Chapter 26 Birthday (Please Favorite)

The blade gleamed with a piercing coldness and a captivating demonic power!

B-grade Martial Art—Demon Blade!

Fang Xing had no doubt that, even though it was just a wooden blade, in Gu Yun's hands, it possessed the strength to split open stone steles!

'This girl's crazy!'

'Going all out, does she really want to kill me?'

Luckily, Fang Xing had come a long way.

To face this blade, he twisted at the waist, his footwork mimicked a roaming dragon; in the blink of an eye, he sidestepped several meters, dodging the swath of the blade's light.

Military Boxing Twelve Styles—Dragon Step!

Next, he moved forward half a step, and his fist flew like a colossal axe cleaving the heavens, bearing the might to rend the earth—

—Half-step Breaking Fist!

Gu Yun slightly turned the handle of the blade, moving with it.

In the blink of an eye, she and Fang Xing exchanged several moves.

Within the arena, figures flashed within the range of interweaving blade and fist shadows, fierce winds pressing in!

Clang!

Suddenly, the sound of a snapping bowstring rang out.

Fang Xing's fist hit the flat of the wooden blade, but he himself was forced to retreat several steps.

'Damn it... B-grade Martial Arts sure are something,' he thought ruefully.

In terms of realm, he and Gu Yun were both at Second Realm Refining Muscle, essentially equal.

But in terms of martial skills, the gap was quite big.

The Demon Blade was a B-grade Martial Art, while the Military Boxing Twelve Styles was common C-grade Martial Art!

'When the realm is the same, martial skills make a big difference.'

'The Federation's Martial Arts obviously outclass those of the Otherworld...'

He had collected many martial arts secret books, as if gathering trash, but Fang Xing didn't value any of them.

After all, the strongest among them, 'Innate Gang Qi,' was merely B-grade and specifically required Innate Martial Artists, those after the Third Realm Rough Jade, to begin cultivation.

Yet in the Federation, even Second Realm Martial Artists could learn B-grade Martial Arts!

Simplifying high-rank martial arts so that lower realm martial artists could begin learning them was a great innovation of Federation Martial Arts!

That's why Fang Xing disdained the martial arts of the Otherworld and yearned to return and learn a powerful technique.

If he could grasp the basics of an A-grade Martial Art and become skilled in it... then in the Otherworld, he'd definitely possess innate-level combat power!

"Have you mastered the Demon Blade so perfectly?" Fang Xing watched Gu Yun intently, his expression grave.

Their realms were similar, but the difference in martial skills was huge!

In terms of proficiency, being able to wield the Demon Blade at will meant she was at a 'master' level!

'This is ridiculous, not only is my Military Boxing Twelve Styles of a lower grade, even my proficiency falls short; she really is the true 'seed' candidate of university admissions,' he mused inwardly, admiring the extensive efforts Gu Renwang must have put into cultivating his daughter.

"Kill!"

Gu Yun didn't reply; her eyes turned blood-red as she swiftly slashed down with her blade!

Swoosh!

This blade light was exceptionally beautiful, dividing into seven in a blink, with overlapping lights boxing in all of Fang Xing's escape routes!

Fang Xing remained composed, but a talisman secretly appeared in his right hand.

—Golden Bell Shield Talisman!

With the defense of this Mid-grade First Rank talisman, even a Rough Jade Realm Martial Artist would struggle to break through it in a short time.

Moreover, by combining a few offensive talismans, he could immediately turn the tables on Gu Yun!

This was Fang Xing's trump card! Even if he used it, he could simply claim it was inadvertently purchased from the black market as a Superpower User's tool, fashioned in a retro style. Anyone thinking logically would assume that rather than something like time travel.

But his eyes flickered, and he resisted the urge, watching the wooden blade fall towards his forehead, stopping less than a centimeter from his brow.

Across from him, Gu Yun's expression was icy as ages-old frost, yet her eyes were clear and bright as crystal.

"Congratulations..."

A smile crept onto Fang Xing's face.

Had Gu Yun continued her attack, he definitely would have activated the talisman at the last moment.

But at the critical juncture, he decided to trust Gu Yun once; after all, he owed her father a favor for the last time the Evil God's servant attacked.

Indeed, she did not disappoint him.

"Having tamed the Demon Nature, you can now try to start learning the A-grade Martial Art 'Ghost God Saber'..."

Fang Xing sighed, "And you still have several more years to upgrade your cultivation. Just breaking through to the Rough Jade Realm by senior year and getting into university is almost guaranteed..."

"I don't have several years; next semester I'll be a freshman in senior high, senior!"

Gu Yun spoke up.

"What? Your age?"

Fang Xing was slightly taken aback.

"Special admission... besides, it's just one or two years ahead. The principal even awarded me a scholarship!" Gu Yun spoke coldly, "I can no longer endure waiting. I must quickly join the battlefield, to avenge my father!"

"It seems that you're preparing to apply for a military academy or join the armed forces after graduation..."

Fang Xing sighed, understanding Gu Yun's intentions.

"In fact, the aim for college is just to fulfill my dad's expectations..." Gu Yun's eyes only showed a flicker of warmth when she spoke of her father, but it quickly returned to frost, "Alright, I've completed today's hiring of you. I will transfer the money to your account."

"I'm getting a curious feeling, junior..."

After being kicked out of the villa, Fang Xing's expression was a bit strange, "After all, we're going to be schoolmates, to show such little respect... At least invite me to stay for a cup of tea."

