Ding-ding-ding~ After class, Lu Chenzhou was still reviewing his notes from the nutrition class at his desk. Dietary planning is very important for Martial Arts Cultivation.
As the saying goes, "70% practice, 30% diet."
Now, with a professional canteen at school to feed them, once they step into society, or when alone outside, one will need to prepare one’s own reasonable diet. Wealthy Martial Artists always use various precious herbs for dietary supplements, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.
"Chenzhou, someone is looking for you."
Huo Tianyu walked in with a grin.
"Go and see for yourself."
She returned to her seat, and Yuan Zhigang and others had a watchful look of anticipation.
When Lu Chenzhou came out, he found Wang Caiying standing at the doorway.
He looked around; there was no one else.
"You’re looking for me?"
"Yes, I want to have another match with you."
"Have you reached the Sixth Rank?"
"Then no match, I’m only Fifth Rank."
Thinking of his safety, Lu Chenzhou decisively refused.
Honestly, he was still frightened by the memory of her underhanded kick.
Wang Caiying laughed:
"No worries, I won’t use my full strength."
"Why are you so keen on challenging me?"
"You are Low Class root bone, and I am too. That’s fair, right?"
"Let’s wait until I reach Sixth Rank."
Lu Chenzhou wanted to go back to taking notes, hoping to send her away.
"Okay, then I’ll wait for you to reach Sixth Rank."
Wang Caiying was pleased; she could finally redeem her earlier humiliation. Scolded by Wang Jidao, she will give her all in the next fight against Lu Chenzhou and must win!
She has a strong desire to win. In all her spars, even though she knew she was outmatched and being dominated, she would never give up.
Lu Chenzhou was different.
If he couldn’t win, he couldn’t win. Admitting defeat was not shameful.
Safety first; the body is the capital for chasing Martial Arts.
After dinner at the training field.
People were Practicing Heavenly Pile, practicing punches; Lu Chenzhou and Wang Gang were doing intense cross training, their passionate sparring almost becoming an urban legend of Dragon City.
Just then, an excited voice came.
"Hahaha, I’m Seventh Rank now."
Liu Huan finished a set of punches and jumped three feet high.
He ran to the Qi Blood Measurement Room.
[Qi Blood Value 3.63, congratulations, you have reached the standards of Seventh Rank!]
Liu Huan, holding his fists, was almost crazily excited. Though he seemed as unaffected as Fan Jin during the lifting of the ban, only he could understand his feelings. Like Wang Caiying, he reached Sixth Rank just upon entering high school, but then was stuck before breaking through to the Seventh Rank for over a year.
After Seventh Rank, each step becomes increasingly difficult. Now, his goal is to reach Ninth Rank before he turns 20 so that he hopefully can Break Second Shackles by 25 and become a Martial Artist!
"Liu Huan, you’re Seventh Rank now?"
Other Sixth Rank students gathered around.
"Awesome. When will I reach Seventh Rank?"
Everyone felt envious.
"You should have a chance to be rated Class A this winter exam."
"I don’t know, I’ll strive for it, come on, I’m treating tonight."
Liu Huan arrived at the training field, full of triumph.
"Chenzhou, I’m Seventh Rank now. Are you coming to the dinner tonight?"
Lu Chenzhou sincerely congratulated:
"That’s great... I’ll pass; enjoy your meal."
He was about to Breakthrough in the Arhat Skill and wanted to train with Wang Gang for some extra time tonight; he had no time for entertainment. Liu Huan and others left, laughing.
At nine in the evening.
Liu Huan and his group had finished their meal and returned.
At the training field, Lu Chenzhou and Wang Gang were still training.
"These two are really hardworking."
"Yeah, is Hard Qi Gong that addictive?"
"I’ve tried it, it’s damn painful, almost like Heavenly Pile."
"That’s indeed very painful."
Everyone truly admired the willpower of these two.
Seeing Lu Chenzhou still working so hard even after being rated Class A, Liu Huan’s joy from his recent breakthrough also faded. He had originally planned to take a day off to relax in the evening.
Unbeknownst to themselves, under the subtle influence of Lu Chenzhou, the vaunted overachiever, their class’s diligence had already far surpassed that of other classes.
Wang Gang put away his Vajra Palm. Looking at Lu Chenzhou’s upper body, which emitted a faint dark blue sheen, he expressed three parts suspicion and seven parts disbelief,
"Chenzhou, I feel like your Arhat Skill might have achieved a breakthrough. When I broke through with my Vajra Palm, a sheen also emerged faintly on my body."
"So that’s how it is, thank you Brother Wang."
Lu Chenzhou was well aware of it.
He stopped circulating his Qi and looked at the Martial Arts Tree.
