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

The training base is a temporary structure that is only opened a few months before the martial arts college entrance examination each year. It is located inside the defense zone and is a three-story building surrounded by barbed wire. Two armed soldiers stand at the entrance.

When Song Chen walked in, a long line had already formed in the hall. They were all students from various schools participating in the practical training. Some were covered in injuries, and some looked exhausted, but each of them held a crystal core in their hand and looked expectant.

After queuing for half an hour, it was finally Song Chen's turn. Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man wearing glasses, uniform, and a logistics department badge pinned to his chest.

"Give me the Life Crystal Core."

Song Chen poured the crystal cores from his pocket onto the counter.

"Splash..."

More than a hundred crystal nuclei were piled up into a small mountain, gleaming softly under the lamplight.

The middle-aged man's hand stopped, his eyes widened, and he looked up at Song Chen.

"This is……"

Song Chen replied quite naturally, "132 first-order crystal cores, please count them."

The middle-aged man opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a moment. The people in line behind him also quieted down, and everyone's eyes were focused on the pile of crystal cores.

132 pieces, what does that mean?

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, picked up a crystal core and examined it carefully, then the second, the third... He examined them slowly but meticulously. A full ten minutes passed before he looked up, his voice slightly hoarse:

"132 crystals, all of them are Tier 1 and of excellent quality. According to the rules, each crystal core can be exchanged for 8 points, for a total of 1056 points."

Song Chen calculated in his mind that he had 1056 points. He had inquired beforehand and found that the resources at the points exchange were much more affordable than outside. A bottle of Qi and Blood Potion only cost 60 points here, and 1056 points could be exchanged for seventeen bottles.

"I need to exchange some items."

The middle-aged man nodded, took a tablet computer from under the counter, and handed it to him.

"The resource list is all above. Let me know what you like."

Song Chen took the tablet and began browsing. The list was long and categorized.

[Qi and Blood Category]: Tier 1 Qi and Blood Potion (60 points), Tier 2 Qi and Blood Potion (500 points), Qi and Blood Pill (30 points/bottle)...

[Martial Arts]: C-level swordsmanship (100 points), C-level movement technique (120 points), B-level fragment (300 points)...

[Weapons]: Grade C Alloy Battle Knife (120 points), Grade B Alloy Battle Knife (800 points)...

[Armor]: C-grade combat suit (60 points), energy shield (150 points)...

[Special Category]: Healing pills, antidotes, psionic replenishments...

Song Chen's gaze lingered on the category of Qi and Blood.

He thought of his mother's aged face, and his father's crippled arm. 0.3, 0.9—these were his parents' Qi and Blood values. If they could take a few bottles of Qi and Blood potions…

He already has psionic potions from the system shop and doesn't really need any sold outside. The system shop's potions aren't available elsewhere, and taking them out could easily cause problems, so it's better to…

Thinking of this, Song Chen said, "I need ten bottles of Tier 1 Qi and Blood Potions."

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then asked, "Ten bottles? Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Ten bottles require 600 points."

"Change!"

The middle-aged man glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to go to the warehouse to get the goods. The people queuing behind him whispered among themselves, but Song Chen ignored their comments.

Five minutes later, the middle-aged man returned carrying an alloy box. The box wasn't large, but it looked very heavy.

"Ten bottles of Tier 1 Qi and Blood Potions, please confirm."

He opened the box, inside which were ten test tube-shaped glass bottles neatly arranged. The bottles were transparent and contained a pale red liquid that shimmered slightly under the light.

Song Chen checked each bottle one by one, and after confirming that everything was correct, he closed the box.

"I have 456 points left, what should I exchange them for?"

Song Chen thought for a moment: "Change to healing pills, the best kind."

The middle-aged man took out a small box from the warehouse, which contained ten pills the size of longan fruits. They were emerald green and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.

"A top-tier first-level healing medicine, suitable for both external and internal injuries. It costs 50,000 per pill on the market, but it's 30 points per pill here, so ten pills would cost 300 points. I'll have 156 points left."

"Give me another C-grade battle knife."

The knife Song Chen is using now was borrowed from Lin Qingxue, and he said he would return it.

……

When Song Chen returned to the city, it was almost dark, and there were far fewer people on the streets, with only squads of soldiers still patrolling.

The city walls in the distance were brightly lit, and the huge psionic cannons glowed with a ghostly blue light in the night, like silent eyes.

He stood by the roadside, looking at the lights, and remained silent for a long time.

