Wang Yang's Reward

The two-hundred-kilogram stone block was lifted so easily by Chen Yan that even he was a little surprised.

Two hundred kilograms was already far beyond what his peers could manage.

Hu Yuan could lift two hundred kilograms because he was naturally built strong and his family had invested heavily in his training, putting him among the top few in the class.

As for the average classmates, they were stuck around one hundred and twenty kilograms.

Bang.

Chen Yan set the stone block down, clenched and unclenched his hands, a strange glint in his eyes.

It seemed...

that when he deadlifted this two-hundred-kilogram block, his strength hadn't reached its limit...

Just how much power had those two Saint Breaking Fruits given him?

Feeling his way in the dark, Chen Yan could vaguely make out a larger stone block nearby, engraved with the words "250 KG."

Two hundred and fifty kilograms...

Give it a try!

Chen Yan took a deep breath, rubbed his hands with some dry soil from the flowerbed beside the park, then gripped the iron bar embedded in the two-hundred-fifty-kilogram stone block.

"Hnng!"

Chen Yan grunted, blood instantly surging from his neck up to his jaw, his legs straining with every ounce of strength to push upward.

Scrape, scrape, scrape...

The sound of the massive stone block grinding against the ground rang out.

"Huff..." Chen Yan let go.

He had failed.

But with all his strength, he had been able to move it.

That proved Chen Yan's maximum deadlift strength probably wasn't too far off from two hundred and fifty kilograms.

That was enough.

A few days of training effort yielding such a massive improvement—it was nothing short of a fantasy.

Now, his strength might even be far more terrifying than Chen Yuxu, who had spent years flipping woks.

He just didn't know if his punch force could reach one hundred and sixty kilograms.

Deadlifting two hundred kilograms didn't mean a one-handed punch carried the same force.

Technique and raw strength were entirely different paths.

"It should... be passable," Chen Yan murmured.

Walking over to the stone block marked "100 KG," Chen Yan began deadlifting again.

Now that he had roughly tested his limit strength, training still had to be taken step by step.

Strength training wasn't like running—you couldn't do it all afternoon, and a night's practice wouldn't be enough for Chen Yan to condense another Saint Breaking Fruit.

If he overdid it, his body would be too worn out the next day to do any other training.

"Huff... hah..."

Chen Yan started training with the hundred-kilogram block. After barely ten lifts, his whole body was drenched in sweat.

His heart pounded like a surging engine, thump-thump-thump, and a sharp ache instantly flooded both arms.

But Chen Yan's focus shifted from the real world to the Consciousness World.

In the depths of the boundless universe, an orange Light Ray drifted in like a river, slowly sinking into the roots of the Saint Breaking Tree.

This orange Light Ray was far more brilliant and dazzling than the one brought by running.

After about twenty deadlifts, the branch that had once grown the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit sprouted fresh green growth.

On the Data Panel, the line that had read [Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (0/100)] suddenly changed.

[Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (2/100)]

A glint of light flashed in Chen Yan's eyes. Though the data change didn't affect the outside world, seeing this shift made the strength training feel less grueling, and his body could sense the pleasure of a sudden dopamine release.

The appearance of the data was like setting a visible goal for Chen Yan.

Even if the anaerobic exercise was agonizing, the excitement in his heart was genuine.

The training plan he had built in his mind seemed to vanish entirely. At this moment, Chen Yan was like a brute, unwilling to stop until he was completely spent.

The stone block hit the ground with a heavy thud.

As if all his strength had been drained, Chen Yan collapsed onto the ground, every pore in his body seeming to open wide, sweat pouring down like a flood.

Chen Yan rubbed his arms and spat out the sweat that had trickled to his lips.

He held back, conserving some strength, and began massaging his arms.

Rest a bit, then keep going, do a few more sets.

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (4/100)]

It had gone up to four points. Felt great.

It was around eleven at night now. The night wind occasionally rustled through the leaves in the park, brushing against him and carrying away the moisture, leaving a trail of coolness.

"Lost another fifty today. Hey, you're treating us, Li Ming, you have to treat us!"

"Treat us, treat us. Day after tomorrow, I'll buy everyone a good drink."

Outside the park, two or three shirtless men walked by laughing. Cigarette in one hand, beer in the other, bellies sticking out, they chatted leisurely.

Suddenly, a man named Li Ming froze, glancing suspiciously into the park. The night was deep and hazy, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.

He could only vaguely make out, by the faint moonlight, a shirtless youth lifting a stone block.

"Don't know whose kid that is, working so hard," Li Ming remarked with admiration.

"Might be Yu Zhiwen. That kid works hard, already awakened Blood Qi."

They walked off, still talking.

Chen Yan couldn't hear their words clearly.

The first set went fine on his body, but by the second set, the soreness hit him like it was a whole level above the first.

Too intense.

