Short-Term Goals, Time Flies

Li Youfeng currently placed almost blind trust in Su Yuan.

All because of the words "Heart Cultivation."

Anyone who comprehended Heart Cultivation had a chance of becoming a powerhouse in the future.

For no other reason than that an indestructible Martial Heart alone was enough to set one apart from countless others.

The further one progressed in cultivation, the more it became a matter of cultivating the heart.

"It's getting late. Let's end our conversation here for today."

"Su Yuan, remember not to slack off from now on. You must make entering the Joint Key Class your goal."

Li Youfeng drained the water in his cup, then stood up.

"Alright, Teacher Li, I'll see you out."

Su Yuan quickly rose as well.

"No need. I know the way."

"You're still a student. Remember to rest early."

Li Youfeng swiftly reached the front door. As soon as he finished speaking, there was a soft click as the door shut.

He moved so quickly that Su Yuan had no time to react at all.

"Is this the strength of a Third-Realm Martial Artist?"

Su Yuan nearly wanted to cry. Teacher Li had left far too quickly.

Lying on the sofa, Su Yuan's gaze sharpened.

"I'm definitely getting into the Joint Key Class!"

After taking some time to sort through the information Teacher Li had given him, Su Yuan washed up and slowly drifted off to sleep.

At seven thirty the next morning, Su Yuan arrived at the gates of Qianshan No. 2 High School.

After entering the classroom, cultural studies began at eight.

"It has been six hundred and seventy-six years since the Secret Realms erupted. It is now the year 676 of the Xia Calendar."

"Over the past six hundred years, humanity gradually absorbed the energy released by the Secret Realms, causing drastic changes to the physical qualities of Blue Star's people."

"No. 39 Secret Realm—every Secret Realm possesses extremely abundant martial cultivation resources."

"Every martial artist who emerges from a Secret Realm experiences explosive progress in martial cultivation within a short period."

"If you want to increase your strength quickly, venturing into Secret Realms is an indispensable step."

As he listened to the cultural studies teacher's tireless explanations, Su Yuan silently committed this knowledge to memory.

The original owner's parents had died in No. 37 Secret Realm.

Secret Realms were places every martial university graduate had to enter.

Without experiencing slaughter in a Secret Realm, how could one become a powerhouse capable of standing alone?

Danger and rewards coexisted. The lower the number before a Secret Realm, the greater the risk of death.

"At the same time, the appearance of Secret Realms stimulated mutations among Blue Star's living creatures."

"All kinds of mutant beasts fought for territory, becoming one of the threats endangering Xia Nation and even Blue Star itself."

"The occasional Beast Tide required countless martial artists to resist together."

"The last Beast Tide in Qianshan District occurred twenty-seven years ago. It reduced Qianshan District's overall strength by forty percent and caused devastating losses."

The cultural studies teacher taught a great deal of new information, and Su Yuan listened with great interest.

This knowledge might have long been familiar to everyone else in the class.

But Su Yuan was different. Every sentence from the cultural studies teacher seemed to open the door to a new world for him.

It all felt incredibly fresh.

Besides, cultural studies scores accounted for a certain proportion of the Martial Exam.

He could not afford to be inattentive.

Two hours later, the two cultural studies classes ended, and it was time for free activities.

There was no PE class today. Martial arts class would begin at one in the afternoon.

Qianshan No. 2 High School's curriculum consisted of nothing more than cultural studies, martial arts classes, and PE classes.

The three types of classes rotated in turn.

"Su Yuan, there are still three hours until class this afternoon. How are you planning to spend them?"

His deskmate, Guo Peng, sat in his seat and spoke to Su Yuan.

"Cultivating."

Su Yuan's answer consisted of only two words.

Those two words immediately choked off everything Guo Peng had been about to say.

Su Yuan then stood up and headed toward the martial arts training room.

Nor was he the only one. Quite a few classmates followed Su Yuan there.

Su Yuan swept his gaze over them and found that most were students ranked near the top of the class.

It seemed they had all received news about the Joint Key Class.

If they did not push themselves now, then when would they?

"Liu Simeng, let's have a match and see whose ranking is higher when we enter the Joint Key Class."

Zhang Hengqi looked at Liu Simeng with burning eyes. Their strength was roughly equal, and they had also grown up together.

"No. You're such a child. Forget comparing rankings—we don't even know whether we can enter the Joint Key Class at all."

Liu Simeng glanced at Zhang Hengqi. She knew her own limits.

Li Xingyu might be able to enter the Joint Key Class, but the two of them? It would be difficult.

"Keep it up. If you two work a little harder, you might be able to get in at the bottom of the rankings."

Li Xingyu leaned closer to them and spoke in a low voice.

The nearby students heading toward the martial arts training room listened to their conversation and could not help but feel envious.

As long as one could enter the Joint Key Class, even if they ultimately failed to place in the top ten, the cultivation resources they received would still surpass those of First Class in Second High School's senior year.

What a joke. That was a key Elite Class jointly organized by two schools.

There was no need to think about it to know that its teaching staff would be extraordinarily strong.

There would definitely be Fourth-Realm powerhouses.

Having such powerhouses as teachers was far better than staying in First Class of Second High School's senior year.

"Su Yuan, you might also have a chance to enter the Joint Key Class."

At that moment, Li Xingyu suddenly stopped and stood beside Su Yuan as he spoke.

The other students were startled. Had Li Xingyu already placed Su Yuan on the same level as Liu Simeng and Zhang Hengqi?

But then they recalled Su Yuan's punch at yesterday's Martial Arts Exchange Meet, and they instantly had nothing more to say.

That was right. Other than Li Xingyu and the other two, no one in Class Three could have taken that terrifying punch.

"Perhaps. Thank you for your kind words, Class Monitor."

Su Yuan smiled faintly. Li Xingyu was also the class monitor of Class Three.

The group quickly arrived at the martial arts training room. Aside from the small number who had given up struggling, everyone had gathered there.

Preparing to cultivate, Su Yuan opened his panel and checked his current cultivation progress.

[Name: Su Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Realm: 72.3 Blood Qi (Uninitiated Martial Artist)]

[Talent: Crimson War God's Heart]

[Breathing Method: Concise Thunder Breathing Method (34%)]

[Martial Skill: Thunderclap Fist (70%)]

"Breathing Method and martial skills. I need to focus on raising these two values."

"Blood Qi can be increased through the Breathing Method or by taking Blood Qi Supplements. Everything else can only be improved through practice."

"From now on, I'll buy some Blood Qi Supplements and combine them with my own cultivation."

Su Yuan found an open space and muttered to himself inwardly.

Taking a deep breath, Su Yuan began cultivating alone.

The Concise Thunder Breathing Method circulated, faint lightning gathering around his hands as Thunderclap Fist erupted.

Days passed one after another, and Su Yuan attended class as usual every day.

The three kinds of classes repeated daily. Occasionally, he went to Starrock Martial Arts Academy at night to spar with Lin Jie.

Soon, fifteen days had passed.

During that time, Su Yuan spent one hundred and twenty thousand Xia currency on Blood Qi Supplements. Combined with his own talent, his Blood Qi increased by a decent amount.

Using Xia currency to acquire cultivation resources and raise his Blood Qi Value, Su Yuan felt that it was all worthwhile.

At seven in the morning, Su Yuan slowly opened his eyes in bed.

"Today is the day of the Elite Class Blood Qi assessment."

"It's time to show the results of my cultivation over this period."

As he spoke, the thought of how much he had improved lately brought a smile to Su Yuan's lips.

Then, Su Yuan opened his panel to check his information.