I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

Gu Yan exited the game, opened his eyes, and felt a great sense of relief.

He had run through the game's demon-slaying process countless times, and he had practiced the teleportation technique again and again. But only now, only this time, did he truly master the game's divine skills and techniques.

Entering this game, Gu Yan's strength increased dramatically once again. Not only did he break through his cultivation level, but he also learned a divine skill for combat.

At this moment, Gu Yan felt an endless surge of martial arts knowledge flooding into his chest, as if the profound principles of martial arts he had gained from decades of dedicated study of divine skills had been poured into his mind all at once. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the path of martial arts was truly mysterious and infinite. The more he studied it, the more he became addicted to it and unable to extricate himself.

In the past, there were highly skilled masters who secluded themselves for over a decade, cutting off all social interaction and worldly affairs, devoting themselves solely to the study of martial arts. Others fought tooth and nail for superior martial arts manuals, sparing no expense. Now, Gu Yancai felt that this was not entirely incomprehensible.

Even without seeking power and status through force, the profound mysteries of martial arts alone are enough to make one forget to eat and sleep, and to make all other pleasures in the world pale in comparison.

However, the enjoyment involved can only be appreciated by those with talent. Those with mediocre comprehension will never find the way in their lives, and the path of martial arts will be like torture, so where is there any enjoyment to be found?

Gu Yan exited the game, and besides the exhilarating feeling of his strength and horizons expanding dramatically, his most profound feeling right now can be summed up in one word.

virtual.

I always felt tired after playing games before, like after strenuous exercise, but this time the feeling seemed even stronger.

He guessed that fighting in the game might have depleted his physical strength in real life—and the Shifting Universe technique was the biggest drain on internal energy and mental energy. Today, he used this technique to cross borders and fight the Demon King in the game, which is why he felt so weak.

Moreover, this fatigue is different from the fatigue he felt when playing games before. Although he felt tired when playing games before, it felt more like the mental fatigue after staying up all night to play games. This kind of drowsiness would naturally dissipate after a good night's sleep, or it could be replenished by taking calming and energy-boosting medicines and meditating to replenish his energy.

But now it feels more like my body is completely drained, like it's been hollowed out.

Gu Yan could sense that his physical condition was probably not suitable for continuing to play games.

It's almost like some mobile games in my past life had a "stamina" limit; once your stamina is used up, you can't play for the rest of the day. The only difference is that in mobile games, stamina is a value set by the game, while his current stamina is his own real stamina.

But what else can he do in his free time if he doesn't play games? Are you really expecting him to cultivate in real life?

Why would someone abandon a perfectly good game to train? Isn't that just plain stupid?

While mobile games do have a stamina system, it's usually something you can buy with real money to restore. Gu Yan figured that in the world he was in, martial arts and medicine were so advanced, that taking some supplements should speed up his recovery, right?

As Gu Yan was thinking this, his phone pinged. He opened it and saw that it was a text message notification from his bank card.

"[Linjiang Bank] Your account ending in 7882 has received a transaction of 1,000,000.00 Dongxia Coins. The payer is Linjiang University. The remaining balance after the transaction will be based on the actual balance in your account."

We're rich!

Gu Yan sighed inwardly. In both his lives combined, he had never seen so much money in his account. Looking at the string of zeros at the end of his bank account, he was momentarily dazed.

This was clearly a contractual scholarship from the Weapons Academy. This one million was the base amount for the elite program; he knew there was another 288 million to be paid, which would likely be made up after passing subsequent assessments.

Gu Yan was overjoyed and got up to check what suitable supplements were available in the school store.

But he paused, then thought again that since he had transferred to the martial arts department, he was not yet familiar with the benefits available to martial arts students.

Perhaps the academy distributes some resources and potions as welfare, or there might be discounts on certain materials. Buying them rashly might be a waste; you should consult someone knowledgeable first.

So he thought of Professor Zhong Ding.

Undergraduate liberal arts students do not have assigned mentors; they only need to choose a mentor when pursuing a master's degree. However, it's different for martial arts students. The path of martial arts is fraught with challenges, and each step requires guidance from a master. Therefore, every martial arts student must choose a mentor.

