Chapter 1: Breaking the Saint, Chen Yan's Words

"In the morning, you all told me you would offer your hearts for the True Martial Prize Money, at noon you were all full of ambition, wanting to vie with the Heavens, and by the afternoon, you're all lying on the ground, slacking off."

"Look at Chen Yan; he lay in a Hospital Bed for a year, yet he is working harder than any one of you!"

The summer breeze drifted leisurely, and the towering Teaching Building sliced a patch of shade from the golden glow of the setting sun.

More than fifty boys and girls dressed in summer clothes lay casually on the sunless concrete ground, howling incessantly.

Sweat constantly beaded on their heads as they gulped down water; clearly, the thirty laps they had just run around the Playground had exhausted them completely.

Even though the stern reprimands of the Class Head Teacher Wang Yang made their eardrums tremble, the students of Class 3 of Senior High remained motionless with pained expressions, as if nails were growing out of their backsides, refusing to leave this cool patch.

Wang Yang sighed; the Awakening of Qi and Blood required constant attempts to break through the limits of the flesh.

But how many people truly possessed that kind of willpower?

Thinking of this, Wang Yang looked at the Youth on the track, which was shimmering with rolling heat waves under the scorching sun, and his gaze softened slightly.

"Chen Yan, take a rest. You've been sick for a year; it's already impressive that you didn't have to repeat a grade. Don't overexert yourself now."

As Wang Yang's voice fell, the Youth on the track seemed as if he hadn't heard it at all.

Chen Yan kept his head lowered, his limbs moving like machinery.

Lift leg, step on the ground, lean the body forward, lift leg again...

The T-shirt on his body had long since faded to the point where the brand was unrecognizable, and in some places, the fabric had even worn thin to transparency.

Chen Yan had been bedridden for a year, missing a full year of physical conditioning; now that he had run over thirty kilometers, he had long since reached his Limit.

The group of students still resting looked toward Chen Yan, grumbling one after another, yet feeling helpless.

He was working himself so hard that he received praise from the teacher, but they didn't envy him in the slightest.

Chen Yan didn't hear Wang Yang's words very clearly; within his line of sight, reality and illusion were constantly overlapping.

"Almost there."

Chen Yan wiped the sweat from his face and spoke in a blurred, indistinct manner.

Inside that illusory scene.

Endless void, infinite silence.

A streak of orange radiance brushed across the endless Darkness like a tassel.

Within Chen Yan's consciousness, a small Tree over a meter and a half tall stood solitary in the hazy mist; its trunk was slender and weak, and the scattered branches numbered only seven or eight.

But the miracle of life is often breathtaking; on one of the branches hung an orange Fruit.

The Fruit was round and plump, with a character of majestic Aura engraved right in the center.

【Force Array】.

The orange radiance floating in the Universe flowed into the tips of the small Tree's roots, being absorbed by the small Tree like pure nourishment.

The Fruit engraved with the 【Force Array】 character grew even plumper, looking as if it were about to fully ripen.

A Data Panel appeared before the small Tree.

【Saint-Breaking Realm: Level One (1/3)】

【Break-Saint Fruit:

Force: (93/100)

Blood (4/100)】

This was Chen Yan's Consciousness World; it had appeared after he recovered a few days ago.

Rather than a system, this Consciousness World actually had its own name: Saint-Breaking Realm.

This Tree was the Holy Tree.

It had appeared suddenly a few days ago; whenever Chen Yan exercised or trained, orange light would appear within the Saint-Breaking Realm, nourishing the Holy Tree to grow the 【Force Array】 Break-Saint Fruit.

Chen Yan had been bedridden for a year with a very poor physique; the fact that he had recovered so well now was because he had already consumed one 【Force Array】 Break-Saint Fruit.

As for the 【Blood】 Break-Saint Fruit, it was related to the absorption of Qi Blood Energy.

Its growth was extremely slow; only when Chen Yan trained to his Limit would a few wisps of red light appear within the Saint-Breaking Realm, yielding very little.

He continued to run.

As Chen Yan's training became more intense, almost to the point of testing his willpower, the growth speed of this Fruit engraved with the 【Force Array】 character increased.

