I'm from Ping'an Middle School

When he heard Yu Kaidong, Meng Chuan smiled and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Come on. Please give it your all, Brother Kaidong."

Meng Chuan stood where he was and waited for the other man to make a move. Yu Kaidong's blood qi was too low, and Meng Chuan worried that his perfected Pao Fist might knock him out in one hit.

So he planned to let the other man attack first and spend some time dodging, getting in more practice with Cun Step.

Although he had only just broken through to 8 points of blood qi and hadn't comprehended Dark Jin yet,

there were nine Qi-Blood Passes on the path of a martial practitioner, and the Fourth Dao Blood Qi Barrier marked the intermediate stage.

After reaching the intermediate stage, a martial practitioner's blood qi became more refined, and the power their body could unleash was far beyond what someone at the Third Dao Blood Qi Barrier could hope to match.

Yu Kaidong thought Meng Chuan was a little arrogant. The kid was only a high school freshman, yet he was acting as if Yu Kaidong weren't even there.

With his girlfriend beside him, he couldn't get angry, so he could only say:

"I'm afraid I'll hurt you. You go first, Xiao Meng."

"Just come at me. I've already entered the Fourth Dao Blood Qi Barrier."

"..."

Yu Kaidong thought he must have misheard, so he asked again:

"What's your blood qi value?"

"A little over 8."

"Holy crap! Wait, you're a high school freshman?"

Meng Yiyi, standing nearby, felt as if she were dreaming when she heard that.

Before she went off to college, Meng Chuan had practiced Guoyi Fist at home every day for years, yet he hadn't even managed to break through a Qi-Blood Pass.

How had he broken through four passes in just over half a year? How could he be this monstrous?

"Little bro, is that for real?"

Meng Chuan nodded.

Seeing that Meng Chuan wasn't joking, Yu Kaidong put away his contempt and clasped his hands seriously in greeting:

"Xingyi Sect's Water Element Fist, Drilling Wave Hand. Please teach me, Xiao Meng."

He'd already offered to give the kid some pointers, so he could only grit his teeth and go through with it.

"Pao Fist. Come on, Brother Kaidong."

Yu Kaidong didn't want to lose face in front of his girlfriend. What would it look like if he got beaten up by her little brother, a high school freshman?

So he thought to himself:

Pao Fist belongs to the Fire Element, which I happen to counter. I still have a chance to win.

He attacked first, moving like a water snake gliding through thick water plants. He used River-Walking Step to close to within three feet of Meng Chuan, then thrust his hand toward Meng Chuan's chest.

He still held back, afraid that Meng Chuan was just a kid who liked to show off.

Meng Chuan simply lifted his arm and gave a light outward parry, knocking Yu Kaidong's main attacking hand aside.

Feeling the immense force pushing against his fingertips, Yu Kaidong's expression turned grave.

"Damn, this kid wasn't lying!"

With no time to think, Yu Kaidong hurriedly continued his attack. His left hand curled into a claw and seized toward Meng Chuan's abdomen, a sharp whooshing cutting through the air.

Drilling Wave Hand—River-Parting Claw!

Meng Chuan shifted his left foot back in a small step and dodged, then raised his hand and drove a straight punch toward the other man's chest.

Ordinary attack!

Bang!

Yu Kaidong's feet pounded against the ground as he staggered backward, stopping only when he reached a tree and grabbed hold of it to steady himself. His heart thudded wildly.

A clear red fist mark was stamped between his two solid pectoral muscles.

"That strength is definitely above 8 points. He's an intermediate martial practitioner!"

Having only just broken through the Fourth Dao Blood Qi Barrier, Meng Chuan couldn't quite control his strength.

"Are you okay? I just broke through, so I can't quite control my strength. How about you attack and I dodge?"

"Fine!"

Yu Kaidong's temper flared, too. Damn it, surely he could land at least one hit?

He pushed his River-Walking Step to its limit, weaving around Meng Chuan like a winding water snake as he launched one attack after another.

