Mu Qing

In the Federation era, Hangzhou City stood within the borders of Huaxia.

Sunlight scattered across West Lake, its shimmering surface dappled with a faint golden glow.

From time to time, enormous shadows swept beneath the lake. They rolled their massive bodies, leaping out of the water and soaring dozens of zhang into the air before crashing back down and raising wave after wave.

Each of those enormous shadows was a hundred meters long!

The residents living beside West Lake had long since grown used to the colossal shadows in the water.

They were Cosmic Fierce Beasts, monstrous creatures tamed by Federation Martial Artists. Born in the cosmos, they lived in Earth's oceans. According to legend, the Cosmic Fierce Beasts at the bottom of West Lake had all been captured and tamed by a terrifying Federation Martial Artist, and would never harm the residents of Hangzhou City.

After Cosmic Fierce Beasts invaded Earth, the nations of the world united and established the Federation Headquarters. One city after another built towering walls to defend against the beasts, and from then on, cities became Giant Cities.

Beside West Lake stood a sprawling school, where all the students in Hangzhou City gathered.

With the College Entrance Exam approaching, all the third-year students at West Lake High School were on edge, squeezing in as much cultivation as they could. Wealthier students even swallowed precious medicinal herbs to cultivate their Blood Qi. They all shared one goal: to pass the College Entrance Exam trials.

The College Entrance Exam was brutally competitive. To stand out and become a Federation Martial Artist, one had to awaken a Blood Spirit before the exam—and the requirement for awakening one was reaching Blood Qi Fifth Rank.

From their first year to their third, every student except those with truly poor aptitude had reached Blood Qi Fourth Rank.

With the exam drawing near, the top students at West Lake High School had all broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank and awakened their Blood Spirits.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside a Cultivation Room in the third-year building, a young man wearing training clothes weighted with hundreds of pounds of extra weight kept punching a sandbag. Each punch kicked up a gust of wind. His powerful blows made the bag tremble, as if it might burst at any moment.

That was the strength of Blood Qi Fourth Rank. With the blood in his body surging, each punch could deliver eight hundred pounds of force!

"Mu Qing, how are you feeling? Any signs of a breakthrough?"

A figure entered the Cultivation Room. He was powerfully built and wore training clothes as well, but an aura spilled faintly from him, as if his surging Blood Qi were gathering into a golden lion.

This was Blood Qi Fifth Rank—the realm of awakening a Blood Spirit!

"Ling Fei?" Mu Qing stopped and looked back. Seeing his best friend Ling Fei, he turned around. The two of them were both top students at West Lake High School.

There was only a month left before the College Entrance Exam. Nearly all the top students at West Lake High School had broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank and awakened their Blood Spirits. Even some ordinary students from wealthy families had managed to break through by swallowing precious medicinal herbs.

Ling Fei had always been a top student. Though his family was of modest means, he had been among the earliest to awaken his Blood Spirit.

Of all the top students, Mu Qing was the only one who had yet to reach Blood Qi Fifth Rank. This had led students and teachers alike to question him, and rumors had even spread that his rapid progress in the past had been thanks to taking banned drugs.

"Still no luck." Mu Qing glanced at the golden lion gathered from Blood Qi behind Ling Fei. A flicker of envy crossed his eyes, then he shook his head. "I've swallowed who knows how many precious herbs lately and trained my body every day, but I'm still at the peak of Blood Qi Fourth Rank. There's not the slightest sign of a breakthrough."

"That doesn't make sense..." Ling Fei rubbed his chin. "The herbs your dad bought with that money he gave you would've been enough for three people at Blood Qi Fourth Rank to break through. Besides, your talent isn't bad."

As Mu Qing's best friend, Ling Fei knew his situation well. His dad had money, and his talent was excellent—among the top students, he was one of the best.

"The mock exam is in a few days. I heard the top ten will get Blood Refining Potions as rewards. Maybe you can break through to Fifth Rank with one," Ling Fei said after thinking it over.

Blood Refining Potions had been developed by Federation scientists. They could refine the blood in the body and force it to surge, and had an eighty percent chance of helping someone break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank.

The potions sold for a full million on the market. They were beyond the reach of ordinary students.

It was clear the school had poured a great deal of effort into this College Entrance Exam, hoping to outperform the schools from the other cities.

"Forget it." Mu Qing shook his head, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

"Don't worry. You're much stronger than the other students at Fourth Rank. I'll give you all the Fierce Beasts I hunt from now on. You'll definitely rank in the top ten!" Seeing Mu Qing's expression, Ling Fei assumed he was worried that he wasn't strong enough to take on the other top students.

"Really, there's no need. I just want some time to myself." Mu Qing sighed, politely declined Ling Fei, and walked out of the Cultivation Room.

What Ling Fei didn't know was that Mu Qing had already used a Blood Refining Potion—not just one, but even the top-grade version that sold for five million. Yet he still hadn't broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank.

All told, the potions Mu Qing had taken were worth tens of millions.

Even he was surprised. He had never seen his dad work, yet somehow his father had so much money to buy Blood Refining Potions. He could even get his hands on the top-grade ones, which were extremely rare on the market.

"Mu Qing."

A gust of sweet fragrance swept over him as soon as he stepped out of the Cultivation Room. A figure blocked his path: a girl in a short skirt with delicate features, long hair cascading down to her shapely hips, and fair skin.

It was Song Yalan, one of the ten great beauties of West Lake High School.

And... Mu Qing's girlfriend.

