The Match

Chen Yiming returned to the martial arts school that afternoon.

Chen Yiming was in high spirits, brimming with energy.

After going home at noon, he had cut off a small piece of Black Boar Meat and stir-fried it with green peppers.

It was his first time eating Mutated Beast meat. Though it was the cheapest kind, his body still felt warm, as if someone had stoked a fire inside him.

Wang Bowen picked up a wooden sword, stepped in front of the students, and announced:

"Another student has completed his first physical transformation today: Chen Yiming, who joined us just a month ago. The rest of you need to keep at it. For this afternoon's training session, we'll practice in pairs."

"Zhang Youde against He Jiasheng."

"Zhao Jingru against Liang Lele."

"Chen Yiming, you've just broken through and need to get used to your new body. I'll practice with you."

The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly.

The students were basking in the courtyard, enjoying a little warmth in the cold winter air.

At Wang Bowen's announcement, more than a few felt a pang of jealousy. Senior Brother Wang had never sparred with them. Outside the regular training sessions, he rarely even spoke to them.

Zhang Youde shot his younger companion a vicious glare, his face dark. He said nothing.

For students from martial arts families, their greatest strength was not personal training but making friends and building connections.

His companion's attempt to be clever had offended a promising future Core Disciple. The two sides might not become bitter enemies over it, but becoming friends would be difficult.

The companion stood rooted to the spot, trembling with fear.

The speed at which Chen Yiming had completed his First Body Metamorphosis was a slap in his face.

His supposedly reasonable analysis had not only embarrassed Zhang Youde but also offended every other student.

Some students were full of regret, blaming themselves for letting a little provocation cloud their judgment.

They were all fellow students, most of them under twenty, and they had their pride. They would not swallow it and apologize. At worst, they would go their separate ways from now on.

Liang Lele was beaming as she teased Zhao Jingru again:

"See? I called it. Chen Yiming might not be as good as the eldest senior brother, but he's still a little genius. He'll probably become a Core Disciple someday. It's easier for a girl to win a boy over, so go for it."

Beside her, Zhao Jingru forced herself to look calm and kept up her cool demeanor:

"If you're so interested, go yourself. I've completed one physical transformation too, and I'm not even twenty yet. Training is what matters to me right now."

In truth, she regretted what had happened. But her pride would not let her throw herself at him, unless he were someone like the eldest senior brother, Lin Yixuan—handsome and powerful.

Of course, if Chen Yiming pursued her, she could overlook their unpleasant history. She would test his patience thoroughly before deciding whether to be his girlfriend.

Ordinary students were judged by different standards from students born into a Martial Arts Family. Most ordinary students only began proper training after entering a martial arts school.

Chen Yiming completed his First Body Metamorphosis in a month. Barring any surprises, he would probably reach the level of a Third Body Metamorphosis within a year or two.

Completing three physical transformations by twenty was unquestionably outstanding among the students. Even among East Lake City's younger generation, he might not match the top-tier geniuses, but he would certainly count as a rising star in the second tier.

Zhang Youde came from a Martial Arts Family and had enjoyed a steady supply of training resources since childhood. He had begun training at fifteen, completed his First Body Metamorphosis at sixteen, and his Second Body Metamorphosis at nineteen. At that pace, he would complete his Third Body Metamorphosis at around twenty-four.

Before the Third Body Metamorphosis, the human body stopped developing completely at around twenty-three or twenty-four. After that, it began to decline slowly, making breakthroughs harder.

In other words, Zhang Youde's potential would take him no further than three physical transformations. If a bottleneck delayed him by a year or two, he might not even fulfill that potential.

Zhao Jingru was an ordinary student. She had entered the martial arts school at sixteen, in her first year of high school, and it had taken her three years to complete her First Body Metamorphosis at nineteen. Her Second Body Metamorphosis was still nowhere in sight.

Most of the school's other students were in much the same position. Apart from Zhang Youde, who had completed two physical transformations, most had completed one. A handful who had only recently joined had yet to complete even their first.

Chen Yiming and Wang Bowen stood facing each other with swords in hand. The other students found their partners and began sparring.

Wang Bowen did not start their match immediately. "Junior Brother Chen, things were rushed this morning, so I didn't have time to explain properly."

He took a moment to collect his thoughts, then said carefully:

"After your First Body Metamorphosis, your body needs a different amount of energy than before. I'm sure you've felt it yourself. Those who can afford it usually replace the staple food in every meal with Mutated Beast meat. Otherwise, you have to limit how hard you train to avoid damaging your body's foundations."

Hearing this, Chen Yiming considered his own situation.

Other people find that ordinary meat doesn't give them enough energy after one physical transformation. Why did I only start feeling that way after three?

Could adding points to my Swordsmanship talent have made my body develop in a way better suited to swordsmanship too?

The Martial Arts Talent System offered no explanation, so he could only guess that his level-one Swordsmanship talent was simply that powerful.

It mainly improved his understanding of Swordsmanship, but his physical talent must also have improved to some degree. His body digested and absorbed meat more efficiently than other people's.

At the same time, Chen Yiming felt a growing urgency to make money.

According to his senior brother, maximizing his training efficiency meant replacing ordinary meat with Mutated Beast meat.

Even the cheapest Black Boar Meat cost two hundred yuan a pound. With his appetite, he needed three to five pounds a day just to feel somewhat full.

When the Chen Family Restaurant had been operating normally, its monthly profit was only a little over ten thousand yuan. For now, his family could barely afford the expense of serving Black Boar Meat at every meal.

But after the tragedy that had befallen the girl's family at noon, he had again thought about moving his whole family into an apartment complex. The list of things he needed money for kept growing.

Wang Bowen glanced at the students who had already started sparring, then added:

"Training alone for long stretches gets monotonous. Without enough rest, it's easy to develop mental problems. In severe cases, you can even develop a psychological block that creates an obstacle to your training."

“When you rest, consider lighting a stick of Calming Incense. It can clear your mind and help you fall asleep quickly.”

Calming Incense was made with the excrement of a creature from the Otherworld. Ambergris on Blue Star had a similar effect, but it was nowhere near as potent.

The excrement was originally used as an ingredient in sedatives strong enough to affect martial artists, specifically for capturing large creatures from the Otherworld. In trace amounts, however, it could be made into incense.