Judging by the growth rate, it would likely be fully ripe by today.

To the side, Class Head Teacher Wang Yang watched quietly.

This was already the second time he had asked Chen Yan to rest; after all, Chen Yan had just recovered from a serious illness and his body was frail.

Yet, seeing such persistence, he chose Silence.

As for Chen Yan, he was thinking about much more.

The school was holding the selection for the True Martial Prize Money next week, which offered great benefits.

For him, it was naturally very far off.

But if a person didn't even have a goal, then they were truly pitiful.

Before the True Martial Prize Money selection, there would be a test of Fist Power; if one's Fist Power didn't reach 160 kilograms, one wouldn't be eligible to participate in the selection.

"Damn it, keep running!"

"If Chen Yan can do it, I can't lose!"

"Keep going!"

The students who had been resting saw Chen Yan's current effort, and their expressions all changed; some Male Students roared and joined in the running.

Chen Yan continued to run, but a figure came to his side.

"If hard work were useful, what would money be for?"

The Male Student named Hu Yuan spoke:

"Chen Yan, do you know your dad owes my family a thousand?"

Chen Yan looked over; the male student was his cousin Hu Yuan.

"Go back and tell your Father."

Chen Yan's expression sank slightly; it is only right and proper to pay back debts, but being hounded like this was quite unpleasant.

Hu Yuan was his cousin, but the relationship between the two families was very hard to maintain.

Jia Li was too poor, and others looked down on them.

Chen Yan took a deep breath; the True Martial Prize Money had a cash reward of Twenty Thousand, and if he could obtain it, it would greatly alleviate the situation at Jia Li.

"Did you hear me!" Hu Yuan scolded when he saw Chen Yan not responding to him.

Just at this moment, someone cheered out loud.

"Zhang Qingsi has achieved Qi Blood Awakening!"

"Wow, he really awakened!"

"So amazing!"

Chen Yan and Hu Yuan turned their heads to look; everyone on the Playground was running toward behind him.

There was also a commotion inside the Teaching Building; students from every grade ran out of their classrooms and leaned over the railings to look down.

Not far from him, a male student wearing a school uniform was sitting on the ground, gradually being surrounded by the crowd; white mist was constantly rising from his body, and a faint red light was slowly burning like a flame.

"Close your eyes, breathe deeply, don't be anxious, feel your body carefully!"

Class Head Teacher Wang Yang said nervously; soon, Principal Zhang Yue and Teaching Director Xia Dong also rushed over, and a crowd of students filled the Playground, everyone looking at Zhang Qingsi with envy.

Hu Yuan could no longer be bothered with Chen Yan at this moment and hurriedly ran toward Zhang Qingsi's side.

After a while, Zhang Qingsi was taken away by the Principal.

The Playground was soon empty, and Chen Yan continued running.

Others achieving Qi Blood Awakening had nothing to do with him.

But there was only one quota for the True Martial Prize Money per class; if he wanted it, he had to defeat Zhang Qingsi.

Time passed slowly, and Chen Yan ran a few more laps.

The school gate opened, several tricycles entered, and a school teacher led several students to assist.

Soon, a group of people moved the brass-colored metal skins off the tricycles, and soon a welder took a welding machine and roughly spot-welded these metal skins together.

It was a human Bronze Statue about two meters tall, with its body arched, performing a punching Technique.

Chen Yan glanced at it slightly, and just as he prepared to run, his body stiffened in place.

Within the Consciousness World, a wisp of pale golden light brushed across the endless Darkness, flowing toward the Holy Tree, but it was blocked by an invisible barrier at a distance of three feet from the Holy Tree.

On the prompt panel, a line of text suddenly appeared.

【Prompt: Detected absorption of Artistic Energy, Holy Tree cannot absorb, need to upgrade Holy Tree to Level Two.】

Chen Yan's pupils shrank; he had only glanced at that Sculpture, yet it caused an anomaly in the Po Saint Realm.

Arriving beside the Sculpture, Chen Yan saw Teaching Director Xia Dong still instructing the welding of the Sculpture and asked:

"Hello, Teacher, may I ask whose Sculpture this is?"

