Li Guangming's Thoughts

Inside the luxurious hovercar, the clamor was shut out.

The feverish flush of victory still lingered on Liu Haifeng and Wang Zhen's faces as they animatedly dissected that earth-shaking punch from moments ago, spittle flying.

"Old Liu, did you see that? Li Hao's Wave-Stacking Fist was at the perfected realm! And Xiao Fan punched right through it!"

"More than punched through it! That spiraling hidden force—whew, I'm starting to wonder if Xiao Fan has cultivated the Five Elements Fist to the legendary Return to Truth Realm!"

The atmosphere in the car was fiery with excitement.

Yet Li Guangming, seated in the place of honor, had said nothing all this time. He simply gazed at the city skyline flashing past the window, his wrinkled old face as calm as a deep pool of water.

At last, he slowly raised one hand.

The noise in the car stopped abruptly.

Liu Haifeng and Wang Zhen exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes, and sensibly fell silent.

Li Guangming did not turn around. He simply said, "You two get out first. Go back to the school and arrange a victory banquet. I have a few things I want to discuss with student Chen Fan in private."

His voice was quiet, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

Liu Haifeng and Wang Zhen were taken aback. Though filled with curiosity, they immediately nodded and agreed. The hovercar stopped partway there, and after the two men got out, the door closed silently once more.

Only Li Guangming and Chen Fan remained in the spacious cabin.

As the excitement ebbed, a different sort of solemn stillness began to fill the air.

The principal's office.

The lights were off, and the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows offered a full view of the city at dusk.

Rather than sitting down behind his large desk, Li Guangming took two white-jade teacups and a canister of tea leaves from an antique wooden cabinet.

He personally brewed Chen Fan a cup of tea. Misty steam rose, and a refreshing aura of spiritual energy and tea instantly filled the room.

"Cloud Summit Spirit Bud. Have a taste."

Li Guangming pushed one of the cups in front of Chen Fan, then picked up the other and gently blew on it. He was as relaxed as if he were hosting an old friend he regarded as a peer.

Chen Fan picked up the cup but did not drink. He simply looked at the tender green buds and leaves unfurling in the tea.

"Principal, if you have something to say, just say it."

Li Guangming smiled at that. There was admiration in his smile, along with a touch of emotion.

"All right." He set down his cup, his gaze growing profound. "Do you know why Director Qian lost his composure so badly today?"

Without waiting for Chen Fan to answer, he continued, "Because this little exchange match of ours was never just for us to see."

"The Federation Education Network has an internal real-time portal. Live footage of all official interschool matches, along with the contestants' key information, is uploaded to it simultaneously."

Li Guangming looked at Chen Fan, his eyes shining with wisdom.

"The moment you defeated Li Hao with a single punch and the instruments captured and uploaded your Qi and Blood data... I'd wager your information was already delivered through encrypted channels to the desks of principals at top high schools in several major cities around East Sea City, and even in the provincial capital."

"Director Qian was simply the quickest to react and the closest one here."

"He wasn't in a hurry. He was afraid."

Li Guangming spoke word by word, his voice clear and calm. "He was afraid the real sharks would catch the scent of blood and swallow you, a true dragon newly emerged from the water, in a single bite before he could react!"

Those words were like a key, instantly unlocking all the doubts in Chen Fan's mind.

So that was it.

"Then why did you stop him, Principal?"

Chen Fan asked the crucial question.

"Heh heh."

Li Guangming smiled again, and this time there was a touch of an old fox's cunning in it.

He rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, standing with his hands behind his back as he watched the streams of traffic below.

"East Sea First High School is the best high school in East Sea City. There's no doubt about that."

"But what about the whole province, or even the entire Jiangnan Region? It doesn't rank among the best there."

Li Guangming slowly turned around, his gaze burning as he looked at Chen Fan, his tone growing utterly solemn.

"Chen Fan, I won't try to persuade you to stay, and I certainly won't use the school's honor to hold you hostage. In my capacity as principal of East Sea Martial Arts Elementary School, I promise you that I'll help you secure the most generous terms and a path to the very best platform! Even if... that means you'll leave East Sea City."

"I understand."

Chen Fan nodded calmly.

Seeing Chen Fan's composure, so far beyond his years, the satisfaction in Li Guangming's eyes deepened.

He solemnly took out a metal card that was pitch-black all over, with intricate formation patterns engraved on its surface, and an official document bearing the principal's seal.

"This is what you've earned. The highest level of access to the special-grade resource cultivation room for one month."

"And this: all your future resource allocations will be doubled!"

Chen Fan reached out and accepted them.

The metal card was icy to the touch, as if he were holding a piece of ten-thousand-year-old cold iron.

He said nothing more. He simply put the items away, then turned and headed straight for the door.

"Where are you going?"

Li Guangming asked instinctively.

"The cultivation room."

Chen Fan answered without the slightest hesitation.

Watching the door close gently, Li Guangming's solemn expression slowly faded, finally giving way to a satisfied smile.

The special-grade resource cultivation room.

When Chen Fan used the black metal card to open the heavy alloy door, a wave of pure spiritual energy, so dense it was almost tangible, rushed into his face like thick fog.

The concentration of spiritual energy here was at least five times that of the outside world!

Chen Fan did not waste a single second.

He closed the door behind him, walked to the cushion in the center of the cultivation room and sat down cross-legged. Without hesitation, he took all four Primary Qi-Blood Potions!

The vast medicinal power exploded within him like a flood bursting through a dam.

Almost at the same time, he lowered his waist and settled into a horse stance, planting himself firmly in a standard Five Elements Stance.

The abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth outside him seemed to feel some irresistible attraction. It transformed into streams of white air visible to the naked eye and poured wildly into Chen Fan's body!

Medicinal power, spiritual energy.

The two torrents met, collided and merged in his meridians. Then, empowered by his terrifying [One in a Thousand] talent, they were furiously converted into the purest power of Qi and Blood!

Time lost all meaning here.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Chen Fan opened his eyes again, the bones throughout his body erupted in a series of crackling pops. He breathed out a mouthful of turbid air, which formed a three-foot-long white arrow before him and lingered for a long time.

"I've reached a bottleneck."

Feeling the surging Qi and Blood within him faintly press against an invisible barrier, he frowned slightly.

It seemed that simply accumulating Qi and Blood was no longer enough. He needed a higher-level cultivation technique or a stronger external force to break through these shackles.

He walked out of the cultivation room, and the heavy alloy door slowly closed behind him.

Just as he was about to return to the classroom, a figure rushed toward him from the end of the corridor like a whirlwind, his face filled with uncontainable elation and excitement.

It was Liu Haifeng.

He stepped in front of Chen Fan, blocking his way, breathing hard and his eyes shining.

"Chen Fan! You're finally out!"

"Quick! Come with me! Some important people... have asked to see you by name!"