Ye Xiao had never expected this.
His cultivation was still at the Mud Embryo Realm.
And yet his body's strength had already reached the Second Realm: Bone Tempering Realm!
All it had cost was 100 Martial Value.
Had that really caused such a qualitative leap in his physical strength?
He stopped and heard a sound coming from inside his body.
It wasn't his heartbeat or his breathing. It was his bones creaking!
Like the bellows in a blacksmith's shop, like an anvil beneath a hammer, like the teeth-rattling hum of a blade being sharpened on a whetstone!
The evolution lasted five minutes!
By the edge of the dark, deserted campus road,
Ye Xiao lowered his head and stared at his arms, legs, and torso.
He saw his bones bulging beneath his skin, making for a truly horrifying sight.
Yet within his body, an exquisite evolutionary process was unfolding!
Once Ye Xiao's body had finished evolving,
everything returned to normal.
Ye Xiao drew a deep breath, unable to suppress the joy in his eyes.
He quickly summoned the system, and information about [Extreme Martial Body] appeared before him.
[Extreme Martial Body] [Realm: Bone Tempering Realm] [Physical Traits: Bone density increased tenfold, with hardness comparable to fine steel. Fractures heal faster and can recover completely in three days. Bone marrow produces more blood, resulting in vigorous vitality. When exerting force, the bones emit a low metallic hum.] [Hidden Vitality: 5%] [Hidden Defense: 5%] [Required for Breakthrough: 1000 Martial Value!]
When Ye Xiao saw that his [Extreme Martial Body] had advanced to the Bone Tempering Realm,
his face lit up with wild delight.
Then,
besides noticing the enormous improvement in the [Extreme Martial Body]'s physical traits,
he also discovered that it had gained two new attributes.
"Hidden Vitality" and "Hidden Defense"!
"What are these?"
Ye Xiao was intensely curious.
He examined them more closely.
[Hidden Vitality: When you are injured, activate the Extreme Martial Body to release Hidden Vitality, temporarily replenishing your vitality.] [Hidden Defense: When you are injured, activate the Extreme Martial Body to release Hidden Defense, temporarily increasing your defense.]
After reading those two lines,
Ye Xiao understood at once.
"So they're like reserve power!"
"When I'm pushed to the brink fighting an enemy, I can release the vitality I've stored in advance."
"That way, when the enemy runs out of strength, my own power will increase and my defense will rise. Won't that give me a chance to turn the tables when all seems lost?"
"Still, for now, I can only store 5% of my vitality and defense."
"But if I keep upgrading [Extreme Martial Body], those two values should go up too."
Finally, Ye Xiao noticed
that upgrading [Extreme Martial Body] again
would cost a whopping 1000 Martial Value!
Seeing this,
Ye Xiao couldn't help but laugh wryly.
After a full day of hard training, he'd only earned 1000 Martial Value in total.
And now, upgrading [Extreme Martial Body] once would use up everything he'd earned.
For now, Ye Xiao couldn't afford it.
But he was confident he could train his punches to 1000 repetitions tomorrow!
Then he'd be able to upgrade [Extreme Martial Body] again.
By the time Ye Xiao returned to East District Building 7,
it was past midnight.
Most of the students had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep.
Dorm Room 302.
Ye Xiao stood at the door and pushed it open.
The lights in the dorm were still on.
He saw Fatty Wang sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, practicing Qi Refining.
A faint white mist already swirled around him.
If Ye Xiao wasn't mistaken,
the energy around Fatty Wang had to be the so-called "spiritual energy."
But Ye Xiao had awakened as a Martialist.
He couldn't absorb spiritual energy.
So he had no way to experience what it felt like to grow stronger by absorbing it.
Ye Xiao didn't disturb Fatty Wang.
But Fatty Wang stopped practicing Qi Refining on his own.
He opened his eyes and looked toward Ye Xiao.
"Brother Xiao, you're finally back."
"I thought you weren't coming back tonight."
Ye Xiao smiled.
"If I didn't come back, where would I stay?"
"It's not like I could sleep on the street."
Fatty Wang gave him a suggestive look.
"Word's gotten around campus that you and our school beauty Su went to the Gravity Training Tower together to train today!"
"Brother Xiao, be honest with me. Have you two already...?"
As he spoke, Fatty Wang pursed his lips suggestively.
Ye Xiao immediately answered, exasperated,
"Don't believe campus rumors!"
After saying that,
he quickly changed the subject.
"Where are our other two roommates?"
"How come their beds are empty?"
Ye Xiao curiously looked at the beds that had belonged to Yellow Hair and the bespectacled guy.
They were completely bare now, even the bedding gone.
Fatty Wang replied, "Brother Xiao, after you beat them up this morning, how could they possibly have the nerve to stay in this dorm?"
"They skipped class this afternoon and went to ask the homeroom teacher to move them to another dorm. By the time I got back, they'd both moved out."
Ye Xiao nodded.
"That's probably for the best. It's more comfortable with just the two of us in a four-person room."
After that,
Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang went about their own business.
Fatty Wang continued meditating and practicing Qi Refining.
Ye Xiao went to wash up and do his laundry.
After all, he'd practiced punches all day and had soaked through with sweat who knew how many times.
By the time Ye Xiao finished everything,
it was almost one in the morning.
The dorm had bunk beds with desks underneath.
He climbed into bed, ready to sleep.
But when he saw Fatty Wang still meditating and practicing Qi Refining,
he couldn't help asking, "Fatty Wang, did something happen to motivate you?"
"I never thought you were this hardworking. Why are you pushing yourself so hard now?"
"You're still practicing Qi Refining in the middle of the night?"
Fatty Wang sighed.
"There's an exam in a week, and I'm under a lot of pressure."
"My mom said if I do badly, she'll cut off my allowance for next month."
Ye Xiao nodded sympathetically.
"That's pretty serious."
Fatty Wang continued,
"Besides, spiritual energy is usually more abundant at night."
"It's cold at night, and the humidity is high, so spiritual energy tends to settle near the ground."
"As a Qi Refiner, the core of my cultivation is absorbing spiritual energy into my body."
"Spiritual energy disperses during the day and settles at night."
"So nighttime is actually the best time for me to cultivate."
"But if there were a way to gather the spiritual energy around me automatically, my cultivation would be a lot easier."
Just then,
Ye Xiao suddenly thought of something.
He lay back on the bed and, with a thought, opened the system's [Martial Heart Mall].
Ye Xiao searched around and finally found something.
[Spirit Gathering Incense: Increases the concentration of nearby spiritual energy by 10% when lit. Required for exchange: 15 Martial Value.]
"This should help Fatty Wang out."
Ye Xiao thought to himself.
Then,
Ye Xiao exchanged for two sticks of [Spirit Gathering Incense], spending a total of 30 Martial Value.
Fatty Wang was meditating intently, practicing Qi Refining.
Suddenly, he caught a pleasant sandalwood scent.
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