The next day.
Morning light spilled over the windowsill, scattering flecks of gold.
Qin Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes tightly shut.
The next second, he suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliant gleam flashing in them.
"Phew~"
Qin Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Body Tempering Layer One!!"
After a night of arduous cultivation, he had alternated nonstop between the Star Energy Cultivation Method and Seven Injuries Fist.
At last, he had reached Body Tempering Layer One and become an official Martial Artist.
His cultivation speed could only be called astonishingly fast.
He was certain that, at this point in time, most of his classmates would struggle to break through to Body Tempering Layer One.
And that wasn't all he had accomplished that night.
After practicing Seven Injuries Fist nonstop, aided by the incredibly easy-to-learn buff he possessed, Qin Chen had broken through to Grand Completion sometime in the middle of the night.
Even if He Yi came riding a rocket, he wouldn't be able to catch up at that speed.
And Seven Injuries Fist at Grand Completion didn't just restore the body more than ten times as effectively as when he had first learned it; its power was also immense.
After all, with such an outrageous side effect, it had to pack a serious punch.
"He Yi! Are you ready?"
A cold glint flashed in Qin Chen's eyes as he slowly got to his feet.
After washing up, he headed out for Muyang Third Middle School.
Though he hadn't slept all night, he didn't feel the least bit tired. If anything, he was brimming with energy.
After becoming a Martial Artist, his body was already vastly different from an ordinary person's.
One sleepless night was nothing. Even several more wouldn't affect him in the slightest.
Before long, Qin Chen arrived at Muyang Third Middle School. After wandering around for a while, he made his way to his classroom.
His arrival drew curious looks from the students inside.
"Qin Chen actually dared to come? I thought he'd be hiding at home."
"Looks like there'll be a good show once He Yi gets here!"
The students' murmurs didn't escape Qin Chen's ears, but he couldn't care less.
He walked straight to his seat and plopped down.
Back row, by the window—the King's domain!
Having broken through to Body Tempering Layer One, he didn't take He Yi seriously at all.
What he cared about more was the Class Battle coming up tomorrow.
On the third day after awakening, every first-year class at Muyang Third Middle School would hold a Class Battle.
It would determine the strength rankings within each class.
After that, another one would be held every month.
It was basically the equivalent of the monthly exams from his previous life.
The school would offer rewards to the top-ranked students after every Class Battle.
It was a way to motivate them.
The homeroom teacher had already explained the rewards for the Class Battle on the day they awakened.
Since this was the first Class Battle, the rewards would naturally be more generous.
Each of the top five would receive a reward of ten thousand Star Coins, and the first-place student would get an additional reward.
They would be allowed to enter the school's Battle Skill Pavilion and choose a D-rank Combat Skill.
Those rewards might not amount to much to the rich kids, but they were extremely important to Qin Chen.
Especially the D-rank Combat Skill awarded to first place.
A D-rank Combat Skill would fetch at least a hundred thousand Star Coins on the market.
Even a D-rank Combat Skill like Seven Injuries Fist, with its enormous side effects, was no exception.
So a D-rank Combat Skill was still very valuable to Qin Chen.
And as he'd said before, he wanted to find a Combat Skill that could lower his Star Energy Aptitude.
An aptitude of just one point was honestly too much to bear.
If only his Star Energy Aptitude were a little higher, he wouldn't still be stuck at Body Tempering Layer One.
Just then, a commotion broke out near the doorway.
"Brother Yi, do you think that guy Qin Chen will come to school today?"
"Heh~ With that useless Qin Chen's personality, after I beat him up like that yesterday, how could he possibly dare show his face today?"
"I said I'd beat him up every time I saw him..."
His voice cut off abruptly. Qin Chen looked up and met a pair of eyes that held a flicker of surprise.
It was He Yi!
Seeing Qin Chen sitting in his seat, He Yi froze for a moment. But then, a rising wave of fury surged through him.
He glared at Qin Chen and said,
"Qin Chen! I remember what I told you yesterday, don't I?"
"I said I'd beat you up every time I saw you!"
"Looks like the lesson I gave you yesterday was too light. You've gone and treated my words like wind in your ears!"
As he spoke, He Yi walked toward Qin Chen step by step, rolling his neck as his bones crackled.
The other students in the class all turned to look.
Some felt sympathy, some sneered, and others watched with indifference.
But none of them lifted a finger. Even those who pitied Qin Chen wouldn't help him.
After all, who would bring trouble down on themselves for the sake of an ordinary classmate?
He Yi stopped in front of Qin Chen. Seeing him still sitting there, his expression calm, He Yi's eyes flickered with surprise.
Something was off!
In the past, Qin Chen had been like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he laid eyes on He Yi, a total coward.
Why was he so calm now?
Did he think He Yi wouldn't dare make a move in class?
A mocking smile appeared on He Yi's lips.
Before awakening, he might have worried about the rule against fighting in class.
But now that he'd awakened, what did he have to be afraid of?
His Star Energy Aptitude was over forty points, putting him among the top five in class.
Qin Chen's Star Energy Aptitude, on the other hand, was only one point.
Even if he beat Qin Chen up, the school would do no more than give him a token punishment.
It sounded cruel, but that was reality!
Because this was a world where Martial Artists reigned supreme!!
He Yi's gaze hardened. His right arm shot out without warning, his hand curling into a fist as he swung it viciously at Qin Chen's face.
A savage grin spread across his face, as though he could already see Qin Chen sprawled on the floor after taking the punch.
But just then, He Yi caught sight of a faint smile on Qin Chen's lips, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
The next moment,
He Yi's eyes flew wide open. An indescribable agony tore through his abdomen, making him spit up a mouthful of bile.
His legs gave way, and he clutched his stomach as he dropped to his knees, his face pale and cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He Yi struggled to raise his head, only to find a size-forty-five shoe looming before his eyes.
Thud—
A muffled sound rang out as He Yi was kicked into the air. He smashed through several desks and chairs on the way, then slammed heavily into the ground after flying nearly ten meters.
He'd been kicked all the way from the back of the classroom to the front, right before the lectern.
A dark, unmistakable shoeprint appeared on his face.
!!!
Everyone around them gasped in unison, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at what had just happened.
"Body Tempering Layer One!!"
"Qin Chen actually broke through to Body Tempering Layer One?!!"
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