Enhancement

Enhancement

Thinking of the spirit-energy-infused meat medicinal cuisine and the glistening braised pork, Zhou Leng swallowed, flames seeming to churn in his stomach.

"Want to stay at my place for a few days?" Zhou Leng pointed toward the city.

Big Yellow looked toward the city, froze for a few seconds, seemingly recalling the days he had been bound by a dog leash. He retreated three steps and shook his head hard.

Zhou Leng crouched down and vigorously kneaded the dog's face with both hands as he said, "It hasn't been peaceful outside lately. You're not allowed to leave the village, understand?"

Big Yellow's mouth hung open, his eyes vacant and his face utterly bewildered.

Zhou Leng said coldly, "Quit pretending you don't understand. If you dare run around outside, I'll break your dog legs!"

Big Yellow's ears drooped, and he tilted his head in grievance.

His dog eyes shifted slightly.

Zhou Leng patted Big Yellow's head, rose to his feet, and said, "I'm leaving. I'll come see you in a few days."

"Woof woof..." Big Yellow wagged his tail, picked up his steel food bowl, and began visiting houses all around the village.

Zhou Leng carried his hiking pack and jogged all the way, enduring his hunger.

Passing a small supermarket, Zhou Leng felt his stomach roil like an overturned sea, and his body trembled.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhou Leng entered the supermarket and headed straight for the high-energy supplement drink shelf.

He glanced at the price. One bottle cost 100 yuan.

A beverage assassin.

Zhou Leng silently left, went to another shelf, bought four bags of Morning Training Powder, poured them into purified water, and drank it all down. The burning in his stomach eased somewhat.

After leaving the supermarket, Zhou Leng began jogging slowly. Once he had warmed up, he took out his phone and looked at the timer screen.

"Minor Accomplishment Third Heaven true qi... I feel much stronger. I hope I can break three and a half minutes in this qi running!"

Zhou Leng started the timer, circulated his true qi with all his strength, and sprinted at full speed.

The farther he ran, the more relaxed Zhou Leng's expression became.

"Huff..."

Zhou Leng's true qi ran out. He stopped the timer and looked at the time.

4 minutes 18 seconds.

Zhou Leng checked it over and over.

Yesterday, it had been 3 minutes 10 seconds.

In a single day, his qi running time had increased by 1 minute 08 seconds.

If he had possessed this physical condition during the physical exam, his citywide ranking could have risen by at least twenty thousand places.

His best result half a year ago had been 3 minutes 55 seconds.

4 minutes 18 seconds was far beyond what he had expected.

Zhou Leng gently touched his abdomen and vaguely sensed that his true qi had undergone a subtle change.

Or perhaps it was just an illusion, because his Martial Path Perception was not clear enough.

Zhou Leng turned around and looked toward Xiaoru Village on Rugao Mountain, shrouded in white mist.

The white mist seemed much thinner than yesterday.

Zhou Leng continued jogging as he thought about the Mysterious Forest and the Frost Giant Tree.

Gradually, a plan took shape in his heart.

Though he always felt he had forgotten something, it did not seem important.

After returning home, Zhou Leng rushed straight to the storage cabinet and found the emergency food.

Energy bars, compressed biscuits, luncheon meat, chocolate, and more—he ate half of it all in one go before stopping.

After eating, a slight hunger still lingered.

Zhou Leng decisively stopped eating.

Knock, knock, knock...

A knock sounded at the door.

"Xiao Leng, time to eat." Li Linhan urged him from outside.

"Right away."

Zhou Leng went next door.

Meat medicinal cuisine, a whole chicken stewed with Sichuan peppercorns, plus two vegetable dishes.

Zhou Leng ate in huge mouthfuls.

Since Zhou Leng did not speak, Li Linhan did not ask a single extra question.

After Zhou Leng turned and left, Li Linhan wore a thoughtful expression.

This kid's inner cultivation had clearly improved. It looked like he was about to recover.

Back home, Zhou Leng circulated his cultivation to digest the meat medicinal cuisine.

In less than three minutes, Zhou Leng finished.

His body absorbed the medicinal cuisine's power, completely eliminating his hunger. His entire body felt warm, as though he were soaking in a hot spring.

Zhou Leng headed straight downstairs, found an unoccupied spot in the residential complex, and began practicing Wave Palm.

Without using true qi, Zhou Leng slowly performed the eighteen forms of Wave Palm.

