The certification was simple, it just involved measuring one's strength, and then record and archive it.
From then on, Jiang Ming became a martial artist of the Martial Arts Second Realm, and enjoyed various benefits. Social welfare: for those who reached the Second Realm of Martial Arts before 24, housing would be half-priced, as well as half-priced food and goods in certain places, and so on.
There were also rewards inside the school, such as being awarded a cultivation skill, a combat skill, and a weapon of choice, and so forth.
The benefits of being a powerful martial artist were beyond imagination.
Class Four.
Jiang Ming entered the classroom, which was sparsely populated with students.
"How come you're here, youngster?" Wang Fatty was flabbergasted.
"Missed you, didn't I?" Jiang Ming said with a smile.
"I'm not a beautiful woman, stop talking nonsense," Wang Fatty lowered his voice and glanced at a delicate girl in front of him, "Are you missing the class flower?"
The girl's ears twitched and she shot a warning glance at them.
A round face, delicate but mixed with humor.
Her name was Qin Zhiyan, her cheeks flushed and implied the fluctuation of primal qi around her.
Wang Fatty retracted his neck.
Jiang Ming smiled and pointed at Wang Fatty, then shrugged his shoulders.
The girl snorted lightly, grinding her teeth.
At this point, school was over. Most of the students in the classroom either came back to rest after practicing in the school practice room, or were preparing for the literary exam as they felt they couldn't make it into Martial Arts University.
People like Wang Fatty were rare.
"What are you always doing in class?" Jiang Ming was genuinely puzzled.
"Ah!" Wang Fatty sighed softly, "Once I leave, I won't be able to come back. This is the final attachment, the last unwillingness to let go of youth, and the ultimate farewell to carefreeness."
"I don't believe you!" Jiang Ming frowned, "You're not going to try for a breakthrough?"
"Even if I try, could I possibly open the qi sea!"
"You come and see!"
Jiang Ming raised his hand and qi flowed from his fingertips. Although it was invisible, it could be clearly sensed.
"Damn!" Wang Fatty almost jumped up, "Jiang Ming, you've actually opened your Qi Sea, this, this..."
All the other students looked over.
Their look was one of confusion.
They were all from the same class, they knew each other's strength, Jiang Ming opening his Qi Sea? What nonsense.
He had not even achieved Muscle and Bone Resonance, it was impossible to open the Qi Sea.
Even if he had reached the realm of entering the microcosm, it would take more than a day or two to break through.
At this point, the phones all chimed with notifications.
It was a message from the teacher in the class group: "Congratulations, let's celebrate! Our classmate Jiang Ming has opened his Dantian Qi Sea and stepped into the Martial Arts Second Realm. Let's celebrate again. Fellow students, time is running out, don't waste more time, keep working hard, you might be the next Jiang Ming!"
The classroom was instantly abuzz.
Wang Fatty rubbed his eyes, looked at his phone, then looked at his deskmate, blurted out, "Demon, reveal yourself, when else are you going to wait!"
Jiang Ming was speechless.
"You are definitely a demon!" Qin Zhiyan walked over with a face full of curiosity and disbelief, "How did you open the Qi Sea? I remember that last time one slap nearly disassembled you. Say, have you been possessed by a demon?"
"I even dual cultivated with a demon!" Jiang Ming said impatiently.
"So it's the merit of dual cultivation!" Wang Fatty suddenly realized, "Speak, which demon is it? Does she have sisters?"
Jiang Ming was left speechless.
However, Qin Zhiyan patted his shoulder. The first pat was heavy, the second even heavier, and at the third, seeing that Jiang Ming was unmoving, she nodded approvingly but her face was particularly serious.
She looked at Jiang Ming with more confusion, but simply offered, "Work hard to achieve a good result at the Martial Exam."
After saying that she returned to her seat.
Jiang Ming watched her go, noting that this girl was unusual.
With those three pats, the first was heavy enough for his usual self to bear; the second was much heavier, and the third was clearly enhanced with Qi.
As for exposing himself, and the teacher revealing the situation in the class chat group, he didn't care at all as it could not be hidden anyway.
There wasn't a need to.
After all, it's a martial world; the stronger you are, the more benefits you obtain, which is a different story from concealing one's mental power.
