“Again.” Qu Weichen’s mind flashed back to Wan Zhiming’s feint just now.
The pain in her body made her even calmer.
And the fire starting to burn in her chest reminded her of how she felt when she first awakened after body tempering.
“Alright, come on! Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare mess up that pretty face of yours.” After the last round, Wan Zhiming felt more confident, and now he grinned mischievously, looking every bit like a troublemaker.
“Even though the Hall Master is just an ordinary person, I’m still scared, you know.” As for whether Qu Weichen could break through to the first rank… well, he’d done everything he could, no slacking off.
Qu Weichen didn’t say a word, just stared at him silently.
Seeing this, Wan Zhiming dropped his playful look.
The moment Constance announced the start of the match, Wan Zhiming attacked again.
Block and break! Qu Weichen was hyper-focused.
After dodging another punch with a quick sidestep, she swung her elbow hard, slamming it into Wan Zhiming’s chest.
At the same time, her foot stomped down on his soft boots.
“Shit!” Wan Zhiming hadn’t expected Qu Weichen to counterattack, and was caught off guard.
Instinctively, his “Qi” surged, and he threw a punch with a whoosh, but Qu Weichen just rolled away without any finesse.
She didn’t get up right away.
Seeing Wan Zhiming’s butt within reach, she kicked him hard, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Opportunity! Who cared about technique or style now? Qu Weichen scrambled up and lunged, slamming into Wan Zhiming’s back and dropping her elbow down hard! Wan Zhiming never expected Qu Weichen to suddenly change her fighting style.
There was no pattern to this brawl.
He howled as he was pummeled, but didn’t give up.
“Qi” flooded his hands, and with a burst of strength, he flipped Qu Weichen off and slammed his fist into the ground, leaving a small crater.
The second round was Qu Weichen’s last chance.
When Wan Zhiming flipped her off, she rolled away and quickly put some distance between them.
When she saw Wan Zhiming punch a hole in the ground, she became even more cautious.
Wan Zhiming leapt up.
Qu Weichen’s counterattack had made him feel a bit embarrassed, so he started taking the match seriously.
Slowing Curse!—Nothing happened.
Qu Weichen didn’t expect it to work anyway.
The moment she cast the curse, she started moving.
Retreat! Roll! Dodge! Elbow strike! Sweat beaded on her forehead as she tried to control her breathing.
The fire in her chest was burning hotter and hotter, making her whole body feel feverish.
In each exchange and dodge, Qu Weichen realized it was hard to beat Wan Zhiming head-on.
Once he got serious, he didn’t give her any openings, and every time she attacked, he blocked with both hands.
Without a weapon, Qu Weichen’s bare fists were no match for those “Qi”-infused punches.
Probe, probe, dodge… Qu Weichen had never been so focused.
In a fight like this, she couldn’t afford a single mistake.
Slowing Curse!—Nothing happened.
No, she had to find an opening.
She hadn’t reached the first rank yet, and if this dragged on… once her stamina dropped, she’d lose for sure.
“Haha, is dodging all you can do?” Wan Zhiming couldn’t help but taunt.
He was sweating too, but he was still in better shape than Qu Weichen.
After all, even though Qu Weichen had gone through nine rounds of body tempering, her physical fitness had never caught up.
Even with Constance’s special diet, it would take time to make up for all the lost nutrition and energy.
“Nine rounds of body tempering and this is all you’ve got? You don’t even have the guts to face me head-on!” Qu Weichen kept her cool, circling with Wan Zhiming and not rushing in.
Just as Wan Zhiming was getting impatient, Qu Weichen suddenly ducked, dodging his punch, and stepped back.
Her right hand clenched, and she seized the opening as Wan Zhiming overextended, ramming into him.
Slowing Curse—[Ding] A blue snowflake-patterned ring appeared above Wan Zhiming’s head.
Qu Weichen was startled by the skill actually working, but she didn’t waste the chance.
Wan Zhiming instinctively tried to block and retreat, but suddenly his body felt unbearably heavy.
What the hell?! Was he out of stamina? That couldn’t be! As Wan Zhiming panicked, Qu Weichen slammed her elbow down again, crashing into his ribs and knocking him to the ground.
“Bang!” Wan Zhiming’s reflexive punch landed hard on Qu Weichen’s shoulder.
He hadn’t even fully channeled his Qi, but it still packed a punch.
Qu Weichen was knocked aside by the force.
Her right shoulder went numb instantly, but along with the pain, the “Qi” in her chest ignited!
Burning, burning! The “Qi” surged like fire, flooding Qu Weichen’s organs and spreading through her limbs and meridians.
It burned and stung, but also wrapped her injured shoulder in warmth.
Red lines appeared on her body, following the flow, even spreading up her face.
All this happened in three seconds.
