Chapter 12: Encounter

Yucai High School.

“Hm?”

Xia Long walked into the classroom, spotted Fang Xing, and his eyes brightened: "Hey you, what kind of good stuff have you been hiding? How come your Skin Refinement progress is so fast?"

A shadow flashed, and he was already before Fang Xing, clapping his shoulder and closely examining his skin: “Hmm… thick and resilient. When your Skin Refinement reaches completion, it won’t be ordinary ox hide—it’ll be copper skin. Jade skin? Unlikely…”

“Teacher, I’ve only heard that warriors with completed Skin Refinement have skin as tough as ox hide, impervious to ordinary blunt weapons… Are copper skin and jade skin higher states?”

Ouyang Qianqian raised her hand to ask.

The top students in class all had solid Skin Refinement progress; by Fang Xing’s estimate, most were over halfway done.

Especially natural-born students, with family connections, knew more and were hungrier for knowledge about these realms.

“Yes, warriors with completed Skin Refinement differ. Copper skin warriors can shrug off ordinary blades. As for jade skin? That’s a true martial genius—if one emerges among you, they’ll shine brilliantly in the future Hundred Star Exams, and the teacher’s rewards will be plentiful.”

Xia Long still stared at Fang Xing.

Fang Xing had long planned to reveal something; he immediately replied: “I owe much to your support—my Great Dragon Stake has entered a new stage; the efficiency of refining skin and muscle has surged…”

“Great Dragon Stake? So your Great Dragon Stake broke through!”

Xia Long nodded: “You’re a poor kid with no money for martial arts elixirs—I guessed this was most likely…”

Martial arts is the most common evolutionary path, and even lifespan extension only becomes noticeable after the Fourth Realm.

True natural-born billionaires can even extend their lives beyond two hundred years—or longer—through gene surgery while still ordinary people!

The early stages of martial arts are the same: though touted as the highest cost-to-benefit ratio, the more rare resources you invest, the faster you progress!

“Teacher, if the Great Dragon Stake breaks through, can I achieve copper skin?” Liu Wei’s eyes gleamed—he had ambitions for the college entrance exam.

“Yes. The second stage of the Great Dragon Stake gives an 81.4% chance of achieving copper skin—that’s the statistical result from the Omniscient Brain’s data on all high schoolers.”

Xia Long nodded: “If you can reach the third stage of the Great Dragon Stake, it’s no longer you adapting to the stance—it’s the stance adapting to you. Progress accelerates, with a 67.99% chance of achieving jade skin. Jade skin warriors have skin as luminous as jade, controllable at will, with countless applications… More crucially, it lays an unshakable foundation. Work hard, students—historically, the Federation’s Martial Saints and Martial Gods… most reached the jade skin stage!”

“Martial Saints? Martial Gods?”

Many students felt a flicker of longing, mixed with gloom.

Because they knew it was nearly impossible—unless a miracle occurred.

Or, if your realm isn’t enough, compensate with resources!

But that clearly doesn’t suit ordinary people.

“Then… does the Great Dragon Stake have a fourth stage?”

Fang Xing asked.

He remembered Xia Long mentioning this before.

“Indeed. The Great Dragon Stake has a fourth stage—those who achieve it are one in a million… That’s attaining the ‘Dragon’s Essence’!”

Xia Long answered: “Attaining an essence doesn’t make you a Fourth Realm martial artist—you lack the Jade Core foundation. But you’ll be far stronger than peers of your level, and once your Jade Core is perfected, you’ll immediately ascend to the Courage Realm!”

"Of course, martial artists who have achieved Essence won't go mad from psychic contamination when facing the followers of the Evil God—that’s a huge advantage, especially for you!"

“Even if military camps on the battlefield provide sufficient protection and medicine, war always has oversights… Every year, many retired Star Warriors end up in insane asylums!”

“If you can achieve essence before the Fourth Realm, you’ll essentially be guaranteed university admission—but after university, you still go to the battlefield. That’s the destiny of every Blue Star Federation citizen!”

Getting into university merely delays conscription—Fang Xing already knew that.

He’d considered profiting from trading goods between the two worlds to earn enough star credits to repay his loan.

But the money’s origin would be unexplainable, inviting greater danger.

『In short, if all else fails, go to university first, then seek opportunities there…』

After school.

『I feel Xia Long’s guidance is gradually losing its effect on me…』

Fang Xing kicked a pebble, a faint melancholy in his heart.

“Ah Xing, it’s time for the bell!”

Liu Wei ran over, his tone tentative.

“No, I’m going back to play games.”

Fang Xing waved him off—he’d been rushing to explore the other world after school lately.

Even practicing martial arts there was far more efficient than here; he had little spare time.

『Dog, you’ve changed…』

Liu Wei watched Fang Xing’s back, lips moving but words unspoken.

…

The other world.

“Looks like the time flow is synchronized—time for another experiment.”

