Encounter (Please Add to Favorites)

Yucai High School.

"Hm?"

Xia Long walked into the classroom and spotted Fang Xing. His eyes immediately lit up. "Kid, what good stuff have you been secretly eating? How has your Skin Refinement progressed so quickly?"

In a flash, he appeared before Fang Xing, patted his shoulder, then carefully examined his skin. "Hm... thick and tough. Once you achieve Great Accomplishment in Skin Refinement, it probably won't be ordinary oxhide. It should be Copper Skin. Jade Skin, though, is unlikely..."

"Teacher, I've only heard that martial artists who achieve Great Accomplishment in Skin Refinement have skin as tough as oxhide and need not fear attacks from ordinary blunt weapons... Are Copper Skin and Jade Skin higher states?"

Ouyang Qianqian raised her hand to ask.

The top students in the class had all made good progress in Skin Refinement. By Fang Xing's estimate, they had all passed the halfway mark.

The Natural Human students in particular had access to information through their families and knew more. They were even more eager for knowledge about these realms.

"Yes, martial artists who achieve Great Accomplishment in Skin Refinement are not all the same. Copper Skin Martial Artists need not fear even ordinary sharp blades... As for Jade Skin? Those are true martial arts geniuses. If even one of you achieves it, you'll surely shine in the future Hundred Star Joint Examination, and your teacher will receive plenty of rewards too."

Xia Long continued looking at Fang Xing.

Fang Xing had long planned to reveal some of his abilities. Upon hearing that, he immediately replied, "I have to thank you for your support, Teacher. I feel like my Great Dragon Stance has entered an entirely new stage, and its efficiency in refining my skin and flesh has greatly increased..."

"Great Dragon Stance? So your Great Dragon Stance broke through!"

Xia Long nodded. "A poor kid like you doesn't have the money to buy any martial arts secret medicine. I figured this was the most likely possibility..."

Martial arts were merely the most widespread Evolution Path. Even the increase in lifespan only became relatively noticeable after the Fourth Realm.

Truly wealthy Natural Humans could undergo Gene Surgery while still ordinary people and live to two hundred years old or even longer!

The early stages of martial arts were the same. Though they were said to offer the best value for money, the more rare resources one invested, the faster one progressed!

"Teacher, if the Great Dragon Stance breaks through, can I cultivate Copper Skin?" Liu Wei's eyes gleamed. He too had ambitions for the College Entrance Exam.

"Yes. In the Great Dragon Stance Second Stage, the probability of cultivating Copper Skin exceeds 81.4%. That is the result of Omniscient Brain's statistical analysis of data from all high school students."

Xia Long nodded. "If you can cultivate the Great Dragon Stance to the Third Stage, it will no longer be you adapting to the stance, but the stance adapting to you... Your progress will be faster, and you'll have a 67.99% chance of cultivating Jade Skin. Jade Skin Martial Artists have skin as lustrous as jade, able to tense and relax at will, with many wonderful uses... More importantly, it can lay a solid foundation. Work hard, students. The Federation Martial Saints and Martial Gods throughout history... the overwhelming majority of them reached the Jade Skin Realm!"

"Martial Saints, Martial Gods?"

A trace of longing arose in many students' hearts, followed by a touch of gloom.

Because they knew this was nearly impossible unless a miracle occurred.

Or perhaps, if one's realm was lacking, one could make up for it with resources!

But that was clearly not an option for ordinary people.

"Then... does the Great Dragon Stance have a Fourth Stage?"

Fang Xing asked.

He remembered Xia Long mentioning it before.

"That's right. The Great Dragon Stance has a Fourth Stage. Those who master it are one in tens of millions... That is the achievement of Dragon Artistic Conception!"

Xia Long replied, "Achieving Artistic Conception does not mean you are a Fourth Realm martial artist. After all, you lack the foundation of Rough Jade... It only means you are much stronger than martial artists of the same realm. And once you achieve perfection in the Uncut Jade Realm, you can immediately advance to the Courage Realm!"

"Of course, martial artists who achieve Artistic Conception won't suffer mental breakdowns when facing Evil God Kin due to their leaking spiritual Contamination. This is a great advantage, especially for you!"

"Even if military camps on the battlefield provide sufficient protection and medicine in the future, there will always be oversights in war... Every year, many retired Starry Sky Warriors ultimately end up in mental institutions!"

"If you can achieve Artistic Conception before the Fourth Realm, you can basically gain Direct Admission to university. But after university, you will still have to go to the battlefield. This is the Fate of every Blue Star Federation citizen!"

Getting into university merely delayed one's Military Service. Fang Xing had known that for a long time.

He had considered making a huge sum of Star Dollars by reselling goods between the two worlds, then paying off his loan.

But clearly, he would not be able to explain where the money came from. It might instead bring even greater danger.

In any case, if all else fails, I'll go to university first and look for opportunities there...

After school.

It feels like Xia Long's guidance is gradually becoming less helpful to me...

Fang Xing kicked at pebbles, feeling slightly melancholy.

"A Xing, want to get online?"

Liu Wei ran over, a hint of probing in his voice.

"No, I'm going home to play games."

Fang Xing waved him off. Recently, he had been eager to explore the Other World after school every day.

Even practicing martial arts in the Other World was far more efficient than here, so naturally he had little free time.

Dog, you've changed...

Liu Wei watched Fang Xing's retreating back, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Other World.

"Looks like the Time Flow is the same on both sides. I can conduct another experiment."

After comparing the time in both worlds, Fang Xing fed a berry to the White Mouse and watched it die from poison several dozen seconds later.

"The last living thing that knew has been silenced."

