CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 39: THE ZHAO CLAN’S INVITATION

Zhou Leng ran forward, his mind filled with details of Xu Kang’an’s body while running.

Completely different from those classmates who relied on pills to forcefully advance to the Blood Transporting Period.

Xu Kang’an’s posture was extremely stable, with almost no unnecessary swaying.

Most importantly, under the skin of Xu Kang’an’s calves, along the direction of the blood vessels, there appeared very faint purple lines.

This was a sign of True Qi merging into the blood and naturally operating within it.

During the early Blood Transporting Period, the skin turns slightly purple.

Qi Nourishing looks at breathing, blood transportation looks at skin color.

Zhou Leng slightly estimated that both his palm technique and footwork were top-notch.

In next Monday’s top sixteen actual combat assessment, even if his True Qi and physical strength were slightly lacking, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage compared to others in the Blood Transporting Period.

Xu Kang’an was different.

The realm was solid, strength was solid, and crucially, he often frequented Demon City, with a family having a Martial Arts background, inevitably finding practical sparring partners, possibly having ten times the actual combat experience compared to himself.

However, he originally had no expectations for the actual combat assessment.

His goal was to be first in the monthly exam.

After running for a while, Zhou Leng accelerated for the second time, realizing the True Qi was depleting too fast, he slightly slowed down.

The mountain path was rugged, with the burden on his body, Zhou Leng was covered in sweat, occasionally drinking water to replenish.

Zhou Leng focused fully on running, once the navigation indicated the destination, he looked around.

Desolate countryside, at the foot of the green mountain.

A brand-new wooden sign stood ahead, with three crooked characters engraved on it.

Run Back.

"Beast..."

Zhou Leng finally understood why something felt off earlier.

One way was 20 kilometers.

What about returning?

There wasn’t even a car here.

It was basically a full gear marathon both ways.

Zhou Leng shook his head, turned around, and ran back, his speed dropping sharply.

True Qi was running low.

Zhou Leng looked up and saw, in the distance, more than twenty people in the second wave running towards here.

As they got closer, Lu Juncai waved at Zhou Leng and yelled, "What’s going on? We have to run back?"

Zhou Leng nodded.

Even though everyone in the second wave had taken supplements yesterday and were in the Blood Transporting Period, they were still angry and cursed softly.

Zhou Leng kept running back, continuously encountering classmates from various classes, all going from confused to shocked to cursing, all the same.

Before long, Zhou Leng encountered an instructor driving.

Deng Zhijue on the car threw out two bottles of pure water, which Zhou Leng caught.

"Thank you, instructor." Zhou Leng said.

As they passed by, Deng Zhijue looked ahead and softly said, "Still not pushed to the limit."

Soon after, Zhou Leng met the main team of Feng Wenhao and Wei Hong, more than a hundred people, accounting for half of four classes.

They were running leisurely, chatting and laughing.

When Zhou Leng approached, everyone was initially puzzled, then their faces darkened like soy sauce had been smeared all over them.

Wei Hong shouted, "Zhou Leng, what’s the matter? Wasn’t it 20 kilometers?"

"Yes, 20 kilometers there, and 20 kilometers back." Zhou Leng said.

In an instant, over a hundred people understood, causing an uproar and a wave of curses.

"Beast instructor! Beast Martial Arts Hall!"

Feng Wenhao said with a bitter face, "No wonder they gave us Marching Pills, not out of kindness, it’s to prevent us from dying of exhaustion on the way."

"Reversed!" Wei Hong shouted.

"Liang Mountain is 800 kilometers from here."

"Forget it."

Zhou Leng ran back to the Martial Arts Hall alone and signed in.

First place.

Immediately received the Pill Voucher.

Zhou Leng took a shower and then wearily headed to the cafeteria to eat.

Zhou Leng got a meal once, finished it, and got another, by the third time, the cafeteria aunt was too lazy to shake her hand, scooping a generous spoonful of braised beef for Zhou Leng with each scoop.

Altogether, he ate seven lunches, and Zhou Leng breathed a sigh of relief.

Comfortable.

Free meal coupons are truly amazing.

Next month, I must continue to strive for free meal coupons.

Zhou Leng sat and scrolled his phone for a while, opening a video Uncle Li posted on his Moments yesterday.

In the video, the scene rotated, at the dining table, Uncle Li and several uncles of similar age were eating barbecue, singing bold songs, each with a flush on their faces.

