Xu Zhiming lightly twisted the doorknob with his right hand and pushed the door open, then closed it behind him.
The cluttered documents piled on the desk still failed to conceal the pale blue glass bottle.
He saw the potion sitting on the desk.
One bottle.
Countless thoughts flashed through Xu Zhiming's mind, but his gaze grew increasingly calm.
His tightly clenched fist loosened, then clenched again, veins bulging across the back of his hand.
"Xu Zhiming, your homeroom teacher is useless. My strength is too lacking. I tried to fight for it with the school."
"They said that no matter how hard someone with C-grade aptitude worked, they would still be trash."
"The potions were snatched away. I don't even know what excuse they used to take them."
Xu Zhiming picked up the potion.
One bottle was fine too. It was worth ten thousand yuan.
If this had happened before, he would not have said anything after swallowing it.
But now, no matter who it was—
Anyone who swallowed what belonged to him would pay the price sooner or later.
"Teacher Zhang, who took those two bottles of potion?"
After thinking it over, Zhang Wei still chose not to tell Xu Zhiming.
Two blows in a single day—an iron man would go mad too.
"Forget it. You're no match for him. Focus on raising your vitality. If you reach that level, I'll tell you."
Xu Zhiming fell silent.
He knew Teacher Zhang meant well.
Endure it. Wait until his vitality rose, then go take those other two bottles back.
He could hardly rush over and tell Zhang Wei that he had a system and could rise against the heavens, could he?
That was far too cringe.
Xu Zhiming nodded. "Thank you, Teacher Zhang."
Hearing that, Zhang Wei turned his head away, too ashamed to look at Xu Zhiming.
For the first time, he felt guilty when facing a student.
He had fought for it, but even with the school leadership's tacit approval, he had still failed to keep those two bottles of potion for Xu Zhiming.
He had originally thought Xu Zhiming would be angry and unwilling to accept it, but the calm Xu Zhiming displayed left his heart feeling blocked.
Who said sensible children got candy?
In his eyes, sensible children were always the ones getting bullied.
Xu Zhiming took the potion.
He lifted it and examined it carefully. The pale blue liquid took on a hint of dreamlike color beneath the sunlight.
The corners of Xu Zhiming's mouth rose slightly.
Since this school treated him like this, since it wanted to nurture those students with better aptitude—
Then he would grind every one of them beneath his feet.
He believed it would not take long. Very soon.
"Teacher Zhang, I'm leaving."
Zhang Wei waved a hand.
"If you need anything, tell Brother Wei. If you want to buy potions, you can borrow money from me."
Xu Zhiming shook his head.
"Brother Wei, that's your nest egg."
Zhang Wei grew anxious.
That smile Xu Zhiming had shown just now made his heart pound uneasily.
He was afraid Xu Zhiming would do something foolish.
He and Xu Zhiming had a pretty good relationship in private. Privately, he always had Xu Zhiming call him Brother Wei.
"Just treat it as a loan. Once you get into university, maybe you can enter the Mirage Realm, kill a Demon Beast, and earn it back."
Xu Zhiming shook his head.
He would not borrow money from Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei had already taken good enough care of him.
"Brother Wei, I'm going to train."
Xu Zhiming waved.
He left with the potion.
Zhang Wei watched Xu Zhiming leave.
Xu Zhiming's behavior was far too abnormal.
"In a situation like this, you either erupt in silence or perish in silence."
"I hope this kid erupts in silence and gives me one hell of a surprise."
Zhang Wei pushed up his black-framed glasses. No matter what, he still hoped Xu Zhiming could slap those people in the face.
Who said aptitude decided everything?
One of Great Xia's experts above level one hundred had ordinary aptitude too.
He murmured in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Keep it up."
Xu Zhiming arrived at the school's Martial Arts Hall.
The Martial Arts Hall was divided into four floors.
The first floor was where students from the C-grade and B-grade classes practiced martial arts.
There were only four teachers, sitting in offices and answering questions for a crowd of students.
The second floor was where B-grade class students practiced martial arts. There were likewise four teachers, but they served only several dozen students.
The resources each student could receive were vastly greater.
The third floor was where the Special Training Class practiced martial skills.
The fourth floor—
That was where the school's top three students in vitality-test rankings had their own exclusive Training Rooms.
It was said that Spiritual Qi could be gathered inside, making cultivation much faster.
The teacher on the third and fourth floors was an officer who had retired from the Frontline. He volunteered to teach at Yunshui First High School, and rumor had it that his strength was unfathomable.
Xu Zhiming swept his gaze over the third and fourth floors of the Martial Arts Hall.
He would start with Yu Qingqing, who had taken his potion, then deal with the person who had broken his word.
Xu Zhiming found a relatively open corner and tipped his head back to drink the Azure Potion.
He looked at the reflection in the glass, at the thin streak of pale blue liquid running from the corner of his mouth.
Xu Zhiming licked the potion from the corner of his lips.
Suddenly, a panel appeared before his eyes.
Host: Xu Zhiming Aptitude: C-grade Level: 6 Vitality: 7.12 Martial Skill: E-grade Wind Thunder Fist (Third Layer)
He assumed his stance and began punching.