Gu Yun would be entering, as expected, Cultivation High School, becoming his junior in the first year.

After all, in the second half of the year, he would be a second-year student.

"When you think about it, there are only two years left until the college entrance exam, how terrifying..."

Fang Xing glanced at his own Martial Arts Realm and curled his lips.

He had gone from being significantly inferior to being slightly behind Gu Yun.

After all, previously Gu Yun had to hold back by using the Gravity Suit, but today she fought without restraint, and he was beaten by just one move.

In a few more months, he probably could surpass her and leave her far behind.

"Although... surpassing a girl younger than myself isn't something to be particularly proud of..."

"I really need to learn an A-grade Martial Arts soon..."

Fang Xing sighed.

Immediately, he recalled the information he had collected.

"The school offers few A-grade Martial Arts, only three main ones, the first being 'Ghost God Saber,' famed for a saber in hand keeps ghosts and gods at bay, but it's extremely difficult to learn; it's best to start with 'Demon Blade'..."

"Besides those, there is 'Mad Eighteen Strikes' and 'Mad Demon Stick Technique'!"

"The names alone are creepy, and the reality is no different. If you want to resist the mental corruption of alien Evil God's servants in the first three Realms, you must either be insanely committed or not alive!"

"Or should I say... if I go mad first, you can't drive me mad, the creator of the Cultivation Technique was a logic genius!"

"Among these, the most suitable for me is actually the 'Mad Eighteen Strikes'... because it is the continuation of the 'Military Boxing Twelve Styles,' and they both involve fist and foot techniques."

"If I don't want to learn those, there's also saber and stick techniques..."

"I refuse, I want to learn the sword! 'One Sword Flying Immortal,' wearing white and drifting freely, that's the elegance of a Sword Immortal... Wielding sabers and swinging sticks, it's all too bloodthirsty and brutal, and lacks class, totally ruins the vibe..."

To be honest, given the choice, Fang Xing would definitely not choose any of these three.

But... the school had limited options, offering only these three A-grade Martial Arts.

Of course, there are many Martial Artists outside of school who use A-grade sword Martial Arts, but Fang Xing did not have the money to hire a private tutor.

Besides... the quality of teaching might not even compare to the school's teachers.

"Even if Xia Long might not be as good as some top Martial Artists, at least there's a high lower limit..."

"Looks like next semester I'll have to learn 'Mad Eighteen Strikes'... There goes my image, my style..."

Thinking about this made Fang Xing quite heartbroken.

Beep beep!

Engrossed in his lament, his phone suddenly rang again.

He took out his phone and saw a message, his expression turning silent.

…

The next day.

July Seventeenth.

The sunset was dusk, the twilight like blood.

At a barbecue stall.

Fang Xing sat at the stall, with several bottles of drinks before him.

Hmm, the Federation was strict about alcohol; no one underage was allowed to drink, and shops wouldn't sell it.

Therefore, it had to be juice or soda.

'It's cold to the bone, underage people can't even gamble or go to the red-light districts...'

With a hint of resentment, Fang Xing ferociously bit into the grilled meat before him.

One had to admit, the standard of stores in this era was high, the grilled meat tender and chewy, sprinkled with various spices. One bite unleashed a burst of juicy flavors.

And it was cheap, which explained why the poorer Fang Xing and Liu Wei would seize opportunities to indulge here.

But for the current Fang Xing, despite the good grilling skills and spices, the quality of the meat held it back.

Although the meat used by the shop was good, how could it compare to the natural, spiritual energy-enriched exotic birds and beasts from other worlds?

'I guess I could buy some barbecue spices... When I'm in the Otherworld, I'll try grilling some Demon Beast meat...'

'There are occasionally sales of Demon Beast meat in the markets, and the frequency of Demon Beast sightings has recently led to major price drops...'

According to the information obtained from Ding Hongxiu, Demon Beast meat greatly replenishes qi and blood, better than even Low-grade Spirit Rice!

Unfortunately, the availability was based on luck and couldn't be obtained consistently, but it remained a favorite among many top Martial Artists and Body Cultivators.

Yes!

Among Cultivators, apart from spell-users, there were some out-of-the-mainstream Body Cultivators with astonishing Physiques. At high levels of training, they could even catch Magic Artifacts barehanded – Low-rank Spells couldn't harm them!

'However... the prerequisite for becoming a Body Cultivator is still having a Spirit Root! Without a Spirit Root, even the basic sensing and absorption of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for body tempering is impossible...'

'Everything, every single thing, falls short because of the Spirit Root bottleneck. Otherwise, the efficiency of using Otherworld resources could increase tenfold, a hundredfold!'

Fang Xing took another sip of his drink and sighed inwardly.

Before long, a figure sat down opposite him and unceremoniously picked up a cup and downed it, "Ah Xing... happy birthday!"

This person was Liu Wei!

"You came?"

Fang Xing also picked up his cup and took a small sip.

Although it was just a soft drink, it somehow gave him a buzz.

The Liu Wei sitting opposite him now seemed like a totally different person.

Though his face looked the same, his aura was entirely different; his clothes were nearly bursting from his muscles, making him look like a bodybuilder.

"I'm here..." Liu Wei didn't know what else to say and fell silent.

"You shouldn't have... never mind." Fang Xing teased, not in the mood for Martial Arts demeanor: "We're classmates. I'm happy you chose to come and celebrate my birthday."

At that, Liu Wei's lips seemed to curl into a slight smile, which he quickly smoothed over.