PING... PING... PING...
A faint sound, like a finger gently tapping a screen, came from somewhere.
KNOCK KNOCK!
The sharp sound of knocking suddenly jarred Jiang Qiu's eyelids open. A bright, bare lightbulb seared his vision. A sour, foul smell drilled into his nostrils, and thick, murky water scraped against his neck.
'Did I fall asleep?'
He turned his head. Sure enough, the gray sky outside was beginning to brighten.
KNOCK KNOCK!
"Jiang Qiu, are you awake?"
A voice as crisp and lovely as a songbird's pierced through the front door, making Jiang Qiu's eyes widen. "Liu Zili?!"
KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK!
The increasingly urgent knocking came with a frantic shout, "Are you okay? Can you say something?!"
"I'm fine—stop knocking, just give me a few minutes!"
Jiang Qiu immediately scrambled out of the large wooden tub. He frowned, glancing at the black filth clinging to his abdomen and waist and the sloshing, blood-red water in the tub. His face paled as he rushed, bare-assed, into the bathroom.
SHWAAA—
The water streamed down like rain.
After a quick rinse and a rubdown with a towel, he dashed back into the living room, still stark naked. He grabbed the clothes he had neatly folded on a chair, shoved his arms and legs into them, and picked up his lit-up phone. The screen was filled with a long list of missed messages and video call requests, all from Liu Zili.
He glanced at the time. It was already 6:31.
CLICK.
The moment the main door opened, Liu Zili, who stood waiting with knitted brows and pursed lips, flinched. A familiar figure suddenly filled her vision.
Droplets from Jiang Qiu's damp hair dripped onto his shoulders and the floor. His arms, emerging from black, gold-trimmed cuffs, looked like polished yellow jade fresh from the water, their contours defined by light and shadow.
He didn't seem injured or unwell. If anything, his eyes were even brighter than yesterday.
"Sorry, I haven't cleaned the tub yet. How about I buy you a new one another day?"
Jiang Qiu offered an embarrassed smile and tugged at his crooked collar.
'I can't believe I couldn't make it through my first medicine bath. I just passed out, and look at the disgusting state of the tub.'
'She was nice enough to lend it to me, and I left it like this. I feel awful.'
"Ah, you don't have to buy a new one. Just clean it and return it to me," Liu Zili said with a smile, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The back of her hand happened to wipe away a bead of sweat trickling down her cheek. "It's getting late. Shall we head to school together?"
"Yeah, just let me dry my hair first."
"Okay."
...
[Copper Transformation]
[Features: Qi Blood transforms, condensing as copper.]
Perhaps yesterday's Body Refining and metamorphosis had completely drained his body's stored nutrients and energy. When Jiang Qiu and Liu Zili went to the school cafeteria for breakfast, he wasn't full until he'd stacked up ten stainless steel trays. His appetite drew stares from many students and stunned the chatting cafeteria workers into silence.
"The effects of your first Wusu Fragrant Medicine Bath are really obvious. Your appetite has increased so much." Liu Zili dropped her two trays with a clatter at the return window, her eyes sweeping over the massive pile of ten next to them. She pursed her lips. "Once the school arranges the practical training hunt, if you get a high rank, you might really surpass Li Juefeng before the college entrance exams..."
"I will."
Jiang Qiu replied without hesitation.
'The practical training hunt is held every year, and the higher the rank, the richer the rewards. Just for participating, the top student from each training area gets a portion of Wusu Fragrance as a prize.'
'If I can secure a high rank, it won't just be Li Juefeng I surpass...'
After their hearty meal, the two headed to the elite training hall. The moment they slid open the glass door and stepped into Training Area Eight, the few students in black shirts scattered inside all snapped their heads around to look, like mice spotting a cat.
Under the crowd's quiet yet blatant stares, Jiang Qiu and Liu Zili each took a long spear from the weapon cabinet and silently stepped into a private training room.
