Blood Mist Flower

"Chen Lie, have you studied this Army-Breaking Fist before?"

Hong Chengshuo could not help but ask.

Chen Lie shook his head: "No, this is my first time learning it."

"First time?"

Hong Chengshuo couldn't help but size Chen Lie up.

Is superior comprehension really this terrifying?

A C-grade martial art—he had only demonstrated it once and taught it carefully once, yet Chen Lie could practice it to this level?

However, if his comprehension were this strong, he should have stood out back in his first year of high school; he might even have had a spot on the Elite Student Top 100 Ranking. Why did he only enter the Elite Class now? And why was his blood-qi value less than 7 calories?

Hmm? Something isn't right!

Hong Chengshuo suddenly realized that if Chen Lie's blood-qi value was only in the single digits, how could he have defeated Zhang Xun, whose strength had already broken through 30 calories?

He said to Chen Lie: "Stop practicing for now and come with me to my office."

Hearing his instructor's words, Chen Lie stopped his movements and followed Hong Chengshuo to his office.

"The rest of you, continue practicing."

Before leaving, Hong Chengshuo gave instructions to the other students.

Upon arriving at the office, Hong Chengshuo sat down at his desk and gestured for Chen Lie to sit as well.

"Chen Lie, I want to ask you: your blood-qi value is only a little over 6 calories, so how did you defeat Zhang Xun?"

Chen Lie replied: "My blood-qi value broke into double digits a long time ago; it is not just 6."

He possessed over fifty years of memories from his past life regarding killing and combat; his combat awareness and experience were not something a novice like Zhang Xun could compare to. Even if his blood-qi value was weaker than Zhang Xun's, he could still easily defeat him.

It could be said that during the Blood-Qi Stage, given his martial arts insights and combat experience, as long as the opponent did not possess overwhelming strength, he would ultimately emerge victorious.

"You were hiding your strength?" Hong Chengshuo asked with a frown: "But the Elite Student assessment cannot be faked. How did you muddle through that?"

"I naturally have my own methods. Instructor, please don't ask for the details."

"Then what level has your blood-qi value reached now?" Hong Chengshuo asked again.

"Against an opponent like Zhang Xun, I can finish him with one hand in three seconds."

Chen Lie did not specify his exact blood-qi, choosing to phrase it this way instead.

But to Hong Chengshuo, it sounded as if Chen Lie meant his blood-qi value far exceeded Zhang Xun's.

Because once a blood-qi value reaches several dozen calories, a difference of a few calories has a negligible impact on combat effectiveness.

The key factors affecting combat effectiveness are only martial arts and combat experience; otherwise, one must have a blood-qi value far superior to the opponent's.

"I didn't expect your blood-qi value to have reached this level.

Why didn't you enter the Elite Class sooner?"

"I had my own considerations," Chen Lie said.

"Fine, I won't interfere with you. However, since you can defeat Zhang Xun so easily, your strength is likely not far off from the Elite Student Top 100 Ranking.

The semester is coming to an end, and the school will soon hold a grand Final Martial Tournament.

The school will distribute a large sum of Martial Arts Incentive Fund as a reward to those who place in the tournament.

If you believe your strength is enough to place in the Final Martial Tournament, then you must work hard now. Your comprehension is exceptionally high; if you learn a few more martial arts, even if you are inferior to others in terms of blood-qi, you can make up for it through martial arts."

Chen Lie nodded and said: "I understand. I will definitely participate in the Final Martial Tournament, and I will certainly place."

"Give me your Elite Student ID. Your blood-qi value is already far beyond other students', so I will apply for a double resource subsidy for you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lie immediately handed his Elite Student ID to Hong Chengshuo.

After taking Chen Lie's Elite Student ID, Hong Chengshuo immediately performed some operations on the Superbrain at his desk, then handed it back to Chen Lie.

"If you have any questions regarding martial arts, feel free to come and ask me at any time."

Chen Lie nodded, took his Elite Student ID, and left the office.

After attending classes in the Elite Class for the day, Chen Lie returned home.

After pushing open the door, Chen Lie discovered that there were guests at home.

Seeing Chen Lie enter, a middle-aged man on the living room sofa stood up.

"Chen Lie is back?"

Only after the middle-aged man stood up did Chen Lie see his face clearly.

It was his second uncle, Chen Guangqun.

"Second Uncle."

Chen Lie greeted his second uncle, Chen Guangqun.

"Hmm!"

Chen Guangqun nodded.

"Sister-in-law, regarding what I just mentioned, please find some time to discuss it with Gequn. Rest assured, I would never let you suffer a loss.

Setting Chen Lie aside, once Yaoyao's Blood-Qi value reaches the level Chen Ye is at now, our family will definitely provide our full support."

Feng Yuelan nodded and said, "Alright, Second Brother, I will talk to Gequn about it."

"Good, then I won't overstay my welcome; there is still a mountain of matters at home waiting for me to handle," Chen Guangqun said.

Feng Yuelan watched Chen Guangqun leave, and only after a good while did she close the door.

At this moment, Chen Lie asked, "Mom, did Second Uncle come over for anything specific today?"

"Nothing major, your father and I can handle it, so don't you worry about it," Feng Yuelan said.

"If you have to discuss it with Dad, it can't be a small matter, right? Just tell me," Chen Lie insisted.

