Qi and Blood Test

The gap brought by resources was stark and real.

Chen Mo watched them, but felt not a trace of jealousy in his heart—only a clearer understanding. The rules of this world were just so: talent, effort, and resources together determined a person's starting point and speed on the martial path. He had no resources, no background; the only things he could rely on were the system in his mind and his own sweat, day after day.

Instructor Xu clearly understood these gaps too. He was strict with all students equally, but when his gaze fell on top students like Zhao Peng and Li Haoran, there was always an extra glimmer of expectation. Sometimes after class, he would even keep these few behind for extra guidance or teach them more refined techniques for delivering force.

That was a small privilege belonging to the "elite students."

And Chen Mo, with his astonishing progress in the First Mock Exam and his solid performance in recent Martial Arts Classes, had gradually caught Instructor Xu's attention. Occasionally, when Instructor Xu patrolled near him, he would stop and offer a word or two of personal advice.

"Chen Mo." One day during Standing Meditation, Instructor Xu walked up to him and spoke in a low voice.

Chen Mo's heart tightened, and he quickly focused his mind, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

"When guiding your Qi and Blood, just keep your intent on your Dantian; don't force it." Instructor Xu's sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the flow of Qi and Blood inside him. "Your Mental Strength seems slightly stronger than average—that's an advantage—but too much is as bad as too little. Forcing the flow will only drain your spirit, and the loss outweighs the gain. Remember, going with the flow is the true path."

"Yes, Instructor Xu, I'll remember." Chen Mo replied respectfully, but his mind was shaken.

He had indeed noticed that because his Mental Strength stat was relatively high (9.5), he could focus more easily than others when sensing and guiding his Qi and Blood. But it also meant that his intense concentration could lead to mental fatigue. The system allowed him to precisely control his "practice level," but how to balance spirit and Qi and Blood was something he still needed to explore slowly.

The monthly official Qi and Blood test day had finally arrived.

This test used the school's specially purchased precision "Qi and Blood Meter," far more accurate than Instructor Xu's rough sensing and evaluation during regular classes. The results would be directly recorded in the students' martial arts performance files.

The atmosphere in the Martial Arts Hall was much heavier than usual. The students lined up, each nervously stepping onto the testing platform, pressing their palms against the ice-cold sensor plate of the Qi and Blood Meter, holding their breath, and fully activating the Qi and Blood within their bodies.

"Zhang Shun, 52 points, failing. Step down. Practice your Standing Meditation more next time!" The teacher in charge of recording read out the numbers expressionlessly.

Zhang Shun slouched off the platform, his face full of dejection: "Failed again. It's over, the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam is doomed."

"Wang Hao, 58 points, two points short of passing. Keep pushing!"

"Zhang Yuxi, 61 points. Not bad, up 3 points from last time. Steady improvement."

When it was Li Haoran's turn, the Qi and Blood Meter emitted a slightly higher hum, the numbers on the screen jumping rapidly before finally stabilizing: 90 points!

"Wow! 90 points!" A low murmur of surprise rose around him. Li Haoran's face remained calm as he gave a slight nod to the recording teacher and walked off the platform with composure, though a trace of barely concealed pride flickered deep in his eyes.

Next, Zhao Peng stepped forward. He took a deep breath, a confident smile spreading across his face, and pressed his palm firmly onto the sensor plate.

Hum—

The hum of the Qi and Blood Meter suddenly grew louder, the numbers on the screen climbing rapidly, from 90 to 95, then higher, finally stopping at an eye-catching figure: 92 points!

"Damn! 92 points! That's insane!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell around him. Zhao Peng's lips curled into a smug arc. He swept his gaze across the crowd, pausing deliberately on potential rivals like Li Haoran, the arrogance in his eyes almost overflowing.

Chen Mo was at the back of the line, his mood calm with a hint of anticipation. He could feel that his recent morning and extra training hadn't been in vain. The Qi and Blood inside him was much denser than during the last test; he should be able to surpass 70 points.

Finally, it was his turn.

Chen Mo stepped onto the testing platform, took a deep breath, and pressed his palm against the sensor plate. Closing his eyes, he mobilized the warm energy in his Dantian, following Instructor Xu's method, guiding it unhurriedly along his arm and slowly toward his palm.

Hum—

The Qi and Blood Meter emitted a steady, clear hum. The numbers on the screen began to jump: 65... 68... 70...

The numbers climbed slowly, finally settling at a pleasantly surprising figure: 71 points!

"Chen Mo, 71 points." The recording teacher glanced down at the number, then looked up at Chen Mo, a clear flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Fast progress. Keep it up."

71 points!

A full 3 points higher than the 68 points from the last test!

