"Are you being serious?" Wang Qi said, her brow furrowed.
A gale blew in his face as Wang Zhan's flying kick aimed directly at hers. But Wang Qi wasn't flustered. With a push of her hands on the ground, she soared nearly a meter into the air and landed on the rooftop's parapet.
"BANG!" A dull sound echoed. Wang Zhan's kick landed solidly on the wall.
Wang Qi had already jumped off the parapet, moving much faster than Wang Zhan. She punched him directly in the chest, sending Wang Zhan flying backward.
"When did you get such power and speed?" Wang Qi asked, her face showing surprise.
He hadn't felt it much at home, but it's clear now. Wang Zhan rubbed his chest. His idea was indeed correct. Fighting Wang Qi, although unavoidably painful, at least doesn't risk my life. That's enough. It's not like I haven't been beaten up like this once or twice during our childhood. Wasn't my prestige earned through these fights? If it can enhance my strength, what's there to fear?
"None of your business! Let's go again!" Wang Zhan roared and charged.
Wang Zhan was fierce but lacked technique. After all, he was someone who hadn't received systematic martial arts training; the contrast with Wang Qi was very apparent.
Wang Zhan fought like it was a street brawl. Wang Qi, however, was graceful, her evasive maneuvers incredibly elegant and fluid.
After more than half an hour, Wang Zhan was mostly losing, though he occasionally managed to hit Wang Qi. His attributes were also gradually increasing. From time to time, prompts flashed in his brain: Strength +7, Agility +6, Physique +5...
Another half hour passed. Wang Zhan's clothes were considerably damaged, but he fought with increasing tenacity. His strength had tripled compared to when they started. His strength, agility, and physique were visibly growing. Wang Zhan also noticed he was landing hits on Wang Qi more frequently.
"What are you playing at? It feels like you were holding back at the beginning?" As she spoke, Wang Qi's expression darkened, and she kicked Wang Zhan away. "Today is the first and last time I'm teaching you this: in a fight, you can have life-saving trump cards, but you absolutely cannot hold back. Otherwise, you'll be the one to die! Villains always die because they talk too much. Understand?"
"My business is none of your concern! Let's go again!" Wang Zhan panted heavily. Thankfully, his Physique was continuously increasing, giving him the stamina to persist.
"You!" Wang Qi suddenly furrowed her brows. "Playing crazy, are you? Then I'll let you play to your heart's content!"
After she finished speaking, Wang Qi's aura intensified considerably. Another hour passed. Wang Zhan began hearing various prompts in his mind: Strength +2, Physique +8, Agility +5...
A series of prompts appeared in his mind, and the attributes on his panel visibly increased.
Host: Wang Zhan
Strength: 100
Agility: 100
Physique: 100
Charm: 20
Wisdom: 9
In a short while, his three base attributes had reached 100.
At this moment, Wang Zhan lay on the ground. Wang Qi's knee pressed down on him, pinning both his hands. One of Wang Zhan's cheeks was pressed firmly against the ground. He struggled, enduring the intense pain. Wrenching one hand free, he threw a hook punch at Wang Qi's arm. However, this time, there was no prompt for an attribute increase.
This left Wang Zhan dumbfounded. He immediately asked in his mind, "System!"
"You've reached the peak of the Martial Student realm. To continue growing, you must break through the Martial Student Realm!"
"Still want to fight?" Wang Qi asked angrily. After two hours of fighting, Wang Qi was also irritated. He's still not giving up! If this weren't her own little brother, she would have smacked him dead long ago.
"No more!" Wang Zhan completely gave up resisting.
At this, Wang Qi released him and stood to the side. Looking at the rather battered Wang Zhan, she said slowly, "Little brother, you're amazing!"
"Are you mocking me?" Wang Zhan's whole body ached. He didn't want to get up, so he just lay there, gazing at the starry sky. Actually, he couldn't really see any stars, only the brilliant, colorful light screen above.
"I'm not mocking you. It's the truth. At least you dare to fight. You have the core of Martial Arts. Strength, Talent, resources—those are just external factors. For a Martial Artist, the most important thing is the core of Martial Arts. And you... you already have it. In that sense, you're stronger than me," Wang Qi explained seriously.
Wang Zhan was stunned. He didn't understand these things but felt vaguely impressed. Pondering, he recalled the afternoon's fight with Deng Chaofan and the others, as well as the recent spar with his sister. His strength attribute probably converted at a 1:10 ratio. This meant his current strength should be around one thousand kilograms, the peak an ordinary person could reach. One step further, breaking through this limit, and he could enter the Martial Student realm. That would be a true beginning.