Feng Yuelan sighed and said, "You know that your father is a retired military officer, right?"

Chen Lie gave a hum; of course, he knew about that.

"It was during an operation to fend off exotic beasts that your father injured his legs. Because the injury was so severe, it caused irreversible damage to his body.

But it was also during that same operation that your father saved a high-ranking military official and was awarded a special merit.

A special military merit is not easily earned; it can be used to exchange for many rare treasures unique to the military for martial arts cultivation."

Hearing this, Chen Lie suddenly realized, "I see. Second Uncle's family has their eyes on Dad's military merit."

Feng Yuelan nodded and said, "Your father has been reluctant to use this merit, saving it specifically for you and your sister.

Just now, your Second Uncle explained his purpose: Chen Ye from their family has had his Blood-Qi progress too quickly, leading to unstable Blood-Qi and an inability to maintain his strength value. He must use a rare treasure to stabilize his Blood-Qi, otherwise, his martial arts cultivation at the Blood-Qi Stage might come to an end.

However, rare treasures that stabilize Blood-Qi are incredibly scarce on the market. Even if one occasionally appears, it is worth a fortune, far beyond what your Second Uncle's family can afford.

As it happens, there is a treasure on the military's merit exchange list that can stabilize Blood-Qi, known as the Blood Mist Flower.

That is why your Second Uncle's family thought of your father's military merit."

"Unstable Blood-Qi? Chen Ye really knows how to take the easy way out!"

Chen Lie scoffed. Chen Ye, his cousin from his Second Uncle's side, was roughly the same age as him.

He remembered that during New Year gatherings in the past, his Second Aunt would compare him to Chen Ye more than once, using his own grades to highlight Chen Ye's aptitude and praising Chen Ye as a genius in a roundabout way.

But if Chen Ye were truly a genius, how could he have caused his Blood-Qi to become unstable?

Once the Blood-Qi value reaches several dozen units, or even approaches triple digits, the human body's functions become increasingly powerful, and the rate of increase in Blood-Qi value becomes very rapid.

At this stage, the priority must be the strength value, measured in jun. If the strength value is less than twice the Blood-Qi value, it means the Blood-Qi is not sufficiently condensed. At this point, one cannot forcibly increase the Blood-Qi value further; one must focus on practicing martial arts to stabilize the Blood-Qi within the body to go further in the Blood-Qi Stage.

Yet Chen Ye's Blood-Qi was unstable, which meant that in his haste, he had abused supplements and drugs without any regard for stabilizing his strength value.

To consume large amounts of supplements and drugs while the strength value is not up to standard will inevitably lead to unstable Blood-Qi. If it cannot be stabilized, it means his cultivation at the Blood-Qi Stage has reached its end, and he might as well prepare to break through to become a martial artist.

"Mom, what is your plan?"

Chen Lie asked.

He remembered that in his previous life, this incident seemed to have happened at this time as well. At first, his father, Chen Gequn, had sternly refused.

However, his Second Uncle and Second Aunt visited their home repeatedly, bringing gifts every time, buying them supplements, preparing Sunlight Brand Blood Essence Fluid for his sister Chen Xingyao, and even signing him and his sister up for martial arts training classes.

After half a month of this, his father, Chen Gequn, gradually softened his stance. His Second Aunt struck while the iron was hot, repeatedly promising that if Chen Lie or Chen Xingyao ever encountered any difficulties in the future, their family would surely do their utmost to help.

In the end, Chen Gequn finally agreed to use the merit he had saved for over a decade to exchange for a Blood Mist Flower for Chen Ye.

Having obtained the Blood Mist Flower, his Second Aunt's family naturally wept with joy. During the first year, they visited their home frequently, and not once did they come empty-handed.

But by the second year, the number of visits was not even a fraction of the first year, and by the third year, there was no news at all; they never came again.

Later, when Chen Lie's own martial arts cultivation left the family heavily in debt, and Chen Gequn sought help from his Second Uncle's family, they only lent him one million Star Dollars.

One million Star Dollars was not a small sum, but compared to the Blood Mist Flower exchanged with military merit, it didn't even cover a fraction of the cost.

"I am certainly not willing; this is all reserved for you and Yaoyao, and I don't think your father will agree either.

I will mention it to your father today. Your Second Uncle will likely come knocking again, so we shall see."

Chen Lie nodded. He was in no rush to intervene in this matter; after all, even following the trajectory of his previous life, this affair would not be settled for another half a month.

That night, in his room, Chen Lie sat cross-legged on his bed and continued to practice the Lingguang Divine Refining Chapter.

During his last session of mental energy cultivation, he had managed to light up the first star of the Ghost Constellation, though it only emitted a dim glow. In this session, he wanted that dim star to bloom with a brilliant radiance.

After a night of cultivation, he had indeed made the first star of the Ghost Constellation much brighter, though he still failed to make it truly dazzling.

"The cultivation of mental power still relies on resources. Without resources, one can barely move an inch."

He recalled that in his previous life, after awakening his divine sense beyond the stars, he had never worried about Spirit Nourishing Flowers. Because Spirit Nourishing Flowers were the most basic resource for mental power cultivation, they were, if not everywhere, at least in greater supply than demand, and their price remained very low.