Full-Time Martial Saint

Virtual Realm Terminals and Crystal Helmets are not something that anyone other than martial arts students and advanced martial artists would buy, so these kinds of stores are usually located in high schools or places in the city where martial artists gather.

There happens to be a store that specializes in selling these two items on the street opposite Xiangcheng No.1 Middle School.

When Chen Cong arrived at the store entrance, he happened to see the "Crystal Cabin" that Zhao Cheng had mentioned on the huge poster next to the door. However, the long string of "0"s in the price column below the poster made his scalp tingle and he couldn't help but shake his head.

Shaking off unrealistic thoughts, Chen pushed open the door and entered the store.

A pretty saleswoman immediately stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Welcome."

Chen Cong nodded slightly: "Hello, I would like to buy a Virtual Realm Terminal and a Crystal Helmet."

Upon hearing this, the female sales assistant kindly reminded him, "Sir, the Virtual Realm Terminal and Crystal Helmet are specialized devices for logging into the Virtual Realm. Only martial arts students and advanced martial artists are qualified to log into the Virtual Realm. Are you sure you want to buy them?"

Chen nodded again and handed over his brand-new student ID.

The female sales assistant glanced at it and respectfully handed the student ID back.

"Mr. Chen, our store offers basic, advanced, and Crystal Capsule models of the Virtual Realm Terminal and Crystal Helmet. You—"

"The basic model will do," Chen Cong quickly said.

7000 yuan is a huge sum of money for him, and the advanced models and crystal capsules are not even in his consideration.

"Okay, Mr. Chen, please wait a moment while I go and fetch the equipment for you."

The saleswoman bowed slightly and left, returning shortly afterward with two beautifully packaged cardboard boxes, one large and one small.

"Mr. Chen, thank you for waiting. This is the basic version of the Virtual Realm Terminal and Crystal Helmet. The instruction manual is included. You can activate it directly after you get back."

Chen took it and gave it a cursory inspection, then nodded and asked, "How much is it in total?"

The saleswoman asked, "Mr. Chen, the total is 7000. How will you pay?"

"Cash." Chen Cong took out the envelope his father, Chen Changhe, had given him before he left, and reluctantly counted out 7000 yuan, handing it to the saleswoman. After confirming that everything was correct, he returned to school.

In the afternoon, at the physical training hall.

With ten minutes to go before class, Chen Cong was looking around at the various training equipment in the gym when a large hand suddenly slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"Brother Cong!"

Zhao Cheng's voice rang out from behind: "What did the teacher say?"

Chen Cong turned around and smiled slightly: "I went across from the school at noon and bought the virtual terminal and the crystal helmet."

He did not reveal Ma Xinhua's words or calculations.

"It seems your teacher's words have given you quite a bit of confidence." Zhao Cheng paused for a moment, then grinned.

He knew Chen Cong well; he had been very calm since childhood and preferred to plan before acting. He was by no means an impulsive person.

I just met with my homeroom teacher, Ma Xinhua, at noon. I couldn't even wait until school was over before buying the equipment. I must have thought it through.

"Zhao Daniu, do you dare to have a competition during physical training later?"

As the two were chatting, a young man who was at least 1.8 meters tall and of equally robust build suddenly walked over and looked at Zhao Cheng with a highly provocative gaze.

Zhao Cheng looked at him with a half-smile: "What, are you still upset about losing last time?"

The young man named Lei Xiao stiffened his neck and glared, saying, "I wasn't in good shape last time!"

"I definitely won't lose to you this time! Enough talk, dare to compete?"

Zhao Cheng looked at him calmly, without the slightest fear: "What if you lose again?"

Lei Xiao's expression froze, his confidence wavering: "I...I can't possibly lose!"

"What if we lose?" Zhao Cheng continued to press.

Lei Xiao stammered for a long time before finally saying, "If you beat me again... then I'll admit I'm pretty good!"

"That's it?" Zhao Cheng took a step forward, almost touching his face. "Add one condition."

Lei Xiao instinctively took a step back: "What are the conditions?"

Zhao Cheng smiled faintly and put his arm around Chen Cong's shoulder: "This is my brother who I grew up with. If I win, you and your bunch of followers will have to call him 'Brother Cong' from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Xiao and the other young men behind him changed their expressions.

"His overall physical fitness score is only 2.8..."

Behind Lei Xiao, a long-faced boy was speaking when Zhao Cheng glared at him fiercely, scaring him into swallowing the rest of his words.

