The slanting sun hung high in the sky, one large and one small, shining over the Yangtze River.
North of the Yangtze River, Rucheng lay sprawled.
The martial arts field of Eighth Middle School was encircled by a red track and green turf, where students of Class Three Senior Year gathered together.
"Check the timer, press at the start, press again when your True Qi is exhausted... Ready... Qi manipulation... Run!"
At the command of the Martial Arts Committee Member, ten classmates shot out like arrows, sprinting with all their might along ten tracks.
"Go for it!" some classmates shouted loudly.
Zhou Leng, who had a good relationship with some classmates, was warming up, preparing to join as the second batch, walking leisurely to the starting line.
"They're running really fast."
"But, Qi manipulation run doesn't test speed; it tests the endurance of True Qi. The more abundant the True Qi, the longer the Qi manipulation run lasts, and the higher the score."
"Xu Qingjin truly lives up to being the Body Technique Class Representative; likely the first among them."
"Xu Qingjin's record for Qi manipulation run long broke 4 and a half minutes. What exactly was it?"
"4 minutes and 32 seconds," Zhou Leng said.
"If you hadn't encountered the Demon and gotten injured, you might be around that time too," Hu Yi said.
A few classmates looked at Zhou Leng with some sympathy in their eyes.
Zhou Leng looked at the green wristband on his left wrist and shook his head, "Not possible."
Three minutes later, the students in the Qi manipulation run gradually slowed down and raised their timers to report their times.
"Phew... I got 3 minutes 12.9 seconds."
"What's up, couldn't even break 3 and a half minutes?"
The classmate glared at his friend, gasping for breath as he walked over and handed the timer to Hu Yi at the side.
Subsequently, the students from the Qi manipulation run finished one after another, reported their times, and the Martial Arts Committee Member recorded each time.
"4 minutes and 39 seconds," Xu Qingjin's clear voice rang out.
"666..."
"First place for sure."
A bunch of classmates looked enviously at the girl in school uniform with slightly reddish cheeks, wearing a white short-sleeved top and blue shorts.
Her slightly chubby face was full of smiles, with bangs like catfish whiskers parted on both sides, and her ponytail gently swayed at the back of her head.
"Zhou Leng," Xu Qingjin came over and extended her right hand with a timer, "Don't push too hard, your health is important."
Zhou Leng nodded and took the timer.
"Ready," Martial Arts Committee Member Mo Hai said.
Zhou Leng and his classmates walked to the starting line, gently shaking their legs and feet.
"...Qi manipulation..."
Taking a deep breath, he operated the Mystic Tide Technique, and True Qi rose from the Dantian in the abdomen, surging towards his legs.
"Run!"
At the command, he pressed the timer and bolted from the starting line.
His feet hit the ground, pounding heavily.
The wind roared past his ears.
Zhou Leng focused entirely, his eyes clear, his face growing redder, and sweat began to trickle from his forehead.
His chest heaved greater, his face turning increasingly crimson, finally slowing down suddenly and pressed the timer.
While walking, he gasped for breath in big gulps, looking at the timer.
Zhou Leng raised the timer and said, "3 minutes 9 seconds."
Leaving the track, his legs trembled slightly.
Martial Arts Committee Member Mo Hai glanced at the record book in his hand and said, "Not bad, improved by 2 seconds again!"
"Go for it, Zhou Leng!" Xu Qingjin and classmates' gazes were warmer than the sunlight.
Zhou Leng nodded, moving forward slowly.
After calming his breathing, he stood still and closed his eyes.
His consciousness slowly shifted downward, finally arriving at the Dantian Qi Sea in the abdomen, sensing about thirty percent of the True Qi remaining.
The True Qi was still present, but his body couldn't handle it.
Zhou Leng took a slow, deep breath, quickly calming his mind.
Last week the doctor said that he could fully recover in at most half a year.
He gently shook his left wrist, and the green wristband swayed with it.
By then, he could take off this green wristband.
"This body, the physical exam scores for military academy are lacking, and the total score for Martial Arts University isn't enough. Hopefully, I can get into Ruda Affiliated Martial Arts Hall. The last few days... I'll push myself harder!"
Zhou Leng gazed at the martial arts field, his eyes firm.
"I got 3 minutes 32 seconds," Hu Yi said, then walked to Martial Arts Committee Member to glance at the record book, laughing as he came over.
"Your score improved by another two seconds; your physical recovery is visibly noticeable," Hu Yi encouraged.
Before long, Class Three completed the Qi manipulation run.
Ding ding ding...
The bell for dismissal rang out.
Classmates chatted as they walked towards the classroom.
At this time, the school broadcast started.
"...Wishing the seniors good luck..."
"...Just like previous years, Eighth Middle School set up rewards for the college entrance examination..."
The broadcast repeated over the past month, and like most classmates, Zhou Leng showed no interest.
Nothing to do with him.
"...Getting into Yunhua or Jinjing University rewards ten Qi Nourishing Pills, three Replenishing Essence Pills, and three Blood Cleansing Pills..."
"...Getting into Top Ten Martial Arts rewards three Qi Nourishing Pills and one Replenishing Essence Pill..."
"...At the same time, a Martial Arts Exam Progress Award is established. For each rank rise of ten thousand in the city, rewards one Qi Nourishing Pill..."
"...The one with the most progress exceeding thirty thousand ranks will be the Progress Champion, with an extra reward of one Replenishing Essence Pill, a self-chosen martial arts teaching video equivalent to one thousand war merits or contributions..."
"...Literary and physical exams have ended, next up is the martial arts exam..."
Hu Yi laughed, "The principal and their calculations are really precise. Even if someone's literary and physical exams are poor, and martial arts exams are excellent, who can suddenly rise thirty thousand ranks?"
"Maybe someone intentionally did poorly earlier to win this award," Feng Wenhao said.
"Anyone capable of manipulating scores in the college entrance exam wouldn't lack these pills, right? Going to military academy, going to Top Ten, which isn't more valuable than these? Moreover, the difficulty of controlling exam scores isn't generally high. If the manipulation fails, and you miss out on military school or Top Ten, won't the whole family regret it?"
"True."
"No one has ever claimed this Progress Champion Award. First the literary exam, then the physical exam, and lastly the martial arts exam. Those good at martial arts are generally good at physical exams too; they're already within thirty thousand ranks in the first two. How could anyone advance thirty thousand more?"
"But what if someone can progress thirty thousand ranks?"