High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

The carriage fell silent again.

The only sounds were the roar of the engine and the occasional puff of smoke from Zhang Zhenyun's breath.

Song Chen closed his eyes and continued browsing his system store.

It was already 8 p.m. when the armored vehicles entered the defense zone.

The camp was brightly lit, with several large searchlight towers illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

Soldiers patrolled back and forth, and the sounds of drills could be faintly heard in the distance.

The air was filled with a mixed smell: diesel, disinfectant, and some indescribable rusty odor.

Zhang Zhenyun parked his car in front of a row of simple houses deep inside the camp.

"We've arrived, get off the bus."

The six people filed down.

Zhao Wei walked at the back, half of his face still swollen, head down and silent.

The camp was quiet, with only the occasional commands coming from afar.

Rows of simple houses are neatly arranged, each about ten square meters, with tin walls and alloy doors and windows. They look simple but sturdy.

Zhang Zhenyun pointed to the row of houses: "This is the treatment for the practical training students. Each person has a room. Don't wander around at night. The toilet is at the east end, and the canteen is at the west end. We will assemble at six o'clock in the morning."

He glanced at Song Chen, his gaze lingering on Song Chen's left hand for a moment.

"Will your hand be better tomorrow?"

"Yes," Song Chen answered affirmatively.

Zhang Zhenyun nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave.

Song Chen walked into the room assigned to him.

The room was small: a bed, a table, a chair, and a simple wardrobe.

There was a small heating device in the corner, humming loudly.

Protective netting was welded to the windows, and searchlights could be seen through the glass.

He closed the door and locked it.

Then he sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

It's safe now, at least tonight.

Late at night, after confirming that no one was paying attention to him.

Song Chen closed his eyes and brought up the system interface.

A semi-transparent light screen appeared before my eyes, and the numbers on it remained clear.

Current kill count: 21

His gaze slowly moved across the list, finally settling on the potions section.

[Psionic Vitality Potion - 20 points]

[Note: This is a special blood containing pure spiritual energy; consuming it can comprehensively improve physical fitness.]

Song Chen frowned.

He was certain that human shops did not sell this kind of potion, but it was quite obvious that it was a potion that increased blood and qi values.

What we lack most right now is Qi and Blood.

After thinking for a moment, he tapped his finger in the air.

[Confirm purchase of Spirit Vitality Potion, consuming 20 Kill Points?]

I clicked it again.

【confirm】

A flash of light.

A transparent bottle, about the size of a thumb, appeared in his hand.

The bottle is very light, and the material is like glass, but it is more transparent than glass.

It contained about ten milliliters of liquid, a pale golden color, like diluted honey. The liquid flowed slowly in the bottle, occasionally shimmering with a faint light.

Song Chen brought the bottle closer to his eyes.

Something seemed to be moving in the liquid, as thin as a spider's thread, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

He stared at it for a few seconds and actually felt like he was being watched.

This thing...

He shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

He unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and poured the liquid into his mouth.

The taste was very mild, with a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of... bloody smell?

The moment the liquid entered his throat, Song Chen's body stiffened.

A surge of heat exploded in his stomach, as if flames were burning in his veins. The flames flowed through his blood, instantly spreading to every corner of his body.

pain.

It hurts.

It hurt even more than when my left hand was pierced by a wild boar's tusk.

Song Chen gritted her teeth and gripped the bedsheet tightly, trying not to make a sound.

His body began to tremble, and sweat poured out of his pores like rain, instantly soaking his clothes.

But he didn't stop, nor did he dare to stop.

Because he could sense that something was changing where the flames had burned.

The muscles contract and relax, becoming firmer.

My bones are itchy, like countless ants are gnawing at them—that's because the bone tissue is strengthening.

Blood was surging through his veins at an astonishing speed, and he could hear his heart pounding like a drum.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

……

faster and faster.

It got louder and louder.

It felt like someone was pounding his chest with a hammer.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe a few minutes, maybe half an hour, but the pain finally disappeared, replaced by an extreme sense of comfort.

This feeling is amazing! It's so much better than anything else. It's a leap in life level.

Song Chen was panting heavily, his whole body soaked, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Not the same.

He could feel that his power had increased, not just a little, but more than doubled.

He stood up and walked to the makeshift mirror in the corner.

The person in the mirror startled him for a moment.

It was the same face, the same figure, but her eyes had changed; they were brighter and more expressive.

The skin has a faint sheen, which is a phenomenon that occurs when the body's Qi and blood are abundant to a certain extent.

He raised his left hand, which had fully recovered.

"This is what a martial artist is..."

He muttered to himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, his body suddenly trembled.

An even stronger surge of heat rose from his dantian.

This time it wasn't flames, but some gentler, more powerful force.

The power of Qi and blood.

That was the newly generated energy and blood within his body, surging wildly.

They seemed to be alive, automatically operating within his body along some fixed route.

Starting from the dantian, passing through the spine, flowing to the limbs and bones, and finally all rushing to the heart.

Song Chen's expression changed.

He looked down at his chest.

There, it is glowing.

The faint light was barely visible through the skin and muscles.

The light was a pale red, like the dawn or a flame.

He could feel countless streams of vital energy converging from all parts of his body, flowing into his heart like rivers flowing into the sea.

My heart felt bloated and painful, as if it were about to explode.

But there was nothing he could do but watch and endure.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and the throbbing pain intensified.

Just when he thought he was about to give up, everything suddenly stopped.

The light faded, and the swelling and pain disappeared.

The heart resumed a steady beat.

But Song Chen knew things were different now.

He lowered his head and placed his hand on his chest.

Through his skin and muscles, he could feel that there was something new inside his heart.

It's not an illusion; it's something that really exists.

It is tangible and hard, like a seed.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body.

He "saw" a crystal core the size of a soybean floating quietly in the center of his heart.

The crystal nucleus is pale red, with a smooth, mirror-like surface and a faint halo of light.

It trembles slightly with each heartbeat, and with each tremor, a trace of vital energy surges out from it and flows throughout the body.

This is the core of life, a sign of entering a higher level of life.

There are mythical beasts, and there are also human martial artists.

When the Qi and Blood value reaches 1.0 or higher, this substance can be condensed in the body.

It is the source of a martial artist's power and also proof of their identity.

From this day forward, he is a true martial artist.

Song Chen opened her eyes and looked at the person in the mirror.

The boy in the mirror was soaking wet, his hair was messy, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

His chest no longer glowed, but he knew that a pale red seed had appeared there.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The power concentrated in his fist, more than twice as strong as before.

"1.0?"

No.

More than 1.0.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the flow of qi and blood within his body.

The power was continuous and much stronger than before. It wasn't a difference between 0.6 and 1.0, but a difference between a stream and a river.

1.1?

He didn't know, but he could sense that his Qi and Blood value was definitely more than 1.0.

That bottle of spiritual energy potion was far more effective than ordinary first-tier energy potions; it truly lived up to its reputation as a product of the system.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the searchlights were still turning, illuminating the campsite as bright as day.

In the distance, the outline of the city wall was faintly visible, like a huge scar stretching across the horizon.

Further away lies endless darkness, the world of strange beasts.