This increase was astonishing among ordinary students. Everyone knew that the higher your Qi and Blood value, the harder it was to improve. Many students trained for a month and might not even gain a single point. Though this number still lagged far behind Zhao Peng and Li Haoran, it had firmly placed him in the upper-middle tier of the class, even surpassing some classmates who had previously been stronger than him.

The surrounding gazes instantly focused on Chen Mo again, the surprise even greater than during the last exam.

Progress in Cultural Class could be explained away as "having a breakthrough," but the steady, rapid improvement in martial Qi and Blood wasn't so simple. It wasn't something that could be achieved through hard work alone; it required talent and the right methods.

Zhang Shun pushed through the crowd, slapped Chen Mo hard on the shoulder, his eyes wide as saucers, and gave him a thumbs-up: "Brother Mo, awesome! 71 points! You're about to take off!"

Zhang Yuxi also turned back, flashing him a bright smile, mouthing the words "Amazing."

Even Xu Yunjing, up front, seemed to casually glance back at the scoreboard on the wall, her gaze lingering on the line "Chen Mo 71" for half a second before slowly turning away.

Chen Mo stepped off the testing platform, his heart largely unruffled. 71 points was just a small milestone on his long journey, a phased mini-goal.

His gaze had already shifted to the next mark.

100 points—that was the Qi and Blood limit for an ordinary person.

Once he broke through that limit, the Qi and Blood within his body would undergo a qualitative transformation, usually jumping directly to over 120 points, officially crossing the threshold into a First-Rank Martial Artist.

This step was crucial.

If he could become a First-Rank Martial Artist before the college entrance exam, it would be almost like having one foot through the door of a Martial Arts Academy. That was the true leap over the dragon's gate, the ticket for an ordinary person to change their fate and achieve social mobility.

However, Chen Mo also knew that merely becoming a First-Rank Martial Artist was far from enough. If his Cultural Class scores weren't high, he might only enter those ordinary Martial Arts Academies with limited resources. And those second-tier, first-tier, or even top-tier martial arts institutions had extremely high dual standards for both Cultural Class scores and martial cultivation.

For example, the legendary "East Asia's Number One Martial Arts University" and "Big Dipper Martial Academy" were said to require not only that students become First-Rank Martial Artists before the exam, but also that their Cultural Class scores approach the key undergraduate admission line. They even had harsh, almost absurd requirements for combat ability and potential assessment.

The road was still long.

But looking at the clear numbers after [Qi and Blood Value] on the system panel in his mind, and the steadily growing proficiency in each skill, Chen Mo's heart was filled with unprecedented confidence and motivation.

The golden glow of the setting sun bathed the entire campus in warm light. The school bell rang, melodious and pleasant.

Chen Mo packed up his schoolbag and walked out of the teaching building together with Zhang Shun, who was muttering as he went, "Going back to write exam papers again, it's like torture."

The two pushed their bicycles and strolled slowly along the tree-lined path on campus. The evening breeze brushed past, stirring up willow catkins by the roadside and lifting the corners of the boys' clothes.

"Brother Mo." Zhang Shun suddenly stopped, staring at the sunset clouds in the sky, and asked out of the blue, "Do you think I could suddenly have a breakthrough like you did?"

Chen Mo looked at the rare seriousness and confusion on his friend's face, paused for a moment, then said earnestly, "Shunzi, a breakthrough doesn't happen suddenly. It's more like—after you've walked enough roads, taken enough falls, and thought enough things through... you suddenly turn around and realize the fork was always there, you just hadn't seen it before. You have to keep moving forward, without stopping."

Zhang Shun was stunned for a moment, chewing over those words. After a long while, he sighed. "Moving forward... it's so tiring."

"Tiring, but worth it." Chen Mo swung his leg over his bicycle, turned back, and smiled at him. That smile was especially bright and clear in the sunset glow. "At least, when you eat Jianbing Guozi from now on, you can add two eggs without guilt, and you'll find those eggs taste better than before."

Zhang Shun was taken aback at first, then burst into loud laughter, punching Chen Mo on the shoulder. "You bastard, all you think about is food!"

The two rode their bicycles, chatting and laughing as they headed home against the evening breeze.

The city's neon lights lit up one by one, dazzling and brilliant, illuminating countless young figures like theirs on the streets. Each carried different dreams, put in different efforts, and pressed forward with all their might on the tracks of youth and reality.

Chen Mo faced the evening breeze and tightened his grip on the handlebars.

He knew that the path belonging to him—woven from the daily dawn light, sweat, ink, and the surging of Qi and Blood—was becoming clearer and more solid, inch by inch. And that gate called "Limit Breaking" was already in sight.