Dawn broke, and the first rays of sunlight appeared.
Chen Yuan woke up feeling refreshed, his energy and spirits at their peak.
He glanced at his status panel. As usual, he had gained +3 Dao of Survival Points.
After washing up, he headed straight for Huo Academy.
He exchanged the remaining one tael of silver's allowance for a Skin Strengthening Pill, then paid out of his own pocket for a Blood Qi Pill.
Sun Chengjie walked over with a tray, concern and confusion in his eyes.
"Brother Chen, how could the Gu Family abandon you? It makes no sense!"
Chen Yuan wasn't surprised that he'd heard the news. Whenever Yu Yan and the others made a move, Sun Chengjie was always the first to know. Clearly, he had his own sources.
Calmly peeling an egg, he replied, "Since it's already happened, all I can do is accept it."
Sun Chengjie gave a bitter smile. Chen Yuan had been summoned by the Gu Family yesterday, so this must have been the reason.
Yet Brother Chen showed no sign of anything being wrong. Today, he was still laughing and chatting as if he didn't care at all.
Sun Chengjie thought that if this had happened to him, he'd have been down in the dumps for quite a while.
As expected of the strongest Grade D-Upper!
He lowered his voice. "Brother Chen, now that this has happened, the people who don't get along with you must be overjoyed."
"Like Chen Kai..."
Lotus Lane, the Chen Family.
Ever since Chen Yuan had broken three of his ribs in front of everyone, Chen Kai was often gloomy, never smiling.
He had been recovering ever since. His family had scraped together and borrowed a good deal of silver to hire a doctor and buy some expensive medicine. His injuries should have taken several months to heal, but after barely a month, he was already close to recovered.
Still, Chen Kai couldn't bring himself to feel happy. He had never been a match for Chen Yuan, and now he'd lost an entire month. How could he possibly catch up?
He'd also heard that Chen Yuan's allowance had gone up by another two taels this month. With one rising as the other fell, Chen Kai would never get a chance to turn things around in this lifetime.
Just as he was feeling down, a friend from Kaishan Martial Hall came to visit and brought him news that filled him with delight, bringing tears of joy to his eyes: the Gu Family had abandoned Chen Yuan! He wouldn't receive another cent of support next month!
"Heavens, you've been good to me!" Chen Kai threw his head back and laughed, the gloom in his heart swept away.
With no money to train, Chen Yuan had handed him a golden chance to overtake him on the bend!
His ambition surged anew.
"And then there's Gao Mingchang..."
Changhong Martial Hall.
Gao Mingchang had returned to training over the past few days.
Though his internal injuries were minor, his family had gritted their teeth and scraped together the money to get him several doses of good medicine, speeding his recovery.
After all, building up qi and blood was like rowing upstream. If you lay in bed doing nothing, your qi and blood would gradually drain away.
Today, the gloom that had weighed on him was gone, and his face was wreathed in smiles.
He threw himself into Through-Arm Boxing like a monkey who'd just found a mate.
Chen Yuan's abandonment by the Gu Family was truly gratifying!
Gao Mingchang instantly guessed that Yu Yan had orchestrated it.
Yu Yan had only just become the Gu Family's future son-in-law yesterday, and Chen Yuan had been abandoned right afterward. It was obvious Yu Yan had seized the opportunity to fan the flames and avenge the insult he'd suffered that day.
Gao Mingchang was rather pleased with himself. This proved his decision last month had been the right one.
So what if Chen Yuan had beaten them and won first place in their group? What did being able to fight amount to?
He'd offended Yu Yan, and now he'd been chased off with his tail between his legs.
As for Chen Yuan's next move, Gao Mingchang scoffed.
This incident was bound to affect Chen Yuan's state of mind. Even if he withstood the pressure and managed to break through the Skin Realm, comprehending Clear Force would be another hurdle.
To hold a position with a faction, a beginner martial artist with the Skin Realm and Clear Force was the bare minimum.
And if Chen Yuan couldn't find a way forward this month, he was finished! He'd fade into the crowd.
In the end, Gao Mingchang would be the one laughing!
"Then let's let them enjoy themselves. They've been lying in bed this whole time, after all. It can't have been easy." Chen Yuan smiled faintly.
Sun Chengjie took a sip of meat broth, thought for a moment, then suddenly asked,
"Brother Chen, don't tell me you're absolutely sure you'll break through in the next few days? Maybe even comprehend Clear Force before this month's allowance runs out?"
Aside from that, he couldn't imagine what gave Chen Yuan such confidence.
Chen Yuan popped the last piece of chicken into his mouth and smiled. "We'll see what luck brings."
After the meal, he immediately took the Blood Qi Pill and the Skin Strengthening Pill, then began practicing the Rock-Solid Stance Technique.
As the medicine took effect, a scalding stream of warmth spread through his lower abdomen. Guided by the Rock-Solid Stance Technique, it flowed into his limbs and throughout his body. His qi and blood grew ever more vigorous, and the pressure in his chest became almost unbearable.
A peculiar force also began to nourish his skin. His whole body tingled and itched, heat surged upward, and sweat kept breaking out across his skin.
