Night fell, and a faint chill settled over Qingshan City.
Under Yu Weng's reluctant gaze, Ye Li exchanged contact information with him before they parted ways.
Then, led by Wang Yongfeng, he and Jiang Qingzhu quickly returned to the rather upscale downtown hotel.
"I knew you would win. That day, in your training room, I saw the number on that Punch Power Tester."
Amid Liu Yangde and the others' envious gazes, Jiang Qingzhu followed beside Ye Li and said seriously, "You had been hiding your strength all along."
"Indeed. Tang Yao should be ashamed that she never made me use my full strength."
Ye Li chuckled, then stopped outside his room. "Then, see you tomorrow."
He could hardly wait to allocate his points.
"Mm... see you tomorrow."
Jiang Qingzhu's eyes rippled, and her red lips pressed together lightly.
Ye Li nodded and casually shut the door.
Watching his figure disappear, Jiang Qingzhu took a deep breath. Ever since that day, whenever she looked up, she could see both the sky and his back. Both seemed equally far beyond her reach.
But she carried many things on her shoulders as well. No matter what, she should not give up so easily.
She had to catch up quickly.
Jiang Qingzhu encouraged herself inwardly. At the very least, his Martial Arts Level was not yet higher than hers. He probably would not catch up to her anytime soon.
"Alright, let's begin."
Inside the room, once silence had settled everywhere, Ye Li returned to the bed and sat cross-legged after washing up.
His white bathrobe swayed softly, and a trace of anticipation appeared on his handsome features.
[Current Malice Points: points. Treasured Artifacts can be drawn]
It was the first time he had seen such an enormous number.
It was like receiving a salary of over ten thousand for the first time after becoming an adult—he was somewhat unsure how to spend it.
Defeating Tang Yao did not mean everything was settled.
A new round of trials was approaching.
According to Yu Weng, not only might the several hundred Martial Science Students of Qingshan First High School make a comeback in this Martial Exam, but several so-called geniuses from Shanzhou City would also come knocking.
Another great battle was clearly on the horizon.
The several hundred from Qingshan First High School were nothing to fear. With his terrifying endurance, Ye Li had no fear of those weak-legged shrimp who lacked even the slightest coordination.
The only threat worth watching was the one from Shanzhou City.
As the provincial capital of Ying Province, Shanzhou City was rich in resources, and the Martial Dao culture was the most flourishing among Ying Province's twelve cities.
Shanzhou First High School had naturally become the top Martial Arts High School in Ying Province with the highest advancement rate.
There were students there hailed as geniuses.
Though Yu Weng had not explicitly stated their exact strength, they surely would not be much weaker than Tang Yao. They might even be stronger.
Before he possessed the combat power to crush those people, he truly could neither eat nor sleep in peace.
"Truly high returns, high risks..."
Ye Li said with what seemed like a teasing smile.
He knew very clearly that, following his path of development, a single failure along the way could lead to tremendous losses.
Some would be material losses, and some spiritual.
Therefore, he had to eliminate any possibility of that happening.
Ye Li slowly exhaled and summoned the panel.
It had to be said that he had stayed at Second-Tier Level One for long enough.
He had long since had enough of all the red tape. It was time for a so-called eruption after long accumulation!
[Current Malice Points: points. Treasured Artifacts can be drawn]
Since he had already maxed out the S-Grade Breathing Technique, there was no reason not to try allocating points to his cultivation.
Come on, my persistence and hard work!
