Fang Yan slumped onto the ground, gasping heavily. The muscles all over his body still trembled faintly from that extreme burst of strength, but he had no time to care about it. His consciousness had already sunk into his mind, where he opened the pale-blue virtual panel.
Host: Fang Yan
Realm: Body Tempering Fourth Layer
Qi and Blood: 0.4
Skills: Basic Fist Technique (Beginner 10%)
Items: Body Tempering Realm Qi and Blood Pill x1
Willpower: 5/100
Looking at the data on the panel, especially the line that read "Body Tempering Fourth Layer," Fang Yan's heart pounded so hard it nearly leaped from his chest. The bottleneck that had tormented him for half a year had actually been broken so easily with the system's help!
What delighted him even more was that his qi and blood value had actually surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer. This meant his foundation was much more solid than that of people at the same realm.
"System, use the Body Tempering Realm Qi and Blood Pill." Fang Yan silently commanded in his mind.
[Use the Body Tempering Realm Qi and Blood Pill? After use, qi and blood will directly increase by 0.3 points.]
"Yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a crimson pill exuding a faint medicinal fragrance appeared in Fang Yan's hand. Without the slightest hesitation, he placed it in his mouth. The pill melted instantly, transforming into a warm current that slid down his throat into his abdomen before rapidly spreading through his limbs and bones.
Fang Yan felt warm all over. The muscle strain caused by lifting the stone lock vanished in an instant, while the qi and blood within his body grew fuller and more surging.
He looked at the panel again. Sure enough, his qi and blood value had become 0.7!
"How incredible!" Fang Yan could not help exclaiming softly. With the system and pill supporting him, his cultivation speed was practically like riding a rocket!
At that moment, footsteps came from the edge of the field. Zhao Gang had returned, and several top students from the Body Tempering Class followed behind him, including Class Leader Lin Hao.
Lin Hao possessed outstanding talent. At only seventeen, he had already reached the Body Tempering Sixth Layer and was Zhao Gang's most prized disciple. His gaze toward Fang Yan was filled with arrogance and disdain.
"Instructor Zhao, I told you he definitely couldn't lift it. He's probably just putting on an act here." Lin Hao's voice carried deliberately exaggerated mockery.
Zhao Gang frowned. He looked at the stone lock on the ground, then at Fang Yan slumped there, his expression darkening. "Fang Yan, if you really can't do it, just say so. Is there any point in playing these little tricks?" In his eyes, Fang Yan could never have lifted a three-hundred-pound stone lock. He had probably just been seeing things earlier, or Fang Yan had merely touched the stone lock.
The students around them chimed in one after another:
"Exactly. He must have been pretending. I clearly saw that he couldn't even move the stone lock."
"A good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing. He actually thinks he can muddle through by pretending to be pitiful."
"Brother Lin Hao is right. Someone like him should just be expelled!"
Fang Yan slowly stood up and wiped the sweat from his face. He looked calmly at Zhao Gang and Lin Hao. "I wasn't pretending. I already lifted the stone lock. Besides, I'm already at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer."
"Hahaha, Body Tempering Fourth Layer? Are you dreaming?" Lin Hao laughed so hard he rocked back and forth, as though he had heard the world's greatest joke. "You? A good-for-nothing who can't even achieve Qi Induction into Body, and you dare say you broke through to the Body Tempering Fourth Layer?"
Zhao Gang also gave a cold laugh. "Whether you're at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer or not, we'll know after a try. Lin Hao, go exchange a punch with him and let him understand what a gap is." He did not believe Fang Yan at all, taking him for someone driven into a corner and beginning to spout nonsense.
"Sure thing, Instructor Zhao." Lin Hao rubbed his fists and strode toward Fang Yan. "Fang Yan, don't blame me for showing no mercy. You're the one who doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is. I'll let you see just how great the gap is between the Body Tempering Sixth Layer and a good-for-nothing like you!"
