Dark Horse Candidate

Xu Wuyi withdrew his consciousness from the sea of awareness, slowly finished his practice, and let out a long breath of stale air.

He stood where he was, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

The greatest difference did not come from the soaring proficiency of the Basic Body Tempering Method, but from his body itself.

His limbs and bones brimmed with power. His blood energy was vigorous and ceaselessly surging, far denser and more solid than before.

That "Epiphany" had not only elevated his understanding of martial arts—it also seemed to have triggered a qualitative change in his blood energy, greatly accelerating the digestion of the first E-Grade Blood Energy Potion.

Given Xu Wuyi's Life Energy Level, it should have taken five days to digest one E-Grade Blood Energy Potion. Now, two or three days would probably be enough at most.

"If I tested my Life Energy Level now, how much would it be?"

Xu Wuyi had no idea. Professional testing equipment was expensive, and he could get tested at school once the term started anyway. His family certainly would not waste money on that.

Hunger surged up, interrupting Xu Wuyi's thoughts.

Only then did he feel a wave of weakness. He hurriedly changed out of his drenched sportswear, washed up, and quickly left his room.

At lunch, Mother Xu looked at him wolfing down his food in surprise. "Ayi, did you practice for especially long this morning? You must be starving. Slow down, there's more in the pot."

"Yeah, I felt pretty good, so I practiced a little longer." Xu Wuyi answered vaguely, burying his head in his food.

A large amount of food entered his stomach, transforming into tangible energy and replenishing his body's expenditure.

After lunch, Xu Wuyi did not immediately continue training.

He understood the importance of balance between work and rest. Especially after pushing himself to the limit that morning, his body needed rest and recovery.

He forced himself to take an hour-long nap. When he woke, he felt refreshed and clear-headed, his fatigue completely gone and his condition restored.

That afternoon, after briefly attempting to practice the Basic Body Tempering Method, he discovered that the effect on his blood energy growth had greatly diminished. It barely budged.

Too much was as bad as too little. There was a limit to how much blood energy a body could increase within a certain period of time; textbooks had emphasized this long ago.

It was just that Xu Wuyi had never trained to that extent before. This time, with the double boost of the Blood Energy Potion and the "Epiphany," his body's growth had finally reached its limit.

"I'll spend the rest of today practicing the Mountain Crushing Fist and footwork."

Martial arts were divided into "training methods" and "combat methods." The Body Tempering Method naturally belonged to the former, but combat was equally important. Han Mengmeng had once kept Xu Wuyi from even lifting his head with her Spirit Snake Hand.

The next day, 4:30 in the morning.

Xu Wuyi woke up on time, full of energy.

He did not immediately take the second Blood Energy Potion.

Teacher Wang had said that the first dose produced the best results, while later doses needed time to settle.

He planned to rely on his own efforts first and see whether he could complete the "hundred times" target without the support of new medicinal power, and experience another "Epiphany."

He assumed his stance: Holding the Origin and Guarding the One.

His movements were still standard, but the feeling was completely different.

The blood energy rushing through his body was no longer as torrential as when he had taken the potion, but it was more condensed, more obedient, and as responsive as his own limbs.

With every movement, his blood energy circulated with exceptional smoothness. Its efficiency was far greater than before he took the potion—this was the most direct benefit brought by his improved realm and blood energy.

[Standard training completed today: 1 time]

The panel prompt arrived as expected.

Xu Wuyi shut out all distractions and immersed himself in training.

Thirty times, fifty times, sixty times...

Sweat once again soaked through his clothes, and his breathing grew heavy.

Every time he raised an arm, every time he twisted his waist and hips, exhaustion and pain struck together. Yet Xu Wuyi still gritted his teeth and persisted.

Without the urging of immense medicinal power, he no longer pursued speed. Instead, he focused on the "feel" of every movement, thoroughly digesting and consolidating the gains from yesterday's Epiphany.

As a result, his movements became steadier, and the circulation of his blood energy grew ever more refined.

After sixty repetitions, Xu Wuyi voluntarily stopped. He had no intention of driving himself into exhaustion again.

Overdrawing himself once could squeeze out his potential, but repeated overdrawing would only damage his body's foundation, requiring even more time to recover in the future.

Balance between work and rest meant stopping at the right time when he approached his limit.

"Now that I practice the Basic Body Tempering Method, there's almost no chance of failure. Every move is standard. That's the advantage of high proficiency."