Water Element Fist was renowned for its fluid control. Like a tightrope walker, Meng Chuan stayed in place and dodged without pause.

Under the high-intensity barrage of continuous dodges, the proficiency of [Cun Step] ticked up every so often.

Yu Kaidong had impressive stamina. He kept attacking for hundreds of moves before finally running out of strength and dropping onto the ground.

"I'm done! I'm done!"

Yu Kaidong's face was flushed and his neck was red as he panted heavily. This kid's control over his body was even more monstrous. He hadn't landed a single hit.

For hundreds of moves, Meng Chuan had only dodged, never striking back—he'd passed through a thousand blossoms without a single leaf touching him.

Meng Chuan knew that half the reason was the overwhelming gap in their blood qi. In his eyes, Yu Kaidong's movements were as if they'd been slowed to 0.8 speed.

The other half was thanks to the powerful bodily control granted by One Proof Eternal Proof, which kept him from making a mistake before his strength gave out.

Meng Chuan took the chance to glance at the panel.

[Cun Step: Great Accomplishment (12%)→(16%) Awaiting Limit Break]

[Limit-Breaking Trait: Light Body (Beginner)]

Meng Yiyi had been dumbfounded for a while now. In ancient times, Meng Chuan's performance would have earned him the title of a lightness-skill master.

"Little bro, you're way too amazing!"

"I'm not going to be a fan of River-Mixing White Dragon anymore. When you make a name for yourself, your big sister will start a fan club for you!"

Hearing Meng Yiyi's bold declaration, Meng Chuan smiled and replied:

"Great, Sis. You can be the president of my fan club one day."

He didn't turn her down. Fame and fortune wouldn't hurt him; if anything, they could better support his martial path.

His master had said that after becoming a martial artist, the resources one needed could easily cost tens of millions.

For example, the blood qi he'd lost by breaking through today had already cost him thirty or forty thousand in Medicinal Paste just to replenish.

Later, he'd also need to build a foundation through Hard-Training External Technique so he could cultivate Thunder Method True Art.

While training in external techniques, he'd need to buy large amounts of Body-Refining Medicinal Paste to apply to his body and help it recover.

Even the million-yuan prize he'd later receive for improving Guoyi Fist wouldn't be enough.

Although he had the Martial Dao Limit-Breaking Panel, martial resources wouldn't appear out of thin air. He'd still have to fight and claw his way to them!

This wasn't ancient times, when one could kill for treasure and rob the rich to aid the poor.

If martial artists attacked other people, or even ordinary people, without a legitimate reason, they would be branded Demonic Path Martial Practitioners.

They would be wanted by the Police Station, and if caught, they'd be sent to the Martial Practitioner Prison—or even sentenced to death.

So in modern society, there were two main legitimate ways to obtain large amounts of martial resources.

One was to venture deep into a Demon Nest and slay Heavenly Demons, then break down the useful Demon Material on their bodies and exchange it for money or resources.

The second was a comparatively safer route: enter various martial arts competitions, win hefty prize money, and build a fan economy. This path suited martial prodigies who were invincible among their peers.

Meng Chuan figured that once he acquired a few combat-related traits, whether he took the first path or the second, every road would lead him to Rome!

Nearby, Meng Yiyi went to take care of her boyfriend.

Seeing Yu Kaidong sitting on the ground like a dead fish, she figured Meng Chuan might have beaten the confidence right out of him.

Worried that Yu Kaidong's Daoxin might shatter, she sat down beside him and spent a good while comforting him.

Yu Kaidong waved to show that he was fine. He was just a little exhausted.

After catching his breath for a while, Yu Kaidong asked:

"Xiao Meng, are you really a high school freshman this year?"

Meng Chuan was taking the opportunity to practice his standing posture nearby. Seeing that Yu Kaidong had recovered, he answered:

"Yeah, I really am a freshman."

Yu Kaidong was so shaken that he didn't know what to say. After a while, he asked:

"Which school do you go to? Are you in a preparatory program, or at a martial arts school?"

"Neither. I'm from Ping'an Middle School."

Yu Kaidong:

"..."