School Starts

After failing to break through for so long, Hu Haobo's breathing began to grow ragged. His recovery after a fierce pounce was just a little slow, revealing the slightest opening.

A sharp gleam flashed through Zeng Bonan's eyes. The chance he had been waiting for had finally appeared!

His body suddenly leaned forward. He was no longer purely defending. His right fist, which had been gathering force all this time, shot out with astonishing speed, striking straight at Hu Haobo's chest.

This punch gathered the strength of his entire body, and his timing was flawless to the smallest degree. It was the force-exertion technique of Rock-Crushing, the lethal counterattack move from the Basic Body Tempering Method!

Hu Haobo's expression changed drastically. In his haste, he only had time to cross his arms in front of his chest.

"Boom!"

Fist and arms collided, letting out a muffled thud.

Hu Haobo only felt a mountainous, surging force crash into him. His crossed arms could not fully withstand it at all, and he staggered seven or eight steps backward before barely managing to steady himself.

He felt his blood and qi churning violently. Clearly, that punch just now had already injured his internal organs.

"I lost," Hu Haobo said with a helpless shake of his head.

The three of them sparred often and were very familiar with one another's strength. With such a serious injury, there was no way he could continue fighting Zeng Bonan.

Zeng Bonan slowly withdrew his fist, his breathing steady. That earth-shattering strike just now had actually not consumed much of his strength.

He had not even used the Wind-Breaking Finger he was best at. His fighting style just now had been an imitation of Xu Wuyi, whom he had encountered today.

Zeng Bonan had already realized that Xu Wuyi, like him, was skilled in the Basic Body Tempering Method, but the latter's ability to defend and counterattack, to seize opportunities, was exactly what he lacked.

"Thanks for the match," he said calmly.

Liu Jing, watching from the side, found it thrilling and could not help clapping as she said, "Zeng Bonan, where did you learn that fighting style? Even Hu Haobo's ferocious offense couldn't do anything to you!"

Hu Haobo rubbed his numb arms. There was not much dejection from defeat on his face; instead, he looked somewhat curious. Clearly, he had the same thought as Liu Jing.

Zeng Bonan did not hide it either. He immediately recounted how he had met Xu Wuyi in the arena today and how he had been defeated by that fighting style.

"Xu Wuyi? The ordinary-class student Teacher Zhou mentioned?"

"Right."

After listening to him, Hu Haobo thought for a moment and said, "Like you, he's trained the Basic Body Tempering Method very solidly, but I still don't agree with it."

"You rely too much on the basics. Your fighting styles lack flexibility. Once you run into an enemy you can't block, you'll lose very quickly."

"For example, if my Stone-Splitting Palm were a bit more practiced, and I had changed that 'earth-shattering' move just now into Heart-Shattering Claw, you might not have been able to block it."

Zeng Bonan did not refute his view. Instead, he agreed and said, "You're right. Attack and defense have never been about which is better or worse. It only depends on which fighting style suits you more."

"Xu Wuyi inspired me. I want to try a strategy focused mainly on defense."

Hu Haobo snorted and said, "Offense is the best defense. I'll make you all understand that!"

Zeng Bonan laughed. "Then bring it on. I'll be waiting."

Liu Jing looked at the two of them and secretly clicked her tongue.

One attacked and one defended, and both of them made her feel pressure.

She had been able to enter this circle, and her life energy level had also reached 10.2, but actual combat had always been her weak point. After seeing the clash between these two, she knew full well that she still had a long road ahead.

"Looks like the competition is already fierce before the intensive class has even started," Liu Jing thought to herself. At the same time, a sense of urgency rose within her.

Just these two were already stronger than her, and now there was another Xu Wuyi...

After the three of them left, Zeng Bonan was the last to go. He looked at the quiet training space, and Xu Wuyi's figure flashed through his mind.

"Xu Wuyi... I wonder what level his Basic Body Tempering Method has reached now."

A vague premonition rose in his heart. That classmate who usually kept such a low profile might become the greatest variable in the intensive class.

The final week of winter break quietly passed amid Xu Wuyi's day-after-day bitter cultivation.

When scattered firecrackers sounded outside the window, signaling that the New Year's atmosphere had not yet completely faded, Xu Wuyi finally emerged from that near-secluded state of training.

Early in the morning, he stood in the center of his room, carefully sensing the changes within his body.

His qi and blood flowed steadily through his meridians like rivers, far more vigorous than before winter break. Every movement of his hands and feet was filled with a sense of power.

His spiritual will had become even more condensed. With the slightest movement of thought, the outline of the small mountain that needed to be "moved away" clearly appeared in his sea of consciousness, carrying a heavy, solid texture.

He sank into his consciousness, and the ancient scroll of the Martial Dao Diligence Record surfaced in his sea of consciousness, its words clear:

[Martial Dao Diligence Record]

Martial Art: Basic Body Tempering Method

Current Realm: Minor Achievement (3.1%)

Martial Art Trait: Not Unlocked

Evaluation: Deep foundation, vigorous qi and blood.

Visualization Method: Mountain Moving

Current Realm: Second Level (15.7%)

Evaluation: Spiritual barriers have been further broken through, and perception has become sharper.

His life energy level, estimated through his own blood energy sense, had stabilized at level 10.2.

After the Basic Body Tempering Method entered the minor mastery realm, the improvement it brought was comprehensive. His blood energy was more condensed, circulated faster, and his efficiency during cultivation had clearly increased as well.

"School's about to start." Xu Wuyi let out a long breath of stale air, the sharp light in his eyes drawing inward.

On the first day of school, in the Year Three Class Seven classroom at Honghe No. 1 High School.

The relaxed atmosphere of the holiday had not completely faded. Students chatted in twos and threes, sharing what they had seen and heard over the break.

Only when the homeroom teacher, Li Hong, walked into the classroom holding her lesson plans did the noise gradually die down.

Li Hong's gaze swept over the students below, as calm as ever, but carrying scrutiny.

She did not waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Winter break is over, so everyone, get your minds back in class. You can't fall behind on revision for your academic subjects, but today, I first need to announce something." Her clear voice carried throughout the classroom. "The school has officially begun selections for this year's Martial Dao Sprint Class."

As soon as she finished speaking, a low stir immediately rose in the classroom.

The news about the sprint class had not been kept secret, but the requirement of a life energy level above 9.5 had been made clear. That meant it had nothing to do with most students.

"Based on last semester's final results, the follow-up evaluations during winter break, and the recommendations from each class's martial dao teachers," Li Hong paused, her gaze landing on two students, "our class has two students selected for the sprint class."

"Xu Wuyi, Shi Yi."

In an instant, every gaze focused on them.

Xu Wuyi's expression remained calm. He was not surprised by the result.

Beside him, his desk mate Zhou Heng slapped him hard on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "Damn, Ayi! You really made it in!"

"Your life energy level broke past 9.5?"

Xu Wuyi smiled a little and said, "My family supported me with two potions. At least they didn't go to waste."

"That's still impressive!" Zhou Heng said helplessly. "To be honest, my dad bought me Blood Energy Potions too, but after one bottle, I didn't even improve by 0.1 levels. Forget it."

The final winter break of Year Three was usually when the families of martial dao students invested the most resources.

Everyone was secretly grinding away, but for the vast majority of students, the input and output of resources were not proportional.

On the other side, a tall, sturdy boy with dark skin was straightening his back, unable to hide the excitement on his face.

He was Shi Yi. His previous life energy level had already been the highest in the class, level 9.8, so his selection was within everyone's expectations.

However, in the back row of the classroom, a figure abruptly stood up, his face flushed crimson.