With this in mind, Jiang Heng quickly began practicing again.
Inside the room, the air surged once more.
System notifications rang incessantly.
"Ding! During practice, gained 2 potential points!"
"Ding! During practice, gained 2 potential points!"
...
It wasn't clear how much time had passed.
"Gurgle!"
A strange sound came from Jiang Heng's abdomen as he was immersed in his practice.
Jiang Heng couldn't help but stop his movements, feeling a strong sense of hunger from within, to the point where he felt his vital energy and blood were depleted.
He immediately understood.
This was a side effect of practicing too intensely, where a large amount of nutrients was consumed in a short time.
He checked his personal panel.
His current potential points had reached 400.
"Add points! Increase cultivation by 400 points!"
As Jiang Heng thought, a surge of heat once again appeared out of thin air and quickly merged into every inch of his flesh and blood.
His physique visibly strengthened!
His strength also soared!
[Cultivation]: Mortal Realm (883/1000).
"I'm just one step away from advancing in martial arts!"
Jiang Heng chuckled and was about to go have a meal.
At that moment, a melodious voice like silver bells came from outside the room.
"Brother Jiang Heng! Are you home?"
As soon as the voice fell, a figure rushed in through the door.
It was a young girl who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in a blue and white floral dress.
Her lips were red, her teeth white, her skin like jade, and her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque.
Although she was still young, her appearance carried a hint of peerless beauty.
Jiang Heng, whose memories had fully integrated, immediately recognized her.
Wen Qingxue, 14 years old, the daughter of Elder Wen within the sect.
In their early years, the two families had a very close relationship, and they could be considered childhood friends.
After Jiang Heng's parents passed away, he was sent to be raised by an ordinary family, and gradually, the two lost contact.
It wasn't until later, when the young Jiang Heng, who was originally unwilling to lead an ordinary life, came to the Dalu Sect once again, willingly becoming an attendant in pursuit of the opportunity to become a martial artist.
The Dalu Sect had strict rules, and those with insufficient talent were not admitted.
But as a mere attendant, in consideration of Jiang Heng's parents' face and Elder Wen's intervention, Jiang Heng was allowed to enter without a formal examination.
Various pieces of information instinctively flashed through his mind.
Jiang Heng smiled and looked at Qingxue's pretty face, asking, "Qingxue, what brings you here?"
The integration of memories made him feel no strangeness towards her, as if they had been good friends for many years.
"I've come to tell you some good news!"
"Just today, I made a breakthrough and became a formal martial artist!"
"From now on, you should call me Senior Sister!"
Qingxue raised her pretty face, her expression filled with pride.
Jiang Heng, however, was shocked by her talent.
His own cultivation talent was extremely ordinary, not even enough to qualify as a Dalu Sect attendant.
At the age of sixteen, his strength was still less than four hundred pounds. Normally, it would take another three or four years to break through to the martial artist realm.
In other words, he would be about twenty years old before he could successfully advance.
But just last month, the not-yet-thirteen-year-old Wen Qingxue had already become a formal martial artist.
Although there was a difference in resources, her exceptional talent was evident.
"Come on! Call me Senior Sister!"
"Quickly! Just say it!"
"Jiang Junior Brother!"
Wen Qingxue, seeing that Jiang Heng was not responding, continued to pester him.
Jiang Heng's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the young and tender face in front of him.
Having the memories of a thirty-year-old, he found it a bit difficult to say.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that when the system awakened, the information received in his mind mentioned that winning battles could earn him potential points. In cross-realm battles, the potential points gained would be multiplied by ten!
He was already close to the critical point of breakthrough and could be considered strong in the ordinary realm. In contrast, Wen Qingxue, a newly-promoted young girl, had no combat experience and should be considered the weakest of the formal martial artists, right?
In that case, could this be considered an easy cross-realm battle?
With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Heng fell into contemplation.
Then he clenched his fist and, in a swift and fierce manner, struck towards Wen Qingxue's eye socket with a sound like a thunderclap, causing her to exclaim in surprise. Unprepared, her body tilted backward, almost falling to the ground.
"A formal martial artist in the Body Refining Realm has far greater strength than an ordinary person in the ordinary realm. You can't be careless!"
Without hesitation, Jiang Heng rushed forward half a step and struck her other eye socket with another punch, sending her tumbling to the ground. He quickly pressed down on her hands and pinned her to the ground.
"Jiang Heng, I was wrong! Please don't hit me anymore!"
Wen Qingxue's eye sockets were slightly swollen, and she lay on the ground, unable to turn over. She began to cry out loudly.
Jiang Heng sighed deliberately and said firmly, "As a martial artist, having cultivation alone is not enough. Martial arts techniques and combat experience are also essential. Your cultivation may be stronger than mine, but you still can't beat me. Do you still want me to call you Senior Sister?"
Wen Qingxue was immediately resentful and yelled, "That's because you attacked me by surprise! Otherwise, I could definitely beat you!"
Jiang Heng's tone became serious as he continued his lecture. "There are no excuses in victory or defeat. Remember, in the future, when you enter the martial world, no one will cry foul if someone attacks you by surprise and kills you. Remember, it's the results that matter most!"
Wen Qingxue felt something was amiss instinctively, but upon careful thought, she found some truth in his words. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Alright, I'm your Junior Sister, I admit defeat! Jiang Heng, please release me now!"
"Ding! Cross-realm battle victory! Earned 1000 potential points!"
In his mind, the system's notification sounded timely.
Jiang Heng couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Just this one simple battle earned him potential points equivalent to several hours of continuous training.
He subconsciously relaxed the grip of his hands.
Wen Qingxue, lying beneath him, suddenly saw an opportunity. She swiftly twisted her body and escaped from Jiang Heng's control, crawling out from under him.
"Jiang Heng, I don't care, the previous one doesn't count! Now, I want to challenge you formally! If I win, you have to call me Senior Sister; if I lose, I'll call you Senior Brother!"
Wen Qingxue's face was full of anger, and she glared fiercely at Jiang Heng.
"A formal challenge?"
Jiang Heng snapped out of his daze and looked at Wen Qingxue's determined expression. He couldn't help but smile slyly.
"Alright! Bring it on!"
As he spoke, Jiang Heng's mind raced, and he thought, "Add points!"
A surge of heat appeared in Jiang Heng's body out of nowhere, rapidly strengthening his physique once more.
Inside Jiang Heng's body, his blood and energy surged wildly, and a faint sound like a rushing river could be heard, like muffled thunder.
His eyes shone brightly, and the energy within him grew increasingly vigorous, even distorting the surrounding air, causing ripples to appear.
Gradually, a large area of distorted energy enveloped his body, swirling like a mighty dragon.
"Dragon-like Vital Energy!"
Wen Qingxue exclaimed in shock. Dragon-like Vital Energy was a sign of advancing to a new realm in physical cultivation and a milestone in martial arts advancement.
In other words, Jiang Heng had just become a formal martial artist!
His lips curled into a pleased smile, overwhelmed with excitement. Just half a day ago, the young Jiang Heng had only a little over three hundred pounds of strength, far from the physical limit of an ordinary person. He hadn't even reached the threshold of the martial realm.
But now, thanks to the awakening of the system, in just half a day, he had broken through to become a formal martial artist. This was a dream come true!