At Least I'm Still Alive

"That's Chen Yan."

"He really works hard."

"Hard work, sure, but awakening Blood Qi isn't something you accomplish overnight. After being bedridden for a year, he's still far off."

Behind the Teaching Building, a group walked out and stared in surprise at Chen Yan, who was sweating on the Sports Field.

It was Zhang Qingsi and the others.

Zhang Qingsi's awakening of Blood Qi was no small matter. It wasn't until after school let out that many teachers had finished helping him stabilize his Blood Qi, only now wrapping up.

Once Blood Qi was awakened, one became a martial artist.

The classmates walking alongside him might spare Chen Yan a surprised glance, but their attention was mostly on Zhang Qingsi.

"Brother Zhang, I heard Teacher Xia Tong is going to give you Private Training tomorrow."

Beside him, Hu Yuan looked at Zhang Qingsi with undisguised envy.

Xia Tong wasn't a martial artist, but he was skilled in combat techniques. In the past, his private lessons for students came with a fee.

At over two hundred an hour, but now training Zhang Qingsi was free.

Even teachers, when faced with a student who had already awakened Blood Qi, often sought to build a connection. After all, awakening Blood Qi meant it wouldn't be long before they surpassed them.

"I don't want to go. He's the one insisting on training me." Zhang Qingsi spoke carelessly, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"I'm so jealous. Back in the day, Teacher Xia Tong beat peers who had awakened Blood Qi using nothing but martial Technique alone."

Hu Yuan sighed with emotion, still holding Zhang Qingsi's clothes in his hand. He felt a bit relieved that he had always been obsequious toward Zhang Qingsi—his current fawning didn't feel forced.

Seeing Chen Yan in the distance also notice him, his expression turned cold as he shouted:

"Don't forget—one thousand!"

Night in Green Mountain Town still carried the lingering heat of the day.

Walking along the street, men bare-chested could be seen everywhere, sitting on stone steps on both sides to cool off.

Chen Yan walked familiarly to the T-junction at the end of the street, where a mixed aroma of cumin, sesame, and other spices hit his nose.

It was a storefront selling fried noodles.

Inside the shop, a man with a thick beard, a dark complexion, and wearing a faded light-blue factory uniform had just set down his wok and spatula. He was chatting with a bare-chested man in front of the stall.

"You really should pay it back. A thousand yuan, half a year overdue. Hu Yuan hasn't even had a Medicinal Bath this year."

The bare-chested man spoke with slight dissatisfaction.

"Brother, you know my family's situation..." The man named Chen Yuxu replied with a troubled expression.

"A thousand yuan isn't a huge sum. You have to pay it back tomorrow."

The bare-chested man frowned, then changed the subject:

"Your son's about to take the College Entrance Exam, and he hasn't had a single Medicinal Bath. Why not try your luck in the Inner Qingshan area?"

The man named Chen Yuxu frowned:

"The inner area is too dangerous. Someone from the neighboring village just died yesterday."

"The bold starve, the timid get stuffed. I'm not saying this just for my thousand yuan—you need to think it over too."

The bare-chested man said, lifting the freshly fried noodles he was holding. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed Chen Yan.

"Uncle." Chen Yan smiled.

"Mm, looks like you've recovered well." The bald man glanced at Chen Yan, then fumbled in his pocket for two one-yuan bills and placed them on the table:

"Here's two for now. The other one, next time."

"No need." Chen Yuxu replied without lifting his head. The bald man looked at the two yuan on the table, reached out, then pulled his hand back and left.

Chen Yan walked into the shop. He had only caught fragments of the conversation between Chen Yuxu and his uncle Hu Zeyuan, but still spoke up:

"The back mountain is too dangerous. Every year, people from the town..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going." Chen Yuxu looked at Chen Yan with a smile, expertly picked up the wok, and began pouring oil.

"Alright."

Chen Yan placed his Backpack on the table and waited for his food.

"I heard Zhang Qingsi from your class awakened Blood Qi?"

The clatter of cooking rang out as Chen Yuxu worked steadily, asking the question.

"Mm."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The Zhang family—somehow, they struck it rich last year."

