Toward dusk.
Jiang Ye dragged his weary body out of Teacher Chen's office and headed toward the classroom.
School had let out long ago. Only a few people remained in the martial arts classroom, still training.
Wen Yuehui was among them.
He watched Jiang Ye approach, his gaze turning a little strange.
"A Ye, why do you look like you've been completely drained?"
Jiang Ye glanced at him and frowned. "Do I?"
Wen Yuehui nodded. "Maybe you should look in a mirror. You look like your insides have been scooped out. By the way, where did you go during self-study this afternoon? I didn't see you around."
"I went to see Teacher Chen."
Jiang Ye replied.
During the afternoon self-study period, he had gone to Teacher Chen's office and spent the whole afternoon discussing martial arts techniques with her.
Teacher Chen had indeed been very patient and offered him plenty of guidance.
Jiang Ye knew that such one-on-one instruction was rare, so he had studied with exceptional focus.
By the end of the afternoon, he had nearly exhausted all his energy.
Good thing the progress was remarkable.
Jiang Ye looked at the panel.
The Star Martial Cultivation Method had improved significantly again.
"Just one afternoon, and I made as much progress as I normally would in two days."
"Somehow, my comprehension seemed even better than usual during that time. Could it be that I can only fully benefit from that thirty percent boost to my comprehension when Teacher Chen is teaching me one-on-one?"
As Jiang Ye pondered this,
Wen Yuehui beside him had already widened his eyes.
"When I went to ask her for help in private last time, she told me to wait until martial arts class. How come she gives you private lessons?"
Wen Yuehui grumbled indignantly.
Jiang Ye glanced at him and smiled. "Maybe your character model isn't good enough."
"I'm furious and shaking! Protect men!"
Wen Yuehui spread his arms, his face full of sorrow. "The world is one giant beauty pageant. When will ordinary men finally be able to stand tall?"
Jiang Ye shook his head with a laugh and paid him no more attention.
Of course, he knew Teacher Chen wasn't helping him because of his looks.
The main reasons were that he was willing to work hard and that he had experienced Martial Bone Awakening.
This world had never been short of hardworking people.
Nor had it ever lacked so-called geniuses.
But a hardworking genius was popular wherever he went.
Night was falling.
Before the sky had grown completely dark, Jiang Ye hurried home.
Because of the Shadow Calamity, he never went out at night.
Taoyang Residential Area, Building 12, Apartment 606.
At the dinner table,
Jiang Ye was wolfing down meat.
Suddenly, he paused. "Why does this meat taste a little strange today?"
It didn't taste like the pork, beef, or mutton he usually ate.
Li Anping smiled. "It's leopard gall. Your dad bought it today."
"Leopard gall?"
Jiang Ye stared at Jiang Dahai across the table in surprise.
Leopard gall was a Martial Arts Ingredient.
It wasn't as precious as tiger gall, but it still cost far more than ordinary beef or mutton.
Beef and mutton already cost five hundred yuan per jin, so leopard gall was even more expensive. This kind of dietary supplement specially supplied for martial artists cost several times more than regular meat.
Jiang Dahai grinned. "I got paid today, so I bought some for Xiao Ye to try. We only get to do this once a month, so don't go overboard."
Half a month earlier, he had successfully joined the Shadow Hunter Bureau.
Although it was only night-shift security work, his monthly salary was eight thousand yuan, far more than he used to earn.
Beside them, Jiang Ting clung to Jiang Ye's arm and pleaded, "Big brother, I want some too!"
"Your brother needs it to replenish his strength from martial arts training. Don't fight him for it," Li Anping scolded.
"Huh?"
The little girl drew her neck in and hurriedly said, "I was wrong. Then I won't eat any."
Jiang Dahai looked at Jiang Ye and smiled. "How does it feel?"
He had never eaten anything so expensive in his life, and he was curious too.
"My stomach feels warm."
Jiang Ye had only eaten half of it, but he could already feel the effects.
This kind of potent nourishment, when combined with a Cultivation Method, could produce all kinds of astonishing results.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going back to my room to train!"
He quickly finished the rest of the leopard gall, then hurried back to his room.
This was a rare opportunity. He had to combine it with his Cultivation Method to maximize the benefits.
In his room, Jiang Ye quickly assumed a fighting stance and began practicing the Star Martial Cultivation Method.
An hour.
Two hours.
In the blink of an eye, five hours had passed.
Jiang Ye stopped training, drenched in sweat.
"Finally, it's all digested." He slowly let out a breath and instinctively looked at the panel.
[Cultivation Method] Star Martial Cultivation Method: Minor Accomplishment (41%→45%)
"Five hours, and it actually went up by nearly five percent?"
That was incredible efficiency—equivalent to a whole week of hard training!
Of course, this was also his first time eating leopard gall. If he ate it every day, the effects might not be so dramatic.
But there was no doubt it was far better than ordinary beef or mutton!
"So this is a Martial Arts Dietary Supplement?"
After the initial delight came yearning. This kind of progress was intoxicating.
But he also knew that, given his family's circumstances, they could only afford an opportunity like this once a month.
I need to break through to Great Accomplishment as soon as possible. Then I'll be able to earn money.
Jiang Ye's thoughts gradually settled.
He glanced at the time. It was eleven at night, so he could train for two more hours.
Jiang Ye straightened up and began training again.
Time flew by.
Day after day, Jiang Ye kept training.
Aside from holidays, he asked Teacher Chen for guidance every day, hoping to trigger the thirty percent boost to his comprehension from Friend of the Ancestor.
Before long, it was mid-June.
With the final exams approaching, the atmosphere throughout the second year of high school grew increasingly tense.
The end of the second semester of sophomore year meant senior year was just around the corner.
That made the final exams especially important.
Those who placed in the top ten were certain to attract the attention of the school and their teachers, and would receive more focus and educational resources.
Many students started putting in extra hours, training late into the night and pushing themselves to improve.
Jiang Ye was no exception.
During this period, he had fewer in-depth sessions with Teacher Chen. After all, she wasn't his personal tutor and had other students to look after.
When he asked her for help privately, she sometimes had to turn him down.
Jiang Ye had no complaints about it.
Her willingness to teach me in private is a kindness; she has no obligation to do so. Jiang Ye saw it clearly.
Teacher Chen had already given him plenty of extra instruction.
If he pushed his luck, he would only make people resent him.
By late June,
Jiang Ye was training diligently in his room that evening, practicing the Star Martial Cultivation Method.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
As he trained, his bones let out a series of sharp pops, like metal striking stone.
At first, the sounds were crisp, but they gradually grew deeper.
At last, they rumbled like the deep voice of the earth, ringing without end!
In an instant, a breakthrough sensation like ice cracking in spring burst forth, sharp as a sword.
[Star Martial Cultivation Method: Minor Accomplishment (100%)→Great Accomplishment (1%)]
"Half a year of hard training, and I've finally reached Great Accomplishment!"
Jiang Ye stopped training and looked over his body.
But before he could carefully examine the changes,
lines of text appeared before him.
[Your strength has been detected to exceed the system limit!] [Title unlocked: Martial Arts Grandmaster!] [Congratulations! You have achieved the "Martial Arts Grandmaster" accomplishment and entered the ranks of peak powerhouses!] [Reward: Physique Enhancement!] [The "Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder" function has been unlocked.]
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