"The principal and the others were ecstatic; advancing 30,000 ranks in the martial exam, what does that mean? The Eighth Middle School's reputation is skyrocketing, finally venting their spleen..."
The two chatted leisurely; Zhou Leng silently walked on, calculating the prices of various rewards in his mind.
Qi Nourishing Pills are 10,000 each, never had them since I was young.
Replenishing Essence Pills are 100,000 each, I did have one to recuperate from an illness.
Blood Cleansing Pills are 120,000 each, only seen them in the Martial Arts Mall.
"How many Qi Nourishing Pills did your mom prepare for you?" Hu Yi asked Feng Wenhao.
"Starting from the second year of high school, one per month. Ten days before the martial exam, one daily, and tomorrow I'll take a Replenishing Essence Pill."
"Tsk tsk, you're living in luxury, my family only prepared three Qi Nourishing Pills for the martial exam, purely to try our luck..." Hu Yi glanced at the silent Zhou Leng and quickly changed the subject, "Uh, how's your True Qi control? In terms of True Qi control, the two of us can't compare to Zhou Leng in our lifetime..."
Classmates gradually entered the classroom, the Martial Arts Committee Member Mo Hai went up to the podium.
"Next Monday is the last day of classes, and the martial exam is next Friday. I've discussed with the teachers and class committee, this Saturday and Sunday, as well as Tuesday to Thursday next week, every afternoon I will lead everyone in cultivation. Those who want to join, sign up with me."
"Count me in, count me in..."
Some students shouted.
"One at a time..."
Zhou Leng thought for a moment and signed up as well.
After signing up, Zhou Leng carried his backpack and a net bag containing three aluminum lunch boxes.
Hu Yi and Feng Wenhao each carried four aluminum lunch boxes and left school together with Zhou Leng.
At the fork in the road, the three parted ways.
Zhou Leng carried his backpack with his left hand and the lunch box with his right, looking at the road.
A red and blue path, located between the motor vehicle lane and the sidewalk,
The red is for fast running, the blue for slow jogging.
Zhou Leng stepped onto the slow jogging path and started running.
Most intersections have pedestrian overpasses or underpasses specifically for those practicing martial arts, almost no need to wait at traffic lights.
Whoosh...
A blue figure suddenly streaked past from the red path, bringing with it a gust of wind, disrupting Zhou Leng's breathing rhythm.
Zhou Leng gazed at the figure's back; in just a few seconds, the person was over a hundred meters away.
"Qi Nourishing, Blood Transport, Body Refinement, Vitality. This person covers over 25 meters per second, at least at the Body Refining Stage, maybe even the Vitality Stage..."
Still in the Qi Nourishing Period, Zhou Leng watched the person's back with a glimmer in his eyes.
Zhou Leng continued running, stopping at the entrance of the Dragon Bay Community, climbing to the seventh floor, and heading towards 701.
The door of 702 was open, and the sound of the TV news came from inside.
"... our city's Martial Guard Bureau dismantled a Demon Worship Sect stronghold... captured demon followers..."
"Back already?" A man in his fifties walked to the door, his hair sparse, skin with a reddish-brown hue, his expression wooden.
"Uncle Li." Zhou Leng nodded.
"Join me for dinner later; I made too much stewed meat yesterday."
Zhou Leng was silent for two seconds before saying, "I soaked some mixed grains in the rice cooker, I have dinner for tonight. You can freeze it and finish it in a few days."
"I'm cooking now." Li Linhan glared at Zhou Leng and turned back to the kitchen.
"Okay." Zhou Leng reluctantly agreed.
This Uncle Li was an old soldier withdrawn from the West Sea Demon City, who earned two second-class personal merits, and was also his father's old squad leader, with a life-and-death friendship.
Half a year ago, I encountered a demon and got infected with a spell of illness. The state provided free treatment, but the subsequent convalescence emptied our family's savings.
In the end, Uncle Li transferred 50,000 yuan to me.
Uncle Li said he made too much stewed meat, but in fact, as before, he made Meat Herbal Cuisine.
I could smell it last night.
Zhou Leng placed his thumb on the fingerprint lock, but the smart door lock didn't respond.
Took out the key, opened the door, and entered.
Changed shoes and stepped into the living room, the house under the setting sun was empty.
So quiet it was unsettling.
Rarely come home this early.
Zhou Leng preferred to go home later.
His gaze swept over the electronic photo album beside the TV cabinet.
A woman holds a small child sitting down, with two men standing behind the chair.
The older man had five points of resemblance to Zhou Leng, while the younger man had three points of resemblance to the woman, with a face still immature, similar in age to the current Zhou Leng.
The four laughed together.
Zhou Leng walked to the kitchen and rescheduled the rice cooker to cook in the morning.
Entering the master bathroom, he undressed.
Soon, the sound of rushing water echoed from the master bathroom.
Once the water stopped, Zhou Leng, covered in water droplets, came to the foggy mirror, slowly took a deep breath, and mobilized True Qi.
His entire skin trembled slightly, streams of water trickled down from the top of his head, attracting droplets on his body, gathering downward to his feet.
In just a few seconds, the water droplets on his body drained away, leaving his hair dry and fresh as new.
True Qi at Minor Achievement, Qi close to the skin.
"Entry, Proficiency, Mastery, Minor Achievement, Great Success, Perfection. Only upon reaching the Perfection level can the Qi emanate from the skin, forming a round shield, expelling water from the body effortlessly, filling the entire room with a blast..."
Thinking about it, Zhou Leng left the master bedroom, dressed, and with phone and keys, crossed into 702.
"Uncle, I'm here."
Zhou Leng changed into slippers, glancing around the house.
With the same layout as his own, a living room, a master bedroom, a secondary bedroom, plus a bathroom and kitchen.
On one wall hung an old-style wooden-framed photo.
The photo was a family portrait of Uncle Li's family of five.
Uncle Li, Aunt Li, eldest brother, second sister, third brother.
The TV still played the news.
"... In collaboration with Medical University, after years of effort, they have developed a brand new external Body Refining Medicine..."
Zhou Leng stood outside the kitchen door while Li Linhan bustled inside.
Li Linhan disliked others interfering while cooking, even though his left hand was not agile.
Zhou Leng looked at Li Linhan's stiff left arm and hand, wrapped in a glove, the features of the mechanical arm remarkably apparent.