Provocation (Please Follow)

According to martial arts research, building a foundation through training from childhood meant learning everything from stance work to fist techniques and then weapons.

After students entered their senior year of high school, the focus would first be placed on fist techniques.

Only after the Five Forms Fist Technique reached Major Achievement, greatly improving control over the body's muscles, could they train with weapons and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Currently, only five people in Class 3 have reached Major Achievement in the Five Forms Fist Technique: Yu Jing, Zhu Yuqi, Jiang Tao, Kang Feiyue, and Du Lin."

"Now it seems Lin Qi is about to break through as well."

Wu Kang pondered inwardly. The more he looked at Lin Qi, the more regrettable he found it.

It was a pity that Lin Qi came from a poor family. His talent was certainly not bad, but it had not reached the level of someone like Jiang Tao, who ranked in the top three of the class.

Nor could he afford, like the others, to buy all kinds of resources to improve his vitality and blood. His prospects were limited.

And there were quite a few students like this every year, neither outstanding nor hopeless.

What a pity. Wu Kang could not do anything to help.

Wu Kang let out a sigh.

Class was nearly over, and most people had already finished training.

Lin Qi carried his oversized water bottle to the dispenser and filled it with two full liters of drinking water.

"Gulp, gulp~"

He drank deeply, then wiped the sweat from his body.

"Martial arts training really burns through water too fast, but at least the drinking water is free. Worth it."

Lin Qi sighed. After practicing fist techniques, he was unbearably thirsty. Luckily, the drinking water was free; otherwise, his daily water expenses would be enormous.

"The school will soon be forming an Elite Class. Quite a few people in our class want to get in."

Wu Kang stood amid the crowd and suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention.

Under their gazes, he flashed his white teeth and continued.

"I've been at No. 2 High School for eight years, so I know the Elite Class selection criteria very well."

"The College Entrance Examination is mainly divided into three categories. In order of importance, they are vitality and blood, Martial Arts, and academics."

"Of those, vitality and blood carries the most weight, followed by Martial Arts!"

"So if you want to enter the Elite Class, vitality and blood and Martial Arts are extremely important. Your Fist Technique must reach Major Achievement, which is the Late Stage of First Order."

"In previous years, the minimum vitality and blood value was above 6.0."

As soon as he finished speaking, quite a few people stirred.

"Major Achievement in the Five Forms Fist Technique and a vitality and blood value above 6.0? Isn't that requirement way too high?"

"I was thirteenth in the class last semester, and my vitality and blood value is only 5.4 now. With less than a week left, where am I supposed to raise it by 0.6?" someone wailed.

"Last semester, I think only four people in our class had vitality and blood values above 6."

"The requirement really is high."

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have slacked off during the summer vacation." Someone regretted it deeply.

"Boss, with your vitality and blood above 8.0, getting into the Elite Class is a sure thing."

In the distance, a handsome boy holding a Battle Saber heard his classmates' praise. He raised his head, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Lin Qi frowned. Getting into the Elite Class actually required a vitality and blood value of 6.0.

If he had not awakened the Erlang Shen Template and improved his talent, then with yesterday's vitality and blood value of 5.3, there was no way he could have raised it to 6.0 within a week.

But with his current vitality and blood value of 5.6, he was only 0.4 short.

If he gave it everything he had over the next few days, there was still hope.

In class, the Teacher was lecturing.

Lin Qi sat in his seat, his mind consumed by an intense hunger.

So hungry!

"I ate so much this morning, yet it was digested this quickly."

Lin Qi suddenly thought of the prompt on the Panel.

[Your stomach function has been enhanced, greatly improving your digestive ability...]

He opened the prompt and continued reading. In an instant, a vast amount of information flooded into his mind.

A moment later, he understood everything. As his body fused with the talent and continued to transform, his stomach function had been strengthened, greatly improving his digestive ability.

At the same time, his ability to absorb nutrients had also greatly improved.

Everyone had a different constitution and different digestive abilities.

Weaker people might only absorb fifty to sixty percent, while stronger people could digest more nutrients from food.

Lin Qi now possessed a top-tier digestive constitution, allowing him to absorb and digest more than ninety percent of the nutrients in food.

Even when consuming cultivation resources, he could perfectly absorb and digest their effects.

"Tao Zi, do you still have any Qi and Blood Capsules?"

"Lend me a few!"

Lin Qi nudged Jiang Tao's shoulder and spoke quietly.

Jiang Tao's expression changed drastically. He hesitantly took out a silver blister pack from his backpack and squeezed out two red capsules.

