Blood-Qi Stage

After sitting in the office for a while, Ren Hongguang checked the time and said to Chen Lie, "Let's go. Everyone should be here by now."

Chen Lie stood and followed Ren Hongguang to the classroom of Senior Year Ordinary Class 16.

The moment he entered, a clamor filled his ears.

Ren Hongguang stepped into the classroom and clapped his hands. "Quiet down, everyone. I have something important to announce."

The classroom fell silent at once.

He cleared his throat. "Our classmate Chen Lie passed the Elite Student assessment and has been promoted to an Elite Class. Let's congratulate him."

Ren Hongguang led the applause, and the students joined in.

But the students clapping along all looked bewildered.

Only after the thunderous applause died down did questions begin to fly.

"Wait, what did the instructor just say? Chen Lie got into an Elite Class?"

"Chen Lie passed the Elite Student assessment? No way! His Blood Qi Value isn't even a fraction of mine."

"Exactly. I must be hearing things. If Chen Lie got into an Elite Class, I might as well have been offered early admission to Blue Star Martial Arts University."

Hearing the students' doubts, Ren Hongguang explained, "I know this may be hard to believe. After all, Chen Lie has been hiding his strength at school all this time.

"He only revealed it because he had to take the Elite Student assessment today. His Blood Qi Value has actually passed six."

The classroom fell silent again.

Many students looked at Chen Lie with awe—the awe an ordinary Martial Arts Student felt toward an Elite Student.

In the Martial Era, strength determined status. Regardless of age, gender, stage, or standing, people harbored a deep admiration for the strong.

When the strong so much as lifted a hand, others saw profound meaning in it. When the weak put on a show, they were nothing but clowns.

"I hope you'll learn from Chen Lie, work hard to raise your Blood Qi Values, stay humble in victory, and refuse to lose heart in defeat.

"You know how vast the gulf is between Elite Students and ordinary Martial Arts Students.

"Students in an Elite Class are all but guaranteed admission to a top martial arts university. The most talented among them may even get into Blue Star Martial Arts University and transform their futures overnight.

"Do you want to fail to get into even an ordinary martial arts university, then leave school and end up at the very bottom of society?"

Ren Hongguang swept his gaze across the classroom and launched into another lecture as the students sat there, too intimidated to speak.

After a full ten minutes, Ren Hongguang finally turned to Chen Lie, who had been waiting beside him.

"Sorry, Chen Lie. I've taken up your time.

"Now that you've passed the Elite Student assessment, you'll surely be reporting to an Elite Class tomorrow. Before you leave, say a few words to your former classmates."

Chen Lie thought for a moment. "If you face the path of martial arts with unshakable resolve and the courage to press forward, you're bound to achieve something."

"Well said!"

As soon as Chen Lie finished, Ren Hongguang led the applause, and the whole classroom joined in.

When the applause subsided, Ren Hongguang said, "I hope you'll remember Chen Lie's words. Persevere and press forward, and you're bound to achieve something in martial arts!"

After a little more encouragement and lecturing, Ren Hongguang had the class see Chen Lie off so he wouldn't take up any more of his time.

When the crowd thinned, the class's only female student with a Blood Qi Value above one quietly approached Chen Lie.

"Chen Lie, could I add you on Green Bubble? When you have time, I'd love to hear how you raised your Blood Qi Value."

Chen Lie nodded and didn't refuse, though he could no longer remember her name.

It was past seven by the time he got home.

He had just stepped through the door when his younger sister, Chen Xingyao, came over.

"Chen Lie, what did Mom say to you yesterday?"

"Nothing much."

"Then... are you thinking of giving up martial arts? You don't have to lose heart. A lot of people raise their Blood Qi Value slowly until they pass one, then start progressing much faster."

"Who told you I was giving up martial arts?" Chen Lie asked.

"Huh? Then why are you taking all those strange supplements? Don't you know using them carelessly could damage your martial arts foundation?" Chen Xingyao asked.

"I know what I'm doing. I won't damage my foundation."

"Suit yourself. It's not like I can tell you what to do!"

Chen Xingyao huffed and went back to the sofa.

The way Chen Lie had been talking lately made her want to smack him. She was clearly worried about him, yet he acted as if he couldn't care less. It infuriated her.

He used to argue loudly with her over certain things, hardly acting like an older brother, but at least he hadn't brushed off everything she said the way he did now.

After dinner, Chen Lie returned to his room, sat cross-legged on his bed, and resumed practicing the Lingguang Divine Refining Chapter.

A night of practice brought little progress.

Cultivating Mental Power was like cultivating martial arts: without resources, progress was painfully slow.

Early the next morning, Chen Lie went to school.