After comparing time between both worlds, Fang Xing fed a berry to a lab rat, watching it die from poisoning within seconds.

“The last living witness is silenced.”

He nodded, biting into a roasted bird wing: “The poison test strips I bought haven’t failed…”

After double verification with the lab rat and the medical room, Fang Xing finally began his culinary journey in the other world.

“Mmm, delicious!”

The bird meat here was tender yet tightly packed, requiring strong jaw strength to tear apart. His appetite was large, but after just a bite, he felt full.

Even after eating, a warm current seemed to envelop his limbs and bones—quite pleasant.

The sensation resembled taking a D3-grade nutrient solution.

“Roughly one-third the effect—or even less… but here, it’s everywhere.”

“Exploring this other world is incredibly profitable.”

After eating his fill, Fang Xing immediately began practicing the Great Dragon Stake.

Practicing here didn’t allow full focus—though traps and alarms were set, he still felt restless. After an hour, he stopped voluntarily and glanced at his stats panel:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 16】

【Profession: Martial Artist】

【First Realm: Skin and Muscle (Skin Refinement: 87/100)】

【Twelve Forms of Military Boxing: 3/100 (Proficient)】

【Great Dragon Stake: 17/100 (Proficient)】

【Gate of All Worlds (Charging)】

…

“With this progress, I’ll complete Skin Refinement before the end of this summer—before first year ends!”

Fang Xing clenched his fist, feeling the day when his skin would be fully refined and responsive was not far off.

“Perhaps… I could even try pushing for jade skin?”

“A towering building rises from the ground—martial arts is the same. The firmer the foundation, the greater the potential!”

Fang Xing’s lips curled into a faint smile as he glanced at the surveillance screen.

The next second, his smile froze.

“Drone captured a human silhouette?”

“Does this other world have humans?”

He pulled up several surveillance clips, zooming and adjusting angles…

Finally, he saw four figures dressed in ancient style—“martial artists.”

Most wore robes, their hair tied in topknots, wielding swords and knives, dressed in unmistakably ancient fashion.

Their clothes were mostly cloth and hemp, even carrying bamboo baskets.

“Judging by their productivity, they’re similar to ancient feudal society…”

Fang Xing observed carefully and concluded: “But… they’re strong!”

From their movements and speed, they moved through the rugged forest as if on flat ground—each at least equivalent to a Second Realm Muscle and Bone martial artist!

Especially the middle-aged leader, his muscles bulging so much his clothes looked one size too small, radiating authority—Fang Xing judged him to be a Third Realm Jade Core martial artist!

As a modern martial arts student, he’d seen countless martial arts videos—he had this kind of judgment.

“I can’t beat a Jade Core martial artist…”

“But with my basic nanotech armor and electric baton, I might still fight back—enough to survive, at least…”

“Most crucially… I must hide my origins. Language barrier is certain—reality isn’t a game; you don’t magically speak the same tongue after crossing worlds. I’ll also need ancient costumes and wigs… Maybe I should grow my hair long—school doesn’t forbid it.”

Fang Xing had no intention of confronting this martial team—he only planned to observe secretly.

Install more surveillance, record their speech, try to decode it!

With interstellar-era tech, once enough data is gathered, decoding a language takes minutes—otherwise, how could they communicate with countless planetary natives?

“From their route, they won’t find me—they seem headed for that wild boar beast?”

Fang Xing checked the surveillance again, rubbing his chin.

…

“Third brother, what are you doing?”

In the dense forest, the burly leader glared at Third Brother, who kept glancing skyward.

“Boss… I feel something flew overhead—not a bird. Could it be a demon beast?”

Third Brother, clad in green robes, had bright eyes but a sly, rat-like look, answering nervously.

“Hard to say. Stay alert, everyone…”

The burly man patted the beast-skin pouch at his chest, his confidence growing: “Hurry up—we’ll take the ‘Zhu Long Grass’ and leave!”

The four men immediately quickened their pace, reaching the edge of the wild boar demon’s territory.

They had clearly planned this, waiting silently in the undergrowth for a long time as dusk slowly fell.

One after another, multicolored specks of light fluttered around the shrubs.

Scattered along the shrubbery’s edge grew a few herbs, entirely crimson, with thick leaves.

“Now!”

The burly man sprinkled scent-blocking powder over himself, then crept forward with his brothers to harvest the ‘Zhu Long Grass’.

Their movements were swift, as if they had been specially trained.

But unfortunately, Fang Xing, watching through surveillance, saw that the massive wild boar demon—like a small hill—had already arrived behind the four men.

Huff! Puff!

With the wild boar’s distinctive snorting, a colossal black shadow erupted from the darkness, six tusks glowing violently with blood-colored spiritual light.

Spurt!

Two burly men couldn’t dodge in time; before they could draw their swords or knives, they were impaled on the tusks, blood gushing wildly!