Although Gu Yan hadn't reached the mentor selection stage yet, he had already accepted Professor Zhong Ding's A-level contract, which cost him points. While there was no strict requirement for him to follow Zhong Ding, it would still be somewhat inappropriate to choose another mentor under these circumstances.

Gu Yan had already added Zhong Ding as a friend, so he left a message directly: "Hello, teacher. I have something I would like to ask you. I wonder if this is inconvenient?"

A moment later, Zhong Ding replied: "Are you at school?"

Gu Yan said, "Yes, I am."

Zhong Ding said, "That's perfect. Let's go to the training room. It's room 508 on the 12th floor. We can get to know our fellow disciples while we're at it."

Although Gu Yan did not attend a prestigious university in his previous life, he had still earned a master's degree. He knew that the so-called research lab was similar to the laboratory he had used during his master's studies in his previous life. He assumed that Room 508 in Building 12 belonged to Professor Zhong and housed his students.

These are Gu Yan's future senior brothers and sisters.

Gu Yan replied to Professor Zhong's message and immediately set off for the teaching building.

Teaching Building 12 is the teaching building belonging to the Weaponry Academy. The lobby is spacious, and the dark blue stone bricks are polished to a mirror shine. There is a floor plan on one side of the marble reception desk. Gu Yan only glanced at it and saw that the first floor seemed to be mostly weapon dismantling rooms, the second floor had classrooms, and the third floor and above had student training rooms.

He went straight up to the fifth floor and happened to run into Professor Zhong Ding coming out of his office.

Professor Zhong Ding waved and greeted him from afar, "You've arrived?"

Gu Yan stepped forward and greeted, "Hello, teacher."

Seeing his complexion, Zhong Ding immediately noticed his exhaustion and asked in surprise, "What happened to you? Did you cultivate?"

No, it was from playing games.

But Gu Yan certainly couldn't say that, so he nodded and said, "Yeah, I practiced a little more."

Zhong Ding secretly admired him. Ordinary students who didn't reach this level of cultivation would often be exhausted and unable to continue. This boy's cultivation was so diligent and hardworking; even after years of teaching him, he had rarely seen such diligence.

However, Zhong Ding still said, "Diligent cultivation is a good thing, but you also need to pay attention to the balance between work and rest. You still need to rest when you should. How about this, I happen to have a bottle of Qi and Blood Restoration Liquid left in my office, consider it a gift."

Gu Yan said, "How could I accept this? I just need a day to rest. This is too valuable for me."

Zhong Ding said, "Medicinal supplements are not just for quick recovery, but also for nourishing your lungs and regulating your qi and blood when you are severely depleted. Although you can recover your strength by resting and spending more time, you will frequently overdraw your strength when cultivating in the future. Over time, the hidden dangers will accumulate."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yan stopped refusing and said, "Then thank you, teacher."

Zhong Dingxian led him to his office and took out a small, dark glass bottle about the thickness of a thumb, containing a pale red liquid.

Gu Yan took the medicine and drank it all in one gulp. The liquid was slightly astringent at first, but once it entered his stomach, it indeed transformed into a warm current that spread throughout his body. The exhaustion and depletion he had felt earlier actually began to dissipate.

Gu Yan couldn't help but sigh inwardly; modern martial arts biomedical technology was truly amazing. He just wondered how much this tiny vial of medicine would cost.

Zhong Ding said, "Sit still and regulate your breathing. I will help you digest the medicine quickly and speed up your recovery."

"Yes."

Gu Yan sat cross-legged as instructed, regulating his breathing to refine the medicinal power. Zhong Ding placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing his vital energy to enter his body.

Professor Zhong Ding's Yuan energy was so profound that Gu Yan felt the pure, powerful yet gentle internal energy slowly flowing into him, merging with the power of the medicinal liquid. His limbs and bones felt warm and comfortable, and he instantly felt his spirits soar, his strength surged back, and his body immediately returned to its perfect state.

Meanwhile, Professor Zhong Ding channeled his Yuan energy into Gu Yan's body to aid in his recovery. Within seconds, his expression changed drastically, revealing a look of surprise.

Wait, something seems off.

This kid seems to be...

...It's already at second level!?