Chen Yuxu did not return on his tricycle until around five in the afternoon. A wooden bathtub was strapped to it, clearly meant for Chen Yan's medicinal bath.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Chen Yan still exercising, drenched in sweat.
"Watch your health. Everything should be done in moderation."
Chen Yuxu grumbled and urged Chen Yan to take a break.
Half the snake meat had sold for fifty thousand yuan.
Naturally, snake meat had been added to the dinner menu. Chen Yan stuffed a piece into his mouth, then stopped eating.
"Doesn't taste good?"
Chen Yuxu asked.
"No."
Chen Yan shook his head. Within the Saint Breaking Realm, a wave of Green Light surged past, only to be stopped three feet from the Saint Breaking Tree.
The snake meat contained a great deal of physique energy.
Eating it himself would surely help, but the Saint Breaking Tree was only level two. It could not absorb that Green Light, and the thought made him terribly uncomfortable.
Just how did the Saint Breaking Tree work?
Exercising also made Chen Yan stronger, but the Saint Breaking Tree could absorb the Red Light produced by his exercise and use it to create Saint Breaking Fruits.
It was as if the Saint Breaking Tree doubled everything Chen Yan gained.
After thinking it over, Chen Yan continued eating.
After dinner came the medicinal bath.
Luo Puxin had said that people undergoing Limit Breaking Awakening could take medicinal baths, but they were almost useless.
That was because a special constitution prevented people from absorbing energy from outside their bodies before they awakened.
Chen Yan was taking the medicinal bath not to awaken himself, but for the Saint Breaking Tree.
The Qi and Blood Drink might not have improved him, but the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had grown.
Chen Yuxu had wrapped a quarter of a Red-haired Ganoderma, sliced into pieces, together with the other medicinal herbs he had bought, in white cloth. As Chen Yan lowered himself into the steaming tub—
In an instant, a searing pain tore every thought from his mind.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yuxu asked with concern, watching his son.
"It hurts... It hurts!" Chen Yan grimaced.
He felt as if ten thousand steel needles had pierced his body, then been pulled out.
His body really was rejecting the energy in the medicinal bath.
"Oh, good. I thought it wasn't supposed to hurt." Chen Yuxu chuckled.
"I've seen someone else do this before. He was yelling in pain too, but he eventually awakened his Qi and Blood. Now he's the head of the Town Martial Hall."
Chen Yuxu told Chen Yan about someone else's success, naturally hoping his son would take the head of the Town Martial Hall as a role model.
"Mm."
Chen Yan nodded, trembling all over as he gripped the sides of the tub.
"Put your hands in too. Soak them," Chen Yuxu said, keeping a close eye on Chen Yan. If he truly couldn't take it, he would pull him out.
After all, when he had seen Xin Gongxian take a medicinal bath, they had pulled him out in less than a minute.
An old man had said that the more often someone was pulled out, the less effective the medicinal bath became.
Though he hoped Chen Yan could hold out longer, Chen Yuxu still thought it was best not to overdo it.
Besides, Xin Gongxian had soaked for a full year and spent nearly all his savings on twelve Red-haired Ganoderma before awakening his Qi and Blood.
His son had a long road of medicinal baths ahead. There was no need to put too much importance on this one.
"Okay... Okay!"
Chen Yan nodded and put both hands in the water. His skin quickly reddened, and even his veins began to swell.
It hurt. It hurt so much!
Chen Yan grimaced, tears welling in his eyes. All his attention was now fixed on the Saint Breaking Realm within him.
Red!
A surging river of red rushed in from nowhere and poured into the roots of the Saint Breaking Tree. Thin streaks of Red Light appeared across its formerly shriveled trunk.
The scarlet [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit began to grow!
Chen Yan's forehead instantly broke out in sweat.
He watched the Saint Breaking Tree with every ounce of concentration. The growth of its green leaves seemed to give him a reason to endure the pain.
The [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, which had been stuck at just thirteen percent, suddenly surged ahead, quickly reaching fifteen.