Chen Yuxu let out a sigh. Last year, Chen Yan was hit by a car and barely survived.

But the Zhang family rose.

Such is the unpredictability of life.

Chen Yuxu cracked three eggs into the bowl and sliced two sausages.

"That's too much, Dad." Chen Yan held back the drool threatening to spill and quickly spoke.

"Can't sell them all anyway, so you help me eat more." Chen Yuxu pulled out a bag of beef from under the stall, quickly sliced it up too, and added it all to the fried noodles.

It was a bit extravagant.

But just thinking about the taste of beef made Chen Yan's mouth water.

Soon, the fried noodles were ready. Chen Yuxu set the plate in front of his son and smiled: "Eat up and then head back. I'll keep selling a bit more."

"Mm."

The aroma of the fried noodles hit him. Chen Yan picked up a piece of beef, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed. In an instant, fragrance burst forth—the lard-fried beef had a special, rich savoriness.

Even though eating the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had eased the soreness in his muscles, he was still genuinely hungry.

Chen Yuxu watched his son with a smile, about to say something when another customer arrived, and he got busy.

In this state, even dry steamed buns—Chen Yan could down ten in one go without issue, let alone a bowl of fried noodles.

"Dad, another bowl."

Chen Yan finished quickly. His suddenly enlarged appetite surprised Chen Yuxu a little, but he soon smiled and fried a second bowl for him.

"Town Martial Bonus..."

The Town Martial Bonus was a common and generous student subsidy. Qingshan High School's third year had three classes, each with one slot.

Once obtained, it meant a cash subsidy of twenty thousand yuan. More crucially, it also offered a choice of Qi and Blood Cultivation Method or Hardening Martial Artist Breathing Technique instruction.

But only one per class.

Chen Yan's gaze sharpened.

Zhang Qingsi had awakened his Blood Qi—definitely a strong opponent.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 1 (2/3)]

[Saint Breaking Fruits: Strength: (0/100) Blood: (5/100)]

He had broken through his limit once, and the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had reached five percent.

Searching for the book title won't work—try searching by the author instead. Maybe it just changed names!

Why was it so slow?

Chen Yan felt a bit frustrated. Watching Zhang Qingsi awaken his Blood Qi hadn't seemed that hard.

Still, one more fruit and his Saint Breaking Realm would level up—that was a good thing.

"Dad, why did you buy a cleaver?" Chen Yan suddenly noticed a half-meter-long, brand-new curved blade tucked in the corner of the shop.

"Oh, someone left it here for safekeeping." Chen Yuxu said while chopping vegetables.

The noodle shop closed at midnight. Chen Yan would head home first.

Qingshan High School was outside South Street; Chen Yan lived in Li Family Village to the north.

Going home meant walking from South Street to North Street, then another twenty minutes along the country road.

"I can go test my strength at the park on North Street."

Chen Yan muttered to himself as he jogged. Standard force testers were only at school.

But at North Street Park, there were marked stone weights. Two days ago, after taking one [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, he could already pull a hundred-fifty-kilogram stone block.

Now he was even stronger. Chen Yan felt his body was much lighter just from walking.

The [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit seemed to affect his entire body.

Inside the Consciousness World, wisps of orange light emerged. On the branch of the Saint Breaking Tree that had borne the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, a hint of fresh green also appeared.

As long as he moved, the fruit would grow.

As for the [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit—its growth was too slow.

In Green Mountain Town, those who awakened Blood Qi were few and far between—less than one in a hundred.

Chen Yan naturally wanted to awaken his Blood Qi too, but a year of illness had left him lagging behind his classmates in every aspect.

He kept running. Chen Yan arrived at North Street, the busiest part of Green Mountain Town.

Both sides were lined with five- or six-story buildings. The town's only supermarket was here too.

The aroma of barbecue drifted gently. Neon lights along the street flashed brightly.

In front of a restaurant, over thirty people sat at outdoor tables, eating and drinking. Many were slurring drunken words, but their voices sounded young—not like adults.

Two barbecue grills were working at the same time. As Chen Yan ran closer, he realized that most of the people there were his classmates.

