Enhancer

Teacher Wang's strength was beyond question.

He could perform even a set of Basic Long Fist with such consummate mastery.

But this was, after all, merely a basic boxing technique taught to high school students. Its ceiling was far too low.

Compared to Muay Thai and karate from his previous life, it was naturally several cuts above them.

But now, Jiang Ran was a man who had been to the Great Ruins and learned the Vajra Fist.

Judging purely by the complexity of the technique and the power it displayed, the Vajra Fist clearly surpassed the Third Set of Basic Long Fist by far, by worlds.

The two simply were not on the same level!

Looks like I still underestimated the legacy of that world... Jiang Ran's expression did not change, but quiet joy rose in his heart.

The Vajra Fist had been learned from the household of an ordinary farming family in a remote village. Even if Liu Tieniu and his father had inherited some remnants of their ancestors' blessings, that could not change the fact that it was merely a martial art of the Qi Cultivation stage.

Jiang Ran knew that the Qi-Absorption Path would become formidable after Qi Assimilation, but only now, with this comparison, did he become even more certain...

Qi-Consuming Initiation might truly be a complete rebirth, a transformation of one's very bones.

Wang Changming clearly knew that the students' minds were not on the boxing technique.

He demonstrated the Third Set of Basic Long Fist only once before having everyone practice on their own.

The three major subjects of the college entrance examination were physical cultivation, arts, and language, while the four supplementary subjects were alchemy, talismans, formations, and artifact crafting. In theory, the examination had no clearly defined "syllabus."

In other words, you could take the physical examination with the Third Set of Basic Long Fist, while someone else could take it with the Eight Extremes Mountain-Shaking Fist...

In truth, absolute fairness did not exist.

The reason was simple. How could the descendants of Nascent Soul Cultivators possibly receive the same treatment as ordinary Qi Refining families?

The college entrance examination was already the fairest examination on the surface.

Half the time had passed, and the sun had climbed high overhead.

"All right..."

Teacher Wang swept his gaze across the field, raising a hand to signal everyone to stop.

"Next comes body tempering. Today, we'll be using Ke Hua No. 4 Enhancer."

As he spoke, he opened the small leather case. Dozens of glass syringes were arranged neatly inside.

So-called body tempering was actually just taking medicine, then refining its medicinal power under a teacher's supervision to temper the body.

Immortal cultivation was not merely sitting in meditation and gathering qi. One also needed to temper the flesh in every aspect. Only with a strong physique could one lay the foundation for advancing to higher realms.

"One syringe each. Inject it into your left arm."

At Teacher Wang's signal, the class monitor Cheng Qian and another physical education representative swiftly distributed the medicine to every student.

"You have forty-five minutes. Once the time is up, force the medicinal power out yourselves. Otherwise, incompletely refined medicinal power will become toxic."

Teacher Wang tirelessly repeated the warning. He had to say these words countless times every day.

Ke Hua Corporation was the foremost pharmaceutical company, possessing an exceptionally complete and comprehensive production line for human-body enhancers.

In theory, one dose of No. 4 Enhancer could provide someone in Early Qi Refining with roughly a five-percent increase in physical strength.

But that was only theory. In practice, each student's absorption had to be taken into account.

The medicine utilization rates of different students were as far apart as heaven and earth. Those with high rates could reach seventy or eighty percent, while those with low rates could only manage a pitiful ten or twenty percent.

Under normal circumstances, high school students with Low-Grade Spirit Roots could achieve roughly fifty percent utilization.

Jiang Ran's eyes widened as he watched the students around him roll up their sleeves, expose their arms, and begin injecting themselves one after another.

"Wait..."

"Immortal cultivation requires injections too?" He suddenly felt as if his head had become a little pointier.

Put plainly, these medicines were actually a kind of "pill."

It was simply that, after being improved by major pharmaceutical manufacturers, they had become injectable medicine that could be administered intravenously.

In fact, these injections were far gentler than traditional low-tier medicinal pills.

