The proof of Emperor Wu began with daily rewards for diligence.

Chen Jue's loan application went very smoothly.

He has above-average physical attributes, a clean background, a verifiable resume, and the status of a sanatorium intern.

Chen Jue easily obtained a "Martial Arts Loan" with a credit limit of 10 and an annualized interest rate of 12%.

Damn it! My talent awakened too late. You know, the excellent scholarship at Linjiang Martial Arts College only has an annualized interest rate of 6%!

Chen Jue used 20,000 of his precious notes to exchange for two low-grade spirit stones.

He was charged another 200 yuan in handling fees during the process, which made him tremble with heartache.

"With an annualized rate of 12%, the annual interest would be 12167. The monthly interest payment would be 1014, leaving 1436 from my salary. This is a huge profit..."

While calculating how to repay the principal and interest, Chen Jue took the huge sum of 80,000 yuan to Pei's Pharmacy behind the building for a thorough and enjoyable shopping spree.

A bottle of 30 capsules, the premium "Qi-boosting capsules," costs 30,000.

Thirty bottles of oral nutritional liquid that aids digestion and quickly restores physical strength are priced at 12,000 yuan.

With the addition of some miscellaneous supplements, Chen Jue's newly acquired loan was reduced to only 30,000 yuan.

But Chen Jue felt no regret whatsoever.

Money is something that is wasted if it is hoarded and not used, but if you are too stingy, it becomes another form of extravagance.

Everything has its time, and his current extravagant spending of money, seemingly insane, is actually a form of respect for his own talents.

With this thought in mind, Chen Jue's mind became even clearer, and he took out a Qi-boosting capsule worth a thousand coins and put it in his mouth.

The capsule shell has a slightly sweet taste, a flavor that tastes like money.

Chen Jue moved the qi and blood from his stomach to generate the medicinal effects. He felt a warm current flowing through his meridians throughout his body, as if he were bathing in a hot spring.

"As expected of Pei's high-end product, its efficacy far surpasses those generic capsules I received as rewards when I was studying at the martial arts academy!"

Chen Jue walked back to the park, drank another bottle of nutrient solution to aid digestion and restore physical strength, and began practicing standing meditation again to condense his qi and blood.

Spiritual practice is actually a very tedious and boring thing, requiring one to endure loneliness that is difficult for ordinary people to bear.

Chen Juewu was three years older than the other students, and his mind was still immature. Due to his fear of difficulties and obstacles, he did not put much effort into practicing the stance training.

In addition, there was the long-term, unrestricted indulgence and pampering from her mother, Ms. He.

When he failed the martial arts exam, he saw that his classmates, whose talents were not even as good as his, had all been admitted to martial arts universities and soared to great heights.

Chen Jue then realized his mistake and was filled with remorse.

It can be said that his Hunyuan Zhuang Gong truly made rapid progress during his three years of studying at the martial arts academy.

He worked very hard during that period.

He worked so hard that many students at the martial arts college disliked him, isolated him, and said some very unpleasant things to him.

The repeated grinding of the body with the force of stance training slowly generates qi and blood.

An hour later, Chen Jue's physical recovery speed gradually couldn't keep up with the speed at which the Hunyuan Stance condensed qi and blood.

Left with no other choice, he had to temporarily stop practicing and take advantage of the break to practice the Six Harmonies Knife Technique.

Compared to the smooth and harmonious Hunyuan Qi Zhuang, Chen Jue's mastery of the Six Harmonies Knife Technique seemed rather inadequate.

This was not because Chen Jue was lazy, but because the Six Harmonies Knife Technique was incomplete, containing only knife techniques and moves without corresponding mental techniques and secrets.

The Linjiang Martial Arts Academy only used it to judge students' aptitude, and did not expect students to make any name for themselves through it.

Chen Jue's mastery of the Six Harmonies Saber Technique is already a testament to his hard work.

He practiced a set of sword techniques, with wide, sweeping movements, seven times.

Chen Jue rested for a quarter of an hour, bought some food to fill his stomach, and then began to practice standing meditation again.

This time, the time spent standing meditation was further reduced, lasting only 45 minutes before the body began to give warnings again.

With no other option, Chen Jue could only continue practicing his swordsmanship.

This process was repeated several times, and by then it was nearly six o'clock in the afternoon.

In Linjiang in autumn, it gets dark as early as 7:30 pm, and a curfew is imposed on the outer city after 8 pm.

Chen Jue went back to his uncle's house, took a shower, put on his uncle's imposing patrol uniform, and headed towards "Linjiang Martial Arts High School".

The inner city streets are bustling with people, and the tall buildings on both sides are filled with dazzling GG signs, making people dizzy.

The announcement that "Qi's Pharmaceutical" was about to launch a new drug caught Chen Jue's attention.

Their new drug is called "Minor Body Tempering Pill," and it is advertised as having half the efficacy of "Body Tempering Pill," but at only one-tenth the price.

This pricing is extremely unreasonable.

This is because the "Body Tempering Pill" is the "true pill" for martial artists in the True Qi Realm, possessing many miraculous effects such as tempering the body, refining true qi, and healing hidden injuries.

Its ingredients are carefully selected and its refining process is complex, making it far superior to ordinary auxiliary medicines.

"Could this be the substance the 'Rat Gang' is using to test drugs on people in Kaiyang Street?"

