Lost Was Lost

The female clerk suppressed the excitement in her heart.

The manager had just told her that her bonus for the month would increase by another ten thousand!

That was a ten-thousand bonus, equivalent to her base salary plus commission at the end of every month.

She found Xu Zhiming, speaking slightly faster than usual.

"Hello, Xu Zhiming. Our manager said he is very grateful for your help."

"From now on, whenever you buy potions from our store, you'll get a thirty percent discount."

"And there are also two million. You can exchange it for potions of equivalent value, or take it as cash."

The female clerk's lovely face was filled with envy as she looked at Xu Zhiming, nearly overflowing from her eyes.

As one of Great Xia's most famous E-grade martial skills, the Wind Thunder Fist had countless practitioners.

Yet only a few people each year could break through to the fourth level of the Wind Thunder Fist.

"Is it a one-time thing?"

"You can come collect it anytime. However much you take, the corresponding amount will simply be deducted from it."

The female clerk hurriedly explained.

Xu Zhiming fell silent.

Vitality: 9.53

Looking at his vitality of over nine points, he should be able to break through ten points after receiving tomorrow's reward.

He had practiced his punches for around two hours. Without potion assistance, his vitality rose relatively slowly.

Still, compared with before the system had arrived, his progress was already much faster.

Once vitality exceeded ten points, F-grade Azure Potions would no longer be very effective.

If vitality exceeded twenty points and one became a Level Ten Martial Artist, F-grade potions would have no effect at all on increasing vitality.

"Then get me one E-grade Azure Potion."

"Glug, glug..."

The female clerk looked at Xu Zhiming, a smile appearing on her face.

"I recommend that you exchange it for an Azure No. 2 Potion. Some special herbs have been added to it, providing your body with energy. You won't need to eat on the day you take it."

"The effect won't be affected in any way, and the price is the same."

Hearing that, Xu Zhiming's gaze fell upon the potion shelves.

Potions of every color filled the shelves in a dazzling array.

Once he had money, he would buy them to drink like beverages.

"Alright."

A few minutes later.

Xu Zhiming carried a bottle of E-grade Azure No. 2 Potion and hurried home.

The stronger one's vitality, the greater the body's energy consumption.

High-level martial artists mostly consumed Demon Beast meat or other foods rich in energy.

Xu Zhiming made it to the supermarket just before closing and bought five or six pounds of beef.

The moment he got home, he impatiently cut it into small chunks, added a packet of braising spices, and tossed it straight into the pot to cook.

His home was very simple: one kitchen, one bathroom, and one living room.

While the meat was cooking.

Xu Zhiming washed up, then browsed the daily trending topics in the living room.

Trending topics were a good way to understand the movements of the world.

His whole body felt sore. He had probably overtrained today.

Xu Zhiming wiped his face.

Every time he threw a punch, he could gain at least a 10x Critical Hit, sometimes even twenty times.

The more he practiced, the more excited he became.

In just one day, his vitality had risen by more than two points. Such a rate of improvement was unheard of.

Yu Qingqing, the one Zeng Hao said had stolen his Azure Potion, had eleven points of vitality.

At most three days. He had to make it to the third floor!

Tomorrow, when he chose a D-grade martial skill, he would pick one with strong killing power.

March 5th.

Five-thirty in the morning.

The sky was barely light.

Xu Zhiming carried his potion toward school.

A little past five-forty.

Xu Zhiming woke the security guard and became the first person to enter the school.

He had never seen the school at four in the morning.

But ever since transmigrating here, he had been the first to arrive at school every day.

Martial Arts Hall.

Wang Hu rubbed his eyes and opened the door.

The moment he opened it, he saw Xu Zhiming approaching.

He gave a slight nod.

He needed to go back and catch up on sleep first.

He did not need to worry about the Martial Arts Exam. If he failed to get into a martial arts undergraduate university, he would not need to work hard.

Other than Xu Zhiming, it seemed everyone else arrived no earlier than eight.

"An E-grade Azure Potion. Train well."

"I've already applied for the martial skill for you. Once the doors open at nine, you can go collect it."

Wang Hu handed Xu Zhiming a hundred-milliliter bottle of pale blue potion, then left with a yawn.

"Thank you, Teacher Wang."

Xu Zhiming raised his head and glanced upward.

The third floor, the top floor.

Xu Zhiming withdrew his gaze and entered the first floor of the Martial Arts Hall.

He placed the E-grade Potion in his private locker and locked it.

He twisted open the cap, tipped his head back, and drank the F-grade potion.

Punching practice.

He set himself a modest goal: raise his vitality by three points today.