Not wanting to stay in class any longer, he dragged Wang Fatty out with him.
"I still can't believe you've entered the Qi Sea Realm." Wang Fatty scratched his head, obviously perplexed.
No one knew his desk mate better than he did.
"I swallowed a Peiyuan Pill, and then I broke through step by step, directly opening my Dantian!" explained Jiang Ming.
"Even with the Peiyuan Pill, you shouldn't be able to!" Wang Fatty protested, "Look at me, I've been in the microscopic realm for a long time, but I just can't grasp the opportunity to break through. To achieve this, one must sense heaven and earth's rhythm, feel Primal Qi, slowly disturb the solid-as-mountain Qi Sea, draw in heaven and earth's rhythm, and let Qi enter the body to open the Dantian! Normally, this process requires at least half a year of preparation."
"That's because I'm a genius!"
"If you're a genius, then I'm a demon."
"Demon, reveal your true form so the old monk can capture you."
"Piss off."
Jokingly, Jiang Ming went to the equipment center to get a blade, a cross-blade type to be exact. As for cultivation methods? He could simply claim them online; it wasn't so troublesome.
"How do you feel?" Jiang Ming took out the long blade, spun it around, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, "You're 195 cm tall and weigh 300 kg, been in the microscopic realm for three months now. What has resulted from it? Weren't you surpassed by me? Are you envious? Are you jealous?"
"I even hate it!" Wang Fatty hummed, gritted his teeth, and said, "No, you have surpassed me, this is embarrassing. I'm going home to train right away, I'll close the door and train, I won't come out until I break through."
"Kid, you better not play around. Breaking through is vital; if you make a slight mistake, it will be a lifelong matter!"
"Rest assured!"
They parted ways, each heading home.
At home.
Jiang Ming sat on the sofa, a cross-blade on his lap, eyes closed. In his mind, the method of Thunderstorm Nine Slashes practice flowed.
His mind was whirring, wisdom sparking.
It seemed as if a virtual space truly manifested in his mind, where numerous avatars, condensed from his powerful spirit, began to rehearse the blade technique.
It was far more intuitive than when he was deducing the cultivation method before.
Though the name Thunderstorm Nine Slashes sounded powerful, its actual practice was simple — it was domineering, fearless, quick to strike, its force deep, using power to suppress opponents.
In no time, Jiang Ming opened his eyes again.
With a clang.
He stood up, pulled out the long blade, and slashed, splitting the air in half.
He was practicing right in the living room.
In less than ten minutes, he reached a pitch-perfect level of performance.
Blade skills, perfected.
It was already understood theoretically when he was deducing in his mind, but in actuality, he still needed to practice, adjusting his muscles and exertion, in order for illusion and reality to come together as one.
In short, it's all about theory and practice.
Comprehension was the theory, and training was the practice.
When the two are combined, one reaches the grand path.
"Now I can comprehend the cultivation skill even faster!"
Apart from Hundredfold Comprehension, the Soul Dominator talent certainly gave a boost.
Sheathed the blade, opened his phone, and checked the class group chat. Good grief, there were thousands of unread messages already!
"They're all youngsters; their hands move way too fast!"
A swift glance, many of them were talking about him, expressing shock, confusion, misunderstanding, Wang Fatty's comment on how he ate a Peiyuan Pill, causing most classmates to denounce him as a 'rich bastard'.
Jiang Ming exited the chat group, logged into the school's intranet, and started to select cultivation skills.
"Choose the cultivation skill carefully."
"Those chosen by the most people are usually universal, even though they might not be the best, they are certainly not bad."
"Alright, Guiyuan Sutra it is!"
"Combat skill? Still sticking with weapons, definitely blade technique then. Huh, this blade technique... Thunderstorm Nine Slashes, according to the description, is the sequential evolution of Thunderstorm Nine Slashes, one leading to another, interesting, I'll take it!"
After selecting, he received the two cultivation techniques in his mailbox swiftly. Instead of diving right in, Jiang Ming looked up Qi Sea Realm on the school's intranet, browsed various martial arts posts, and researched information about Ten Thousand Realms Tower.
As for Ten Thousand Realms Tower, he might really have to give it a try.