Vajra Body was an extremely difficult martial art, and few people practiced it. It was rather obscure, so Lu Mengyue had failed to recognize it.
But judging by how it had blocked her slash,
Ning Chuan's body-tempering martial art was definitely at a high level.
Lu Mengyue's impression of Ning Chuan improved considerably once again.
Body-tempering martial arts had always been difficult to cultivate, requiring years of unwavering persistence and putting a cultivator's resolve to the test.
Many geniuses failed to achieve results with them.
Lu Mengyue said, "With Flash Thunder Slash at the Minute Subtlety Realm and a body-tempering martial art at that level, you have a chance at any of the Federation's top ten universities."
Ning Chuan shook his head and said, "Prestigious universities require at least the strength of the High Awakening Stage. I'm still a little short."
Awakening Stage Seven and above were known as the high stages.
They were a new level.
Strength would surge through the body like a spring, making one exceptionally powerful.
Even with a saber in hand, Ning Chuan wasn't confident he could defeat someone at Awakening Stage Seven. At best, he could avoid defeat.
"Combat strength isn't the only criterion for the college entrance exam. Those two martial arts of yours will earn you quite a few extra points,"
Lu Mengyue said.
Afterward, she and Ning Chuan chatted for a while about the college entrance exam.
They had grown much more familiar with each other over the past few days.
"Ning Chuan, there's something I'd like to say."
Lu Mengyue coughed lightly and said, "My Flash Thunder Slash has already reached the Proficiency Realm.
It'll be hard for it to undergo another qualitative change before the college entrance exam.
From now on, I'll be focusing on advancing to martial artist.
So we'll put the Flash Thunder Slash instruction on hold for now."
"No problem."
Ning Chuan nodded and readily agreed.
He had expected this day to come.
Even so, he couldn't help feeling a little regret.
A job that paid three thousand an hour wasn't easy to find.
Lu Mengyue looked at the middle-aged man at the edge of the field and said, "Uncle Yang, bring thirty thousand in cash and a vial of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution."
"Yes, miss."
The middle-aged man hurried away.
A few minutes later, he returned.
He held the money in one hand.
In the other, he held a test tube filled with a dark red liquid, with scattered bubbles rising through it.
It was the Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution.
"Give them both to Ning Chuan,"
Lu Mengyue instructed Uncle Yang.
Ning Chuan didn't rush to take them. He raised his eyes to Lu Mengyue.
Though he was short of money, he wouldn't accept charity.
He had principles of his own.
"Ning Chuan, you've earned these."
Lu Mengyue smiled and explained, "The thirty thousand yuan is a bonus for instructing me.
You helped me break through my bottleneck in just half a month. That's worth the money."
After a pause, she continued, "As for the Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution, it's compensation.
The fact that you have a body-tempering martial art is your own affair.
I failed to control my strength and struck you with my saber. That was my mistake.
One doesn't cancel out the other."
"Then thank you."
After a moment's thought, Ning Chuan accepted the money and the nutrient solution.
"Oh, there's one more thing."
Lu Mengyue seemed to remember something. "If you don't have anything important to do this weekend, you'd better stay home and not go out."
With that, Lu Mengyue turned to look at Uncle Yang and instructed him, "This time, escort Ning Chuan all the way to his door."
"Did something happen?"
Ning Chuan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
Lu Mengyue replied, "A spy has fled to Qingshan City."
"You mean Zhao Weiping?"
Ning Chuan recalled the morning news he had seen.
"Yes."
Lu Mengyue nodded. "The Qingshan City police will be conducting an intensive search for him this weekend.
He's an Official Martial Artist, with terrifying destructive power.
If you run into him outside, it could be very dangerous."
Ning Chuan agreed. "They need to catch him as soon as possible."
Qingshan City had a population of over ten million, and the crowds were especially dense downtown.
An uncontrolled martial artist was more dangerous than a bomb.
One moment of carelessness could lead to tragedy.
