February 18th, 7:50 AM. Ethan Chen walked out of the Gravity Zone, having completed the same training volume under double gravity, which made his calves tremble slightly as he walked. After finishing a large amount of basic exercises, he took a shower.
The Martial Arts Room greatly saved him commuting time, allowing him to fully focus on preparing for the college entrance exam.
They say a man looks best right after a shower—and it was true. Ethan touched the eight-pack abs on his stomach and admired his freshly washed, handsome reflection in the mirror.
Satisfied, he then squeezed a pack of Vitality Milk into his mouth. The cost of the Vitality Milk was still covered by his family. The 200,000 yuan his father Jack Chen had given him was meant for Ethan to buy other things to enhance himself.
The school's resource subsidy had also arrived that morning. Ryan Ling had sent a message informing him that his resources were temporarily allocated to Seat No. 1. Seeing the supplies delivered by robots made Ethan extremely happy.
"Vitality Milk * 90 packs, Vitality Pill * 30 pills, Perfect Vitality Powder * 4 packs."
If purchased normally, these would cost nearly 50,000 yuan, not including the Thunderforce Vitality Pills he had bought himself. This month, his investment in himself exceeded 100,000 yuan! Martial arts was truly a sport for the wealthy.
After changing into a new set of clothes, he prepared to attend class. Before leaving, he subconsciously glanced at the panel:
Name: Ethan Chen
Life Strength: Level 5.3
Spiritual Power: Level 6.4
Fist Strength: 1,100 catties
Speed: 22 m/s
Martial Skill: Flowing Light Sword Technique ((Tier 1) 91%, Ruins Immortal Visualization Technique Defense Waves: 5/5 (completed), 5/10 (incomplete), 5/15 (incomplete), 5/20 (incomplete), 5/25 (incomplete), 5/30 (incomplete), 5/35 (incomplete)Life Level: Gains one "Evolution" for every 6-level increase. 0.7 levels remaining to next evolution.
"I wonder what this so-called evolution actually is," Ethan murmured to himself, then pushed the door open and stepped out.
It had to be said: the teachers in the Hongzhi Class were indeed of higher quality. Whether it was Ryan Ling teaching Martial Arts or the other teachers handling academic subjects, their teaching level was clearly better than that of ordinary classes.
Questions in math and physics that Ethan had previously struggled with now began to make sense, and he developed a clearer thought process. He had thought it was himself who lacked ability, but now he realized that the teacher made a big difference.
Time flew quickly, and soon it was the last class—the one Ethan looked forward to most: Spiritual Power Class.
This class was unique to the Hongzhi Class—not because ordinary classes were discriminated against, but because the learning threshold was higher. Students needed to possess Level 2 Spiritual Power.
Normally, before becoming Martial Artists, a person's Spiritual Power would be Level 1.
But this rule didn't apply to the wealthy. These privileged children had access to abundant resources and opportunities to enhance their Spiritual Power through various channels. In rich families, even before a child was born, parents had already prepared treasures to raise Spiritual Power from Level 1 to Level 2.
Although not extremely rare, such treasures were financially burdensome for ordinary families. For wealthy second-generation children, it was just a trivial expense on their path to growth.
"Class, today we will study in advance the combat technique of Martial Artists: Spiritual Power Attachment," a beautiful female teacher announced from the podium.
Her delicate face was framed by golden rimless glasses, adding an air of intellect and elegance. Ethan knew from publicly available teacher information that her name was Aria.
Despite her gentle appearance, she, like Ryan Ling, was a member of the Warrior Alliance – City Defense Corps, with Life Strength above Level 15.
"Everyone knows that the higher the level of a Martial Skill, the greater the development of physical power," she continued.
"But not many know that when Spiritual Power is properly applied, it can double the effect.""The power generated by Martial Skills is distributed throughout the body, and Spiritual Power serves to integrate these resources!"
"It concentrates the excess strength, temporarily unused, into a single point, boosting our explosive power."
"The ability to make every ounce of strength in your body play its full role—that is Spiritual Power Attachment!"
Information about Martial Artists was scarce online. Aside from knowing that they could absorb Starfield Energy, there was little else available.
The concept of Spiritual Power Attachment was being introduced for the first time in the Hongzhi Class. Ethan realized he was the only one listening with interest. Upon thinking carefully, it made sense: the class had 31 students, 30 of whom were rich second-generation children.
Naturally, the odd one out was himself. These 30 students all had dedicated Martial Arts Rooms at home, 1-on-1 sparring partners daily, and technicians who provided massages when their bodies were fatigued. They had likely already learned and mastered Spiritual Power Attachment.
After her explanation, to ensure the eleven students in the back could see, Aria displayed the technique on the blackboard screen.
The principle was simple: anyone with Level 2 Spiritual Power could learn it at a glance. This was why ordinary classes did not have this lesson; unless a student was a genius, Spiritual Power was only Level 1 before becoming a Martial Artist.
"A reminder: before Level 10 Spiritual Power, the body's mobilizable strength is extremely limited," Aria warned."We don't recommend spending too much time researching this. For the college entrance exam, focus on Life Strength!"
She then played supplemental exercise videos.
"Now, I will test everyone's Spiritual Power," she said, pulling a short flute from her pocket.
Most Martial Artists wielded swords, spears, staffs, or knives. Aria's use of a flute indicated only one thing: her Spiritual Power surpassed her Life Strength.
Martial Artists with such power were extremely rare. Before becoming full Martial Artists, their Spiritual Power was already very high, and it surged even further upon cultivation with the proper technique, allowing them to wield unusual weapons.
"All students, stand up!" Aria took a few steps forward, nodding with satisfaction."I will play the 'Fatigue Melody' on this flute to test how much Spiritual Power each of you possesses. I hope everyone's results will surpass last semester."
She smiled at the standing students:"You are currently in the pre-Martial Artist stage; your Spiritual Power is still weak. In the college entrance exam and practical combat, Spiritual Power has little practical effect. This class is advanced teaching, meant to give you a head start so that when you become Martial Artists in university, you can better understand Spiritual Power."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the last seat."Ethan Chen, you may choose whether to participate. This will not affect your exam scores."
Ethan knew she said this to avoid embarrassing him. In her eyes, a child from a family like his would surely have Level 1 Spiritual Power. If the flute struck, he would fall immediately. But Spiritual Power could influence exam performance—if one's level was high enough.
"Teacher, I will participate!" Ethan responded with resolute eyes.