Perhaps his breakthrough had brought him a little extra luck, because another surprise arrived during Martial Arts Class that afternoon. When Instructor Xu told everyone to practice Body Tempering Fist freely, Chen Mo had barely taken his opening stance when that feeling of Qi and Blood blending seamlessly with his movements, flowing in perfect harmony, came over him again.
As he moved through his punches and kicks, they were no longer just a combination of strength and technique. Now they carried a unique "force." Every punch seemed to draw the Qi and Blood throughout his body into tiny Energy Vortices. The Fist Wind howled, and its power was more than a whole level greater than before. With every kick, he could feel his Qi and Blood flowing along his leg bones all the way to his toes. When his foot landed, it was steady and powerful, as if it could leave a shallow crater in the concrete.
His classmates, practicing nearby, were drawn to the powerful Fist Wind. They all stopped and stared at Chen Mo in astonishment. Zhang Shun's mouth fell open, and he nearly dropped the water bottle in his hand. "Holy crap! Brother Mo, that Fist Wind... It's terrifying! He's on a completely different level from before!"
Zhao Peng was staring too, his eyes wide. He murmured, "So this is the power of the Major Accomplishment Realm? That's ridiculous..."
Just as Chen Mo finished his final move and brought his fists to a steady stop, the system notification rang out right on time:
[Body Tempering Fist: Lv.5 (Major Accomplishment) (1/1000)]
Both skills! Both had reached the Major Accomplishment Realm!
Instructor Xu's eyes went wide. He looked like an old collector who'd just discovered a priceless treasure, sweeping his gaze over Chen Mo again and again like a searchlight, afraid he'd mistaken what he was seeing. Once he confirmed the distinctive Qi and Blood Fluctuation and steady presence of someone in the Major Accomplishment Realm, he couldn't hide his grin. He rushed over in three quick strides and clapped Chen Mo on the shoulder so hard he nearly staggered.
"Now that's a fine young man! A fine young man!" Instructor Xu repeated the words several times, his voice trembling a little. "Two skills at Major Accomplishment! You're the fastest student I've ever taught—one of a kind! You really are the promising talent I had my eye on!"
Chen Mo grimaced as the blows left his shoulder numb, but inside, he was delighted. Instructor Xu's reaction proved that his Major Accomplishment was the real deal. This was great—the school's "Key Cultivation Student" wool was practically in the bag!
However, the biggest surprise was still to come. That evening, after getting home and washing up, Chen Mo quieted his mind and carefully felt the changes in his body after breaking through to Major Accomplishment. What he saw nearly made him leap right off the bed: after the breakthrough, the rate at which his Qi and Blood grew had skyrocketed to an absurd degree!
After all, once his Qi and Blood Value passed 85, its growth had slowed to a crawl, like an old ox that had eaten its fill and started plodding along. It had stabilized at around 0.1 points a day, and sometimes, when he wasn't in good shape, it would slack off and only rise by 0.9 points. Chen Mo had long since prepared himself for a slow, drawn-out grind to reach 90. He'd even planned out his Qi and Blood supplements for the coming month.
But now? It was as if someone had injected that "old ox" with a powerful stimulant. In an instant, it had become a wild horse, breaking free and charging ahead at full gallop! After just one complete training cycle since reaching Major Accomplishment, Chen Mo could clearly feel his Qi and Blood grow stronger within him—by at least forty percent!
He hurriedly opened the System Panel and checked his numbers. After carefully calculating, he came to a conclusion that made his heart pound: his Qi and Blood were growing at least forty percent faster, and perhaps almost fifty percent faster! At this astonishing rate, reaching a Qi and Blood Value of 90, which he'd expected to take more than twenty days of grinding, might now take only about a week!
"No wonder Song Yunliang managed to temper his Qi and Blood to 100 so early..." Chen Mo suddenly understood, excitement surging through him. It turned out that stance training and fist techniques at Major Accomplishment unlocked the body's potential on a completely different level! It was like upgrading the engine that fueled Qi and Blood growth—not only had it gotten higher-grade fuel, but it had also gained a turbocharger. Its power had doubled!
"I'm finally going to get my hands on the school's wool!" Chen Mo was so excited he nearly teared up. He almost bowed three times to the ceiling. Recently, Zhao Peng's "friendly handouts"—the gentle Qi and Blood energy in his daily Nutritional Meals—had saved him a lot on Qi and Blood Capsules. But intense training consumed far too much Qi and Blood. No matter how good the food at Zhao Peng's house was, it could never fully replace medication designed to replenish Qi and Blood.
Every three to five days, he had to sneak into his room and swallow a high-grade Qi and Blood Capsule worth 500 yuan. Otherwise, the feeling of running his Qi and Blood dry from intense training would chase him like a pack of creditors demanding payment, leaving him so anxious he feared something might go wrong with his training.
Looking at the bank card where his family kept their "Gaokao Fund," Chen Mo saw the balance shrinking before his eyes, and he'd been on edge about it all along. His parents never brought up money in front of him, but he knew their finances weren't comfortable. His younger sister, Chen Qing, was in junior high. Tutoring fees, study materials, and the art classes she loved—all of them cost money. The more he could save, the less pressure his family would face.
But now things were different! Once his Qi and Blood Value passed 90, he could officially apply to become a Key Cultivation Student. He'd receive a fixed cash allowance every month, or an amount he could directly exchange for cultivation resources! That was real money—not only would it ease his financial burden and spare him from worrying about the cost of Qi and Blood Capsules, but it might even help replenish the family's Gaokao Fund.
Chen Mo had already started planning how to spend the allowance. He'd buy his sister at least two of the study guides she'd been asking for, then get his mother the new outfit she'd looked at several times but never bought. As for his father, he'd get him a couple bottles of good liquor, so he could have a drink or two to unwind when he was tired.
Thinking about all that made Chen Mo's motivation to train soar higher than ever. It felt like he was about to clear a challenging game dungeon: the boss's health bar was almost empty, the generous rewards were right there waiting, and all he needed was one final push.
"Come on! One last week—push for 90!" Chen Mo pumped his fist at his reflection in the mirror, cheering himself on. The boy in the mirror had eyes as sharp as an eagle's and a straight, sturdy frame. He'd long since shed his former awkwardness and uncertainty, replaced by a vibrant energy and unshakable confidence.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, softly illuminating the densely packed training schedule on his desk and the sticky note that read "Two Skills at Major Accomplishment." Chen Mo smiled and turned toward his desk, but instead of continuing to train, he opened his computer.
"Wool is great, but I can't forget about the hen laying the eggs." Muttering to himself, he deftly opened his novel-writing dashboard and started typing up today's chapter. After all, the school's wool was a temporary reward that would run out once he'd used it. Writing novels, on the other hand, was a skill that could provide a steady stream of passive income—a part of his future security.
Life was hard, and making money was even harder. Chen Mo sighed as his fingers flew across the keyboard, a satisfied smile on his face. After all, hard work offered hope, and being able to change his fate with his own hands made everything worthwhile, no matter how tiring it was.
He had to keep grinding, but life still had to go on, and money still had to be earned. Chen Mo sighed, then happily got back to grinding.
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