But with the bonus from the entry, I no longer needed to train in this realm. I could go straight to the Second Realm: Iron Skin.
The only problem was that the training conditions were extremely harsh. It seemed I had to strip naked, wrap myself in an exceptionally thick rope, and keep grinding against it until my body reached its limit.
Thick rope wasn't hard to come by, and it didn't cost much. Xu Ziming immediately bought one using his wristband.
Next came figuring out how to wrap the rope around himself!
Xu Ziming searched online for a more effective way to torture his body with it.
Don't ask where he found it.
Xu Ziming quickly tied himself up completely. He had to admit, the rope was indeed very coarse.
Once it was pulled tight, even the slightest movement caused a prickling pain. But despite that, he had to keep going.
Following the memories in his mind, he immediately struck the training pose for the Second Realm of Iron Cloth Shirt. Though, in truth, there wasn't really any pose.
He just had to use the coarse rope to rub against his body over and over until he could no longer bear it.
He lay flat on the floor and began wriggling around, following the movements in his memories. It wasn't the most dignified sight, but the results were surprisingly good.
[Iron Cloth Shirt, First Realm (0.1%)] [Iron Cloth Shirt, First Realm (0.4%)] [Iron Cloth Shirt, First Realm (1.1%)]
The notifications of his progress kept ringing in his ears. Without those clear indicators of his improvement, Xu Ziming probably would have given up long ago.
The process was extremely grueling. He had to use the floor to make the rope bite tighter while increasing his efforts as it cinched around him. After half an hour, he was even starting to feel suffocated.
One thing worth mentioning was that although he felt more and more suffocated, his body was somehow growing warm and increasingly comfortable. Even his blood and qi were flowing more smoothly.
Another half hour passed. By then, Xu Ziming was drenched in sweat, and friction had left streaks of blood across his skin.
Even his training progress had reached [Iron Cloth Shirt, First Realm (15.3%)].
At this rate, he'd probably break through to the Second Realm in about a week and permanently lock in the entry.
But now he seemed unable to move. According to the technique's instructions, he had trained until every last bit of strength had left his body.
The rope had tightened more and more with all the rubbing, and he didn't have enough strength left to wriggle free.
Just then, a "knock, knock" came from the bedroom door.
"Bro, Mom asked me to bring you some fruit... Huh?!! Sorry, I'll head out first!"
"Don't go! Help me!"
Although things had taken a few unexpected turns, Xu Ziming was eventually "untied."
As she freed him, he did his best to explain to his younger sister that he'd gotten into this ridiculous situation because of his training.
But seeing the look on his sister's face that said she understood, he felt his explanation might have been pointless.
After reminding him to eat his fruit, Xu Zhiyao hurried out, looking excited, as if she couldn't wait to share the news.
Xu Ziming stood up and stretched. Several faint cracks came from his joints.
His muscles tensed with each movement, and his skin in particular looked as tough and supple as cowhide.
Iron Cloth Shirt really was effective. It was just that the training method was a little...
Now Xu Ziming felt that a physique suited to a particular technique might not necessarily mean a certain physical build. It could also mean a particular hobby.
After resting for a while, Xu Ziming threw himself back into studying his academic subjects.
Outside his window, though, a shadow was slowly moving across the ground below the building.
It was clearly a person. A deep knife scar marked the skin below his left eye. Anyone who had seen the news would have recognized him as the fugitive True Martial Sect Disciple:
Song Yongkang.
He was actually hiding in an apartment complex in Pengcheng—the very one where Xu Ziming lived.
He seemed to be holding something in his hand. It was hard to make out, but tentacles kept waving out from it.
At that very moment, at the Pengcheng Police Bureau.
Sun Wenbin studied the electronic equipment in front of him, his fingers idly rubbing together.
"Director, we've found Song Yongkang's whereabouts. He seems to have settled in an apartment complex in the west of the city. Should we move in to arrest him?"
"Just keep someone on him. I want to see what he's up to. True Martial Sect Disciples are just traitors who communicate with foreign races. They're nothing to fear."
Sun Wenbin turned off the display in front of him and picked up the tea on his desk, taking a small sip.
"The Pengcheng High School Martial Arts League will be held again in a month and a half, right? Make sure we prepare properly. Keeping the league running smoothly is what matters most."
"Yes!"
The night passed quickly. Xu Ziming got up right on time at four in the morning to practice the Basic Body Forging Method. He had already completed more than sixty percent of it, and another three days should be enough to permanently lock it in.
Then he'd get a new Equipment Slot.
At Pengcheng No. 3 High School, in the principal's office.
Early that morning, Ma Mingyu came by. Xu Ziming's academic scores had come out not long after school let out the previous evening.
He'd scored 201 points. Add 186 points from his Life Energy Level (a conversion score of 3.1 for his Life Energy Level) and 180 points from the practical assessment, and his total came to a full 567.
Compared with his First Mock Exam a month and a half ago, he'd improved by about 150 points.
With a score like that, he had a chance of getting into one of the Five Great Spirit Academies, which naturally made him eligible for a scholarship.
The school offered three tiers of scholarships. Even the lowest, third-tier scholarship paid 5,000 yuan; the second tier paid 10,000, and the first tier paid 30,000.
And the scholarships were paid monthly. In other words, recipients of the third-tier scholarship could collect 5,000 yuan each month until they were deemed no longer eligible, at which point their scholarship would be revoked.
On top of the money, students who received the first-tier scholarship could also choose each month between five E-Grade Blood Qi Potions and one D-Grade Blood Qi Potion.
Today, Ma Mingyu had come to secure the first-tier scholarship for Xu Ziming. He believed that with these resources, Xu Ziming reaching a Life Energy Level of 4.5 before the College Entrance Exam was well within reach.
"Principal, Xu Ziming improved his grades by 150 points in just a month and a half. Doesn't that prove his potential?"
"The boy is indeed outstanding, but he can only qualify for the second-tier scholarship. A first-tier award would be hard to justify to the others."
There were only ten first-tier scholarships, and all ten had already been claimed. To get one, Xu Ziming would have to defeat one of the ten students who currently held a spot.
Even the weakest among them had a Life Energy Level of 3.8. They were all candidates with a shot at getting into one of the Five Great Spirit Academies this year.
Naturally, they wouldn't just give up their spots. If Xu Ziming wanted a first-tier scholarship, he'd have to beat them.
"So all he has to do is defeat one of them, right, Principal?"
"That's right. He can have a second-tier scholarship for now. As for the first tier, he'll have to earn it himself."