Wusu Fragrance.
It was an official Martial Arts Resource. Its production process was particularly complex and strict, making it impossible to find on the open market. Or perhaps there were channels, but if so, Jiang Qiu didn't know about them.
That was why this officially controlled Martial Arts Resource was priceless and unavailable. People from the Shantytown might go their whole lives without ever seeing it. Even most people in the common districts couldn't afford Wusu Fragrance.
It was just as Wu Shan had said. Some excellent students had been in this program for a long time and still hadn't used Wusu Fragrance. High school would be over in less than three months. If they couldn't get into Northwest Martial University, where else would they ever get their hands on Wusu Fragrance?
At this thought, Jiang Qiu quietly clenched his fists. His eyes, a sharp contrast of light and shadow, darted toward Xie Kuang, with his sharply angled eyes.
'I can't miss this opportunity. I have to fight for more Wusu Fragrance, pass the college entrance exams in peak condition, and get into Northwest Martial University.'
'And if I can just reach Xie Kuang's level, I can receive two portions of Wusu Fragrance every month...'
"Alright, that's enough talk. The rest of you, keep practicing." Wu Shan took another big gulp of water. He then beckoned to Wang Guanjia, Jiang Qiu, and the other two. "Follow me to the small room. There isn't much time left today. I'll first impart the basic Body Refining Heart Method to you. Tomorrow, we'll begin learning the complete Ancient Martial Spear Technique."
Jiang Qiu and the other three followed at his heels.
Before stepping into the small room at the back of the training ground, he glanced back at Xie Kuang, who was surrounded by a crowd of fawning students. Faint whispers drifted to his ears.
"Haha, look at the eager expressions on their faces. Do they really think becoming excellent students automatically gets them Wusu Fragrance?"
"Heh, even among us—the ones who were excellent students from the start—half of us haven't used that stuff in two years. They've got less than three months. What the hell do they think they can compete for?"
"Seriously, what's the school thinking, giving these losers from the regular classes a chance? It's the same thing every year, and you never see many of them get into Northwest Martial University."
"You can't say that. If the school didn't give them a chance, Old Wang wouldn't have gotten his. And that Jiang Qiu kid would've never had the opportunity to beat Old Wang and get in..."
As the voice faded, Xie Kuang's dark eyes drifted to the side, meeting Jiang Qiu's gaze just as he turned away. A casual smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
'Hilarious. To think Wang Guanjia actually got his staff broken by some kid born in the Shantytown.'
'His spine must've been broken two years ago.'
'Getting more and more useless the longer he lives.'
...
CLICK.
The one-way glass door of the small room closed.
"After the Secret Realms across the world revived, beasts evolved into monsters, but we humans benefited as well, giving rise to the Martial Artists of today." Wu Shan strolled past several iron piles of the same height, stopping in front of a small porcelain table. "The earliest Martial Artists developed Body Refining Heart Methods based on classic Ancient Martial Arts texts and special scriptures from the Secret Realms. In essence, they are breathing rhythms that temper the physical body by compressing the formless qi.
Our Northwest Province's mainstream Body Casting Technique is the Ancient Martial Spear Technique, which has a long and storied history. The mainstream Body Refining Heart Method is the Circulation Qi Technique. The two complement each other."
THUD. He slammed his black water bottle onto the porcelain table. He glanced back at Wang Guanjia, who understood immediately and tossed his longspear, which landed securely in Wu Shan's hand.
"Ordinary students are only taught the first eight forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. This is because they don't harm the body and are already sufficient for combat. We don't demand more from them.
As for the latter twelve forms, they must be practiced in conjunction with the Circulation Qi Technique. They also require ample energy absorption. If you lack certain conditions and fail to properly temper your body, you'll live a short life."
The moment he finished speaking, a jet-black shadow swept through the room with a SWISH, as if night had suddenly fallen.
HUMMM—
Jiang Qiu's pupils trembled. When he focused his gaze, he saw that the shaft of the longspear in Wu Shan's hand was now resting perfectly against a nearby iron pile. Looking closer, he saw the spear shaft was vibrating subtly and the iron pile was shaking, yet Wu Shan's hand was as steady as a mountain holding an empty valley—utterly unmoving.
CLACK.
The longspear was tossed back through the air into Wang Guanjia's hands. As if it were a hot potato, he flinched, his index finger recoiling as if shocked. He only managed to grip it securely on his second try. The veins in his arms bulged, purple and blue, and his eyes widened. "Such immense Strength!"
