5: Chapter 5 Usury

He pulled the yellowed curtains shut, sealing off the last trace of light from the outside.

The room was dim, illuminated only by the faint blue light of his phone screen.

He sat on the hard wooden bed and took a deep breath.

He brought up the System panel.

[Current Balance: 328.5 Yuan]

[Convertible Cultivation: 328 Years]

His heartbeat quickened.

Even though he had lived two lifetimes, and no matter how calm his personality was, he could not maintain absolute composure in the face of this moment that would change his destiny.

"Let's test ten yuan first."

He wanted to see the effect.

"System, top up ten yuan, convert to ten years of Cultivation!"

[Ding!]

[Payment successful.]

[Qi and blood value permanently +1.0!]

Boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, an extremely massive and pure current of heat erupted from Su Yu's Dantian without warning!

This current of heat was like a wild horse off its leash, rushing frantically through his limbs and bones.

"Hiss—"

Su Yu gasped.

Pain!

Excruciating pain!

But accompanying the pain was an indescribable sense of relief!

He could clearly hear the "crack, crack" sounds of the bones in his body.

His shriveled muscles were expanding!

His fragile Meridians were widening!

In just ten seconds, that current of heat had completely merged into his body.

Su Yu opened his eyes abruptly.

A flash of brilliance flickered in the darkness and vanished.

He clenched his fists, feeling the unprecedented sense of fulfillment in his body.

If his strength before was like stagnant water, then now, it was a rushing stream!

"Qi and blood value... definitely over 1 point!"

A fanatical gleam flashed in Su Yu's eyes.

Ten years of bitter Cultivation!

For someone with as poor talent as him, ten years of perfect Cultivation without eating or drinking was enough to increase his Qi and blood value by a full 1 point!

From 0.8, it soared directly to 1.8!

Although there was still a gap to the 6-point passing line for the college entrance exam, this proved one thing—the System was real!

One yuan could actually buy a year of Cultivation!

"Continue!"

Su Yu did not hesitate any longer.

"System, top up one hundred yuan!"

[Ding!]

[Payment successful.]

[Qi and blood value permanently +10.0!]

Rumbling!

This time, the movement within his body was more than ten times greater than before!

If the heat current from before was a stream, then now it was a bursting flood!

Su Yu let out a muffled groan, his whole body bouncing off the bed and falling heavily to the ground.

His skin turned bright red instantly, as if he were a boiled shrimp.

Sweat, mixed with the black Impurities expelled from his body, poured frantically from his pores.

One hundred years of days and nights!

One hundred years of sweating!

All the results of his Cultivation were, at this moment, forcibly stuffed into his body by the System in an unreasonable way!

Five minutes later, Su Yu crawled up from the ground.

He was panting heavily, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

"11.8..."

Su Yu muttered to himself.

He didn't need to test on professional equipment; a Martial Artist had absolute control over their own body.

He could feel that his Qi and blood value had already reached 11.8!

It had surpassed the maximum score of 10 points!

Zhao Ze, that so-called Martial Arts Genius, ate exotic beast meat and soaked in medicinal baths every day, yet his Qi and blood value was only 9.8.

And he, having spent only 110 yuan, had completely trampled that high-and-mighty rich second generation under his feet in terms of Qi and blood value!

"Awesome!"

Su Yu clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Three years!

The frustration that had been suppressed for three full years dissipated at this moment!

But... it wasn't enough!

Far from enough!

A Qi and blood value of 11.8 might count as a top Genius in Jiangcheng.

But in the entire Great Xia Kingdom, in that Imperial Capital First Martial Arts University where Prodigies ran rampant, it was nothing!

He needed stronger power!

Su Yu glanced at his phone balance.

There was still over two hundred yuan left.

This money wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

He didn't hesitate at all and clicked on a green software on his phone.

The Great Xia national lending app— "Haojie."

Su Yu's credit score wasn't high, he usually didn't have much cash flow, and his credit limit was pitifully low.

Only one thousand yuan.

