Realm-Hopping Martial Master

"This is... Jiang Shu..."

Someone in the crowd, unable to restrain themself, blurted out.

If Wang Han pulling up in a BMW had made everyone jealous,

then Jiang Shu stepping out of a government Maiteng car brought shock!

*Is this the allure of Martial Arts?*

From an ordinary student,

to being directly admitted into Jiangnan Academy, shooting a Martial Arts promo with A-list star Ye Zhenzhen,

all the way up to getting picked up and dropped off in a government car now—

in just six short months.

They were still nothing more than recent high school graduates,

but Jiang Shu's status had completely changed!

Wang Han, who had been waiting to watch a joke at Jiang Shu's expense, couldn't get a single word out. He just stood there, stunned. The car key he'd been twirling in his hand clattered to the floor.

"Clink."

...

Maybe it was because of Jiang Shu's unique entrance in front of the grand hotel.

Inside the private room, Wang Han and his little clique hunched together at a separate table, none of their usual rowdiness on display.

The whole teacher appreciation dinner was surprisingly harmonious.

Yan Dehou, who arrived late and didn't know the real story, thought Wang Han had matured a bit after experiencing the college entrance exam. He couldn't help feeling gratified and even had two extra glasses of soda.

"Jiang Shu, did you... have any plans for summer break?"

When it was time to go, Xu Shuhui couldn't help but ask quietly, "I'm thinking of taking driving lessons too, but it might get boring doing it alone..."

"I practice Martial Arts."

Jiang Shu sounded brisk and to the point, as if he totally missed the hint.

*Summer break?*

*Did he even have such a thing?*

*With the Two Realms Shuttle, he almost wished he had forty-eight hours in every day.*

These days, he stayed at Jiangnan Academy for more than twelve hours a day—he barely had any time to head back to Pingling County.

He hadn't even reported to Old Qiu that he'd advanced to the Skin Grinding Realm.

"Okay, cool."

"Well, good luck with your lessons. As long as you don't overthink it, it's really not that hard."

Jiang Shu stood up. In this life, he hadn't dealt with cars yet, but last time around, he'd driven on the highway like a pro. So of course he didn't need to waste time at driving school just to get a license.

Once it was time to buy a car, he'd just go to the DMV and pick one up himself.

Anyway, his mentor Xie Feichen had said the government covered all mundane matters.

As soon as Jiang Shu stepped out of the Springtime Grand Hotel and dialed his phone, the Maiteng car glided up. He opened the door and got in, waving goodbye to his classmates as he left.

Jiang Shu headed all the way back to Qingjiang Community.

Right now, a long banner hung outside Qingjiang Community. It felt like the tangy smell of firecrackers still lingered in the air.

Ever since news broke that he got into Jiangnan Academy, all the residents of Qingjiang Community had felt honored by association.

Inside the community, a few families used this opportunity to toss wedding ceremonies back-to-back.

And housing prices? They'd just shot up again.

Jiang Shu opened the door and called out, "Mom, I bought a smart lock online. Let's switch to fingerprint access later. Carrying keys around is way too much trouble."

"Exactly, exactly."

On the couch, Jiang Yanyue snacked away and chimed in, "Bro, get one with a video feature. It can do face unlock and security monitoring. Super convenient!"

"Pipe down for once. Always wanting to change everything—you want a new house, too, while you're at it?"

Off to the side, Xu Lizhi shot her daughter a glare, turned down the TV volume, and said, "Little Shu, how much does it cost? I'll send you the money through WeChat."

"No need, your son's got money now."

"Even if you've got money, that's still your allowance from your parents. Practicing Martial Arts costs money, right? This trip to Jiangnan Academy must have used up a bunch. Sure, the Academy gives subsidies, but what about when you start dating?"

"When you buy stuff for the house, your parents for sure should pay for that."

Xu Lizhi was talking as she picked up her phone from the coffee table. But just as she was about to open WeChat, her son's voice drifted over,

"Mom, I'm a Martial Artist now. I get ten grand a month in Martial Artist's stipend."

"Maybe buying a house is still tricky, but a smart lock? Piece of cake."

...

Half a month later.

Pingling County.

Jiang Shu spun sharply, dodging a punch.

After reporting his new Realm to Old Qiu, he'd dived into cultivation.

Every day, if he wasn't studying 'Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength' himself, he was sparring with Qi Yuan.

Having eaten Red Armored Tiger meat every day for half a month, his vital energy had gotten thicker and thicker—he was already way stronger than the average Skin Grinding Martial Artist.

His aura was on par with anyone.

His techniques flowed more smoothly every time.

The Tiger Form Three Styles, at Perfect Level, had been further fused in his hands with thirty-six variations from the innate Guiding Skill.

From all kinds of tricky angles, he sent his fists rocketing at Qi Yuan.

Force exploded, and with his power surging, his uniform billowed out around him.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Qi Yuan grew more and more alarmed as they fought.

Over the past half a month, he'd watched his junior brother go from just reaching the Skin Grinding Realm and having little experience with force—

to not being any weaker than himself.

If it weren't for his own skin and membrane being tempered a second time, reaching the Stone Skin Realm and able to block most of Jiang Shu's attacks—

he probably would've lost round after round under this flurry of hits!

*What kind of talent is this?!*

*Thank goodness he was my junior brother.*

Qi Yuan let out a long whoop, his force exploding out. After reaching Stone Skin Realm, he'd learned new moves from Master, and while fighting he said,

"Junior brother! Master said to me, 'first fists, then legs, followed by grappling.' In our Famished Tiger Martial Hall's Tiger Form Three Styles, Pounce is fists, Slice is legs. Now, he has taught me the grappling skill."

"Tiger's Fatal Claw."

"Take a look!"

"Alright!"

Jiang Shu's energy surged as he pressed forward instead of backing off. He'd been wanting to see exactly where he still fell short of a Stone Skin Realm Martial Artist.

"Tiger's Fatal Claw has twelve moves, aiming for the waist to cripple—cutting off lineage!"

Qi Yuan barked a warning to remind Jiang Shu to watch out. His claw shot out, absolutely ruthless.

Jiang Shu swept his arm, parrying back and forth several times.

On the fourth exchange, he finally rocketed back, sweat streaming down his forehead—his pants near the groin had torn open, and a scrap of black fabric was now dangling from Qi Yuan's hand!

"Whew... Senior brother, your Tiger's Fatal Claw is seriously brutal!"

Jiang Shu sucked in a sharp breath and couldn't help exclaiming.

*If Qi Yuan hadn't warned him in advance, if Qi Yuan hadn't gone easy on him—*

*even with his quick reactions, that move could've taken a chunk out of his thigh!*

"They say if you only practice fists but not force, you'll end up with nothing. But in my book, training force without fists is a waste, too. You could have all the power and vital energy in the world, but if you can't bring out your strength when it matters, what good is it?"

"Sure, it's fine in a safe place—but what about when you face an enemy?"

Qi Yuan grinned, relaxed his fists, and said, "Still, junior brother, you've gotten really strong. If Master's Tiger's Fatal Claw wasn't so ruthless, I might not have been able to press you like this."

"Remember what I said last time? Once you became a Martial Artist, I'd invite some friends, call a get-together, and we could all spar."

"At first, I was worried you wouldn't be strong enough and might get hurt if you weren't careful. But now it looks like I shouldn't have worried at all."

"What do you think? Wanna set a date?"