laptops with a cup of coffee.

There were also two people in a corner playing games on their mobile phones.

Despite this, Lu Yuan’s current outfit—sports jacket, shorts, and running shoes—seemed completely out of place with his surroundings.

But he didn’t mind.

He made a circuit of the first floor but didn’t see any familiar faces.

Then he headed up to the second floor.

Just as he stepped out of the stairway, he saw a woman with short, neat hair sitting by the inner window, engrossed in her mobile phone.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly.

It was indeed Gao Qing.

Zhou Ling had just “died” once, so he guessed Zhou Ling wouldn’t come looking for him so early.

From his own perspective, if he suddenly lost all his martial arts skills, he wouldn’t casually leave the “safe zone” until he fully regained his strength.

Lu Yuan walked straight toward Gao Qing.

Today, Gao Qing wasn’t wearing her combat uniform; her outfit was casual with a cool, mostly black style.

Her fair and well-proportioned arms and legs were exposed, and she wore purple star-shaped earrings.

Lu Yuan couldn’t tell if she was wearing makeup, but he thought she looked really beautiful.

Especially in this everyday outfit, Gao Qing’s usually intimidating aura was significantly softened.

However…

Lu Yuan still didn’t have much of a liking for this woman.

Who could blame him? She had intentionally “scared” him before.

“Team Leader Gao.”

Lu Yuan greeted Gao Qing indifferently as he walked up to her and sat down opposite her.

The coffee was already ordered and still warm.

Obviously, Gao Qing knew exactly when he would arrive.

“What brings you here today, Team Leader Gao?”

Lu Yuan didn’t touch the coffee on the table and politely inquired.

Gao Qing didn’t waste any time, putting down her mobile phone. Her eyes flickered slightly as she spoke, “I mainly wanted to inform you about the handling of your previous violation of the regulations.”

“Go ahead, Team Leader Gao.”

Lu Yuan adjusted his posture slightly, showing that he was ready to listen attentively.

“Special circumstances require special treatment. Considering your young age and lack of understanding of many matters, this time it won’t count as a violation, and no punishment will be given.”

Gao Qing stated.

“Thank you, Team Leader Gao, for your understanding, and thank you to the organization for their leniency.”

Lu Yuan expressed his “sincere gratitude” and then asked, “Can I leave now, Team Leader Gao? I still need to go to the market to buy some groceries.”

“…”

Lu Yuan noticed a slight twitch at the corner of Gao Qing’s icy face.

It seemed like she took a deep breath and then suddenly spoke, “There’s one more thing, regarding your application to join Yellow Bear.”

With that, she took out a form from a black suede bag on the seat beside her and slid it across the table to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan looked “confused.”

“What application? I never applied for such a thing.”

Gao Qing’s eye twitched slightly, as if even the crow’s feet around her eyes were about to show.

“Alright, stop pretending. Zhou Ling has already talked to you about this, hasn’t he? He’s currently undergoing a second transformation and doesn’t have time to come, so he entrusted me with helping you through the application process.”

Gao Qing looked at Lu Yuan and gave a light snort, “Do you really think it’s something I want? You probably have no idea how busy we usually are.”

“Fine.”

Lu Yuan didn’t comment, simply reached out to pull the form closer and looked down to examine it.

[Application Form]

Those were the only words at the top of the form, even simpler than a university club recruitment form.

“This is just a draft I printed out. Review it first, then fill out the electronic version.”

Gao Qing’s tone carried a hint of urgency, as if she was indeed very busy and wanted to get this done quickly. She seemed ready to leave as soon as possible.

Lu Yuan gave a brief “Hmm” and continued to look at the form without paying her much mind.

He wasn’t particularly interested in joining Yellow Bear.

But he didn’t reject the idea either.

When weak, relying on a powerful organization to survive and provide a better environment for growth and living was not a bad idea.

Just like the incident at home this morning.

For Yellow Bear, it was probably a trivial matter that could be resolved with a single word, but it brought his family immense joy.

“Name, gender, date of birth, ID number, home address, education…”

The beginning of the form was no different from most other forms.

Then it started to get unique.

“Power evaluation?”

Lu Yuan instinctively looked up at Gao Qing, who promptly snatched the form back and said, “The rest is for us to fill out. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Lu Yuan didn’t say anything and watched as Gao Qing took out a tablet similar to the one Zhou Ling had sent him before.

She lit up the screen and handed it to him.

“Hurry up and fill it out. I have other things to do and can’t waste much time here.”

Gao Qing glanced at her mobile phone and urged him.

Lu Yuan took the tablet and filled it out at a leisurely pace. Suddenly remembering something, he asked Gao Qing, “Zhou Ling told me last time that joining Yellow Bear doesn’t necessarily require undergoing body modification. Is that true?”

