The Gaokao Arrives

"Don't let both of you fall." Zhou Nan's voice carried a trace of concern. "Lean on me a little. Make sure you hold him steady."

"Alright." Qin Yan responded softly, and the three of them supported one another as they disappeared into the night.

By the time Qin Yan returned home, it was already late at night.

The lights in his parents' room had long been switched off, and steady breathing drifted from within.

Ever since his father had transferred to an easier position, he could finally come home early and get a peaceful night's sleep.

Qin Xiaoxi, however, was still awake. Like a little cat, she quietly crept over to him.

She lightly sniffed at him, then wrinkled her delicate little nose. "Qin Yan, did you drink?"

"Yeah, just a little." Qin Yan changed his shoes and headed toward the living room.

"A man or a woman?" Qin Xiaoxi followed behind him, persistently questioning him, her eyes gleaming with gossip.

"A man." Qin Yan's expression did not change.

"Liar!" Qin Xiaoxi immediately voiced her suspicion, her face displaying a scornful look that said, "I've already seen through everything."

"I clearly smelled a very faint but really nice girl's fragrance! Don't think you can fool me!"

"Maybe some guy was wearing women's perfume."

Qin Yan continued making things up, his tone calm.

Qin Xiaoxi: "(╬ Ò﹏Ó) !"

Ignoring his sister's puffed-up expression, Qin Yan rubbed her head and walked straight toward the bathroom. "Go to sleep. You still have school tomorrow."

After taking a quick shower and washing away the smell of alcohol and his fatigue, Qin Yan returned to his room and threw himself into the soft bedding.

His body was exhausted, but his mind was somewhat exhilarated.

"I wonder whether real Martial Artists get drunk when they drink too much..."

Staring at the ceiling, he could not help recalling the duel he had witnessed at the Martial Association's Martial Arena a month ago.

That surging Blood Qi, those fierce attacks, that explosive force that seemed capable of tearing through the air...

"I suppose they probably don't." He murmured to himself as his consciousness gradually blurred, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Qin Yan went to the principal's office.

After Qin Yan demonstrated some Martial Arts Skill and unleashed his Blood Qi—

Director Wan broke into loud praise.

"Good, good, good! Xiao Yan, with your current strength, as long as nothing unexpected happens, you'll be able to get into a Top Martial University during the Gaokao."

"However, you still must not let your guard down."

As he spoke, he handed Qin Yan another metal box.

"This is the last time I'll provide you with resources, Xiao Yan. Don't let me down."

Wan Xueping instructed Qin Yan.

"I won't let Director Wan down," Qin Yan said.

"Good. Work hard from here on out. After several decades, Linhai City is finally about to produce another seedling worthy of a Top Martial University."

Wan Xueping encouraged him.

He could not help feeling deeply emotional inside. Heaven truly never sealed off every path!

At the time when he had been at his most desperate and under the greatest pressure, a peerless uncut gem like Qin Yan had miraculously appeared!

Inside the school Gymnasium, under Qin Yan's wholehearted guidance, Lin Yang and Zhou Yuan's Stance Training successively broke through as well, successfully entering the Third Layer.

"Yan Ge! Thank you so much!" Zhou Yuan was so excited he nearly jumped up. "With this breakthrough in Stance Training, I'm even more confident about getting into Linhai Martial University! From now on, you're my real big brother!"

Lin Yang said nothing beside them, but his gaze toward Qin Yan was filled with deep gratitude.

He knew that with Third Layer Stance Training as his foundation, his chances of successfully entering Jianghai Martial University would increase drastically.

Inside Training Room 1011 at the Martial Association.

Qin Yan opened the resource box Wan Xueping had provided for the last time.

To his surprise, it no longer contained Blood Qi Potions, but three bottles of lustrous, jade-like pills arranged neatly within—Blood Qi Pills!

Each bottle contained ten pills.

Together with the pills he had previously accumulated through various means, the total number of Blood Qi Pills in his possession had reached an astonishing sixty-five!

At market price, that was worth 650,000 Huaxia Coins!

A massive fortune he had never even dared to imagine before!

Qin Yan took out a Blood Qi Pill the size of a longan, dark red in color, and swallowed it without hesitation.

The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth, instantly transforming into a scorching, surging torrent that flooded through all four limbs and every bone in his body!

It felt as if all the blood in his body had been ignited and brought to a boil at that very moment!

Qin Yan did not dare slack off in the slightest. He immediately assumed the fifth layer Perfection Sky-Supporting Qi Pillar stance.

He guided and absorbed the enormous medicinal power with all his strength.

He could clearly feel the Blood Qi throughout his body being rapidly tempered, purified, and condensed!

"As expected of a Blood Qi Pill! Its effects... are more than ten times stronger than Blood Qi Potions!"

He was shaken to the core.

A week later, after repeated tempering and Qin Yan's guidance, Zhao Bin finally raised his Stance Training to the fourth layer as he had wished.

His fervent gratitude toward Qin Yan was almost impossible to contain.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was June 6th, the eve of the Gaokao.

Inside the martial arts training room, Zhou Nan took a deep breath and lay down inside the Blood Qi Detection Pod.

The pod door closed. After the indicator light flashed for a moment, she circulated her Blood Qi with all her strength.

The numbers on the electronic display jumped rapidly before finally freezing on a dazzling figure—

"88 Cal!"

Zhou Nan sat up inside the pod. Looking at the number on the screen, her beautiful eyes were filled with incredulous delight!

88 Cal of Blood Qi!

This was a height she could never have imagined reaching two months ago!

She abruptly turned her head and looked brightly at Qin Yan beside her. Her gaze was filled with endless gratitude and indescribable joy.

"Congratulations! You've reached 88 Cal of Blood Qi." Qin Yan smiled as he offered his congratulations.

"No matter how good I am, I still can't compare to a freak like you!"

Zhou Nan rolled her eyes at him with a smile, her tone teasing. "With your current strength, you can pick whichever Top Martial University you want, right?"

Qin Yan smiled but did not deny it.

Zhou Nan was right. After two months of frantically piling up vast resources and training diligently, his strength had undergone a complete transformation!

With a thought, the System Panel in his mind clearly appeared:

[Sky-Supporting Qi Pillar: Fifth layer (Perfection)

Blood Qi: 99 Cal

Mental Strength: 42

Spear Technique: Second Stage (61%)

Skill Points: 60

Note: As long as you work hard, there will be rewards]

With 99 Cal of Blood Qi, he had already reached the peak below the Martial Artist realm!

His Martial Arts Skill had also reached High Second Stage!

High Second Stage Martial Arts Skill was worth 100 points in the Gaokao!

With the strength he currently displayed, getting into a Top Martial University was more than easy for him.

Time came to June 7th.

For the Gaokao, each school's examination venues were assigned at random.

Qin Yan had decent luck and was still taking the exam at First High School.

Amid the atmosphere of families escorting students to the exam and armed police clearing the path, Linhai City's 2025 Gaokao officially began.

Even though Qin Yan had repeatedly stressed that his family did not need to see him off, when enough people said the same thing, even a stubborn arm could not twist against a thigh.

Qin Yan was still escorted to the examination venue by his parents and little sister.