Su Chen assumed a strange posture in his room and practiced according to the method in the book.
Gradually, he felt his heart pounding faster and faster, while a sound like crashing waves echoed in his ears.
His blood flowed faster and faster, his body temperature rose, his skin gradually turned crimson, and bead-sized drops of sweat slid down his body.
The first time he practiced it, Su Chen lasted only half an hour before his throat began to burn. He gulped water from the pipe for more than three minutes before the pain finally eased.
"Ha..."
He panted heavily, sensing the changes in his body. He could not help marveling inwardly. "The training efficiency from this half hour is higher than four or five hours of my previous training..."
If he had had this Refinement Method earlier, he would not have needed to pant and strain through several hours of training every day just to reach his physical limit.
At the same time, the panel popped up.
[Molten Stone Training Method—Beginner: 1%] [Scholar has discovered new secret knowledge and feels delight. Lifespan reduced: one year]
Hm? Su Chen's mind trembled slightly. It directly took away a year?
It seemed all the requirements for changing jobs had been fulfilled.
Looking further down, sure enough, two large golden words appeared after [Scholar]—Job Change.
Su Chen could not help feeling a little expectant. He took a deep breath and decisively changed jobs.
In an instant, Su Chen's pupils constricted sharply, and his thoughts became more active than ever before.
It was as though fireworks had exploded deep inside his mind. Things buried deep in his memories, long forgotten, surged back, and his thinking seemed to grow sharper.
[Scholar job change completed] [Obtained class ability—Scholar's Stance] [Scholar's Stance: Proficiency gain efficiency +50%]
Su Chen's heart thumped violently as he silently clenched his fists.
Good. Very good. Scholar truly lived up to its name.
It directly increased the rate at which proficiency accumulated—simple and brutal. He loved it.
Of course, that was only the ability displayed on the panel. He could also feel that his mental activity and powers of observation had improved to varying degrees.
After waiting for his stamina to slowly recover, he began his mental training. The results were indeed outstanding; he felt that he was shaping the Candle Flame much faster.
He continued until the latter half of the night, when his mind was exhausted to the extreme, before reluctantly stopping.
[Candlefire Mental Training Method—Proficient: 40%]
"It really has improved quite a bit. Before, when training exhausted my mind, I could only increase it by at most 5% to 7%..." Su Chen thought as he drifted into a drowsy sleep.
Early the next morning, he was startled awake by an unending series of knocks. It seemed that if he did not open the door, the other party would never stop.
After casually throwing on some clothes, Su Chen opened the door. Three people stood outside, all dressed in identical blue-and-white uniforms. The leader was expressionless. "Southern Academy Inspection Department. Room inspection..."
"Room inspection?" Su Chen narrowed his eyes, one arm braced against the doorframe. "As I recall, the school rules state that private dormitories aren't subject to inspection, don't they?"
The other man's expression shifted slightly. He seemed surprised, but before he could speak, someone beside him said, "Why so much nonsense? This is a random inspection. Private dormitories are included too."
As he spoke, he stepped forward to shove aside Su Chen's arm, only to feel as if his palm had hit an iron bar.
"You..." The man's expression changed. He quietly exerted more force, but Su Chen remained completely unmoved.
"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Su Chen asked pointedly.
The leader's cheek twitched. His companion's face had turned red, and he was using both hands, yet Su Chen still did not budge. His breathing remained even, making the leader swallow involuntarily.
Wasn't this guy a new student?
My friend was practically about to change jobs into a [Blacksmith]. His strength was astonishing.
"Uh... I suddenly remembered that there does seem to be such a rule. Sorry for disturbing you." He pulled back his companion and forced out a smile as he explained.
"It's fine. Just remember it next time." Su Chen was very forgiving. He watched them walk to the end of the corridor, then suddenly called out, "Tell Zhou Zong to stop playing such childish tricks."
The three of them stiffened, and their footsteps grew even quicker.
"So it really was him..." Su Chen muttered inwardly. There were not many people who had grudges against him. Qi Chuan probably would not use such low-level methods, while Jiang He was still a collaborator.
After thinking it over, Zhou Zong seemed to be the only one who would resort to such tactics within the academy.
