Molten Stone Training Method

On his way back, Su Chen kept thinking, Even with the Blood Oath Contract, I'm still at a disadvantage against Jiang He.

If I can find a way out, or get myself a backer, things might become much easier... Priority cultivation...

If I reveal that I've already taken up a profession... No, there are too many things I can't explain. It might only cause more trouble.

Jiang He moved quickly. By the time Su Chen reached the cafeteria, he found that his student card had already been credited with 100 gold.

That was no small sum. In the past, Su Chen had needed ten days of work to earn a single gold coin.

But it was not much either. A single tube of compressed nutrient solution cost 15 gold.

"This is way too expensive... Bai Fengxi is actually pretty generous..." Su Chen hesitated. Under high-intensity training, this stuff would only keep him from going hungry for a day or two.

"Forget it. The whole point is to avoid starving." Su Chen stopped hesitating, paid at the counter, took six tubes and tucked them into his clothes, then headed straight back to the dormitory.

He had no intention of attending classes. According to Southwind Academy's requirements, once someone became a professional, they could even graduate early. He already met the standard for graduation.

After drinking the nutrient solution, Su Chen first crushed the token Qi Chuan had given him.

Then he began training immediately. Once he had pushed himself to exhaustion, he developed his mental strength, cranking the intensity to the limit until he lay on his bed without the slightest desire to move.

"So he really knows."

In a lavishly decorated room, Qi Chuan looked at the similarly shattered card in his hand, an odd smile crossing his face.

"What are you planning to do... Are you really going to put him into the special cultivation quota?" A deep voice sounded. Qi Chuan composed himself, looked toward the imposing middle-aged man before him, and gave a slight nod. "That would be giving him too much credit. He's nothing more than a low-grade drifter."

"My arrangements that day should have been foolproof. Until I figure out exactly what happened, it would be unwise to make further plans. Since there's a high chance he knows, we can simply seize him and torture it out of him."

"He's in the academy," the other man emphasized.

"In a little over ten days, he'll have to leave the city." Qi Chuan smiled.

"Looks like you had it all planned out already." The man slowly nodded, his voice growing grave. "Handle it quickly. Southwind only has one quota every year. In another half year, it will be decided. I don't want any accidents."

"Rest assured..." Qi Chuan hurriedly said.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Su Chen had crushed the token Qi Chuan gave him long ago, yet Qi Chuan had never come looking for him.

"The Strongman loan only has four payments left..." Su Chen let out a long breath and looked at his panel.

[Strongman: 6%]

[Candlefire Mental Training Method—Proficient: 25%]

The time requirement for [Scholar] had only one year left. In a few more days, Su Chen would likely be able to take up this special profession.

"There are less than ten days until I leave the city..." Su Chen calculated the dates. What does the wronged party mean by this? Is he just going to ignore it, or...

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There came a knock at the door. Su Chen was rather surprised. What a coincidence—speak of the devil, and he appears?

The person at the door looked somewhat familiar to Su Chen. His chin was slightly raised, and he had a fairly presentable appearance.

"Someone downstairs is looking for me?" he asked tentatively.

Zhou Zong frowned slightly and emphasized, "I'm looking for you."

"You?" Su Chen was surprised. He examined the other man carefully. "Have we met somewhere before?"

Zhou Zong said flatly, "I've read your file. A low-grade drifter who only got into Southwind Academy because he luckily climbed into Jiang He's bed."

"How long do you think Jiang He's interest in you will last?"

"Oh, I remember now. You know Bai Fengxi, right?" Only then did Su Chen recall.

So this guy really was not one of Qi Chuan's people. What had he come for?

Zhou Zong said evenly, "Aren't you going to invite me in to sit?"

"The room's a mess. If you have something to say, say it here." Su Chen shook his head.

Zhou Zong was displeased. "I came to give you an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Su Chen looked at him.

"A genuine opportunity to turn your life around." Zhou Zong smiled. "As long as you tell me everything you know about Bai Fengxi, without leaving out a single detail..."

Bang!

