"Watching the Wind Splitting Leg demonstration brought great benefits. Training speed increased fivefold!"
"Wind Splitting Leg reached Great Accomplishment. Keep working hard."
After school that afternoon, Lu Chong continued practicing Wind Splitting Leg with his Head Teacher. In just over ten minutes, he broke through to Great Accomplishment.
Head Teacher Wang Tong was so shocked that he had no choice but to stop teaching. With a wry smile, he said, "You broke through in cultivation today, and now your Wind Splitting Leg has reached Great Accomplishment too."
"Looks like there'll be nothing left for me to teach you in a few days."
Lu Chong hurriedly replied with humility, "How could that be, Teacher? You still haven't taught me the school's other three Martial Skills."
Wang Tong was speechless. What a slap in the face. Just yesterday, he had warned Lu Chong not to take on too much and laid down two conditions he thought were stringent.
Who could have expected Lu Chong to break through in cultivation today, while his Wind Splitting Leg reached Great Accomplishment too?
As for reaching Microscopic within a month, with how absurdly talented this kid was, he'd probably manage it in another three or four days.
"Keep practicing. We'll talk after your Wind Splitting Leg reaches Microscopic."
Clinging to the last shred of his dignity, Wang Tong continued teaching him face-to-face.
Lu Chong said no more. However, Wind Splitting Leg became more difficult after reaching Great Accomplishment. Even with his Head Teacher, who had mastered it to Perfection, guiding him, his progress still slowed by half.
Now he could only make 16% progress per hour.
"Middle-grade Martial Skills really are much harder." Lu Chong marveled silently, afraid to say it aloud in case his Head Teacher hit him.
When the hour was up, his Head Teacher didn't immediately send him off. Instead, he asked curiously, "I heard the people from Class 1 threatened you today?"
Lu Chong replied nonchalantly, "Threatened isn't quite the word, Teacher. Don't worry. They just wanted to hire me as a private tutor."
Wang Tong furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, hire you as a private tutor? I bet that old Li Chengjun is egging them on from behind the scenes, trying to use a beauty trap, threats, and enticements to lure you into their class."
"Don't worry, Lu Chong. Just focus on your training. If you really run into trouble, you still have me and the Old Principal." Wang Tong assured him.
"Thanks, Teacher. I'm fine, and I'm not interested in their offer." Lu Chong put his Head Teacher's mind at ease.
"That's good. As a Martial Artist, you need to be mentally prepared to face conflict at any time. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for you."
After offering this earnest advice, his Head Teacher finally let Lu Chong leave.
Over the next while, life became peaceful and highly routine for Lu Chong.
He attended classes as usual during the day, squeezing in time to give his classmates pointers on their Martial Skill training.
After school, he first practiced Wind Splitting Leg with his Head Teacher, then went to train with Lou Qingqing. Once home, he used a Medicinal Bath to practice Golden Cicada Robe, then actively practiced Qi Absorbing Art before bed.
Even on weekends, Lu Chong never wasted time. He trained whenever he could, or set aside extra time to help Lou Qingqing and earn a little more on the side.
After all, practicing Golden Cicada Robe cost five thousand a day, and his expenses were starting to outstrip his income.
During this time, his strength grew at a visible rate every day, both his cultivation and his Martial Skills.
Five days later, Lu Chong successfully reached Microscopic in Wind Splitting Leg.
Head Teacher Wang Tong kept his promise. With a mixture of surprise, delight, and helplessness, he taught Lu Chong the school's remaining three Martial Skills.
Time continued to pass. While the grueling final stretch was hard for most high school seniors, Lu Chong cherished every moment and didn't dare waste a single day.
Before he knew it, it was March 29, 2136. The Mock Exam, the last one before the College Entrance Exam, was tomorrow.
At ten thirty that night, Lu Chong climbed out of the bathtub, and another layer of dead skin peeled off his body.
"Golden Cicada Robe has finally reached Microscopic. It took more than twenty days—no easy feat!"
A rich metallic sheen spread across his skin, as if he had been plated in gold.
Lu Chong extended his right hand and knocked on his left arm. A series of clunks rang out.
When his Golden Cicada Robe had reached Great Accomplishment, he had tested it at home by chopping his skin with a kitchen knife. The blade had chipped, but his skin hadn't broken.
Now that he had reached Microscopic, Lu Chong had no idea how strong his defenses were.
At the Microscopic level, Golden Cicada Robe strengthened not only his skin and muscles, but also his bones. It was truly remarkable.
Though Lu Chong still looked lean, he stood six foot three and weighed nearly five hundred pounds. That showed just how dense his body was.
Lu Chong dispelled the changes brought on by Golden Cicada Robe, and his skin returned to normal. Even in this ordinary state, though, his defenses and physical strength were still terrifying.
After all, to master Golden Cicada Robe as quickly as possible, he had spent nearly two hundred thousand over the past twenty days. His savings had barely ever exceeded ten thousand.
"It's not just Golden Cicada Robe that's improved during this time."
Lu Chong looked at his personal stats—
Name: Lu Chong Level: Martial Apprentice Stage 8 (18%) Martial Skills: Nine-Shadow Step (Perfection) Mountain-Splitting Hand (Perfection) Cloud Piercing Finger (Perfection) Mountain Leaning Back (Perfection) Eagle Claw Technique (Perfection) Iron Wire Fist (Perfection) Heart-Piercing Kick (Perfection) Wind Splitting Leg (Perfection) Golden Cicada Robe (Microscopic, 1%)
In twenty days, an ordinary person might make almost no progress.
But in those twenty days, Lu Chong had covered a path that others might never finish in several years, or even in their entire lives.
His cultivation had reached Martial Apprentice Stage 8, and all eight Martial Skills apart from Golden Cicada Robe had reached Perfection.
After all, even if Lu Chong hadn't actively trained those low-grade Martial Skills, twenty days would have been enough for them to reach Perfection on their own.
His progress was so astonishing that Lu Chong himself thought nothing of it. But his Head Teacher, who watched him grow every day, had recently started getting nosebleeds from all the stress.
Even so, his Head Teacher only knew about Lu Chong's cultivation and progress in Wind Splitting Leg. He didn't know that Lu Chong had reached Microscopic in Golden Cicada Robe or that his newly learned Martial Skills had reached Perfection.
Lu Chong was afraid his Head Teacher and classmates wouldn't be able to accept it, so he had never shown off his other Martial Skills.
"Still, my consumption keeps increasing, and both my cultivation and Golden Cicada Robe are improving more slowly now."
He now needed five Nutrition Bars a day. Even then, the speed at which Qi Absorbing Art cultivated automatically was very slow, and his cultivation only increased by 5% each day.
Golden Cicada Robe was even slower. Even with the help of a Medicinal Bath, his progress after reaching Microscopic was only 1% a day.
"The College Entrance Exam is in two months. At this rate, it'll be hard for me to break through to Martial Artist before then."
"And Golden Cicada Robe probably won't reach Perfection either."
Lu Chong wasn't satisfied. "To make faster progress, I need more money to buy higher-grade nutrients and more Medicinal Baths."
With no other Martial Skills left to practice for now, Lu Chong had to devote most of his time and energy to improving his cultivation and Golden Cicada Robe.
"So I have no choice for this Mock Exam. I can only take first place." Lu Chong made up his mind.
He absolutely couldn't pass up the enormous prize of three hundred thousand.
Before you continue