The Second Chapter: At Least I Was Still Alive

"That's Chen Yan, right?"

"He's really working hard."

"He is, but awakening one's Qi and Blood doesn't happen overnight. After being bedridden for a year, he's still got a long way to go."

Behind the Teaching Building, a group of people emerged, staring in surprise at Chen Yan, who was sweating on the Sports Field.

They were Zhang Qingsi and the others.

Awakening Qi and Blood was no small matter for Zhang Qingsi. Even after school, many teachers had helped him stabilize his Qi and Blood. They had only just finished.

After awakening Qi and Blood, one became a martial artist.

Even when his classmates saw Chen Yan, they were at most surprised for a moment. Most of their attention was on Zhang Qingsi.

"Brother Zhang, I heard Teacher Xia Tong is going to train you privately tomorrow."

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

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

His rate was over two hundred yuan an hour, but now he was training Zhang Qingsi for free.

Even teachers often tried to build connections with students who had awakened their Qi and Blood. After all, it was only a matter of time before those students surpassed them.

"I don't want to go. He's the one insisting on training me privately," Zhang Qingsi said nonchalantly, sounding helpless.

"I'm so jealous. Back then, Teacher Xia Tong beat people his own age who'd awakened their Qi and Blood using nothing but his martial arts skills."

Hu Yuan sighed. He was still holding Zhang Qingsi's clothes, and felt rather fortunate. He'd always been obsequious toward Zhang Qingsi, so now his show of goodwill didn't seem too deliberate.

Noticing that Chen Yan had also spotted him in the distance, his expression turned cold. He called out:

"Don't forget, a thousand!"

Green Mountain Town still held the day's lingering heat late into the night.

As Chen Yan walked along the street, he saw bare-chested men everywhere, sitting on the stone steps on either side to cool off.

He walked familiarly to the T-junction at the end of the street. A savory aroma, mixed with cumin, sesame, and other seasonings, wafted toward him.

It came from a shop that sold fried noodles.

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

"You should pay it back already. You've owed me a thousand yuan for half a year, and Hu Yuan still hasn't had a medicinal bath this year."

"Brother, you know how things are at home..." The man named Chen Yuxu wore a troubled expression.

"A thousand yuan isn't a huge amount. You have to pay me 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 medicinal bath even once. Why not try going to the Inner Qingshan?"

Chen Yuxu frowned.

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

"The bold get fed, the timid starve. I'm not saying this because of my thousand yuan. You need to think about it, too."

As the bare-chested man spoke, he picked up the freshly fried noodles. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Chen Yan.

"Uncle," Chen Yan greeted him with a smile.

"Mm. You look like you've recovered pretty well." The bald man glanced at Chen Yan, then fished two one-yuan bills from his pocket and put them on the table.

"I'll give you two for now, all right? I'll give you the last one next time."

"No need," Chen Yuxu replied without looking up. The bare-chested man glanced at the two yuan on the table, reached out for them, then drew his hand back and left.

Chen Yan walked into the shop. He'd only caught bits and pieces of the conversation between Chen Yuxu and his uncle, Hu Zeyuan, but still said, "The back mountain's too dangerous. Every year, people from town—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going," Chen Yuxu said with a smile, lifting the wok with practiced ease and pouring in the oil.

"Okay."

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

"I heard Zhang Qingsi awakened his Qi and Blood?"

The clatter of cooking filled the shop. Chen Yuxu kept working as he asked.

"Yeah."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Who knows how, but Zhang Qingsi's family got rich last year."

Chen Yuxu sighed. Last year, Chen Yan had been hit by a car and nearly died.

But Zhang Qingsi's family had prospered.

Life was unpredictable.

Chen Yuxu cracked three eggs into the bowl, then sliced up two sausages.

"That's too much, Dad." Chen Yan held back his drool and hurriedly protested.

"I can't sell it all anyway. Help me eat some." Chen Yuxu pulled a bag of beef out from under the stall, quickly sliced it up, and added it to the fried noodles.

This was getting a little extravagant.

But thinking about the taste of beef, Chen Yan couldn't help drooling.

Soon, the noodles were ready. Chen Yuxu set them on the table in front of his son and smiled.

"Eat up, then head home. I'll sell a little more."

"Okay."

The fragrance of the fried noodles washed over him. Chen Yan picked up a piece of beef and popped it into his mouth. Its aroma burst across his palate. Stir-fried in lard, the beef had a special, rich fragrance.

Even though his muscles had stopped aching after he ate the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, he was still ravenous.

Chen Yuxu smiled as he watched his son, about to say something, but another customer arrived, and he got busy.

In this state, Chen Yan could've eaten ten steamed buns in one sitting without trouble, let alone a bowl of fried noodles like this.

"Dad, another bowl."

Chen Yan finished quickly. His appetite had suddenly grown, which surprised Chen Yuxu a little, but he soon smiled and made him a second bowl.

"Town Martial Bonus..."

The Town Martial Bonus was a common and generous student subsidy. Qingshan High School had three third-year classes, and each class had one spot.

The winner received a cash subsidy of twenty thousand yuan. More importantly, they could also choose to study a Qi and Blood Cultivation Method or a Hardening Martial Artist's Breathing Technique.

But there was only one spot per class.

Chen Yan's eyes narrowed.

Zhang Qingsi had awakened his Qi and Blood. He really was a formidable opponent.

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

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (0/100)

Blood: (5/100)]

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

Why was it taking so long?

