After Xu Zhiming finished practicing Rolling Heavenly Thunder once, he checked the time.
It was already half past six in the evening.
It was about time to go downstairs and temper Zeng Hao and the others.
During this period, he had been practicing the Wind Thunder Fist on the first floor. It allowed him to improve his strength while tempering Zeng Hao and the others—killing two birds with one stone.
Doing so would not affect his cultivation efficiency.
When he went down to the first floor, he saw many people gathered together. Huang Yilong stood in the center.
A bucket of crimson liquid sat at Huang Yilong's feet, and a strong scent of blood faintly drifted through the air.
Xu Zhiming raised his brows. This was good stuff.
Monster Beast Essence Blood. The power within it seemed rather strong, stronger than any he had drunk before.
Seeing that there were too many people, he did not squeeze in. Instead, he stood outside first to see what was going on.
"Come on, let's first test how many points of vitality you have. That way, I can better determine how much Monster Beast Essence Blood to distribute based on your vitality."
"Oh, and your martial techniques too. How well have you mastered them?"
Huang Yilong's voice carried out.
Zeng Hao was the first to step forward.
Over this period, his vitality had risen very quickly.
Moreover, after telling his family about Xu Zhiming, his mother had been delighted and given him twenty thousand yuan to buy potions and improve himself, urging him to work hard and make a push for even the lowest-ranked Martial Arts University.
Zeng Hao did not set high standards for himself. The lowest-ranked Martial Arts University would be enough.
Looking at the free Monster Beast Essence Blood here, consuming it should increase his strength considerably.
No one around him spoke up first.
They all seemed somewhat embarrassed to reveal their vitality and how far they had mastered their martial techniques.
Seeing this, Zeng Hao stepped forward.
He remembered Xu Zhiming once saying that if you did not give it a shot, how could you start talking yourself down beforehand?
Whatever, that was roughly what it meant. He was a martial man with a poor memory and could not remember the original words.
"I'll go."
Zeng Hao walked over to the Vitality Testing Device.
"Vitality: 7.99."
"Not bad. You already have a chance to make a run at the lowest-ranked Martial Arts University."
"Yeah, I remember that when he first came a little over a week ago, his vitality had not even reached seven."
Zeng Hao smiled a little sheepishly.
"It was all thanks to Xu Zhiming's help. I couldn't have done it on my own."
"Teacher Huang, my Wind Thunder Fist has reached the fourth level."
Huang Yilong nodded.
"Drink five milliliters of Monster Beast Essence Blood and refine it all within ten minutes. Then you'll pass."
"Oh, and the rest of you, don't rush. Watch Zeng Hao's performance first before coming up."
"It wasn't easy for me to hunt a Demon Beast. There's only this little essence blood."
Zeng Hao tipped his head back and drank it. Instantly, it felt as if he had swallowed molten lava.
His entire face flushed crimson, and in his mind, an enormous, incomparably terrifying Demon Wolf seemed to be roaring.
His soul trembled, as if he would faint the very next moment.
He closed his eyes and forcibly suppressed the urge to fall over and sleep.
He had to seize this opportunity and get into a Martial Arts University.
"Roar, roar..."
Zeng Hao let out angry roars from time to time, venting his pain.
Seeing this scene, the others immediately began to beat a retreat.
Especially the many people whose vitality had originally been lower than Zeng Hao's.
Eleven minutes later, he abruptly opened his eyes. His body looked as though it had just been fished out of water.
The ground beneath his feet was covered in sweat.
"Teacher Huang, I successfully refined it."
"Eleven minutes and one second. You fell just short, but it's still not bad."
Huang Yilong waved a hand.
"Tell them how it felt."
Zeng Hao froze when he heard that, facing his classmates' expectant gazes.
"It was exhausting. It felt like my soul was being torn apart by a terrifying Demon Wolf."
"I almost couldn't hold on and nearly fainted. Just look at how soaked I am—you can tell."
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Hearing that, Zeng Hao felt somewhat disappointed.
Still, it was all right. At least he had held on.
After hearing Zeng Hao say that, coupled with his earlier performance, the vast majority of students had already begun to beat a retreat.
"I'd better forget it. I don't think I can hold on for long."
"I'll forget it too. I'm wearing very little, and if I sweat too much, I might expose myself."
Most of the girls instantly gave up. With that much sweat, their clothes would probably cling to their bodies.
After hearing Zeng Hao out, Wang Ma stepped forward.
He lightly patted Zeng Hao on the shoulder.
"You're impressive!"
Zeng Hao looked at the tall boy, who stood at least over two meters tall and was bare-chested.
Cloud Water City Second High School's second-ranked student, Wang Ma.
In the past, how could someone like him have specifically said a word to Zeng Hao?
It was all because of Xu Zhiming, who had taught him the meaning of persistence and hard work.
"Hahaha... thanks for the compliment."
Quite a few people cast envious looks at Zeng Hao.
Wang Ma had a very good reputation at Yunshui Second High School. He did not judge people by their status.
He would not speak to someone several extra times just because their talent was high.
Nor would he look down on someone because their talent was low.
He most enjoyed talking to those who worked hard and persisted in improving themselves.
Wang Ma's gaze landed beyond the crowd.
Standing more than a head taller than the other students, he easily spotted the person practicing the Wind Thunder Fist behind the crowd.
A glint of fighting spirit flashed through his eyes.
His voice rang out like a great bell.
"Xu Zhiming, want to have a match?"
The gazes of the vast majority of people snapped toward the distance.
The students on the outermost edge were the first to spot Xu Zhiming.
They had not expected Xu Zhiming to be watching from outside.
"There's no point in competing. Go practice your fists and spears instead."
Wang Ma was stunned for a moment, then could not help laughing.
"Good, good! We really are the same kind of people!"
"Then next week, after Cloud Water City decides its top three, we can spar again when we represent Cloud Water City in the Joint Exam."
Xu Zhiming paused. What top three?
Wang Ma raised his brows. It seemed he had let the news slip early, but since he had already said it, it did not matter.
"Sorry. The previous Three Cities Joint Examination has now become the Nine Cities Joint Examination, and each city will send three people to participate."
"There are only the two of us competing for third place."
Wang Ma said it casually.
A bitter feeling filled his heart. Competing for third place sounded rather shameful when spoken aloud.
But he knew he could not defeat Feng Li, nor could he defeat Qiu Yingzong from First High School.
Previously, he had been somewhat worried about Qiu Zhenghua, but now there was no need to worry.
He had been beaten so badly that he was lying in the resource room recovering. How could he still compete with Wang Ma?
His only competitor was Xu Zhiming.
Xu Zhiming raised his brows. The rules had changed again?
Since there were only three spots, then he would not stand on ceremony.
Judging by the strength he had shown openly, he truly was not Qiu Yingzong's match.
"There's no need to compete. You'll definitely make the top three."
The moment those words came out, everyone present was dumbfounded.
Their thoughts were the same as Wang Ma's. There were only a few capable people in all of Cloud Water City.
Based on the strength Feng Lishen had displayed in past battles, she was unfathomable.
First High School had someone whose talent was not particularly good but who possessed abundant resources. His vitality far surpassed Xu Zhiyuan's and Wang Ma's.
Wang Ma looked at Xu Zhiming in confusion. Third place was his?
Could it be that Xu Zhiming knew Wang Ma had hidden trump cards?
"You two can arrange your match for next week."
"This is Level 35 ferocious beast essence blood. It will also be of great use to both of your vitalities."
"If you want to compete, then compete to see who can drink more. What do you think?"
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