Martial Saint!

Most of the students at the Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall came from fairly affluent families, and even Lu Chenzhou was not considered poor.

However, for most people present, 10 million was an astronomical figure, enough to buy a luxurious apartment in the Inner City before the price drop.

After a moment of silence, the crowd dispersed.

"Don't think about dealing with the Void Things. If you encounter them, just run."

"Yes, let the state and professionals handle the Void Things."

Lu Chenzhou stood there, deep in thought.

His goals just increased by one.

"Void Blade!"

He finally saw a way to confront the Void Things in front of the Martial Artist. However, thinking about the starting price of several hundred thousand, he could only temporarily store it in his heart.

Martial Arts Supplements, university tuition fees, daily household expenses... his parents had too many expenditures to consider, and couldn't afford a Void Blade.

...

On the training field.

Lu Chenzhou was sweating profusely.

Practice the fist technique, practice more, still practice the fist technique!

Until he heard an alert in his mind.

[Black Tiger Fist: 89% (Mastery) → 90% (Mastery)]

"Only 10% away from Small Success."

Lu Chenzhou stopped and gasped for breath.

Qin Zheng ran over and asked,

"Chenzhou, you're not thinking about taking that Void Blade certification, are you?"

"I am considering it, but it's too early for that."

"Yes, listen to the Master, don't confront the Void Things head-on."

"I won't, it's just a precaution."

Qin Zheng's family was rich, and if he spoke to his father, he would definitely buy it for him. The issue was that he was too weak in his cultivation, reaching the Fourth Rank was far in the future.

He thought of another possibility.

If Lu Chenzhou managed to pass the certification, maybe he should ask his family to lend him some money to buy a Void Blade for his good brother's protection... and incidentally his own.

Qin Zheng didn't want to leave Su City. He had lived here for over a decade, met a girl he liked in high school, and there were many things he couldn't let go of.

Moreover, the outbreaks of Virtual Disasters in recent years were widespread like a wild growth; were other places really safe? Maybe there were intersections like Taihu elsewhere.

Compared to other places, Su City, which was heavily focused on by the central government,

may even be safer!

When all is said and done... he couldn't bear to part with Li Linling!

His sister's family definitely wouldn't leave Su City.

She also planned to apply to Su City University.

With her grades, she was likely to get in, and Qin Zheng felt that he and Li Linling could soon be together. Leaving now would be something he'd regret.

However, this was just a thought he had; he still needed to discuss it with his family. He would tell Lu Chenzhou when he reached the Fourth Rank, surprising him then.

Somehow, he now had no doubt that Lu Chenzhou could pass the exam. Maybe it was because this guy had delivered too many shocks in the past half year.

"Senior Sister is here."

Amongst the greetings of the students, Shi Ruyu arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

Today, she was wearing black yoga pants that accentuated her figure, paired with simple white sneakers and a white tank top, revealing her evenly toned arm muscles.

The feminine lines that did not look fierce.

"Today we will still learn the 'Sea-sweeping Body', which can also be useful when encountering a Virtual Disaster." Shi Ruyu finished her warm-up and began demonstrating on a wooden post.

"Who wants to try?"

After she asked, a bunch of people raised their hands.

The Virtual Disasters had increased everyone's enthusiasm for learning martial arts.

After everyone had practiced once, she looked toward Lu Chenzhou.

"Everyone did not do bad, but compared to Lu Chenzhou, it lacked a certain something; his 'Sea-sweeping Body' is already comparable to mine, let him demonstrate for you."

Everyone was shocked.

They knew Lu Chenzhou was powerful, even Du Men couldn't beat him. But to hear Seventh Rank Shi Ruyu admit Lu Chenzhou's 'Sea-sweeping Body' was not weaker than hers.

That guy, was too fierce.

Lu Chenzhou wasn't timid. He went up and demonstrated once. Qin Zheng, who was also a Second Rank, couldn't even touch him on the wooden post and eventually got so tired he fell off.

Qin Zheng was too despairing.

His Second Rank felt like a fake one.

No way around it, his 'Sea-sweeping Body' was only at a beginner's level.

Shi Ruyu was also quite satisfied internally.

She thought she could use this as an excuse to have Lu Chenzhou teach the 'Sea-sweeping Body' class in the future, and she would focus on advising everyone on the basic fist techniques.

After class, Shi Ruyu called Lu Chenzhou aside.

"Chenzhou, come to my Martial Arts Room for a moment."

As a True Disciple, she had her own private training room. After closing the door, she brought out a plate of dried fruits and some jerky snacks.

"Have some food to replenish your energy first."

"Alright, Senior Sister."

Lu Chenzhou tore open the jerky and took a sip of water.

"How much Qi-Blood do you have now?"

