I'm Starting to Panic a Little

The Copper Skin Iron Bone Technique required five hundred Essence, Qi, and Spirit just to enter the basics.

Stabbing himself with knives was something he would avoid as much as possible from now on.

It took several hundred cuts just to level up. Wouldn't the future mean being hacked by a thousand blades and sliced by ten thousand knives?

It would be more reliable to think of a way to rake in Essence, Qi, and Spirit from somewhere else.

"The next step is the Martial Arts School."

Jiang Changkong murmured.

Now that he had already cultivated Star Power, he could join the Martial Arts School.

But the Martial Arts School was not recruiting right now. As for the details, he would ask Zhou Wen and Ji Ziling tomorrow.

Besides, after entering the school, there were still three years of mock exams and five years of college entrance exams!

He did not think entering the school counted as the end.

If he could not make it through the one-year mock exam, he would be expelled.

As for the five-year college entrance exam, if he could not complete the number of Star Demons stipulated by the school, the consequences were unclear.

Online, there was only information saying it had to be completed.

Right now, he had only just cultivated Star Power. Compared to Zhou Wen and the others, he was still far behind.

The most urgent thing now was to keep increasing his strength. He could not let his head heat up and rush straight into the Martial Arts School.

After thinking it through, Jiang Changkong calmed down, lay on the bed, and went to sleep.

The next day, he got up early.

Jiang Changkong went to the clinic and stayed for a while. There were no injured people, and Zhou Wen did not come.

"You..."

Ji Ziling looked up at him, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes.

Today's Jiang Changkong gave her a completely different feeling.

The Jiang Changkong from before could only be considered sturdy on the outside.

But today, his temples bulged, his complexion was ruddy, and he gave off a warm, blazing feeling.

Abundant blood and vitality!

How was this possible?

Even if the Iron Cloth Shirt were cultivated to perfection, it could not cause this kind of change, this kind of abundant blood and vitality.

"Doctor Ji, what's wrong?"

Jiang Changkong's heart tightened. Had she seen through him?

"Nothing." Ji Ziling glanced at him and said indifferently, "Stay away from me."

Jiang Changkong: "..."

Fine, beautiful female comrade.

It seemed that after his breakthrough, Ji Ziling had become even more distant from him.

This abundant blood and vitality, this masculine aura, made her very uncomfortable.

While there were no customers in the shop, and Ji Ziling clearly did not want to stay close to him either, he could only go to the slaughterhouse.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit +0.1, +0.2...

The moment he arrived at the slaughterhouse, his expression stiffened. He had already accepted the matter of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit shrinking.

But he had not expected it to shrink this badly.

All the way until he finished slaughtering the cattle, Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 228.

An increase of 2.3. At this rate, how long would it take to gather five hundred?

Depressed, he returned to the clinic. Ji Ziling had just finished treating an injured person and said again, "Stay away from me."

"Ahem, Doctor Ji."

Jiang Changkong gave a light cough and said, "I want to ask you some questions."

If he did not know her secret, Jiang Changkong reckoned he would have thought she was trying to drive him away.

"Go ahead," Ji Ziling said indifferently.

Jiang Changkong thought for a moment, then said, "Do you know when the Martial Arts School will recruit students?"

Ji Ziling said, "Two months from now."

"If I join the Martial Arts School, and I can't finish the five-year college entrance exam, what punishment will there be?"

"If you can't finish it, you keep signing for another five years, until you complete it."

Jiang Changkong asked a few more questions. Ji Ziling did not grow impatient and answered them one by one.

If the five-year college entrance exam could never be completed, then he would keep killing Star Demons for the school until the day he died.

If he finished ahead of schedule, then for the remaining time out of the five years, the Star Demons he killed would be split evenly with the school.

"Do you know what kind of powerhouse can seal off Essence, Qi, and Spirit?"

Jiang Changkong finally asked the question that mattered most to him.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit having an owner sounded inconceivable.

Sealing off Essence, Qi, and Spirit was a little easier.

If he ran into that kind of powerhouse, he likewise wouldn't be able to extract Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Unless he could break the seal.

Ji Ziling was somewhat surprised, but she still replied, "Someone beyond Star Sea Level."

He let out a slight breath of relief. Right now, he was only at the Early Star Qi Stage; between him and Star Sea Level, there was still an entire Star Cloud.

For the time being, there was no need to worry about something so distant.

