Song Jun's voice echoed through the spacious Training Room.
"With the talent you've shown so far, if you can keep this up..."
"I might be able to prepare a great opportunity for you."
There was an indescribable weight to Song Jun's words.
"What do you say?"
"Interested in making a wager with me?"
Who was Song Jun?
He was a genuine Peak Martial Master!
His Blood Qi Intensity exceeded a thousand!
No matter what city he was in, he was a major figure!
And now!
It looked like Song Jun was about to extend an olive branch!
Jiang Hao remained calm. Of course he knew Song Jun had been watching him ever since the day he reached mastery in Stance Training.
But he didn't point it out.
Having the attention of a mentor like this was a tremendous blessing.
Of course, Jiang Hao had never thought of deliberately showing off.
He had his own pace.
He only needed to keep improving steadily, one step at a time.
"Mentor."
Jiang Hao inclined his head slightly, neither arrogant nor servile.
"What do you mean by a great opportunity?"
Song Jun didn't explain. Instead, he smiled.
"I can't tell you yet."
"I can only say that this opportunity is enough to change the course of your martial arts journey."
"When the time comes, you'll know."
Jiang Hao fell silent for a moment. He tightened his grip on the Alloy Spear, its cool touch clearing his thoughts.
"How do you want to make the wager?"
"Simple."
Seeing that he had agreed, Song Jun's eyes filled with even greater approval.
"First."
"You must pass the Key Class Assessment in seven days and get into the Key Class."
"Second."
"Starting today!"
"Within one month, your Blood Qi Intensity must break through to 12!"
"What?"
Even Jiang Hao, usually steady and composed, couldn't hide his surprise at that number.
A Blood Qi Intensity of 12!
In one month!
His mind raced as he calculated.
Getting into the Key Class had always been his goal. At his current rate, that would be no problem.
As for raising his Blood Qi Intensity from 9.12 to 12 within a month—
That meant a gap of nearly 2.9.
In the past, that would have been pure fantasy.
But now...
A single round of Stance Training with Medium-grade Nutrient Solution could raise it by 0.05!
Eight rounds a day!
That was 0.4 Blood Qi Intensity!
And as his Stance Training Proficiency increased, he could raise it even more!
Within a month!
Reaching a Blood Qi Intensity of 12 seemed... impossible!
The only bottleneck was money!
Medium-grade Nutrient Solution burned through cash.
But the thing Song Jun, a Martial Master Level expert, called a "great opportunity"—
Its value was probably beyond measure!
And once he entered the Key Class, the school's supply of resources would follow, greatly easing his financial burden.
This wager!
He had a good chance!
"All right."
Jiang Hao looked up and met Song Jun's gaze, nodding firmly.
"Mentor."
"I accept the wager."
"Ha ha ha ha! Good!"
Song Jun let out a hearty laugh.
"That's the spirit a young man should have!"
"Jiang Hao, do your best. Don't disappoint me!"
Song Jun stepped forward and patted Jiang Hao on the shoulder.
"From today on, if you have any questions about cultivation, come ask me anytime."
With that,
Song Jun took a Silver Metal Card from his pocket.
"Take this."
"Consider it a little advance investment from me."
"A gift."
Jiang Hao's expression shifted slightly as he accepted the card.
He lowered his head and looked.
It wasn't a bank card.
Engraved on it was a string of incredibly complex Data Code, shimmering faintly.
The instant he saw its design—
Jiang Hao's expression finally changed!
His heart jolted!
He abruptly looked up at Song Jun again!
He had only ever seen pictures of this kind of code, this kind of card, on the Alliance Martial Arts Forum!
This was...
A Martial Arts Code!
A Secret Key used to download and unlock a genuine Martial Skill on an Alliance Martial Arts Terminal!
Song Jun had actually given him a Martial Skill!
Seeing Jiang Hao's astonished expression, Song Jun smiled with satisfaction.
"Train hard."
"I look forward to seeing how you perform at the Key Class Assessment."
With that, Song Jun clasped his hands behind his back and left the Training Room.
Jiang Hao stood where he was, feeling as if the thin metal card in his hand weighed a thousand pounds!
A Martial Skill!
Every Martial Skill was worth a fortune!
Even the most basic Ranked Martial Skill cost at least 500,000 Alliance Coins!
Better ones could cost several million, or even tens of millions!
Take Lin Qiu's Shadowless Blade, for example. Its public market price was three million Human Alliance Coins!
A Martial Skill!
To Jiang Hao before, this had been the stuff of legends, a luxury he hadn't even dared to dream of.
Who would've thought!
Now one had just dropped right into his hands!
Jiang Hao grinned.
Sure enough, being strong felt amazing!
Suppressing his excitement, Jiang Hao eagerly brought up his Personal Terminal and scanned the Martial Arts Code card!
"Beep!"
"Martial Arts Code detected..."
"Decoding successful!"
"A spear-type Martial Skill is downloading..."
"Download complete."
As soon as the Martial Skill finished downloading,
Jiang Hao immediately opened it.
The name of the Spear Technique was: [Tidal Wave Spear Technique]!
Jiang Hao quickly skimmed through its characteristics.
The first thrust, strength not yet spent; the second thrust, strength piled on!
Each thrust was heavier than the last!
That was the core of the Tidal Wave Spear Technique!
The description said—
If he could master the technique to Perfection Realm,
he could stack nine layers of strength in an instant!
Nine waves crashing together!
At that point, even a Martial Artist (Blood Qi 30) could challenge an Elite Martial Practitioner (Blood Qi 40)!
"Hiss!"
Jiang Hao sucked in a sharp breath!
A Martial Artist challenging an Elite Martial Practitioner?
There was an entire major realm between them!
That made it crystal clear just how precious the Tidal Wave Spear Technique was!
"This Spear Technique must be worth several million Alliance Coins, maybe even tens of millions!"
Song Jun's gift was far too generous!
Even as he said that,
Jiang Hao's actions betrayed no hesitation. He accepted Song Jun's weighty "first great gift," then immediately studied the Tidal Wave Spear Technique's training diagrams and methods for exerting force on his terminal.
Then Jiang Hao seized the time he had and began practicing in the Training Room!
"Starting Stance, sink the qi to the dantian..."
"First Wave, Force Pierces Spear Body..."
Jiang Hao gripped the Alloy Spear and tried again and again.
Unfortunately!
This Martial Skill was far more difficult than he had imagined.
The method of stacking strength was an entirely new field for him.
By the time the Training Room's closing announcement sounded,
Jiang Hao still hadn't managed to perform even the First Wave correctly—not even once!
On the walk home,
The night wind blew, cool against his skin!
But Jiang Hao's heart burned. He craved more time than ever, wishing he could get home at once and keep training!
"To be safe,"
"I have to be able to use this Martial Skill before the Key Class Assessment!"
"At the very least!"
"I need to be able to stack one layer of strength!"
"This will greatly increase my combat power. Not only that, its moves for fighting opponents are much more useful than Basic Spear Technique. They say the Great Dao is simple, but until you reach that realm, Martial Skills are superior in every way!"
Before you continue