Lin Qi smiled and teased, "Do you have to be this stingy? Would it kill you to give me one more?"

Everything about his best friend was good, except that he was absurdly frugal.

He had learned many money-saving and thrifty tricks from him.

"Wasn't it you who taught me that when we were kids?" Jiang Tao shot back with a grin.

Lin Qi came to a realization. That did seem to be the case. Jiang Tao's family had once been fairly well-off.

After his parents died in service, he and his younger sister began living in hardship. As his friend, Lin Qi had taught him quite a few money-saving techniques.

After several years, Jiang Tao had surpassed his teacher.

Lin Qi looked at the two red capsules in his hand.

Qi and Blood Capsules could effectively replenish vitality and blood.

They were the lowest-grade martial arts cultivation resource and were inexpensive enough for even poor families like his to afford.

"Gulp~"

Lin Qi swallowed the two Qi and Blood Capsules with water.

"Whew~"

A moment later, he felt the hunger gradually subside, and his stomach became pleasantly warm.

The last class of the day

Homeroom teacher Yan Hong checked the time and said to the drowsy students, "There are still a few minutes left. Those who have filled out their application forms can come up and hand them to me."

"Whoosh~"

The atmosphere in the classroom changed from quiet to restless.

Several students rose from their desks one after another and submitted their application forms.

"Qi Ge, let's go."

Jiang Tao took out his application form and patted Lin Qi on the shoulder.

"Alright!"

Lin Qi nodded. The two of them stood up together and walked toward the podium with their forms.

Just then, a burly boy with broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a permed forward-spiked hairstyle walked toward them.

When he saw Lin Qi, his eyes flickered. He grinned and said, "Yo, Basic Skill Master, are you here to make up the numbers too?"

Jiang Tao's expression changed, while Lin Qi frowned.

Everyone in the class looked over. Quite a few watched the three of them with amusement.

"Yang Lei, you hover around fiftieth place in the grade yourself. You're not guaranteed a spot in the Elite Class either. Maybe you're just here to make up the numbers too!" Jiang Tao sneered in reply, while Lin Qi remained calm.

Seeing this, Yang Lei did not dare respond. He patted Lin Qi on the shoulder and pretended to be friendly, saying with a smile, "I was just joking. Qi Ge will definitely get into the Elite Class. I apologize."

"Sorry, Qi Ge."

With that, he turned and walked away coolly.

Among the students, some looked disdainful, some enjoyed the show, and others discussed it in low voices.

"Yang Lei wasn't wrong. Lin Qi was only 101st last semester. He's too far behind. Calling him someone who's just making up the numbers isn't wrong."

"Did he get triggered by just one sentence?"

"..."

The discussions reached Lin Qi's ears, but his expression remained calm as he and Jiang Tao submitted their application forms.

"Ring, ring, ring~"

"Class dismissed."

All the students left the classroom and headed toward the cafeteria.

On the way, Jiang Tao comforted Lin Qi amid the crowd.

"Yang Lei has a foul mouth. Don't take what he said to heart."

Lin Qi nodded. "I know. People like Yang Lei bully the weak and fear the strong. He only talks trash to people weaker than himself."

"Just ignore him."

"But it's still because I'm not strong enough. Look, he wouldn't dare provoke you."

"Qi Ge, I believe that with your talent, you'll definitely enter the Elite Class."

"Qi Ge, your Tiger Form Fist isn't far from Major Achievement either. You just need to find a way to raise your vitality and blood value," Jiang Tao suggested.

Lin Qi gave a bitter smile.

"A vitality and blood value isn't something you can reach through hard work alone. It takes resources. It takes money."

"Let's eat first!"

With that, a massive building appeared before them—the cafeteria.

The cafeteria of No. 2 High School stood beside the athletic field.

It was a huge, square, red two-story building that could accommodate several thousand people eating at the same time.

White steam drifted above the cafeteria, and the fragrance of food washed over them. Crowds of students entered in an orderly flow.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao entered the cafeteria and lined up to get food.

"Beep!"

"Total payment: 15 yuan."

After paying, Lin Qi carried a tray piled into a small mountain and found a seat.

Jiang Tao across from him was no less impressive, with a small mountain of food on his tray as well.

The two chatted as they ate.

"If we want to raise our vitality and blood values quickly, we can't keep eating on the first floor."

Jiang Tao looked enviously at some students heading to the second floor.

"The cafeteria has two floors. The meals on the first floor are ordinary food. The vegetables, meat, and rice used contain almost no Source Energy."

"The people who eat here are students from other tracks, as well as poor students like us..."