One month later, the Joint Exam with generous rewards

"The rewards for the Top 100 in Qi-Blood this time are pretty generous."

"With your current Qi-Blood, you might be able to crack the top hundred—worth putting in the effort."

A cool breeze brushed past.

Xu Zhiming felt a warmth in his heart. Zhang Wei had come specifically to tell him this, which showed how important it was.

"Brother Wei, what about the reward for first place?"

Zhang Wei had expected Xu Zhiming to ask that.

He figured that with Xu Zhiming's current Qi-Blood, he had a shot at breaking into the top hundred.

The top fifty would be a stretch.

"First place gets over five million in resource rewards, plus a B-grade Martial Skill."

"Second place gets three million in resources and one C-grade Martial Skill."

"Third place gets two million in resources and one C-grade Martial Skill."

"The next seven places get between one point five million and one million in resources."

Zhang Wei finished speaking and saw Xu Zhiming's eyes light up, knowing he'd sparked his fighting spirit.

"Even the lowest in the top hundred gets at least a hundred thousand in resource rewards."

"If your Qi-Blood makes the top hundred, you'll be eligible to see the good stuff left behind by a Level 70 Expert."

Xu Zhiming was intrigued.

A Level 70 Expert?

An expert like that—one strike from them would reduce all of Cloud Water City to rubble.

"Brother Wei, what kind of good stuff?"

Zhang Wei pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and shook his head slightly.

"They didn't say. Just that the top hundred are eligible. Probably something good."

"You've still got a month. You can give it a real try."

Xu Zhiming listened to Zhang Wei talk, his mind churning with thoughts.

Only the top hundred students from all three cities were eligible—this was about picking out students with decent talent.

Keeping it all mysterious like that, it was probably something good.

He weighed the potion in his hand. Time to put it to use.

They were still high schoolers, in the foundation-building stage. Level Ten Martial Artists were very rare.

At Yunshui First High School, there were at most just those three on the top floor.

"Alright, Brother Wei. I'll work hard."

Zhang Wei patted Xu Zhiming on the shoulder.

"Work hard, and let your Brother Wei snag that Excellent Teacher title."

Xu Zhiming laughed heartily.

"That's a sure thing."

The two walked along together, chatting a bit more.

Zhang Wei turned to head home. Tonight, he had a date with his girlfriend.

He'd go back, freshen up, and bring a little gift.

He hadn't seen his girlfriend in a while. He'd saved up a lot.

Xu Zhiming, meanwhile, returned to the martial arts hall to keep practicing Wind Thunder Fist.

He hadn't hit his intensity limit for the day yet, so he didn't feel tired.

As his Qi-Blood increased, his body's recovery rate had gone up too.

With just over twenty days left, he'd aim for first place.

Set a small goal first: push his Qi-Blood to twenty points, and try to break past it.

[You practiced Wind Thunder Fist once, triggering a 20x Critical Hit]

[...]

The clock on the martial arts hall wall creaked and ticked.

From time to time, students dragged their exhausted bodies out the door.

They glanced at the figure in the corner who seemed tireless, shaking their heads.

What a beast.

The first floor of the martial arts hall gradually fell silent.

Six o'clock.

Only three people remained on the first floor, training martial skills.

Zeng Hao's hands trembled as he pulled on his jacket, an unprecedented wave of exhaustion washing over him.

Watching Xu Zhiming's punches grow faster and faster ahead of him, his admiration deepened.

"Good blood and qi really make a difference—training like this without getting tired."

Xu Zhiming gave a slight nod but didn't stop to say anything.

[You have practiced Wind Thunder Fist two hundred times, triggering a 50x Critical Hit.]

A surge of immense electric current coursed through Xu Zhiming's body, raising his blood and qi by 0.1.

Today's critical hit from practicing Wind Thunder Fist was clearly a higher multiplier than yesterday's.

The panel's "more effort, more critical hits" rule—the system didn't lie.

Fivefold Wind Thunder Fist at eighteen points of blood and qi; tomorrow should already reach the peak.

He needed to break through to the sixth layer before his blood and qi could hit twenty points.