Lu Mengyue knew some inside information. After a moment's thought, she said, "If Zhao Weiping still hasn't been caught by the end of this weekend, the police department will draw martial arts teachers and some senior students from the city's key high schools to join the operation and assist in the search."
"Martial arts teachers are one thing, but wouldn't it be too dangerous for students?"
Ning Chuan looked at Lu Mengyue in puzzlement. "Do you mean high school students with the strength of a martial artist?
But there are only a few people like that in the whole city.
Besides, they might not be willing."
The gap between Peak Awakening Stage Nine and an Official Martial Artist was far greater than that between Awakening Stage Six and Awakening Stage Seven.
To exaggerate a little, it was an impassable chasm!
"No."
Lu Mengyue pondered for a moment. "Zhao Weiping has been seriously injured, and with the exhaustion of fleeing for his life, his strength has fallen drastically. People at the Awakening Stage aren't necessarily unable to fight him.
Besides, the reward for capturing Zhao Weiping is very generous."
"What reward?!"
Hearing this, Ning Chuan perked up.
His job instructing Flash Thunder Slash had ended, and he needed an opportunity to make money.
"I don't know, but there's one thing I'm quite sure of." Lu Mengyue chuckled. "Qingshan No. 1 High School only has ten spots."
"Then forget it."
Ning Chuan shook his head, letting go of his expectations without even asking how they would be selected.
As a key school in the city, Qingshan No. 1 High School had nearly twenty seniors at the eighth and ninth stages of the Awakening Realm. There was no way it would be his turn.
Nine o'clock that evening.
Living room.
Ning Chuan sat upright on the sofa, his eyes slightly closed as he sensed his own strength.
The Awakening Realm had nine stages, and each stage could be divided into four levels: early, middle, high, and peak.
Below the High Awakening Stage, however, people generally didn't make such fine distinctions.
After all, the gaps between the levels weren't particularly large.
Because Ning Chuan had eaten ferocious beast meat at every meal these past few days, he had progressed rapidly and was now firmly at the high level of the fourth stage of the Awakening Realm.
"A vial of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution officially costs 180,000 yuan. The energy it contains must be incredibly abundant. If nothing goes wrong, it'll be enough for me to break through to Awakening Stage Five."
Ning Chuan looked at the test tube on the coffee table, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Going from the fourth to the fifth stage of the Awakening Realm was only an ordinary advancement.
For him, however, it was a considerable qualitative change, noticeably greater than it was for other students who advanced.
The reason was simple enough.
Below Awakening Stage Four, breathing techniques tempered only the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh.
Upon reaching Awakening Stage Five, they could affect the internal organs, greatly increasing the body's capacity to withstand strain.
He could freely use various martial arts, such as Thousand Bones Combat Technique and Flash Thunder Slash, without worrying about their backlash causing him internal injuries.
"Right now, against someone at Awakening Stage Seven, I can only avoid defeat at best. Once I advance to Awakening Stage Five, things will be different!"
Confidence in his eyes, Ning Chuan picked up the Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution, opened his mouth, and drank it in one gulp.
The system's mechanically synthesized voice immediately sounded in his mind.
"Savage Bull Force has sensed a surge of energy and is extremely excited. Cultivation speed increased by 1,850%!"
An increase of nearly twentyfold.
Ning Chuan could sense how rapidly Savage Bull Force was tempering him.
A faint tingling sensation spread throughout his body.
It was entirely different from the feeling of eating ferocious beast meat.
You really did get what you paid for.
"Savage Bull Force is expected to exhaust the energy in 48 hours!"
Another notification sounded.
Ning Chuan was taken aback.
Even someone at the High Awakening Stage would need around ten days to exhaust a vial of Hundred Beasts Nutrient Solution.
When his martial arts cultivated automatically, their efficiency at absorbing energy was frighteningly high.
That was true of both Savage Bull Force and Vajra Body.
Coming back to his senses, Ning Chuan saw that he still had some time before bed. He took out his phone, selected a video of a match between fighters at the High Awakening Stage, and began studying it.
His martial arts could cultivate automatically, so he didn't need to worry about them. He could do other things.