Friends, Qualifications, Leaders

Ma Ran took off his shirt. Inner energy flowed through his acupoints, and as his eyes opened and closed, a faint light shimmered, his spirit radiant.

In the mirror, his muscles were well-defined, streamlined, not exaggerated nor too thin, with extremely clear lines, giving him a lean and strong impression.

This body fat percentage had already reached a level that many bodybuilders only achieved during their competition phases.

Whether the Black Rock Martial Way was strong or practical was a separate matter for now.

At least in terms of shaping the physique, it was second to none.

Ma Ran clenched his fists, feeling power surge within him, creating the illusion that he could punch an alien to death with a single blow.

He knew this was an illusion brought about by the rapid increase in strength.

In reality, his body was still developing and hadn't undergone scientific, systematic training; it had great potential for improvement.

Without considering combat techniques, even with the enhancement of four stages of inner energy, Ma Ran had only reached the level of a featherweight world boxing champion in attributes like speed, endurance, agility, strength, and damage resistance.

If combat techniques were to be factored in for comparison...

It would be a bit unfair.

Even a heavyweight boxing champion could be easily killed by Ma Ran without expending any effort!

Fingers, knuckles, knees, elbows...

Forehead, the small buttons on his clothes, broken ribs...

In Ma Ran's hands, they could all become extremely deadly weapons.

Every guardian of Earth's civilization had their hands stained with the blood of alien invaders.

And Ma Ran was a veteran Earth guardian who fought until the very last moment.

He made his living with the craft of [Slaughter].

A convoy of dark green vehicles was heading towards Caolu Academy.

The passenger in the second vehicle was three young people.

To be precise, it was one young man and one young woman, plus a teenager with "pride" written all over his face.

They wore the same style of yellow and green dual-colored uniforms, but their temperaments were different, their gazes shining, their spirits high, making them stand out from the moment you saw them.

The young man was handsome and kind-hearted, sunny and refined, giving off a big brother next door vibe.

At this moment, he was earnestly advising the teenager on some precautions: "Xiao Di, when you go to Caolu Academy this time, you need to rein in your temper and stop offending people so casually."

The teenager, addressed as Xiao Di, snorted, "He Lao Er, just mind your own business."

"I admit you have the qualifications to be my friend, but..."

"Don't boss me around."

Hearing this, the one called "He Lao Er" by the teenager gave a wry smile, shook his head, and stopped talking.

Helping the teenager curb his arrogance and make a few friends like a normal person, so he wouldn't be isolated again – this was an additional task assigned by President Fulan before they left.

But now, it seemed this task had no prospects.

It's easier to change mountains and rivers than a person's nature.

How could a personality developed since childhood be easily changed?

Seeing the awkward atmosphere in the car, the young woman who had been resting with her eyes closed slowly opened them: "Xiao Di, you might not know this, but besides supporting Caolu Academy with equipment and experience, we have another mission..."

"It's to transfer your file to Caolu Academy."

"Do you know why?"

The defiant teenager let out another cold laugh: "Things like this..."

"I actually got the news long ago."

"Mediocre and incompetent people are just jealous of talent."

"I joined the academy late, but I surpassed those untalented and ungifted individuals, quickly advancing to the second stage of inner energy."

"So, they were jealous of me, slandered me, and attacked me, making it impossible for me to stay at Fulan Academy."

"The president transferring me to Caolu Academy is actually for my own good."

The young woman glanced at him and said faintly, "Since you already know, I don't need to say more."

"When you get to Caolu Academy, temper your sharpness, don't speak so cuttingly, and make more friends."

"It will be good for you."

Hearing this, the teenager called Xiao Di became displeased and spoke without thinking, "Sister Die, I'm not an idiot. More friends means more opportunities, don't I know that?"

He Lao Er, sitting next to him, twitched his eyelids.

He felt something was not quite right.

Using "a string" to describe friends, was that really okay?

Wasn't that describing dogs?

Xiao Di didn't notice the emotional changes of the people around him and continued speaking to himself, "I've already collected a lot of information about Caolu Academy from 'Dajiang'."

"Although it was just established not long ago, there are still talented people inside."

"Ma Ran, Su Qiangwei."

"They are both about two years older than me, but overall they are quite good. I can make them good friends."

He Lao Er couldn't help but interject, "Caolu Academy now has forty-eight members, and you don't think highly of the others?"

"Of course!"

Xiao Di said indifferently, "My dad said that people who aren't as rich as my family aren't qualified to be my friends."

"I think what he said isn't entirely correct!"

"What my mom said is the real truth!"

"People who aren't as outstanding as me aren't qualified to be my friends!"

Hearing this, the young man surnamed He felt his scalp tingle.

Xiao Di's current personality, and being ostracized from Fulan Academy...

His eccentric parents were at least half responsible!

What kind of logic was that?

According to that logic, since others are more outstanding than you, why should they be friends with you?

Are you qualified?

After enduring it again and again, the kind-hearted He Lao Er still kept these words to himself.

He could only hope that someone in Caolu Academy could control this little guy...

At the same time.

In the small auditorium, over forty members and Director Huang were gathered.

In the morning, after Ma Ran's actions, Huang Weiguo hurriedly compiled the matters related to the "Black Rock Guidance Technique" into documents and sent them to the higher authorities.

In the afternoon, because people from Fulan Academy were coming to provide support, the scheduled Moral Studies class was also temporarily canceled.

This was both to show respect and to allow the members to communicate with seniors from other academies, broadening their horizons.

Of course, Ma Ran was not included in the category of "broadening horizons."

Although Caolu Academy started late, Director Huang truly didn't believe that in China at this stage, anyone could compare to Ma Ran in terms of inner energy cultivation progress.

The waiting process was rather dull, so Director Huang took the initiative to speak, "I just received news that due to traffic jams on the road, the arrival time of the members from Fulan Academy will be a little later than expected."

"It's no use just waiting here, why don't we share our cultivation experiences in the Black Rock Martial Way and make full use of our time!"

"Everyone, please speak freely!"

This suggestion was somewhat constructive.

The discussion topic was something that everyone cared about, and during the exchange, the atmosphere could be adjusted, and the friendship among the members could also be promoted.

Old Huang felt that as the person in charge of Caolu Academy, it was his responsibility to help the young people in the academy establish correct values, outlook on life, and worldview while coming into contact with supernatural powers, and to comprehend the true meaning of family affection, friendship, and love.

Therefore, he cared quite a bit about the relationships between the members.

However, due to the immense pressure of work and the overwhelming workload, Director Huang had been so busy and overwhelmed lately that he hadn't had time to guide these teenagers.

Fortunately...

In Caolu Academy, there seemed to be a natural leader who, invisibly, helped him share this responsibility.

Huang Weiguo keenly noticed...

As soon as he finished speaking, almost all the members turned their attention to Ma Ran.