Chapter 61: Reward
Chapter 61: Reward
"Hmm?"
Xia Long frowned slightly. "Is Star City High School now teaching such dangerous martial arts to its students?"
Soul-Searching Dragon Claw Hand and Extreme Emotion Sword were both A-rank martial arts, but they were not part of the high school curriculum due to their dangerous nature. It seemed that Ming Tong's techniques were beyond the standard syllabus.
"Hehe, this isn't something we taught. It's Ming Tong's family's secret art..."
Sun Fu replied with a fake smile, "This Liu Wei is quite lucky. He actually awakened a supernatural power that is perfect for tempering the physical body. I suspect he has already reached the second stage."
Before he could finish, Liu Wei let out a roar, his body tensing like drawn bowstrings, displaying his refined sinews.
He strode forward like a dragon and a tiger, his hands outstretched as he pounced towards Ming Yixin. He was actually countering with an attack!
Madness of Eighteen Strikes—Frenzied Tiger Style!
Dragon against Tiger!
The arena was filled with surging winds and clouds as the two figures clashed, their auras overflowing with intensity.
"As expected... This Liu Wei has indeed broken into the second stage of martial arts. This Madness of Eighteen Strikes is quite impressive."
Sun Fu commented to the two students beside him.
"Hmm?"
Seeing this, Xia Long furrowed his brows.
Liu Wei's actions indicated that he had a certain level of confidence.
"A mere Refine Sinew martial artist, nothing more!"
In the next moment, Ming Yixin let out a long shout, her joints popping inch by inch, her fingers snapping with the sound of steel.
"Refine Bones like Steel?"
Xia Long sighed, knowing that Liu Wei had lost.
Indeed, faced with Ming Yixin's claw strike infused with bone-strengthening energy, Liu Wei stumbled back, five bloody holes appearing on his chest as blood continued to flow out.
"To think it's Refine Bones... I admit defeat,"
Liu Wei cupped his hands and his eyes dimmed, looking rather dispirited.
'Hmm?'
Fang Xing, witnessing this scene, had a sudden thought.
Having worked with Liu Wei before, he knew that Liu Wei often held back and had certain habits and tells.
'This seems similar to his usual act... Is he holding something back? Is he planning to ambush someone?'
The former top student of the year became somewhat worried.
"Ming Tong, do you need a rest?"
Xia Long looked at Ming Yixin.
"No need, please continue." Ming Yixin fixed her gaze on Fang Xing and Bai Lianyi, her eyes lingering more on the female student.
Obviously, she was curious about someone of the same gender.
"I can't even beat Liu Wei, so I'm no match for you... I'm sorry, teacher."
Bai Lianyi's face turned slightly shameful.
Xia Long glared and looked at Fang Xing.
"Alright, I'll go!"
Fang Xing had nothing more to say. Although he could joke around before, he naturally had to step up now.
After all, given how much Xia Long had taken care of him, he couldn't bring himself to negotiate at this point.
Whoosh!
The sky turned gloomy, and snow began to fall.
"My name is Fang Xing..."
Fang Xing looked up at the sky and yawned, "Let's end this boring farce..."
"You..."
Ming Yixin's expression remained unchanged, her body transforming into a dragon shape, incredibly swift.
Suddenly!
Roar!
In front of her eyes appeared what seemed to be a real dragon!
—Dragon's Intention!
This wasn't the simulated intention of an A-rank martial art, but the true, unadulterated martial will of a Dauntless Realm martial artist!
While she had trained in A-rank martial arts and possessed a certain level of mental resistance, which allowed her to remain unaffected during her previous fight with Liu Wei, that was merely a basic simulated intention.
In the face of true martial will, it was as fragile as a sand castle!
Boom!
Like a collapsing dam, Ming Yixin felt as if she had returned to her childhood, encountering a fierce tiger on the side of the road!
No, this was a presence a hundred times more terrifying than a fierce tiger!
Her body trembled, and she found herself unable to move.
Fang Xing's body moved with the wind, appearing before her and reaching out to brush her hair, "You lose..."
"I lose..."
Ming Yixin replied in a daze.
"That's... Dragon's Intention. To actually master the true Dragon's Intention at the second stage?"
Sun Fu crushed his glasses, "A genius! A true martial arts genius!"
He looked at Fang Xing as if he were looking at a rare treasure and said to the two students beside him, "There's no need for you two to go up. You'll definitely lose."
"How could this be..."
Liu Wei, witnessing this, clenched his fists tightly.
"As expected of the top student, so powerful!"
Bai Lianyi, standing beside him, was so starstruck that her eyes seemed to be sparkling.
To cultivate martial will meant that there were no bottlenecks on the path of a martial artist!
Such a person, as long as they survived the military service, would be able to attain a status similar to Gu Yun's father upon returning, truly achieving a leap in social class!
"You little..."
Xia Long didn't say much else but patted Fang Xing's shoulder.
While it was possible to reach higher martial art realms through resource accumulation, there were no resources on Planet Eaglet that could help students awaken their martial will!
This could only mean that his student was becoming more and more exceptional!
Recalling Fang Xing's performance in his first year, Xia Long couldn't help but marvel.
Back then, he had only felt that Fang Xing was constantly improving, each step steady and reliable.
