Ma Ran took off his shirt. Inner qi circulated through his acupoints. As his eyes opened and closed, a faint glow seemed to swirl within them, and his expression radiated vitality.
In the mirror, his muscles were sharply defined, streamlined without looking exaggerated or gaunt. His contours were exceptionally clear, giving him a lean and capable appearance.
His body-fat percentage had already reached the level many bodybuilders could only attain during competition season.
As for whether the Black Rock Stele Martial Way was powerful or practical, that could be set aside for now.
At the very least, it was unparalleled when it came to shaping the body.
Ma Ran clenched his fists and felt power surging through him, giving him the illusion that he could punch an alien to death.
He knew this was an illusion brought on by his rapidly increasing strength.
In reality, his body was still developing, and he had not undergone any scientific, systematic training. He still had tremendous room for improvement.
Without taking combat techniques into consideration, even with the support of four stages of inner qi, Ma Ran had only reached the level of a featherweight world champion in attributes such as speed, stamina, agility, strength, and resistance to blows.
If combat techniques were included in the comparison...
That would be a little unfair.
Even against a heavyweight champion, Ma Ran could kill him effortlessly, without breaking a sweat!
Fingers, knuckles, knees, elbows...
Foreheads, small buttons on clothing, broken ribs...
In Ma Ran's hands, all of them could become extremely lethal weapons.
Every Civilization Guardian's hands were stained with the blood of alien invaders.
And Ma Ran was a veteran Earth guardian who had fought to the very last moment.
He made his living through the craft of killing.
A convoy of dark-green vehicles was heading toward Caolu Academy.
The passengers in the second vehicle were three young people.
More precisely, there were two young adults, one man and one woman, along with a boy who had "pride" written all over his face.
They wore the same style of blue-and-yellow uniforms, yet each had a different air about them. Their eyes were bright, their spirits high, and they were unforgettable at first sight.
The young man was handsome and kindhearted, with a sunny, refined appearance that gave off the feeling of a big brother from next door.
At that moment, he was patiently explaining some things the boy needed to watch out for. "Xiao Di, when you go to Caolu Academy this time, you need to rein yourself in. Stop offending people for no reason."
The boy known as Xiao Di snorted coldly. "He Lao Er, just take care of yourself."
"I admit that you qualify to be my friend, but..."
"Don't presume to lecture me."
Hearing this, the boy's so-called He Lao Er gave a bitter laugh twice, shook his head, and said nothing more.
Helping the boy rein in his arrogance so he could make a few friends like a normal person instead of being isolated again—this was the additional task Director Fulan had assigned him before their departure.
But judging by things now, the task seemed hopeless.
Rivers and mountains may change, but a person's nature is hard to alter.
How could a personality formed since childhood be changed so easily?
Seeing that the atmosphere in the vehicle had grown awkward, the young woman, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them. "Xiao Di, you may not know this, but besides providing Caolu Academy with equipment and experience this time, we also have another mission..."
"To transfer your records to Caolu Academy."
"Do you know why?"
The arrogant boy let out another cold laugh. "That sort of thing..."
"I received the news a long time ago."
"Those mediocre, incompetent people can only envy the capable and talented."
"I joined the academy later than them, yet I surpassed that bunch of talentless fools and advanced to the Second Stage of Inner Qi long ago."
"So they were jealous of me. They slandered and defamed me until I could no longer remain at Fulan Academy."
"Director Fulan is transferring me to Caolu Academy for my own good, too."
The young woman glanced at him and said flatly, "Since you already know, then I won't say anything more."
"After you arrive at Caolu Academy, tone down your sharpness, stop speaking so abrasively, and make a few more friends."
"It will do you good."
At this, the boy known as Xiao Di became displeased and blurted out without thinking, "Sister Die, I'm not an idiot. A friend in every direction means another path forward. How could I not know that?"
The skin around He Lao Er's eyes twitched slightly beside him.
He felt that something was off.
Was "a friend in every direction" really an appropriate way to describe friends?
Wasn't that how one described dogs?
Xiao Di failed to notice the change in the mood of the person beside him and continued speaking to himself. "I've already collected quite a bit of information about Caolu Academy on Dajiang."
"Although it was only established recently, it has some talented people."
"Ma Ran and Su Qiangwei."
"They're both about two years older than me, but they're decent overall. I can take them as close friends."
He Lao Er could not help speaking up. "Caolu Academy currently has forty-eight members. You don't like any of the others?"
"Of course not!"
Xiao Di replied indifferently, "My dad says that anyone who isn't as rich as my family doesn't qualify to be my friend."
"I think he's only partly right!"
"My mom is the one who's truly right!"
"Anyone who's not as outstanding as me has no right to be my friend!"
The He youth felt his scalp go numb as he listened.
For Xiao Di to have developed this personality and been driven out of Fulan Academy...
His bizarre parents had to bear at least half the responsibility!
What kind of logic was that?
By that reasoning, if they really were better than you, why would they want to be your friends?
Did you qualify?
He Lao Er endured it again and again, but the kindhearted young man still kept those words to himself.
He could only hope that someone at Caolu Academy would be able to bring the little brat to heel...
At the same time.
In the small auditorium, more than forty members and Director Huang had gathered together.
That morning, after Ma Ran's series of actions, Huang Weiguo hurriedly compiled the relevant information about the Black Rock Guidance Technique into documents and sent them to the higher authorities.
That afternoon, because people from Fulan Academy were coming to provide support, the Moral Studies class scheduled for that day was temporarily canceled.
It was partly to show how seriously they took the matter, and partly to give the members a chance to exchange pointers with seniors from another academy and broaden their horizons.
Of course, Ma Ran was not included among those who needed to broaden their horizons.
Although Caolu Academy had gotten off to a relatively late start, Director Huang truly did not believe that, at this stage, anyone in China could compare with Ma Ran in terms of inner qi cultivation progress.
The wait was rather dull, so Director Huang took the initiative to speak. "I just received word that because of traffic congestion on the way, the friends from Fulan Academy will arrive a little later than expected."
"There's no point in standing around waiting. Why don't we exchange some insights into cultivating the Black Rock Martial Way and make full use of our time?"
"Everyone, speak freely!"
The proposal was fairly constructive.
The topic was something everyone cared about. The discussion could lighten the mood while also promoting friendship among the members.
Old Huang felt that, as the person in charge of Caolu Academy, it was his duty to help the young people establish the correct values and outlook on life and the world while they came into contact with supernatural power, and to understand the true meaning of family affection, friendship, and love.
Therefore, he cared quite a bit about the relationships between the members.
Unfortunately, his workload had been too heavy and the pressure from work too great. Director Huang had been run off his feet lately and had not had time to guide these teenagers.
Fortunately...
There seemed to be a natural leader within Caolu Academy who had been unconsciously helping him shoulder this responsibility.
Huang Weiguo keenly noticed that...
The moment he finished speaking, nearly every member looked toward Ma Ran first.
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