“Who has time to lie to a kid like you? Of course, it’s true.”

Gao Qing replied, “There are quite a few pure martial artists in Yellow Bear. It’s just that the higher you go, the harder it is to get by as a pure martial artist. I haven’t undergone any modifications either. Do you want to check?”

With that, she actually extended a hand toward Lu Yuan.

“Huh?”

Lu Yuan suddenly looked up, staring at Gao Qing in shock.

He was genuinely surprised.

Gao Qing said she had never undergone body modification?

He had assumed she was a cyborg like Zhou Ling.

Thinking back carefully, because she was a woman, he had indeed never inhabited her body in the Consciousness Space, so he hadn’t noticed this detail.

This time, Gao Qing patiently continued to explain, “Even if one wants to undergo modification, it’s not something that can be accomplished overnight. Pure martial artists accumulate combat habits through years of martial arts practice. When they first undergo modification, their strength often decreases due to incompatibility. Unless you haven’t deeply practiced martial arts and started with the modification route from the beginning—like Zhou Ling.”

“In the early stages, pure martial artists have advantages that are not inferior to cyborgs. The materials that can truly widen the physical gap, such as Rainbow Iron, Star-patterned Steel, or Blood-patterned Steel, are expensive and unaffordable for most people. On the other hand, pure martial artists, with a new material weapon and a slight adjustment to their combat style, can temporarily achieve combat power far beyond that of an average modified person at the same level.”

Gao Qing frowned and unceremoniously told Lu Yuan, “Joining Yellow Bear is undoubtedly beneficial for you. Right now, you’re just a frog at the bottom of the well in the Old City Circle. You have the chance to jump out of the well and see the real new world. Not seizing this opportunity would be incredibly foolish!”

“Then let this frog at the bottom of the well ask one more question, Team Leader Gao.”

Lu Yuan remained unruffled and calmly asked, “What are the Old City Circle and the new world?”

Hearing Lu Yuan’s self-deprecating yet emotionless question, Gao Qing was slightly stunned. She seemed to realize that her words might have been a bit harsh.

A trace of awkwardness flashed across her face, and her voice immediately softened a little.

“In Xia State, everything outside of Xiabang is considered the Old City Circle. Many things you can’t even imagine until you actually step inside.”

Gao Qing noticed the mobile phone Lu Yuan had placed on the table and asked, “When did you buy this phone?”

Lu Yuan replied, “Half a year ago.”

“When you bought it, it was the latest model just released by the brand, right?”

“Yes, it was very expensive. My sister spent a month’s salary to buy it for me.”

Gao Qing chuckled and said, “Did you know that this phone was already outdated in Xiabang two years ago?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

“You don’t believe me?”

Gao Qing shook her head and continued, “The internet is indeed very developed now, and information exchange is convenient. But the networks of the Old City Circle and the new world do not integrate. News, entertainment, art, and trends… all operate separately. It’s not that you’re deliberately isolated, Jiaoyan City is just too remote. If you venture out, the closer you get to Xiabang, the more you’ll realize that the world is constantly being refreshed and advancing…”

“I think I understand,” Lu Yuan exhaled softly and spoke slowly.

This huge sense of separation in the world’s background gave Lu Yuan a strange feeling.

But clearly, Jiaoyan’s geographic location wasn’t that bad, just a bit far from Xiabang.

He didn’t quite understand why there were “new” and “old” circles like this.

It was as if each country’s technological level developed so rapidly that even the speed of the internet couldn’t keep up.

Ordinary people couldn’t even have time to accept and adapt, and eventually, they could only be isolated from the new civilization.

But…

Why did steadily developing technology suddenly explode in growth?

And in all aspects, a comprehensive explosive growth?

Could it be that they discovered the remnants of an alien civilization?

While Lu Yuan was lost in his thoughts, Gao Qing continued speaking.

“It’s the same with martial arts. Take the crane style you’re learning now.”

Gao Qing unceremoniously critiqued, “Sky Water Stream might have been considered first-rate a dozen years ago, but with the rapid development of new martial arts over the past decade, many top styles of the past have declined. Let alone a mere branch like the crane style of Sky Water Stream.”

“What is new martial arts?” Lu Yuan frowned, asking. Gao Qing kept mentioning terms that he couldn’t immediately grasp.

“It’s a new form of martial arts that combines ancient techniques with cutting-edge technology, also known as future martial arts.”

Gao Qing looked at him and said, “That’s the path I’m planning to take. Zhou Ling isn’t; he’s following the pure cyborg route. That’s another path, similar to pure martial arts, which I find rather extreme.”

“Interesting,” Lu Yuan nodded.

Then he handed the tablet back to Gao Qing.

“I’ve filled it out. Take a look.”