Fang Yan did not retreat. He could feel the abundant qi and blood within his body, as well as the insights into the Basic Fist Technique in his mind. The 10% proficiency granted by the system had given him a deeper understanding of this most fundamental fist technique.
"The Basic Fist Technique emphasizes powerful punches, direct and straightforward, using force to break through technique." Fang Yan recalled the key points of the technique in his mind while mobilizing the qi and blood within his body and gathering it into his right fist.
"Take this!" Lin Hao shouted. His figure blurred, and his right fist shot toward Fang Yan's chest with a howling wind. Qi and blood surged around his fist, clearly showing that he had unleashed the strength of the Body Tempering Sixth Layer. He had not taken Fang Yan seriously at all.
With his arms folded, Zhao Gang watched coldly. In his view, Fang Yan would be bedridden for at least half a month after this punch landed.
Yet just as Lin Hao's fist was about to strike Fang Yan, Fang Yan moved!
Instead of retreating, he advanced, throwing out a fist of his own. There were no flashy movements, only the purest strength and speed. This punch gathered all the qi and blood of his Body Tempering Fourth Layer, combined with his beginner-level insights into the Basic Fist Technique. Its power far surpassed that of a Martial Artist at the same realm.
"Bang!"
The two fists collided, releasing a deep, thunderous boom.
Then, a shocking scene unfolded!
Lin Hao's body flew backward in an instant as if he had been struck by a speeding car. He crashed to the ground with a "thud" and spat out a mouthful of blood. His right arm hung limply, clearly having suffered a bone-rattling injury.
The entire field fell deathly silent!
Everyone stared at the scene with their mouths agape, as though they could not believe their own eyes. Lin Hao, a Martial Artist at the Body Tempering Sixth Layer, had actually been sent flying by a single punch from Fang Yan, who was only at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer?
The cold sneer on Zhao Gang's face froze. He abruptly widened his eyes and stared fixedly at Fang Yan. "You... you really broke through to the Body Tempering Fourth Layer? And your qi and blood... how can they be this strong?" He could clearly sense that the intensity of the qi and blood erupting from Fang Yan's fist just now was even more formidable than that of some Martial Artists at the Body Tempering Fifth Layer!
Fang Yan withdrew his fist, feeling the lingering force within it, and his heart filled with confidence. He looked at Lin Hao, who was groaning in pain on the ground, then at the stunned Zhao Gang, and said calmly, "I told you, I wasn't pretending. From today onward, whoever dares call me a good-for-nothing, I'll let him know the consequences."
His voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that brooked no objection.
Zhao Gang opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but he found himself utterly speechless. Looking at the unfamiliar resolve and confidence in Fang Yan's eyes, he felt a trace of fear toward this student he had always regarded as a good-for-nothing for the first time.
Fang Yan paid no further attention to the gazes of the crowd and turned to leave the field. He knew this was only the beginning. With the system's help, his future would be limitless.
Back in the dormitory, Fang Yan shut the door and opened the system panel again.
[Newbie Quest Follow-up: Defeat Lin Hao, a Martial Artist at the Body Tempering Sixth Layer, with one punch. Quest completed beyond expectations.] [Additional Rewards: Willpower +50, Basic Fist Technique proficiency +20%, "Daily Tasks" function unlocked.] [Daily Task 1: Complete 1,000 Basic Fist Technique practices. Reward: Qi and Blood +0.01, Willpower +10.] [Daily Task 2: Run ten kilometers with weight. Reward: Qi and Blood +0.01, Willpower +15.]
Looking at the newly appeared daily tasks, Fang Yan's eyes gleamed. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately began practicing the Basic Fist Technique.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The sound of Fang Yan's punches rang out in the dormitory. Every punch carried the sound of rushing wind, and with each strike, he could feel his understanding of the technique deepen a little further.
He knew that only through unceasing effort and constant growth could he establish himself in this high-martial world, protect the people he wanted to protect, and truly knock open that supreme gate of martial arts!
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