Breakthrough

After finishing lunch with Lu Ming in the cafeteria!

Jiang Hao did not return to the classroom right away. Instead, he headed toward the supply vending machine specially set up in a corner of the cafeteria.

Inside the machine's transparent display case, potions of every color were neatly arranged, from energy drinks that restored stamina to nutrient solutions that aided cultivation—a dazzling array.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Hao's gaze locked directly onto the "Low-grade Nutrient Solution" priced at two thousand Alliance Coins.

He brought up the payment code on his Personal Terminal and gave the machine a light scan.

Accompanied by a faint mechanical whir, a light blue potion dropped into the collection slot with a clunk.

Lu Ming, who had been about to return to the Martial Arts Arena with Jiang Hao, instantly widened his eyes at the sight. He hurried over in two quick strides and pointed at the potion in disbelief.

"Am I seeing this right, Jiang Hao? You bought... a Low-grade Nutrient Solution?"

Lu Ming's voice was filled with astonishment.

Two thousand Alliance Coins was no small sum for students from ordinary families like theirs.

It was practically a month's living expenses for him.

Things like this were usually bought only by students from wealthy families, or those with exceptional talent who were desperate to break through to a higher level.

Jiang Hao held the cool potion in his palm, feeling the texture of the glass tube as his heart burned hot.

He turned his head!

Meeting Lu Ming's shocked gaze, Jiang Hao wore a calm yet resolute smile.

"Yeah. My family gave me some money so I can make one final push in these last few months before the Martial Arts Exam."

At that explanation, the shock on Lu Ming's face slowly faded, replaced by a complicated expression mixed with envy and admiration.

He knew that Jiang Hao's family circumstances were about the same as his own, and he also knew that Jiang Hao's Martial Bone was the lowest Dust Grade.

Yet even under such circumstances, his family had still chosen to support him with everything they had. Both that resolve and Jiang Hao's own hard work moved him deeply.

Lu Ming gave Jiang Hao's shoulder a heavy pat, his expression turning solemn as well.

"Good lad, you've got ambition!"

"Your uncle and aunt are supporting you this much, so you'd better work twice as hard. Don't let their hopes down!"

Lu Ming's voice was full of sincere encouragement. "Keep it up. If you need any help, just say the word!"

"Thanks."

Warmth rose in Jiang Hao's heart, and he nodded.

He tucked the nutrient solution into his school uniform pocket. Feeling that small weight, Jiang Hao felt as though he were holding a brand-new future in his hand.

The afternoon cultivation class was still held in Class Two's dedicated Training Room.

Unlike that morning!

At this moment, Jiang Hao's heart was filled with anticipation.

He found a relatively secluded corner and twisted open the cap of the light blue nutrient solution.

A faintly sweet scent tinged with the fresh fragrance of grass and wood rushed into his nose.

Without hesitation, Jiang Hao tilted his head back and drank the entire tube of potion in one go.

The liquid was cool and sweet as it entered his mouth, sliding down his throat into his stomach.

At first, there was no unusual feeling. But only seconds later, a gentle current of heat surged up from his abdomen like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam, instantly rushing through all four limbs and every bone.

Wherever that warm current passed!

Jiang Hao felt the muscle soreness from his overloaded training that morning, along with the fatigue in his meridians, being washed away and rapidly melting beneath a warm tide.

Every cell seemed to be soaking in a hot spring, greedily absorbing that pure energy and brimming with joyous vitality.

The fatigue from that morning was swept away completely!

In its place was an unprecedented abundance of energy.

Jiang Hao felt so comfortable he nearly moaned aloud!

But this was not the time to enjoy it. He quickly composed himself, bent his legs slightly, and assumed the Starting Stance of the Nine Revolutions Stance Skill.

His physical condition had never been better. Jiang Hao could feel his muscles and bones brimming with strength, as though he possessed inexhaustible power.

Without the slightest delay, Jiang Hao immediately began practicing the stance skill.

The first run flowed like drifting clouds and running water, completed in one unbroken sweep, smoother than any previous attempt.

Under his guidance, the qi and blood within his body surged with even greater force.

When the first run ended, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding, completed one practice session of "Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Minor Accomplishment · Fifth Revolution"]

[Proficiency +1]

[Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Minor Accomplishment · Fifth Revolution (99/100)]

Just one last time!

Jiang Hao took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and immediately began the second round of practice.

As he entered the state once more, the flow of Blood Energy throughout his body grew increasingly fierce.

Every movement and every breath precisely guided the power within him, tempering his body along a particular trajectory.

The instant Jiang Hao completed the final form and slowly drew his stance to a close.

[Ding, completed one practice session of "Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Minor Accomplishment - Fifth Revolution"]

[Proficiency +1]

[Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Minor Accomplishment - Fifth Revolution (100/100)]

Almost the moment the notification ended, Jiang Hao's body jolted violently.

He felt as though some invisible shackle within him had shattered with a crack!

Immediately after!

A surge of Blood Energy far more majestic than before erupted thunderously from the depths of his body.

