Stone Lake Garden, Building 3, Apartment 2802.
Li Xianghua sat alone at home, scrolling on her phone.
[A murder occurred on Xishan Road yesterday, suspected to be caused by Void Things. Su City police have dispatched a special task force to investigate and hunt down the culprit. We remind the public: "Do not go out at night unless necessary; avoid deserted areas; personal safety comes first."]
"Void Things have appeared again…"
Worry filled her heart, and she hurried to make a call:
"Chenzhou, when are you coming home? Did you see the news?"
"Mom, I'm already at the door."
Lu Chenzhou pushed open the door, looked at his worried mother, and spoke apologetically.
"Sorry, Mom. I promise I'll come home early next time."
Li Xianghua said:
"I told your dad not to work overtime anymore. From now on, none of us are going out after dark until that Void Thing is caught. Nothing's more important than being safe."
Lu Chenzhou promised:
"Okay. I just went to the Martial Arts Academy today to get familiar, and got my Qi Blood tested again."
"So? Have you entered the rank?"
"First Rank, Qi Blood Value 1.33."
Li Xianghua broke into a relieved smile.
"I knew you could do it! Practicing at the Martial Arts Academy really does make a difference—this money wasn't wasted. I'll go tell your dad."
Lu Chenzhou took a shower and went back to his room to watch the news.
"As expected, it's a Virtual Disaster."
On the subway earlier, he'd seen the police in action. The whole city was probably tracking that monster now, hoping to deal with it quickly. People being on edge like this just isn't right.
Virtual Disasters have been around for ages.
Back in the old days, there were tales circulating about demons and ghosts—half true, half fabricated, always frightening. After New Da Xia was founded, the Martial Arts Association and scientists spent years studying the phenomenon, and finally discovered an unknown world they named:
Void Realm.
The Void Realm might not be a specific planet, but more like a subspace or inner world parallel to reality. Most of the time, the Void Realm and real world have nothing to do with each other, but at certain moments, they overlap, forming "nodes."
The Void Realm beings that slip out from these nodes are "Void Things." They possess supernatural powers, and only Martial Artists or certain technological means can kill them.
When ordinary people encounter Void Things, the chance of survival is extremely low. Martial Artists of First Rank fare a bit better. For one, their Qi-Blood is vigorous, so most Void Things don't bother them; two, they can run fast…
Void Things are elusive and unpredictable. Modern science has only managed to peel back a little of their mystery. Thankfully, their appearance isn't too frequent. Compared to Void Things, the authorities worry more about Black Knights who break the law with force, and cults—people are even scarier than demons and ghosts.
"That's why learning Martial Arts is so important!"
Lu Chenzhou hated the feeling of leaving his and his family's safety entirely in others' hands—even though the official Da Xia authorities were already doing everything they could to keep the peace.
From what he'd heard, some countries overseas lagged behind in technology and had no Martial Arts Experts; Void Disasters ran rampant and the governments had basically given up. That's hellish. Some governments even hid news of Virtual Disasters from the public, sealing off information to pretend all was well.
Later that evening, Lu Guoping came home.
Li Xianghua's voice sounded from outside.
"Chenzhou's entered the rank! I knew our kid could do it."
"That's great. Money well spent."
Lu Guoping stepped into Lu Chenzhou's bedroom.
"Are you asleep?"
"Not yet, Dad, what's up?"
"Bought you something."
He opened the door and placed a box on Lu Chenzhou's bed.
"Martial Arts Supplements from Factory Six. I bought them at the official store—use them with confidence. I have a colleague whose son goes to Martial Arts High School; their school supplement is this brand."
Lu Guoping stood in the doorway, looking tired and still carrying the scent of engine oil.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Your dad's nothing special, hasn't been able to give you great resources. You made it to the First Rank by your own hard work—that's real talent. Your mom and I talked; living in the Inner City isn't necessarily safer. When my next term is up, I'll take some money out from the bank, and keep paying for your classes at Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall—maybe even get a whole-year package."
"Dad, there's no rush. Don't buy more supplements for now, either—I've just entered the rank, and get enough nutrition from a normal diet. Taking this now is a bit wasteful."
"Understood. Go to bed early."
"Dad, remember to get a physical at the hospital in a few days—test your Qi Blood, too. At your age, if it's below 0.8, you need to be careful."
"Okay, I'll go get checked."
After seeing his son make First Rank, Lu Guoping's spirit improved a lot.
Li Xianghua kept saying if he didn't look after his health—or quit smoking—he might leave early, missing out on seeing his son become a Martial Artist, let alone enjoying his later years.
...
"Qi Boosting One Supplement."