Liu Zili and Hu Ye'ye both stared wide-eyed, inwardly gasping in astonishment.
The iron pile, already covered in dents and pits, now had a new half-inch-deep horizontal groove from where the spear shaft had just lightly touched it!
"The latter twelve forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique can be summarized in one sentence: you are training Hidden Force. Once you reach a certain level of comprehension, you won't need the spearhead. The shaft alone can shatter armor!"
Wu Shan stood with his hands behind his back, his right eye sweeping over the group. His voice was like a terrifying wave. "Each of you, get into position. Assume the starting stance. I will now impart the Circulation Qi Technique to you!"
SWOOSH—
With a unified whoosh of air, the four spear shafts moved as one. Jiang Qiu stood at the far right, with no one to his left, his blood boiling like magma.
At Wu Shan's command, all four began to practice the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. Even though it was only the most basic first eight forms, under his guidance, it felt as if they were submerged in the high-pressure depths of the ocean.
Lift the chest. A stream of air drilled into the lungs, creating high pressure from within. This pressure was then constricted by the meridians and muscles, which in turn resonated with the air outside the skin. It felt like a pair of great hammers striking the surface of the skin from both inside and out!
The condensed stream of air then dispersed, and along with it, shattered impurities were squeezed out through the pores, like an ancient steam train exuding the savage quality of a great steel beast.
[Circulation Qi Technique practiced once]
[Mortal Body]
[1/100]
...
"Qi circulates through the heavens; the fleshly body sheds its mortality.
When the formless qi you breathe in can complete a full Great Cycle, it means the Circulation Qi Technique has carried you past the four great stages: Copper Skin, Iron Flesh, Steel Bone, and Jade Sinews.
However, what you need to focus on now is how to quickly achieve Copper Skin. It would be even better if you could reach Iron Flesh before the college entrance exams.
Circulating the Circulation Qi Technique during a medicinal bath is much more effective than when practicing the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. Remember to soak often..."
The deep, muffled words echoed in Jiang Qiu's mind. Carrying two stacks of new black martial arts shirts, he walked out of the elite training hall. The setting sun cut a sharp shadow across the side of his face, and his bright, shining eyes gazed toward the fading light.
'Medicinal baths? Where am I supposed to get those?'
The cheapest medicinal bath on the market cost over a thousand yuan. One or two of those, and his entire high school living allowance would be gone before he even graduated.
'Besides, how could any medicinal bath resources on the market compare to the official Wusu Fragrance...?'
He walked out of the school gates, turned into an alley, and slowed his pace. After crossing the first crosswalk, he stopped and looked back. "You're also heading to Thirteenth Street in the Shantytown?"
On the other side of the road, Liu Zili, who had been admiring the new shirts in her arms, gave a start, her short hair trembling. She looked up in surprise, glanced at the flashing green light, and hurried across with a patter of footsteps. A smile spread across her oval face, revealing white teeth and crescent-moon eyes. "No, I live on Eleventh Street."
"Oh. It's on the way."
Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow and started walking again. Liu Zili kept pace with him, her head bobbing up and down with her short steps, sometimes drawing level with his right shoulder as they walked along the road together.
"Jiang Qiu, you comprehended the Mingjin-level Spearpoint Armor-Piercing in such a short time to defeat Wang Guanjia. Your Martial Arts Talent is very high..." Liu Zili pursed her lips and stole a glance at Jiang Qiu. "Xie Kuang will definitely be eager to have a showdown with you.
He was already very strong before he became an excellent student, but he was defeated by Wang Guanjia back then. Later, in order to get a larger share of future Wusu Fragrance allocations, Wang Guanjia challenged the second-most talented student, Li Juefeng, and was soundly defeated. He failed to become an excellent student and was gradually surpassed by Xie Kuang. That's why Xie Kuang is so desperate to regain the face he lost to Wang Guanjia..."
"How do you know all this?"
Jiang Qiu tilted his head and glanced at Liu Zili, meeting her clear, placid eyes. A thought occurred to him, and his brow furrowed. "I think I remember something like that. It was discussed when Wang Guanjia first came to Class 8..."
'But I wouldn't have remembered if she hadn't brought it up.'
'It didn't really have anything to do with me, after all.'
"Right. So, Xie Kuang probably doesn't want you or Wang Guanjia to qualify for the Wusu Fragrance..."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Not only did you defeat Wang Guanjia, but you're also an excellent student who came up from the Shantytown. The first one in years..."