Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Jiang Shu didn't rush to sign, but read through the entire agreement from beginning to end.

As expected, even though Jiangnan Academy desperately needed Martial Arts Students, they still didn't agree to his demands.

They were only willing to lend him a thousand credits in advance.

But that... was enough.

What he wanted was simply to start off ahead of everyone else.

*Once I became a Martial Artist, I'd naturally have the ability to earn a lot more credits.*

He carefully checked the agreement again. After confirming there were no issues, Jiang Shu put pen to paper and signed his name.

At that moment, as he watched Jiang Shu sign with such caution,

Mr. Li's heart felt a little sore.

*He'd thought today would be easy, like handling just another high schooler.*

*But it turned out, this high schooler acted like a seasoned veteran.*

He didn't doubt that if Jiangnan Academy didn't let him borrow credits, this kid would immediately sign up for the martial arts entrance exam at Shengjing Academy.

*This student had totally figured them out—the fact that it was nearly impossible for Jiangnan Academy to change direction this late.*

*Could Zheng Yanbo have taught him this?*

With a look of deep grievance, Mr. Li glanced back at Zheng Yanbo, then called Principal Zhang from Ji City No. 5 High School.

...

Ji City No. 5 High School.

There were only ten days left until the college entrance exams. The whole school's atmosphere was stifling.

Senior Year, Classroom.

Piles of test papers covered the desks. The usually noisy students had all gone quiet during this period. The only sound left in the classroom was the nonstop shuffling of pens across paper.

Even a few students in the back row, with their books open on their desks, just zoned out quietly—nobody dared make a sound.

Yan Dehou sat at the podium. Suddenly, as if he'd gotten some news, he announced a self-study period and walked out of the classroom.

"Shuhui, have you been in touch with Jiang Shu lately?"

Xu Shuhui was still sorting out her mistakes when her deskmate passed her a slip of paper. The writing was perfectly clear.

"No, I haven't."

She wrote back quickly. Ever since Jiang Shu left school last time, Xu Shuhui had messaged him a few times, but as usual, he never replied.

It was like his account had never come online again.

"Do you think he can get admitted to the academy? Didn't Yao Zhenghao from Class 9 reach small success with Horse Stance last month? He got a guaranteed spot in a Tier One college! So jealous. He doesn't even have to study. If I'd known, I would've trained in martial arts too."

"It's not that easy. Look how many freshmen and sophomores are training now, but not one of them has reached the next level. Martial Arts absolutely rely more on talent than studying does. Remember during P.E., how we saw a bunch of Martial Arts Students practicing Horse Stance on the field? Not many of them have reached small success either."

Putting her mistake notebook aside, Xu Shuhui kept writing, "Even if Jiang Shu doesn't make it to the academy, he still scored high enough for top-tier universities. That's already really good for our school, just not sure where he'll end up going."

"So much concern—Shuhui, don't tell me you really like him."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up."

As if she just remembered something, Xu Shuhui's handwriting got a little messy. She was still thinking about what else to write when, suddenly, loud commotion started up in the hallway outside.

Not long after, a group of people made noise in the corridor.

"Yeah, yeah, hang it right here..."

"A little more to the left..."

Amidst the noise, Xu Shuhui vaguely recognized Principal Zhang's voice, and she could hear Mr. Yan too.

But since class was still in session, the curious students in the classroom looked out the window. None of them could see anything, so they had to sit back down.

After about twenty minutes, the noise died down.

Xu Shuhui gradually became absorbed in her studies again, so much so she didn't even hear the bell. She finished sorting her mistakes and began working on another practice test.

She didn't have Jiang Shu's natural Martial Arts talent.

She didn't have some prodigies' academic gifts either, picking things up after just one listen to the teacher.

Her grades were nothing but the result of her own hard work.

Sometimes her pen moved quickly, other times she'd pause to think. Before she knew it, only a handful of students were left in the classroom.

Suddenly, her deskmate gasped right in her ear, "Shuhui, Shuhui, hurry, let's go downstairs!"

"What for?"

Still lost in her sea of exam questions, Xu Shuhui looked up, confused. She shook her head slightly, refusing to go crazy along with her deskmate.

*It wasn't lunchtime, nor time to head back to the dorms. Why go downstairs?*

Before her eyes returned to her exam, her deskmate tugged her upright.

"Come on!"

Pulled along, Xu Shuhui followed her deskmate downstairs.

By then, crowds of students had already gathered outside, all craning their necks upward and exclaiming in shock.

Xu Shuhui looked up, following everyone else's gaze.

And there it was—huge red banners draped over every school building.

Written on them were oversized characters,

clearly visible,

Congratulations to our Senior Class 8 student Jiang Shu, for earning guaranteed admission to Jiangnan Academy!

...

Completely unaware that he'd caused another wave of shock at Ji City No. 5 High School, Jiang Shu was currently sitting at his computer, browsing the Jiangnan Academy martial arts credit mall.

"Blood Flower Pig, ten catties."

"Deduct 10 credits?"

"Yes."

He placed an order and filled in the address.

Jiang Shu then clicked on the featured video. On the computer screen, a middle-aged man appeared, posture ramrod-straight like a javelin.

"Hello students, I'm Xie Feichen from Jiangnan Academy, your martial arts mentor."

"The martial path has no end. A body at full blood circulation? That's not even the starting point! Full circulation just means you've reached the peak of human fitness; it doesn't mean you've broken through human limits!"

"So what does it mean to break limits? When inner strength flows inside, one punch burst out, its force cracks the air."

Xie Feichen kept talking as he punched straight ahead, a loud bang blasting through the air.

"In the past, in Xia Country's martial arts circles, people would say, 'Even 25 million Xia Dollars couldn't buy the sound of that bang!' This is an exaggeration, but it shows just how hard it is to take the first real step in martial arts!"

"Now, with the world so changed, it's a lot easier to train than before. But that's only because of heaven and earth treasure medicine, exotic beast meat, things that quickly improve a Martial Artist's blood vitality."

"But raising your blood vitality will always reach a limit. It's like your own body's a small bowl—when it's full, pouring in more water does nothing."

"We train to turn that bowl into a basin, and from a basin into a barrel!"

"And that part? Resources can't help you. Only innate talent can!"

"So, put away your arrogance! Stay humble; stay respectful!"

At this point, Xie Feichen paused, then launched into a series of unfamiliar moves as he spoke,

"Bright Force—breaking through the body's first limits, blunt power. Dark Force—second breakthrough, force becomes flexible. At this realm, a Martial Artist's connective tissue fully links together, and their force bursts out from every pore!"

"And the third breakthrough is called Transforming Force! Transforming Force, that's a Martial Arts Grandmaster's level these days. Whole body connected, organs regulated. A feather can't land on you; even a fly can't rest! With tough bones and healthy organs, at this realm you could easily live past 120."

Inside his room, Jiang Shu's mind started racing.

*Bright Force, power focused, rudimentary force awakening.*

*Dark Force, connective tissue fully linked.*

*Transforming Force, energy refines the internal organs.*

*So Xia's martial arts: Bright, Dark, Transforming—didn't those match the Da Jing Dynasty's 'Refining the Skin,' 'Tempering Bone,' and 'Forging Organs' perfectly?*

*In Xia Country, reaching Bright, Dark, or Transforming Force required talent.*

*But in the Da Jing Dynasty, all I needed to do was grind martial arts proficiency high enough.*

*For me, Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force—*

*There weren't any real barriers at all!*