Godlike Progress

If he really couldn't make it in time, then he would have no choice but to make a trip to North Capital.

That was the only solution Shen Qian could think of.

"Only business class and first class still have tickets."

Shen Qian deeply suspected that the ticket agent, who looked all proper and respectable, had seen his urgency and was trying to rip him off, but he had no proof.

Still, no matter what, the five thousand didn't seem like such an unjustified expense now.

Because Ding Yi smiled.

This girl, whose persona had always been cold and aloof, rarely smiled, let alone wore such a dazzlingly radiant expression.

As if a spring breeze had arrived overnight, setting peach blossoms aglow against a lovely face.

For some reason, an ancient poem flashed through Shen Qian's mind... Uh, no, that seemed to be two lines.

"Shen Qian, sometimes you're pretty foolish." The distracted Shen Qian heard Ding Yi murmur. "...But I like it."

Looking at the girl, whose eyes were clear as water yet rippled with faint waves, Shen Qian felt that he should do something.

So Shen Qian stepped forward and hugged her.

He still didn't have the guts to kiss her...

Shen Qian despised himself.

But such a hug in broad daylight was already far too bold for Ding Yi. She stiffened slightly, then softened again, allowing Shen Qian to hold her quietly.

Sunlight spilled down, and the crowd in the airport surged like a waterfall. Quite a few people turned to take photos, though they avoided capturing Shen Qian's face. Their lenses mainly lingered on the girl's flushed, breathtaking profile and the tips of her hair bathed in golden light.

No matter what, this moment felt everlasting.

No one knew how long it had been before Lin Xiaoqian's increasingly heavy coughing finally made Shen Qian reluctantly release Ding Yi.

"I'm leaving," Ding Yi said softly.

"Uh, won't you be late already?" Shen Qian glanced at the time. It was already past ten.

"The flight's delayed, so there's still time." Ding Yi shook her head and pulled her coat tighter. "You should refund your ticket... Even if you came to North Capital, I wouldn't have time. I took too much leave this time, and a lot of things have been delayed."

He could still refund the ticket?

Shen Qian, a country bumpkin who had never flown before, perked up immediately. Then he nodded. "When the autumn air is crisp, you'll see me."

"Okay."

Ding Yi waved goodbye to the two of them, turned, and walked into the boarding passage. She soon vanished behind the flow of people.

"Tsk, tsk. I still don't understand what Little Ding sees in you." Lin Xiaoqian looked thoroughly indignant on Ding Yi's behalf.

"The Special Effect Potion might be a bit troublesome," Shen Qian said blandly.

"You and Little Ding are a perfect match, made for each other. May you grow old together."

"I'll give it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir!" Lin Xiaoqian gave him a demure little bow.

"Was the flight really delayed?" Shen Qian wanted to know whether it had truly been such a coincidence.

"What do you think?" Lin Xiaoqian rolled her eyes first, then remembered that she couldn't afford to offend him for the time being and added, "Actually, Little Ding's ticket was for eleven."

Shen Qian froze, then fell silent.

"So if you ever dare betray Little Ding in the future, may heaven strike you down with thunder!"

Lin Xiaoqian huffed. Seeing that they were nearly out of the airport terminal, she waved. "I took leave today, so I'm not going to school. I'll take the bus over there. Bye!"

After saying goodbye to Lin Xiaoqian, Shen Qian first went to refund his ticket. Although ten percent was still deducted as a handling fee, Shen Qian was already quite satisfied.

As he left the airport, Shen Qian suddenly spotted an acquaintance—or rather, someone he was only half-acquainted with.

"Mr. Ding, what a coincidence. Are you here to see someone off too?"

Shen Qian took the initiative to greet the middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, who was leaning against a stretched Wuling sedan by the roadside.

Ding Anbai looked at Shen Qian with a complicated expression. That unreadable gaze made Shen Qian's scalp tingle.

"Mr. Ding?"

Shen Qian increasingly felt that something was off about Ding Anbai, though he had no idea what exactly it was.

Ding Anbai opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, turned, and got into the car.

As the window rolled up swiftly, Shen Qian could only swallow the words, "Are you heading into the city too? Yeah, I'm on the way too," and the like.

Watching the luxurious Wuling speed away, Shen Qian recalled the pile of baffling things Ding Anbai had said to him that day and came to a careful conclusion.

The other man seemed to have an unfavorable impression of him.

"Does he take me for some petty climber trying to curry favor?"

Shen Qian shook his head and couldn't be bothered to care. He no longer had any intention of selling the formula anyway, so there was no need to build a relationship with the man.

...It was just a little regrettable that he hadn't scored a free ride.

Inside the stretched Wuling sedan, Ding Anbai withdrew his gaze from the rearview mirror and shook his head.

How long had it been since Little Yi had hugged him...

"Mr. Ding, is there anything you need me to do?" A-Wei, the secretary in the passenger seat, read the room and asked proactively.

"Not yet." Ding Anbai shook his head. "How many young people can withstand the test of distance and time?"

After a pause, unwilling to say more about the matter, Ding Anbai changed the subject. "How is the research at the medical institute progressing?"

"I was just about to report on that." A-Wei said, "Master Wei's research has reportedly made a breakthrough. They should be able to produce samples soon."

"That's good. Keep a close eye on it."

Ding Anbai's expression relaxed slightly. Rubbing his brow, he said, "This year's competition for the Body Tempering Potion is particularly fierce. Hmph, some people think they can crush us with those so-called imported foreign products. Then we'll slap them hard across the face."

"Understood." A-Wei nodded.

"Forget it. Pharmaceutical geniuses like Wei Sijian tend to have eccentric personalities. If you go alone, he might not take it seriously. Find a suitable time. I'll pay him a visit in person."

After thinking it over, Ding Anbai changed his mind.

At No.7 High School's Physical Testing Hall, in front of the Martial Arts Simulator.

After class, Shen Qian spent another two hours here.

As the two bronze men before him crashed to the ground, a simplified data report soon appeared.

Username: Dried Up Confusion

Data Statistics:

Burst Strength: 208 Kg

Instantaneous Speed: 7.7 S/100 meters

Physical Strength Grade: Z

Physical Toughness Grade: Y

...

(▼ Click to expand for more detailed data)

...

Martial Skill Assessment: Basic

Realm Assessment: First Stage of Elementary Martial Artist (Mid)

...

Friendly Reminder: The martial path is arduous. Please keep working hard!

In just two days, his physical abilities had improved tremendously again.

An increase of over ten kilograms in strength and 0.2 seconds in speed had an effect comparable to taking drugs.

Yet now, all he needed to do was eat, eat, eat, and keep pumping iron.

Easy and enjoyable.

In addition, Shen Qian only noticed this time that aside from his Physical Strength Grade and Physical Toughness Grade having reached measurable standards—though he had no idea what ranks Z and Y represented...

His martial skill and martial arts realm had also been displayed.

A martial skill assessment of "Basic" meant that Shen Qian's fists and kicks had finally moved beyond being completely unstructured. At the very least, they now had some technical substance.

The realm assessment was easier to understand. The average Burst Strength for the First Stage of Elementary Martial Artist ranged from 150 to 250, so his Burst Strength of 208 had reached the middle of the first stage.

After tidying up, Shen Qian returned the card to Grandpa Xu, who was still bent over working overtime, then left the school and headed toward South Gate River.

He had to brew the Special Effect Potions he had promised Lin Xiaoqian and the others.

If all went smoothly, he could go from being a proud ten-thousand-yuan man to a noble hundred-thousand-yuan man... Just thinking about it made him happy.