Chapter 20: Big Shot Brings Great Rewards

"Are you sure you can handle this alone?"

Sera worriedly asked, especially worried about his mental health after his last nightmare.

"Don’t worry, Mom! It’s just talking with the Mayor. I need to learn this, talk to people beyond my level."

Levi explained his reason as his mother left the house in her car.

Five minutes later;

Levi heard the bell and opened the door.

A middle-aged man with a gray mustache wearing a purple suit stood outside. He had a scar alongside his right cheek.

He was holding a suitcase in his right hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mayor! Please come in!"

Levi greeted him with a bow, and the Mayor returned a smile.

"It’s my pleasure, child."

"What would you like to drink?"

Levi asked while walking towards the kitchen.

"Just plain water!"

Soon, Levi brought him a glass of water and sat in front of him.

"So, Levi, have you read today’s news?"

Levi nodded.

"Then, do you understand why I came to visit you so soon?"

Levi shook his head.

The Mayor nodded. He took out his phone and released a hologram above the table. It showed a list of thousands of individuals.

But when Levi read through the topic, he realized the date was from the previous year.

World Federation Competition- 2025/9/15

"What you are seeing here is a worldwide competition. This competition isn’t broadcast live, so you might not know this."

"What do you think of Roshan?"

The Mayor asked.

"You mean that talented guy who entered the top university and reached perfection in Third Grade Technique?"

Levi asked.

The Mayor nodded.

"Exactly, but you are mistaken about one thing. Blue Star University isn’t the top university."

He swept the screen, showing a list of five universities.

[Azure Sky University] [Red Sun University] [Human Goodwill University] [Global Earth University] [Milky Way University]

"These five are the top universities. They are the place where the pinnacle of all talent on Earth strives to enter."

"Roshan was no exception. Unfortunately, he fell short. Every single one of them only accepts two hundred students every year."

"So, if you want to enter their universities, you must reach the top thousand in the World Federation Competition."

"Have you heard about Genius Ranking?"

The Mayor asked.

Levi nodded.

"The Genius Ranking is a list of geniuses who have displayed exceptional talent from the start of their Martial Art journey."

"Hmm! That’s right. Genius Ranking is for geniuses, but if we all just focus on talent, will we miss out on potential?"

"That’s what the leaders of the Federation thought, so they established another ranking, which is Federation Competition."

"Unlike the genius ranking that ranks a person based on their talent, this competition ranks them based on their feat."

The Mayor continued.

"But that’s not important. At least, you don’t have to care about any of that. Your goal should be simple. Enter one of the best universities."

Levi nodded. That was his goal.

"But you don’t understand why. People will tell you it is better to enter the better university, but why exactly?"

"What benefit do they give? Do other universities lack something? If so, what is it?"

"Have you asked these questions?"

Levi hurriedly nodded.

"Yeah! I am also a bit confused about this. We can fight in the wilderness and in a dimensional war."

"We can access techniques and martial arts or even resources from outside these universities. So, why are they so important?"

The Mayor shook his head.

"Your understanding of the world is very narrow, Levi. There are a lot of things that you don’t know."

"But that’s why I am here."

He said as he put the suitcase on the table.

"This is my gift or an investment for you. I have read your situation, but I still want to ask you one thing."

"What’s the realm of your Body Technique?"

"Major Mastery!"

Hearing that, a smile appeared on the Mayor’s face as he said.

"That’s good!"

Saying so, he opened the suitcase. There were two yellow crystals, five small boxes, and one book.

"Each box includes a D-Grade Blood Energy Pill. I believe with these pills, you will be able to reach blood energy level ten within a month or two."

"Because I need you to put all of your focus on two things. Combat experience, aka Virtual Battlefield Ranking, and Bone Forging."

"What’s Virtual Battlefield Ranking?"

Levi knew about the virtual pod, but he didn’t know much about the ranking, so he asked.

"Virtual Battlefield Ranking is a tier list for combat strength. After using the Virtual Pod, you can access the Virtual Battlefield Arena."

"In that Arena, you can participate in life-and-death battles with various opponents. Since you can’t die, you will be able to enhance your experience through those battles."

"The ranking of the Virtual Battlefield Arena starts from Iron League, Bronze League, Silver League, Gold League, Diamond League, and more."

"As for the Bone Forging, they are divided into nine levels: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Jade, Sapphire, Diamond, and Titanium."

"You need to reach Gold League in Virtual Battlefield and Gold Forging in Bone Forging to be qualified for the top thousand."

Hearing that, Levi asked.

"What about entering the competition?"

"Oh? That! You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you don’t enter the Martial Artist Rank, you can join the competition."

"This competition is only for the Martial Apprentice. That’s why I want you to enter this year."

At this moment, Levi asked confusedly.

"If I can choose not to enter the Martial Artist Rank, isn’t it better if I enter the competition next year?"

The Mayor nodded.

"That’s the problem. You see, Ashok had reached perfection near the end of last year while Paul reached perfection just two weeks ago."

"But they chose to announce it now because they want us to participate in the competition this year."

Hearing that, Levi asked.

"Is it because of that special nutritional liquid?"

The Mayor smiled and nodded.

He pointed at the two yellow crystals and said.

"What do you think this is?"

"Something related to that liquid?"

"This is a Star Crystal. Before you understand Star Crystal, you must understand the effects of Cosmic Energy and Genesis Energy."

"Cosmic Energy affects the microscopic lifeforms living across the universe while Genesis Energy affects the celestial bodies in the universe."

"Of course, Cosmic Energy is a lesser form of Genesis Energy since Genesis Energy is what led to the evolution of life forms."

"In other words, finding Genesis Energy on Earth is almost impossible."

"It had already seeped into every part of Earth, and most of that has been absorbed by the Spirit trees."

Hearing that, Levi asked.

"So, this Star Crystal is brought from actual stars?"

The Mayor nodded.

"Yes! We send some of the most powerful martial artists on our planet to mine the energy from these stars."

"That energy is then condensed into these crystals through a refinement process that we got from alien life forms."

"This process is not easy, so these crystals can’t be found on the market, and even if you do, the initial price is one hundred thousand federal dollars."

"That’s just the initial price. In some actions, they could be bid for anywhere between a hundred thousand and a million."

"So, only Grandmasters can earn these. If you are not a Grandmaster, the only way to get this....."

"Is through five universities?"

Levi interrupted.

The Mayor wasn’t displeased by his interruption. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes! If you want to earn Star Crystals, you can only earn them from the university. As for why you need them, it has something to do with your family."

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what’s stopping your parents from reaching the Grand Martial Master Realm or even the Grandmaster Realm?"

"Spiritual Energy?"

Levi paused before answering.

The Mayor nodded.

"Spiritual Energy is a major deadlock for most people. To become a Grandmaster, you need to have a lot of spiritual energy."

"But to have spiritual energy, you need talent or resources. As I said, it could cost anywhere from a hundred thousand to a million, so buying these crystals is not an option for your family."

"Your family’s yearly income is somewhere between two hundred and three hundred thousand dollars."

Levi spoke again.

"But if I enter those universities, I can access them more easily. But why this year?"

The Mayor sighed.

"For the city, of course!"

The Mayor looked at Levi and said.

"If you manage to reach the top thousand within this year, our city will receive two S-Grade Mutation Potions."

"That’s the name of the nutritional liquid. One for entering the top university, another for entering the top thousand in your second year."

"If you were in first year with this kind of achievement, our city would get three of those potions."

"In simple terms, if your sister receives even a small portion of that potion, there is a chance that she will develop an Innate Physique."

"Considering you will be the reason behind those potions, your sister will be our top priority."