Ye Xiao couldn't remember.
How long he had spent practicing his punches in the ten-times-gravity zone.
He had no idea.
That without even realizing it,
he had become a sensation at Jiang University!
In the space of one afternoon,
the university forum had exploded!
Post title: <A Monster Freshman Spotted in the Gravity Tower! E-Grade Martialist Takes on the Ten-Times-Gravity Zone!>
[OP]: Anyone at the Gravity Tower this afternoon? That freshman, the E-Grade Martialist—the guy rumored to be a special admit—was apparently in the tower for the second time today. He spent almost the entire day in the ten-times-gravity zone on the second floor. I saw it with my own eyes, and my hands are still shaking as I type this.
[2nd Floor]: No way. You mean Ye Xiao, right? An E-Grade Martialist in the First Realm, throwing punches for an entire day under ten times gravity? At least make your story believable. Case closed: OP's an idiot!
[3rd Floor]: I have a video. It's footage from the scene. See for yourselves.
[4th Floor]: Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!!
[5th Floor]: How did he do that? Aren't Martialists the most useless profession?
[6th Floor]: You didn't go to the Gravity Tower today, did you? Dozens of us saw it with our own eyes. Even third-years can't stay long in the ten-times-gravity zone, but that lunatic was there from morning until afternoon! He didn't even look like his legs were giving out!
[7th Floor]: His legs weren't giving out? Try standing under ten times gravity for an hour! I bet only a fourth-year could last that long!
[8th Floor]: What's the freshman's name? What class is he in?
[9th Floor]: Someone above said it already: Ye Xiao, Ordinary Class 9, first year.
[10th Floor]: Is he that special admit with connections everyone's been making a fuss about lately?
[11th Floor]: You're focused on the wrong thing. The point is—an E-Grade Martialist in the Mud Embryo Realm, on his first day in the tower, spent half a day on the first floor; on his second day, he went straight to the second floor and stayed there almost a whole day. Think about it: what floor did you reach the first time you entered the tower?
[12th Floor]: ...The second floor. Fifteen minutes.
[13th Floor]: The first floor. Half an hour.
[14th Floor]: I didn't dare go in.
[15th Floor]: So, are Martialists really a useless profession?
[16th Floor]: I don't know. But I do know that Ye Xiao isn't useless.
[17th Floor]: Ye Xiao is useless! Martialists are a useless profession, too!
[18th Floor]: Is the person above Lin Yun?
[19th Floor]: No.
[20th Floor]: You're definitely him!
[21st Floor]: Who the hell are you?
[22nd Floor]: You don't dare challenge the Gravity Tower, so all you can do is insult Ye Xiao on the forum. If you've got guts, try the ten-times-gravity zone. I bet you wouldn't last as long as Ye Xiao!
[23rd Floor]: Fine, I'll go! I'm going tomorrow! But you'd better hope I never find out who you are in real life, or I'll come after you!
[24th Floor]: Heh, who's scared of you? Lin Yun, you're a clown, you know that?
[25th Floor]: You're asking for it, aren't you? Tell me your name and class, and I'll deal with you!
[26th Floor]: ...
The conversation had started out just fine.
But by the end,
it had turned into a full-blown flame war between two people.
One of them was Lin Yun, who was practicing his Thunder Method at the Elemental Pavilion.
As soon as he heard people talking about Ye Xiao, he immediately logged on to the university forum.
The other was Fatty Wang, who was also training his qi.
He'd likewise heard people talking about Ye Xiao's impressive results.
He was absolutely delighted.
But when he saw people questioning—and even insulting—Ye Xiao,
he got so angry that he stopped training.
Then he started trading insults with the doubters.
[ Ding! ] [You completed a punch. Force of this punch: 32%!] [You gained 10 Martial Value!] [Your realm has increased!] [Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 1991 Layers!] [Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 1992 Layers!] [...] [Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm · 2000 Layers!]
After Ye Xiao threw his 200th punch of the day,
finally,
he reached a new height!
Mud Embryo Realm, 2000 Layers!
The foundation within Ye Xiao's body was now far more solid than that of the so-called SSS-Grade Heaven's Prodigies!
"I've saved up another 1000 Martial Value!"
Ye Xiao's lips curled as he pictured the scene he'd been looking forward to.
"That's enough for my Extreme Path Body to evolve again!"
"Break through! Extreme Martial Body!"
[1000 Martial Value consumed. Extreme Martial Body breakthrough! (Bone Tempering Realm → Tendon-Forging Realm)]
As long as he had enough Martial Value,
Ye Xiao could evolve his Extreme Martial Body whenever he wanted!
Just then,
Ye Xiao was shocked to see faint blue patterns appear beneath his skin.
The sight startled him.
The patterns looked like tree roots, rivers, or some ancient totem.
He tested his strength—the patterns lit up, like a fuse catching fire, spreading from his shoulder to his wrist and gathering at his fist.
When he threw that punch, it landed several times harder than usual.
He knew his fascia was speaking.
In a language he didn't yet fully understand.
"Fascia like a bow, multiplying the force!"
When the evolution finally came to an end,
Ye Xiao quickly summoned the system, and information about the [Extreme Martial Body] appeared before his eyes.
[Extreme Martial Body]
[Realm: Tendon-Forging Realm]
[Physical Traits: Fascia resilience increased, allowing it to stretch several times its original length. Force output efficiency has surged, producing several times the impact with the same strength. Flexibility is comparable to a yoga master, and joints can bend backward. Faint blue patterns are visible beneath the skin, moving like living things when force is exerted.]
[Hidden Vitality: 10%]
[Hidden Defense: 10%]
[Hidden Magic Resistance: 5%]
[Required for breakthrough: 10000 Martial Value!]
After reading it,
a smile had already appeared on Ye Xiao's lips before he even realized it.
"Although my realm is still stuck in the First Realm, my body has already evolved to the Third Realm!"
"My Tendon-Forging Realm Extreme Martial Body has given my Hidden Vitality and Hidden Defense a nice boost!"
"And I've gained a new Hidden Magic Resistance attribute, too!"
[Hidden Magic Resistance: When you are injured, activating the Extreme Martial Body releases Hidden Magic Resistance, temporarily increasing your resistance to spells.]
After reading the final word,
Ye Xiao's smile grew even wider.
"It can actually increase my resistance to spells?"
"Does that mean Lin Yun's Thunder Method will deal 5% less damage to me?"
Martialists had always been at a disadvantage against spellcasters.
Their reach was shorter, they trained more slowly, and their attacks were weaker.
In the end, they could only be kited around and beaten like punching bags.
But now,
that stereotype might very well be turned on its head by Ye Xiao!
Before you continue