Out of My Way
The medicinal power burned like a furnace inside him. Every inch of muscle and every bone let out a satisfied groan as that vast, pure energy washed over them.
Chen Fan held the Five Elements Stance as steady as a rock. The power of his qi and blood formed a greedy net, capturing, devouring, and transforming every last trace of the elementary qi-blood potion's medicinal power.
He could clearly feel that his body was like a bottomless pit, its hunger for energy far surpassing that of ordinary people.
When ordinary students took a potion, absorbing thirty or forty percent meant they had decent talent. But he felt that at least eighty percent of its medicinal power had been perfectly integrated into his qi and blood.
An unprecedented sense of fullness spread through his limbs and bones.
If his qi and blood had been a stream before, they had now gathered into a surging river. Not only had their total amount soared, but their purity had also risen to another level.
An afternoon of cultivation quietly slipped by.
When Chen Fan slowly ended his cultivation and breathed out a mouthful of scorching white vapor, the subtle yet powerful fluctuations of qi and blood radiating from him
Made a startling light burst from the eyes of Wang Zhen, who had been silently watching nearby.
What a lad!
That absorption efficiency... it's downright absurd!
Wang Zhen marveled inwardly but did not go over to disturb him. He merely nodded in satisfaction, signaling that Chen Fan could consolidate his gains on his own.
A true genius did not need many words, only enough space.
Before the dismissal bell rang, Chen Fan took advantage of the moment while the other students were still packing up and walked alone into the empty martial arts testing room once again.
He needed a precise number to measure his progress.
The cold metal sensor plate felt familiar to the touch. Chen Fan took a deep breath and pressed his palm against it.
Holding nothing back, he sent that surging river of qi and blood roaring into his right arm in an instant!
Hum!
The testing device's screen suddenly lit up, and the number on it began to soar at an unprecedented speed!
1.0!
2.0!
3.0!
In the blink of an eye, the number smashed through his morning record, with no sign of slowing down!
3.6!
4.0!
Only after breaking through the threshold of 4 did the number on the screen finally slow. It ticked upward gradually before settling at last.
[Qi and blood: 4.5 cal]
A flicker of satisfaction flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.
In just one day, his qi and blood had risen from 3.6 cal to 4.5 cal.
A single elementary qi-blood potion of the lowest grade had increased his qi and blood by nearly 1 cal.
"At this rate, it might not take too long to raise my qi and blood to 100 cal and officially become a Qi-Blood Realm martial artist."
He silently calculated, forming a clearer plan for the future.
The dismissal bell rang. Chen Fan calmly slung his schoolbag over his back and walked out of the classroom.
The looks his classmates gave him grew increasingly complicated. Some were awed, others jealous.
Chen Fan could not even be bothered to turn his head.
To a transmigrator with an adult's soul like him, the jealousy of a bunch of little brats was far too cheap to stir even the slightest emotion.
Rather than take the crowded main road through the school, he turned with practiced familiarity into a secluded alley leading to his grandfather's old house.
It saved him nearly ten minutes of travel.
The bluestone-paved alley was deep and silent, its walls covered in moss.
He had gone less than a hundred meters into the alley when several figures stepped out from around the corner ahead, completely blocking his path.
The one leading them was none other than Zhao Jie.
Beside him were the tall Li Wei from that morning and several other students from fourth grade, class one.
Zhao Jie folded his arms across his chest and tilted his chin up slightly, his face showing undisguised malice and condescending arrogance.
"New guy."
His voice echoed through the silent alley, carrying a sharpness peculiar to boys his age.
"Don't think a little talent means you can strut around in front of me. In fourth grade, class one, even if you're a dragon, you'd better coil up for me!"
Li Wei and the others chimed in, smiling as they anticipated the spectacle. They were ready to enjoy the show of a genius being taught a lesson.
Chen Fan's reaction, however, was completely beyond their expectations.
There was no anger, no attempt to defend himself, not even the slightest trace of nervousness.
He merely looked calmly at the children blocking his way, as though they were a few stones in his path.
This is fucking boring!
That was the only thought in Chen Fan's mind.
He could not even be bothered to respond to such a childish provocation. He simply shifted his feet, preparing to walk around Zhao Jie.
All he wanted now was to hurry home, continue cultivating the Five Elements Stance, and savor the pure joy of growing stronger.
But that act of ignoring him completely ignited the fire of jealousy already raging in Zhao Jie's heart.
He had been ignored!
This new guy, this guy who had stolen his thunder, actually dared to ignore him completely in front of so many people!
"Don't you leave!"
Humiliation and anger went to Zhao Jie's head. With an explosive shout, he pushed off the ground and lunged at Chen Fan like an enraged young lion!
He drove the 4.2 cal of qi and blood in his body to their limit. With a fierce rush of wind, he sent a Five Elements Fist strike whistling toward Chen Fan's face—the move he was proudest of, which he had practiced assiduously for over half a month!
The punch was powerful and heavy, the very source of all his confidence!
Yet the strike that seemed as mighty as a thunderbolt to him looked laughably slow to Chen Fan, riddled with openings from head to toe.
Chen Fan did not even move his feet an inch.
Just as the wind from the fist was about to reach him, he merely tilted his body slightly.
A sidestep as simple as could be.
Zhao Jie's full-force punch brushed past the edge of his clothes and struck heavily into empty air.
His old force was spent, and new force had yet to arise.
Now!
Chen Fan's gaze did not waver in the slightest. He too threw a Five Elements Fist strike, launching it later but landing it first.
No wasted movements, no terrifying blast of air.
Simple and direct.
A fair, clean fist lightly planted itself on Zhao Jie's completely exposed chest, moving so fast it was hard to catch with the naked eye.
Bang.
A muffled thud.
The ferocity and rage on Zhao Jie's face froze instantly, replaced by utter shock and pain.
He felt a terrifying, irresistible force come from the other party's fist, instantly breaking through all his defenses. That force was overwhelmingly tyrannical, surging into his limbs and bones like a gale sweeping away dead wood.
His feet left the ground, and his whole body flew backward like a discarded sack, like a kite with its string cut.
"Thud!"
Zhao Jie crashed heavily onto the bluestone pavement seven or eight meters away, landing with a tremendous, muffled bang.
He curled up on the ground like a cooked prawn, his mouth wide open, unable to draw a single breath. His face turned the color of pig liver.
One move.
Just one move.
The entire alley fell deathly silent.
The smiles froze completely on the faces of Li Wei and the other lackeys. Their mouths hung open wide enough to fit an egg, their eyes filled with incredulous horror.
They stared fixedly at the slight figure slowly drawing back his fist, his face expressionless from beginning to end. A chill seemed to shoot from the soles of their feet straight to the crowns of their heads.
Chen Fan could not be bothered to spare another glance at Zhao Jie, who was twitching on the ground, as though he had merely stepped on an ant in his way.
With his schoolbag on his back, he calmly walked through the group of boys, who were already dumbstruck with fright.
As he brushed past the open-mouthed Li Wei, a voice devoid of emotion drifted softly into Li Wei's ear.
"Out of my way!"