Someone was leaning on a crutch beside the chair, patting the table with both hands, shaking his head and nodding.

A person in sparring attire had a black eye patch covering the left eye, tapping the rim of the cup with chopsticks.

A person in escort uniform was quiet, with a gentle smile, lightly nodding.

...

These people were comrades of his father and Uncle Li, and they all gave gifts.

Electronic photo albums, rice cookers, were all given by them.

Every so often, they would go to Demon City to hunt demons, sharing more than half of their income with the families of fallen comrades.

Zhou Leng was also one of the beneficiaries.

Zhou Leng liked the video, then left the school, bought some meat to have it chopped by the vendor, then purchased a big cabbage, along with four boxes of cooked rice, first went to the village’s old house to get cleaned cooking utensils, and headed straight to the Frost Giant Tree.

Under the tree, after training, he threw the meat chunks into the pot to stew, when it was almost cooked, he opened the cabbage, discarded the outer parts, tore the clean inner leaves into pieces and threw them in, when it was about to be served, he poured in the rice, sprinkled seasonings, and devoured it after serving.

Making do with the meal.

Huang was drooling beside him.

After eating, Zhou Leng petted Huang for a while, spread his hands, and said, "Huang, you are already a big dog, you have to learn to earn money to buy your own meat."

Huang looked at Zhou Leng with confusion.

Zhou Leng poured dog food into Huang’s bowl, patted Huang’s head, packed up the pot, bowls, and utensils.

Zhou Leng looked around, but unfortunately, there was no water here, so he could only return to the village’s old house to wash.

Back in the day, the family left a single-story house in the village, Zhou Leng occasionally went to clean it, but generally didn’t stay there.

Huang sat beside the dog food, gazing into the distance, contemplating his life as a dog.

Zhou Leng continued his cultivation, returning to the old house in the morning to wash dishes, then trained, and headed to the martial arts hall for the second military training session.

As the time arrived, the figure of Class 01’s chief instructor, Deng Zhijue, appeared once again.

"Today’s military training project has only one point."

All the students were unmoved, their eyes vacant.

"Climb the winding road of Ruge Mountain Park, ten round trips."

Ruge Mountain is over three hundred meters high; ten round trips are almost equivalent to climbing Mount Tai twice in one day.

Mount Tai excels in nurturing two types: those who can talk tough while climbing up, and those who have wobbly legs when coming down.

All students’ gazes fluctuated intensely, quietly forming two words.

Beast.

"Today’s top ten rewards are five Great Nourishing Pills, with an extra five for the first place, along with a meat herbal cuisine meal."

Except for Zhou Leng, not a single student was moved.

Their hearts were already dead.

Under the oppressive training by the beastly instructors, the new martial arts hall students continued their nightmare military training.

One day, two days, three days...

Friday night.

New capital of Dragon Country, Xiong City.

Yunhua Martial Arts Academy, along with many institutions, relocated from the old capital here, constructing a replica of the old site, and surrounded by massive martial arts dojos, enclosing the entire academy.

Inside the martial arts dojo for freshmen.

Zhang Xinglie squatted on the ground, lifting a 500-kilogram demonized barbell, slowly stood up straight, and gently placed the barbell on the squat rack.

Heaving deep breaths.

He looked at his bulging muscles, then glanced at the "500 kilograms" lettering on the barbell, exhaling heavily.

No True Qi, 500-kilogram squats, four sets, each set 20 reps, challenge completed.

His highest record for squats without True Qi, exceeds 1000 kilograms.

But daily squat training, 500 kilograms has reached the limit.

Zhang Xinglie looked towards other classmates.

In the class, half of the 20 classmates were doing 800-kilogram weight training, charging towards the 1000-kilogram daily weight training.

The other half, like him, were still challenging the 500-kilogram daily weight training.

Talent, no difference.

Effort, no difference.

Focus, no difference.

Intelligence, no difference.

Physicality, no difference.

Wealth is the only difference.

Upon arriving at Yunhua, Zhang Xinglie realized that half of Yunhua classmates, not only were equal to him in various aspects, but consumed pills worth millions or even billions annually.

Zhang Xinglie himself came from a normal family, earning all pills and extra income from elementary to high school through his talent and strength.

Especially during the three years of high school, earning various awards, scholarships, and grants, his annual pill consumption exceeded three million.

But it still wasn’t even half the cost of most classmates’ pills.

"To enter Yunhua’s first echelon, I must get into the Elite Training Camp. There’s still a few months left, I have to secure it!"