Jiang Ran did not delay either. Gritting his teeth, he inserted the needle into his left arm as the translucent liquid slowly flowed into his body.

Heat. Scorching heat.

Unlike the mild spiritual qi within Spirit Stones, the medicinal power produced by the enhancer was like a surging tide, swiftly flooding into his body.

What he needed to do now was guide the medicinal power and absorb it.

His entire body began growing tougher under the medicine's effects.

Ke Hua No. 5 Elixir had been on the market for over a decade and was extremely mature. Its reaction time was precisely controlled at forty-five minutes. As long as the medicine was expelled within that time, there would be no danger.

Nearly ninety students from Class Three sat down cross-legged together, refining the medicinal power.

Spiritual power surged through every student, and a faint red mist rose around their bodies. This was a normal effect of the medicine evaporating.

The difference was that the better the medicinal power was absorbed and the higher the utilization rate, the denser this red mist became.

Conversely, the poorer the absorption, the thinner it appeared.

As the class monitor and a perennial top-two student in the class, ranked within the top three hundred in the grade, Cheng Qian was considered a "strong one." After receiving a dose, the red mist around her wrapped her whole body, dense to the extreme.

"Not bad..." Wang Changming surveyed the entire field and nodded slightly.

One drawback of compulsory education was the uneven quality of students.

A class was already exceedingly fortunate to produce one or two promising seedlings like Cheng Qian.

"Seventy-five percent. That's close to the limit."

The utilization record for KeHua No. 5 injections was ninety percent, but that result had been achieved in a laboratory. Moreover, the test subject at the time had been the direct descendant of some Nascent Soul big shot, supposedly even possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root.

For an ordinary person to reach seventy-five percent already counted as being highly gifted.

A high medicine utilization rate meant one could spend less while using more resources.

Even at university, cultivation was ultimately a contest of one word: "speed."

A student like Cheng Qian was guaranteed admission to a first-tier university. With enough effort, even one of the nation's top hundred institutions was not out of reach.

"Hm..."

Wang Changming suddenly sensed something and sharply turned his head.

Behind the crowd, the red mist around a male student abruptly expanded and rose. Its density exceeded even Cheng Qian's—not merely exceeded it, but was practically tangible.

Unfortunately...

The sight lasted only an instant before abruptly subsiding, becoming thinner and thinner.

"Foolish!" Wang Changming frowned, displeasure rising in his heart.

"How many times have I taught you that you must not rush when absorbing medicinal power? Refining it so violently, you might not even utilize ten percent in the end!"

The person Teacher Wang was watching was none other than Jiang Ran.

At that moment, Jiang Ran's heart pounded wildly. He felt the tense shock of being caught doing something bad.

That was close...

Just now, he had used the True Origin Formula to absorb the medicinal power, but it had felt far too slow.

So he tried circulating a Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method. That single attempt had nearly caused an accident.

The Qi-Nourishing Cultivation Method of the Grand Ruins Realm was practically a ferocious beast. In a single instant, it devoured thirty percent of the medicinal power. Had Jiang Ran not reacted in time...

At most three seconds later, this entire dose of Ke Hua No. 5 Elixir would have been refined completely.

Too fierce. It was simply too fierce!

Jiang Ran's heart stirred, and understanding dawned on him.

So-called Qi Cultivation was about nourishing the body and physique.

Liu Tieniu had trained bitterly for ten years, consumed meat and medicinal herbs for ten years, and endured ten years of hard practice, all to nurture his body into a Mystic Spirit Body.

The No. 5 injection developed by Tianlu's Ke Hua Corporation had only one effect: strengthening the body.

When the two met, it was naturally like dry firewood meeting blazing flame...

Although Jiang Ran had controlled himself in time and did not let Teacher Wang notice anything unusual about him,

the emptiness brought by abruptly stopping his cultivation method before the medicinal power had been fully devoured still left him deeply uncomfortable.

"If only there were more."

"Give me a few more doses, and the first stage of Qi Cultivation will be mine for the taking!"