Entering Water, Parting Waves; Sweeping Across the Autumn River; Torrential Shorebreak; Boat Crossing the Sea...

Fast strikes, slow practice—every detail emerged down to the slightest fraction.

After slowly completing the set of Wave Palm three times, Zhou Leng focused his expression and began practicing Wave Palm at normal speed.

Fast strikes, fast practice—unruffled in the face of danger.

After completing three sets of fast strikes, Zhou Leng slowly withdrew his cultivation, a faint joy rising between his brows.

Wave Palm had advanced from Minor Accomplishment Ninth Heaven to Minor Accomplishment Tenth Heaven.

Next, Zhou Leng practiced Mountain Charge Fist, Flying Cloud Leg, Eight Trigrams Steps, and the Flowing Cloud Movement Technique one by one.

After finishing, relying on the National Divine Ability Martial Path Perception, he noticed that all his external techniques had advanced by one Heaven.

Zhou Leng went upstairs, returned home, sat before his desk, and opened his Martial Arts Notebook.

He glanced at yesterday's record and picked up his pen to write.

July 8,

Cloudy turning clear.

I. Realm.

Qi and Blood Realm, Qi Nourishing Stage.

II. Divine abilities.

1. Tribal Divine Ability: Seed of True Qi.

2. National Divine Abilities: Perpetual Legacy. Martial Path Perception. United Will Forms a Fortress. Medicinal Supplement.

III. Martial arts:

1. Inner cultivation: Mysterious Tide Art—Minor Accomplishment Third Heaven. +2.

2. Fist technique: Mountain Charge Fist—Mastery Third Heaven. +1

3. Palm technique: Wave Palm—Minor Accomplishment Tenth Heaven. +1

4. Leg technique: Flying Cloud Leg—Mastery Fifth Heaven. +1

5. Footwork: Eight Trigrams Steps—Minor Accomplishment Ninth Heaven. +1

6. Movement technique: Flowing Cloud Movement Technique—Mastery Seventh Heaven. +1

IV. Four Wonders Body.

Qi: Mortal Qi.

Blood: Mortal Blood.

Physique: Mortal Physique.

Strength: Mortal Strength.

V. Martial Will.

No perception.

VI. Combat Awareness.

No perception.

Zhou Leng lightly clenched his fist and looked at the green wristband on his left wrist.

After the Martial Arts Examination, he could go to the hospital and have it removed.

Having just advanced, Zhou Leng did not dare waste time. He sent Mo Hai another message asking for leave, then went to the meditation cushion in his room and sat down to cultivate the Mysterious Tide Art.

Zhou Leng sat cross-legged on the cushion, circulated the Mysterious Tide Art, and his internal vision was like a painting.

After a moment, Zhou Leng vaguely felt that the Mysterious Tide Art seemed different, yet his Martial Path Perception could not detect anything.

Deep-blue true qi flowed through his body. Zhou Leng let his intent follow the qi and cast the intrusive thoughts that surfaced to the back of his mind.

The Mysterious Tide true qi of Minor Accomplishment Third Heaven was thicker and flowed faster.

Zhou Leng remained seated for a long time, cultivating again and again to consolidate his hard-won improvement.

It was not until noon, when the Progressive Tide Alarm Clock rang, that Zhou Leng rose.

A faint hunger surged up.

Zhou Leng checked the refrigerator and began making lunch.

Duck stewed with potatoes, stir-fried cabbage, and steamed rice.

He had clearly eaten so much in the morning, yet he was hungry again so quickly at noon.

Two whole ducks, seven large potatoes, half a head of cabbage, and half a pot of rice.

After eating, Zhou Leng feared he had not taken in enough nutrients, so he swallowed two multivitamin tablets.

Zhou Leng touched his bulging stomach.

His body truly was getting better.

After soaking mixed grains for dinner, Zhou Leng played on his phone for a while, then took a nap.

After his nap, Zhou Leng took Zhao Dongjun's Collected Essays, Volume One from the bookshelf, went to the living room, and began reading slowly.

Zhao Dongjun's Collected Essays had five volumes in total.

The first volume recorded the Martial Saint's growth process, including portions of his memoirs.

The second volume contained his notes, insights, speeches, interviews, and miscellaneous writings on Qi and Blood Realm martial arts.

The cover of Zhao Dongjun's Collected Essays, Volume One in Zhou Leng's hands had yellowed, and its pages were loose. No one knew how many times it had been flipped through.

