Li Yibing had still been thinking that Lu Chong's cultivation was lagging behind. He never would have guessed that the kid would break through in the blink of an eye.
An eighteen-year-old Martial Artist! This really was the strength of a top scholar.
At the very least, he now qualified to compete for Provincial Top Scholar.
Principal Fang landed in front of Lu Chong. Facing the instructors hurrying over, he said, "Instructor Cheng, please seal off this area and don't let anyone disturb him."
"And keep Lu Chong's breakthrough secret for now."
Instructor Cheng nodded solemnly and issued a series of orders. He and the other instructors led the soldiers away, leaving Lu Chong some peace and quiet.
Breaking through to Martial Artist was a major event; no disturbance could be allowed. Even Principal Fang hadn't expected Lu Chong to break through so casually.
As for keeping it secret, that was even less of a challenge for these soldiers, who obeyed orders without question.
Only after all the soldiers within a hundred meters of Lu Chong had withdrawn did Principal Fang look at him, standing right where he was with an utterly contented expression. He said helplessly, "Kid, could you take this seriously?"
"You're breaking through to Martial Artist, not eating or drinking. At least give me a heads-up first, okay?"
"If anything goes wrong, how am I supposed to explain it to Old Wei when I get back?"
As he spoke, Principal Fang took an advanced Nutrition Bar from his pocket. "Keep this as a backup. Sit cross-legged right here and circulate the Qi Absorbing Art."
Lu Chong gratefully accepted the Nutrition Bar, something he normally couldn't afford. He sat cross-legged, thinking, Is it really that dangerous? I just broke through naturally, didn't I...
Going from 99% to 100% didn't seem to have involved any bottleneck or much of a reaction at all.
Oh, right. There had been a notification just then: The Qi Absorbing Art had accumulated enough to break through a major threshold.
That was it!
Of course, Lu Chong couldn't tell Principal Fang any of that.
He simply sat down as instructed, took a bite of the energy-rich advanced Nutrition Bar, and began actively circulating the Qi Absorbing Art.
Only then did Lu Chong start to feel a slight difference.
Before, when he cultivated the Qi Absorbing Art, he could only extract energy from the food he ate, especially Nutrition Bars, and use it to strengthen his body.
But now he'd made a new discovery. He seemed to be able to sense the qi drifting outside his body.
What's more, he could use the Qi Absorbing Art to draw that qi into his body and merge it with the energy from food, infusing it throughout his flesh.
Principal Fang's voice rang out in his mind again. "Keep cultivating to stabilize your breakthrough. Just listen to me."
"You should have sensed it by now. You can absorb the qi drifting through the world around you."
"This is something we humans discovered inside Exotic Beasts after the disaster. This qi is called Origin Energy, the source of all energy."
"You can't see it or touch it, but it's real."
"Nutrition contains Origin Energy, and so does the scattered Origin Energy drifting through the world. It even exists in outer space."
"It's thanks to the Qi Absorbing Art, which has spread to every household, that we can sense this formless Origin Energy, strengthen our bodies, and revive the glory of the Ancient Martial Artists."
"When technology is suppressed, only by reviving Ancient Martial Artists can we humans face those mutated Fierce Beasts and establish our own Survival Bases."
"Of course, by now we've also developed many Origin Energy weapons, including the Energy Light Wall you saw at the Hunting Ground and the Fortress."
Principal Fang continued, "Back to cultivation."
"Before becoming a Martial Artist, you can't sense the Origin Energy drifting outside your body."
"So, at the Martial Disciple stage, we can only absorb Origin Energy through Nutrition and use it to strengthen our bodies."
"Once our bodies reach a certain threshold, they can resonate with the Origin Energy outside us and draw it in. That's what makes someone a Martial Artist."
"Of course, the Origin Energy drifting through most places is very thin, so Nutrition is still needed to speed up its accumulation."
"Now, let's talk about how Origin Energy transforms inside our bodies."
"When it accumulates to a certain level inside you—that is, when you break through to Martial Artist—Origin Energy does more than simply merge with your muscles, bones, and internal organs."
"At that point, the formless Origin Energy within a Martial Artist's body gives rise to tangible blood energy. This continues to strengthen the body, and it can also be released as Gang Qi."
"Once blood energy leaves the body, it disperses, and its power diminishes with distance and time. But it's still a way to attack from range."
"This method of releasing blood energy to injure an enemy is the defining feature of Earth-Rank Martial Skills."
