Testing Blood Vitality

Chen Lie did not argue with his sister. After all, by Blue Star's standards of common sense, he really was being outrageous.

Skipping classes that cost over a thousand star credits each at the blood vitality crash course—if that did not make him a spendthrift, what did?

"I really didn't have time. Go train with your classmates. I have something to do, so I'm leaving first."

With that, Chen Lie turned and walked out of the martial arts hall.

Chen Xingyao planted her hands on her hips, looking furious, but she did not go after Chen Lie.

After all, several classmates were present. She did not want to make the scene any uglier and become a laughingstock.

"Uh, Yaoyao, how can you treat your own brother like that?"

Li Xianyu asked from beside her.

"Our mom enrolled both of us in the blood vitality crash course. He's missed class several times already, so I couldn't help saying a few things to him," Chen Xingyao said.

"A blood vitality crash course?"

Li Xianyu was confused. Did a powerhouse at her senior's level really need to sign up for such a beginner-level training class?

But then she remembered that her senior frequented places like the Sunflare Group and interacted with someone like Zhao Jinglan, the Pearl of Eight Provinces. Compared to that, skipping a few classes really was no big deal, was it?

"Come on, stop talking about this. Let's go practice together."

As she spoke, a group of girls from the advanced class pulled Chen Xingyao and Li Xianyu into the training room.

Chen Xingyao practiced combat techniques, while Li Xianyu practiced the Cloud Smoke Step.

An afternoon passed. When the girls left the martial arts hall together to head home,

Li Xianyu suddenly stopped in front of a blood vitality testing machine.

"Huh, Yuyu, why aren't you coming?"

The girls behind her saw Li Xianyu standing there blankly and could not help asking.

"I... I want to test my blood vitality again," Li Xianyu said.

"Uh? Didn't we all get tested just a few days ago? Has your blood vitality improved again?"

Li Xianyu shook her head and said to the others, "Wait for me. I'll be done soon."

Remembering how Qu had judged a few days ago that her blood vitality would soon break through 1, Li Xianyu suddenly wanted to know whether it had increased again.

However, she had only focused on practicing the Cloud Smoke Step these past few days and had not done any physical training. Her blood vitality might very well have remained unchanged.

Li Xianyu entered the testing chamber and began the blood vitality test.

After a beam of light swept over her, the machine began announcing the result.

"Beep. Test complete. Blood vitality: 0.98 cards."

Li Xianyu's heart jolted when she heard the result.

She had not done any physical training these past few days. Why had her blood vitality risen on its own?

No wonder the instructors kept emphasizing that once someone mastered a martial art, rapid blood vitality growth would be effortless.

After stepping out of the testing chamber, Li Xianyu saw her classmates staring at her in shock.

"Yuyu, how did your blood vitality increase so much? Wasn't it 0.91 cards just a few days ago? You're about to break through 1!"

"I mastered a C-rank martial art, so my blood vitality was able to rise this quickly," Li Xianyu said.

"You learned a martial art? So mastering one really can make your blood vitality soar!

By the way, did that elite-class sister of yours teach you this martial art? That's amazing!"

Li Xianyu's expression turned complicated as she glanced at Chen Xingyao.

But Chen Xingyao had a stony face and looked unhappy.

After thinking about it, Li Xianyu understood. Two people had always competed without either gaining the upper hand, yet one of them had suddenly surpassed the other. Anyone would be upset.

Still, if possible, she would rather trade places with Chen Xingyao. Chen Xingyao was the one sitting on a mountain of gold without knowing how to use it.

After parting with her classmates, Li Xianyu went home.

When she got there, she found that both her parents were home.

"Mom, Dad."

"Yuyu, you're back? How was Teacher Qu's Cloud Smoke Step instruction class?"

Li Xianyu's mother asked when she saw her.

Li Xianyu gently shook her head. "Mom, I have good news. My blood vitality has reached 0.98 cards. I'll break through 1 card soon and be able to use blood vitality serum!"

"What? Wasn't your blood vitality only 0.91 when it was tested a few days ago? How did it reach 0.98 so quickly? Is that true?"

Li Xianyu's mother found it hard to believe.

"If you don't believe me, look. I got a certificate from East River Martial Arts Hall. I was tested there just now, and it can be verified on East River Martial Arts Hall's official website too!"

As she spoke, Li Xianyu handed the certificate to her mother.

After reading it, Li Xianyu's mother could not help asking, "How did your blood vitality suddenly increase by so much?"

Li Xianyu immediately explained, "A few days ago, I went to sign up for a Cloud Smoke Step instruction class and ran into one of my classmate's older brothers.

He told me that if I gave him one hundred thousand star credits, he could guide me and help me learn the Cloud Smoke Step until I could use it with ease."

"Wait, are you saying that instead of enrolling in Teacher Qu's Cloud Smoke Step instruction class, you gave your classmate's brother one hundred thousand star credits to teach you the Cloud Smoke Step?"

At that moment, Li Xianyu's father suddenly interrupted her.

"Yes," Li Xianyu said.