Zhou Leng had copied this book stroke by stroke, word by word.

Once he felt that lunch had digested somewhat, Zhou Leng cultivated the Mysterious Tide Art again.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Zhou Leng went downstairs and ran to Longyou River Park, where he practiced Wave Palm, Eight Trigrams Steps, and other external techniques in an unoccupied place, continuing to consolidate the results of his cultivation.

It was not until the sun sank in the west that Zhou Leng ran home.

At Eighth Middle School, starlight shone over the martial arts field.

After Class Three's students finished cultivating and left one after another, the four students selected for the Martial Arts Honors Class walked back while chatting.

Martial arts representative Mo Hai and movement technique representative Xu Qingjin were among them.

As they chatted, the subject turned to Class Three's students.

Xu Qingjin asked, "Zhou Leng took leave again today?"

Mo Hai sighed. "Yesterday, he said he was looking for a dog. Today, he said he was cultivating at home. I don't know what's going on."

"He hasn't given up, has he? You all saw his qi running on Friday. His body swayed, his legs trembled, and he still hasn't recovered."

"The greatest pity in our class is Zhou Leng. He has always had drive. Even while sick, he never gave up. Even Senior Disciple Zhang Xinglie praised him before."

"The greatest pity is that he cultivates the Mysterious Tide Art too."

"What do you mean?"

"Of the people who cultivate water-element martial arts, nine out of ten want to kill their way back into West Sea Demon City and drive out the sea sirens. But now, his martial path will probably be cut off."

"Yeah. We Ru City people cannot say one hundred percent, but at least ninety percent of us are holding in one breath, determined to retake West Sea Demon City."

"Among us Ru City people, either our elders retreated from the direction of West Sea Demon City, or our relatives and friends died in West Sea Demon City. How could we not hate the sea sirens?"

"Zhou Leng has both. Since he was young, he wanted to kill his way back into West Sea Demon City, so he cultivated desperately. But the demons harmed him, and now his martial path..." Xu Qingjin could not continue.

"What was his ranking after the physical exam?"

"Over seventy-three thousandth," Xu Qingjin answered.

"The Martial Arts Examination only tests inner cultivation true qi. Even if his inner cultivation gives him a slight edge and he performs exceptionally well, it will still be difficult for his total score to enter the city's top five thousand. Martial Arts University is hopeless."

"What about a supplementary admission slot?"

"Don't the teachers say it every day? We've run into a postwar baby boom, and there are too many candidates this year. Besides, supplementary admission slots are like special-talent admissions—one radish, one hole. Without methods that reach the heavens, it's difficult. My mother asked around. She said that in previous years, if I failed to get into West Sea Martial University, getting a supplementary admission slot would not have been hard. But if I don't get in this year, even she can do nothing. I can only fight it out head-on."

The other three nodded. Mo Hai's family had some connections, so his words carried great credibility.

"His Martial Arts Examination score should be enough for an Affiliated Martial Arts Hall, right?"

"If he performs exceptionally well, there's hope. Or he can try finding connections. In recent years, the Martial Arts School System has been placed under the Martial Guard Department, and its prospects are no weaker than ordinary Martial Arts Universities. If my parents hadn't mapped out a direction for me, I would also want to attend an Affiliated Martial Arts Hall and focus on the martial path."

"What a pity..."

"The four of us need to work hard and strive to get into Martial Arts University together!"

"Good!"

The voices of Class Three's four martial arts honors students rang especially bright across the martial arts field at night.

After dinner, Zhou Leng sat on the sofa with his eyes closed.

In his mind, he repeated the moves of Wave Palm and other external techniques over and over.

Mental cultivation.

Before long, Zhou Leng's mind became numb and his vision turned white. He had no choice but to stop and collapse onto the sofa.

After resting for a while, he spread out his training mat and practiced Wave Palm, Eight Trigrams Steps, and other external techniques over and over again.

After finishing his practice, he fell asleep peacefully.

Early Monday morning, after Zhou Leng finished his morning training and returned home, Li Linhan's voice came from apartment 702, whose door stood open.

"Come eat breakfast with me. The thing your third brother sent you has arrived."

"Okay. I'll come after I shower."

Before long, Zhou Leng entered Li Linhan's home.

On the table sat meat medicinal cuisine, curry beef brisket, stir-fried bok choy, cold cucumber salad, and half a pot of mixed-grain rice.