A-grade Subsidy

Seeing the hint of confusion in Lin Mu's eyes, Bai Fan's face carried a faint smile as he said, "Is it strange that Mental Strength is so highly valued?"

Lin Mu nodded.

"In fact, you've already noticed. Martial artists can increase their Blood Qi Value through practicing martial skills, so generally speaking, the higher a martial artist's skill level, the stronger their strength!"

"Mental Strength can effectively raise skill level!"

"This is also the key to breaking through from Fourth Order to Fifth Order. To break through to Fifth Order, you must cultivate at least one skill to Diamond Grade!"

"And the difficulty involved—you'll only truly understand once you've actually trained in it!" Bai Fan said.

"There are many things I could tell you now, but you wouldn't grasp them. In short, do your best to raise your Mental Strength—it will bring you many benefits in future cultivation!"

Lin Mu nodded: "I understand!"

"Alright, I won't keep you. Train well, and I'll see you in half a month!" Bai Fan said.

"Thank you, Principal!"

Bai Fan waved his hand, stood up, and left.

Watching Bai Fan's retreating figure, Lin Mu felt a stir of emotion in his heart.

He knew that the path of cultivation only grew harder the further one went.

He was still at the very bottom of this world, unaware of many things.

"By sheer accident, I've learned something about breaking through from Fourth Order to Fifth Order. But from what Principal Bai said, there will still be plenty of obstacles ahead if I want to improve!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

Still, he wasn't overly worried. With the system he had, he was bound to make progress in the future.

He gathered the items on the table and turned his gaze toward the system interface.

"Name: Lin Mu."

"Blood Qi Value: 6.73 points."

"Mental Strength: 1.3 points."

"Skills: Fist Technique (Black Iron Grade 77%), Movement Technique (Silver Grade 6%), Blade Technique (Black Iron Grade 51%)."

"Secret Art: Dragon Secret Art Fragment (Minor Success 34%)."

"Breathing Technique: Xuanmu Breathing Technique Fragment (Beginner 55%)."

"Cultivation Method: Five Hearts Facing Heaven Art (Major Success 30%)."

"Martial Skills: Dragon Roar Fist (Perfection), Wandering Dragon Steps (Perfection), Dragon's Thousand-Mile Stride (Minor Success 13%), Immovable Rock Golden Body (Beginner 89%), Berserk Strike (Beginner 77%)."

"..."

Looking at the data before him, a glint of excitement shone in Lin Mu's eyes.

This trip to the Blood Qi Medicine Pool had been a tremendous help.

His Blood Qi Value had increased by a full 3.0 points.

That alone matched all his previous hard training.

"People really do need resources!" Lin Mu thought to himself.

His eyes then fell on the Breathing Technique and Secret Art.

Both were fragments.

And that severely limited his progress.

"Getting the complete versions will still be quite difficult!" Lin Mu mused.

He stretched his waist and walked toward his room.

Sitting in the room, he reviewed some lessons. Around ten o'clock, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Lin Mu took the rewards Bai Fan had given him and headed to the martial hall downstairs.

Many people in the hall greeted him with great enthusiasm when they saw him.

News of Lin Mu's guidance to Li Yan had already spread, and Li Yan had indeed improved significantly—he was now a First-Order Martial Artist.

So many people held Lin Mu in high regard.

When Huang Yan saw him, her beautiful eyes were filled with eagerness, as if she wished Lin Mu would devour her right then and there.

"Lin Mu, you're here!" Huang Yan thrust out her proud chest, her voice carrying a hint of allure.

"Mm. I'm here to exchange for some things."

"What do you want to exchange? I'll help you!" Huang Yan said.

Lin Mu took out his Exchange Voucher.

"Thirty B-grade Cultivation Supplies, one Tier 3 Martial Skill, and one B-grade Battle Saber!" Lin Mu said.

Hearing this, the expressions of many present shifted noticeably.

These items were worth a fortune—together, they added up to several million.

Lin Mu was just a student—how had he suddenly become so wealthy?

Huang Yan's face was also full of disbelief, but when she saw the exchange vouchers Lin Mu had taken out, the surprise in her beautiful eyes grew even more pronounced.

These vouchers all had steel stamps; they were definitely genuine.

She just couldn't understand where a poor student like Lin Mu had gotten them from.

"Let me report this for you!" Unable to make the decision herself, Huang Yan immediately dialed a phone call.

After briefly explaining the situation, before long, a figure came running down from upstairs.

When he saw those exchange vouchers, the man's expression shifted noticeably.

"Exchange vouchers issued by the Ministry of Education—you have the school's A-grade subsidy?" The man looked at Lin Mu and asked directly.

As his words fell, many of those present changed expressions.

A-grade subsidy!?

What kind of outstanding person could obtain that?

"I remember a student before, whose family was quite poor, but with a Blood Qi Value of 2.5, he applied multiple times and only got a D-grade subsidy. For each higher level, the difficulty increases at least tenfold."

"How terrifying must his talent be to get an A-grade subsidy?"

"That's right, Li City isn't exactly wealthy. Even the Ministry of Education wouldn't easily hand out these things to subsidize students. To get this kind of subsidy, his talent is definitely extraordinary!"

"In the future, he might even become a Fourth Tier Martial Artist!"

"..."

Many people murmured among themselves, their gazes toward Lin Mu now carrying a bit more respect.

If Lin Mu's earlier performance as a sparring partner had surprised them, making them think he had real talent in combat, then now, in their eyes, Lin Mu was an outright genius.

Someone like this, in the future, would be someone they couldn't hope to match.

When Huang Yan heard this, her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.

A Fourth Tier Martial Artist!

The man before her might actually become a Fourth Tier Martial Artist in the future!

She felt her head spinning.

Just how powerful did one's talent have to be to reach that level!

"Why didn't I notice before that he had such talent!" Her heart was full of regret.

She knew that the Lin Mu of now and the one before were completely different worlds.

Even if she threw herself into his arms now, he probably wouldn't spare her a second glance.

Lin Mu looked at the man before him and nodded slightly, confirming his question.

The man took a deep breath, and his gaze toward Lin Mu gained a bit more respect.

"I never thought I'd meet someone like you. I'm the Vice Curator of this martial arts hall, Lei He! Let's talk inside!" Lei He said with a smile.

Lin Mu nodded.

He followed Lei He upstairs, and the two sat down in the office to chat.

Lei He treated Lin Mu as if he were a superior.

Even though he had Second-Order Cultivation and could crush Lin Mu with a single palm strike right now, he still showed Lin Mu sufficient respect.

"I have a general understanding of your situation. Based on where you are now, there are a few martial skills you can take a look at. Of course, this is just my personal suggestion—if you don't think they're suitable, you can choose on your own..."