[Ding!] [Beginning to consume Malice Points and continuously increase cultivation!] [Through your previous bitter training, your understanding of the S-Grade Breathing Technique "White Mist Frost Snow" has reached the point where you can recite it backward with perfect fluency. This has greatly improved your control over true qi, accelerating its fusion with your meridians...] [Gain Buff: Cultivation Speed Increased by 400%] [Your cultivation speed is like that of a legendary race car driver who had been banned for many years, then one day was suddenly told he could drive fast again—racing a top-class car at full speed!] [New Achievement Unlocked: Drifting Through Turns] [Drifting Through Turns: No matter how fast the vehicle you drive is going, it will not roll over because of drifting] [The Granny Adachi Ken who once raced wildly down this road was sent flying by you, and your cultivation began to rise at breakneck speed!] [After consuming 1,000 Malice Points, you have used pure true qi to temper all the meridians in both arms. Your meridians radiate a jade-like luster, naturally strengthening your body and raising your vitality and blood...] [You have successfully advanced to Second-Tier Level Three] [With sufficiently high mastery over true qi, your recovery speed for true qi far surpasses martial artists of the same level. This has made you increasingly adept at the cultivation methods of the Jade Veins Realm] [Gain Buff: Cultivation Speed Increased by 20%] [After consuming 3,000 Malice Points, you mobilized all the true qi in your body and tempered every meridian in your torso. The functions of your five viscera and six bowels were enhanced accordingly. Among them, your kidneys improved the most. While tempering your meridians, you seemed to favor them more, giving them forty percent of the vitality and blood fed back to you...] [You have successfully advanced to Second-Tier Level Six]
What utter nonsense. Ye had always treated his five viscera and six bowels equally. How could he possibly favor one organ over another?
At most, the kidneys' role in promoting blood production was beneficial for the future Third Order True Blood Realm, so he had merely done so out of necessity!
Words continued appearing across the light screen.
[After consuming 5,000 Malice Points, you circulated the true qi throughout your body with unmatched skill. Every meridian in your limbs and bones was tempered, your body's meridians underwent a complete transformation, and a rich fragrance like that of a precious medicine drifted from within you...] [You have successfully advanced to Second-Tier Level Nine!] [After consuming 8,000 Malice Points, you have completely mastered your explosively increased strength. Your powerful muscles and bones have made your body far stronger than before, and the blood inside you has begun to show signs of transformation...] [You have officially stepped into the Second-Tier Peak!] [This increase consumed a total of 8,000 Malice Points, equivalent to more than ten years of your normal bitter cultivation.] [Current Malice Points: points]
As the final line of text appeared, Ye Li felt his limbs and bones grow hot.
The tide of true qi within him surged restlessly, rising in great waves before racing through his meridians far faster than before.
He clenched his fist slightly, and surging true qi poured out from within him at astonishing speed.
If he used martial techniques, their speed would absolutely be several times faster than before.
Ye Li looked at his slender palm, delight flashing through his dark eyes.
Sure enough, choosing to raise his cultivation only after maxing out the Breathing Technique had been the correct decision.
He remembered that he had once spent eight years in bitter cultivation just to rise from First-Tier Level Five to First-Tier Level Eight.
Now, after consuming only a little over ten years of bitter cultivation, he had risen from Second-Tier Level One to the Second-Tier Peak.
Although this cultivation speed still lagged behind those geniuses, compared to when he had first crossed over, it was like trading a birdshot rifle for a cannon.
Beneath his smooth skin lay crystal-clear, jade-like meridians. They were no longer as fragile as before, and they had strengthened his body as well.
Even the blood surging through his body, nourished by those completely transformed meridians, had several drops faintly gleaming with mysterious golden light, unlike before.
He had blasted apart so many people and revealed his sharp edge.
This was what he deserved.
"..."
Ye Li exhaled a breath of clear air, not at all lost.
He knew this was what the next stage on the path to heaven of the Martial Dao required—the Third Order True Blood Realm.
Once every drop of blood in his body showed faint golden light, it would mean he had officially stepped into the True Blood Realm.
The improvement of low-tier martial artists was, at its core, the gradual transformation of the body.
And good Breathing Techniques and Refinement Methods could accelerate that transformation.
Once he found a suitable Refinement Method, Ye Li would most likely be able to max it out directly.
With that thought, his gaze turned to the panel. The number on it was still quite ample.
[Current Malice Points: points]
Although he had yet to find a suitable Refinement Method, he could still try using the clumsy method to break through to a level close to the True Blood Realm.
With a thought from Ye Li, vast Malice Points once again poured into the panel.
Before you continue