Blood Qi Soars

An afternoon of training sent Chen Lie's body temperature soaring.

He swallowed the last small piece of Blood Linglong and began practicing the Basic Body Tempering Technique again.

Every cell in his body had been activated and was now intensely active. Before he could even make the first movement of the fourth form, his cells began devouring the energy from the Blood Linglong.

Seeing how demanding the fourth form was, Chen Lie went through its fifty-eight movements only once. He was afraid his body's nutrients would be drained dry, so he left the remaining medicinal energy for his active cells to absorb slowly.

After more than half an hour in the Personal Training Room, his cells finally settled down.

By then, he had absorbed nearly all the energy from that last piece of Blood Linglong. Less than a tenth remained stored in his body.

Leaving the Personal Training Room, Chen Lie went straight to a Blood Essence Detector. He stepped into its chamber to check his Blood Qi Value.

Blue light swept through the chamber. Once the scan was complete, the machine announced the result.

"Beep. Scan complete. Blood Qi Value: 22.91 Ka."

Chen Lie stepped out of the chamber and glanced back at the reading.

My Blood Qi Value nearly tripled. A fifty-year-old spirit herb really lives up to its reputation.

Then he felt a strange discomfort. He probed his body with his mental power and reached a conclusion.

Such a huge jump in Blood Qi Value put quite a strain on my body.

He had no suitable resources to nourish his body, but the strain was minor. It would not affect him much, and a few days of treatment with medicine would set him right.

The sky was already dim when he left the Dongchuan Martial Arts Hall. He went to the bus stop beside it and took a Flying Bus home.

The next morning, Chen Lie grabbed a quick bite, left home, and headed to school.

As soon as he reached the Elite Campus, he went to Elite Class 5's classroom.

There were several dozen students inside. Chen Lie entered and chose a seat.

"Chen Lie, why weren't you here yesterday?"

He had barely sat down when a voice came from behind him.

He turned and saw the student who had spoken to him on his first day in the Elite Class. His name was Wang Chen.

"I had something to take care of yesterday. What, do you come to the Elite Class every day?

"The instructor told me when I reported in that it wouldn't matter even if I missed a whole month," Chen Lie said.

"Not every day, exactly," Wang Chen said. "But I come often.

"Those of us at the bottom aren't from particularly well-off families. What else would we do if we didn't come to school? At least we get two NUTRITIONAL MEALS here."

"True." Chen Lie nodded.

"I only entered the Elite Class two months ago. I came up from an Ordinary Class in my final year. What about you?"

As he spoke, Wang Chen moved to the front row and sat beside Chen Lie.

"I came from a final-year Ordinary Class too," Chen Lie said.

"Then we're screwed. The instructors don't pay much attention to anyone who only makes it into the Elite Class in their final year."

"What difference does the instructor's attention make?" Chen Lie asked.

"Put it this way. My family's circumstances are average. The Elite Class gives me two NUTRITIONAL MEALS, and there are two martial arts lessons every week.

"Do you know how many Star Dollars it costs to learn a martial art at a Martial Arts Hall? Even several hundred thousand would be cheap. So school is my only hope of learning one.

"That's why I come so often. I've only just entered the Elite Class, so my Blood Qi Value must be lower than the others'. Most people here flatter the strong and bully the weak.

"I didn't enter in my first or second year, so the instructors don't value me. When the established Elite Students bully me, they usually turn a blind eye."

Wang Chen shook his head and sighed.

"So Elite Students who come up from final-year Ordinary Classes have it this rough." Chen Lie considered his words.

"Yeah. I once overheard some school administrators talking. They said the school spends more than a billion Star Dollars a month subsidizing Elite Students. It's far too expensive.

"They said students who only enter the Elite Class in their final year, and students whose Blood Qi Value still hasn't broken 10 after six months in it, should all be kicked out.

"But another administrator said they couldn't do that. The school needs to cultivate its top Elite Students, and for that, it needs both those who came up from final-year Ordinary Classes and those whose Blood Qi Values are still in single digits.

"Without bottom-tier Elite Students to set them apart, how could the top students develop the spirit of the strong?

"Listen to what that means. Aren't people like us just fodder for the top Elite Students? Do we exist only to help them develop a victor's mindset?"

Wang Chen's face was full of resentment.

Chen Lie nodded. That was the law of the jungle: the strong preyed on the weak.

Just then, a beautiful girl marched into the classroom and sat down beside Chen Lie in a huff.

Seeing her sit near them, Wang Chen quietly edged farther away.

