「Honghe First Middle School, Principal’s Office.」
Zhang Qiming and Wang Wenhai sat facing each other, with a screen between them displaying so data.
"Xu Wuyi has been very stable recently. His progress with the Hundred Refinents lting Furnace is on track, even slightly ahead of schedule," Wang Wenhai reported. "His Life Energy Level is also increasing at a rapid pace. At this rate, reaching Level 15 before the college entrance exams shouldn’t be a problem."
Zhang Qiming nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. As long as he performs as usual, a spot in the provincial top ten is a sure thing. As for whether he can take first place..."
"Let’s not put too much pressure on him. As long as he does his best."
"I understand." Wang Wenhai nodded with a smile. "But that kid is truly hard on himself. All he does is train, aside from eating and sleeping. That tenacity... it’s not what you’d expect from a teenager."
"Children from poor families have to grow up fast. Besides, he’s truly experienced what it’s like to have no talent and no resources."
Zhang Qiming sighed, but then a smile returned to his face. "Still, being able to dedicate oneself to a single task is a talent in itself."
"I hear Yu Peiling is back. Her Life Energy Level is also exactly 14.2 now," Teacher Wang said suddenly, as if he had just rembered sothing.
The details of Yu Peiling’s special training in the provincial capital were mostly public. There was no need for much secrecy, as long as she kept one or two trump cards hidden.
"That’s right," Principal Zhang mused. "Half a year ago, or even just a few months back, who would have thought that Xu Wuyi’s Life Energy Level would actually match Yu Peiling’s?"
...
News that Yu Peiling had finished her special training in the provincial capital and returned to Red River United Middle School naturally reached Xu Wuyi’s ears.
In the past, he might have felt the urge to spar with her, to personally test the skills of Red River City’s once-undisputed genius.
But now, upon hearing the news, he only paused his training for a mont before imrsing himself in his cultivation once more.
’There’s no need.’
Xu Wuyi was well aware of his situation. The best strategy was to hide his strength and reveal as few of his trump cards as possible before the college entrance exams.
If he sparred with Yu Peiling, his Life Energy Level would be exposed regardless of whether he won or lost, and the news would likely spread.
On the other hand, he was currently pouring almost all of his energy into the final hurdle of the Hundred Refinents lting Furnace’s Beginner Stage—the tenth form, lting Furnace Boiling Blood.
This form was also an explosive burst, but it differed from the thod of the fifth form, Furnace Fla, which condensed Qi and Blood to a single point in pursuit of an ultimate, instantaneous explosion of power.
The core of lting Furnace Boiling Blood was not to strengthen a single attack, but to ignite the formless "lting Furnace" within his body, making it burn at full capacity through an extrely complex circulation of Qi and Blood.
By doing so, the condensed Qi and Blood would suffuse every inch of his muscles and bones, resulting in an all-around surge in his physical attributes.
Speed, strength, reflexes, defense... all would be elevated to a new level simultaneously for a short period.
It was an unconventional state of overload. The power was imnse, but the strain on the body was equally terrifying.
The circulation path for the Qi and Blood involved dozens of minute ridians. A deviation in even a single one could cause the Qi and Blood to flow in reverse, resulting in damaged ridians in a minor case, or injury to his internal organs in a severe one.
If not for the fact that cultivating the Hundred Refinents lting Furnace had made both his physical constitution and Qi and Blood Strength far superior to that of an ordinary person, it would have been utterly impossible for him to practice this form.
The difficulty of lting Furnace Boiling Blood was also imnse. Xu Wuyi had already spent two full days on it, yet he still hadn’t managed a single successful attempt.
"This isn’t right. It feels completely off," he muttered to himself. "The required precision for circulating Qi and Blood is too high, more complex than the previous nine forms combined. Just by fumbling through on my own, there’s no way I can master it in a short amount of ti."
He could feel himself making slow progress. Perhaps he could master lting Furnace Boiling Blood naturally in three or four months, but that wouldn’t be in ti for the college entrance exams.
’Looks like I’ll have to rely on so outside help.’
The legacy information he received when purchasing the Hundred Refinents lting Furnace had clearly stated that each stage ca with one complintary "Grandmaster Experience." This opportunity allowed the user to have an imrsive experience, to feel the subtleties of Grandmaster Yue Lianshan circulating this Cultivation Technique.
The legacy instructions stipulated that a Beginner must complete the first five forms before using this opportunity, otherwise it would be wasted.
Xu Wuyi hadn’t encountered any major bottlenecks before, so he had been saving this opportunity. It seed now was the perfect ti to use it.
Without hesitation, Xu Wuyi imdiately connected his consciousness and entered the Star Martial Battle Network.
"Confirm use of the Grandmaster Experience for Hundred Refinents lting Furnace (Beginner Stage)? After this session, your remaining uses for the Beginner Stage will be zero."
A system prompt appeared.
"Confirm."
Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and made his choice.
In an instant, he felt an irresistible force envelop his consciousness. The surrounding scenery blurred and distorted before dissolving completely into chaos.
After an unknown amount of ti—perhaps only an instant—his "perception" returned.
In a daze, Xu Wuyi felt his point of view being elevated to an infinite height.
It was no longer a first-person "I" that was cultivating; rather, like an omniscient observer, he could "see" everything inside his own body with absolute clarity.
He "saw" the ethereal form of the intangible lting Furnace, far more solid than he had ever perceived it himself. Its Furnace Fire raged, emitting a heart-stopping heat.
He "saw" his Qi and Blood, as dense as rcury, flowing ceaselessly through specific ridian pathways.
The Qi and Blood in this body was as vast as the sea and as solid as steel. It surged through the ridians, emitting a low rumble like a mighty river.
’Is this the body of Grandmaster Yue Lianshan?’
’Or is it a simulation of a body in the perfect state for the Beginner Stage of the Hundred Refinents lting Furnace?’
Xu Wuyi compared it to his own current body and felt that he was lacking far too much. They weren’t even on the sa level.
’The total volu of Qi and Blood in this body wasn’t imnse, but a single punch from it could completely shatter his own. This was an absolute gap in power, one that no amount of skill could ever bridge.’
Before Xu Wuyi could ponder it further, the body’s "instincts" took over.
It began with the first nine forms he had relentlessly practiced, starting with the first, Furnace Initial Burning. The movents were as fluid as moving clouds and flowing water, utterly natural and perfectly ford.
Every motion, every turn, condensation, and eruption of Qi and Blood was impeccably precise, as if it had undergone countless Refinents to beco an innate part of its very being.
Xu Wuyi’s consciousness was simultaneously that of an observer and a participant, imrsed in this perfect execution.
Many details from his own training that had been unclear to him were now laid bare as if under a magnifying glass, with not a single trace of ambiguity remaining.
The secrets of the first nine forms were branded deep into his consciousness with unprecedented clarity.
Finally, the demonstration reached the crucial tenth form.
Xu Wuyi held his "breath," his focus absolute.
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