When he felt the time was right, Chen Yuan immediately called for Senior Brother Tao to stand guard.
Breaking through required total concentration. If someone disturbed him, all his effort could go to waste.
Seeing Chen Yuan's skin flushed red and sweat pouring down him as heat streamed from his body, Tao Ping knew that he was at the point of no return. He agreed at once.
"Junior Brother Chen, focus on breaking through. I'll keep watch."
His brow furrowed slightly as he watched Chen Yuan practice the Rock-Solid Stance Technique in the corner. He felt his junior brother was rushing things.
He'd only learned that morning that the Gu Family had withdrawn their support for Chen Yuan, and Chen Yuan had immediately begun trying to break through. Clearly, he had a fire burning inside him.
Perhaps he could use that fire to break through in one go. More likely, though, his impatience would ruin everything.
After all, breaking through in two and a half months was the pace of a Grade C-Upper Bone Structure. Chen Yuan was only Grade D-Upper. Even with the Blood Qi Pill and Skin Strengthening Pill, he might not have enough of a foundation.
All Tao Ping could do was hope Chen Yuan kept his mind steady and made it through safely.
The commotion of his attempt also drew the attention of quite a few fellow students.
The Skin Realm was the first hurdle in martial arts, yet it had stopped countless people in their tracks.
Zhang Shi, who had trained diligently and bitterly, had already left the academy in defeat last month.
Xue Anping and the other two gathered around as well. Sun Chengjie had just told them that the Gu Family had abandoned Chen Yuan, and now they'd discovered that Chen Yuan was attempting to break through.
It was almost too much for them to take.
Xue Anping said gravely, "Brother Chen is rushing things a bit this time."
He'd come second in the trials, yet had still been abandoned.
Even Xue Anping couldn't understand it, let alone the person involved.
Chen Yuan must have been trying to prove himself by breaking through, hoping to make the Gu Family change its mind.
But how could he succeed with that on his mind?
He Qing also found it hard to believe.
He'd thought he'd be the first to get eliminated. He hadn't expected Chen Yuan to leave before him.
Then his eyes flickered.
Without the Gu Family's support, and with his humble background, Chen Yuan would surely be short on money for training.
If he succeeded in breaking through, perhaps he could invite He Qing along to hunt in the mountains.
Many people stood quietly around the edges, watching without daring to make a sound.
Then an unfriendly voice rang out. "What did I tell you? You're all just dogs belonging to the Gu Family. They abandon you as soon as they feel like it. If even a flashy dog like Chen Yuan gets tossed aside, just imagine what'll happen to the other dogs."
It was the Zhou Brothers.
They walked up near Xue Anping and the others, speaking under their breath.
They kept their voices low enough that Senior Brother Tao wouldn't hear, but loud enough for Sun Chengjie to catch every word.
Xue Anping glared at them. "Once I break through, you two are the first I'll kill."
He'd been training in martial arts long enough to have a temper of his own.
Zhou Qian sneered. "You piece of trash think you can break through? Oh, I'm so scared! Why don't you break through right now and beat me to death?"
The standoff was only a brief interruption.
Xu Heng had even stopped what he was doing and stood there, watching Chen Yuan practice the Rock-Solid Stance Technique.
More than a month after he'd broken through the Skin Realm, his former senior brother had finally made a move.
Song Qiao said calmly, "Chen Yuan's been training for about two and a half months, right? If he breaks through, he'll be a perfect example of hard work making up for a lack of talent."
Still, he didn't think Chen Yuan would make it. He put his odds of success at around thirty percent.
Xu Heng shook his head, his eyes utterly indifferent. "Hard work can make up for a lack of talent at first, but martial arts demand talent more than anything. His bone structure and comprehension aren't good enough to take him far."
He'd once hoped to walk the path of martial arts alongside Chen Yuan and become a kindred spirit.
But he'd come to realize that the gulf between people couldn't be crossed. Some were simply never meant to walk the same path.
Song Qiao smiled. "Of course he can't compare to you, Junior Brother. But if he becomes a beginner martial artist, that'll still be enough to keep him fed and clothed."
Chen Yuan focused entirely on practicing the Rock-Solid Stance Technique, recalling Master Huo's instructions as he slowly guided the qi and blood in his chest, dispersing it and sending it along his meridians toward the skin throughout his body.
His qi and blood were especially vigorous in his chest. He could have broken through five days ago, but had forced himself to hold back until today. That was why dispersing the qi and blood took some effort.
It was a good thing, though. Sharpening the axe wouldn't delay the work of chopping wood.
Guided by the Rock-Solid Stance Technique, the refined qi and blood spread out, surging toward his skin without end. It was as if it were about to remake his skin completely.
That mighty surge of qi and blood worked in tandem with the effects of the Skin Strengthening Pill, and without any resistance, it broke through the barrier between his body and his skin.
In an instant, Chen Yuan's skin turned bright red. It was a sign that his qi and blood had broken through—and that he'd broken through the Skin Realm!
One last push, and he broke through in an instant.
The Skin Realm—achieved!
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