One should know that in the entire history of No. 33 Middle School, his sister, now looking down at him coldly, was the record holder. Yet her record was merely 600 kilograms of strength, and even that was hailed as a record. Wang Zhan felt he might actually have a shot at the Federal Martial Arts Academy entrance exam.
Deng Chaofan and his ilk were beneath consideration. His opponents should be the prodigies Wang Qi had mentioned—those scions of noble families, the descendants of peak-level experts.
Wang Qi continued, "Were you hiding your strength before? I can feel that you haven't fully mastered your own power and speed. That's absolutely unacceptable."
Wang Zhan gave a wry smile, unsure how to respond. Should he tell her his strength had suddenly skyrocketed today?
Fortunately, Wang Qi didn't press the issue and continued, "In martial arts, superficial attributes aren't everything. Some people might have strong attributes, even reaching the realm of a Martial Artist. However, they might have achieved it entirely through taking medicine. If they lack real combat experience, being such a Martial Artist is meaningless. The martial arts realm is one aspect; more importantly, it's about mastering one's own strength. That is fundamental."
"Sis! You once said that the brightest star up there was Dad. He's watching me, and I'll definitely become an outstanding Martial Artist. Have you ever seen the stars in the wilderness? Do you think I can become an outstanding Martial Artist?" Wang Zhan murmured, not directly answering Wang Qi's question.
Wang Qi slowly replied, "Don't put pressure on yourself! No matter what, you're my brother, Wang Qi's brother, Yang Cui's son. Dad... he'll always watch over us."
As she spoke, Wang Qi also sat down, turning her head to look at Wang Zhan. "Does it hurt?"
Wang Zhan grinned. The movement seemed to pull at his injuries, and he winced in pain. "Not at all. When I was a child and others bullied me, you'd hold me and say it didn't hurt then either."
Wang Qi turned her head away, looking into the distance with slightly glistening eyes. "Little brother, take care of yourself, and take care of Mom!"
"Are you planning to go on a long journey?" Wang Zhan suddenly turned his head to look at Wang Qi.
This question seemed to startle Wang Qi.
"No! What do you know? According to the rules of our Chu State Military Academy, so-called Level 5 Martial Artists can only handle ordinary soldier-level beasts. We're not even considered proper soldiers. We're not allowed to travel far," Wang Qi explained.
"Mm-hmm, I get it! Take good care of yourself. I'll take good care of Mom, don't worry." Wang Zhan smiled slightly and sat up, putting his arm around Wang Qi's shoulder. "Sis, your little brother has grown up. I'm no longer that Snot Worm who'd cry and run after you when bullied."
Having been siblings their whole lives, how could Wang Zhan not understand his sister? If nothing was wrong, she wouldn't be this gentle. He tried not to overthink it, but he couldn't stop himself. Everyone has their own path to walk, just as their father had. He didn't blame anyone, only these damn times!
"I'm heading back!" Wang Zhan leaned back, flipped off the several-meter-high crenellation, and landed steadily on the rooftop. Reaching the stairwell, Wang Zhan paused. "Sister! Live! You must live!"
"Get lost!" Wang Qi watched Wang Zhan's retreating figure and chuckled softly. She leaped onto the rooftop's retaining wall, gazing at the light screen in the sky.
What do the stars in the wilderness look like? Dad! Are you really watching us from the sky, like Mom said?
As she spoke, Wang Qi started to giggle, murmuring, Dad! I miss you so much! Did you see? Little brother has grown up. He's become a real man. He's stronger than me. He has a true core of Martial Arts. Sometimes, I feel so useless.
Just then, a uniquely shaped yet very ordinary iron necklace around Wang Qi's neck, with a pendant resembling a mermaid, suddenly emitted a moon-like, pure white light.
Wang Qi was enveloped in this radiance. As time passed, her emotions began to calm.
Unfortunately, Wang Qi herself seemed unaware of this. Even more unfortunately, Wang Zhan didn't witness this scene. He had already arrived home. The sofa in the living room had been unfolded, transforming into Wang Zhan's exclusive large bed, and he was already lying on it.
He lay there with a foolish grin on his face. He could feel the immense power coursing through his body. Looking at his three main attributes, all of them now three-digit numbers, he felt ecstatic.
This combat system is too powerful! At this rate, as long as I can break through realms, I won't need to accumulate experience; I'll be at max level instantly. I'll be invincible among those of the same rank!
As for the martial arts exam, Wang Zhan no longer cared. In his current state, wouldn't passing a mere martial arts exam be a piece of cake?