Six, seven, eight...
It wasn't until Lu Chong had downed his tenth high-grade Nutrition Bar that he finally felt satisfied. The Qi and blood in his body had temporarily reached a state of saturation.
When he checked his cultivation level, he was pleasantly surprised again.
Level: Martial Artist, First Stage (80%)
I'm practically about to break through to the second stage.
Most importantly, he felt strong all over. Qi and blood flowed endlessly through his body, leaving him so full of energy that he felt he had to let it out somehow.
However, Lu Chong hadn't learned any Earth-Rank Martial Skills yet, so he didn't know how to release the power of his Qi and blood and form the so-called Gang Qi.
Setting his condition aside for the moment, Lu Chong opened his eyes and saw several pairs of bloodshot eyes staring at him.
"Teacher Fang, Instructor, do I have flowers growing on my face?" Lu Chong touched his cheek and asked in confusion.
Principal Fang sighed and waved a hand. "Forget it. It was only ten high-grade Nutrition Bars. I won't hold it against you, kid."
Ten Nutrition Bars were worth a million.
Cheng Dongye complained from the side, "Old Principal, that's not very fair. We instructors chipped in five bars too, all bought with our own military merit."
Principal Fang cleared his throat and turned back to him, speaking without a care. "What's yours and what's mine? As special training instructors, you have nothing left to teach him. Is it too much to ask you to provide a little nutrition for a student?"
Hey!
Well, it looked like none of us instructors could escape this kid's tricks.
The instructors exchanged glances, realizing they wouldn't get that military merit back.
But honestly, they didn't care that much. Seeing a student like him emerge from the Special Training Camp was reward enough.
Cheng Dongye spoke up. "But as for the top-grade Martial Skill we mentioned earlier, that's off the table."
Lu Chong hurriedly smiled and thanked him. "Thank you, Instructor. I'm satisfied."
If he pushed his luck any further, he was afraid the instructors might lose their tempers.
"All right, let's leave that aside." Principal Fang looked at Lu Chong seriously again. "What I'm curious about now is your baseline stats after breaking through."GgDown8
Lu Chong was also eager to find out how much stronger he was than someone who had just become a Martial Artist.
After all, his Qi Absorbing Art had evolved, and he had consumed far more Nutrition Bars to break through than an ordinary person would.
"There's a testing station right here. Come with me," Cheng Dongye said quickly.
The other instructors followed close behind, all eager to see Lu Chong's current condition.
Lu Chong went into the testing station alone, while Principal Fang and the seven instructors waited outside, all staring intently at the screen by the entrance.
"The standard stats for someone who's just become a Martial Artist are 1,000 kilograms of strength, a speed of 25 m/s, and 100 neural reaction turns."
"I wonder how well Lu Chong will do." Cheng Dongye looked at Principal Fang, probing him.
Principal Fang shook his head. "Hard to say. There are too many strange things about that kid. He's difficult to predict."
Another instructor, Liu Zifeng, said, "The Military Department's record is 3,500 kilograms, 30 m/s, and 120 turns. Overall, that's almost on par with a third-stage Martial Artist."
"Do you think Lu Chong might break the Military Department's record?"
Cheng Dongye shook his head slightly. "That'll be difficult. The Military Department has recruited countless talents over the years, and no one's broken that record."
Principal Fang agreed. "Indeed. As far as I know, no College Entrance Exam candidate has broken it either."
Just then, the screen flickered, displaying Lu Chong's strength.
Basic Strength: 4,500 kilograms
The few people in front of the screen stared at each other in astonishment. That strength was absurd—it was already the basic strength of an ordinary fourth-stage Martial Artist.
Principal Fang said, a little awkwardly, "Great strength doesn't mean he has the speed to match..."
But before he could finish, the screen displayed the speed result.
Basic Speed: 32 m/s
The seven instructors paid no attention to Principal Fang's expression, keeping their eyes fixed on the screen.
This looked like a record-breaking performance, and they were the witnesses.
The final result, neural reaction speed, finally appeared—
Neural Reaction: 150 turns
Hiss...
All the instructors except Principal Fang drew in a sharp breath.
Compared with his strength and speed, his neural reaction was even more impressive.
How was this a Martial Artist who had only just broken through? He was almost on par with an eighth- or ninth-stage Martial Artist.
Principal Fang, however, wasn't surprised this time. He had personally taught Lu Chong the Tiger Roar Skill, which could improve neural reaction speed.
He looked solemnly at the seven instructors. "We need to keep this secret."
"Other than Colonel Huang and Principal Wei, absolutely no one else can know."
"Understood, Principal Fang. Don't worry," the instructors replied seriously.
"You understand better than I do. In recent years, now that humanity's Survival Bases have become temporarily stable, certain foreign forces have started stirring again. They've even drawn up a so-called Seed Removal Plan targeting Huaxia."
"What seeds are they trying to remove? They're targeting the promising young people in our country."
"That's why the country seals away the basic stats of students who take the College Entrance Exam each year. They aren't made public."
"Given the potential this kid has shown, if foreign spies find out about him, they may carry out an assassination at any cost."
After Principal Fang finished speaking gravely, the instructors' faces were filled with anger.
Humanity had barely managed to defend its Survival Bases against the invasion of an unknown civilization, and now those foreign forces had once again revealed their sinister ambitions. It was shameful to have anything to do with them.
As they spoke, Lu Chong came out of the testing station, and they hurriedly fell silent.
Principal Fang greeted him with a broad smile. "Not bad. Very good."
"Lu Chong, you don't need to continue training today. Go back and rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll arrange sparring sessions with Martial Artists."
"Yes, Teacher." Lu Chong didn't suspect anything and left right away.
But Principal Fang's voice rang in his mind again. "Come see me tonight."
After Lu Chong had left, Cheng Dongye turned to Principal Fang. "Principal Fang, actually, if we report Lu Chong's situation, he could be secretly admitted to Zhenwu Military Academy."
"He wouldn't need to take the College Entrance Exam," Cheng Dongye emphasized.
Principal Fang pondered for a moment. He neither agreed nor objected, only saying, "You can discuss it with him yourselves. I don't know whether he'd be willing to attend the military academy."
But based on what Principal Fang knew of Lu Chong, he thought it unlikely.
By then, Lu Chong had returned to his tent and was examining his Martial Skills.
Just moments ago, his Martial Skills had begun changing on their own in a mysterious way.
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