But as luck would have it, Li Chang’an not only ran into the newly appointed and highly responsible Wu Yong, but he was also caught red-handed spacing out in class.
Despite being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Li Chang’an wasn’t flustered like the other students expected. Instead, he quickly composed himself, stood up quite naturally, and walked toward the front of the class with a nonchalant expression.
His nonchalant demeanor, as if no one else was there, seemed strange not only to his acquaintance, Zhao Zi, but even to the other classmates who didn’t know him well.
After all, the Li Chang’an of the past was never a particularly courageous or confident person.
He was usually just part of the scenery in class—the type to get lost in a crowd. But today, facing Teacher Wu’s questions and Wang Lu’s sharp-edged presence, this nobody who had been practically invisible to them was showing a shocking level of composure.
As Li Chang’an stood and walked toward the front, Wu Yong froze. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but for a split second, he saw in this once-unremarkable student the image of a fierce tiger rising from a flock of sheep.
The casual air Li Chang’an exuded made Teacher Wu feel as if he weren’t facing a high school student, but a battle-hardened Martial Artist who had seen countless bloody conflicts.
The other students were just enjoying the show. Not being directly involved, they could only sense that the Li Chang’an of today seemed completely different from the one they knew.
However, both Teacher Wu on the platform and Wang Lu, who had been designated as Li Chang’an’s opponent, were starting to feel a sense of unease.
This was especially true for Wang Lu. The Li Chang’an before him now inspired a terrifying, soul-shaking dread, as if his opponent were a fierce tiger descending from the mountains, and he, a helpless rabbit, could only wait to be hunted.
And this was despite the fact that Li Chang’an hadn’t even glanced at him.
"Teacher Wu." After walking onto the platform as if he owned the place, Li Chang’an’s voice snapped Wu Yong out of his reverie.
He glanced at the information he’d pulled from the school network, then back at the young man before him, who radiated an aura of pure composure. For a moment, he wondered if there had been a mistake in the last Qi and Blood Value test. No matter how he looked at him, this didn’t seem like a young man with a Qi and Blood Value of only 2.5!
The chances of such a thing were small, but not zero.
He couldn’t help but ask, "Chang’an, during the last test, what was your Qi and Blood Value?"
Li Chang’an searched through the memories of his body’s previous owner and replied casually, "2.5."
Wu Yong was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he couldn’t help but confirm, "Are you sure your current Qi and Blood Value is *only* 2.5?"
While Qi and Blood Value might sound like an abstract number, its physical manifestation was extremely obvious. Take Wang Lu, with his Qi and Blood Value of 6.8. His physique was noticeably more robust than the other students, and the muscle definition across his body was more pronounced.
From a distance, he had a certain quality that drew the eye.
Yet the aura Li Chang’an projected had absolutely nothing in common with a Qi and Blood Value of 2.5. And yet, he really was just a young man with a value of 2.5...
This made Wu Yong feel as though he had stumbled upon a diamond in the rough, but it also filled him with a sense of pity.
After all, the Martial Arts University entrance exam placed the highest importance on one’s Qi and Blood Value.
Li Chang’an was already sixteen, yet his Qi and Blood Value was still below average. He was likely the type with an Innate deficiency. On top of that, his family’s financial situation didn’t seem great, which meant he couldn’t afford expensive supplements or potions to enrich his qi and blood.
With both factors working against him, he would likely have a very hard time passing the entrance exam, let alone becoming a student at a Martial Arts University.
Of course, even though that’s what he was thinking, Wu Yong’s expression revealed nothing.
As a teacher, his greatest responsibility was to teach every student to the best of his ability and help them secure a better future—at the very least, to save them from becoming another cog in a factory’s machine. It wasn’t his place to mock or discourage them before the dust had even settled.
After finally corralling his scattered thoughts, Wu Yong composed himself. He grabbed two sets of professional-grade training armor from the side, handed one to Li Chang’an and one to Wang Lu, and said, "Alright, put on the gear and let’s have a match. A Martial Artist’s ultimate goal is to achieve victory in real combat, so don’t either of you hold back or hope for an easy win!"
The gear could absorb the damage for them, but it wouldn’t dull the pain.
In other words, even if they wouldn’t get injured in a real fight, it would absolutely be painful.
This was why every time Teacher Wu called for a volunteer for live combat training, all the students would suddenly stare at the floor, avoiding his gaze.
After all, nobody enjoys getting beaten up in front of an audience.
But of course, Li Chang’an was unconcerned.
It was only then that he finally had a moment to take stock of his body’s various Attributes.
The Qi and Blood Value of 2.5 was no exaggeration. The body’s previous owner seemed to have an Innate constitution that was much weaker than an ordinary person’s; all of his physical Attributes were significantly lower than those of a normal sixteen-year-old.
And that was *with* the previous owner’s dedicated training. Without it, he would have likely been even weaker.
The two of them put on their protective gear. Under the watchful eyes of Teacher Wu and the other students, they moved to an open space beside the martial arts arena. As the one being challenged, Wang Lu quickly assumed a fighting stance.
At sixteen, these students hadn’t yet begun to practice the Star Sea Alliance’s official Martial Arts Techniques. Everything they had learned so far were just basic methods for building a foundation and increasing their Qi and Blood. Strictly speaking, the fight between them would be a pure contest of physique and experience, with no other factors involved.
If the body’s previous owner were fighting, he would have been miserably defeated. Wang Lu’s Qi and Blood Value of 6.8 was nearly three times his own.
In that situation, the previous owner would have been utterly demolished.
Seeing Li Chang’an simply standing there without assuming a stance, Wang Lu’s eyes became aggressive. He didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he stared at Li Chang’an and spoke slowly, "Li, let me give you a heads-up. 6.8 was just my Qi and Blood Value from the last test. I’ve already reached 7.0 now. My attacks might be heavy, so if you don’t think you can handle it, it would be better to surrender early!"
Normally, someone of Wang Lu’s status wouldn’t waste so many words on an unknown, ordinary student. But the way Li Chang’an had risen to his feet had created a lingering pressure he couldn’t shake.
Even though Li Chang’an had now completely concealed his aura, Wang Lu still felt unsettled and wary.
His trash talk now was partly to show off his strength to the other students, but it was also a way to probe Li Chang’an.
Sure enough, when the spectating students heard him claim his Qi and Blood Value had broken through 7.0, a wave of commotion spread through them.
After all, at this same point last year, the top scorer of the martial arts exam from Ben Morse City’s Third Martial Arts Middle School only had a Qi and Blood Value of 7.2. Although Wang Lu was 0.2 points lower, it wasn’t impossible for him to catch up or even surpass that score in the next two years.
While the students were murmuring amongst themselves, Li Chang’an paid their chatter no mind. He simply nodded slowly and said, "Alright. Come at me."
Seeing him so composed, Wang Lu couldn’t help but frown.
But it was too late to back down. With a loud roar, he closed the distance in a few quick strides and shouted, "Here I come! Take this!"
Although he hadn’t learned any formal Martial Arts Techniques, his footwork and punching form were still quite professional and textbook-perfect.
To the students watching, it was just a blur. Wang Lu pounced toward Li Chang’an like an agile cheetah, baring his vicious fangs in mid-air.
...