"I haven't tested it in the past couple days; a week ago it was 1.67."

Hearing that number, Shi Ruyu's heart stirred slightly.

"You're not far from Third Rank."

Before the enrollment test, reaching Third Rank was definitely secure.

That is to say, in less than a year, breaking through to Third Rank!

This rate of progression, according to what she knew, would require quite an effort for an average person with intermediate root bone, and also the addition of sufficient Martial Arts Supplements.

Take Huang Hao, for instance, he attended Pingjiang Martial Arts School, achieved Perfection in Basic Boxing in junior high, became a First Rank Martial Artist, reached Third Rank before graduating from middle school, advanced to Fourth Rank in the first year of high school, and Fifth Rank in the second year. This is a comparatively quick rate for someone with intermediate root bone under ideal conditions. Any faster would often mean exceptional comprehension, which is out of the ordinary discussion.

Shi Ruyu encouraged:

"Not bad, keep it up, stay humble and patient."

Lu Chenzhou had just finished eating half a plate of fruits.

Having grown closer to Shi Ruyu, he asked,

"Sister Shi, have you taken the exam for the Virtual Blade Holding qualification?"

Shi Ruyu unlocked her phone and said with a smile,

"Are you referring to this?"

Lu Chenzhou took a look.

[Virtual Blade Holding Electronic Certificate (Civilian Grade)]

[Name: Shi Ruyu]

[Number: scpj*****21980601]

[Level: Amateur Seventh Rank]

[Permissible Virtual Blade Level: Low Level]

[Validity Period: Ten years from the issuance of the certificate]

[Annual Inspection: Passed]

…

There was a lot of information on the certificate.

The validity of this thing was ten years, requiring annual inspections; if the holder exhibited inappropriate behavior or violated laws, it could be revoked.

After reading it, Lu Chenzhou felt envious.

Shi Ruyu had also just taken the exam recently.

"When you reach Fourth Rank, you can try as well, but the probability of passing at Fourth Rank isn't high. For someone like me at Seventh Rank, it's very stable."

"Got it, thanks Sister Shi."

"Do you want to see my Virtual Blade?"

"You already have one?"

"Yes, but mine is the cheapest mass-produced model, nothing like the Master's, which is custom-made. The price of C9 alloy is higher than gold."

Shi Ruyu put on a pair of black gloves.

She swung a casual punch, and it seemed a faint white glow arose. Lu Chenzhou watched intently and felt his spirit getting drawn towards it. This must be the spiritual radiation from the Void Material in it—indeed a bit eerie. But if it was only to this extent, he felt he could handle it.

Shi Ruyu said:

"These are 'Void-breaking Gloves,' the lowest grade of Virtual Blade, woven from the most advanced synthetic fiber materials. Wearing them makes grabbing a blade with bare hands a routine operation... when I say blade, I mean an ordinary human blade. It can also cause considerable damage to 'Float' Level Void Things. Normally, this should suffice for my self-defense."

With her strength, as long as she didn't encounter Void Things above the 'Float' Level.

She would be cautious and could escape.

Hearing they were cheap, Lu Chenzhou gathered up his courage to ask.

"Sister Shi, how much did it cost?"

Shi Ruyu calculated a bit.

"The total cost is over fifty thousand... mainly because the technology for Virtual Blades hasn't been around for long, and the supply can't meet the demand. I also paid a premium."

"Okay."

Indeed, what rich people considered cheap didn't quite match up with what he imagined.

How many Martial Arts Supplements could that buy?

Shi Ruyu comfortingly said:

"Keep up with your training. When you have the strength, making money isn't hard, but the expenses of Martial Arts Cultivation are also substantial, so saving up is hard too... Just be mentally prepared for that."

…

Time passed day by day.

By the end of March, the police announced that the investigation of Virtual Things within Su City was completed, allowing everyone to return to their normal work and life routines, and schools resumed as well.

During this major investigation, 13 Virtual Things were killed.

The good news was, no new converging points were found, and it was determined that they were probably from the old Taihu convergence point, though residues outside could not be ruled out.

Up until now, the loss of life from Virtual incidents had risen to 4 people. They were all ordinary individuals, each with some psychological or mental issues. Overall, the situation was far better than expected; citizens could see the national effort.

…

March 30th.

Stone Lake Garden Building 3

The east began to lighten, signaling the arrival of a new day.

On the rooftop, Lu Chenzhou, fully focused, struck like a mountain-traversing Black Tiger. His punch cracked the air, and his entire demeanor reached its peak.

After completing a set of the "Black Tiger Fist," he took a brief moment to regulate his breath.

A notification appeared in his mind.

[Black Tiger Fist: Mastery (100%) → Small Success (1%)]