Xu Zhiming took a deep breath. He was getting a bit tired now.

But he could still push through.

"E-grade Potions really are something—practiced all day and still haven't felt hungry."

"Tomorrow I'll try Monster Beast Essence Blood, then train Coiling Dragon Surging Waves for another hour before heading back."

[You have diligently practiced Coiling Dragon Surging Waves once, triggering a 10x Critical Hit.]

Half an hour later.

Wang Hu gasped for breath, placing the Martial Arts Hall key beside Xu Zhiming's clothes.

"You open up tomorrow."

Xu Zhiming nodded.

"Alright."

Wang Hu sighed. What a King of Inner Rolled.

Once Xu Zhiming started training a martial skill, no matter who spoke, he wouldn't stop.

This kind of pure martial artist only existed in legends.

Taking a short rest, Wang Hu lit a cigarette and left.

[You have diligently practiced Coiling Dragon Surging Waves once, triggering a 50x Critical Hit.]

Xu Zhiming stopped to absorb the insights, sensing a slight increase in his blood and qi.

"Eight points. Time to head back."

Xu Zhiming put on his clothes, gathered all of today's potions, and carried them home.

Yunshui First Hospital.

Ward 213.

On the hospital bed, a green-haired fat man groaned incessantly.

Yu Qingqing's shoulders were wrapped in bandages, his face twisted in pain.

Even moving his thumb across the phone screen tugged at his injuries, sending sharp jolts of agony.

Thinking of Xu Zhiming's strength, a flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

He sent a message to the school's top student.

"Brother Qiu, that student who took your Cultural Studies first place—he beat me."

"I estimate his blood and qi should be around thirteen points, and I wouldn't rule out him hiding some."

Yu Qingqing waited eagerly, his heart full of anticipation, for a reply.

He could only pray that Qiu Yingzong hadn't gone into seclusion to prepare for breaking through to Level Twelve Martial Artist.

Otherwise, it would take at least three more days before Qiu Yingzong would stand up for him.

He couldn't wait even a single day.

Beep, beep, beep...

The message alert sounded.

Yu Qingqing gritted his teeth against the pain and opened the message.

He felt like the sky had fallen.

"Worthless. I personally guided you, and you still can't beat an orphan."

"You're no longer fit to be my dog."

Seeing this message, Yu Qingqing's hands involuntarily tightened around his phone.

"Sss... sss..."

The movement pulled at his wound, causing him to wince in pain.

He had been following Qiu Yingzong, doing this kind of thing against Xu Zhiming on his orders.

He had heard that the other party seemed to have backing and wanted to attach himself to them.

For a weak martial artist, joining a force to seek protection was a very common matter.

"Brother Qiu, I..."

"Shut up. The dog I keep at home is more useful than you."

Yu Qingqing wanted to explain further, only to find he had already been blocked.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, his fat body trembling nonstop on the bed.

The sky had fallen.

Just now, the doctor told him that treating his injuries would cost one hundred thousand.

One hundred thousand. He would not only have to empty his little savings but also ask his family for money.

And he would need at least two months to recover from his injuries.

It takes a hundred days to heal bones and tendons. As a Level Nine Martial Artist, his recovery was stronger than an ordinary person's.

During these two months, he couldn't train in martial arts at full capacity. His qi and blood would stagnate, affecting his sprint toward the college entrance exams.

Yu Qingqing somewhat regretted provoking Xu Zhiming.

If he hadn't provoked Xu Zhiming, he could have continued following behind Qiu Yingzong, picking up scraps.

"It's all your fault, Xu Zhiming. Once I recover, I'll find a way to get back at you!"

At the same time.

On the top floor of the Martial Arts Hall.

One of the three Training Rooms.

A phone rang with a beeping sound.

"Principal Peng, I'm very troubled right now. Someone is hindering my breakthrough to Level Thirteen Martial Artist. If I'm happy, I might just be able to break through to Level Thirteen."

"His name is Xu Zhiming."

"I'll handle it. You focus on your breakthrough. As long as you can get into one of the top three Martial Arts Universities, remember, this is a transaction."

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe it's just been renamed!