"What did Xu Yuebing give you?"
"What's with the gift talk? I paid for it myself."
"Look who's talking like the money isn't from her. Eating soft rice and still so self-righteous, truly shameless. I'm embarrassed to be associated with you!"
Huang Liwen looked at the exquisitely packaged brocade box in Ye Qingzhou's hand, feeling a bit crazed with envy. His deskmate's luck was just too good!
"Hurry up and open it!"
Unable to contain his curiosity, Huang Liwen urged impatiently.
Ye Qingzhou remained calm and entered the password Xu Yuebing had given him into the special brocade box. With a click, the gift box was opened, spreading out like a thick dictionary.
Inside, the brocade box was divided into two storage compartments. In the left compartment, quietly lay a fruit resembling a fragrant pear, with a sky-blue skin from which cold air continually emanated, quickly forming yellow bean-sized droplets on the surface.
In the right compartment were five neatly arranged dates of the same size.
These dates, however, had a uniquely luxurious look, glinting with gold under the sunlight. Even drawing closer, one could feel a rolling wave of heat.
"Whoa! Jiaoli Fire Dates!"
Huang Liwen gasped in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Given his grades, getting into Linjiang First High School was no small feat. He remembered a lot of the middle school knowledge and recognized Jiaoli and Fire Dates, two common rare treasures mentioned in textbooks.
Pears mature with spring flowers and autumn fruits, with a tough exterior and white interior, embodying the concept of golden and wooden interchange, hence called Jiaoli.
Dates, sweet in taste and red in color symbolizing yang, embody the notion of yang soil life, hence called Fire Dates.
Combined, the two things barely weighed four ounces, but cost Ye Qingzhou 50,000 yuan, and even then, the price was secured through Xu Family's channels. Otherwise, even at twice the price, they'd have been hard to get.
Nowadays on Blue Star, the number of martial artists keeps increasing, but production from the Grotto Heaven Secret Realm remains limited, far from meeting market demand. As a result, rare treasures rich in primordial qi maintain high prices, some even unmarketable, with many people waving cash but unable to find ways to buy them.
Seeing this, other classmates were equally shocked, many boys perplexed beyond comprehension.
"Has Ye Qingzhou been kept by Beauty Xu?"
"No way, what's his deal?"
"Impossible, I refuse to believe it!"
Countless boys experiencing budding emotions felt heartbroken, protesting against the unfairness of fate.
The girls in the class were also displeased, especially the strikingly beautiful Xiao Yuanyuan, whose curved eyebrows almost flattened, casting a reproachful look at Ye Qingzhou.
Why covet another class's cabbage when a fine one is right here? Is wildflower truly more fragrant than homegrown? Hmph, men truly are no good!
But Ye Qingzhou genuinely didn't care about others' gazes or thoughts. First, he grabbed the sky-blue Jiaoli and took a bite, crisp and the sweet juice blooming on his taste buds.
Cold!
So cold!
Ye Qingzhou shivered all over, feeling a chilling aura rush to his head, refreshing his spirit, and soon noticing his senses had sharpened.
After devouring the fruit in a few bites, Ye Qingzhou picked up the five Fire Dates and ate them all.
The vibrant Fire Dates, their flesh golden, tasted slightly spicy. Swallowed, his dantian felt ablaze, his entire being slowly roasted by a steady fire.
Hot!
So hot!
The medicinal effects of Jiaoli and Fire Dates alternated within him, creating a realm of ice and fire inside Ye Qingzhou.
"Jiaoli strengthens muscles, Fire Dates fortify bones, these rare treasures complement each other in yin and yang, their combined effect truly extraordinary for muscle strengthening and bone forging. Luckily, I've already entered the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Suppressing realm, possessing innovative and subtle skills, capable of maintaining inner yin-yang balance. Otherwise, understanding the principle wouldn't suffice for success."
Ye Qingzhou then circulated qi and blood, finely controlling his body, alternating Wind's Inner Breath and Fire's Inner Breath, simulating yin-yang convergence, continuously assimilating the medicinal power of Jiaoli and Fire Dates, initially employing the external training technique recorded in "Six Military Techniques" for muscle strengthening and bone forging.
To become a professional level martial artist, external training of muscles, bones, and skin and practicing internal cultivation is essential.
Thus, martial arts practitioners before reaching the professional level are known as martial arts apprentices or apprentice martial artists, focused on muscle refining, bone forging, skin refining, and inhaling primordial qi to enhance inner breath.
Currently, within Ye Qingzhou's dantian qi sea, a white and red inner breath intertwined like dragons and tigers.
Red qi resembled a crimson dragon, soaring upward.
White qi seemed like a fierce tiger, crouching on the ground.
The two inner breaths, one yang and one yin, intermingled, subtly emitting dragon and tiger roars, with qi energy interacting to gradually form a Tai Chi circle, providing a sense of eternal vitality.
Utilizing the inner observation technique, Ye Qingzhou felt immensely pleased: "This is qi forming dragon and tiger form!"
Sensing briefly, Ye Qingzhou realized his inner breath had become more solid, and its rotation speed had increased slightly, indicating that consuming Jiaoli and Fire Dates simultaneously had a particularly significant effect.
Seeing Ye Qingzhou grinning brightly, Huang Liwen was both envious and in disbelief, unable to resist a sarcastic remark: "Pig Head Ye, restrain yourself. You're so happy you have snot bubbles. It's just receiving a gift from Beauty Xu, look at your petty ambition!"
"Oh, so some girl has given you a gift too?"
"No! But there definitely will be in the future!"
......
Afternoon after school, Fighting Center.
Ye Qingzhou walked into the Swordsmanship Club with an invigorated demeanor. Xu Yuebing saw his smug expression and approached frowning, asking, "Did you eat all the Jiaoli Fire Dates?"
"Yes, the effect is very noticeable."
Ye Qingzhou smiled slightly, clenching his fists, intending to practice the Eight Sword Techniques and Six Military Techniques to further digest the residual medicinal power of Jiaoli and Fire Dates.
Hearing this, Xu Yuebing's face showed dissatisfaction: "Even though 50,000 yuan isn't much, rare treasures are exceedingly rare. Before consuming, it's best to burn incense and bathe, then seek a quiet room to enter a perfect calm state, maximizing their effect. You ate them like fruit, what a waste!"
Ye Qingzhou nonchalantly replied, "You don't understand. For a peerless talent like me, I'm always in the perfect state, so consuming rare treasures doesn't require such fuss; just eating directly is enough."
"You!!!"
Xu Yuebing gritted her delicate teeth, clenching her fists, again frustrated by Ye Qingzhou's words, her mood especially sour: "Are you saying I'm a mediocre talent?"
"No need to feel down. Even if you're an average talent, under guidance from a master like me, you could still become a top-notch expert in the future."
Ye Qingzhou offered kind reassurance, but the benevolent sponsor seemed unappreciative.
"Heh, should I actually thank you then?"
"No need to be polite, after all, you're paying."
"Hmph!"
Xu Yuebing turned away, pursing her lips, taking deep breaths to calm herself, silently reminding herself not to get angry, as harming her health wasn't worth it.
Someday, when skilled and accomplished, she vowed to show this annoying guy why the flowers are so red!
Just as Xu Yuebing noted another huge offense from Ye Qingzhou in her little book, Leon's figure appeared at the Swordsmanship Club's entrance.
"Ye Qingzhou!"
Healed from his injuries, the arrogant young man had regained his overbearing stance, clearly ready to reclaim his spot.