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (2/15)]
[Saint Breaking Fruits:
Strength: (40/100)
Blood: (15/100)
Skill: (93/100)]
The progress panel appeared, and Chen Yan stared at the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit's progress.
16/100
17/100
18/100
The three fruits on the verdant little tree were plump and round. The smallest one, the red fruit, began to grow right before his eyes.
"Xiaoyan, tell me if you can't take it."
Chen Yuxu called out, then frowned.
"That's enough for the first day. Keep soaking tomorrow. There's no need to rush."
He hesitated. His son's stubbornness might not be entirely a good thing.
It was his first time taking a medicinal bath, and he had already lasted five minutes.
"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt!" Chen Yan said through trembling lips, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, which usually only grew a little whenever he broke through his limits, was growing with ease now.
Compared to only gaining a little by breaking through his limits, this was practically a treat!
So this was what it felt like to have money?
The minutes ticked by.
Even Chen Yuxu's voice began to fade into a blur.
Thoughts raced through Chen Yan's mind as he shouted inwardly.
I have to hold on.
I have to see the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit ripen in one go.
I have to change everything I'm facing now.
I...
How did I fall asleep?
When Chen Yan opened his eyes again, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
"Hm?"
Chen Yan shook his head, sat up, and looked around.
Had he passed out in the medicinal bath yesterday?
[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (2/15)]
[Saint Breaking Fruits:
Strength: (40/100)
Blood: (34/100)
Skill: (93/100)]
The [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had reached thirty-four. And that was only from his first medicinal bath.
Chen Yan's heart pounded. Then he glanced at the clock on the wall.
"I'm late."
Today was the Town Martial Bonus selection. Chen Yan scrambled out of bed, grabbed two steamed buns, and ran to school.
When he reached the classroom, Director Xia Tong was standing at the lectern.
"The College Entrance Exam is only a few months away, yet fewer and fewer of you in Class Three are showing up each day."
Xia Tong surveyed the classroom. Though he was scolding them, his gaze was calm.
His eyes finally settled on Zhang Qingsi. He spoke quietly.
"This Town Martial Bonus selection is important. I hope you won't underestimate it or slack off. Do your best and get through this selection properly."
As soon as he finished speaking, every student in the classroom turned to look at Zhang Qingsi.
Each class had one Town Martial Bonus slot, and the first requirement was passing the Punching Strength Test.
In other words, the only student in the entire class who could compete with Zhang Qingsi for the bonus was Chen Yan.
But their punching strength scores were worlds apart. On top of that, Zhang Qingsi had awakened his Qi and Blood, and now that he was gradually getting used to it, his strength had improved beyond imagination.
The whole class looked at Zhang Qingsi with envy.
Zhang Qingsi sat in his seat, not caring in the least about what Xia Tong had said.
He could not imagine what it would be like if he lost to Chen Yan.
Looking at Zhang Qingsi's expression, Xia Tong shook his head inwardly.
He had not said all that to make Zhang Qingsi wary of Chen Yan.
The Town Martial Bonus was certain to go to Zhang Qingsi, but what about the future? Once Zhang Qingsi entered the Town Martial Class, which only county-level talents could join, he would be at the bottom.
Every word Xia Tong said was meant to make Zhang Qingsi take things seriously and work harder. But this student was always too arrogant, too self-satisfied.
Just then, a handsome young man in a white T-shirt walked to the classroom door.
Xia Tong glanced at him, finding him vaguely familiar.
"Sometimes, you students aren't failing because you lack effort. Sometimes, you're just lazy!"
He waved, signaling Chen Yan to enter.
"The Town Martial Bonus selection is today, yet every one of you is late, and some of you aren't even coming.
If you've already given up on your future, why bother coming to school?"
Xia Tong stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze once more fixed on Zhang Qingsi as he slowly shook his head.
Chen Yan had just sat down when he noticed Hu Yuan in front of him throwing him a vicious look.