With suspicion in his heart, Chen Jue walked through several bustling streets and arrived in front of a university with a vast area.

The university buildings there are numerous and towering, their modern atmosphere quite different from the overall antique style of Linjiang City.

Chen Jue blended into the crowd waiting for children to be dismissed in front of the school gate. Looking up, he saw the six large characters "Linjiang Martial Arts High School" written in a flamboyant style on the school's marble gate.

Its characters are majestic and its form is domineering, like a dignified temple looking down upon all living beings.

"When I was studying here, I never realized how mysterious these characters were."

Chen Jue was filled with emotion and was about to take out his phone to take a picture when he was stopped by the security guard at the gate with a sharp look.

He forgot that the signboard of "Linjiang Martial Arts Academy" was inscribed by a "Martial King" level master, and taking photos and checking in is strictly prohibited.

As a piercing bell rang within the school, a large number of students dressed in blue and white school uniforms poured out of the school.

"Cousin! Cousin!"

He Tang, holding the hand of a little girl, nimbly slipped through the crowd and waved to Chen Jue.

The little girl inherited the best features of both her uncle and aunt. She is tall, has pretty features, and a face that perfectly matches the traditional Eastern aesthetic.

However, her somewhat unconventional personality contrasts sharply with her rather ladylike appearance.

The girl next to He Tang was only slightly shorter than her, a little over 1.7 meters tall, with long hair reaching her waist, a slender and delicate figure, long legs, and an extremely exquisite oval face.

Perhaps it was the heat, or perhaps her physical strength was failing. The girl was slightly out of breath, and her cheeks were flushed a faint pink.

"Cousin, let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Pei Qingying. You can call her Qingqing, just like I do."

"Qingqing, this is my cousin. I'm not kidding, am I? Isn't he incredibly handsome?"

He Tang's actions were like a forced match, which made Chen Jue speechless and wish he could give her a good whack on the head.

However, with the little girl beside him, he could only force a friendly smile and nod to Pei Qingying.

"Miss Pei, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Brother Chen, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The little girl was a bit shy, but she was still polite and extended her snow-white hand to shake hands with Chen Jue.

Big and small hands can be separated at the touch of a finger.

It was so fast that Chen Jue felt the cool, delicate touch on his fingertips was an illusion.

"Shall we take your best friend home first?" Chen Jue turned to ask He Tang.

He Tang shook his head.

"Qingqing is visiting today; a car will pick her up later."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jue's heart stirred slightly, and he glanced at Miss Pei out of the corner of his eye.

The little girl was dressed simply, in a pale yellow floral dress paired with a pair of well-fitting white shoes. The only detail was a thin, lustrous gold bracelet on her left wrist.

In Linjiang, the capital of southern province, owning a car means you're not from an ordinary family. It's rare to find a girl who is so low-key and simple. She is truly a rare find.

"Cousin, the way you're acting today... doesn't seem like you were shot in the back yesterday!" He Tang circled around Chen Jue, looking him over suspiciously.

"I'm a quasi-martial artist at the ninth level of Qi and Blood, so what's wrong with my body recovering a little faster?" Chen Jue rolled his eyes at his cousin and led the two girls back.

As he passed the street corner, he suddenly had a whim and, while squatting down to tie his shoelaces, turned around and glanced back.

Several furtive figures appeared not far behind the three, some looking down at their phones, others looking up at the GG card, their eyes occasionally glancing at He and Pei.

Chen stood up without making a sound, slowing his pace slightly to be level with the two girls.

"Has anyone been giving you trouble at school lately?" Chen Jue asked the two girls, maintaining his pace as if exchanging pleasantries.

"Who dares to mess with us? My physical training class is in the top ten in the whole school! Sixth level of Qi and Blood before next year's martial arts exam? A piece of cake!"

He Tang stood tall and proud, as proud as a naive peacock.

Pei Qingying remained silent for a moment, but then revealed information that was completely opposite to He Tang's.

"Yes, recently a star god belief called 'Indoor Fire Cult' has become popular at school."

"Several classmates with ulterior motives repeatedly invited Tangtang and me to be the assembly's holy maidens, promising a high appearance fee of 20,000..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jue's brows gradually furrowed.

Combating "heretical shrines and cults" and banning "star god worship" has always been an unwavering national policy of the Ming Dynasty.

"Is this troublesome? They're just buzzing flies. Why not just firmly reject them?" He Tang said, waving his fist.

Chen Jue glanced at his cousin, wondering if she was just carefree or overconfident.

"Doesn't the school administration office care?" he asked, turning to the young woman, Pei.

It is highly unusual for a group of martial arts students to break the law and commit crimes against the wind.

"They're hard to manage; if you ask them, they just say they're joking."

Pei Qingying revealed the inside story: "Most of the students who led the group were children of powerful families in Linjiang. The school was concerned about the reputation of these families and did not want to take strong action against them."

"Then you all need to be careful while you're at school. Some strange beliefs, once you get hooked on them, are hard to shake off, so you need to learn to protect yourselves."

Chen Jue, being the eldest brother, was like a father to him, and his earnest teachings inevitably carried a touch of paternal authority.

He Tang gave a perfunctory answer, believing that physical strength could solve all problems.

Pei Qingying's almond-shaped eyes sparkled, as if she was touched by the concern shown by her unfamiliar older brother.