[Arhat Skill: Proficient (100%) → Mastery (1%)]
"Generally speaking, once Hard Qigong reaches the Mastery Realm, relying on the cross-trained membrane on their skin and the powerful physique of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist, ordinary people’s punches and kicks no longer have any killing power on us. Even dozens of unarmed ordinary people would be easily knocked down one by one.
Even if ordinary people wield sharp blades, unless they focus all their strength on thrusting and slashing, the injuries caused are minor. Moreover, with our skills, unless surrounded and attacked by more than a dozen people simultaneously, they can’t even touch a hair on us."
Lu Chenzhou rubbed his abdominal muscles.
It felt like touching stone.
"Did you really only learn the Arhat Skill for four months?"
Lu Chenzhou nodded. He had initially tried it on a whim, as everyone said Hard Qigong was very difficult... but with the Martial Arts Tree, it seemed to be just so-so.
Wang Gang couldn’t help but swear,
"You’re f***ing a natural genius at cross-training."
It took him a year and a half to master Vajra Palm and two and a half years to reach Small Success. He even used the very expensive [$10,000 per box] Golden Jade Ointment... Comparing oneself to others can be infuriating.
"Perhaps I indeed have some talent for cross-training."
Lu Chenzhou was not being modest.
He looked at Wang Gang’s pale gold palms and asked,
"By the way, why is yours a golden light, and mine a blue light?"
The disheartened Wang Gang joked,
"I’m a noble pay-to-win player. The Golden Jade Ointment on the surface accumulates medicinal properties, forming a golden film. Your Black Jade Ointment is black... As for the light blue color, it’s the mysterious power nurtured within the acupoints after mastering Arhat Skill."
Lu Chenzhou was relieved.
As the combat intensity increased, the effectiveness of the [$2,100 per box] Black Jade No. 1 was indeed lacking, so he planned to switch to the [$5,000 per box] Black Jade No. 2 after running out.
Back at the dormitory,
Lu Chenzhou called Old Ji, his teacher.
"Teacher, I’ve mastered the Arhat Skill."
Clearly startled, Ji Xuantong on the other end of the phone asked after a moment,
"Is there a blue film on your body?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novｅlfire.net
"Yes, but it’s a dark blue."
"That’s not important, the black is from the externally applied medicine."
After a long silence on the phone, Ji Xuantong said thoughtfully,
"Chenzhou, your current realm of Arhat Skill has now surpassed mine. The Mastery Realm of Arhat Skill was once called... Stone Buddha Arhat!"
"Stone Buddha Arhat?"
"After mastering the Arhat Skill, the body emanates a blue light, similar in appearance to a blue stone. Ordinary attacks landing on the body are as trivial as striking a stone Buddha, known as the Stone Buddha Arhat Realm."
"Teacher, what changes will there be after achieving Small Success with the Arhat Skill?"
"Hard Qigong is easy to enter but hard to master deeply. It took you four months to master it, but I fear it will take almost half a year to achieve Small Success. The realm of Small Success is also called Iron Buddha Arhat, followed by Great Success which is Copper Buddha Arhat, and Perfection is Golden Buddha Arhat.
At the Supreme Realm, the body is like Vajra, impervious to swords and spears, as if the Dragon-subduing Arhat is alive. At this time, you can smoothly transition to the cultivation of the Eighteen Arhats Golden Body Skill, which is considered top-notch among first-rate Hard Qigong."
"Teacher, if Golden Body Skill is perfected, what effects can be achieved?"
Lu Chenzhou couldn’t help but ask, his aspirations stirred.
Ji Xuantong’s thoughts returned to college and said,
"Among the people I know, besides Evil Tiger, there’s only one who perfected the Golden Body Skill, and he’s now the Dragon Form Fist instructor at Dragon City Martial Arts University, the breakthrough-second shackles Iron Pine Dragon Chen Jiu who later mastered it as a Martial Artist.
Once successful, very few in the same realm can break his defense. As a Martial Artist, he was able to actively resist large-caliber sniper rifles with his innate strength, a sight I particularly remember. Ordinary Martial Artists, even with the aid of power, can barely defend against standard sniper rifles, and to actively resist large-caliber sniper rifles requires the use of breakthrough-second shackles’ Innate True Qi."
"Iron Pine Dragon Chen Jiu?"
Lu Chenzhou memorized this person in his mind.
"Chenzhou, do you think it’s possible to reach Sixth Rank before the exchange competition?"
"On the day of the competition, I’ll come to pick you up. As long as you’re at the Sixth Rank, there’s no need to painstakingly study each opponent’s tactic. Coupled with your Stone Buddha Arhat Body, you’ll sweep them all aside!"
While there’s a sense of achievement in winning against stronger opponents,
dimensionally crushing and defeating all peers is indeed the most exhilarating!
Old Ji was spirited, his tone somewhat excited. Watching Lu Chenzhou rise felt like reading an exhilarating novel. He eagerly anticipated what realm Lu Chenzhou would reach in the future.