35: Chapter 35 Xinhuo Palace

"Good! Good! ...Good!" It wasn't until Li Wen finished clearing the dishes and prepared to return to his room that Li Hong seemed to wake from a dream, his face instantly flushed with a massive red glow as he uttered the word "good" three times in a row.

His previous exhaustion was largely dissipated by this intense joy, and his entire being radiated a long-lost sense of excitement.

"In two days, it'll be out! I'll be waiting to see exactly how much you scored, kid!" He laughed heartily; though his voice still lacked a bit of vigor, it was brimming with hope.

He would see the report card soon, and he didn't doubt his son's words in the slightest. The certainty in his son's eyes was like starlight in a cold night—dazzling and real.

"Then I'm going to study," Li Wen nodded, turning to walk into his room.

The door closed gently. The clamor was shut out. Studying was the only main theme at this moment.

Without a teacher's supervision or classroom constraints, self-discipline became the most powerful force.

The school was on winter break, so he could only continue his journey at home. Outside the window was the cold winter holiday; inside was the rustle of a pen nib gliding across paper and the high-speed mental storm of his thoughts.

Go to the county library? No need. The fragmented time spent commuting would be enough for him to delve into a few more difficult problems or memorize several more chapters.

If it weren't for the school regulations requiring attendance and the precious examination opportunities there, he would even be willing to spend the entire semester like this—alone, in his own little world, charging toward his goal without pause.

In his focus, time seemed to be infinitely compressed.

The crisp sound of flipping pages, the low murmurs while thinking, the trajectory of the pen nib rapidly calculating on scratch paper... these constituted Li Wen's entire world.

The daylight outside changed from a thin grayish-white to a bright, dazzling glow, then quietly hung high in the sky.

Finally—

[You have studied seriously for 6 hours, scholar experience +36]

A faint blue light jumped on the virtual panel, announcing the end of the morning's journey.

[Class: Scholar lv3 (268→304/400)]

His gaze swept over the panel. Unknowingly, the accumulated scholar experience had already crossed the three-quarters threshold.

Even if his academic scores for the final exams weren't out yet, at this efficiency, he would steadily climb to the peak of lv4 after another three days of such high-intensity study.

lv4... a forty percent increase in Comprehension Ability!

At this thought, Li Wen's heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate slightly.

The thirty percent from lv3 had already allowed him to quickly analyze the Profound Truths of the Rainbow Light Saber Technique under Absolute Focus, and even deconstruct an opponent's offensive in actual combat.

If it were forty percent, what kind of insight would that be?

In that state, when practicing the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method, would he find the path to the next level, the Major Achievement Realm, even faster?

Would delving into even deeper knowledge be as easy as reaching into a bag for an object?

However, heavy pressure followed. A powerful increase in Comprehension Ability meant an even more terrifying consumption of the brain.

The backlash of Absolute Focus at lv3 was already like a storm hitting a dam; dizziness and stinging pain followed him like a shadow.

If he upgraded to lv4, the burden brought by that overclocked operation...

"The increase in Physical Body Rank is urgent..."

Li Wen muttered to himself. A powerful spiritual will required a vessel strong enough to carry it.

Rank 6.3 was too low, like a battery with a tiny capacity, unable to support ultra-high power output.

Without a matching Physical Body Rank, no matter how high the Comprehension Ability was, it would collapse the moment it started, or even cause backlash injuries. The Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method had to be advanced faster.

Gurgle... The rumbling in his stomach sounded at the right time, pulling his thoughts back to reality. He decisively closed the books on the desk and stacked them neatly.

In the morning, he didn't need to Cultivate his Blade Technique or the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method, so energy consumption was low; that hearty breakfast was enough to support high-intensity mental exertion until noon.

But the afternoon and evening... were completely different.

In the afternoon, he had to temper his perfected and sharp Rainbow Light Saber Technique, and in the evening, he had to endure the bone-tearing cultivation of the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method.

Every heavy slash and every surge of Qi and blood brought by the limit-pushing Cultivation Technique was accompanied by staggering energy metabolism.

Simple rice and vegetables were fundamentally insufficient to support such high-intensity physical overloading.

He needed energy—vast amounts of pure energy.

He had to consume large quantities of high-calorie, high-protein food—like kindling thrown into a furnace—to provide enough fuel for the upcoming extreme cultivation.

Only then could he recover quickly at the edge of exhaustion, supporting him through one round of sprinting after another.

Otherwise, perhaps after just two or three rounds of Blade Technique practice or a few cycles of the Cultivation Technique, his body would fall into an irremediable state of weakness or even depletion.

Without fuel, even the most powerful engine can only stall. This was also one of the roots of the Li family's financial distress.

His frantic, almost masochistic "grind" required not only a steel-like, even perverse willpower, but also the support of his family burning themselves to provide financial backing.

Just the lunch and dinner at school to satisfy his high-intensity cultivation needs cost far more than a normal student's, often exceeding a hundred New Credits.

In the path of Martial Arts, where wasn't a gold-swallowing beast?

qi and blood potions, cultivation resources, high-energy food to replenish consumption... this was the true meaning of "literature for the poor, martial arts for the rich," a chasm that stood before countless children from humble backgrounds.

Poverty and the desire to become stronger were like invisible giant hands, tightly gripping Li Wen's throat and bending his father's back.

Only a Breakthrough! A faster Breakthrough!

Li Wen grabbed the slightly faded old backpack he had prepared earlier, slung it briskly over his shoulder, and strode out of the room. "Dad, I'm going to Kindling Hall."

He called out toward the living room, his voice deliberately kept calm.

"...Oh, okay!" Li Hong's voice came from the kitchen, seeming to pause for a moment, carrying a trace of imperceptible worry and understanding. "Be safe! Come back early."

"I know."

Creak—the old unit door closed.

Li Wen's figure quickly merged into the crisp mid-day air of late winter, his steps firm and urgent as he marched toward his set destination.

12:30 PM.

The cold but not bleak winter sunlight spilled over the somewhat empty streets of Qingshi County.

Turning a familiar street corner, a magnificent building appeared at the end of his vision.

It was like a crouching beast, built entirely of dark gray special alloy with cold, hard, simple lines. It had no redundant decorations, yet it exuded a sense of battle-worn vicissitude and rock-solid security.

In front of the building was a large, flat plaza, with several giant stone carvings symbolizing different weapons standing on both sides, silently telling tales of combat and protection.

Above the massive main entrance hung an incredibly heavy plaque radiating a metallic luster and faint energy fluctuations. On it were carved three majestic ancient characters that seemed to have hot blood burning within them: Kindling Hall.