"Didn't Hu Ye'ye say he was a complete unknown for the first two and a half years he was here? But in the last couple of weeks, he first used 'Spear Tip Armor Shattering' to crush Wang Guanjia—the same Wang Guanjia who beat Brother Xie—and then yesterday, he used Spear Rod Armor Shattering to instantly defeat Brother Xie, who's second only to Li Juefeng in this training area. His real Martial Arts talent must be absolutely off the charts!"
A brawny, thick-browed youth mused, "So, how long do you guys think he lasted in his first Wusu Fragrant Medicine Bath yesterday?"
"The longer you can stand your first Wusu Fragrant Medicine Bath, the better your talent for Body Refining. That stuff is pure torture. My dad had to fish me out after just over twenty minutes, and even Brother Xie said he was pulled out at the forty-minute mark."
Someone clucked their tongue and shook their head, recalling the painful memory.
"You're lucky if you get fished out at all. I remember Hu Ye'ye saying Jiang Qiu was an orphan before he even came to the school. He probably has no one at home. What if he couldn't take it and passed out during the bath... HISS—"
Another student sucked in a cold breath, but the brawny youth cut him off with a wave. "But he's perfectly fine, isn't he? That girl, Liu Zili, is also from the Shantytown. They're always hanging out, so she must have looked after him last night."
"But you're supposed to be completely naked for the medicine bath... How could a girl look after him...?"
"Fuck, why are you thinking about that? Back to the bath! Given his performance, he definitely beat Wang Guanjia's one-hour record. The real question is whether Jiang Qiu can even compare to Li Juefeng!"
The brawny youth waved his hand grandly, and the discussion immediately shifted. "Putting aside the principal's grandson in the 'Prodigy Project,' Li Juefeng is number one across all eight training areas! An hour and a half... that would boil us down to bone broth! How could anyone beat that so easily?"
"Yeah! Li Juefeng is a rare genius at our Eighth Middle School. He's already mastered the application of both Mingjin and Hidden Force, and he's even started to develop his own Huajin..."
"What are you on about? What does talent in the Spear Dao have to do with talent for Body Refining?"
The brawny youth's muscles rippled in anger, but a kid with a buzz cut holding a spear just sneered. "What's your problem? Is Li Juefeng not a genius who's already reached the Iron Flesh Realm? There are still more than two months to go, and he's already at that level. Zhang Shan, have you even managed to form your Copper Skin? Can you even fathom that?"
"You motherfucker!" Zhang Shan's spear trembled in his grip, his thick brows twitching with rage. "Li Si, I'm going to kick your ass today!"
"Hah, like I'm scared of you? Li Juefeng is the real deal. To be honest, even if Brother Xie and the top fighters from the other six areas ganged up on him, they probably couldn't take him down!"
The words had barely faded.
"BEEP—"
"Verification successful."
An immense aura washed over them from the doorway. The students all turned toward the sound, quickly stowing their spears and bowing their heads. "Hello, Teacher Wu."
Wu Shan remained silent. However, Xie Kuang, standing beside him with a brand-new shaft on his spear, wore an icy expression. His gaze, sharp as needles, shot through the crowd and stabbed into a certain woeful-looking, buzz-cut youth.
'I'm screwed...'
Li Si swallowed hard.
"Keep practicing your spear work. Kill more Demon Beasts during the practical training hunt to hone your skills, and you'll have a shot at Northwest Martial University in the entrance exams."
After casually instructing the students, Wu Shan called out the four people from the private room. "I've taught you pretty much all of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. There's no need to stay cooped up in the small rooms. You should all get to know each other."
"Lately, many small Secret Realms have been stirring outside Gao Yuan City. The practical training hunt will probably be scheduled soon. Try to stick together. That way, when someone dies, you'll at least know their name..."
Before he could finish...
"BEEP—"
"Verification successful."
All eyes turned to see Zhao Gongzheng standing at the glass door, his hands clasped behind his back. Even his thick-framed glasses couldn't hide his sharp, hawk-like gaze. "Still fond of teaching your students this way, Teacher Wu?"
"Not at all, I only say it once in a while," Wu Shan said with an awkward purse of his lips, quickly changing the subject. "What brings Director Zhao to Training Area Eight in person so early?"