As Xia Youhui excitedly discussed the rankings with Chen Chu, Chen Chu playfully kicked him under the table. His kick wasn't too forceful, and Xia Youhui barely noticed it. Before Xia Youhui could continue, a cold voice interrupted them from behind.
"Is it amusing, Classmate 67?" came the voice.
Xia Youhui froze instantly, recognizing it as their class monitor, Lin Xue. He quickly turned around with a stiff neck and forced a smile, "Ha, haha... It's the monitor! Would you like to join us?"
His enthusiastic gesture made it seem like he hadn't just laughed at her low ranking moments ago.
"I'm only 67th, but I wouldn't dare to sit with this classmate," Lin Xue replied, folding her hands across her chest. She glanced at the handsome young man across from her and then focused her gaze on Xia Youhui.
"Your name is Xia, right? Where do you stand on the freshman ranking?"
"Ranking? What ranking?" Xia Youhui looked bewildered.
Seeing Xia Youhui feigning ignorance, Lin Xue sneered and remarked, "So you can laugh at others behind their backs but won't admit it? Weren't you just mocking my low ranking?"
"Did I?" Xia Youhui put on an innocent expression. "Monitor, you must have misheard. You're the class leader, and I hold the utmost respect for you."
He spoke righteously and then glanced at Chen Chu for support. "Isn't that right, Ah Chu?"
Cough...
Chen Chu coughed dryly, taking a sip of soup while avoiding eye contact. "I don't know anything."
Seeing Chen Chu's response, Xia Youhui rolled his eyes, his expression saying, 'You're not loyal at all.'
Chen Chu returned a glance, 'Don't bother; she heard everything you said earlier. Even if I explain, it won't help. You're on your own.'
Lin Xue snorted and, without saying a word, left with a hum.
Once Lin Xue was gone, Xia Youhui put on a gloomy face. "Ah Chu, I'm done for. She's probably going to remember this."
Chen Chu was annoyed. "Why did you laugh at her behind her back? It's one thing to discuss the rankings privately, but openly mocking her is different."
"It's not a big deal to make a joke, but the monitor happened to overhear it..." Chen Chu shook his head, feeling it was Xia Youhui's bad luck.
However, one thing was for sure: their class monitor was undeniably beautiful. With her purple-dyed black hair and her fair and radiant oval-shaped face, she had delicate features complemented by light eyeliner, making her long and narrow eyes even more charming. She stood at around 1.7 meters, with a slender, well-proportioned figure. Her short-sleeved white school uniform shirt fit snugly, hinting at a B+ or maybe even a C cup. Her straight and slender legs, paired with her youthful charm, made her incredibly popular in the class within just two days.
According to online ratings, her appearance alone could score 90 points, placing her in the "goddess" category.
Chen Chu had initially assumed their monitor had a cold personality, but it seemed that she was both beautiful and unyielding.
Speaking of which, Xia Youhui leaned in and whispered, "Ah Chu, did you know that our monitor has a twin sister?"
"Twins? A sister?" Chen Chu was taken aback.
Xia Youhui nodded. "Yes, our class monitor's sister is Lin Yu, and she's also the monitor of Class Nine. She's just as beautiful as our monitor."
This revelation surprised Chen Chu. The beautiful girl had an identical twin sister; it was quite intriguing.
As the days passed, Xia Youhui shared more gossip with Chen Chu in class. They often discussed various topics during lunchtime.
Eventually, the afternoon martial arts class began, and the students filled the practice classroom, which covered an area of five hundred square meters. There were forty students in total, with no teacher present to supervise. The class monitors, Lin Xue and Yi Rui, were responsible for maintaining order.
Martial arts teachers probably thought that students at the Foundation Establishment stage weren't worthy of their attention.
Chen Chu believed that the selection process was already underway since the previous day, evaluating the students' "cultivation talent." This talent encompassed not only physical fitness but also willpower and self-discipline. If a student didn't practice diligently without supervision, they would be deemed lazy and unmotivated. Even if they eventually cultivated martial arts, their progress would be of little value. It was better to give up early than to continue halfheartedly.
Chen Chu found a corner in the room, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state effortlessly.
...
By four in the afternoon, as the school bell rang, Chen Chu, drenched in sweat and sore all over, sat on the ground panting. His shirt clung to his body from perspiration.
After half an hour of meditation, he had taken a break and then focused on practicing the Blood Casting Art with the help of the Blood Essence Stone and Blood Light. It took over an hour to complete three cycles, increasing his proficiency by three points and his constitution by 0.2 points. The shortest time for completion was 24 minutes.
In addition to increasing his meditation proficiency by four points and his spiritual attribute by 0.1, overall progress was good.
However, the extra Blood Casting Art practice had left his body drained. At this moment, he felt weak and empty, his veins felt smooth, and sweat dripped freely from his body. It was an unusual sensation.
"Finally, school is over," Chen Chu sighed.
"So tired," he muttered.
"Yeah, casting is quite challenging," Chen Chu agreed.
"Wang Gang, do you want to head to the club together?" he asked.
"I'm going to take a shower first," Wang Gang replied.
"In that case, we'll go ahead," Chen Chu suggested.
Chen Chu noticed today that geniuses were always in the minority. Most students in the class managed to carry out two rounds of practice within half an hour on their first day of training. However, after a day of practice, many students still struggled to complete two rounds, with durations averaging around 20 minutes. Only a handful of students managed to complete it in under 20 minutes. While these students weren't as physically exhausted as he was after training, their progress seemed much slower than Chen Chu had anticipated.
Of course, Chen Chu didn't pay much attention to these students, as geniuses like Monitor Lin Xue and Yi Rui were in a league of their own. He understood that he couldn't compare himself to them in terms of talent or background, and making such comparisons would only lead to discouragement. Life was long, and the race had just begun between the tortoise and the hare. There was no need to rush.
After resting for a while and regaining some strength, Chen Chu got up to leave. The training building had public bathrooms on each floor, separated for men and women. After taking a shower, all you needed to do was toss your clothes into the cleaning and drying machine, and they would look brand new in just a few minutes.
When Chen Chu came out after showering and changing, he ran into Xia Youhui.
"Ah Chu, are you heading back?" Xia Youhui asked.
Chen Chu nodded, "Yes, what's up?"
Xia Youhui hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you bought anything to replenish Qi and blood these past two days?"
"Replenishing Qi and blood?" Chen Chu looked puzzled.
Seeing his confusion, Xia Youhui sighed, "I thought as much."
He then patiently explained, "The Casting Technique we're practicing primarily focuses on moving Qi and blood, opening up the body's muscles and veins while also having a conditioning effect. This practice consumes a considerable amount of physical energy. For beginners, carrying out three to four rounds of practice at a time is typical, and practicing twice a day is the limit. Exceeding this can harm your body."
"Only when your physique becomes stronger later on can you carry out ten rounds in one go. If you want to practice more frequently, make quicker progress, and strengthen your physique, you'll need to purchase some low-level blood energy resources to replenish your blood."
"Even those geniuses who rank on the freshman list have better innate physiques than ours, yet they still need resources to replenish their vitality."
Chen Chu was taken aback. It finally made sense now. He had been wondering why some students had managed to complete five to seven rounds after just one day of practice, while others struggled to progress. They were all ordinary people, so why was there such a vast difference in their physical capabilities? It had taken him a while to realize the importance of blood energy resources in this context.