Lu Chenzhou opened the medicine box—inside were only four blue bottles, each as thick as a thumb. He checked online: three thousand yuan each, twelve thousand for the box.
He stared at the instructions.
"This product is made from Jade Ginseng, Red Qi, Mountain Gui, White Qi, Schisandra… a total of 52 rare Chinese herbs, concocted with a formula researched by the Heavenly Doctor Saint Hand·Li Que team at Galaxy University, certified by the Martial Arts Pharmacist Association."
"Galaxy University?"
Same as Dragon City Martial Arts University, both part of the 24-school alliance.
Top-level Martial Arts Universities—you can't reliably get in with just intermediate root bone.
Heavenly Doctor Saint Hand·Li Que—now that's someone outstanding.
Rumor has it he's from a Martial Arts Family, with superb medical skills.
This one's lived for over three hundred years—no one knows how many shackles he's broken. For the record, Martial Artists who've broken First Shackles have an average lifespan of only two Jiazi.
The standards for Martial Arts Supplements are ridiculously strict. Big factory medicines are definitely reliable.
The label recommends taking one bottle at a time, best for those at Third Rank or higher. Lower-level cultivators can split a bottle into two doses, just store the rest sealed. After taking it, shadowboxing a few rounds helps the medicine circulate throughout the body and speeds up absorption.
"Best taken at the hour of the tiger tomorrow morning for optimal results."
Lu Chenzhou didn't want to waste a drop.
...
The next day, before dawn.
He drank the medicine, then made his way to the rooftop terrace.
Breathing the morning's fresh air, he felt completely refreshed.
"A lot of top Martial Arts Universities are built near famous mountains and great rivers, so students can get close to nature; breathe in the spiritual essence of the peaks, the refinement of sun and moon."
He didn't have that luxury.
He hadn't gotten into a Martial Arts University, and living in a valley wasn't convenient or safe anyway.
"Let's start with a round of Basic Boxing."
As the sky brightened, Lu Chenzhou punched with the wind, his footwork invisible. An intangible warmth flowed with his movement, coursing through his blood, his body full of endless energy; his mind felt sharper than usual. In short, he felt fantastic.
He finished one round in a single breath—still wanted more.
Usually, he'd feel worn out by now.
But today, he felt fine.
"This is the effect of the supplement—while I'm burning energy, it's nourishing my body and restocking nutrients. Whether in quality or efficiency, it's way better than normal food."
Lu Chenzhou used to look down a bit on "taking medicines."
Now? He had to admit—it was amazing.
Can't help but admire the power of technology.
If tech hadn't advanced so rapidly, Martial Arts wouldn't be thriving either.
Just like that, he practiced for an hour straight without stopping. When the warm current finally ran out, weariness hit both his body and spirit.
He knew it was time for a break.
Too much is as bad as too little.
He opened his Martial Arts Tree.
[Basic Boxing: Great Success (5%) → Great Success (6%)]
[Black Tiger Fist: Beginner (6%) → Beginner (8%)]
"This efficiency is seriously insane."
The Martial Arts Tree, Martial Arts Academy, Martial Arts Supplements, plus Lu Chenzhou's own effort—his cultivation speed was a world apart from before.
"It just costs too much. My family can't support this for long. I need to hurry and move up in rank, start earning my own money, and achieve a positive cycle."
Lu Chenzhou already had a plan in mind.
...
Time flew by.
A month and a half passed.
During this time, Lu Chenzhou's classes continued as normal. Before dawn, he still went to the track to practice. The new boxing teacher was a middle-aged man—not as skilled as Shi Ruyu.
But he was competent enough. There were still very few students, so Lu Chenzhou took the chance to ask the teacher for sparring, quickly increasing his proficiency in Basic Boxing.
The supplements were finished too.
Lu Guoping didn't work much overtime anymore. He got a checkup; thankfully, nothing major, Qi Blood Value 0.79—he was only forty this year.
With some conditioning, he could get back above 0.8.
He was also quitting smoking.
Lu Chenzhou hadn't booked more classes at the Martial Arts Academy for now.
Thirty lessons would fly by fast.
Anyway, the package was good for a year.
Shi Ruyu suggested he master Basic Boxing first; once he did, it'd be more effective to go study Ji Xuantong's advanced techniques—learn faster, no wasted lessons.
No money means every penny counts.
On this day—
After practicing, Lu Chenzhou lay in bed.
He could feel his Qi-Blood rise yet again.
He looked at the Martial Arts Tree in his mind.
[Basic Boxing: Great Success (50%)]
He was halfway to Perfection, but what caught his eye most was that next to the green leaf for "Basic Boxing," a white flower bud had appeared.
"The Martial Arts Tree is blooming?"