As soon as the red lines fully appeared, they faded, leaving only a surge of “Qi” that Qu Weichen channeled into her hands.
Martial Artist, First Rank! The fire burned in her chest, and the pain in her shoulder was nothing now.
As she rolled to her feet, she saw Wan Zhiming getting up too—but this time, things were different! Qu Weichen charged, and now it was Wan Zhiming’s turn to scramble and dodge.
He wasn’t stupid; he could tell Qu Weichen had officially become a first-rank martial artist.
As far as he was concerned, his job was done.
If he took another punch from her now, he’d probably break four ribs.
“Thud!” Her punch slammed into the ground, leaving a crater.
Wan Zhiming rolled away and shouted, “I’m done, I’m done!” Qu Weichen raised an eyebrow—he sure knew when to admit defeat.
She reached out and pulled Wan Zhiming up.
“So this time, I win.”
“Yeah, yeah, you win.” Wan Zhiming looked a bit helpless.
He glanced at Qu Weichen’s shoulder and couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t it hurt when I punched you?”
Hearing the [Duel!] mission complete notification, Qu Weichen grinned.
“Of course it hurt.
But if I can’t even handle that, how could I call myself a martial artist?”
“Thanks for today.” Qu Weichen thanked him sincerely, then turned to Constance.
“Thank you, Captain.”
Wan Zhiming grinned, but before he could say “You’re welcome” or anything, Constance waved her hand.
“No need to thank me.
Come here, I’ll put some medicine on you.
Rest up tomorrow and heal well.
The day after, I’ll get you a basic cultivation manual.
Run your ‘Qi’ along the pathways, it’ll help you recover best.”
“Okay.” She couldn’t hide her excitement—she barely noticed the pain in her shoulder anymore.
When Constance spoke, she obediently went over and let the giant woman check her shoulder for broken bones.
Once she was sure it was fine, she applied the medicine.
Wan Zhiming didn’t stick around.
As soon as Qu Weichen broke through to first-rank martial artist, Constance waved him off.
As for Wan Zhiming’s sparring fee, Constance had already paid before the match.
“That guy studies at the academy too.
You might run into him when school starts,” Constance said.
“But he’s a magic specialist, so you won’t be in the same classes.”
“Is he really talented at magic?”
“Yeah, he’s got great aptitude for light magic,” Constance said.
“He’ll probably end up as a knight commander in the church someday.”
Once the medicine was on, Constance sent Qu Weichen off to bed.
“Alright, go rest.
No more training today.”
Qu Weichen nodded.
Her shoulder, now covered in ointment, felt cool and only hurt if she moved it.
As soon as she got back to her yard, she saw a female guard setting her lunch at the door.
Besides a meat dish, a veggie, and white rice, there was a black soup—it looked just like medicine.
Qu Weichen thanked the guard, but the woman didn’t leave right away.
She cast a light healing spell on Qu Weichen’s shoulder before going.
The warm glow eased her pain, and Qu Weichen felt much better.
She brought the food inside, but the moment she picked up the “soup,” the bitter medicinal smell hit her.
She frowned, hesitated, then tipped her head back and drank it all in one go.
“Ugh—” The warm liquid slid down her throat, and the lingering taste made her gag.
She forced it down, patted her chest to steady herself, and only felt better after a while.
Clearly, Constance had prepared this meal in advance.
With such thoughtfulness, how could she waste it? Once the bitterness faded, Qu Weichen picked up her chopsticks and slowly ate her lunch… The light healing magic really worked—her shoulder already felt much better.
“Why isn’t there an achievement for becoming a first-rank martial artist?” After eating, Qu Weichen paced around to digest and couldn’t help asking.
[I’m not a martial artist growth system,] Number Nine said.
[You already got a reward for nine rounds of body tempering.
As for breaking through… first rank is too easy, why would there be another reward?]
Fair enough, she thought.
Qu Weichen sighed, a little worried.
So next… how could she trigger more achievements? The Necromancer Development System—maybe killing those abyssal undead would work? After all, she activated the system by killing a skeleton.
But with her current strength, how could she handle an undead attack alone? Qu Weichen couldn’t help but ask in her mind, “If I summon a skeleton, the abyssal undead won’t attack me.
But what if I attack them?”
[Then they’ll know you’re not one of them, and they’ll kill you and your skeletons,] Number Nine replied, exasperated.
[Those abyssal undead aren’t mass-produced by the system.
The higher-level ones have their own will and intelligence.
They’re not that stupid.]
So much for bugging the system—she’d have to rely on her own strength.
Two and a half months… In that time, she’d just have to train hard and see if she could improve further! Who knew what would happen once she got into the academy? She’d better learn as much as she could now.
As for what Wan Zhiming said about the Hall Master… Flirtatious? Interested in her looks? Qu Weichen thought, The Hall Master’s reputation outside seems… a bit different from how Constance sees her.