Now, not only were his steps steady, but they were also remarkably large!
"You, come with me!"
Xia Long grabbed Fang Xing and, with a slight movement, seemed to float in the air, arriving in a classroom.
"Huh? Teacher, you can fly?"
Fang Xing was taken aback.
"Martial arts are a manifestation of the spirit influencing the physical world. I'm not actually flying; I'm using my own martial arts to create footholds in mid-air, allowing me to move as if I'm flying."
Xia Long explained earnestly, "To truly fly with one's physical body, one would need to reach the Martial Arts Golden Core realm..."
'Your martial arts aren't up to par. At least, as far as I know, a Foundation Establishment cultivator can levitate,' Fang Xing thought to himself.
"Then, why did you bring me here, Teacher? What do you plan to do?" Fang Xing asked.
"It's nothing. I just felt that your martial arts progress has been a bit fast... From your physical reaction earlier, it seems like you've also refined your bones, right?" Xia Long asked.
"Do you feel any discomfort anywhere? Do you want to get a physical examination? We martial artists fear hidden injuries the most when laying the foundation, and we may not be aware of them until it's time to condense the flawless Golden Core. By then, we'd have to put in a thousand times the effort to make up for it..." Xia Long spoke with deep emotion, as if he had personally experienced it.
"I'm fine, but what about you, Teacher?" Fang Xing looked at Xia Long, who was built like a bull. He wondered if the teacher was feeling unwell.
"There's nothing to hide. When I was young and foolish, I sustained hidden injuries, which made it difficult for me to condense my Golden Core. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be a teacher here... If I had been more careful back then, I would at least be a principal by now." Xia Long sighed.
"Can't the advanced medical technology of the Federation heal the hidden injuries from your youth?" Fang Xing asked with a solemn expression.
After all, in the current Federation, even regenerating severed limbs wasn't considered a complex surgery.
"It's... an old problem from the battlefield, not just physical..." Xia Long seemed to recall something, and his body suddenly exuded a bloodied, battle-hardened aura.
Fang Xing wisely refrained from asking further questions and simply said, "Is there anything I can do to help you, Teacher?"
"You can help me. I've accumulated enough merit, but I'm still missing one achievement... If you can get into a super first-class university, I might just qualify to apply for a 'Source Sea-grade healing chamber full-body restoration'," Xia Long said, as if joking.
In his mind, it was a given that Fang Xing would get into university, and with some effort, he might even make it to a first-class university.
But a super first-class university?
That was a bit of a stretch!
After all, the Federation was vast, with numerous star systems and countless education planets, but there were only a handful of super first-class universities. Each year, the competition was fierce among the geniuses.
Ordinary talents didn't even have the qualifications to compete.
"A super first-class university? I see. I was just thinking of buying a house on Blue Star..." Fang Xing replied with a slight smile.
"Alright, alright, I'm counting on you."
Xia Long grinned, "Enough chit-chat. You brought honor to the school this time. What reward do you want?"
"I fought for the honor of the school; why do I need a reward?" Fang Xing said righteously.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too..." Xia Long chuckled, "Moreover... do you plan to save money for Lu Guangming? He's a Martial Arts Golden Core cultivator; he won't care about your meager savings."
"That's true..."
Fang Xing nodded, then began to think seriously about what he needed.
After a long while, he spoke, "I've made remarkable progress in the Great Dragon Stake and the Crouching Tiger Stake. At this rate, I might be able to attempt the Primordial Jade breakthrough during the winter break..."
"Hmm? That fast? But the Dragon and Tiger Stakes are the foundation of martial arts. The fact that you've cultivated the Great Dragon Stake to the fourth stage will indeed accelerate your cultivation speed."
Xia Long didn't deny this, "However, are you underestimating the difficulty of breaking through the Primordial Jade realm? Even if you cultivate a sturdy body with tough bones and sinews, it doesn't mean that breaking through Primordial Jade will be easy. This kind of bottleneck could potentially stall a martial artist for their entire life, and the only way to break through is through intense battles..."
'That's because I have pills to help me... Of course, there's no need to mention that,' Fang Xing thought to himself.
"So, does the school have any resources to help me break through the Primordial Jade realm?" Fang Xing asked.
"No, don't even think about it."
Xia Long shook his head, "The Federation strictly controls breakthrough resources on education planets to screen for true geniuses..."
"Alright then. After I break through the Primordial Jade realm, I should be able to learn new martial arts. If the school insists on rewarding me, I'd like to learn something new to aid my self-study during the winter break."
Fang Xing shared his plans. He didn't want to experience the same predicament he had during the summer vacation.
It was always better to have the martial arts techniques beforehand to avoid being caught unprepared.
"A Primordial Jade realm martial artist has long-lasting qi, like uncut jade, constantly being refined..." Xia Long's expression turned solemn, "Theoretically, a single A-grade martial art should be enough to carry you all the way to the Daring Spirit realm. But I can see that you're still not satisfied. What martial art do you want to learn?"
"How about a martial art that focuses on strengthening the physical body? For us martial artists, a strong body is the foundation for future progress..."
Fang Xing sighed.
To stand and fight, one needed a strong body—that was the truth!
(End of Chapter)
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