"That saves a lot of stamina. Coupled with my improved blood energy, that's why I can practice sixty times in one go..."

"I'll continue this afternoon."

That afternoon.

"Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine..."

The instant he completed the hundredth standard movement, that familiar clear stream poured into his head once more!

[Effective training today has reached one hundred times. Obtained one "Epiphany."]

Buzz!

His consciousness was once again enveloped by a torrent of profound insight.

Many subtle details that he had failed to fully understand during his first Epiphany were now clarified and solidified one by one.

He gained an even deeper understanding of the true essence of the Basic Body Tempering Method: "steady as a mountain, with a solid foundation."

The Epiphany lasted slightly less time than the first one, but its effects remained remarkable.

When Xu Wuyi came back to himself, more than half his fatigue had unexpectedly vanished. Although the blood energy in his body had been greatly depleted, it had become purer, circulating with smooth and natural ease.

He immediately checked the panel:

[Basic Body Tempering Method current realm: Entry Level (31.8%)]

A day of training plus one Epiphany had increased his proficiency by 11.3%!

Though it was lower than the first time, the main difference was the lack of medicinal support from the Blood Energy Potion. The Epiphany itself had probably provided around 9% growth, and its effect was still significant.

"So it really works!" Xu Wuyi felt exhilarated.

This meant that even without potions, as long as he persisted in completing one hundred effective training repetitions every day, he could rapidly improve through "Epiphany"!

On the Star Martial Battle Net, inside a private room designed like an antique teahouse.

Wang Wenhai's figure materialized. He was still dressed in simple sportswear, looking slightly out of place amid the elegant teahouse decor.

Across from him, a graceful female figure gradually came into focus.

She wore a fitted silver martial arts uniform that outlined her athletic yet beautiful curves. Her face was lovely, but her gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.

She was Zhou Yun, the martial arts teacher for Class One of Honghe No. 1 High School's senior year.

She had once been a true Martial Master. After being injured on the front lines, she had fallen to the level of a Quasi-Martial Master, but she was still a cut above Wang Wenhai and the others.

"Old Wang, you're still the same, arranging to meet in a place like this." Zhou Yun smiled faintly, her voice crisp.

"Quiet. Easy to talk." Wang Wenhai waved a hand and got straight to the point. "You asked to see me because of the winter break Sprint Class?"

"Yes." Zhou Yun nodded, her expression turning serious. "The principal has already approved it. Starting this year, the Sprint Class will be jointly handled by the two of us."

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. We need to scout things out in advance and see which promising students are worth investing resources in."

The Martial Dao Sprint Class required two Martial Artists, one lead instructor and one assistant, to lead it. In previous years, Zhou Yun had worked with another older Martial Artist.

The latter had grown increasingly old and had voluntarily stepped down this year to make way for someone more capable. Thus, Zhou Yun had chosen Wang Wenhai from among the martial arts teachers of the remaining classes.

Naturally, this matter had been discussed with Wang Wenhai beforehand.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip. The Star Martial Battle Net's simulation was incredibly realistic; even the sensation of drinking tea felt nearly real.

"The top students in your Class One—Zeng Bonan's Life Energy Level is almost 10.5, right? And Hu Haobo and Liu Jing are both above 10.0. They have a strong chance of getting into key martial arts universities."

"They're not bad, but they still lack some polish if they want to compete for the Three Great Universities. Zeng Bonan's comprehension is a little lacking, so it won't be easy for him to make another breakthrough. Liu Jing lacks actual combat experience and is too timid—she doesn't even dare kill people in the virtual simulator..."

"I think highly of Hu Haobo. His family circumstances are average, yet he has still made it this far. As long as enough resources are invested in him, he can aim for a high score."

"Unfortunately, compared with Yu Peiling next door, none of them measure up."

"That girl from United High School?" Wang Wenhai shook his head helplessly. "Yu Peiling has basically secured one of the Three Great Universities' spots. You might not see a student like that even once in several years. United really got lucky with her."

Honghe City only had two top high schools. Aside from Honghe No. 1 High School, there was United High School, established under the leadership of several major corporations in the city.

After commenting on the students in her own class, Zhou Yun asked, "I know all the students in Class One. Are there any dark horses in the regular classes?"

Wang Wenhai pondered for a moment before saying, "I do have someone in mind."