Ten bottles of Qi and Blood potions and ten healing pills, and his Qi and Blood value is only 0.3. The lower the Qi and Blood value, the more effective the Qi and Blood potions will be. After three bottles, it should rise to more than 0.8.

She has a weak constitution and cannot drink too much at once. She should drink it in several doses and take other measures to regulate her body. Maybe she can return to the ranks of martial artists.

Although his father's arm was crippled, his physical foundation was still intact, with a Qi and blood value of 0.9. After a few bottles, he should be able to become a martial artist again.

Even if they can't regain their fighting strength, at least their bodies will recover, and they won't have to do those hard labor jobs anymore.

Healing pills are a good thing; they could save their lives if they encounter any accidents in the city.

enough.

Two hours later, Song Chen stood downstairs in his apartment building in the slums. The lights in the stairwell were still broken. He climbed up to the fifth floor in the dark, took out his key, and opened the door.

The door opened, and the lights were on inside. His mother, Li Xiuying, was sitting at the dining table mending clothes. When she heard the noise, she looked up, saw him, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Xiao Chen!"

She dropped her needle and thread, ran over, and hugged him tightly.

"You're back...you're finally back...Mom was so worried..."

Song Chen was a little breathless from her embrace, but he didn't struggle.

"Mom, I'm fine."

Li Xiuying released him and looked him up and down: "You said you were fine, but you've lost weight and gotten darker. What happened to this scar on your hand? Does it hurt?"

Song Chen glanced down at the faint scars on his left arm. They were barely noticeable unless you looked closely. His mother had good eyesight.

"It's all better now, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"How can it not hurt? There are so many big cuts..."

His father, Song Zhengye's voice came from the inner room: "Xiuying, let the child in, don't block the doorway."

Li Xiuying then realized what was happening and pulled Song Chen into the house.

Song Zhengye sat on the sofa, a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and an enamel mug on the coffee table in front of him. His hair seemed to have turned a few more gray, but he looked to be in good spirits. He looked at Song Chen, his gaze lingering on him for a moment before his expression hardening slightly: "You're back?"

"you……"

Song Chen knew what he was looking at: his blood energy level. Although his father was crippled, his vision was still sharp.

Song Chen paused for a moment before speaking, "Dad, I was lucky this time. While I was killing a strange beast, a senior took a liking to me and accepted me as a disciple. He gave me a lot of good things."

He didn't choose to use the reason of finding fruit, as it seemed a bit unreliable, so he used Zhang Zhenyun's reason instead.

Li Xiuying was overjoyed upon hearing this and took Song Chen's hand, saying, "Who is this senior? Please invite him to come over to our home sometime."

Song Chen shook his head somewhat awkwardly: "Mom, this senior asked me to keep his identity a secret, and you shouldn't go out and talk about it."

"Yes!" Lee Soo-young nodded very seriously.

Song Chen didn't want to dwell on this issue. He raised his hand, placed the alloy box he had brought back on the coffee table, and opened it.

Ten bottles of pale red potion and ten healing pills were neatly arranged in the box, gleaming softly under the light.

Li Xiuying was stunned, and Song Zhengye's pupils contracted slightly.

"This is……"

Song Chen explained, "Ten bottles of first-tier Qi and Blood potions. Mom and Dad, you can discuss how to use them. They were all obtained by killing strange beasts. Don't worry about me. My teacher has given me plenty of resources. Just keep these healing pills at home for emergencies."

The room was silent for a few seconds. Li Xiuying's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't say anything.

Song Zhengye stared at the box of medicine for a long time, then looked up at Song Chen and fell silent.

After a long silence, he picked up his enamel mug, took a sip of wine, and his hand trembled slightly: "Did you get all of this by killing strange beasts?"

Song Chen nodded: "Yes."

"How many did you kill?"

"Not many, just over a hundred."

Li Xiuying finally couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.

"You child...you child...do you know how worried your mother is about you...how could you go and kill so many monsters...are you out of your mind...?"

She cried and cursed at the same time, and then hugged Song Chen, crying so hard she couldn't speak.

Song Chen let her hold him without moving.

Outside the window, psionic particles continued to flow slowly in the night sky, casting a hazy glow on the dilapidated buildings in the slums. Inside, a family of three sat around in the small living room.

Li Xiuying cried for a long time before finally stopping. Song Chen put the box in the cabinet and said, "Starting tomorrow, Mom will use it first. Drink one bottle three times a day, take it slowly."

Song Zhengye looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Alright, you've grown up."

He raised his enamel mug: "Come on, have a drink with your dad."

Song Chen took the cup, took a sip, and it was still spicy, but this time, he didn't find it so unpleasant to drink.