38: Fifth Stage of Inner Qi!

"That's a classified project, right? Did you sign some kind of confidentiality agreement? Then... can your dad and I post about it on our social media?"

She was indeed his biological mother.

Her priorities were remarkably down-to-earth.

Ma Ran smiled. "Director Huang specifically brought this up with me last night."

"As my family, you can also learn a little about the situation."

"It's perfectly fine to give a general explanation of my identity."

"Just don't reveal the specific details of the research project."

"Mm... That's right."

"Not every member of Caolu Academy has this privilege."

After saying that, Ma Ran carefully considered his wording and said modestly, "My situation is somewhat special."

"That's because I have a tiny bit more research under my belt than the others."

"From now on, just keep what I'm about to tell you in mind. Don't tell anyone else for the time being."

"The project I've been researching lately is roughly similar to the 'inner force' mentioned in traditional wuxia dramas."

"I'm not joking. I'm being serious."

"In essence, this energy is a highly concentrated form of bioenergy. It has many uses, and we usually call it 'Inner Qi.'"

"You only need to know about this for now. Don't tell anyone else yet."

"Because Inner Qi cultivation has a fairly high threshold, and there are still many problems."

"However..."

"I'll gradually improve it and make it better and more accessible."

At this point, Ma Ran joked, "Maybe by next year, the ninth set of broadcast exercises for elementary and middle schools will be replaced by Inner Qi cultivation."

After chatting with his parents for a while, Ma Ran hung up.

The remaining reward from Black Rock Guidance Technique would require a little more time, until Ma Ran's file was entered into the internal database.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Ma Ran opened it and saw quite a few people gathered outside.

A huge, intimidating mass of people filled the doorway.

At the front were Dong Huaiming and Wan Haihao.

Ma Ran rubbed his slightly throbbing temples.

For two mornings in a row, people had been waiting outside his door...

And there seemed to be more of them each time...

Anyone who didn't know the truth would probably think he was running some kind of cult here.

The moment Ma Ran stepped out, Little Ming said excitedly, "Brother Ran! You're way too strong!"

"We've already heard from the people and senior students from Fulan Academy!"

"You've already reached the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi, right?"

"The news has spread throughout the entire academy!"

"A few guys were still dissatisfied with you and wanted to compete with you in secret, but now they're completely convinced."

"Hahahaha!"

Two young men in the crowd scratched their heads, their expressions somewhat awkward.

They had both cultivated their first strand of Inner Qi through their own talent and had never received Ma Ran's help through Black Rock Guidance Technique.

Although they hadn't said anything aloud, they had privately felt somewhat superior. They believed their only true competitor was Ma Ran.

But the behind-the-scenes footage from yesterday's awakening of superpowers had made these boys genuinely acknowledge Ma Ran!

He had come into contact with Black Rock Martial Way for three days—four at most—and already cultivated to the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi!

That was already beyond the limits of what an ordinary human could achieve through hard work!

After all, they hadn't even reached the First Stage of Inner Qi yet...

Throughout Caolu Academy, the one closest to the First Stage of Inner Qi was that Su Qiangwei girl!

Ma Ran casually shut the door, calmly swept his gaze across everyone present, and said gently, "If anyone has questions about cultivating Black Rock Martial Way, you can all ask me during breakfast."

After speaking, he waved and headed toward the cafeteria.

A defiant snort suddenly came from the crowd.

Ma Ran glanced back and smiled faintly.

He truly hadn't expected Su Qiangwei to be mixed in with this group.

At that moment, the girl was wrapped up from head to toe. She wore a fluffy pink pig hat, and her face was covered by a mask, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

With the girl's unconscious cooperation yesterday, Ma Ran's performance had been a resounding success!

On the way to the cafeteria, the act had already begun providing proliferative feedback.

Ma Ran clearly felt...

In the blink of an eye, two more acupoints inside his body were filled and transformed into mature miniature organs!

At this point, a cumulative total of eighteen acupoints had been filled!

Then twenty!

Twenty-five!

Thirty!

Before he even reached the cafeteria, all thirty-two acupoints had been completely filled and perfectly transformed into organs!

This meant that Ma Ran's Black Rock Stele martial cultivation had truly reached the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi!

The strengthening process had not consumed any of the nutrients stored in his body.

Sugar, fat, protein...

The total amount of all these nutrients was nearly the same as before his advancement.

Ma Ran was delighted inside, but his expression remained completely composed.

These past few days, he had devoted most of his energy to researching the You Script Illusion system and refining the character settings for the first and second scripts. He had had no time at all to cultivate Inner Qi.

But the feedback from acting was always this unreasonable!

When he reached the cafeteria entrance, Ma Ran looked around for a while, seemingly searching for something.

The Caolu Academy members following behind him also stopped and waited patiently.

"What on earth is this guy up to?"

In the crowd, Su Qiangwei pulled her mask higher.

It was one thing that Myriad Transformations couldn't replicate Limited Precognition.

After all, Ma Ran was special. There was no need to compare herself with him.

But her application to visit Yingchuan Academy for an exchange and study program had also been rejected by Old Huang at lightning speed!

She was still feeling depressed about it!

What kind of stunt was Ma Ran about to pull this time?

Su Qiangwei was just about to ask when Ma Ran's voice suddenly rang out beside everyone's ears.

"On the way to awakening my superpower yesterday, I cultivated seriously for a while and broke through the bottleneck of the Fourth Stage of Inner Qi."

"Now, I'll briefly explain what the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi feels like."

Ma Ran stood beside the cafeteria and, without warning, began an impromptu lecture.

"The Fifth Stage of Inner Qi is actually nothing special."

"You can simply regard it as an enhanced version of the Second Stage of Inner Qi."

"Like this."

As he spoke, Ma Ran extended his right index finger and lightly jabbed the ground beneath his feet.

With a soft pop, dust immediately scattered in all directions beneath Ma Ran's feet!

A black hole appeared in the granite floor.

"At this stage, you can construct high-speed Inner Qi channels within your body."

"Compress and create Inner Qi projectiles, transmit them, and then release them."

"This gives it a preliminary degree of offensive power."

"According to my tests..."

"The effective range of an Inner Qi projectile is ten meters."

"Its maximum initial velocity is approximately 145 meters per second."

"Based on my judgment, even if you continue increasing your Inner Qi stage, it probably won't make this ability much stronger."

"After all, the human body is made of flesh and blood. It can't withstand excessive Inner Qi chamber pressure."

Ma Ran spread his hands and said calmly, "Compared with Earth's civilization, the birthplace of Black Rock Martial Way seems somewhat technologically backward, but it still shouldn't be underestimated."

"The paths are different, but they lead to the same destination."

"To put it in simpler terms..."

"The Fifth Stage of Inner Qi uses Inner Qi as the projectile and the human body as the firearm."

"Compared with real firearms, it's somewhat less lethal, but it has a slight edge in concealment, convenience, durability, and reliability."

"Overall, each has its own strengths and weaknesses."

Hearing this, Su Qiangwei pushed through the crowd and crouched beside Ma Ran.

She reached out and touched the hole left by the Inner Qi projectile, falling into deep thought.

After a moment.

Su Qiangwei stood up and stared at Ma Ran with blazing eyes, muttering something incomprehensible: "That's it? Ah... Ptooey, ptooey! No, that's not right! Let me start over!"

She cleared her throat and said with utmost seriousness, "Ma Ran, remember this."

"From now on..."

"I'll show you mercy too."

Ma Ran → LV Up!

Hehehe...