57 Calories! Heading to Jiangnan No. 1 High School!

In his office, Li Guangming stared at the glaring number on the screen. His wrinkled old face froze, and then a complicated expression, mingling pride, shock, and gravity, slowly appeared.

He rose without disturbing anyone and walked alone to the special-grade cultivation room that had been closed for half a year.

The heavy Alloy Gate slid open silently.

Li Guangming walked in slowly. The first thing he saw was the number still shining on the military-grade testing device's screen.

56.8 calories.

"As expected, you've reached a bottleneck."

Li Guangming's voice broke the silence in the room.

Chen Fan had already finished cultivating and was looking at him calmly, as though he had expected his arrival.

Li Guangming walked to Chen Fan's side and gently placed a gaunt hand on his shoulder, feeling the Qi and Blood beneath that small, slender body, blazing and vigorous as a furnace.

"Every martial artist encounters this threshold before entering the Qi-Blood Realm." Li Guangming's voice was deep and forceful. "Once your Qi and Blood exceeds fifty calories, your body reaches the limit of what it can bear. At that point, your meridians are like river channels clogged with silt. Simply accumulating more Qi and Blood can scarcely take you another inch."

Looking into Chen Fan's inquisitive eyes, he continued, "To break through that barrier and allow the power of your Qi and Blood to truly emerge from your body and become the legendary protective aura of a martial artist, you must cultivate a true Qi and Blood Technique."

"A Qi and Blood Technique?"

Chen Fan repeated the words softly. It was the first time he had heard the term.

"That's right."

Li Guangming's expression grew exceedingly solemn.

"The Five Elements Stance and Five Elements Fist are merely the bricks and stones used to lay a foundation. A Qi and Blood Technique, on the other hand, is the fundamental method for guiding, tempering, and even elevating your Qi and Blood!"

"It will determine the purity and explosive power of your Qi and Blood after your breakthrough, as well as the upper limit of your future growth. You could say that the first technique you choose is the main pillar deep within the edifice of your Martial Dao!"

Chen Fan understood at once.

It served the same purpose through different means as the concept of foundation establishment he had known in his previous life.

One wrong step, and every step after it would be wrong.

"Our East Sea Martial Arts Elementary School also has a few Qi and Blood Techniques in its collection."

Li Guangming sighed, a trace of self-mockery appearing on his face. "But to put it bluntly, they're all common wares prepared for ordinary students. Compared with the divine techniques that serve as the foundation of a sacred place like Jiangnan No. 1 High School, they're like bricks and stones on the ground compared to fine jade in the heavens—the difference between clouds and mud."

He changed the subject and dropped a bombshell.

"That's also why countless Martial Dao geniuses from extraordinary backgrounds would rather suppress their Qi and Blood at the Quasi-Martial Artist Realm for years than fight tooth and nail to get into a top academy."

"What they're waiting for is a top-tier technique that can put them ahead at the starting line, or even determine how far they can go in the future!"

Li Guangming looked at Chen Fan earnestly, a trace of concern in his eyes. "You've been wound too tight these past six months. The admissions exam is almost here, but more haste, less speed. Go home, get a good two days of rest, and settle your mind."

"Remember, the real battle isn't just on the arena stage. It's even more so in your state of mind."

By the time Chen Fan returned to the familiar old house, the evening glow had dyed the sky a gorgeous orange-red.

At the dinner table, his grandfather Chen Ping hummed some unknown, age-old opera tune as he brought out the last steaming dish of Sweet and Sour Pork.

The moment the old man saw his grandson return, his cloudy eyes filled with joy.

"Oh, Xiao Fan, you're back? Quick, come and have a taste. Grandpa learned a new recipe today and added an extra half spoonful of sugar. You're sure to like it!"

Chen Fan put down his schoolbag and sat at the table.

The familiar aroma of the food, mingled with the fragrance of the flowers and plants in the courtyard, quietly eased the tension that had held him taut for half a year.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Fan set down his chopsticks. Looking at his grandfather, who was placing food in his bowl, he said softly, "Grandpa, the school has an activity in a couple of days. I might be away for a day or two."

"Clack!"

The chopsticks fell from Chen Ping's hand onto the table, but he paid them no mind.

The old man stared blankly for a moment, then an unprecedentedly radiant smile suddenly bloomed across his wrinkled face.

He slapped his thigh in excitement, his voice rising eight octaves.

"Good! Is it a spring outing organized by the school? Good! That's wonderful! You should go out and have fun with your classmates more often!"

As he saw it, this was undoubtedly the best sign that his withdrawn grandson was finally beginning to join the group and was willing to make friends with children his own age!

The old man was so happy that he danced about, then turned to rummage through a cabinet for the bottle of aged baijiu he had treasured for a long time, unable to bear drinking it. He filled himself a large cup.

"Come on, Xiao Fan, you drink your juice. Grandpa's happy today, so I have to have a drink!"

After downing the cup, Chen Ping's floodgates opened. His face glowing red, he rambled on about all the amusing things Chen Fan had done as a child.

From being caught stealing sugar from the kitchen at three, to solemnly imitating him as he practiced tai chi at five...

As he spoke, the old man's eyes grew a little moist.

Chen Fan offered no explanation. He simply listened quietly and silently refilled the old man's rice bowl.

Outside the window, the night deepened.