He murmured, "Chen Lie, you should move too."

"Why?" Chen Lie asked.

Wang Chen was about to explain when a male student entered the classroom. He immediately lowered his head.

The boy came up to Chen Lie's desk and tapped it with a finger. Without even looking directly at him, he said, "Move."

Chen Lie said nothing and shifted over. There were plenty of empty seats, after all.

"Wanwan, don't be angry. That girl really is just my sister."

"Do you think I'm blind, Zhang Xun? You were practically wrapped around each other, and she's just your sister? When did your parents have another daughter?"

The beautiful girl's voice was cold.

"Well... I never said she was my biological sister. She's a sworn sister."

"Get lost!"

The boy gave an awkward smile but made no move to leave. He sat in Chen Lie's former seat and kept talking to her.

Wang Chen leaned toward Chen Lie again. "That's Zhang Xun. He entered the Elite Class from a second-year Key Class and has been here a year. His Blood Qi Value broke into double digits ages ago. We'd better keep our distance. He uses his high Blood Qi Value to bully new students all the time."

"Got it."

Chen Lie nodded. It seemed the Elite Class took a largely hands-off approach to managing its students.

The weak got bullied, and the strong bullied others.

Wang Chen lowered his voice. "Zhang Xun's family is well-off, and he's strong, so he's always trying to pick up new girls.

"But he has a girlfriend—that girl, Xie Wanwan. He must have been flirting with someone else, and Xie Wanwan caught him.

"Let's stay out of their way. If they lose their tempers, they might take it out on us."

"No need." Chen Lie waved a hand. "I'm staying here."

"All right."

Wang Chen decided he was far enough from Zhang Xun and nodded.

"Tell you what, Wanwan. You're practicing the Water Soft Palm, right? My uncle teaches it at a Martial Arts Hall. I'll ask him to give you one-on-one instruction. Will you stop being angry with me?"

Zhang Xun tried again with Xie Wanwan.

"Hmph!"

Xie Wanwan turned her head away and ignored him.

"All right, I promise I won't get close to any other girls from now on. Forgive me one more time, okay?" Zhang Xun said.

"Really?" Xie Wanwan turned to him and blinked.

"Of course. When have I ever broken a promise to you?" Zhang Xun asked.

"Fine. I'm free this Saturday. Have your uncle teach me the Water Soft Palm then!"

"Okay. I'll talk to him after school."

Zhang Xun put an arm around Xie Wanwan. She did not resist, and the two snuggled together.

"Hmph. This is all your fault. You keep making me angry! I didn't even eat breakfast, and I'm still hungry!"

After a while, Xie Wanwan suddenly took it out on him.

Zhang Xun laughed. "That's easy to fix."

He turned, swept his gaze around the room, and pointed at the students behind him.

"Hey, you. Yes, you. Go out right now and buy two breakfasts. Hurry."

His finger came to rest on Chen Lie, the closest student to him. Without waiting for a response, Zhang Xun turned back to Xie Wanwan.

Wang Chen glanced at Chen Lie. "Come on, Chen Lie. I'll go with you."

"Go where?"

"To buy breakfast."

"Why would I? I'm not hungry."

"What does your hunger have to do with it?" Wang Chen asked. "Didn't you hear Zhang Xun tell you to bring back two breakfasts?"

"I'm not his dad. Why should I buy him breakfast?" Chen Lie said.

"Zhang Xun's Blood Qi Value is in double digits. He's beaten up about seven out of every ten new students in Elite Class 5.

"We both came up from final-year Ordinary Classes. We're at the bottom of the class, and the instructor won't value you. If Zhang Xun beats you up, the instructor won't care even if you report it.

"If you don't buy that breakfast, this won't end well today."

"Leave it to me."

"Ah..."

Wang Chen shook his head and sighed at Chen Lie's expression.

Hadn't he been just as full of confidence when he first entered the Elite Class, convinced he was different from everyone else?

It had taken several beatings for him to understand that he was at the very bottom of the Elite Students.

In another half month or so, Chen Lie would probably be the same. Some lessons could not be taught with words; experience taught them in an instant.

Zhang Xun was talking to Xie Wanwan when he noticed Chen Lie still had not moved. He stood, strode to Chen Lie's desk, and slammed a hand down on it.

"I fucking told you to buy two breakfasts. Are you fucking deaf? Why aren't you going?"

Chen Lie stood and faced him without a trace of fear. "You want me to run out and buy you breakfast? Fine. Get on your knees, kowtow to me, and call me Dad."