"Earth-Rank Martial Skills can be used in close combat or at range. They're naturally more powerful than Human-Rank Martial Skills, but they also consume more blood energy and stamina."
"So don't give up your Human-Rank Martial Skills. They'll help you conserve your strength against ordinary opponents."
"Earth-Rank Martial Skills are also much harder to cultivate than Human-Rank Martial Skills. Most Martial Artists spend their entire lives studying just one or two of them."
"Earth-Rank Martial Skills are rarer and more expensive, too. Very few people can create them from scratch; most are found in Ancient Martial Ruins or developed through deduction."
"As for the even higher-level Heaven-Rank Martial Skills, there's no need to say more. Fewer than twenty of them remain in all of Huaxia, and more than half are incomplete."
"Breaking through to Martial Artist is crucial. It's the first transformation of your Origin Energy, and it gives rise to blood energy."
"So, kid, absorb as much as you can. This will be the foundation and reserves you build on in the future."
Principal Fang added for emphasis, "Don't worry. There's plenty of Nutrition."
Lu Chong committed all of this to memory. They'd covered it in his theory classes, too.
What mattered most to him was Principal Fang's last sentence. Plenty of Nutrition? That was wonderful.
At that moment, a notification sounded in his mind—
"The Qi Absorbing Art has evolved. Its efficiency and potential have doubled."
"The Qi Absorbing Art is ravenous, but running low. Please replenish energy as soon as possible."
Lu Chong realized that this must be what Principal Fang meant by a foundation and reserves: an opportunity of his own.
What truly delighted him was that his Qi Absorbing Art had evolved, making it different from the version most people practiced.
For one thing, he could feel himself absorbing Origin Energy faster. His body was like a high-powered conversion machine, constantly turning Origin Energy into new blood energy that flowed through his limbs and bones.
Lu Chong could even clearly feel his bodily functions growing stronger by the moment.
Hungry?
Eat!
Principal Fang had him covered anyway.
Without hesitation, Lu Chong stuffed the remaining half of the advanced Nutrition Bar into his mouth.
An advanced Nutrition Bar cost a hundred thousand on the market, but Lu Chong didn't feel the slightest pang at the expense.
Yet in less than a minute, he felt his body running empty again. The Origin Energy in the Nutrition Bar had been used up.
Principal Fang was still droning on about his experience when he suddenly noticed Lu Chong opening his eyes and looking at him. "Teacher Fang, I'm hungry."
Principal Fang paused, then quickly took another advanced Nutrition Bar from his pocket and handed it over.
"Eat slowly. Don't choke," Principal Fang reminded him.
He didn't feel any particular sting over the cost. In fact, he was secretly pleased. As expected, Lu Chong was absorbing energy much faster than an ordinary person on his first try, and he needed more of it.
This is a good thing. It means his foundation is even more solid.
Principal Fang figured that two advanced Nutrition Bars were enough for an ordinary person breaking through to Martial Artist.
This kid will need three at most. I, Old Fang, can afford that little bit of supply.
But as soon as he'd finished thinking that, Lu Chong opened his eyes again and looked at him hungrily.
"So soon?" Principal Fang was a little surprised. Normally, the absorption rate should have slowed by the time he reached the second bar.
Still, he didn't hesitate to hand Lu Chong the third Nutrition Bar.
Lu Chong did absorb the Nutrition Bar a little more slowly this time.
Two minutes later, he reached out to Principal Fang again.
"More?" Principal Fang was slightly taken aback, but he took one out anyway.
That made four!
This time, he kept his eyes fixed on Lu Chong, watching as he ate the whole bar rather than secretly stashing it away.
Feeling around in his pocket, Principal Fang realized he had only one bar left in reserve.
That should be enough, right? He's already had four. Principal Fang was starting to feel the pinch. That was four hundred thousand!
But before he could even blink, Lu Chong opened his eyes again and held out his hand.
Taking the last Nutrition Bar from Principal Fang, Lu Chong managed a smile. "Thank you, Teacher Fang."
"Damn it!" Principal Fang couldn't help swearing. "Can I get Old Wei to reimburse me for this?"
Though he hated to part with the money, Principal Fang didn't dare delay. He quickly called for reinforcements and told Instructor Cheng and the others to gather more Nutrition Bars as fast as they could.
"Eat, eat! Let's see if I can't fill you up, you little glutton."
Before you continue