He nodded and bit into a roasted bird wing. "The facts prove that the Poison Test Strips I bought haven't failed..."

After the double verification from the White Mouse and outside the infirmary, Fang Xing finally began his culinary journey through the Other World.

"Mmm, delicious!"

The bird meat in the Other World was exceptionally tender, yet its texture was remarkably dense. It took powerful teeth to tear it apart. Fang Xing had a large appetite, but after eating only a little here, he felt full.

Afterward, it even felt as though a warm current had wrapped around every part of his body. It was quite comfortable.

The sensation was somewhat similar to drinking D3 Nutrient Solution.

"It's probably equivalent to a third of its effect, or even less... But... this stuff is everywhere."

"Developing an Other World really is insanely profitable."

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Xing immediately began practicing the Great Dragon Stance.

He could not practice in the Other World with complete focus. Although he had set some traps and alarm devices nearby, Fang Xing still felt uneasy. After an hour, he voluntarily stopped and glanced at his Attribute Panel:

Name: Fang Xing

Age: 16

Occupation: Martial Artist

First Realm: Skin and Flesh (Skin Refinement: 87/100)

Military Body Boxing Twelve Forms: 3/100 (Proficient)

Great Dragon Stance: 17/100 (Proficient)

Gate of Heavens (Charging)

...

"At this rate, before this summer ends and before my first year of high school is over, I'll definitely achieve perfection in Skin Refinement!"

Fang Xing clenched his fists. He felt that he was not far from fully refining the skin across his entire body and controlling it as he wished.

"Maybe I can even try to make a push for Jade Skin?"

"A towering building rises from the ground. Martial arts are the same—the firmer the foundation, the greater the potential in the future!"

A faint smile played on Fang Xing's lips as he looked again at the surveillance monitor.

The next second, his smile froze on his face.

"A Drone captured human figures?"

"Are there humans living in this Other World?"

He pulled up several surveillance clips, continuously enlarging them and adjusting the angles...

In the end, he saw four people dressed like ancient martial artists.

Most wore robes with their hair tied in topknots. They carried sabers or wore swords at their waists, looking thoroughly old-fashioned.

Their clothes were mostly cotton and hemp, and they even carried Bamboo Baskets on their backs.

"Judging by their level of productivity, they should be in something like an ancient feudal era..."

Fang Xing observed them carefully before reaching a conclusion. "But... they're strong!"

Judging from their movements and speed, they could traverse this rugged forest as if walking on level ground. They were at least equivalent to Second Realm Muscles and Bones Martial Artists!

There was even a middle-aged Burly Man leading them. His muscles were so developed that they stretched his clothes taut, making them seem a size too small. He carried himself with an imposing air. In Fang Xing's view, his martial arts were formidable; he should possess the strength of a Third Realm Uncut Jade Martial Artist!

As a martial arts student of the new era, Fang Xing could not claim much else, but he had watched who knew how many martial arts videos. He had this level of judgment.

"An Uncut Jade Realm martial artist is someone I definitely can't defeat..."

"But with the Basic Nano Protective Suit and Electric Baton, it might not be impossible to fight him. At the very least, keeping myself alive shouldn't be a problem..."

"Most importantly... I need to conceal where I came from. Language barriers will definitely be a problem. Reality isn't a game—how could we still speak the same language after crossing worlds? Besides that, I'll need to prepare ancient-style costumes and a wig... Maybe I should grow my hair out. The school doesn't have any rules against it, anyway."

Fang Xing had no intention whatsoever of meeting this martial artist squad face-to-face. He only intended to observe them in secret.

Ideally, he would install more surveillance devices, record their language, and attempt to decipher it!

With Interstellar Age technology, as long as there was enough foundational data, deciphering a language would take mere minutes. Otherwise, there would be no way to communicate with the natives of countless planets!

"Judging from their route, this squad probably won't find my place. They seem to be heading for that Wild Boar Demon Beast instead?"

Fang Xing looked at the surveillance footage again and could not help rubbing his chin.

"Third Brother, what are you doing?"

Within the dense forest, the Burly Man saw Third Brother glancing at the sky from time to time and could not help cursing.

"Boss... I feel like something flew overhead. It wasn't a bird. Could it be some kind of Demon Beast?"

Third Brother wore a green robe. His eyes were bright, though he had a somewhat shifty look about him. He answered with concern.

"Hard to say. Everyone, be careful..."

The Burly Man touched the Beast Skin Pouch on his chest, gaining a little more confidence. "Pick up the pace. Once we gather the Vermillion Dragon Grass, we leave!"

The four immediately hastened forward and arrived at the edge of the Wild Boar Demon Beast's territory.

They had clearly made a plan. They waited in the grass for a long time as the sky gradually darkened.

Specks of multicolored light flitted about near the Bush Cluster.

At the edge of the Bush Cluster grew scattered herbs, crimson from stem to tip, their leaves thick and fleshy.

"Now!"

The Burly Man sprinkled Medicine Powder over himself to mask his scent, then he and his brothers stealthily stepped forward to pick the Vermillion Dragon Grass.

They moved quickly, as though they had received specialized training.

But unfortunately, Fang Xing saw through the surveillance feed that the Wild Boar Demon Beast, as massive as a small mountain, had somehow already arrived behind the four men.

Snort, snort!

Accompanied by the wild boar's distinctive snorting, an enormous Shadow suddenly charged out of the darkness. Violent Blood Spirit Light shone from its six tusks.

Pfft!

Two burly men failed to dodge in time. Before they could even draw their sabers and swords, they were impaled on the tusks, blood gushing wildly from their bodies!