Mu Qing's expression turned complicated. Although she was his girlfriend, she had gradually stopped contacting him ever since he failed to break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank and fell behind the other top students. She had even hinted several times that she wanted to break up.

Rumor had it Song Yalan had recently been spending a lot of time with Wang Haixuan, another top student.

"What is it?" Mu Qing's eyes turned cold. Her recent behavior had made him lose every bit of goodwill he'd once felt toward her.

"Have you still not reached Blood Qi Fifth Rank?" Song Yalan's beautiful eyes flickered. She seemed reluctant to meet Mu Qing's gaze as she asked softly.

Song Yalan's gentle tone did nothing to move Mu Qing. He remained expressionless. He had seen through the girl in front of him completely: she seemed gentle and considerate on the surface, but in truth, she was vain and materialistic.

"No!" Mu Qing waved a hand, answering impatiently.

Hearing that Mu Qing still hadn't broken through, Song Yalan's gaze shifted, and her voice lost its former tenderness. "Mu Qing, I don't think we're right for each other anymore. The College Entrance Exam is coming up, and I don't want to spend too much time worrying about romance, so... let's break up."

"Bullshit!" Before Mu Qing could answer, a thunderous shout rang out nearby. A powerful aura surged as Ling Fei rushed over and stopped beside Mu Qing, his eyes filled with hostility as he glared at Song Yalan.

A golden lion formed from Blood Qi appeared behind Ling Fei, flickering in and out of sight.

"I was blind to introduce you to Mu Qing! Song Yalan! If Mu Qing hadn't given you all those medicinal herbs, do you think you could've reached Blood Qi Fourth Rank so quickly and become a top student? Now that you've used Mu Qing, you're tossing him aside and running to cling to Wang Haixuan?" Ling Fei's eyes blazed with fury as he shouted at her.

Ling Fei had been the one to bring Mu Qing and Song Yalan together. He'd never expected Song Yalan to be this kind of person, and he felt deeply guilty toward Mu Qing.

"Hmph! Ling Fei, let me tell you, I'm not afraid of you anymore. Whatever Mu Qing gave me, Wang Haixuan can give me ten or a hundred times over. And whatever Mu Qing couldn't give me, Wang Haixuan can!" Song Yalan's face darkened, but she didn't back down. Her Blood Qi churned, and a small Azure Little Tree suddenly appeared behind her. Flecks of Dawn Light drifted around it, as if a mysterious power were welling up.

The power of the Blood Spirit Azure Tree washed over her proud figure, blue light flashing across her. Students at West Lake High School in the distance turned their gazes toward her. She was enthralled by the feeling of being the center of attention, basking in boundless glory.

"Blood Qi Fifth Rank?"

Mu Qing and Ling Fei exclaimed together, then exchanged a glance. They knew Song Yalan's talent and cultivation level. She must have relied on the resources Wang Haixuan had given her to break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank.

Wang Haixuan was the son of the head of the Wang Family in Hangzhou City. With abundant cultivation resources and decent talent, he was one of the strongest among the top students.

In particular, Mu Qing had beaten him repeatedly in mock battles. Now that Mu Qing couldn't break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank while Wang Haixuan had reached it long ago, Wang Haixuan naturally went out of his way to target him.

"Enough..." Watching Ling Fei and Song Yalan face off, their auras crashing against each other, Mu Qing suddenly spoke.

His eyes were dark, a cold glint flashing through them. He stared at Song Yalan's proud face and said, "If you want to break up, then let's break up. Wang Haixuan is probably nearby, waiting to laugh at me."

Mu Qing took a deep breath. He wasn't all that upset. Maybe it was because they hadn't been together long enough for him to invest much feeling in the relationship...

"Hahaha! Mu Qing, I didn't know you understood me so well." A wild laugh rang out. A tall young man strode over, his Blood Qi surging and gathering into an ancient Hunting Rifle wreathed in flames.

As someone from one of Hangzhou City's great families, Wang Haixuan's Blood Qi was exceptionally solid. He had clearly broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank long ago and fully stabilized his cultivation in that realm.

A terrifying aura surged toward Mu Qing. Heat rolled through the air as Wang Haixuan used the force of his Blood Spirit to bear down on him, trying to put him in his place.

Before awakening his Blood Spirit, Wang Haixuan hadn't been Mu Qing's match. He had never won a fight against him.

Now that he had awakened his Blood Spirit while Mu Qing was still at Blood Qi Fourth Rank, Wang Haixuan naturally wasn't going to miss any chance to crush him.

Under that scorching pressure, Mu Qing couldn't help taking a step back. It felt as if the blood in his body were about to stop flowing. His lips dried out, and his skin seemed ready to split.

The strength of someone with a Blood Spirit and someone without one was worlds apart!

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Ling Fei let out a roar through the golden lion formed from his Blood Qi. It appeared in front of Mu Qing, golden light blooming as it blocked the powerful aura.

"I'll let you off this time, but I refuse to believe Ling Fei will stay by your side forever. Just you wait!" Wang Haixuan was still wary of Ling Fei, the first of all the top students to awaken a Blood Spirit. He glared viciously at Mu Qing, then wrapped an arm around Song Yalan's slender waist and headed off into the distance.

"Mu Qing, are you all right?" Ling Fei withdrew his Blood Spirit and looked at him.

"I'm fine. Let's head back to the dorm." Mu Qing shook his head, saying he was all right, though his hand trembled slightly.

Today, he had truly felt what it meant to lack strength. He didn't care in the slightest that Song Yalan had left him, but being crushed by Wang Haixuan's aura had left him miserable!