High Martial Arts: Gains one point of health per second, sweeping across the heavens.

Wang Meng only felt a blur before his eyes, and a sharp gust of wind rushed towards him! Before he could react at all, a seemingly ordinary palm was already pressed against his chest!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud bang!

Wang Meng's nearly 180-pound body was thrown back five or six meters as if he had been hit by a speeding truck before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He felt a tightness in his chest, his blood churning, and for a moment he couldn't get up. He could only clutch his chest, gasping for breath like a fish out of water, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

The smiles on the faces of the other two henchmen instantly froze, as if they had been frozen in place.

Su Jie didn't even glance at Wang Meng, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. His gaze shifted to his two lackeys, and his tone remained calm: "And you two? Are you going to stop me from eating too?"

"No...we wouldn't dare! Big brother, we were wrong!" The two henchmen were so frightened that they shook their heads like rattles and backed away, almost falling to the ground.

Are you kidding me! Wang Meng is considered one of the best fighters in their school, and he was actually defeated in one move by this rumored "weakling"? This rumor is deadly!

Su Jie was too lazy to pay attention to these clowns anymore. He straightened his not-so-disheveled collar and stepped past Wang Meng, accidentally stepping on his face.

After taking a few steps, he seemed to remember something, stopped, and without turning his head, said to Wang Meng, who was on the ground clutching his face in pain:

"Tell Lin Xue'er that bringing in someone like you only makes her look more ridiculous. Two hundred Qi and Blood Coins, less than that, and you'll face the consequences."

After saying that, he didn't linger and his figure quickly disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path.

All that remained were a mess and three terrified thugs.

Wang Meng struggled to sit up, looking in the direction where Su Jie had disappeared. His face burned, not only from the physical pain, but also from the humiliation of having his dignity completely crushed.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with fear, but even more so with deep resentment.

"Su Jie...you just wait!"

……

Meanwhile, Su Jie was walking home, his mood completely unaffected by the little incident earlier.

"With a combat power of just over 260 points, dealing with these weaklings is hardly even a warm-up." He felt the surging power within his body and gained a more intuitive understanding of the power of the Origin Breathing Technique and the system.

"However, we can't be careless. Lin Xue'er can get Wang Meng, and she might be able to get even more troublesome people. And if we beat up the younger one, what if the older one comes along?"

"I must be faster! Stronger!"

With this in mind, he walked while guiding his qi and blood, refining the remaining dozen or so martial acupoints.

[Ding! Martial Aperture Tempering Successful! Current Martial Level Increased to Level 2. Combat Power +2!]

[Ding! Martial Aperture Refinement Successful! Current Martial Aperture Level Increased to Level 2. Combat Power +2!]

The pleasant notification sound rang out again.

Su Jie's lips curled into an expectant smile.

"Lin Xueer, Wang Meng... these are just appetizers."

My goal is the stars and the sea!

"Top martial arts exam score? Top martial arts university? These are just small goals!"

Su Jie returned to his simple rented room, closed the door, and shut out the noise from the outside world. He didn't immediately begin his frantic tempering, but forced himself to calm down and plan carefully.

"System, display my detailed status."

A screen of light unfolded before his eyes:

[Host: Su Jie]

[Current Martial Acupoints: 99/99 (Level 1: 5, Level 2: 94)]

[Current Qi and Blood Reserves: 40330 points (continuously increasing...)]

[Combat Power: 287 points]

[Cultivation Technique: Primal Breathing Technique (Supreme Level)]

Looking at the still enormous reserves of vital energy and the steadily increasing numbers, Su Jie felt at ease. But he also knew that sitting idly by and consuming all his resources was not a solution; even with a system, he needed to utilize resources more efficiently.

"According to Instructor Li Heng, in addition to the basic breathing method, there are more advanced breathing methods, monster flesh and blood, pills and other ways to accelerate the accumulation of qi and blood."

My "Primal Breathing Technique" is undoubtedly of the highest grade, but I wonder what the effects of the pills and monster meat in this world are, and whether they can be converted or stacked by the system?

A thought flashed through his mind: "Perhaps I could check the school library or the city hall's public database for any legal ways to quickly accumulate qi and blood, or... maybe I could go and explore the edge of the wilderness outside the city?"

According to the original owner's memories, outside the city lay a dangerous area known as the "Wilderness," inhabited by various powerful demonic beasts, but also rich in rare treasures and opportunities. Many martial artists would form teams to hunt there, both to hone their skills and to acquire resources.

"However, with my current strength, it would be too risky to venture into the wilderness. My immediate priority is to improve my strength as soon as possible to prepare for the martial arts exam and the potential trouble that Lin Xue'er might cause."

Having made up his mind, Su Jie no longer hesitated and sat down cross-legged again.

"First, refine the remaining five level-one martial acupoints to level two!"

[Consuming 20 points of Qi and Blood, Martial Aperture Tempering in progress...]

[Consuming 20 points of Qi and Blood, Martial Aperture Tempering in progress...]

Five minutes later.

[Ding! Martial Aperture Refinement Successful! Current Martial Aperture Level Increased to Level 2. Combat Power +2!]

Become!

A surge of even greater power coursed through his body, and Su Jie exhaled a long breath, his eyes flashing with a sharp light!

"All 99 martial acupoints have been refined to level two, and my current combat power is 297 points." Su Jie looked at the panel showing over 40,000 health points remaining, feeling even more confident. "Next, I should refine the martial acupoints to level three!"

[Consuming 40 points of Qi and Blood, Martial Aperture Tempering in progress...]

Five minutes later.

[Ding! Martial Aperture Tempering Successful! Current Martial Aperture Level: 3. Combat Power +3!]

The cost of upgrading from level 2 to level 3 has doubled, but the resulting improvement has not! Each successful upgrade only increases combat power by 3 points! Moreover, the time required for each tempering has also increased to five minutes.

Su Jie was secretly annoyed. When would this blood energy be depleted? Oh well, he'd focus on tempering first, and deal with the rest later.

Su Jie was completely immersed in the thrill of his rapidly increasing strength, forgetting about time and hunger.

Until night falls and the city lights come on.

Su Jie slowly opened his eyes, a look of undisguised joy blooming on his face.

After an afternoon of almost frantic tempering, the condition of his martial arts acupoints underwent a dramatic change:

[Current Martial Acupoints: 99/99 (Level 2: 15, Level 3: 84)]

Current Qi and Blood Reserves: 62070 points

[Combat Power: 549 points!]

549 points of combat power!

In just one day, he went from being a bottom-tier loser with a combat power of 5 to a terrifying existence with a combat power of 549 points! This is a number that even many first- or second-year university students might not be able to achieve, let alone high school seniors!

"Power...this is the power that truly belongs to me!" Su Jie clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking, as if the air itself was being crushed in his palm.

His body was filled with surging energy and his senses became incredibly sharp. He could even clearly "hear" the whispers of his neighbors next door.

He was captivated by the feeling of being in control of himself and constantly pushing his limits.

"Gurgle..."

Just then, his stomach growled in protest. The intense tempering of his martial arts acupoints consumed a tremendous amount of his body's energy.

Su Jie rubbed his stomach and gave a wry smile: "I was so focused on leveling up that I forgot I still needed to eat."