This Is My Milestone

Silence.

Compared to the already noisy playground, the training room was incomparably quiet.

The gazes of Wang Yang and the other teachers shifted back and forth between Xia Tong, who was lying on the ground, and the young man standing quietly nearby.

If not for the fact that the two were dressed completely differently, they would certainly have mistaken one for the other.

Because no matter how one looked at it, the person lying on the ground should have been the student, Chen Yan.

An inexplicable sense of shock rolled through everyone's hearts like a surging tide. The first to react was Wang Yang, the homeroom teacher of Class 3. He ran to Xia Tong's side first, seeing the look of shock and deathly pallor on Xia Tong's face, then walked over to Chen Yan. He opened his mouth, but it took him a long time to spit out a single word.

"You..."

Wang Yang squeezed Chen Yan's shoulder, and a smile of growing satisfaction gradually appeared on his face:

"Well fought!"

"I hope I haven't let down your expectations, Teacher." Chen Yan smiled.

"Hahahaha..." Wang Yang laughed out loud, unable to stop. Only when he noticed Xia Tong slowly sitting up from the ground did his smile gradually fade.

Xia Tong sat on the floor, the soles of his feet still tingling. The look he cast toward Chen Yan at this moment was as complex as a flood.

The power unleashed in that punch just now had terrified him.

This was no longer the kind of strength that could be attained through mere hard work. The person who had just sent him flying with a single punch was a genuine genius.

And he had never even noticed the other party before.

"Director Xia, did he pass?" Wang Yang asked.

"He... passed." Xia Tong lowered his head, muttering the words.

"Good. Chen Yan, go and challenge Zhang Qingsi." Wang Yang patted Chen Yan's shoulder heavily, his eyes gleaming with light.

It was as if he were even more overjoyed than Chen Yan at this moment.

"Alright." Chen Yan walked toward the door amidst a sea of shocked gazes, then suddenly paused his steps:

"Director Xia."

The young man in white turned his head. Half a patch of sunlight stained his delicate cheeks, and his ebony-like eyes looked down at the bewildered Xia Tong.

"Teacher Wang said that you were the one who transported that bronze statue. May I ask..."

Chen Yan smiled, his eyes sparkling:

"Who is that bronze statue of?"

Xia Tong's mouth hung open. The moment his eyes met Chen Yan's, they flickered, and his lips began to tremble. For some reason, an indescribable sense of guilt and inferiority welled up in his heart.

"That is..."

Xia Tong's voice was complex and trembling:

"That is the bronze statue of Lu Xunyang, the Chief of the Qin Prefecture Town Martial Division, Venerable Sir Lu."

Chen Yan nodded and asked again:

"Then, Teacher Xia, do you know what move this bronze statue is performing?"

Xia Tong pursed his lips. In his mind, the scene of this young man sweating profusely and clumsily imitating the pose in front of the sculpture that day echoed, causing a roar to resound in his head.

This young man really, really wanted to know the origin of this bronze statue.

"This punching stance is one of the external training moves from the Eight Forms of Extreme Refinement, the most famous Hard Body Martial Arts of the Town Martial Division. I don't know the specifics; only by joining the Town Martial Division and passing the selection can one receive instruction in the Eight Forms of Extreme Refinement."

Chen Yan nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you."

Afterward, he walked out of the training room, leaving a group of silent teachers behind.

"Eight Forms of Extreme Refinement, external training move..."

Chen Yan walked on the grass, whispering these words to himself.

No wonder he had benefited so much from imitating this move; it turned out the punching stance was far from ordinary.

At this moment, the playground was still in an uproar.

Gao Yuan, who had just defeated Wang Yu, was already standing in Wang Yu's former spot. Facing the exclamations of the crowd, he kept scratching his head and grinning foolishly.

As for Wang Yu from Class Two, he sat dejectedly on the lawn. Once the center of attention, he now found that not a single student was comforting him; everyone was discussing Gao Yuan instead.

"He's too strong. Awakening Vitality really makes a difference."

"Wang Yu didn't awaken Vitality after all. Gao Yuan wasn't much on ordinary days, but after awakening Vitality, he's far surpassed Wang Yu."

"So, if you haven't awakened Vitality, you simply can't beat someone who has..."

