Chapter 371: Chapter 184: I Want to Sign Him! A Fate-Deciding Gamble
A wry smile spread across Dong Dongchen’s face. "That... that kid. He really doesn’t know how to go easy on a lady..."
He turned to Long Bohan, who was now looking at Lin Ye’s strength in a completely new light, and added,
"You know Ye Qingxuan, right? The big star. When she ran into him last month, he ran her clean through the back with his spear and flung her into the air. It was a brutal sight..."
Long Bohan didn’t respond.
He hadn’t heard a word Dong Dongchen was saying.
His mind was consumed by the punch he had just witnessed.
Unlike Dong Dongchen, Long Bohan was a true Martial Artist at the Late Stage of the Gang Condensation Realm!
He knew better than anyone just how vast the gap was between the Early Stage of the Gang Condensation Realm and Late-Stage Meridian Opening Realm Perfection!
Never mind anything else. Just on the defensive end, after Mi Yue released her Gang Sha and condensed it into armor, her Defense Power was at least four, or even more than five times greater than any of the Late-Stage Meridian Opening Realm Perfection opponents Lin Ye had encountered before!
And yet, she was still obliterated by a single punch!
She wasn’t blown into a bloody mist like his previous opponents,
but the outcome wasn’t much better!
Long Bohan looked at the feast of delicacies on the table, but he had completely lost his appetite.
’He’d been right to stand his ground from the start!’
Even when his superior had been venting his thunderous rage, he had stood his ground and replied with a single sentence: "The Firewood Martial Hall cannot go back on its word."
’Since we invited him to sign, we can’t just take it back.’
’Even if it was just a D-grade contract, he felt he had done everything he could and his conscience was clear.’
But seeing the situation now...
A D-grade contract was out of the question.
Long Bohan couldn’t sit still any longer. He opened his personal terminal and initiated a voice call.
A moment later, a stern, middle-aged man’s voice came through.
"What is it?"
"Hello, Uncle!"
Before Long Bohan could speak, Dong Dongchen leaned in with a cheeky grin and chimed in.
The voice on the other end of the line audibly relaxed, a smile in his tone.
"Ah, Dongchen. You’re with Bo Han?"
"Yeah, Uncle," Dong Dongchen replied. "I’m treating him to a meal."
"Nonsense." The voice on the other end turned serious again. "Bo Han, you should be the one treating Dongchen."
Long Bohan was burning with impatience and had no time for pleasantries. He cut straight to the point.
"Dad, who’s paying for this meal isn’t important. I have something urgent I need to ask you."
He quickly recounted the situation with Lin Ye: his reappearance and how he had instantly eliminated over twenty other contestants with terrifying power, including one at the Early Stage of the Gang Condensation Realm.
The other end of the line went silent for a moment.
"This person you’re speaking of... rings a bell. About a month ago, I believe you asked for my opinion on this matter."
"Bo Han, if I recall correctly, you’re currently competing with your colleague for the right to sign a prodigy, aren’t you?"
Long Bohan’s heart tightened.
"Yes. That person is currently participating in the Nanhu Province Qiming General Star Training Camp and is ranked at least third."
There was a moment of silence on the other end before the voice finally came through again.
"You must be focused in your work. Remember the saying: of a hundred-mile journey, ninety miles is only halfway."
Long Bohan’s father’s voice was placid, yet it carried an undeniable weight. "On one hand, you have a top prodigy who has already proven his mettle. His talent, strength, and Martial Arts Spirituality are all on clear display. Signing him would be a tangible achievement."
"On the other hand, you have this ’dark horse’ you mentioned, who is a complete unknown."
"You have to judge for yourself which is the small prize and which is the grand prize."
"As an officer of the Firewood Martial Hall, you must possess that kind of boldness and decisiveness."
"Trust your own judgment."
After saying his piece, his father exchanged a few more pleasantries with Dong Dongchen before ending the call.
Long Bohan clutched his personal terminal, lost in deep thought for a long time.
He understood what his father meant.
The Firewood Martial Hall was also rife with internal competition.
Although he had his father’s connections to rely on, he needed to produce concrete results every step of the way if he wanted to advance.
Competing with a colleague for an A-grade target while simultaneously diverting energy to pursue a B- or even C-grade target with an uncertain future was a cardinal sin in his line of work.
If he was caught trying to have a foot in both camps like this, even once, his reputation among the higher-ups would plummet.
He had to make a choice.
Dong Dongchen didn’t speak this time, just silently poured him a glass of wine.
He knew his childhood friend was facing one of the most important career decisions he’d had to make since becoming an officer of the Firewood Martial Hall.
If he chose correctly, his career would skyrocket.
If he chose wrong, he might not recover for years.
After a long silence,
Long Bohan slowly raised his head. The hesitation and conflict in his eyes were gone, replaced by a steely, unprecedented resolve.
"Dongchen."
"Hm?"
"Compile all of Lin Ye’s battle videos to date and send them to me."
Dong Dongchen froze for a second, then a grin spread across his face.
He knew that Long Bohan had made his choice.
Long Bohan’s gaze returned to the large screen.
On the screen, the avatar for the ID "Goblin Soldiers" had turned gray, indicating an offline status.
It seemed he had something to take care of in the real world, as he had logged off immediately after the match.
"I still want to sign him!"
Long Bohan spoke each word slowly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm and resolute.
He stared at the grayed-out ID, a fire burning in his eyes.
’I hope... I won’t live to regret the choice I’ve made today.’
...
「The next day.」
Firewood Martial Hall, Yanjing Branch.
The atmosphere in the office of the Head of the Recruitment Department was tense.
Wang Jingcheng was around fifty years old, with a touch of frost at his temples. His well-fitting suit couldn’t hide the powerful physique he had honed from years of martial arts practice.
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