Early the next morning, Shen Qingqiu drove Jiang Lan to the gates of the Ultimate Dao Martial Academy.
"Call me when classes are over. I'll pick you up."
"Got it, Auntie."
Jiang Lan got out of the car and headed toward the academy gates.
Unlike the accelerated class, the other students attended regular classes from Monday to Friday.
It was Wednesday, and plenty of students were gathered around campus in little groups.
Jiang Lan walked to the teaching building and took the elevator to the fifth floor.
He pushed the door open and entered. Everyone else was already there.
Chu Yun was the first to spot Jiang Lan, and he immediately grinned.
"You're here, bro! Don't run off again today. You promised to treat us after class."
Jiang Lan smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."
"Then it's settled." Chu Yun rubbed his hands together eagerly. "I've been starving for two days, waiting for this meal."
Beside him, Lu Qingshan adjusted his glasses and said flatly,
"When aren't you hungry?"
"Get lost. What would a bookworm know?"
Jiang Lan sat down and glanced around at the others in the classroom.
They were the same as ever.
Noticing Jiang Lan's gaze, Mo Han turned and gave him a slight nod.
He still wore that deadpan expression, but at least there was no hostility on his face anymore.
Jiang Lan nodded back.
Before long, the classroom door opened again.
Xiao Feng walked in, his hair cropped short.
At the sight of him, everyone greeted him in unison.
"Good morning, Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Feng nodded, swept his gaze around the room, and finally settled on Jiang Lan.
"Jiang Lan, I told you to pick out a martial technique at the Library Tower last time. Have you gone yet?"
Jiang Lan felt a wave of embarrassment.
He had been so focused on leveling up and hunting ferocious beasts these past two days that he had completely forgotten about the martial technique.
"Not yet. I'll go after class."
Xiao Feng gave a slight nod.
"Your priority now is to learn a martial technique as soon as possible. The technique itself is secondary. The main thing is learning to master your body-coordination and control. Brute force alone won't get you far in the long run."
Hearing that, Jiang Lan recalled his fight with the Ironback Wolf King yesterday.
He really had relied on brute force.
He had only won because he was tough enough to wear it out.
Otherwise, he could never have killed the Ironback Wolf King.
If he learned proper techniques for applying his strength, perhaps he wouldn't have to struggle so much.
"I understand, sir."
Xiao Feng gave him an approving look.
"All right, let's begin. Today's lesson is basic physical combat training. Follow my movements."
Everyone stood up.
Then Xiao Feng demonstrated the movements at the front while the others copied him.
The movements didn't look difficult, but once Jiang Lan actually tried them, he found them incredibly awkward.
Although his speed and strength far surpassed everyone else's, he was nowhere near as agile as they were in this respect.
He could distinctly feel that he wasn't managing to put his strength to use.
It was as though he had all this power and nowhere to direct it.
The three-hour lesson flew by. Before Jiang Lan knew it, it was over.
When time was up, Xiao Feng didn't linger. He merely glanced at Jiang Lan and said,
"Don't forget to visit the Library Tower."
"Don't worry, sir."
As soon as Xiao Feng left, Chu Yun bounded over.
"Come on, come on! Let's eat first. I'm starving."
Jiang Lan looked at Chu Yun, then at the others.
"Is everyone coming?"
Bai Yu stood up, smoothed her hair, and said calmly, "Yes."
Liu Shiyu nodded too, smiling. "Yep, I'm coming."
"Someone's treating us. Of course I'm coming." Lu Qingshan closed his book and stood up.
Mo Han was silent for a moment, then finally rose as well.
The six of them left the teaching building together. With Chu Yun leading the way, they arrived at a food street outside the academy's west gate.
Shops lined both sides of the street, almost all of them restaurants, most serving fast food.
They catered to students, so the prices were fairly low, but there was plenty of variety.
Chu Yun knew his way around and led them straight into a barbecue restaurant.
"I'm a seasoned foodie. You can't go wrong following my lead!"
Once inside, they sat around a large table.
Chu Yun wasted no time picking up the menu.
"Give us ten big kidney skewers, two plates of grilled garlic chives, two dozen oysters, ten each of the guns, bullets, and cannons, and two dozen beers. I'll take another look before ordering the rest."
Lu Qingshan adjusted his glasses.
"I envy your wife."
Jiang Lan was speechless.
With that many virility boosters, isn't he worried he'll give himself a nosebleed?
Grumbling inwardly, Jiang Lan quietly checked the prices on the menu beside him and breathed a sigh of relief.
Not bad. It wasn't expensive.
No matter how much Chu Yun could eat, a hundred credit points would cover it.
A little while later, all the food and drinks arrived.
Chu Yun eagerly grabbed a kidney skewer, making Jiang Lan frown.
Doesn't that taste awfully gamey?
Chu Yun flicked the cap off a beer bottle with his finger, took a long swig, and let out a deep sigh.
"Damn, that hits the spot!"
Jiang Lan picked up a beef skewer and took a bite.
Hmm, not bad at all.
He could accept Chu Yun's claim to being a seasoned foodie now.
After a few bites, Chu Yun suddenly asked curiously,
"Jiang Lan, did you really never train in martial arts before?"
Jiang Lan shook his head.
"No. Before I awakened, I was just an ordinary person."
"Damn, that's impressive," Chu Yun said around a mouthful of grilled meat. "An ordinary guy awakens, and just over a week later, he's already crushing those of us who've trained for years. Isn't that infuriating?"
"You can't compare talent," Lu Qingshan said, adjusting his glasses. "Special talents never follow the usual rules anyway."
Bai Yu barely spoke. She quietly ate the grilled vegetables in front of her, occasionally looking up at the others as they chatted.
Jiang Lan noticed that her plate was almost entirely vegetables, with only a few beef skewers and no staple food at all.
Being a mature beauty was bound to be painful.
Maintaining her figure probably wasn't easy.
Liu Shiyu held a drink in both hands and took little sips. Watching Chu Yun wolf down his food, she couldn't help laughing.
"Slow down, Chu Yun. Nobody's going to steal your food."
"You don't get it. Big mouthfuls are what make this stuff satisfying."
Halfway through the meal, Chu Yun suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously,
"Have you heard? Apparently, the academy's organizing a field combat assessment next month."
"A field combat assessment?" Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I think we'll be fighting out in the wilderness. I don't know the details either. I heard it from an upperclassman." Chu Yun wiped his mouth. "Apparently, anyone who does well can get extra resources as a reward."
Extra resources as a reward.
Jiang Lan's eyes lit up.
If it's blood essence, that would be perfect.
What he needed most right now was blood essence. If he could get more, he could level up even faster.
"When is it happening?"
"Not sure. Maybe around the middle of next month," Chu Yun said. "Mr. Xiao should let us know when the time comes."
Jiang Lan nodded and made a mental note of it.
A little while later, the meal ended with everyone happy.
It cost a little more than he had expected, but it was only a hundred and thirty credit points.
Pocket change.