Nearly half the class had shown up.

"Come on, drink up. Zhang Qingsi is seriously impressive. From now on, we really have to call him Brother Zhang."

"I've been calling him Brother Zhang for a while. You're just now catching on—no foresight."

"Brother Zhang is way too generous. It's been ages since I've eaten this well."

"Hey, isn't that Chen Yan?"

"Where? I don't see him."

Zhang Qingsi was drinking beer when he heard a classmate call out Chen Yan's name. He looked toward the street and only caught a thin, receding silhouette already swallowed by the darkness.

"Chen Yan, come have a drink."

Zhang Qingsi glanced over and tossed out a lukewarm invitation.

His voice was drowned out by the noise. Chen Yan naturally couldn't hear it.

Zhang Qingsi didn't bother with it anymore.

"That kid's got no manners. Hu Yuan."

A boy smirked and looked at Hu Yuan. Hu Yuan was Chen Yan's cousin—pretty much everyone in the class knew that.

"Forget him."

Hu Yuan waved his hand, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

"He's just a blockhead. A broke loser."

Suddenly, a bald man walked up to the barbecue stall. Some classmates noticed him and politely said:

"Hello, Uncle."

"Good, good, good. You kids eat up." The bald man, named Hu Zeyuan, laughed heartily. His gaze casually swept past Zhang Qingsi, then he spoke to Hu Yuan:

"Hu Yuan, come here a second. I need to tell you something."

"What for?" Hu Yuan frowned but still got up from his seat.

Chen Yan arrived at North Street Park. He passed through a Begonia Grove about five or six meters wide before reaching the small courtyard where the stone blocks were placed.

The day after tomorrow was the Punching Strength Test. As long as he reached a punching force of one hundred sixty kilograms, he'd be qualified to compete for the Town Martial Bonus.

This assessment would weed out most people.

In the eyes of ordinary folks, Chen Yan was one of that majority. No other reason for it.

Chen Yan hadn't gone through the sophomore year combat technique training. In other words, even if his strength increased, he was still far from being able to channel that power into his punches.

"But when strength reaches a certain level, it can make up for a lack of technique."

Chen Yan murmured to himself as he walked up to several stone blocks that had stood in the square for who knows how long.

Spotting a block engraved with [200KG], Chen Yan bent down, reached out both hands, and gripped the metal bar embedded in the stone.

Just as he was about to lift it, he heard voices coming from the Begonia Grove.

"Dad, why are you giving me so much money?"

That was Hu Yuan's voice.

"Take this three thousand. Later, when the barbecue's done, you pick up the tab. Got it?" His uncle Hu Zeyuan's voice rang out.

"Fine, but Dad, that's a lot of money."

"This isn't for you to spend. You take this money and treat Zhang Qingsi more often. You're still young—you don't understand what Awaken Blood Qi means. If you get on good terms with Zhang Qingsi, our whole family's fate could change." Hu Zeyuan spoke earnestly.

"I get it, Dad." Hu Yuan nodded seriously. "Oh, by the way, did Chen Yan's family pay back the money yet?"

Hu Zeyuan sounded a bit exasperated. "I'll go ask again tomorrow. Don't worry about it." He changed the subject: "Oh, right. I heard there's a Punching Strength Test coming up with a fifteen hundred reward. You better test well for your old man!"

"Don't worry, Dad. I can already deadlift two hundred. The teacher also said my punching form is solid. I'll pass."

The two of them walked away as they talked.

Inside the small courtyard, Chen Yan's face was calm, but a nameless bitterness welled up in his heart.

He thought of his father and sister's grief-stricken, worried expressions right after his car accident. The corners of his mouth trembled involuntarily.

At least he'd been healed. At least he was still alive.

At least he still had his fists. His bones and tendons.

Something like an unknown force flowed through his body. Chen Yan gripped the iron bar on the stone block.

The stone scraped against the ground as it moved. Veins bulged on Chen Yan's arms. Surging Internal Force coursed through him, and the two-hundred-kilogram stone block suddenly left the ground, lifted high by his strength.

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