The night had grown deep.
Jiang Hao finished practicing the Tidal Wave Spear Technique, and the breakthrough in his Martial Skill left him in especially high spirits. Yet Song Jun's face also surfaced in his mind.
That wager.
Jiang Hao hadn't forgotten it.
He had already fulfilled the first condition: joining the Key Class.
But the second condition—
His Blood Qi Intensity had to reach 12.0 within a month!
That was the real challenge!
"Today, I've been busy dealing with all kinds of things, and practicing Martial Skills, too."
"I still haven't practiced my Stance Training."
"And my Stance Training is close to a breakthrough!"
"I wonder what surprise I'll get when it reaches the Eighth Turn. At the very least, my Blood Qi will definitely surge."
Jiang Hao checked the time. Although it was already late, he didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"Time to train!"
Moonlight flowed like water!
It spilled across Jiang Hao's resolute face.
Jiang Hao cleared his mind of distractions and assumed the stance for the Seventh Revolution of the Nine Revolutions Stance Skill.
Once, twice, three times...
Sweat welled up again.
Jiang Hao tirelessly circulated his Blood Qi.
He kept going until the seventh repetition!
At last, his strength reached its limit. His muscles trembled faintly all over, aching in protest beneath the strain.
[Ding, completed one "Nine-Turn Stance Training · Seventh Turn" training session]
[Proficiency +1]
[Nine-Turn Stance Training · Great Mastery · Seventh Turn (99/100)]
"Just... one last point!"
A glimmer of determination flashed in Jiang Hao's eyes.
He didn't rest.
Jiang Hao immediately took a Medium-grade Nutrient Solution from his pocket. He had prepared it in advance.
"Gulp!"
He tipped his head back!
And drained it in one go!
The azure liquid slid down his throat and instantly became a surging wave of heat, rushing like magma through his exhausted body and meridians!
"Boom!"
The strength Jiang Hao had nearly used up was replenished in a furious rush!
It felt like rain falling on parched earth!
With the tremendous medicinal power bolstering him, Jiang Hao immediately began his eighth repetition!
This one—
Was the final step to breaking through!
Propelled by the medicine, the Blood Qi inside Jiang Hao surged at an unprecedented speed!
It swept through his blood vessels, roaring like mighty rivers!
"Break through!"
With a mighty shout—
The moment he completed the final movement,
Jiang Hao shuddered all over. It was as if a shackle inside him had been smashed open!
An even more powerful and purer force of Blood Qi welled up from the deepest part of his body!
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. "Nine-Turn Stance Training" has advanced to the Great Mastery realm · Eighth Turn!]
[Nine-Turn Stance Training · Great Mastery · Eighth Turn (1/100)]
He'd broken through!
The Eighth Turn!
Jiang Hao felt his body grow incredibly light.
All his fatigue vanished in an instant!
In its place was boundless energy!
Jiang Hao immediately checked his Information Panel.
[Host: Jiang Hao]
[Strength: Martial Apprentice (Blood and Qi Intensity 9.9)]
[Nine-Turn Stance Training · Great Mastery · Eighth Turn (1/100)]
[Martial Skills: Spearmanship · Mastery (55/100), Stacked Wave Spear Technique · Minor Mastery (1/100)]
"9.9!"
At the sight of that number, Jiang Hao's pupils contracted sharply, and then a wave of immense joy surged through him!
"It actually shot straight up to 9.9!"
"One breakthrough, with the help of a Medium-grade Nutrient Solution, raised my Blood Qi by 0.4!"
"That feels amazing!"
Jiang Hao excitedly clenched his fist. Feeling the unceasing power surging through him, he thought he could punch a hole right through the void!
Of course, that was just the illusion of his strength having skyrocketed!
"My body's completely recovered."
"In that case..."
"Let's keep going!"
Jiang Hao didn't waste this hard-won opportunity. He immediately began his first proper training session of the Eighth Turn Stance Training!
The Eighth Turn's movements were more complicated and much harder than the Seventh Revolution's!
Every pose seemed to test the limits of the human body's flexibility!
The toll on his Blood Qi had also doubled!
Even with the medicine from the Medium-grade Nutrient Solution sustaining him, Jiang Hao felt the immense pressure.
Once!
Twice!
He kept going until he finished the fifth repetition!
Jiang Hao felt his strength drain away again!
"The Eight Revolutions Stance Skill really does consume a terrifying amount of energy."
"In my current state, I can only manage five repetitions at most."
As he spoke, Jiang Hao slowly ended his training and exhaled a stream of scorching white breath.
Though he'd practiced fewer repetitions,
The results were even more astonishing!
Jiang Hao looked at the panel again.
[Strength: Martial Apprentice (Blood and Qi Intensity 9.99)]
"9.99!"
Jiang Hao was stunned!
"Just five repetitions raised my Blood Qi by 0.09?!"
"That's almost 0.1!"
He quickly did the math.
"0.1 a day..."
"That's 1.0 in ten days!"
"In a month... I could raise my Blood Qi by 3.0!"
The result of that calculation made Jiang Hao suck in a sharp breath himself!
"Insane!"
"Is this the power of high-proficiency Stance Training?!"
"At this rate..."
"I won't just break through to 12.0 in a month."
"I might do it in twenty days... no, half a month!"
Jiang Hao's eyes gleamed with unshakable confidence.
Zhao Wuji?
Lin Fan!
Blood Qi Intensity of 12.0?
It wouldn't be long before he could stand shoulder to shoulder with him in Blood Qi!
After finishing a day of frenzied training,
Jiang Hao went to the bathroom and took a long, satisfying shower, washing off the sweat. Then, drying his damp hair with a towel, he returned to his room.
It was already very late.
The entire city had fallen asleep.
Jiang Hao sat on the edge of his bed, about to turn off the light and go to sleep.
Just then—
"Bzz."
The Personal Terminal on his bedside table suddenly lit up!
Jiang Hao was puzzled.
Who would contact him this late?
Lu Ming?
Or Song Jun?
Jiang Hao picked up the terminal.
The next second,
He froze.
A very short message appeared on the screen.
[Su Qingning has requested to add you as a friend.]
[Additional information: I'm Su Qingning.]
Jiang Hao stared at those words and blinked. He even wondered if he was so tired from training that he was hallucinating.
Su Qingning?
Su Big School Flower?
She'd actually taken the initiative to add him as a friend?
"What does Su Big School Flower want?"
Jiang Hao couldn't make heads or tails of it.
At school today, she'd helped him out of a tight spot, but she'd also made him a magnet for resentment.
Was there some important reason she'd added him in the middle of the night?
Or could it be...
That the rumors around school were true, and she'd fallen for him?
Jiang Hao shook his head, tossing the ridiculous thought out of his mind.
Impossible.
She was a Sun-level Prodigy, after all.
Still,
Since she'd sent the request herself,
Rejecting her would be downright rude.
After all, there was no deep hatred between them.
On the contrary, she'd helped him today.
And besides...
Su Qingning's cool, stunningly beautiful face appeared in Jiang Hao's mind.
"Honestly..."
"Having a top-tier beauty like her in my friends list..."
"Would be a nice sight whenever I checked it."
At the thought, Jiang Hao laughed to himself. He reached out and lightly tapped the screen.
[Accept].
"Beep."
Friend added successfully.
Almost at once,
A new message popped up in the chat window.
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