The Next Person Under the Extraordinary: An Initial Analysis of the Black Rock Martial Way

No one paid any attention to Su Qiangwei, who was having a fit.

What?

She was the second-ranked combatant in Caolu Academy?

In theory, yes.

If Ma Ran, the top ranker, was excluded, Su Qiangwei was undoubtedly the strongest in Caolu Academy, whether judged by her inner energy cultivation progress or superpower strength!

Unfortunately, as a man who seemed to carry a spotlight wherever he went, Ma Ran couldn't be ignored.

Failure doesn't qualify you for remembrance—unless your name is Yue Lun.

Everyone was still immersed in Ma Ran's performance and hadn't snapped out of it.

Look at what he had just said!

On the path to awakening his superpower, he'd gotten serious with his cultivation for a bit and immediately reached Fifth Stage of Inner Qi…

Was he even human?

And…

After reaching the fifth level of Black Rock Martial Way cultivation, one could release inner energy pellets with their bare hands, possessing a means of mid- to short-range attack!

Even though Ma Ran subtly disdained the inner energy pellets, making them sound worthless, it couldn't suppress the fervor of the Caolu Academy members.

"Six Meridian Divine Sword!"

"Add some color to it, and wouldn't that be the 'sword pellet' from Xianxia novels?"

"If we can find a way to modify the appearance, it'll be a formless flying sword!"

The youths' appetites were whetted with excitement. They devoured food while their minds raced, envisioning the future, wishing they could leap forward immediately to the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi, and then, like Ma Ran, reveal their might before everyone and steal the spotlight.

Unfortunately…

Ideals are grand, but reality is harsh.

Currently, they hadn't even reached Inner Qi Stage One.

Ma Ran enjoyed his breakfast while answering questions from fellow members who came to seek his guidance, resolving many inner energy cultivation problems that had been troubling them.

He had the [Acting] ability, which allowed him to bypass the arduous accumulation process directly and without any bottlenecks.

Who else had such treatment?

Even Su Qiangwei, who was suspected to be God's illegitimate daughter, had to cultivate diligently!

Moreover, they couldn't just bury their heads in practice.

Whether it was the inner energy system of Black Rock Martial Way or superpowers, the improvement process required patience, diligence, and frequent contemplation.

Otherwise, it was easy to stagnate.

This was the so-called bottleneck.

Taking inner energy cultivation as an example, from how to refine the first wisp of inner energy to how to cultivate filled acupoints into mature micro-organs, these were currently the biggest challenges plaguing the Caolu Academy members.

"Brother Ran, I've been recording every time you help everyone solve problems."

Dong Huaiming, his number one fanboy, held a voice recorder and approached Ma Ran. "I plan to organize this content into text and compile it into a book."

"The title will be Ran Wu!"

"What do you think?"

Ma Ran looked at Xiao Ming expressionlessly.

To be honest…

It wasn't great.

Such a title lacked depth and wasn't straightforward. Who knew what the content was about!

However…

This naming style truly suited Dong Huaiming's personality.

It was sufficiently chuunibyou.

It had that flavor.

"Then…"

Dong Huaiming, reading his expression, immediately changed his approach. "The title Ran Wu can be saved for later."

Who was Xiao Ming?

The number one fanboy and pillar of Caolu Academy!

With just a look, he immediately knew what Ma Ran was thinking.

"When Brother Ran achieves sainthood in martial arts, reaches the absolute peak, and becomes a Martial God, then we'll release it."

Dong Huaiming stirred the food in the iron basin with a large ladle, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "I've got it!"

"One Below the Transcendent – Preliminary Analysis of Black Rock Martial Way, how about this one?"

Humans have limits.

Even a diligent genius can't cultivate inner energy for twenty-four hours a day.

Someone who spends eighteen hours a day cultivating would never be able to stick with it!

After his usual cultivation, Dong Huaiming would wander around Caolu Academy.

In just a few days, unable to sit still, he had already explored the entirety of Gulunzhong.

The phrase "One Person Below Transcendent" was adapted from the inscription on the back of the Gulunzhong archway, which read "One Person Below Three Dynasties."

