[Basic Body Forging Method breakthrough, Realm: Minor Accomplishment]
In his room, Xu Ziming practiced the Basic Body Forging Method twenty times in one go, training from the afternoon until late at night.
At last, after completing the twentieth round, his Basic Body Forging Method reached the next level.
Unfortunately, unlike his first breakthrough, this one did not bring a significant increase in his Life Energy Level.
Still, although his Life Energy Level had not risen much, he could feel that his qi and blood had grown at least fifty percent more robust after the technique's breakthrough.
This was the boost to his body from reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Basic Body Forging Method, not a direct increase in his realm.
Rather, it gave him a deeper foundation in the Martial Way at the same realm.
As long as he kept training, even the Basic Body Forging Method could make him invincible among his peers at the College Entrance Exam!
All that remained was tomorrow.
Time passed. Xu Ziming went to bed early that night, ensuring he would have plenty of energy the next day.
The evening flew by, and soon it was the next day.
Xu Ziming got up early, quickly finished breakfast, and headed to school.
The day of class assignments had finally arrived.
As he walked to school, he saw that it was already mid-March. Willow fluff drifted all over Suzhe Province, filling the sky like snowflakes.
He had heard it was already like this in 2026, and seventy years later, it was still the same.
At seven in the morning, the roads were crowded with pedestrians. The arrival of the alien races and the rise of the Martial Way had not made the liberal arts disappear.
Rapid technological advances had brought Flying Boats, wristband displays, instant shopping, and many other innovations over the years.
So ordinary people still lived fairly comfortably. If the Starry Sky Alien Race hadn't kept invading, perhaps artificial intelligence would have already brought about communism.
"A-Ming, off to school? Want some wontons made by your uncle?" The owner of Yang's Wonton Shop called loudly, waving his ladle.
"Uncle Yang, not today. I'll come by in a couple of days to try some."
"Sure thing. I'll make plenty for you!" Uncle Yang smiled, then went back to work.
As Xu Ziming passed the Martial Arts Base where he had trained yesterday, he spotted the young woman from the day before enthusiastically introducing the facilities to someone.
Pengcheng was full of life, and this peacefulness had been bought with the lives of countless soldiers on the front lines. In a little while, when he went to university, he would head to the battlefield too.
He would face those vile alien races head-on.
Lost in his thoughts along the way, he arrived at school before he knew it.
The senior year was bustling. All the clutter had been cleared out of the common classrooms on the floor.
Ma Mingyu was standing at the entrance to one of them.
"Have you heard? The Sprint Class homeroom teacher is Ma Mingyu, the old homeroom teacher from Class Five. I heard it was supposed to be Teacher Li from Class Three. No idea why they suddenly changed it."
Old Ma was going to be his homeroom teacher again? The news flashed through Xu Ziming's mind, and an indescribable joy welled up inside him.
He had planned to defeat Zhao Yong today, claim the first-class scholarship, and then announce that he was leaving the Sprint Class. Now it seemed he wouldn't have to leave after all.
But why had Teacher Ma become the Sprint Class homeroom teacher?
Ma Mingyu stood at the classroom entrance. His stern face was imposing, and his air was distinctly unapproachable.
He had only found out that very morning that he was to become the Sprint Class homeroom teacher. And the reason was actually...
Xu Ziming had reached Silver Rank the previous night, instantly giving him the achievement record he'd been missing.
"That kid, honestly..."
At the thought, he immediately looked out across the crowd. Just then, he spotted Xu Ziming walking toward him with a grin, and a hint of approval appeared on his usually cold face.
"He's here. It's Xu Ziming."
The crowd parted of its own accord. Most of the people gathered here today were senior students.
After Xu Ziming had cut down a True Martial Sect Disciple with his sword two days earlier, almost everyone knew who he was.
And now he had challenged Zhao Yong. Since he was usually nowhere to be seen, his name had spread far and wide among the students.
Everyone knew that Third High School had produced a Sword Immortal who could conquer all with the Basic Sword Method.
With Jinghong slung over his back, Xu Ziming walked forward calmly under everyone's gaze.
At the far end of the crowd, Zhao Yong stood waiting for him with a cold expression.
"Is it about to start?"
Every eye followed Xu Ziming, eager to see this new legend of Third High School draw his sword.
But contrary to everyone's expectations, Ma Mingyu stepped between them first.
"Use Battle Net. Both of you are eligible. Fighting in person could get you hurt, and an injury would affect your College Entrance Exam, which is just over eighty days away."
"I have no objections." Xu Ziming nodded and opened his wristband, showing his ID.
"Little Ming Who Can't Use a Sword!"
A cry of surprise rose from the crowd. The ID had only made it onto the Pengcheng martial arts high school rankings yesterday.
"Silver Rank?"
A trace of disbelief showed in Zhao Yong's eyes. Pengcheng No. 3 High School ranked only third in the city, and most of the promising students were recruited by No. 1 and No. 2 High Schools.
If not for Shen Xingyue this year, Third High School's strongest student would probably have been near the bottom of the Pengcheng rankings.
Xu Ziming was clearly one of those students.
So far, only six students from the entire school had made the rankings, and Zhao Yong wasn't one of them.
With a cold expression, he still opened his Battle Net account and sent a match invitation to Xu Ziming.
"So what if he's Silver Rank? I just couldn't be bothered to fight. It's not that I can't rank up."
Xu Ziming had no idea what Zhao Yong was thinking. If he had, he would have answered with one word: Typical.
[Match invitation accepted. Battle starting soon. Please prepare.]
[Higher authority detected. Match has been switched to public mode. Scan the QR code to watch.]
To ensure fairness, Ma Mingyu immediately changed their match to a public one. All the students present could scan the QR code with their wristbands to join online and watch.
Seeing this, all the students at the scene immediately pulled out their wristbands and scanned the QR code in front of them.
They appeared in the seats surrounding the arena, just like when they watched regular ranked matches.
One by one, they stared at the two fighters, excitement written all over their faces.
[Battle starting soon. Battle scene will be selected at random.]
[3!]
[2!]
[1!]
[Battle begins!]
The scene changed in an instant. This time, it wasn't the Alien Battlefield Xu Ziming knew so well, but a forest of red maples.
A wide clearing lay among circles of scarlet maple trees. In the middle stood a small thatched hut, a long stream, and a little bridge spanning the water.
Xu Ziming and Zhao Yong stood on opposite sides of the bridge, like renowned swordsmen meeting for the first time.
In this setting, Xu Ziming drew Jinghong and raised it lightly, pointing it at Zhao Yong in the distance.
As the blade left its sheath, it rang out in a series of clear, crisp notes that echoed through the hills, startling flocks of migratory birds into sharp cries.
"I am Xu Ziming. I invite you to test your sword!"