The door slammed shut in front of him. Zhou Zong's smile froze on his face, and he could faintly hear the voice from inside—"...Where did this idiot come from..."

The veins on Zhou Zong's forehead bulged, and his face turned black.

"Someone's plotting against Bai Fengxi?" Su Chen muttered. "Do they want to court her, or scheme against her?"

"Forget it. I'll mention it to her whenever I run into her."

Su Chen did not take it too seriously. While continuing to consider the matter of the wronged party, he continued training.

By mid-afternoon, there was another knock at the door. This time, it was Jiang He.

"Isn't this the boys' dormitory?" Su Chen let her in. She was still wearing that sexy teacher's outfit.

"Who here would dare not welcome me?" Jiang He countered. She swept her eyes around the room, casually sat on the bed, and crossed her legs. "Has Qi Chuan contacted you?"

"Not yet." Su Chen shook his head.

"It's already been three days." Jiang He looked at Su Chen suspiciously.

"I crushed the token a long time ago." Su Chen dug out the card wrapped in tissue paper.

"Wind Letter Paper..." Jiang He nodded, but she was still puzzled. "Then why hasn't he come? Did something delay him?"

"I don't know." Su Chen shook his head, merely holding out his hand. "The thing I asked for."

Jiang He hesitated briefly, then pulled a thin book from her small handbag and handed it to Su Chen. "An F-rank training method. It's enough for you."

The large words [Molten Stone Training Method] on the cover made Su Chen's heart skip slightly.

Training methods were graded from low to high using ranks such as F and E. Though this was the lowest rank, it was still something used by professionals.

Something like [Candle Flame] did not even qualify as a rank.

"Wait for him to contact you." Jiang He was just about to leave when Su Chen stopped her. "Add some more money."

He said it with perfect confidence. Jiang He snapped, "Have you gotten addicted to living off a woman? I'll add another 100. If you run out again, figure it out yourself."

"Or... why not beg me?" Jiang He suddenly gave him a seductive smile.

"Please." Su Chen was expressionless.

Jiang He's expression stiffened slightly. She said coldly, "No fun at all."

She did not return to her office. Instead, under the gazes of passersby, she left the school and headed deeper into the city.

"Father..." Jiang He asked the white-haired elder before her in confusion, "Qi Chuan hasn't contacted Su Chen since then. What do you think is going on?"

The old man's face was deeply lined, yet his spirit was vigorous. His eyes flickered. "He hasn't contacted him?"

After a brief silence, he could not help but praise, "Worthy of being my good son-in-law. We wanted to fish him out, but he ended up fishing us."

"What do you mean?" Jiang He did not understand.

"In Qi Chuan's eyes, what kind of person is Su Chen?" the old man asked in return.

Jiang He did not react at first, but the old man slowly explained, "A low-grade drifter. A lucky man who happened to climb into his wife's bed. Perhaps somewhat clever. Nothing more."

"For someone like that, if he wants to learn something from his mouth, how could he possibly send him into a priority cultivation list? As long as he confirms Su Chen knows something, taking action is the simplest and most direct method."

"In ten days, Su Chen will leave the city."

Jiang He pondered for a while before finally realizing it, her face turning cold. "He had it planned from the beginning. Their earlier contact was only a test."

"Then... then wasn't what I gave Su Chen for nothing?"

The old man sighed. "Don't dwell on those little things. The problem now is that Su Chen will leave the city, and there's no way to stop him. Your Blood Oath Contract still hasn't been lifted. In these ten days, you need to advance to Arcane Scholar as quickly as possible."

Jiang He's face went pale, but she said, "Qi Chuan doesn't know Su Chen is already a Strongman."

The old man shook his head. "He's only a first-rank Strongman. Given Qi Chuan's temperament, he will probably make multiple preparations."

After a pause, he added, "But this may not be an opportunity."

In the dormitory, Su Chen was studying the [Molten Stone Training Method].

This training method was not particularly profound. It simply used a special method to make the blood circulate at high speed, thereby stimulating the body from within and tempering it.