chsdbacks Chapter 34 Core Class Daily Life: Wang Hao's Feud
Chapter 34 Core Class Daily Life: Wang Hao's Feud
School life settled into a routine. The curriculum of the core class was entirely based on the martial arts system, from basic qi and blood circulation and meridian unblocking, to advanced techniques deduction and combat, and finally to ferocious beast identification, spiritual material refining, and basic formations, covering all aspects of a martial artist's growth from the mortal realm to the human-martial realm. Each course was arranged in a compact and orderly manner, and Lin Chen and the other new students grew rapidly through daily training.
The head teacher of the core class was Zhou Yue, a powerful cultivator at the Transformation Realm. His teaching style was quite strict, and every class included practical assessments. Students who ranked at the bottom three times in a row would be transferred to a regular class. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's; no amount of slackness could escape his notice. Under his intense pressure, none of the students in the core class dared to relax.
And so, within a month of the start of the semester, Lin Chen's abilities improved by leaps and bounds.
The cultivation speed of a Star Martial Core cultivator is already five times that of a martial artist of the same level. Coupled with the support of the school's Spirit Gathering Training Ground—located at the end of the campus's central axis, with thirty-six Spirit Gathering Crystals embedded in its dome, ceaselessly gathering the primordial energy of heaven and earth—he quickly broke through from the early to the middle stage of the Qi and Blood Realm. His "Myriad Manifestations Fist" reached its peak, each punch possessing the force of an elephant's roar and a tiger's howl. His "Star Martial Body Forging Technique" also steadily improved, the strength of his muscles, bones, and skin far exceeding that of his peers. He could clearly feel his control over star power becoming increasingly refined. With a gentle flick of his fingertips, fragments of starlight flowed through his palm, and he could even vaguely sense the surrounding evil aura—those dark, decaying energy fluctuations were nowhere to be hidden under the perception of star power.
Su Qingyue also broke through to the peak of the early stage of the Qi and Blood Realm, and her "Frost Ice Technique" was only one step away from perfection. Her temperament became increasingly aloof, and every move she made carried a hint of coldness, like a walking ice sculpture. Although she didn't talk much, she would always take the initiative to spar with Lin Chen during each practical lesson, and the two improved together through mutual competition. Every palm strike, every close-quarters exchange, deepened her understanding of the power of ice.
The most surprising one was Su Muyue. Not only was she always first in the grade in formation and spiritual materials classes, but she was also formidable in practical combat. Her ice-based martial arts were even more agile than her sister's; her footwork was as light as snowflakes falling. With the support of basic formations—she could instantly inscribe simple auxiliary formation patterns on the ground to amplify her speed or strength—she could even fight to a draw with a late-stage Qi and Blood Realm martial artist. However, she was gentle and never intentionally hurt anyone. She always stopped short of harming her opponent, neutralizing their attacks before retreating. As a result, she was extremely popular in the class, and both boys and girls were willing to be close to her.
Although Zhao Lei lacked natural talent, he was extremely hardworking. He was the first to arrive at the training ground every day, appearing in the training room before dawn, sweating profusely; and the last to leave, often only packing up when the night watchman urged him. With this relentless drive, he successfully broke through to the early stage of the Qi and Blood Realm. Although his foundation wasn't as solid as Lin Chen's, his indomitable spirit earned him everyone's attention.
Wang Hao was also at the mid-stage of the Qi and Blood Realm. He practiced the Wang family's ancestral "Black Tiger Fist," a style known for its vicious and ruthless moves that targeted the joints, vital points, and weak points of the meridians. In combat classes, he would often deliberately injure his classmates, and everyone kept their distance from him. Every time he entered the arena, his opponents would unconsciously tense up, fearing that he would secretly attack them.
Wang Hao had been secretly observing Lin Chen. His gaze was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, constantly watching Lin Chen's every move. He discovered that Lin Chen's cultivation speed was ridiculously fast, and that his technique could automatically absorb the stellar energy in the air—those invisible starlight seemed to be summoned, converging into Lin Chen's body—a typical characteristic of the Star Martial Inheritance. Therefore, he began to target Lin Chen in every way:
During the theory class, the teacher was explaining the basic principles of ancient formations when Wang Hao suddenly raised his hand, deliberately posing an extremely tricky question about ancient formations, intending to embarrass Lin Chen in front of everyone. The question involved a long-lost formation pattern structure, even causing the teacher's expression to change slightly. However, before Lin Chen could speak, Su Muyue calmly stood up. Her voice was gentle yet clear, not only providing a thorough and clear answer to the difficult question but also pointing out the fatal flaw in the Wang family's formation inheritance, originating from the evil race—a flaw hidden beneath the core nodes of the formation, usually inconspicuous, but capable of backfiring on the caster once it encounters a specific energy frequency. The classroom fell silent instantly, everyone's gaze turning to Su Muyue with astonishment, then to Wang Hao with disdain. Wang Hao's face was ashen, his fists clenched, but he remained silent.
During the practical training session, Wang Hao deliberately paired himself with Lin Chen during a group sparring match. The moment they exchanged blows, Wang Hao secretly unleashed a sinister, evil internal force. This force, grayish-black in color, gathered along his meridians in his palm and slammed towards Lin Chen's dantian. However, Lin Chen had already sensed this aura, which was not that of a normal martial artist, through his star power. He dodged in advance, striking Wang Hao's chest with a backhand palm strike. A surge of powerful star power erupted, causing Wang Hao to cough up blood and stagger back from the battle.
During break after class, Wang Hao went to the corridors and cafeteria to spread rumors, whispering to his classmates that Lin Chen's cultivation technique was stolen and that he had won the Qingyang City championship through unfair means. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for those around him to hear. Immediately, many classmates cast suspicious glances at him. But the Su Qingyue and Su Muyue sisters immediately stood up to testify for Lin Chen, and Zhao Lei even rushed up to confront Wang Hao, almost coming to blows.