NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Third-Rank Martial Artist
"Yes, I can."
Ning Xue smiled and placed her hand on Li An's head, treating him like a small child.
"Does it feel good to be fed by me?"
She asked with a sweet smile.
'My God? What is happening here?'
Li An had no idea, but he went along with it, nodding to indicate that he was enjoying it. The next moment, he was pulled against Ning Xue's chest as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.
'This is comfortable.'
Li An enjoyed the affection without saying anything, simply letting her do as she pleased.
But remembering something, he suddenly felt embarrassed and pulled a card from his pocket, handing it to Ning Xue.
She took the card and put on the expression of someone about to cause trouble.
"You want it? I can give it to you. There's 10,000,000 here!"
She held the card between her fingers and began waving it.
That was extremely tempting for a poor person.
"Miss! I'm not that kind of person. I can't accept something for free, especially that much money!"
Li An was tempted. He would do anything for that money, but he couldn't show it, could he?
"And who said it would be for free? If you come with me outside, I can pay you for your time. It's going to take a while."
Hearing this, Li An started thinking, but he wasn't reckless.
"What are we going to do? My level is only First-Rank Martial Artist. If it's dangerous, I'm out"
He was honest. Even though the offer was tempting, he had to assess the risk.
"I know, I already have a rough understanding of your personality. The place we're going to is the Spiritual Sea... At its depths, there's a secret realm created by a specialist from the Triton Clan. Only martial artists can enter, and once inside, everyone is restricted to the strength of an almost-martial artist. I have an entry pass, but I can't go in—my level is beyond that of a mere martial artist."
"..."
Li An felt like those last words were meant to hurt his self-esteem.
'We're the same age, but the difference is so vast...'
He sighed.
"I accept. What time are we going?"
Are you kidding? He had survived when his body was destroyed and was reborn! How could he lose in raw strength to an almost-martial artist? If he did, he would be ashamed of himself.
"We leave tomorrow."
"Miss, what about demons? What if we run into some? Even if the chances are low, caution is never too much."
Li An was worried.
"Don't worry. Those demons are low-level, at most Martial Warriors. And even if there's a stronger one, it won't be a problem. To truly be a threat to us, it would have to be a Martial King, and that level cannot exist in this empire due to a special formation. So don't be so cautious—I can protect you."
'My God, what kind of woman is this? Is she one of those strong-woman tropes who later gets kidnapped by her family?'
"Aren't you afraid your family will get angry at you for getting so close to an F-class? What if they complain?"
"Relax! If anyone says anything, I'll just kill them! No one controls this princess! I get involved with whoever I want! If someone complains, I'll erase them from existence. Even if it's my own family, they either accept it or come at me! I never go back on my words."
The air suddenly became murderous.
'Hehe! This classmate is interesting! And a killer! Let's see who dares mess with me now! I've got connections, you sons of—'
"Don't even think about it! I'm a fair person, even to my own. If they lose an honorable fight, they can die for tarnishing my reputation."
"..."
'I thought we were friends? We even fed each other!'
Li An wanted to say that, but in the end, he just nodded with a bitter smile.
"Don't be like that! In this world, the strong rule. Only the weak rely on connections."
She hugged Li An again and handed him the card.
"Take it!"
Li An didn't refuse. He grabbed it immediately, without a second of hesitation.
"Meet me tomorrow, outside the school."
Ning Xue let go of him, stood up, and left. Li An saw her out and opened the door for her. But just before she left, she kissed him.
"Be a good boy from now on, and I might treat you well."
"What's our relationship? Are we friends?"
Li An finally gathered the courage to ask. To him, Ning Xue was like a treasure chest he wanted to pamper to get more rewards.
"Let's see."
She placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought. In the end, she reached a conclusion and said with a smile:
"You're my little shoujo kitten."
She spoke with such confidence that it was impressive.
"…?"
Li An was stunned.
'What the hell? How can an unparalleled genius be seen like this by a girl?!'
He wanted to protest. His face turned dark, and he didn't even try to hide his bad mood.
"If you want to change that, be stronger than me. Until then, you're my little kitten."
After saying that, she vanished as if she had never been there. It was as if she had used a spatial portal to move through space.
"My God? She disappeared? … Well, there are benefits to being the little pet of a rich princess! Why am I mad? It's not so bad…"
Li An reluctantly accepted his identity for now. But one day, he would change that. It just wasn't time yet.
Afterward, he recalled the events of the day and realized that his rice and beans had gone to waste.
"..."
Li An wanted to slap himself, but in the end, he consoled himself. He would show off his cooking skills another day. Today was all about meat!
Washing up, he headed to the martial arts training room.
"Time to cultivate."
Sitting cross-legged on the black mat, Li An retrieved the Emperor Bull of Destruction's Meat from the system.
A piece of black meat appeared in his hand, immediately corroding his skin. He dropped it instantly, letting it fall onto the mat, which began to shrink and deform.
"This thing can destroy everything? Even though it's so small? Just how strong was that bull?"
Li An muttered to himself and, in the next moment, did what he did best.
Be crazy...
He grabbed the meat and tossed it into his mouth like it was candy. Before it could destroy his throat, he swallowed it whole. However, to his surprise, he suffered no damage.
His golden skeleton was extremely resilient. Even if it cracked slightly, it would regenerate instantly…
Li An absorbed the massive energy like vitality. He didn't try to open a gate, knowing it was impossible. Each gate could only be opened upon reaching a major realm. His next chance would come only in the Martial Warrior Realm.
Using the black energy, he fused it into his flesh. A scream escaped his lips. His body might be perfect, but his flesh was still mortal—and very weak. Not just his, but all humans'. That's why, at the Martial Artist level, it was necessary to use vitality to strengthen and modify the flesh.
Clenching his teeth, Li An continued cultivating. The energy of destruction corroded his flesh, but it regenerated quickly.
After three hours, the refinement was complete. He stood up, walked to the strength meter, and threw a punch with full force.
[Strength: 472 kilograms]
[Vitality: 47.2]
[Third-Rank Martial Artist]
Seeing his results, Li An was satisfied. Advancing two mini-realms—almost three—in just three hours was no joke.
But that didn't make him arrogant. After all, it wasn't just his talent—it was also the system helping him.
'But I worked hard too! How many would dare face Ning Xue?'
Feeling pleased, Li An decided he should prepare a good gift that night…
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Note: From now on, the story really begins to move forward. The introductory chapters are over.