"During the punch strength test, Zhang Qingsi wasn't as good as Wang Yu, but I heard that by Friday, Wang Yu was already no match for Zhang Qingsi."

The crowd's comments continued, their eyes filled with envy and awe.

Gao Yuan had kept the fact that he had awakened Vitality a secret. Even without Xia Tong's private training, he could have relied on his own Vitality to defeat Wang Yu today.

Today, Gao Yuan had thoroughly made a name for himself at Qingshan High School.

Even Zhang Qingsi and Yu Zhiwen looked at Gao Yuan with a hint of approval in their eyes.

The awakening of their Vital Blood made them geniuses of the same caliber at this very moment.

It was at this exact time that the arrival of a figure in white failed to attract much attention.

The Principal was still smiling and chatting with the man in sunglasses standing at the center of the podium when he gradually noticed Chen Yan. He said in surprise:

"Chen Yan, you passed the test as well."

The entire school went quiet, noticing Chen Yan at this moment.

"Yes."

Chen Yan nodded.

To the side, Zhang Qingsi frowned as he looked at Chen Yan, his eyes filled with a trace of astonishment.

The gazes of all the students in the school shifted away from the beaming Gao Yuan and rested on Chen Yan.

In Class 3 of Grade 12, Hu Yuan looked at the figure in white. A hint of malice surfaced in his eyes, but beneath that malice lay a trace of vigilance and complex emotion.

He suddenly realized in his heart that if not for Zhang Qingsi, Chen Yan would undoubtedly be the most outstanding student in Class 3 of Grade 12.

Now, having passed the test by Teacher Xia Tong, he had surpassed him in every aspect.

For such a person to be his relative should have been a happy thing, but step by step, their Hu Family and the Chen Family had grown further and further apart.

It wasn't until the day before yesterday, when his father, Hu Zeyuan, was fined five hundred by the Town Martial Hall, that the relationship between the two families deteriorated completely.

While feeling resentful, he could not help but feel a sense of insecurity. Hu Yuan smiled at the person beside him:

"Hmph, he's going to be sent flying by a single punch from Brother Zhang."

A burst of laughter erupted in Class 3.

The long-renowned Wang Yu had been defeated by Gao Yuan, which had already proven with reality that those who awakened Vital Blood were far stronger than the average person.

Unless Chen Yan had also awakened his Vital Blood, he was absolutely no match for Zhang Qingsi.

However, at the very front, Chen Yan and Zhang Qingsi were already standing opposite each other.

"Chen Yan, know your limits," the Principal, Zhang Yue, said. "Zhang Qingsi, the same goes for you."

Chen Yan nodded, but Zhang Qingsi across from him just gave a faint smile.

Know my limits, my foot.

If he had to know his limits just to fight Chen Yan, then what was the point of him awakening his Vital Blood?

"Zhang Qingsi, know your limits!"

A loud shout came from the other side of the playground. The entire student body whipped their heads around to see Xia Tong walking toward them with an anxious expression, limping as he moved.

In an instant, Zhang Qingsi was stunned. Gao Yuan and Yu Zhiwen, who had been standing quietly to the side, also frowned. Everyone looked at the young man wearing the white T-shirt.

He stood there quietly, looking composed, as if he were the one being challenged rather than Zhang Qingsi.

Suddenly, it was as if a peal of Thunder exploded in the minds of everyone at the school.

Why was Xia Tong limping?

The other party was the testing instructor, and Chen Yan was the last student to go through the test.

When everyone grasped this crucial point, a thought sent a chill down their spines, and they stared fixedly at Chen Yan.

On the podium, Principal Zhang Yue and the middle-aged man in the center wearing sunglasses were both looking at Chen Yan.

"Begin!" Following the voice of Principal Zhang Yue.

The previously nonchalant Zhang Qingsi now shifted his gaze between Xia Tong and Chen Yan, his expression suddenly turning grave.

His body lunged forward, wisps of red light suffusing his limbs, but in his heart, there was no longer any trace of underestimation.

One punch!

He smashed a fist toward Chen Yan's face.

Zhang Qingsi's eyes widened. He did not know why Xia Tong was so nervous, and he did not know why the Chen Yan before him was so natural.

He was the top student who had awakened his blood energy; he was already a high and mighty martial artist.

It was impossible for him to be defeated by anyone else.