Xia Dong glanced at Chen Yan and scolded:

"Stay away, don't you see work is being done here?"

Chen Yan frowned slightly, but he did not continue to ask and went to run.

He knew he could obtain benefits by watching this statue, but he could not obtain these benefits now.

"Congratulations to Zhang Qingsi of Class 3 of Senior High for achieving Qi Blood Awakening, student Zhang Qingsi usually..."

Inside the broadcast, the Principal's excited voice rang out.

The setting sun lay drunk across Heaven and Earth, and night was about to fall.

The students of Qingshan High School left school one after another.

On the balcony of the office building, Class Head Teacher Wang Yang and Principal Zhang Yue were standing on the balcony smoking a Cigarette.

"Qi Blood Awakening, you need to go to the Xian Martial Officer to register tomorrow."

"Mm." Wang Yang nodded, his gaze sweeping over to the figure on the Playground who was running with all his might; he was stunned for a moment, and then a look of gratification appeared in his eyes.

"This kid is hardworking enough; I know about his situation. You should tell him not to push himself too hard just after recovering," Zhang Yue also noticed Chen Yan and said with a Laughter.

"I told him, it's no use," Wang Yang said with a helpless Laughter, yet the appreciation in his eyes grew even richer.

"Sigh..." Zhang Yue shook his head:

"Sometimes, many people's excessive hard work is due to the problems of the previous generation. I appreciate hardworking students, but often I feel sorrow for them."

Zhang Yue's pupils dimmed, and thinking of something, he suddenly said:

"For the True Martial Prize Money for your class, let's just settle on Zhang Qingsi."

Wang Yang was stunned, then said:

"The True Martial Prize Money quota is quite large; let's wait until next Monday to see."

Zhang Yue said indifferently:

"Then as you wish, but Zhang Qingsi is the only one in your class who has achieved Qi Blood Awakening."

Zhang Yue left, leaving Wang Yang alone to light another Cigarette.

One, then another.

He looked at Chen Yan, who was still running, his expression complex.

He had long known that Zhang Qingsi would be the first student in the class to achieve Qi Blood Awakening; after all, Zhang Qingsi's Father owned three restaurants in the Town and also a Martial Arts Hall.

Various resources were constantly piled up, even to the point of luxury by using Qi Blood Potion to help Zhang Qingsi break through the Qi Blood barrier.

The gap between two generations—how much hard work does it take to bridge it?

True Martial Prize Money...

The Martial Officer only looks at strength; having good family conditions is also good strength.

The sun set in the west and the sky turned dark, yet Wang Yang was still watching the Playground.

The two people were like they were in a silent standoff; Wang Yang just wanted to see how far this kid Chen Yan would persist.

"Not bad, just like me!"

The Eternal Night appeared; Wang Yang knew he had lost, but the Smile at the corner of his Mouth grew increasingly intense.

On the Playground, Chen Yan suddenly stopped and sat on the track, panting heavily.

On the Teaching Building in the distance, Wang Yang returned to the Office Laughing.

Yet he did not know that at this moment, Chen Yan's heart was full of excitement.

That Break-Saint Fruit had completely ripened, and in the Consciousness World, a Chen Yan identical to the one in the Outer Realm appeared.

Carefully picking this Break-Saint Fruit, Chen Yan swallowed it in one Mouth.

The next moment, he only felt a surging hot current rushing into his Skeleton like crazy, and all the Fatigue on his body disappeared completely.

Exiting the Consciousness World, Chen Yan in the Reality World also felt the same sensation.

A gentle yet vast power dissolved within his body.

On Chen Yan's arm, the blood vessels bulged for an instant, then slowly subsided.

He sat on the ground for a very, very long time.

All the body's Fatigue and muscle soreness vanished like smoke and clouds following the ingestion of this Break-Saint Fruit.

Slowly accepting everything he had now obtained, a sense of joy Floated up from the bottom of his heart.

The feeling of a sudden surge in power meant Chen Yan needed to properly adapt to his body; he clenched his Fist.

"Can I beat Zhang Qingsi who has undergone the Awakening of Qi and Blood now?"