As for Essence, Qi, and Spirit having an owner, that kind of existence was probably something Ji Ziling had never come into contact with either.

He had already asked a lot, so he decided not to ask anymore.

"This is Zhou Wen's TechNet number. If you have questions in the future, you can contact him."

Ji Ziling wrote down a string of numbers and handed it to Jiang Changkong.

Jiang Changkong took it and noticed that when Ji Ziling came into close contact with him, she showed no sign of discomfort.

Earlier, when she had told him to stay farther away, it should simply have been a comrade's reaction.

"Doctor Ji, why don't we add each other as friends too?"

Jiang Changkong took out his phone and added Zhou Wen.

TechNet was this world's internet. Everyone could only register one number.

It was used for online communication, similar to Penguin from his previous life.

Ji Ziling hesitated for a moment, then nodded and added him.

Ji Xueling.

Ji Ziling's TechNet name. That "Xue"—was it Ying Yanxue?

Jiang Changkong's name was Ten Thousand Miles of Sky.

Zhou Wen's was rather flashy: Cold Sky Stirs.

If one didn't know Ying Yanxue, one wouldn't think much of it.

Was this "cold sky stirs Yanxue"?

Try stirring her and see?

Aren't you afraid Ji Ziling will beat you to death!

After Ji Ziling added him as a friend, she sat back in her original spot.

Over there, Zhou Wen also accepted the friend request and sent a message: "Changkong?"

Jiang Changkong suddenly had the urge to mess with him a little. "Brother Wen, have you ever heard of 'Cold Sky Stirs Yanxue'?"

Zhou Wen: "..."

Jiang Changkong: "Doctor Ji didn't beat you to death?"

Zhou Wen broke into a sweat. "She noted my real name, doesn't know my TechNet name. I only dared change it after I saw what she noted. Yours is even flashier."

Jiang Changkong: "What did I do?"

Zhou Wen: "An eagle strikes the long sky, Ying Ji. Respect."

Jiang Changkong: "..."

I'm starting to panic a little.

Although he had not meant that, after hearing Zhou Wen say it, he inevitably made the association.

If Ji Ziling found out about this, would she beat him to death?

However, Zhou Wen would not get away either.

Thinking of that, he felt much better.

"Brother Wen, I've never even met Ying Yanxue. I don't mean anything else." It was necessary to explain that.

Zhou Wen: "I understand, but if you dare tell Senior Sister Ziling my online name, you're done for."

Of course he knew Jiang Changkong did not mean that.

Even if he did, Zhou Wen would not care.

Senior Sister would not like a junior with weak strength. Jiang Changkong was too weak.

Jiang Changkong let out a breath of relief. "Brother Wen, I won't tell Doctor Ji. Do me a favor?"

Zhou Wen: "Speak."

Jiang Changkong: "The Martial Arts School should have fresh Star Demon corpses, right? Can I take a look?"

Star Demons contained vast amounts of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

He had stopped thinking about Star Stones. He didn't have the face to ask Zhou Wen to give them to him for nothing.

Those three from before had only been exchanged because he had taken four knife wounds and helped him.

The Essence, Qi, and Spirit at the market were almost gone. All he wanted was to see a fresh Star Demon.

Even a piece of meat would do.

As long as it was fresh, as long as the Essence, Qi, and Spirit hadn't completely dispersed yet.

Zhou Wen sent an uneasy expression. "Just looking?"

Jiang Changkong: "Really, just looking. You saw me at the slaughterhouse too. I just want to understand Star Demons, how to kill Star Demons, to prepare for the future."

Zhou Wen: "Then that's no problem. Every half a month, the Martial Arts School has new Star Demons shipped in to serve as student meals. They kill a whole lot at once. When the time comes, I'll take you to broaden your horizons."

They killed them and ate the meat!

Student meals!

How many people were there in the Martial Arts School?

He wasn't sure, but definitely no fewer than a thousand!

Even if most of the students weren't at school and had gone to take the college entrance exam.

But this was still a large-scale Star Demon slaughter. How majestic would the dispersed Essence, Qi, and Spirit be?

It had already been twelve days since the last Star Demons were killed.

Only three days left!

The Martial Arts School's meals were really good. He absolutely had to get in!

He could openly watch Star Demons being killed, and even grab a knife and do it himself!

Right, and there were free senior sisters too...