Chen Yan didn't even deserve to be in his line of sight!

This punch felt as if it had slammed into a thick, reinforced wall; it could not be pushed forward any further. Chen Yan caught Zhang Qingsi's fist with one hand, his arm bending slightly before straightening out again.

"Is this the power after awakening blood energy?"

Chen Yan murmured, seemingly ignoring the shock in Zhang Qingsi's eyes, and commented:

"It is indeed very strong."

During the last punch strength test, Zhang Qingsi had been nearly one hundred kilograms stronger than Chen Yan, and looking at him now, Zhang Qingsi had improved even further.

And significantly so.

Whoosh!

With his sleeves fluttering, Chen Yan gave a sharp tug with one hand, pulling Zhang Qingsi toward him uncontrollably.

"You!" Zhang Qingsi's expression turned panicked in an instant. Despite the massive gap in strength, he whipped his left fist toward Chen Yan.

Chen Yan, still gripping Zhang Qingsi's fist, shoved it away violently. He leaned his body forward and unleashed a punch directly at Zhang Qingsi.

Bang! Bang!

Both men landed a punch on the other's chest. Chen Yan stumbled back several steps.

In contrast, Zhang Qingsi was sent flying backward.

He skidded across the lawn for a long distance, churning up the earth, before his body finally came to a halt far away.

"Chen Yan!"

Zhang Qingsi spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with dirt. After a brief moment of shock, his face twisted into a ferocious scowl.

Just as he was about to sit up, he saw a figure pouncing from the air like a fierce vulture.

It was truly a pounce.

Bolstered by immense strength, Chen Yan's figure was agile. In the blink of an eye, he erupted into the air, carving an arc like a bolt of white lightning.

"Ah!!!"

Zhang Qingsi let out a sharp cry. The rage on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly pallor. As if he could already feel the pain of that kick landing on his face, he scrambled to dodge to the side with all his might.

Like a sudden clap of thunder, Chen Yan's foot slammed into the spot where Zhang Qingsi's head had been just a moment before. The lawn instantly caved in, and the peerless, violent force sent a spray of soil flying in a circle.

Watching this from the side, Zhang Qingsi's face turned white with terror. His eyes rolled as he looked at Chen Yan, filled with dread.

If he hadn't dodged, would that kick have...

How did he train?

He clearly hadn't awakened his blood energy yet!

If he was this powerful, why had he remained obscure all this time, only to nearly kill him just now?

How on earth did he forge such a powerful and vigorous physique?

"Isn't it just a Town Martial Bonus!?" he shouted. Yet, at this moment, he lacked the courage to look at Chen Yan, crying out with a mix of urgency and rage:

"I... I surrender!"

The entire scene fell silent.

Nearby, the smile that had been plastered on Gao Yuan's face gradually faded, replaced by a calm, steady gaze.

Yu Zhiwen stood with her hands behind her back, her brows tightly knitted. She looked at the young man in white, her red lips parting slightly, yet she could not utter a single word.

Inside Class 3, Hu Yuan stood dazed on the lawn, his mouth gradually hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

After Zhang Qingsi uttered those four words, Xia Tong was even more stunned. Perhaps because his feet were still aching, his body swayed, his face filled with bitterness and complex emotions.

Behind them, the homeroom teacher of Class 3, Wang Yang, opened his mouth. Although he didn't make a sound, his eyes were brimming with laughter.

After the entire sports field fell into a terrifying silence, a wave of cheers erupted instantly.

On the podium, the middle-aged man wearing sunglasses maintained a calm expression. His gaze, fixed through the lenses, locked onto Chen Yan as he said, word by word:

"Born with divine strength, a prodigy of hard-body cultivation?"

Brilliant sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, casting dappled shadows. A cool breeze blew, and the leaves swayed leisurely.

Chen Yan retracted the right leg he had been about to kick out, feeling the wind pass through his chest at this moment, refreshing beyond measure.

Surveying the crowd—some shocked, some cheering, some stunned—Chen Yan caught a glimpse of Zhang Qingsi's disheveled silhouette out of the corner of his eye, the man collapsed within the reach of his long shadow.

Chen Yan's gaze was calm.

Wasn't it just a Town Martial Bonus?

This was clearly a milestone on his path to rising to power.