Did You Take Your Medicine?

The vital energy within his body completed a full major circulation on its own.

Gu Yuan clearly felt the vital energy flowing along his meridians and pouring directly into his Dao Foundation.

Immediately following, a miniature vortex of vital energy slowly took shape in his dantian, gradually spinning.

Gu Yuan was stunned.

That was it?

This breakthrough was truly casual.

When others broke through to become martial artists, who didn't treat it like facing a formidable enemy? Secluding themselves for ten days or half a month was standard procedure, and they had to prepare various pills to protect their meridians, terrified that their vessels wouldn't withstand the surge of vital energy and would burst, leading to death.

Gu Yuan sat on the cold bench in the hallway of the Destiny Bureau, watching others eat chocolate and draw talismans, having not even done a warm-up, yet he had broken through just like that.

If the other martial arts examinees of his year knew this, they might impulsively bash their heads against a pillar.

Gu Yuan felt the surging vital energy within his body and slowly raised his right hand.

A layer of pale red, materialized vital energy overflowed from his palm, condensing between his five fingers.

Externalization of vital energy.

The hallmark of a Tier 1 Martial Artist.

Shen Tingxue saw this scene, her palm frozen in mid-air.

She had just intended to land another slap to properly teach this cousin of hers, who spouted nonsense every day, a lesson.

But now, her gaze was nailed to the pale red glow of vital energy on Gu Yuan's right hand.

Her entire body stiffened in place, motionless.

Her face wore an expression as if she had seen a ghost.

Gu Yuan looked up and waved his hand in front of Shen Tingxue's eyes.

"Um, Cousin..."

He paused.

"It seems... I've broken through to become a martial artist before the college entrance exam, haven't I?"

The air in the hallway was silent for about three seconds.

"Bang!"

Shen Tingxue slapped the back of Gu Yuan's head again, her eyes scrutinizing him.

"Did you take some kind of drug?!"

Gu Yuan clutched the back of his head and sprang up from the chair. "I just broke through to become a martial artist, and this is how you treat a flower of the motherland?"

"Flower, my foot!" Shen Tingxue grabbed his collar and yanked him toward her.

Shen Tingxue's gaze was locked onto his face.

"Did you take some forbidden drug? A Blood-Evil Pill? A Heart-Burning Pill? Or that kind of Breakthrough Powder from the black market that overdraws your potential?"

Does this woman have paranoid delusions? Can't I just be a one-in-a-million peerless genius?

"Am I that kind of person?" Gu Yuan looked righteous and straightened his back.

Shen Tingxue glanced at Gu Yuan and said decisively, "Yes, you are."

"Cousin! What kind of image do I have in your heart?" Gu Yuan rolled his eyes.

"I was just sitting here, watching Sister Miaomiao draw talismans, and then I suddenly felt the vital energy in my body couldn't be suppressed, and I just broke through like that."

Shen Tingxue stared at him suspiciously for a full few seconds.

The Destiny Bureau was never short of geniuses; she had led all sorts of freaks with special constitutions and awakened bloodlines.

But an eighteen-year-old high school student, sitting on a hallway chair with his legs crossed, eating snacks while watching a girl draw talismans, and then just breaking through so easily?

Isn't this a genius? Can a genius be this outrageous?

"Come with me."

She released Gu Yuan's collar and turned to walk toward the training room.

Gu Yuan rubbed his neck and obediently followed.

As they passed Sun Miaomiao's workstation, she looked up from a pile of yellow talisman paper.

With half a piece of chocolate in her mouth, she asked vaguely, "Captain, where are you two going? Do you need my help?"

"No need, keep drawing your talismans and finish tomorrow's quota," Shen Tingxue said without looking back.

Gu Yuan waved at Sun Miaomiao before being dragged into the training room at the end of the hallway by Shen Tingxue.

With a "bang," the metal door was slammed shut.

The training room was not large, but it was fully equipped.

A latest-model strength tester stood against the wall.

Shen Tingxue stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall by the door.

"Throw a punch."

"Huh?"

"Use your full strength. Hit the power tester." Shen Tingxue gestured with her chin toward the machine.

Gu Yuan walked over to the machine and loosened his wrists.

He looked down at his right fist as a surge of blood energy slowly drifted from within his body, coiling around his knuckles.

The nascent vortex within his Dao Foundation was rotating slowly.

With every rotation, it channeled a wave of warm blood energy into his limbs and bones.

This sense of fullness in his blood energy was countless times stronger than when he was in the Blood Tempering Realm.

He sank his hips, exhaled, clenched his right fist, and threw a straight punch.

He held nothing back.

He mobilized all the blood energy from the vortex in his Dao Foundation and unleashed a fierce blow.

"Bang!"

The power tester's display screen flickered wildly, the red numbers soaring upward.

800kg.

1200kg.

1800kg.

Finally, the number settled at 2347kg.

Shen Tingxue shifted her gaze from the screen to Gu Yuan's face.

The hallmark of a Tier 1 Martial Artist was the external projection of blood energy, but to strike with over two tons of force right after breaking through?

This already surpassed many veterans who had been at this stage for a year.

This blood energy, so condensed it was almost tangible, was definitely not the hollow foundation of someone who had forcibly boosted their level with forbidden drugs.

Martial artists cultivated by forbidden drugs had scattered blood energy and could never unleash this kind of concentrated explosive power.

Did this kid really break through on his own?

"Sis, how was it?" Gu Yuan retracted his fist and shook his wrist.

Gu Yuan looked at the number over two thousand and was secretly shocked himself. Over two tons—if this hit a person, wouldn't it turn them into a QR code?

Shen Tingxue remained silent for a few seconds before walking over.

She said, with rare seriousness, "Your talent is truly rare in the entire country!"

For a captain of the Destiny Bureau to give such an evaluation, the weight of those words was self-evident.

Shen Tingxue stared into his eyes for a moment and finally nodded.

"Alright, don't go around bragging about this."

"Until we catch that Warlock, you must not expose your true strength. I'll handle things at the Destiny Bureau; it won't get out."

Although this cousin was usually a bit violent, her head was still clear when it mattered.

"Oh, right, Sis," he suddenly thought of a question and rubbed his hands together.

"Look, now that I've broken through to a Martial Artist, shouldn't there be... some kind of reward?"

Shen Tingxue raised an eyebrow. "What kind of reward do you want?"

"Look, I'm a Martial Artist now, shouldn't I be equipped with a decent weapon?" Gu Yuan pointed to the weapon rack in the corner.

"I heard the Destiny Bureau has a specialized armory. How about you let me pick out an alloy blade or a meteor-iron sword for self-defense? You can't expect me to go bare-handed against those fierce beasts, right?"

"Get lost."

Shen Tingxue's reply was concise and forceful.

"Don't be so stingy, we're family."

"You want a weapon? Fine. Now that you're a Martial Artist, I'll see how you perform outside the city once this matter is over."

Shen Tingxue sneered.

"Perform well, and you can pick whatever you want from the armory. Perform poorly, and you'll be using a mop to sweep the streets."

"Fine, I'll show you my strength then. I'm no pushover." Gu Yuan curled his lip.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the training room.