But seeing the growth progress of the Saint Breaking Fruit in his Consciousness World tick up another point, Chen Yan felt it was all worth it, no matter how tired he got.

It went on until around one in the morning, when Chen Yuxu, exhausted from his day's work, slowly rode his tricycle over near the park.

Chen Yuxu instantly pulled the brake, staring in shock at the thin figure sitting by the roadside.

Moonlight draped over Chen Yan like a silver cloak. His drenched upper body glistened with tiny specks of light. His head hung low, sweat streaming from his hair, pooling into a large wet patch on the stone steps before him.

"Dad, let's go home."

Chen Yan grabbed the clothes lying beside him, stood up, and spoke with a smile.

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (16/100)]

By the end, the fatigue and numbness had reached their peak, but the progress seemed faster than at the start.

As if everything was telling him—do one more, hold on one more second.

Chen Yan, you will gain everything!

Looking at his son, Chen Yuxu pressed his trembling lips together. He wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a smile:

"Get on."

Chen Yan sat down beside Chen Yuxu. The tricycle seat was long enough for two with room to spare.

"Don't push yourself too hard. If you overdo it, you might collapse again."

"It's fine."

"Hey, you—"

"Dad, don't go to the back mountain. It's dangerous there."

"Ha, now you're teaching me."

"The back mountain—someone died there not long ago. I think awakening Blood Qi before the College Entrance Exam isn't that hard."

"Alright, I won't."

The next day, Chen Yan went to school as usual.

In senior year, academic classes were scarce. Most of the time, the Teacher led the students in training.

By the afternoon, homeroom Teacher Wang Yang brought the students to the Sports Field.

"Now, I'm teaching you the fifteenth lesson of basic boxing—the Eight Character Skill."

"Awakening Blood Qi means constantly breaking through your limits. Try every method to push past them—running, practicing boxing, even pull-ups are all ways."

Wang Yang kept talking, glancing at Chen Yan in the class. A strange feeling stirred in his mind.

If you find this book good, to avoid losing it next time, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

For some reason, Chen Yan gave him the sense of a major change.

Among the crowd, Chen Yan looked again at the statue by the edge of the Sports Field.

The statue's face was that of a rugged Youth, posed simply in a boxing stance.

In the Consciousness World, golden streams of light appeared once again, blocked by an invisible barrier three feet away from the Saint Breaking Tree, where they flickered and died on their own.

Chen Yan's heart churned with doubt and surprise—gold light represented Skill Energy.

He was merely watching this Bronze Statue; why would it bring such an enormous amount of Skill Energy?

At the front, homeroom teacher Wang Yang had already begun demonstrating the Eight Character Skill's movements.

No matter how much more gold light came, Chen Yan couldn't absorb it now, so he started following along to learn the Eight Character Skill.

Suddenly, he paused.

When he watched Wang Yang practice the forms, there was also gold light in his Consciousness World, but it was very faint—almost nonexistent.

"That's right. Learning the Eight Character Skill is also learning a technique." Chen Yan muttered to himself.

"Class Three, Zhang Qingsi, Teacher Xia wants you!"

Just then, a tall boy by the edge of the sports field shouted toward Chen Yan's class.

Among the students, a wave of envious cheers erupted.

"That's Wang Yu from Class Two. Dean Xia Tong is calling Zhang Qingsi for Private Training."

"Tsk tsk tsk, so jealous. Teacher Xia Tong's teaching level is really high."

"Jealousy won't help. Zhang Qingsi awakened his Qi and Blood after all."

At the front, the homeroom teacher nodded at Zhang Qingsi. Amid a sea of envious gazes, Zhang Qingsi ran toward where Wang Yu stood.

Off to the side, Hu Yuan watched Zhang Qingsi leave in silence. When he saw Chen Yan at the back of the class starting to practice the forms with Wang Yang, he seemed about to speak, then thought better of it and couldn't be bothered.

Chen Yan practiced the fist techniques while keeping an eye on the changes in his Saint Breaking Realm.

[Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (33/100)]

In the Consciousness World, the orange fruit representing the [Strength] Character Saint Breaking Fruit had grown to the size of a red date. As Chen Yan practiced his punches, rolling waves of orange light drifted slowly from the boundless darkness.

Every shred of radiance represented every drop of Chen Yan's sweat.

Spread, Block, Wrap, Stride, Lift, Propel, Cloud, Lead.

Chen Yan's punches whistled with force, his footfalls shaking the ground, drawing startled and doubtful looks from nearby classmates.

"His strength increased?"

Wang Yang watched Chen Yan with uncertainty. The students might not feel it—they only thought Chen Yan was putting more force into his punches—but he was different.

Chen Yan's power generation wasn't standard.

In the Consciousness World, aside from the orange streams of light, faint threads of gold began to appear, but the orange glow was so dazzling it concealed the gold.

After about forty minutes, some students in the class started complaining of exhaustion. After all, practicing the Eight Character Skill continuously was tiring even if the movements weren't large.