"This is outrageous! He actually scammed money from a student! Come on, Yuyu. Dad will go find him with you and get that hundred thousand star credits back."

Li Xianyu's father, who had been sitting by the living room coffee table, slapped the table and rose to his feet.

"Dad, can you let me finish first?"

Li Xianyu could not help shaking her head and sighing at her hotheaded father.

Li Xianyu's mother said as well, "Yes, sit down first and let Yuyu finish."

"Yuyu, keep going. Ignore your dad."

Li Xianyu nodded and continued, "My classmate's brother is not much older than me. We're both students at a provincial key high school, so he's my senior.

Mom, you have no idea how incredible this senior is. He demonstrated the Cloud Smoke Step for me once and created more than a dozen afterimages. Even the martial arts hall instructors have not trained the Cloud Smoke Step to that level, so I gave Senior the hundred thousand star credits right then.

And guess what? Senior only guided me for two days, less than five hours total, and I learned the Cloud Smoke Step to the point where I could use it with ease."

"Really?" Li Xianyu's mother found it unbelievable.

Mastering a C-rank martial art in two days was simply fantasy.

"Of course it's true. Under Senior's guidance, I could feel my footwork improving rapidly every moment.

It was precisely because I mastered the Cloud Smoke Step that my blood vitality suddenly rose by so much."

"So, this classmate's older brother you're talking about is even better than your sister?"

Li Xianyu's mother could not help asking. Since they were both students at a provincial key high school, no matter how impressive he was, he should not be that much better, right? After all, her eldest daughter was among the best even among elite students.

"How can my sister compare to Senior? I think this senior of mine may be even more impressive than a member of the Provincial Youth Genius Group!"

"Impossible!" The moment Li Xianyu's father heard that, he declared, "The only people better than members of the Provincial Youth Genius Group are other members of the Provincial Youth Genius Group. Out of the twenty or thirty million youths in all of East River Province, how many can make it into the Provincial Youth Genius Group?

Members of the East River Province Genius Group receive preferential access to martial arts resources throughout the province. Why would they covet your hundred thousand star credits?"

"Hmph. I saw it with my own eyes. Even Zhao Jinglan, the Sunflare Group's president—the rising business star and Pearl of Eight Provinces from television—treated Senior with great respect. Can a member of the Provincial Youth Genius Group do that?"

Li Xianyu's mother was puzzled. "What exactly did you see? Tell Mom everything in detail."

"The day before yesterday, Senior took me with him to the Sunflare Group to handle some business. That was when I learned that he was a distinguished guest of the Sunflare Group's president.

Zhao Jinglan personally hosted us in the Sunflare Group's restaurant.

Then someone said that a Provincial Youth Genius Group member named Xu Yuanhao wanted to meet Zhao Jinglan. The assistant beside her also urged Zhao Jinglan to meet Xu Yuanhao, saying that Xu Yuanhao was, after all, a master candidate and a member of the Xu Family.

But Zhao Jinglan directly refused. She said that a master candidate was not necessarily guaranteed to become a master, and that she still had to host Senior, so she had no time to see Xu Yuanhao."

After Li Xianyu finished speaking, both her parents looked at each other, seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Then didn't you invite this senior over for a meal?" Li Xianyu's mother asked.

"I did invite him, but Senior refused because he was too busy. I feel like even those five hours he spent guiding me in the Cloud Smoke Step were time he squeezed out of an extremely busy schedule," Li Xianyu said.

"If that's the case, then your classmate must be very talented too, right?"

"Our blood vitality levels have always been about the same. But today, I found out that her relationship with her brother is pretty bad. He probably has not guided her much either. Otherwise, her blood vitality would have left mine far behind long ago."

"That is strange. Mom has never heard your sister mention such an incredible person in the elite class."

Li Xianyu's mother found it quite odd.

She did not doubt for a moment that her precious daughter was lying to her. If even Zhao Jinglan, the president of the Sunflare Group, was willing to humble herself and befriend him, then his martial arts talent had to be extraordinarily heaven-defying.

"No matter what, I mastered the Cloud Smoke Step under Senior's guidance. As for my sister? She can only teach me a little combat technique."

Li Xianyu curled her lip.

People could not stand comparison. She used to think her sister was amazing, but after meeting Chen Xingyao's brother, she only felt that her own sister was disappointing, capable of showing off only in the elite class.

"That's right. This will greatly speed up your blood vitality progress. Your father and I will order blood vitality serum for you right away. Let's strive to break through 3 cards as soon as possible and join the elite class!"

Li Xianyu's mother encouraged her.

Meanwhile, Chen Lie returned home and found that his mother, Feng Yuelan, was there as well.

When she saw Chen Lie, Feng Yuelan said, "Chen Lie, you need to train harder. If your blood vitality does not break through 3 and get you into the elite class within a month, then you'll have to listen to Mom and take blood vitality serum."

"I know."

Chen Lie nodded, but did not take out his elite student ID for his father to see.

His blood vitality progress had shattered Blue Star's common sense and exceeded the public's established understanding. His mother certainly would not be able to accept it, so Chen Lie planned to wait a few more days and find a suitable opportunity to tell her the truth.