The so-called "One Person Below Three Dynasties" praised Zhuge Liang, calling Mr. Kongming the foremost talent after the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.

As for "One Person Below Transcendent," it reflected Xiao Ming's self-awareness as a devoted fan of Ma Ran.

Ma Ran glanced at Dong Huaiming's meal tray and said with a complex tone, "Whatever you like."

Eating seafood Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in the morning was a bit heavy...

As soon as Ma Ran put down his chopsticks, a junior from the middle school sprinted over to help him carry his tray to the dish return area.

Xiao Ming couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and said, trying to speak but stopping, "Brother Ran, your hair..."

Ma Ran seemed to force a smile, "It's a side effect of my superpower."

"Changing the future through [Limited Precognition]."

"Whether it's for better or worse, it accelerates cell aging and drains life force."

Afterward, he stiffly changed the subject and calmly explained the situation of his superpower awakening yesterday to Dong Huaiming.

Some information, if known by Dong Huaiming, was equivalent to the entire Caolu Academy knowing it.

Theoretically, this was also a form of acting.

However, Ma Ran could now be absolutely, positively sure that the [Acting] ability filtered out harmful aspects, leaving only the beneficial ones.

Otherwise, Ma Ran wouldn't have been the one reborn from the very beginning; it would have been the few survivors and comrades on the eve of Earth's destruction.

"I see!"

Dong Huaiming looked distressed. He carefully chose his words and pondered for a long time before cautiously saying, "Brother Ran, then in the future..."

"Try to use that ability less!"

Although he was a terminal case of chuunibyou with an unusual thought process, he was still an outstanding youth who had received many years of materialistic education.

In Dong Huaiming's opinion, superpowers that manipulated water, fire, wind, and lightning could still be explained by scientific theories, albeit barely.

But among the four abilities, [Limited Precognition], [Myriad Transformations], [Aero-control], and [Concentric], only [Aero-control] sounded relatively normal. The other three, individually, were increasingly unscientific!

But...

Ma Ran had clearly consumed some of his lifespan to change a certain future.

"Don't worry."

"I know what I'm doing."

Shortly after returning to the dormitory, Ma Ran received the remaining rewards for uploading the [Black Rock Guidance Technique].

The remaining rewards were divided into two parts.

First, a new mobile phone without a brand label.

Its appearance was somewhat similar to the latest Xiaomi model.

Its overall performance was excellent, and its reliability far surpassed any smartphone on the market.

Most importantly, it came with an app called [Dajiang].

This was a domestic software for the exchange and research of supernatural abilities and phenomena.

Under normal circumstances, only members who joined an academic society and passed at least one month of assessment were eligible to access this app.

Director Huang Weiguo had given Ma Ran special treatment, bypassing the assessment process.

With the help of this software, one could obtain firsthand intelligence on supernatural phenomena and stay updated on the latest research findings from other academic societies.

In addition to that, there was a certificate.

It had a large red background with gilded edges!

A white bar on the back contained explanatory text.

"1. This certificate is issued by Caolu Academy, exclusively for one person, and cannot be lent to others."

"2. The certificate holder enjoys temporary exemption from conventional law. In case of legal disputes, they will only be tried by the academy's court."

"3. ..."

In total, there were seven points, simply yet clearly stating the benefits enjoyed by the certificate holder and the obligations they needed to fulfill.

Thank you to Xu Ziyu for the tip of a chicken leg (100 points) to Ma Ran!

Thanks to Xiao Yugan for the 100-point tip for Ma Ran's little chicken legs!

Thanks to "Terrible Me" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Most Beloved Little Cutie" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Black Dragon Rising, Clouds Flying" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "OoO Your Little Male God OVO" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Nyanpasu's Childhood Sweetheart" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Ink Rain Star Fate" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Moon White Clear Wind Grass Hall" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks to "Autumn Wind, One Drunk, Thousand Years of Awakening" for the 100-point tip!

Thanks! (▽)

Second update finished!

hahahah

See you all tomorrow, little buddies!