"Mom, I'm back."
At this moment, Zhang Qingqing's voice came from the entrance.
Zhang Lei hurriedly opened the door.
"Dad, why are you back so early?"
Zhang Qingqing was surprised, as Zhang Lei would usually still be delivering goods to the Great Radiation Zone at this time.
"Your mom already told me, you've been hogging half of Ling Feng's subsidy every day. I came back to teach you a lesson, you silly girl."
Zhang Lei probed.
"What, Dad, you've got it wrong. It was Mom who said that even with the subsidy, Zhang Lingfeng couldn't become an entry-level Martial Artist, so he should share half with me. When he goes to the front line, our family will find a way to keep him in logistics. Isn't this what Mom discussed with you?"
Zhang Qingqing spoke straightforwardly, only realizing after she spoke that Liu Feng was glaring at her with angry eyes.
"How could you possibly have the ability to arrange for Ling Feng to join logistics? If you had that skill, why would you want to split half of Ling Feng's subsidy!"
Zhang Lei questioned.
"Why are you so fierce? Do you want to just watch your daughter go to the front line as cannon fodder, ending up dead there like Da Wu!"
Liu Feng questioned.
"But you can't let Ling Feng go as cannon fodder either!"
Zhang Lei yelled.
"Even if he takes all the subsidy, does it mean he won't have to go to the front line? You hit, you hit, hasn't our family given him enough?"
Liu Feng retorted. Zhang Lei was so furious he wanted to hit her, but Liu Feng was not afraid at all. Zhang Lei's face was red with anger, his hand hanging in the air, not knowing what to do.
"Uncle, don't blame Aunt. I agreed to this voluntarily, Aunt is right. Even if I took all the subsidy, I could not have become an entry-level Martial Artist in the past."
Zhang Lingfeng grabbed Zhang Lei's wrist.
"If your class teacher hadn't told me that you have been giving up and neglecting cultivation, I found it strange and went to school to see you, I wouldn't have known even now that you've been so wronged."
Zhang Lei didn't fully understand the implication of Zhang Lingfeng's words for a moment.
"Uncle, I've been fine all along. If it weren't for your and Aunt's care, I might have already been eaten by a Fish Demon."
Zhang Lingfeng finally understood that it was Yang Liru who informed Zhang Lei, which led to the matter being exposed.
"Uncle will find a way to help you. You need to pick yourself up and work hard in cultivation, don't give up on yourself anymore."
Zhang Lei advised.
"Mm, thank you, Uncle."
Zhang Lingfeng nodded quietly, picked up the lunchbox, and went to the small room on the balcony.
In the West Warehouse District, families as complete as Zhang Lei's were relatively rare, with the whole family living in an eighty-square-meter house.
In this kind of living environment today, an eighty-square-meter three-bedroom house can be considered a large flat.
When the original owner first moved in, he and his cousin Zhang Tiesheng shared a room, with the two of them sleeping on bunk beds. Later, Zhang Tiesheng wanted to improve his academic scores without being influenced, so Liu Feng had Zhang Lei convert half of the balcony space into a small room for the original owner to live in.
Zhang Lingfeng has been living there ever since.
Though the room is small, it is well-equipped, and it also ensures privacy. Both he and the original owner actually really like this small balcony room.
The noise in the living room gradually diminished.
Zhang Lingfeng sat in the small room, picked up half of an apple, and slowly chewed it, paying attention to the requirement of the Coasting Along Fate, to be solemn and mindful about eating, using his taste buds to carefully savor the energy released by the food in his mouth.
The school's subsidy, compared to the common fruits, vegetables, and meats available on the market, in essence, has a distinct difference. Every piece of food contains added nutrient liquid.
Although the content is minimal, it significantly aids in improving the blood and bones, enhancing combat power, which is far more helpful compared to the resources available on the market.
Bloodlust from rat meat is one of the nutritional components.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Lingfeng finished all the food in the lunchbox, and he checked the panel information below.