The E-grade martial skill, Wind Thunder Fist.
The fist art was not of a high rank, but it had many moves and could mobilize the vitality of his entire body.
Once cultivated to the sixth layer, it could temper the body, slightly improve aptitude, and raise the vitality limit for the same level.
Xu Zhiming had persisted in practicing this fist art for three years without ever slacking off.
He had long since reached the third layer. It would not take much longer for him to break through to the fourth.
As he punched, the medicinal power within him took effect, and he felt his vitality slowly strengthening.
Several minutes later.
Xu Zhiming finished one round of Wind Thunder Fist.
You cultivated Wind Thunder Fist once and triggered a 10x Critical Hit.
Light and shadow shifted.
Xu Zhiming felt as though his mind had gained a little more understanding of Wind Thunder Fist.
His vitality had also risen by a trace, but the increase was too small to show on the system panel.
Xu Zhiming could clearly feel his strength increasing.
He took a deep breath, his eyes shining like stars.
He continued punching.
Every time he practiced the fist art, he could trigger a 10x Critical Hit.
One day of practice for him was worth at least ten days in the past.
The system had said the minimum was a 10x Critical Hit. Perhaps he could trigger an even greater multiplier.
You cultivated Wind Thunder Fist once and triggered a 20x Critical Hit.
Again and again.
Sweat beaded on Xu Zhiming's forehead, but he was utterly unaware of it, completely immersed in the joy of practicing his fist art.
You practiced Wind Thunder Fist ten times and triggered a 30x Critical Hit.
Xu Zhiming stopped where he stood, his hand freezing halfway through wiping away sweat.
A flood of insights regarding Wind Thunder Fist suddenly appeared in his mind.
He felt that Wind Thunder Fist had broken through.
When he finished that last round, he heard a faint rumbling sound, somewhat like Thunderclap.
The fourth layer of Wind Thunder Fist—Thunderclap.
Vitality: 7.15 Martial Skill: E-grade Wind Thunder Fist (Fourth Layer)
Normally, after practicing Wind Thunder Fist three times in succession, he would be exhausted and need to stop and rest for a long time.
But after drinking the Azure Potion today, he had practiced ten rounds in a row.
He finally understood why children from wealthy families broke through so quickly.
Poor scholars, rich warriors—it truly was not just something people said.
The more potions one consumed, the stronger the body's drug resistance became.
Xu Zhiming could feel that there was still medicinal power from the Azure Potion in his body that had not been refined.
A thought flashed through his heart. Could the potion's effects trigger a Critical Hit too?
Xu Zhiming looked at the 0.02 increase in vitality, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He still had some savings. He could use them to buy potions.
Xu Zhiming continued punching.
You cultivated Wind Thunder Fist once and triggered a 10x Critical Hit.
On the first floor of the Martial Arts Hall.
A male teacher in his thirties wore a short-sleeved shirt. Three scars ran across his face, slashing from his cheek to his chin.
Wang Hu, one of the four teachers responsible for answering students' questions.
Every day, he set aside some time to patrol around, hoping to see whether there were any students with decent comprehension.
Aptitude could determine a person's upper limit.
But hard work and comprehension could also raise a person's lower limit.
As Wang Hu walked, he suddenly heard a faint sound of thunder.
His ears twitched, accurately catching where the sound had come from amid the crowd.
He turned toward the sound.
The young man's face was filled with determination, his gaze focused as he shed the sweat of youth.
Wang Hu was slightly surprised.
He knew this student: Xu Zhiming.
The ultimate grind king among Yunshui First High School's C-grade aptitude students.
He had observed Xu Zhiming for more than a year.
His aptitude was average, while his comprehension could be considered somewhat above average.
He had chosen the most difficult Wind Thunder Fist. After over two years of practice, he had reached the third layer, though there was still some way to go before he broke through to the fourth.
A very good student. A very hardworking student.
Because this fist art had enough movements, it could mobilize the vitality of the entire body and stimulate every muscle.
At the same level, students who cultivated Wind Thunder Fist to the third layer had one or two more points of vitality than students practicing other martial skills.
Because it was too difficult to practice, the vast majority of students would not choose Wind Thunder Fist.
If Wind Thunder Fist were cultivated to the sixth layer, then at level nine, one's vitality could reach twenty points, rivaling those Heavenly Prides of martial arts clans who cultivated martial arts visualization methods.
He had previously estimated that with Xu Zhiming's comprehension, he would need roughly another two months—around the time of the College Entrance Exam—to break through Wind Thunder Fist to the fourth layer.
That faint sound just now, like the rumble of Lightning, was something only a fully mastered Wind Thunder Fist could produce.
He was somewhat doubtful. Had Xu Zhiming suddenly gained enlightenment?
Wang Hu thought he had misheard.
After waiting a few minutes, that sound did not appear again.
He had just been about to leave.
Screech...
Wang Hu stopped in his tracks.
He sensed that Xu Zhiming's vital energy and blood seemed to have changed!
Before you continue