Zhang Xinglie took a short rest, slowly walked outside, preparing for a night run.

At that moment, a classmate walked over, smiling and greeted him, "Zhang Xinglie."

Zhang Xinglie smiled back and replied, "Zhao Le."

Besides recruiting martial arts students, Yunhua Martial Arts Academy also recruits students from various disciplines such as the humanities and arts, with most humanities students pursuing martial arts research.

Zhao Le is a humanities student at Yunhua, from the Divine Literature Academy, living next door to Zhang Xinglie’s dormitory.

"Talk while running," Zhao Le said.

"Okay."

Zhao Le ran behind Zhang Xinglie, speaking as they ran, "Have you secured a spot in the Elite Training Camp?"

Zhang Xinglie shook his head and said, "Such top training camps have half the spots decided upfront, while the other half, only a few can get in. I’m merely a candidate; to secure a spot, I must keep working hard."

Zhao Le sighed and said, "Your talent, even at Yunhua, is top-notch. Unfortunately, cultivation resources haven’t kept up; no pills, no guidance from a Grandmaster. Otherwise, you’d easily secure a spot."

"It doesn’t matter; even if I don’t get a spot, I can still continuously cultivate," Zhang Xinglie said without a hint of regret in his tone.

"However, it will eventually slow your path."

"Some things cannot be rushed," Zhang Xinglie glanced at Zhao Le.

Zhao Le smiled and said, "Then I won’t beat around the bush. Tomorrow, the Third Young Master of the Zhao family is hosting a banquet specifically inviting young elites from Xiong City; would you grace us with your presence?"

"Which Third Young Master of the Zhao family?"

"In this world, there’s only one Zhao family that can be called ’Zhao Family’.

"Zhao Clan?" Zhang Xinglie’s eyes trembled.

"Naturally. The only person known as the Third Young Master of the Zhao family is the third son of the current Patriarch of the Zhao family, Zhao Tong."

Zhang Xinglie sighed and said, "Zhao Clan, a truly top martial clan. Back in the days, my friends and I, including Zhou Leng, would pay homage to the Three Saints of Mount Tai."

Wu Duanxiong, Wan Yumin, Zhao Dongjun.

"The martial saints of the old generation of the Human Race have either fallen or been severely wounded, as the clans declined. Yet, Saint Zhao has been in closed training for years, and the Zhao Clan’s reputation endures. The current Patriarch of the Zhao family has reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm, reportedly gearing up to ascend to Martial Saint soon."

Zhang Xinglie said, "In the month I’ve been in Xiong City, I’ve frequently heard of the Zhao family’s renowned name."

"Through my recommendation, Third Young Master Zhao learned of your extraordinary talent and your yearning for extreme martial arts and developed a fondness for it. He said that talents like you should naturally secure a training camp spot."

Zhang Xinglie fell silent.

Zhao Le pressed on enthusiastically, "You’re not the only one attending this banquet; there’s Zhuang Wenhua, ranked seventh in the national freshman list, Qi Daosheng at thirty-fourth, Yue Weiguo at forty-second. As for other talents, they are countless."

Zhang Xinglie sighed, "Unfortunately, I have something very important tomorrow and must return to Rucheng, so I won’t make it to the banquet."

"Rucheng? What’s more important than Third Young Master Zhao."

"Matters concerning my brother."

"You’re quite a loyal person, but does this loyalty truly outweigh Third Young Master Zhao’s invitation?"

Zhang Xinglie smiled without answering.

Zhao Le said, "After all, you’re not a local in Xiong City. You don’t fully grasp the power of martial clans and the Zhao family. To Third Young Master Zhao, getting a spot in the Elite Training Camp is as easy as a word."

Zhang Xinglie said, "I might not be well-versed about other martial clans, but the Zhao Clan, it’s different. I grew up reading the Miscellaneous Collection of Zhao Dongjun; our admiration for Saint Zhao is unimaginable to ordinary people."

"Since you admire Saint Zhao so much, why not accept Third Young Master Zhao’s invitation?"

"How should I say this? Perhaps it’s because I admire Saint Zhao too much that it feels somewhat unreal."

"Now, this opportunity is right before you. Today’s choice will decide how far you can go in the future."

Zhang Xinglie said, "Please extend my apologies to Third Young Master Zhao, saying I have urgent matters to return to Rucheng. If I abandon my brother for Third Young Master Zhao, then I could also abandon Third Young Master Zhao for someone else, don’t you think?"