Before he knew it, the three hours of free access had quietly run out. When Chen Mo reluctantly finished his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes, a glint seemed to flash in them.
He immediately checked the System Panel:
[Black Tiger Stance Lv.5 (Major Accomplishment) (75/1000)] [Body Tempering Fist Lv.5 (Major Accomplishment) (73/1000)] [Qi and Blood Value: 90.52]
"Three hours, and Black Tiger Stance went up by 7 points, Body Tempering Fist (mental practice) went up by 7 points, and my Qi and Blood Value shot up by 0.14!" Chen Mo quickly did the math in his head, then was so stunned by the result that his scalp tingled.
That was the same as a whole day of miserable training in the Small Woods! No, maybe even more than a day! His Qi and Blood hadn't grown this quickly before!
"This fleece... was so worth it!" Chen Mo was so excited he wanted to do a flip on the spot, but he forced himself to hold back, figuring the Old Man might still be outside. Instead, he just clenched his fist and gave it a vigorous pump, silently cheering.
He stood up and stretched his limbs. He felt full of explosive strength, his Qi and Blood so abundant they seemed ready to spill over. He was in such great shape he could've gone and worked through ten more practice test booklets (though, of course, he only thought about it).
"Young man, your time's up." The Alloy Door slid open without a sound. The Old Man stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back, looking Chen Mo over before giving a slight nod. "Mm, steady breathing, clear eyes, good at absorbing spiritual energy, and you haven't overreached. That's quite an achievement for your first time."
Chen Mo hurriedly bowed with respect. "Thank you, sir! The training here is amazing!"
"It's good, but don't get greedy," the Old Man said unhurriedly. "Spiritual energy is nourishing, but your body and meridians still need to be able to handle it. Take it one step at a time, and you'll build a solid foundation. Come back tomorrow."
"Yes! I understand!" Chen Mo thanked him again and left the cultivation room with a spring in his step, practically floating.
He'd just gone down one floor when he ran into Zhao Peng, who was looking around.
"Brother Mo! You're finally out!" Zhao Peng grabbed him, eyes wide as he looked him up and down. "How was it? Tell me! Was it incredible? You look like you snuck a Great Tonic Pill or something—your face is glowing!"
Chen Mo gave a cheeky grin and leaned close to his ear. He lowered his voice, though he couldn't hide how smug he was. "Brother Peng, you might not believe this, but in three hours, my Qi and Blood went up by 0.14."
"H-how much?!" Zhao Peng's voice shot up an octave, making everyone else in the hallway turn to look. He quickly covered his mouth and pulled Chen Mo aside, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "0.14?! I spent fifteen hundred bucks last time and trained all afternoon just to gain 0.06! You got more than twice that in one go? And for free?!"
He grabbed Chen Mo by the shoulders and shook him hard (without budging him). "So Key Cultivation Students can just do whatever they want?! Is there no justice in this world?! No, I need to call my dad. The return on this investment is insane—I've gotta get him to invest more in me! Otherwise, when I spar with you later, you'll punch me into a wall, and I'll be stuck there!"
Chen Mo laughed at his reaction and tried to reassure him. "Take it easy, Brother Peng. Let me get familiar with the place and figure out how it works first. Then I'll bring you along to take advantage of it... I mean, to explore it together and improve together!"
"That's more like it!" Zhao Peng felt a little better, but still eyed the card in Chen Mo's hand with envy. "That card looks like a glowing lottery ticket to me... No, more like a license to print money!"
Sunlight streamed through the hallway window and fell right across Chen Mo's face, warm and bright, just like his mood.
He rubbed the warm card in his pocket and watched the numbers on the System Panel tick upward, his heart swelling with ambition.
The Spirit Energy Cultivation Room was just the first stop on his list of perks.
He still had his resource exchange allowance, hadn't tried the Nutritional Meal, and hadn't received his one-on-one guidance...
So much fleece was waiting for him to try it all one by one—or rather, put it to good use!
"Martial Artist Realm, 100 Qi and Blood..." Chen Mo gazed at the clear blue sky outside, his eyes burning with resolve. "Looks like I'll reach it sooner than I expected."
Getting to live his youth over again, with a system, friends, and now the school's "full support"—life was looking brighter and brighter!
After joking around with Zhao Peng in the hallway for a bit, Chen Mo felt like a groundhog who'd just gotten his first taste of success, his mind full of the urge to "dig, dig, dig." He weighed the still-warm Spirit Energy Room First Experience Card in his arms, changed direction, and hurried toward the Martial Arts Department office building. There were still two big chunks of meat on the benefits list waiting for him to claim!
The Resource Management Office was on the west side of the office building's first floor. It was a bright, clean little room, almost too quiet, in stark contrast to the lively training ground outside. A young teacher wearing Gold-Rimmed Glasses looked both scholarly and efficient as he bent over his desk, writing. A thick stack of documents and a small pile of metallic-blue cards sat beside him.
"Hello, sir. Sorry to bother you!" Chen Mo knocked on the door, his voice loud and filled with barely concealed anticipation. "I'm Chen Mo from Class 7, Third Year High School. I just passed the Key Cultivation Student application, and I'm here to get my Resource Exchange Card and Canteen Meal Card."
The teacher with Gold-Rimmed Glasses looked up, adjusted his glasses, glanced at Chen Mo, then checked the list beside him. A warm, professional smile appeared on his face. "You're Chen Mo, right? Just a moment." He briskly took two cards and a thin booklet from a drawer.
"This is your Resource Exchange Card. This month's 2,000 points have already been added." The teacher handed Chen Mo a cool-to-the-touch Blue Card, its edges inlaid with fine silver lines. "The points expire at the end of the month and don't roll over, so plan carefully and don't waste them." He picked up the booklet beside him, which was titled "Martial Arts Resource Redemption Guide (Internal Edition)." "This is the catalog and price list. It covers most commonly used resources. The prices are better than what you'll find outside, but it's not exactly cheap. I recommend you figure out what you need before redeeming anything."
Chen Mo accepted the card and booklet, running his fingertips over the finely textured surface. He felt delighted. Two thousand points! That was a huge amount of "school-issued hard currency"!
The teacher with Gold-Rimmed Glasses picked up another card. This one was gold, printed with the school emblem and a prominent character for "meal." It looked very high-end. "This is your VIP Nutritional Meal Card. You can use it at the designated counter for lunch and dinner every day. Just swipe the card to use one meal, with no extra charge. One thing to keep in mind," the teacher added more seriously, "the Nutritional Meal is energy-dense. For your first time, I recommend eating a controlled amount and increasing it gradually, so you don't feel unwell from replenishing your Qi and Blood too quickly."
Before you continue