When Zeng Hao arrived at the Martial Arts Hall at seven-twenty.

There were only three people on the first floor of the Martial Arts Hall.

He spotted a certain corner at once.

In the spacious Martial Arts Hall.

Beneath a small energy-saving lamp, a thin figure swayed, sweat flying as he practiced.

Zeng Hao could not help raising a thumbs-up.

He walked over beside Xu Zhiming and practiced the martial skill he cultivated.

Xu Zhiming cast Zeng Hao an encouraging look.

Time gradually passed.

The first floor of the Martial Arts Hall gradually became lively.

"4.69. That's up by 0.1 from yesterday. Not bad, not bad."

"5.08. My vitality hasn't moved for five days. It's so hard to improve after breaking five."

"7.98."

Beside them was the Vitality Testing Device.

Before practicing martial skills every day, some students wanted to check their progress.

Students tested their vitality from time to time, most of them measuring four or five points.

Some B-grade class students also came over to show off by testing their vitality.

Vitality above seven points drew the envy of the students on the first floor.

"The gap between B-grade aptitude and ours is too huge. The weakest students in their class all have more than seven points of vitality."

"Xu Zhiming, who comes first every day to practice the Wind Thunder Fist, seems to have 7.1 vitality, yet he still didn't enter the B-grade class."

"Sigh, we've all heard about him. The school really just doesn't treat those of us with C-grade and D-grade aptitude as people, huh?"

Eight o'clock.

Yu Qingqing, with his green hair, was preparing to go up to the third floor when he saw Xu Zhiming among the crowd.

As well as the students testing their vitality nearby.

He narrowed his eyes, walked with an outward splay, shook the green hair atop his head, and strode over to the vitality device.

It was the perfect chance to let these people see the gap between him and themselves.

The person whose potion he had stolen should be among them.

"11.79!"

Listening to the gasps around him.

Yu Qingqing revealed a satisfied smile, folding his arms while his eyes curved into crescents.

A boy beside him pointed at Yu Qingqing and said.

"See that? When our Brother Yu Qingqing makes a move, you'll know whether he has the goods. Vitality over eleven points—powerful beyond compare."

"This is the absolute gap between aptitudes, something effort cannot smooth over."

"Some people need to work hard just to get first place in cultural studies, while others can take it with a little spare time."

Yu Qingqing nodded, showing his agreement with those words.

A pin could have been heard dropping.

No one dared refute the boy.

Vitality over eleven points was nearly twice that of most of them.

The uneven gulf between people stood out especially sharply at that moment.

In the martial world, strength reigned supreme.

The stronger one was, the more naturally others believed what one said.

Zeng Hao stood nearby. After watching Xu Zhiming finish a round of the Wind Thunder Fist, he felt he had gained a great deal.

Without realizing it, he had once again received Xu Zhiming's favor.

When he heard Yu Qingqing belittling Xu Zhiming like this, he felt extremely displeased.

Sitting on a bench, he muttered softly.

"But you were still second. Lost was lost."

Yu Qingqing's ears twitched, and his gaze landed on Zeng Hao.

He had not expected this useless cousin of his to still be practicing punches in the Martial Arts Hall.

"Zeng Hao, what did you just say?"

Yu Qingqing was only a little over 1.6 meters tall, half a head shorter than Zeng Hao.

Yet with just one sentence, he forced Zeng Hao into silence.

Zeng Hao had the courage to regain his confidence and work hard at practicing his punches.

But he did not have the courage to argue with Yu Qingqing.

"I... I..."

Under the gazes of so many people, the pressure on Zeng Hao grew greater and greater.

In the end, he lowered his head, not daring to meet Yu Qingqing's eyes.

Just as a smug sneer surfaced at the corner of Yu Qingqing's mouth.

"I said..."

At that moment, Zeng Hao felt someone lightly pat his shoulder.

"He's right. Lost was lost. If you have the ability, go make the Ministry of Education change your cultural studies score for you."

Xu Zhiming had just finished the Wind Thunder Fist and was preparing to rest for two minutes before continuing.

You refined one potion. Vitality increased by 0.01. 100x Critical Hit triggered. Vitality increased by 1.

Level: Eight

Vitality: 10.59

Seeing Zeng Hao's nervous appearance, Xu Zhiming guessed that this person was Yu Qingqing, whom Zeng Hao somewhat feared.

Yu Qingqing sneered. Looking at the person before him, he gave the people beside him a meaningful look.

The boy beside him immediately understood.

"Who are you? What right do you have to speak to Brother Yu?"

Xu Zhiming walked to the Vitality Testing Device and mobilized the vitality throughout his body.