Chapter 8

At the end of that day, those who could read and write and those who did not know were separated from each other and various assignments were given. Unlike many children, Alexander was in the second group. Others learned to read and write at a very young age, and unlike Alexander, no one grew up on the street.

Alexander was busy with the task of memorizing one thousand five hundred words given by the Cloud Devil, while at the same time studying the Rise of the Black Dragon taught by Blood Afreet. For this reason alone, he had cut his education from his rest period.

He used half of the eight hours of free time given to them to train himself. Other children did so, but few children were as ignorant as him, so two hours was enough for them.

Although he trained for two hours more than the others, by the end of a week, the amount of Qi in his body had increased very little. Rumors were spreading that some would already open their first acupuncture spot. In particular, the first of the group, Maverick, would soon open the first acupuncture point and give the others a tour.

If there was one thing that went well during the training process, it was that he came first in all the theoretical courses. Moreover, he completed the assignment given by the Cloud Devil for three weeks. His memory was surprisingly strong, and he was just now realizing it.

But that wasn't going to change anything. To the practical lessons, various techniques made with bare hands, such as close combat and manslaughter techniques, were also added. His performance was bad enough to cause him to fall out of the top ten in these classes. At the moment, his ranking in practical courses was twelve. There were still too many tigers squatting, albeit higher than most. His position could be taken away at any time.

So he asked Noah for help during extracurricular times. When Noah agreed to his request on the condition that he help him with theoretical lessons, he raised his ranking a little in the following days. But Alexander continued the work without stopping. He increased their working time by giving up the chance to sleep with other children.

The exam that the instructors mentioned earlier started slowly and would soon be tested. Despite suffering so much, these hundred or so children continued to work with blood and sweat.

The exam time was fast approaching. Over time, some students began to get sick and be beaten by groupers. There wasn't much involvement in Alexander, but recently there have been children who want to eliminate their opponents.

During this time, a group of ten people, including Noah, managed to open the first acupuncture point and laid the foundation for Qi development. While they had opened the first acupuncture point, Alexander had just managed to gather the necessary Qi.

The Qi in his body was a hundred times the size of what he had collected at first.

With this amount, he was just beginning to feel the acupuncture spot. From there, he showed that he had to have at least that much Qi to attack.

The first acupuncture point he would attack was an important acupuncture point located in the Ana Yang Merdiyeni, also known as the Central Residence. All the acupuncture points he needed to know were explained by Cloud Devil in class.

Alexander directed all the Qi in his body to one place and attacked the acupuncture point, which stood in front of him like an indestructible wall. The Qi on his body approached the acupuncture point like a wave and made his first contact.

"Argh!"

Earlier, when he asked Noah if he was suffering, he was told that he was suffering. But was such pain normal?

Alexander felt silver needles stabbed all over his body. His body was trembling, and the pain he suffered almost destroyed him and made him faint. However, Alexander showed his stubbornness and concentrated his energy even more.

As a result, the pain was multiplied.

'What's the pain? I feel like all my bones are being roasted, my flesh is being separated from my bones!'

He was currently in the training hall and meditating on his own. As such, no one could help him. Even if he asked for help, there was only Noah who would want to come to his aid, but he and the dormitory were sleeping.

'If I give up here...'

When the Qi wave hit the acupuncture point again, Alexander's body was shaken from head to toe. Even the Lotus position was somewhat broken.

Blood began to flow from his nose and mouth.

He was holding himself hard not to faint.

The Rise of the Black Dragon was a high-level talent. Although it was harsh and ruthless because it was created for a warrior, it was still at a high level compared to other techniques.

The whips he ate were an ear to the camel next to the pain he suffered. Although he disturbed his rhythm by breathing deeply, the pain did not pass. He finished his training with his body trembling and his forehead covered in blood and sweat.

And then...

Boom!

The wall blocking the Central Residence acupuncture, standing like an unshakable mountain, came down and freed Qi flocked like a tsunami wave. The resulting vortex had a tremendous gravitational pull. All the energies within the ten-meter radius were drawn into Alexander's Central Residence acupuncture, and they became part of the vortex.

Alexander had now taken his first step into combat.

The odds of surviving here also increased.

Alexander slowly opened his eyes and practiced the stretching movements he had already learned to stretch his sweat-soaked body. His bones and lungs were still aching from the pain he had just nailed down, but the energy he felt caused him to ignore them.

The 'Rise of the Black Dragon' was a technique that greatly increased physical strength. With my current strength, I should be able to lift a fifty-pound rock with one hand."

The Rise of the Black Dragon was a miraculous technique. Just twenty verses led Alexander to open his first acupuncture. Couldn't the rest of them open all the acupuncture points on his body when they were combined?

Alexander excitedly ran to the bathhouse wondering if he should hide his strength. If he didn't hide his power, he wouldn't be despised by others, his fame would increase, and he could protect himself a little. In return, he would reveal himself to others.

But if he hid his power, he would be despised by others, his reputation would deteriorate, and attacks would come from everywhere. In return, he would have a secret weapon that would surprise others.

There was no need to think too much. If it had been Alexander a month ago, he would have chosen not to hide his strength. Still, Alexander who had the power of flexible thinking combined with the Strategic Thinking and Practice course would have chosen something different.

In the days that followed, Alexander kept himself secret and said nothing to Noah, who was closest to him. The training continued without stopping and the ranking changed constantly. Those who, like Alexander, held him back slowly came out and gained a foothold in the top rankings.

Everyone had made a difference.

When it came time for the exam, they faced an unexpectedly difficult exam. Although Alexander had no difficulty in any of the theoretical exams, he had a little more difficulty in the practical exams. Still, his ranking was extremely high.

In the exam that a hundred people entered, he was fifth, two rows behind Noah, who had so many black horses like him. Maverick and Zachary, who had always been known as first and second, were left behind by two unknown children.

They didn't even get into the top ten.

While they were setting up their own pranksters, the elite had already opened the first acupuncture points and completed the first stage. They also aggravated their education and forced themselves.

This exam was very contentious. Alexander came first in the theoretical exam and tenth in practice. When the average of the two was taken, the fifth place was considered suitable for him. He hadn't forgotten to keep himself in moderation, it was his new strategy to keep his power as much as possible.

Sometime after the rankings were announced, Blood Afreet arrived and took the top ten people to a huge cave, a place they had never seen before.

Now Alexander, who had dismantled literacy, could read the words engraved on the ancient sign.

Black Dragon Lair.

This was their biggest reward.

A huge archive of techniques filled with diversity.