Quite a few students had already sat down on the grass even before Wang Yang called for a break.

Wang Yang didn't pay it any mind.

In fact, nearly one-fifth of Class Three's students had already started skipping class.

If this were first or second year, he might have cared, but now they were in their final year—every student had their own choice.

"Whole class, rest. We'll continue later."

Wang Yang announced, and instantly a chorus of groans rose up. The students who were still practicing collapsed like trampled grass, scattering across the sports field to lie down.

Wang Yang swept his gaze across the field. Only one person was still practicing his forms—Chen Yan.

Wang Yang didn't disturb him. He just watched quietly.

On the grass, Hu Yuan glanced at Chen Yan, the trace of annoyance in his eyes growing more obvious. Deciding that out of sight was out of mind, he started chatting with a few classmates.

Time passed slowly. As the end of school approached, Chen Yan's body once again reached its limit.

Suddenly, an abrupt sound rang out from between Chen Yan's fists. He froze—a flash of red light streaked across his knuckles.

This momentary change came and went in an instant, but within the Saint Breaking Realm, a massive surge of red light suddenly appeared.

The [Blood] Character Saint Breaking Fruit grew rapidly.

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

[Saint Breaking Fruit: Strength: (54/100) Blood: (7/100)]

In an instant, a blood-red fruit the size of a quail egg had fully formed.

Chen Yan froze. What just happened?

He had definitely produced a red flash, hadn't he?

In the office building, Principal Zhang Yue and the Dean of Discipline were smoking and chatting.

"The Town Martial Bonus should just be decided internally. Yu Zhiwen, Wang Yu, and Zhang Qingsi." Xia Tong spoke up.

"That's not good. An internal decision will probably make the students unhappy." Zhang Yue hesitated as she spoke.

"What's not good about it? Can they beat these three?" Xia Tong said dismissively.

"I'm not afraid of criticism. I chose them for Private Training because they have the best talent and the strongest strength."

Zhang Yue grew more hesitant. Her gaze drifted toward the Sports Field, inadvertently passing over Chen Yan. She suddenly froze, her pupils slowly contracting, then looked back at Xia Tong:

"You're only training those three, and it's already upset a lot of students. How about adding a few more?"

"Huh?" Xia Tong frowned slightly. Weren't they talking about the internal decision?

"Forget it. I'm going to Private Training." Xia Tong waved his hand and left.

It wasn't that he didn't want to train more students. The key was, did the other students even have talent?

If there was no investment value at all, why would he bother?

Did I just punch out a red light?

Chen Yan was a bit stunned. Not only had he produced a red flash, but he had also clearly felt his fist make contact with someone else's fist!

What a strange feeling. There was clearly no one beside him.

Also, did the red light mean his Qi and Blood had awakened?

But right now, he didn't feel anything unusual at all.

Just then, the homeroom teacher Wang Yang's voice rang out:

"Chen Yan, come over here."

Wang Yang gave Chen Yan a satisfied look, then took a bottle of drink from his briefcase at his feet:

"Everyone has seen Chen Yan's performance these past few days. Yesterday, the three homeroom teachers privately discussed giving a bottle of Qi and Blood Drink to the hardest-working student today."

Wang Yang handed the drink to Chen Yan:

"Chen Yan, congratulations on earning this bottle of Qi and Blood Drink!"

As Wang Yang's words fell, the expressions of the entire class instantly changed. A Qi and Blood Drink—five hundred yuan a bottle.

In the town, five hundred yuan was really a big sum.

Hu Yuan stared at the bottle of Qi and Blood Drink, his face sour. Although his dad had given him three thousand yuan, he couldn't just spend it recklessly.

His eyes were full of jealousy. Why did Chen Yan get the Qi and Blood Drink?

If he had known, he wouldn't have rested just now.

"Teacher, this... is too precious." Chen Yan was also a bit dazed as he looked at Wang Yang.

"Rewards are for the hardworking." Wang Yang smiled and directly opened the cap:

"I'll watch you drink it."

Chen Yan pressed his lips together. His little scheme had been seen through. He nodded, took the Qi and Blood Drink, and gulped it down.

A sweet taste slid down his throat, and instantly a warm sensation spread through his stomach and intestines.

Very sweet, very refreshing.

Chen Yan marveled inwardly, but suddenly noticed a red light appear in his Consciousness World, slowly drifting down beneath the roots of the Saint Breaking Tree.

On the Saint Breaking Tree, a withered branch suddenly sprouted a hint of fresh green.

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Blood: (8/100)]

It had grown a bit more.

A glint flashed in Chen Yan's eyes.

"Finish it. You look pretty thirsty." Wang Yang's voice sounded again. Chen Yan nodded and downed the remaining half.

Without hesitation, under the envious or jealous gazes of his classmates, Chen Yan drank the other half in one go.

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Blood: (9/100)]

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