"What, are you afraid, or scared of losing?"

After glaring at that person, Zhao Cheng looked again at Lei Xiao, whose expression was unpredictable.

Chen Congjing watched all this quietly without saying a word to stop it.

He knew that Zhao Cheng was standing up for him. He had been in Class 2 of the third year of high school for less than a day, especially after receiving special care from Su Nanyue during the morning training session. In addition, after the news that his overall physical fitness level was 2.8 was exposed, everyone in the class except Zhao Cheng was more or less unfriendly to him.

Having lived for fifty years across his two lifetimes, he naturally wouldn't get angry with a bunch of kids; but Zhao Cheng was different. Although he was big and burly, he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy.

Martial arts students naturally value strength, and the school tacitly approves of this healthy competition.

Zhao Cheng wanted to fight for it, so he supported him.

"If Zhao Cheng loses, my brother and I will still call you 'brother' whenever we see you in class."

Seeing Lei Xiao hesitate, Chen Cong suddenly spoke up.

He could roughly tell that Lei Xiao seemed to be the "class bully" of Class 2, Grade 12. Most of the boys in the class followed him, while Zhao Cheng was the odd one out.

People like Lei Xiao usually have a particularly strong desire to conquer, and coupled with his youthful vigor, Chen Cong's words instantly made his eyes light up, and he couldn't wait to look at Zhao Cheng: "Really?"

Lei Xiao didn't care about Chen Cong calling him "brother," but if he could get Zhao Cheng, who had always been at odds with him, to call him "brother," just thinking about it made him tremble with pleasure.

Zhao Cheng paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "What my brother says, of course stands."

Perhaps it was his confidence in his own abilities, or perhaps it was his lifelong trust in Chen Cong, but Zhao Cheng agreed almost without hesitation.

"good!"

Lei Xiao rubbed his hands excitedly, his face beaming with an irrepressible smile.

Meanwhile, the students watching the spectacle seemed to be eagerly anticipating the outcome of the bet, and they all recorded everything that was happening with their wristbands.

"The teacher is here!"

Just then, someone shouted.

The onlookers hurriedly dispersed and found their places to stand respectfully.

"Brother Cong, do you trust me?"

Zhao Cheng looked at Chen Cong beside him and asked in a low voice.

Chen Cong said calmly, "Of course I believe you, but it's no big deal if I lose. Calling me 'brother' won't hurt me."

Zhao Cheng was stunned and speechless.

Ahead of the group, a middle-aged man, not particularly muscular but with taut muscles and a resolute face, pushed open the door and walked in.

The middle-aged man had sharp eyes and seemed to exude a natural sense of pressure.

Facing him, Chen Cong suddenly thought of someone—Xu Baiwei's driver and bodyguard, Jiang Heng.

According to Xu Baiwei, Jiang Heng is a third-tier martial artist who has just returned from the battlefield of the Fusion Rift.

The sharp-eyed middle-aged man in front of him seemed to be even stronger than Jiang Heng, judging from his aura alone.

"I heard there's a new student in our class."

The middle-aged man looked around, his gaze finally settling on Chen Cong, and spoke slowly.

Meeting his gaze, Chen Cong slowly stepped to the left and respectfully said, "Teacher, my name is Chen Cong."

The middle-aged man glanced at him and said calmly, "My surname is Qin, Qin Chuan."

"Chen Cong, in my class, no one receives special treatment."

"I won't make an exception for you just because you're a newcomer or have a weak foundation."

"Everyone, tell the new students what my requirements are?"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the physical training hall shouted in unison, "Train until you drop dead, as long as you don't die!"

The sound was like thunder, making people's ears ring.

Qin Chuan nodded in satisfaction and looked at Chen Cong again: "So, Chen Cong, you either complete the training as required, or... give up on my class now."

Chen smiled and bowed: "Thank you, Teacher Qin. I should be able to hold on."

His answer instantly drew everyone's attention, though most of those gazes held a hint of amusement and skepticism.

Clearly, if they weren't afraid of Qin Chuan, the physical training hall would probably be filled with whispers and sarcastic remarks right now.

"Very good... If you're exhausted from training, I'll have someone carry you back to your dorm." Qin Chuan seemed somewhat surprised by his answer.

"Everyone, spread out in training formation!"

"Let's start with two hundred push-ups to warm up!"

At Qin Chuan's command, everyone in Class 2 of Senior Three immediately dispersed to the surroundings, leaving at least two meters of space in all directions.