"Tch..." Su Chen returned to his room, pulled the Shadow-Hiding Garment from beneath his bed, put it on under his clothes, and followed the three downstairs from a distance.
After winding through the academy, they arrived at a secluded grove in the rear.
From afar, the three had already met up with Zhou Zong. He did not know what they were discussing, but Zhou Zong was shouting loudly and seemed extremely furious.
Meanwhile, the three could only listen helplessly. After a long while, they hurriedly left, leaving Zhou Zong alone.
"...Incredible strength?" Zhou Zong murmured in a low voice. "Could his physical talent be good? No wonder Jiang He arranged for him to enter the academy. There must be a secret behind this..."
His eyes flickered with excitement. "But that's even better. If I subdue him, then perhaps..."
Bang!
A sharp pain exploded at the back of his head. Zhou Zong had no time to react before his eyes rolled back and he fell stiffly to the ground.
Su Chen withdrew his hand beneath the Shadow-Hiding Garment. In the shadows of the grove, he was inconspicuous.
He glanced around, then quickly stripped this guy's clothes off.
Killing him was unnecessary. Drawing the City Lord's attention would be troublesome. This was merely a lesson.
Not long afterward, a piercing scream rang out from the grove.
Meanwhile, Su Chen had already returned to his dormitory. He held two small red glass tubes, each filled with a thick crimson liquid. He examined them carefully. "This thing seems to be..."
These were items Zhou Zong had been carrying with him. This guy clearly was no ordinary person.
He thought carefully, and realization flashed through his eyes. "Blood-Activating Potion!"
He remembered now. When he had been skimming through books in the library, he had seen an introduction to it.
He had long since forgotten it, but after changing jobs into [Scholar], both his thinking and memory had improved considerably, allowing him to recall it.
"An F-rank potion that promotes stamina recovery and physical training efficiency..." Su Chen pondered. "Did Zhou Zong choose a physical-type class too?"
"Good stuff..." Su Chen grinned and simply gulped it down in one mouthful, then began the Molten Stone Training Method.
He did not know whether he had become more proficient or whether it was the potion's effect, but he entered the state much faster. A long, thin straw was still clenched between his teeth, inserted into the large water barrel beside him.
His training efficiency had indeed improved significantly. Su Chen trained until the world spun around him, for a full twelve hours.
He drank both Blood-Activating Potions, and even the remaining nutrient solution was nearly used up.
The Strongman loan was finally paid off, and the black countdown behind his class had disappeared. Su Chen truly felt as though he could finally breathe easier.
[Strongman: 15%] [Molten Stone Training Method—Beginner: 55%]
Su Chen could feel the obvious increase in strength within his body.
"The development efficiency really can't be mentioned in the same breath..." Su Chen could not help saying. The combination of the Refinement Method and Blood-Activating Potion was nearly ten times faster than his previous bitter training.
"The importance of resources..." Su Chen sighed. He could not even find a place to buy something like Blood-Activating Potion, unlike Zhou Zong, who could carry two bottles around with him.
"I'm really jealous..." Su Chen glanced at the nutrient solution. He had consumed too much today, and only one tube remained. He would have to buy more tomorrow.
"I didn't see anything... I just felt a sharp pain in my head, and then I didn't know anything anymore..."
In the Academic Affairs Office, Zhou Zong's face was livid. He could not help saying, "Teacher... this wasn't a prank. This was robbery! The two bottles of Blood-Activating Potion I had on me were both stolen!"
"I brought those to prepare for my job change!"
"Teacher!" Fury surged from Zhou Zong's heart as he shouted, "You have to uphold justice for me."
"Do you have a suspect?" Several teachers in the Academic Affairs Office exchanged looks. Zhou Zong's father held a high position, so they could not neglect him.
But that grove happened to be one of the few places in Southwind Academy without surveillance.
"I..." Countless figures flashed through Zhou Zong's mind. There were quite a few suspects.
Yet Zhou Zong said with near certainty, "Anyone who could knock me unconscious in one blow must be a class-holder. I suspect... Zhang Hengyu!"
"It must be because he's afraid I'll become a class-holder and take his spot!"
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