A bright moon hung in the sky, its cool glow spilling across the little courtyard.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Fan did not deliberately cultivate. He simply sat in meditation and regulated his breathing, letting that seamless, unified fist intent settle completely into the depths of his marrow.

Yet his terrifying [One in a Thousand] talent was like a furnace that never went out, still imperceptibly drawing energy from the void and strengthening his Qi and Blood.

Before setting out, he walked up to the military-grade testing device one last time.

[Qi and Blood: 57.0 calories]

The number had quietly broken through and settled there.

The bottleneck remained firm.

But the foundation beneath it had grown ever more robust.

Morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell across the dining table.

Chen Ping handed Chen Fan a bulging schoolbag. Inside were all sorts of snacks he had prepared overnight, along with an insulated cup filled with warm water.

"Xiao Fan, stay safe while you're out having fun. Listen to your teachers, and don't get separated from your classmates."

The old man fussed on, his face full of joy and concern he could not hide.

As he saw it, his somewhat introverted grandson was finally willing to take part in a school group activity. It was wonderful news.

Looking at his grandfather's eyes, narrowed with laughter, Chen Fan felt a little warmth in his heart and nodded solemnly.

He took the schoolbag without another word, then turned and headed down the familiar road toward the rising sun.

When Chen Fan appeared at the gates of East Sea Martial Arts Elementary School, the sight before him brought a trace of surprise to his usually unruffled eyes.

The school gates were packed with people.

All the students of Grade Six, Class One, led by Wei Zhe and dressed in their neatest training clothes, had formed two lines of their own accord. Their expressions were solemn and serious, like soldiers awaiting inspection.

Behind them were students from other grades who had come after hearing the news. A dense mass of people surrounded the school gates, leaving not even a drop of water able to pass.

The crowd fell silent the instant Chen Fan appeared.

Wei Zhe strode out of the ranks. His former arrogance and hostility had long since vanished, replaced by an almost fanatical admiration.

He walked up to Chen Fan and suddenly thumped his chest with a dull sound, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Boss, give it your all! Beat every one of those so-called geniuses to the ground!"

"Boss, you're the strongest!"

"Boss, we'll be waiting for your triumphant return!"

Zhao Jie and the other students joined in, their shouts rising like a roaring mountain and a surging sea.

Waves of sound rolled into the sky, filled with the purest, most absolute confidence in Chen Fan.

To one side of the ranks stood the two teachers, Wang Zhen and Liu Haifeng, their eyes reddened.

Wang Zhen stepped forward and clapped Chen Fan hard on the shoulder, his voice a little choked. "Go on. Make the name of East Sea Martial Arts Elementary School ring throughout Jiangnan!"

Liu Haifeng simply nodded heavily. A thousand words and ten thousand thoughts lay unspoken.

Just then, a specially made hovercar slowly approached and stopped before the crowd. It was black all over, with sleek lines and an understated design that nevertheless exuded an invisible majesty.

The door slid open silently, and Principal Li Guangming stepped out.

He looked at the energetic youngsters before him, at the flames called faith in their eyes, and smiled with satisfaction.

Then he turned to Chen Fan, his expression growing solemn. "Let's go. The real battlefield is waiting for you."

Chen Fan took one last look at everyone and boarded the hovercar amid cheers like a roaring mountain and a surging sea.

The door slowly closed.

The moment it shut out the clamor outside, he saw through the window that all his classmates and teachers were waving their arms vigorously at him.

A faint ripple stirred in his ever-calm heart.

"Vroom!!"

The hovercar's engine gave a low hum. It shot into the air in an instant, becoming a streak of black light as it sped above the clouds at supersonic speed.

East Sea City rapidly shrank beneath them, eventually becoming a hazy point of light that vanished beyond the horizon.

Several hours later.

As the hovercar began to slow and descended through the clouds, a steel forest countless times grander and more magnificent than East Sea City appeared before Chen Fan's eyes.

Skyscrapers pierced the heavens like swords and halberds, while rivers of light formed by countless hovercars flowed endlessly between the buildings. The entire city radiated a vast vitality that made his heart tremble.

Tiannan City, the capital of the Jiangnan Region!

The hovercar did not enter the bustling city center, however. Instead, it headed straight for a vast area on the city's outskirts, surrounded by mountains.

The vehicle gradually slowed.

When their final destination came fully into view, even Chen Fan, with an adult's soul within him, could not help but be shaken.

It was a complex of buildings whose grandeur defied description.

Rather than a man-made city, it looked more like a colossal ancient beast lying dormant upon the earth.

Countless enormous towers, gleaming with mysterious runes, rose straight into the clouds like the spines supporting heaven and earth.

Terrifyingly powerful fluctuations of Qi and Blood flickered in and out of perception across the campus, like sleeping volcanoes. They were so powerful that even the air warped around them.

Most striking of all was the enormous school gate, resembling the Dragon Gate of myth.

Carved from a single immense block of unknown azure stone, the gate stood a hundred meters tall. Four ancient, vigorous characters were inscribed upon it in bold, soaring strokes.

[Jiangnan No. 1 High School]

Just looking at those four characters, Chen Fan felt an invisible pressure sweeping toward him, looking down upon all living things.

It was a unique aura, formed from the presences of countless Prodigies and monstrous talents, settled and fermented through the years.

The hovercar slowly came to a stop in a designated area several hundred meters from the school gates.

Li Guangming looked out the window at the mythical academy and took a deep breath. Then he turned to Chen Fan, his voice low.

"We're here."