"Borrow everything!"

Su Yu clicked withdraw.

[Ding! One thousand yuan has arrived.]

No nonsense.

"System! Top up everything!"

[Payment successful.]

[Qi and blood value permanently +100.0!]

Boom—!!!

This time, Su Yu didn't even have time to let out a muffled groan before his entire body was forced to his knees by the terrifying energy impact.

One thousand years!

A full one thousand years of Cultivation!

Quantitative change caused a qualitative change.

The Qi and blood in Su Yu's body were no longer a liquid torrent, but had a faint trend of gasification.

His bones turned jade-colored.

His muscles were like cast steel.

100 points of Qi and blood value!

There was a common knowledge in the Great Xia Kingdom's martial arts world.

Once the Qi and blood value reached 100 points, it would break the human limit, shed one's mortal shell, and officially step into the Martial Artist Realm!

A Martial Artist!

Even in the military, a true Martial Artist was sufficient to hold the position of a squad leader!

In a small place like Jiangcheng, as long as one didn't provoke local tyrants, a Martial Artist was almost an existence that could walk sideways!

And Su Yu, in less than half an hour, had crossed a chasm that countless people could never cross in a lifetime.

"Hoo—"

Su Yu exhaled a turbid breath, and that stream of air actually made a crisp sonic boom in the air!

He stood up.

With a casual wave of his hand, Bang!

The solid wood table next to him, which was missing a leg, was like paper, instantly shattering into pieces!

Su Yu looked at his hands, but his brows furrowed slightly.

He had the strength.

His Qi and blood met the standard.

But... he didn't know how to fight.

"Having brute strength but no skill means I can't unleash the lethality a Martial Artist should have."

Su Yu was very calm.

His current state was like a three-year-old child holding a Gatling machine gun.

Although the firepower was fierce, he had no idea how to aim or how to fire.

Once he encountered an opponent with rich combat experience, he would easily be played to death by the opponent's techniques.

"Martial Skill!"

In Su Yu's mind, the basic martial arts taught for free at school emerged—the Five Elements Fist.

This was the most widely popularized Martial Skill in the Great Xia Kingdom.

It was divided into four Realms: Entry, Proficient, Mastery, and Perfection.

For ordinary students, being able to reach Proficient in three years of high school was considered good.

Those who could reach Mastery were all Geniuses.

As for Perfection?

That was a Realm that required decades of hard practice combined with extremely high Comprehension Ability!

"System, can I use money to level up Martial Skills?"

[Yes. 1 yuan = 1 year of Martial Skill comprehension time.]

Su Yu's eyes lit up.

But immediately, he looked at his empty balance.

No money left.

The limit of regular online loans had been used up.

Borrow from someone?

He was an orphan and had no relatives.

Among his classmates, except for Lin Xiaoxiao, no one would lend him money.

Borrow from Lin Xiaoxiao?

This thought was cut off by Su Yu as soon as it emerged.

Lin Xiaoxiao could casually produce a special admission quota for Imperial Capital First Martial Arts University; the Lin family behind her definitely had eyes and ears everywhere.

If an orphan from the bottom of society like him suddenly borrowed a large sum of money from her, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Lin family elders.

Once the Lin family's intelligence network followed the clues and discovered the anomaly of his rapidly rising Qi and blood in such a short time, the secret of the System would be impossible to hide!

Before possessing absolute strength, he must never be placed under a microscope by such a behemoth.

Su Yu's gaze fell on a black app icon in the corner of his phone screen.

"Black Gold IOU."

This was a usury software developed by the underground forces of Jiangcheng.

The interest rate was ridiculously high.

"Nine out, thirteen back" was just a light version.

Once overdue, the light consequence was broken limbs, and the heavy consequence was disappearing from the world.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare touch this thing even if they were starving to death.

But Su Yu wasn't afraid.

He was a Martial Artist now!

As long as he could make a splash in the college entrance exam and enter Imperial Capital First Martial Arts University, a mere usury in Jiangcheng was nothing!