In the early morning, after breakfast, Li Fei rode his bicycle to the Martial Arts Hall.
"Strive unceasingly, repay the country with martial prowess!"
The rallying cries echoed loudly across the training field as the students of the Martial Arts Hall were already undergoing their morning practices.
Li Fei parked his bike and walked into the same building as the day before, arriving once more at the door of Hao Yi's office and knocked gently.
"Come in."
Hao Yi's voice came from inside.
Li Fei opened the door and walked in; besides Hao Yi, there was a young man wearing a black short shirt.
The young man had a robust physique, clearly someone who practiced Martial Arts, and his gaze fell on Li Fei immediately, sizing him up with a hint of hostility in his eyes.
"Teacher."
Li Fei greeted Hao Yi with a bow.
Hao Yi pointed to the young man beside him, "He's also a student of the Martial Arts Hall. Today, he will practice with you."
The young man greeted Li Fei with a closed-fist salute:
"Hello, senior brother. I am Liu Xing, a Grade B student of the Martial Arts Hall."
"I've seen Junior Brother Liu."
Li Fei returned the salute with a fist.
He knew that the Martial Arts Hall's students were divided into Ranks A, B, and C. New students who just entered the Martial Arts Hall were all C Rank, joining the large classes led by ordinary instructors.
At the end of each month, there would be an assessment, and only students who received an excellent evaluation for three consecutive months could be promoted to Rank B, entering the small classes led by senior instructors.
Only Rank B students could access the Implants, and after becoming true Martial Artists, they could be promoted to Rank A students, qualifying for the public classes offered by special instructors.
Students like Li Fei, who were taken on by a special instructor, were directly Rank A; furthermore, with continuous guidance from the special instructor, they could be considered the best among Rank A students!
Although Liu Xing had been in the institution a few years longer than Li Fei, Grade B students, when meeting Grade A students, all had to address them as senior brothers or sisters.
Liu Xing, having climbed his way up from Rank C, felt particularly sour seeing someone like Li Fei who had "Stepped into the Sky" so swiftly.
"Li Fei, do you know why nearly all the freshmen accepted by the Zhi Ge Department of the twelve universities every year have qualifications above Rank A?"
Hao Yi asked.
Li Fei: "Because resources are limited, and they select the best?"
Hao Yi replied indifferently, "That's one of the reasons, but more importantly, the potential directly determines a Martial Artist's growth speed and upper limit. Only those with Rank A potential and above have a good chance of becoming an official martial master, which is why the Zhi Ge Department of the twelve universities places such importance on students with Rank A potential."
Li Fei nodded thoughtfully, while Liu Xing's expression turned gloomy beside him.
Only those with an Implant could be considered formal Martial Artists, and only Martial Artists who had reached a certain Realm could become martial masters officially registered with the court, also known as official martial masters.
Official martial masters held a high status in the Da Lan Dynasty, able to take up important positions wherever they went and receive a monthly stipend from the court.
Moreover, official martial masters and their direct relatives could enjoy benefits in education, healthcare, housing, and other areas.
It could be said that once one became an official martial master, they could immediately change the social status of their family!
"Although those with qualifications below Rank A also have a chance to become official martial masters, their highest achievements in this life would mostly stop there, making it difficult to pursue higher Realms."
Hao Yi looked at Li Fei with a cold tone.
Li Fei was taken aback by the words and asked, "Teacher, does an Implant cause harm to the human body once inside, and the better the potential, the stronger the capacity to endure?"
If that was the case, with the Myriad Blood Pearl in his possession, once his Blood Soul count rose, his potential would surely be one in ten thousand!
Hao Yi nodded, "After the Implant enters the human body, it indeed causes certain damage, a process known as Mutant Reaction. However, the ability to resist this Mutant Reaction is only part of one's talent. Another part is the compatibility between the human body and the Implant, known as the Match Reaction.
The Mutant Reaction determines the growth ceiling of the Implant, while the Match Reaction determines the growth rate of the Implant within your body. If a person only has a strong resistance to the Mutant Reaction, it's like a huge pool that can hold a lot of water, possessing a theoretical high limit. But if the pool fills slowly, say, it takes a hundred years to fill, then this theoretical limit will never be reached."
Li Fei suddenly understood; with Hao Yi's explanation, he gained a clear comprehension of talent.
It seemed, he thought, that although he had the Myriad Blood Pearl, it at most only strengthened his resistance to the Mutant Reaction; there was no remedy for compatibility.
"Even so, my overall talent must be much stronger than Grade B, surely I can reach Rank A?"
This is what Li Fei thought.
Seeing that Li Fei's expression was not one of discouragement, Hao Yi nodded slightly,
"Some people are born with Rank A talents, and some don't even qualify to become Martial Artists, that is fate; there is no fairness in it. But fortunately, fate can be changed. What isn't in your destiny can be fought for."
Li Fei's eyes brightened, and he made a fist and bow,
"Please teach me, teacher."
Hao Yi said, "The Elixir I had you take yesterday is called the Bitter Elemental Pill, which can enhance your resistance to the Implant's Mutant Reaction. Besides this kind of Elixir, there are other Elixirs that can improve your compatibility with the Implant. If taken over a long period, these can improve your talent to a certain extent."
"Thank you for the Elixir, teacher."
Li Fei bowed slightly as a token of thanks.
Hao Yi waved his hand, "There's no need to thank me so quickly; this type of Elixir is an extremely precious resource. Even as my student, you can't obtain it for nothing. If you still want to get this kind of Elixir, you'll have to strive for it on your own."
"Teacher, how should a student strive for it?"
Li Fei asked.
"Martial Arts Hall has a monthly examination; the top three Rank A students in the exam can obtain Elixirs that change their talent."
Hao Yi looked at him, "The assessment for Rank A students is very simple, testing Martial Arts. Students will compete one-on-one; that's why I called Liu Xing to practice with you."
Li Fei nodded, "I understand."
Having practiced Martial Arts at the Zhi Ge Department in college for three years, he naturally had combat abilities. But Rank A students were already official Martial Artists; could he really defeat them?
Hao Yi saw his concern and spoke,
"You will soon have your own Implant; first, focus on mastering Martial Arts."
Liu Xing, standing to the side, showed an expression of envy.
Although he was eligible for an Implant after being promoted to Rank B, he didn't have enough money to exchange for it and so was still saving up, while Li Fei clearly didn't have this issue.
"I understand."
Li Fei nodded, then turned and made a fist-and-palm salute to Liu Xing, "Junior Brother Liu, please advise."
The two then donned a full set of protective gear and gloves to prevent injuries.
After gearing up, Li Fei stood with one foot forward and the other back, his left hand in a vertical palm at the front and his right fist at his chest.
This was the standard combat stance of 'Blue Hand'.
The Martial Arts taught at the Great Blue Dynasty's Zhi Ge Department in college primarily consisted of two sets: the Thirty-Six Ways of Grappling and the Great Blue Dynasty Martial Arts Collection, commonly known as Blue Hand.
The Great Blue Dynasty was founded on Martial Arts, with a multitude of Martial Art routines. Later, the court collected folk Martial Arts and compiled them into a book called "Great Blue Dynasty Martial Arts Collection," removing the chaff from these varied Martial Arts and extracting their essence, bringing them together.
This was Blue Hand.
Liu Xing's face showed excitement; he twisted his neck and also assumed the initial stance of Blue Hand,
"Senior Brother Li, please!"
...