Chapter 23 - 23: Mountain Villa Gathering

Translator: Myriad Translations  

The next day was Saturday.

Arius woke up late, which was rare. He only opened his eyes past at 8: am.

The sunlight outside the window sprinkled in and landed on his face. Arius raised his hand to block the light, taking some time to get used to the brightness.

"It's 8:45 am."

Arius glanced at the time. He climbed out of bed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. Then, he went downstairs.

Aunt Page and Aunt Hazel, the maids at his house, had already started working. Aunt Page was sweeping the floor while Aunt Hazel was dusting.

The villa was huge and spacious, So it was hard to clean. It was impractical to clean the house themselves.

"You're awake. Come and have some breakfast," Dianne said when she saw him.

"Mom, I overslept. Why didn't you wake me up?" asked Arius.

"You looked so tired yesterday, so I didn't call you. It's Saturday. One or two hours won't make a difference," Dianne replied.

"Little Arius has really changed. He's becoming more and more hardworking," Aunt Hazel smiled and said.

Although Page and Aunt Hazel were maids, they had a good relationship with Arius's family. In the past, no matter how playful and cocky Arius was, he never disrespected them in any way.

This was attributed to Arius's strictness and Dianne's character education.

A child was a reflection of his parents.

"I heard that Arius is practicing martial arts now. My son used to do so in the past, but he didn't have the talent. He could only give up in the end. After all, the burden of practicing martial arts is too great for normal families like us," Aunt Page said .

"Don't praise him anymore. If not, he will become arrogant," Dianne smiled and replied.

Arius ate his breakfast while chatting with the maids. He also replied to Lisa and Lynn's messages whenever he could.

After he finished his breakfast, he informed Dianne and drove his car out.

Shining Martial House, second floor of the martial disciple training building.

Arius greeted a few familiar students.

"Ah Arius, you're a little late today!" Jason stopped his fist training and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked like he had been training for a few hours.

"I overslept, and my mom didn't wake me up," Arius said helplessly.

"Hahaha, all mothers are the same. If I overslept, my mom would never wake me up either," Jason replied smilingly.

Arius laughed and shook his head.

"Oh right, I have something to tell you. I will become an advanced stage martial disciple soon," Arius said happily.

"Oh, congratulations. When are you preparing to go to the third floor?" Arius was shocked for a moment. However, he didn't find it strange.

Jason's ability was already close to that of an advanced stage martial disciple. In the past, he had predicted that Jason would have his breakthrough anytime now.

"I'll warm up in the morning before going for the test. If no accident happens, I'll go to the third floor for practice in the afternoon," Jason answered.

Arius nodded as he teased, "There are more powerful people on the third floor. Don't get beat up."

"Hmph, how is that possible? After I train for a period, I'll definitely catch up with them. Let's talk about you instead. Don't make me wait too long. Hurry up and become an advanced stage martial disciple soon. I think that I advance faster when I duel with you," Arius said.

"Alright, I won't hold you up." Arius smiled.

The two of them chatted for a while and soon started practicing. They didn't waste any time.

In the afternoon, Arius went to watch Jason's test. All his indicators had reached the basic requirements. Therefore, he successfully became an advanced stage martial disciple and went to the third floor.

Arius was genuinely happy for him.

Advanced stage martial disciple! He was one step closer to becoming a martial warrior!

Although this one step was huge, it was what all martial disciples worked hard to achieve.

When will I be able to become a martial warrior?

I wish I can get a Spiritual  Ki skill scripture!

Unfortunately, that's too difficult!

Arius pondered silently. He still didn't know what to do.

Arius spent the rest of his time in the martial arts academy. He picked up attributes and practiced furiously at the same time. He didn't even have the energy to tease that fatty, Devin.

Sunday, some time after 9 am.

Arius was still practicing in the martial arts academy when he received a call from Saul.

He said that there was a gathering today where they would be able to meet many friends from old and well-known families. Thus, he wanted to invite Arius, Lisa, and his other friends.

Arius initially wanted to reject his offer, but he couldn't resist Saul's nagging. He felt that Saul would keep pestering him until he agreed.

Hence, he accepted the invitation helplessly. They had been friends for so many years, so it wouldn't be good to make Saul lose his self esteem.

Honestly, he wasn't willing to attend the gathering. He had been to many such parties in his past life.

The people attending were all rich second generations or children of government officials. Everyone gathered to eat, drink, play, and keep up their friendships.

Once they forged a good relationship, they could go out more in the future. If anyone had trouble, they could help one another out.

But, in his past life, when his family went downhill, these people dodged as far away as possible. No one was really willing to help him.

At that time, he understood.

These were all fair-weather friends. They appeared like brothers on the surface, helping you when you have small or unimportant problems. Once you were in a true dilemma, you couldn't rely on them at all.

"Forget it. I'll just go there to have some good food and drinks," Arius consoled himself.

He placed the sword and blade he was holding back into the weapons room. Then, he returned home to tidy up and changed his clothes. He preparing to meet Saul and his friends first.

"Mom, I won't be coming home for dinner. I'm going to a gathering of our circle with Saul and some other friends," Arius told Dianne.

"Go ahead. It's good to go out and make some friends. You practice martial arts every day. I'm worried that you will get addicted to martial arts and won't find a girlfriend in the future…"

The moment he heard Dianne mention his girlfriend, Arius felt his head spinning.

Judging from his mother's tone, he felt that she planned to continue this topic forever. Thus, he immediately ran away in fright.

"This is so scary!"

When Arius drove his car, he still had lingering fears.

20 minutes later, he met Saul and his friends at the toll station heading to Blue mountain.

This gathering was being held inside a mountain villa on Mount Blue.

It was said that the host's family was influential, and he had massive sway over the younger generation. This mountain villa was his personal property. He had provided it for their gathering today.

The four of them drove two cars in. Lisa was sitting in Arius's car as she briefly explained the situation to him.

She wasn't clear about the details either.

Saul drove his car in front of them to lead the way.

Lynn was sitting in his car, feeling a little bitter. At first, he wanted to sit with Lisa so that they could have a conversation along the journey. Yet, before he could open his mouth, Lisa had already run to Arius's car.

Arius's sports car could only fit two people. In the end, Lynn had to throw his thoughts away.

Mount Blue was at the outskirts of Orange City. If they took the highway, they would reach in half an hour.

There were road signs placed at regular intervals. They followed them and left the highway, driving up the hill along a cement road.

After years of development, there were many mountain villas and entertainment facilities built on Mount Blue. A broad road was constructed to make it more convenient for travelers.

The road's construction was made possible because Mount Blue wasn't high. If it was too high, the road wouldn't reach the top.

Lush forests lined the sides of the road and painted beautiful scenery. Mixed with the occasional chirping of birds, the sound of a flowing stream floated into their ears. It was invigorating and refreshing and lightened up people's moods.