Chen Yan felt a little frustrated. Zhang Qingsi hadn't seemed to have much trouble awakening his Qi and Blood.

Still, one more fruit would let him upgrade his Saint Breaking Realm. That was good news.

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

"Oh, someone left it here for safekeeping," Chen Yuxu said as he chopped vegetables.

The Noodle Shop didn't close until midnight, so Chen Yan went home by himself first.

Qingshan High School was beyond South Street, while Chen Yan lived in Li Family Village to the north.

To get home, he had to walk from South Street to North Street, then follow a country road for another twenty minutes.

"I could test my strength at the park on North Street," Chen Yan muttered to himself as he ran. The school was the only place with a proper Force Tester.

But there were stone weights marked with their measurements at North Street Park. Two days ago, after taking a [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit, Chen Yan had already been able to deadlift a one-hundred-and-fifty-kilogram stone weight.

Now, he could only be stronger. Chen Yan felt as if his body had grown much lighter when he walked.

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

In the Consciousness World, wisps of Orange Light appeared. A tender green shoot had also emerged from a branch of the Saint Breaking Tree that had borne a [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit.

As long as he exercised, the fruit would grow.

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

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

Of course, Chen Yan wanted to awaken his Qi and Blood, too. But after being bedridden for a year, he'd fallen behind students in his grade in every way.

He kept running until he reached North Street, the busiest part of Green Mountain Town.

There were small five- or six-story buildings on either side, and the town's only supermarket was there.

The aroma of barbecue drifted over, and neon lights shone brightly along the street.

At a restaurant, thirty-odd people sat at outdoor tables, eating and drinking. Quite a few were talking drunkenly, but their voices sounded young—not like adults.

Two barbecue grills were going at once. Only when Chen Yan ran closer did he realize that most of the people sitting there were his classmates.

Nearly half the class had come.

"Come on, drink up! Zhang Qingsi's incredible. We'll have to call him Brother Zhang from now on."

"I've always called him Brother Zhang. You're only saying it now? You've got no eye for these things."

"Brother Zhang's so generous. It's been ages since I've had this much fun eating."

"Hey, that looks like Chen Yan."

"Where? I don't see him."

Zhang Qingsi was drinking beer. When he heard his classmates mention Chen Yan, he looked toward the street, but all he saw was a lean figure already running into the darkness.

"Chen Yan, come have a drink."

Zhang Qingsi glanced his way and called out in an indifferent voice.

The din drowned out his words, so Chen Yan naturally couldn't hear him.

Zhang Qingsi didn't give it another thought.

"That kid's ignoring you. Hu Yuan."

A boy grinned mischievously and looked at Hu Yuan, Chen Yan's cousin. Pretty much everyone in class knew they were related.

"Forget him." Hu Yuan waved his hand, a trace of disdain crossing his eyes.

"He's an idiot. Broke as hell."

Suddenly, a bald man walked up to the barbecue stall. Some of the students looked over and politely greeted him.

"Hello, sir."

"Hello, hello. You kids enjoy yourselves." The bald man, Hu Zeyuan, laughed heartily. His gaze casually swept over Zhang Qingsi, then he called to Hu Yuan.

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

"What is it?" Hu Yuan frowned, but still left 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 garden where the stone weights were kept.

The Punching Strength Test was the day after tomorrow. Anyone who reached a punch strength of one hundred and sixty kilograms would qualify to compete for the Town Martial Bonus.

The test would eliminate most people.

In everyone's eyes, Chen Yan was part of that majority. There was no other reason.

He'd missed the combat training lessons in his second year of high school. In other words, even if Chen Yan had gotten stronger, his ability to put that strength into a punch still fell far short.

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

Chen Yan murmured as he walked over to several stone weights standing at the edge of the square. They'd been there for who knew how long.

He saw a stone weight marked [200KG], bent down, and reached out with both hands to grip the metal bar embedded in it.

He was about to lift it when he heard voices coming from the Begonia Grove.

"Dad, why'd you give me so much money?"

It was Hu Yuan's voice.

"Take these three thousand. When you go back to the barbecue, pay the bill. Got that?" His uncle Hu Zeyuan's voice rang out.

"I'll pay, but Dad, that's a lot of money."

"This isn't for you to spend. Take the money and treat Zhang Qingsi a few more times. You're still young, so you don't understand what awakening Qi and Blood means. If you get close to Zhang Qingsi, it could change our family's fate." Hu Zeyuan spoke earnestly.

"Got it, Dad." Hu Yuan nodded seriously.

"By the way, has Chen Yan's family paid back the money yet?"

Hu Zeyuan sounded rather exasperated.

"I'll go ask again tomorrow. Don't worry about it." He changed the subject. "By the way, I heard the Punching Strength Test's coming up. There's a fifteen-hundred-yuan reward. You'd better do well on the test!"

"Don't worry, Dad. I can deadlift two hundred already, and the teacher said my punches are proper. I'll pass."

The two of them talked as they walked away.

In the small garden, Chen Yan's expression stayed calm, but a nameless ache rose in his heart.

He thought of the grief and worry on his father's and younger sister's faces when he'd first been in the car accident. The corners of his mouth trembled.

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

At least he still had a pair of fists and a body of sinew and bone.

A strange power seemed to flow through his body. Chen Yan gripped the iron bar on the stone weight.

The stone scraped against the ground with a grinding sound. The veins bulged across Chen Yan's arms, and as surging strength coursed through him, the two-hundred-kilogram stone weight abruptly lifted off the ground. He raised it high with a mighty heave.