Name: Zhang Lingfeng
Life Chart: Coasting Along
Profession: Senior High School Martial Dao Student
Combat Power: 8.00213
Coasting Along Value: 7
Basic Spear Skill Thirteen Forms: Mastery (93/100)
Tidal Breathing Method: Entry Level (13/100)
Ability: All-weather Breathing and Exhaling Ability
Zhang Lingfeng found that during the afternoon Breathing Technique cultivation class, practicing the Coasting Along principle increased the Coasting Along Value by 4 points.
Combat Power, under the effect of the All-weather Breathing and Exhaling Ability, increased from 8.00009 to 8.00213, which was the most surprising thing for Zhang Lingfeng.
He hadn't expected the All-weather Breathing and Exhaling Ability to be so effective, with only two hours in total since obtaining it, the value after the decimal point had changed so much that if this pace continued, it could increase by 0.1 in less than three days.
And it would be another two months before he turned eighteen.
Which meant he could potentially raise his Combat Power to 10.0 within two months and avoid going to the front line as cannon fodder.
"If the Basic Spear Skill Thirteen Forms advanced from Mastery to Minor Success, the Combat Power would increase by a few more percentage points."
Zhang Lingfeng said excitedly.
He understood that Combat Power comprised various facets including physical fitness and technique level.
Thinking about this, he added the 7 Coasting Along Value points to the Basic Spear Technique.
Combat Power: 8.08332
Coasting Along Value: None
Basic Spear Skill Thirteen Forms: Mastery (100/100)
Unfortunately, reaching 100% Mastery wasn't enough to genuinely step into Minor Success; the Combat Power, although increased, only saw a last-four-digit uplift.
To create a qualitative change in value, the spear skill must undergo a transformation from Mastery to Minor Success.
"I can only wander around the Star Realm."
Zhang Lingfeng muttered to himself.
He slowly lay on the bed and then tapped the bracelet. The bracelet emitted tiny bone spikes much smaller than a hair, piercing into Zhang Lingfeng's flesh.
In an instant.
Zhang Lingfeng's consciousness seemed to travel through a blood-colored tunnel, the scene before his eyes changed, and his consciousness was projected into a virtual yet extremely real world.
This place was called the Star Realm.
It was a virtual world jointly created by the Seven Great Star Systems Alliance.
Initially, it was designed to set up a platform covering the aspect of life, but later, with the alien races' invasion and extraterrestrial creatures' arrival.
The Star Realm gradually became a place for cultivators to communicate and hone their techniques.
At the same time, it broadcasted updates daily about the living conditions of humans across major star systems and the movements of alien races and extraterrestrial creatures, etc.
When Zhang Lingfeng entered.
In the South City network area, a dispute of skills between students from the Ninth High School and the First High School was underway, with both being top talents in their respective schools.
The representative of the Ninth High School was named Teng Qingshan, while the representative of the First High School was named Hu Bin, both having Combat Power values reaching 16.2, surpassing the cutoff for admission to Divine Martial University and having secured a direct admission, rare among the seniors who have honed their Spear Technique to a tangible realm with Skillful Strength.
It is said that if they could become Elemental Martial Artists with Combat Power value of 20.0 before the Martial Exams, they would obtain sufficient contribution points to take their families to live in Inner Ring City.
Inner Ring City is a radiation-free zone, with not only superior living conditions but also abundant resources, where everyone is an entry-level martial artist, standing as the backbone of humanity's resistance against alien races and extraterrestrial creatures.
Owing to their significant contribution to humanity, they enjoy greater benefits.
People from Outer Ring City who wish to live in Inner Ring City, apart from spending huge sums on purchasing a spot, can also exchange contribution points for a chance to live in the Inner Ring City.
Being admitted to Divine Martial University only offers a temporary chance to live in Inner Ring City, to remain there permanently, contribution points need to be exchanged.
As a student of the Ninth High School, Zhang Lingfeng naturally knew about this skill contest, which Yang Liru had mentioned in the group chat.
Yet, he entered the Star Realm not to learn from Teng Qingshan and Hu Bin, but to practice the Coasting Along Fate, earning sufficient Coasting Along Value to break through in spear skills.
Therefore, whether Teng Qingshan or Hu Bin was stronger didn't concern him, instead, whether the female streamer was attractive did.