A Month Later

A few moments later, the car's speed stabilized at 150 km/h.

Jiang Ye waited patiently.

But after several minutes, he still hadn't received a system notification.

Could it not be done? Jiang Ye wondered.

Was the speed not high enough?

Or was this method no good for exploiting a bug?

"Driver, can you go any faster?" Jiang Ye asked.

"Any faster and we'll be flying!"

The driver said that, but still stomped on the accelerator, pushing the speed up another notch.

The entire car began to vibrate, and it felt as if it might take off at any moment.

The speed had now reached 160 km/h!

Jiang Ye waited patiently for another ten minutes.

But still, no system notification came.

Could this method really not exploit a bug? Jiang Ye felt a little disappointed.

But just as he was losing hope, several system messages suddenly popped up.

[Detected that the host, at the level of a Martial Arts Grandmaster, has reached the speed standard of a Martial Arts Grandmaster and maintained it for a period of time.]

[Title unlocked: Gale Step]

[Reward: Instant speed increased by 100%, can be activated at will, lasts 30 seconds, cooldown of three minutes]

"Did it really take that long to trigger the achievement?"

Jiang Ye marveled to himself. "This system really doesn't seem very bright. It takes forever just to detect something."

He was used to it by now.

This system was always coming up with new tricks when he wasn't paying attention.

Jiang Ye shook his head and looked at the reward he'd just received.

"Gale Step? Activated at will?" His heart leaped with joy.

Being able to activate it at will meant this was a reward that could grow stronger.

In other words, the 100% speed boost would increase along with his base speed!

"Martial Arts Grandmaster?"

Just then, Jiang Ye noticed a particular term.

"According to the system's cultivation ranks, Martial Arts Grandmaster comes after Martial Arts Grandmaster?"

"It seems Martial Arts Grandmaster is equivalent to the First Break level in the real world."

Merely reaching perfection in the Cultivation Method wasn't enough to achieve a speed of 160 km/h.

Only a Starry Sky Martial Artist who had broken through the limits of life and entered the First Break stage could do that.

"Let's head back, driver," Jiang Ye called out.

As far as he was concerned, the trip had been a complete success.

After returning to the residential complex, Jiang Ye immediately tested his newly acquired ability.

"Gale Step!"

He silently called it out in his mind.

In an instant, Jiang Ye's figure turned into a blur as he suddenly shot forward.

"So fast!"

Jiang Ye was startled. This speed almost exceeded his control.

That was because his body hadn't caught up with his speed, creating the illusion that he was losing control.

It was only natural that it would feel uncomfortable the first time.

Fortunately, after experiencing it for a while, Jiang Ye gradually mastered the speed.

"Way too fast!"

"Too bad it only lasts thirty seconds."

But in a real fight, that's more than enough. If my speed suddenly doubles, my opponent will have a hard time reacting in time.

After completing the test, Jiang Ye returned home, thoroughly satisfied.

"The plan really works."

"Maybe there are plenty of other ways to exploit bugs."

Jiang Ye came up with quite a few ideas.

For example, he could use binoculars to observe objects dozens of kilometers away and maybe unlock an eyesight achievement.

Or he could wear a bulletproof vest, stack armor on himself, and increase his defense.

But all of that would cost a pretty penny.

Take the binoculars, for example. He'd have to buy a high-end pair.

They would need sufficient range, clarity, and a wide field of view. Otherwise, knowing how the system worked, it might not unlock the achievement.

Meeting all those requirements would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan.

As for a bulletproof vest, there was no need to even mention it. He still couldn't afford one.

Exploiting bugs like this is great, but it costs too much. Is there a simpler, cheaper way?

Jiang Ye pondered.

Unfortunately, he couldn't think of one for now.

"Xiao Ye!"

His adoptive father Jiang Dahai called from outside.

"Coming." Jiang Ye went out.