The Blood Energy that had once merely rushed through his Meridians now seemed to transform into tangible streams, flowing noisily through his blood vessels and Meridians with a faint yet clearly audible sound.

A faint crimson glow surfaced over his skin, heat steamed from his entire body, and even the black hair over his forehead was lightly stirred.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! "Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Minor Accomplishment - Fifth Revolution" has broken through to the Mastery realm!]

[Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Mastery - Sixth Revolution (0/100)]

He had broken through!

A flood of information rose in Jiang Hao's mind.

How long had his stance skill remained at Minor Accomplishment?

At least a year!

Finally!

It had reached Mastery at this moment!

Jiang Hao could clearly feel it!

After his stance skill reached Mastery, his control over his body and the efficiency with which he used Blood Energy had both ascended to an entirely new level.

If his Blood Energy had once been a clogged little ditch, then now it was a river flowing freely without obstruction!

Though Jiang Hao did his best to restrain this sudden fluctuation of Blood Energy, it still caused a small stir in the quiet Training Room.

"Huh? Did you feel that? The Blood Energy fluctuation over there seems a little strong."

"Is that Jiang Hao? What happened to him? His Aura suddenly feels much more profound!"

"Blood Energy flowing like water... could it be... his stance skill has reached Mastery?"

A student whose stance skill had also reached Mastery cried out in alarm.

At those words, the gazes of several nearby students instantly converged on Jiang Hao, their eyes filled with uncertainty and disbelief.

Stance skill Mastery!

That was no easy feat for a third-year high school student.

In all of Class 3-2, there were absolutely no more than thirty students who could cultivate their Basic Stance Training to the Mastery realm before the Martial Arts Exam!

And Jiang Hao!

A student with a Dust-grade Martial Bone had actually done it too?

Just as Jiang Hao was immersed in the joy of his breakthrough and attempted his third practice session—the first since stepping into the Sixth Revolution realm—the system notification rang out again, bringing an unexpected surprise.

[Ding, completed one practice session of "Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Mastery - Sixth Revolution"]

[Proficiency +1]

[Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Mastery - Sixth Revolution (1/100)]

[Ding! Detected that the Host has cultivated a cultivation method to the "Mastery" realm for the first time. The Information Template function has officially been activated!]

The moment the notification ended, a virtual interface unfolded before Jiang Hao's eyes.

[Host: Jiang Hao]

[Strength: Martial Trainee (Blood Qi Intensity 8.1)]

[Cultivation Method: Nine Revolutions Stance Skill Mastery - Sixth Revolution (1/100)]

[Martial Skill: Spear Arts - Minor Accomplishment (10/100)]

Looking at the clear, intuitive panel, the corners of Jiang Hao's mouth unconsciously curled upward, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

He had never expected the system to possess such a panel function.

What delighted him even more was that the Strength section clearly displayed his current Blood Qi Intensity: 8.1!

Just one breakthrough in his stance skill had directly raised his Blood Qi Intensity by 0.3!

That was the equivalent of all the results from his bitter training over the past three months combined!

"Wonderful! Now I'll be able to see every bit of my progress more clearly!" Jiang Hao was exhilarated. This undoubtedly filled him with even greater confidence in his future cultivation.

Just as most of the students in the Training Room had their attention drawn to Jiang Hao!

Song Jun, the Mentor standing at the very front of the grounds and silently overseeing the entire session, had long since fixed his hawk-sharp eyes on Jiang Hao as well.

As a Martial Master Level expert with a Blood Qi Intensity exceeding 40, his perception of blood qi was far keener than that of the students.

The instant Jiang Hao broke through, he had already sensed that faint yet incomparably condensed and pure fluctuation of blood qi.

Song Jun's brows lifted ever so slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

He had an excellent memory!

He clearly remembered that this student named Jiang Hao had tested with a Dust-grade Martial Bone upon enrollment, which had practically declared his martial path doomed to dim prospects.

For three years!

Jiang Hao's performance in class had indeed been utterly ordinary. He was the kind of average student teachers were most likely to overlook.

In Song Jun's mind, Jiang Hao had essentially been placed among those "with no hope of entering Martial Arts University."

He might work hard and train diligently, but the immense chasm of talent was not something diligence could fully bridge.

Yet just now, this student whom he had considered utterly hopeless had actually cultivated the basic Nine Revolutions Stance Skill to the realm of mastery?

Song Jun's gaze deepened.

He knew full well!

For someone with outstanding talent, cultivating a basic stance skill to mastery might not be difficult. But for a student with a Dust-grade Martial Bone, it meant expending tenfold—or even dozens of times—more sweat and perseverance than ordinary people.

"With stance mastery, blood qi tempering efficiency can increase by at least thirty percent. This kid might... actually have a sliver of hope?"

A thought quietly took root in Song Jun's heart.

Though the hope was still slim, a student capable of turning the impossible into possible and breaking through the barriers of talent through sheer perseverance was worth watching in himself.

"This kid is worth keeping an eye on."

Song Jun thought to himself. For the first time, a sliver of the attention he had originally directed toward the top students shifted to Jiang Hao, who was still happily celebrating.

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