"Keep staring, and I'll beat you up again," Chen Yan said with a smile.
Hu Yuan froze, not expecting Chen Yan to speak to him like that. But after remembering what had happened, he turned around in silence.
"The Town Martial Bonus selection is beginning. All senior students, gather on the Sports Field!"
Principal Zhang Yue's voice rang out over the broadcast.
Xia Tong waved, and the students of Class Three rushed into the hallway.
At the lectern at the front of the Sports Field, Principal Zhang Yue and the director stood side by side. Between them stood a middle-aged man in a patterned shirt and dark sunglasses.
"Each class, at ease!"
Zhang Yue called into a megaphone.
"Today is the Town Martial Bonus selection. Each of the three senior classes will choose one student.
Our school held the Punching Strength Test a few days ago. Seven students from Class One passed, four from Class Two, and two from Class Three!"
In Class Three, the students turned to look at Zhang Qingsi and Chen Yan.
The Town Martial Bonus had long since been out of reach for most of them. Even those who had looked down on Chen Yan before now regarded him with a trace of admiration.
Of course, Zhang Qingsi was still the only star in Class Three. Next to him, Chen Yan seemed rather unremarkable.
"The homeroom teachers have already selected one top student from each class. These three will defend their titles. The other students may challenge their class's top student. If they win, they'll become the new defender. Whoever successfully defends their title will receive the Town Martial Bonus!"
The principal continued. In Class Three, Zhang Qingsi looked at Chen Yan.
His gaze held a note of appraisal. Zhang Qingsi barely knew this classmate of his; they had hardly exchanged two words in an entire semester.
Chen Yan was about a meter and seventy-eight tall. His clothes had been washed until their pattern had disappeared, and they looked like cheap clothes he had worn for years.
He was poor, just like the classmates who were always trying to suck up to Zhang Qingsi.
After sizing Chen Yan up, Zhang Qingsi lost interest.
Principal Zhang Yue continued from the lectern.
"But to ensure fairness and prevent the top students from being worn down by a gauntlet of challengers, everyone except the top students must first be assessed by Director Xia Tong in the training room. Only those who pass may challenge their class's top student."
This rule was not truly fair.
True fairness would mean selecting the top students without dividing them by class.
But parents pulling strings to get their children into certain classes was a much worse problem. The Town Martial Bonus rules were meant to balance things out.
"Now I'll announce the names of the top students from each class."
Principal Zhang Yue surveyed the Sports Field and spoke.
"Yu Zhiwen from Class One, Wang Yu from Class Two, and Zhang Qingsi from Class Three."
His words were met with a burst of cheers from the classes.
The three top students walked out of Class Three amid applause and stood at the front of the Sports Field with their hands behind their backs.
"The other students who passed the Punching Strength Test will follow Teacher Xia Tong to the training room."
Seeing that Xia Tong had left the lectern, Chen Yan also walked out of the classroom alone and joined the other students who had passed the test, following Xia Tong.
As soon as he entered the training room, Chen Yan saw more than a dozen teachers standing by the windows.
Wang Yang, the homeroom teacher of Class Three, was among them. When he saw Chen Yan, he smiled and raised a fist at him.
Chen Yan smiled back.
Xia Tong stopped in an open area and looked at the students from each class.
"I know some of you may think this is unfair, but I'll tell you this: Yu Zhiwen and the other two passed my assessment with ease. If you want to challenge them, you need to have the strength first."
Xia Tong spoke calmly.
"Class One goes first. Who wants to be the first?"
"I'll do it."
A boy from Class Two stepped forward to face Xia Tong, looking very nervous.
"Make your move," Xia Tong said coolly.
The next moment, the boy charged forward and threw a punch at Xia Tong's face.
"Failure," Xia Tong said coolly. He raised one leg, the tip of his shoe already pressed against the boy's chin.
The boy couldn't land a hit on him. One more step forward, and Xia Tong would have kicked him flying.
A one-second knockout.
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