"Look what I brought back!" Jiang Dahai laughed. "Tiger Gallbladder! I finally managed to buy some!"

He placed a black metal case on the table.

When they opened it, a dark-golden chunk of meat lay inside, soaking in turbid wine. A strong, bloody smell rushed out.

"It's Tiger Gallbladder." Jiang Ye was delighted too.

Tiger Gallbladder cost more than five times as much as Leopard Gallbladder, and its effects were far greater.

He'd wanted to try it for ages, but had never been able to buy any.

Half an hour later, Jiang Ye sat down at the dining table.

A large bowl was filled with thin golden slices. They glistened with oil, each one translucent like pale-gold amber, and gave off a rich meaty aroma.

There was also a bowl of strong liquor beside it.

"Strong liquor with Tiger Gallbladder—one bite is worth a year of cultivation!"

Of course, that was an exaggeration. No matter how potent a Martial Arts Ingredient was, it couldn't replace a whole year of cultivation.

But the saying still showed just how effective it was.

Jiang Ye eagerly dug in.

Beside him, Jiang Ting watched with longing, but she knew this was for Jiang Ye's Martial Arts cultivation. She couldn't steal it from her brother.

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Ye cleared the table and hurried back to his room to begin cultivating.

The moment he started, he immediately sensed something unusual.

"Every pore in my body has opened, expelling the impurities."

"A fierce energy is coursing through my meridians. It's as if my Ren and Du meridians have been opened."

An unprecedented feeling of clarity welled up within him.

Daring not to waste any time, Jiang Ye quickly began refining the energy.

One hour.

Three hours.

Five hours.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten hours had passed.

During that time, Jiang Ye didn't feel tired or hungry at all. Instead, the longer he cultivated, the more energetic he became.

Only after more than ten hours did he finally begin to feel a little drained.

But Jiang Ye still didn't stop. He continued cultivating, refining the energy left in his body until he'd squeezed out every last drop.

A whole day passed.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes and looked at the panel.

[Cultivation Method]

Star Martial Cultivation Method: Great Accomplishment (21% → 26%)

"Feels great."

Jiang Ye marveled to himself. Over the past few days, he'd been improving by less than 1% each day.

After taking Tiger Gallbladder, the effect was more than five times greater than that of Leopard Gallbladder.

"There's enough Tiger Gallbladder left for several more days. I'll keep improving at this rate over the next few days."

"By the end of the month, I should be able to reach at least 40%!"

Jiang Ye was filled with hope for the future.

He glanced at the time.

"Hm? It's mealtime again. I'll eat first, then come back and cultivate."

Jiang Ye got up and went outside.

Time flew.

In the blink of an eye, it was early August.

In his room, Jiang Ye finished the final stance of the Star Martial Cultivation Method and slowly settled his breath.

A sweet female voice came from the Communication Watch on the table. "Good. Compared to before, you're making far fewer mistakes in your practice."

"Thank you for taking the trouble, teacher."

Jiang Ye walked over and picked up the watch.

Over the past month, he'd often used the Communication Watch to video-call Chen Zilu and ask her for guidance.

After passing the First Layer Assessment of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder, he had gained a permanent 10% boost to his comprehension.

Combined with the 30% comprehension boost from Friend of the Ancestor, Jiang Ye had benefited greatly from Chen Zilu's guidance every day.

On the watch, Chen Zilu smiled. "The trial assessment is tomorrow. Remember to get to school on time."

"Mm-hmm."

"Take it easy today. Don't push yourself too hard."

Chen Zilu's voice was clear and cool as she said, "Hard work doesn't have to happen all at once. You've already been working hard enough, and relaxing before the assessment is important too."

"Okay." Jiang Ye nodded.

After ending the call, Jiang Ye sat back down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath.

"A month of hard cultivation, and now it's finally time to see what I've accomplished."

Jiang Ye was also taking tomorrow's trial seriously, and he was looking forward to it.

He silently looked at his panel.

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