Following the directions he had received at the new-student registration desk the day before, he found the office of Hong Chengshuo, the instructor of Elite Class 5.

The office door was open when he arrived, so he walked straight in.

"Hello, Instructor Hong. I'm the new student reporting in."

Hong Chengshuo set down his Optical Computer and turned to look at Chen Lie.

"You're Chen Lie?"

"Yes." Chen Lie nodded.

"One moment."

Hong Chengshuo brought up his Optical Computer again and checked a record.

"Chen Lie, a senior-year Martial Arts Student. Your Blood Qi Value has passed six, and your comprehension is rated excellent. Not bad, not bad. You've even kept your Strength Value at more than three times that.

"With strength like yours, you could have joined an Elite Class long ago. Why did you only take the Elite Student assessment now?"

"Whether I'm in an Elite Class or an Ordinary Class, I'm still cultivating martial arts. I saw no need to rush," Chen Lie said.

"Good attitude. Now, let me explain how the Elite Classes work and go over a few things you should know."

"The Elite Campus has sixteen Elite Classes, each with roughly a hundred Elite Students. That puts the school's total at around sixteen hundred.

"Every Elite Student can collect two Blood-Qi Potions and a case of high-grade Nutrient Solution each month."

"Can I collect mine now?" Chen Lie asked.

"Anytime. Take your Elite Student ID to the Academic Affairs Department on the Elite Campus."

Hong Chengshuo continued, "Anyone who makes it into an Elite Class has a way of training that works for him, so I won't interfere with yours. The school won't object even if you don't attend class for a month.

"But remember, Elite Classes hold martial arts instruction sessions every Tuesday and Friday. Whether you attend is up to you.

"Some Elite Students' families can't afford to support their training, so the school holds Elite Student martial arts competitions from time to time.

"The school awards substantial martial arts resources to those who place near the top.

"There's plenty more, but you can learn the rest as you go."

"Got it."

"Good. Head to the classroom. Class will start soon."

"All right."

With that, Chen Lie turned and left Hong Chengshuo's office.

The Elite Class 5 classroom was next to the office. Behind the classroom lay a huge Martial Arts Arena covering about four thousand square meters.

Chen Lie entered and found only fifty or sixty people in the spacious classroom.

Figuring the seats weren't assigned, he picked one at random and sat down.

He had barely settled in when a student beside him leaned over.

"Hey, man, are you new to the Elite Class?"

"Yes."

"I only got in recently myself. Before I joined, the Elite Classes seemed so mysterious, and Elite Students seemed impossibly far above everyone else.

"Then I got here and realized that Elite Students like us, with single-digit Blood Qi Values, are at the very bottom. We're just here to make the ones at the top look good."

"Which Elite Students are at the top?" Chen Lie asked.

"The Elite Student Top 100 Ranking. You haven't heard of it?" The student thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Right, you're new. Makes sense."

"It's exactly what it sounds like: a ranking of the hundred strongest Elite Students.

"They're all martial arts geniuses. Each gets at least a hundred thousand Star Dollars' worth of resources from the school every month, and they're far stronger than ordinary Elite Students. They're definitely the ones at the top.

"There's a big screen in the campus's central square. Go take a look when you have time—the Elite Student Top 100 Ranking is displayed there."

Chen Lie nodded, though he certainly had no time for that.

"Oh, right. I'm Wang Chen. What's your name?"

"Chen Lie!"

"Chen Lie, let me tell you..."

Wang Chen leaned toward him, but just as he was about to speak, he spotted someone entering the classroom. He immediately drew back and whispered, "The instructor's here!"

Elite Class 5's instructor, Hong Chengshuo, stepped up to the podium.

Hong Chengshuo glanced around the room, looking a little surprised. "Quite a few of you showed up today. Let's see... Our class has 103 students, and more than half of you are here."

"Today, we won't be practicing martial arts. If you've run into problems with your training, come see me after class.

"Instead, I'm going to talk about the path of martial arts ahead of you."

"All of you here are Elite Students. Unlike ordinary Martial Arts Students at other schools, you are the future of martial arts on Blue Star. You deserve to know how long the path beneath your feet is and where you stand on it."

"For everyone living on Blue Star, cultivating martial arts is like climbing a mountain that can never be conquered. That holds true even for a martial arts genius, no matter how exceptional his talent."

"The path of martial arts begins with the Blood-Qi Stage, the stage you're all in now.

"The strength of a Martial Artist's blood qi is crucial. The Blood-Qi Stage is the key to building a martial arts foundation.

"Even the tallest tower rises from the ground. If a person fails to build a solid foundation, he is destined never to achieve much in martial arts."