"Liang Xiao, you're amazing—truly incredible! You actually became a Cultivator!"
Even though Wu Jun tried to lower his voice as they descended the stairs, his excitement couldn't be contained.
"The look on that guy's face just now—hah, I can't stop thinking about it!"
He didn't ask how Liang Xiao had repaired his perforated Dantian.
That sort of thing was bound to be a secret, and pressing for answers would only make things awkward. Whether or not Liang Xiao chose to reveal it was his own business.
Liang Xiao smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Still, a flicker of pride glimmered behind his calm exterior.
At long last—he, too, had stepped into the ranks of Cultivators.
Just looking at the faces around him was enough to confirm it.
Envy, awe, admiration—all the familiar emotions reflected in the eyes of classmates who suddenly looked at him as if he were something more than human.
Even as a quasi-Cultivator, the difference in status was immense.
However, if that fight had continued, I probably would've been at a disadvantage, he thought, flexing his right hand discreetly.
His fist still trembled slightly from the earlier clash. Though he'd injured Tan Weifeng's hand, the impact had not left him unscathed either.
He had poured all three wisps of True Qi into that single punch.
Now, as he calmed his breathing, he could feel the Special Golden Core automatically refining essence into Qi once more, replenishing those three wisps as if nothing had happened.
But the process carried a cost.
The moment his True Qi was restored, a wave of hunger hit him like a punch to the gut.
His stomach growled audibly.
At this stage—perhaps because he lacked a complete Cultivation Technique, or because his Special Golden Core Method was still incomplete—he couldn't yet absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
He could only refine essence into Qi, relying entirely on food as the source of energy.
And that meant—
he needed to eat. A lot.
Soon, the two reached the cafeteria.
Given what had just happened, the rumor of him "becoming a Cultivator" would spread through the entire school within the hour.
Liang Xiao didn't bother hiding anymore. Under the wide-eyed stares of his classmates, he confidently ordered ten full meals and ate every bite.
Wu Jun watched, both horrified and impressed, as plate after plate vanished before his eyes.
Around them, other students whispered in hushed voices, equal parts envy and disbelief.
For an ordinary person, food was just food.
For a Cultivator, it was potential energy.
Although Liang Xiao couldn't afford a single Qi Gathering Pill—each worth ten thousand federal credits—
food, at least, was still within reach.
In the school cafeteria, vegetarian dishes were three credits with rice, and meat dishes no more than five. Cheap, plentiful, and vital.
Meanwhile, at the school gate—
Tan Weifeng stepped into a sleek luxury car. His face was dark, his eyes colder still.
As a young master from the Rich Area, he would never demean himself by eating "relief meals" in the school cafeteria.
"Uncle Ren," he said flatly, "find out if that Liang Xiao from my class has had any contact with wealthy or influential people recently."
His voice was calm, but a sharp edge lingered beneath the words.
If Liang Xiao had somehow gained the favor of someone powerful, things could turn dangerous for him—and for the Tan family.
The middle-aged driver, Uncle Ren, nodded quickly.
"Young Master, since you ordered us to monitor him before, we've kept close watch. He hasn't gone anywhere unusual in the past few days—just home and school.
We already know most of his background and recent activities. There's almost no chance he's connected to anyone of influence."
As a lifelong servant of the Tan household, Uncle Ren understood his duties well.
Before the young master moved against anyone, it was his job to ensure that person's background was completely safe to provoke.
And he was certain—
Liang Xiao had no one behind him.
"No powerful connections…" Tan murmured, his brows furrowing.
"Then what happened? Sheer luck? A… mutation?"
It wasn't impossible.
Liang Xiao had once been corrupted by evil energy—nearly consumed by it.
In rare cases, such exposure caused unpredictable mutations.
There were generally three outcomes when someone was eroded by demonic forces.
The first—if one's mind was weak—they became assimilated, turning into monstrous half-humans.
The second—injury without corruption, the most common and least fortunate.
And the third—mutation.
Mutation was a gamble. Nine times out of ten, it ended in madness or death.
But the rare tenth case… could create a Special Physique.
That probability was so minuscule it was almost mythical.
And yet—
Liang Xiao's Dantian was destroyed. Now he holds True Qi. That can only mean one thing.
His jaw tightened, eyes glinting like steel.
"He's probably mutated into a Special Physique," Tan muttered coldly. "Otherwise, none of this makes sense."
The more he thought about it, the darker his expression grew.
"In this age, academics don't mean much anymore," he said, voice low. "But the Top Scorer still gets all the attention. Once I become the Top Scorer, True Dragon Academy or Da Luo Academy—both will be within reach."
Originally, with his Cultivation advantage, he had believed the title was already his.
But now…
Liang Xiao's sudden rise had thrown everything into chaos.
That bastard's standing in my way.
His fists clenched. The car hummed quietly as it drove into the distance.
Back in the cafeteria, Liang Xiao frowned slightly.
The speed of active refinement is too slow.
No matter how he focused, the True Qi within the Special Golden Core formed sluggishly.
Worse still, the physical enhancement he'd felt after the mysterious baptism was gone—it had been a one-time blessing.
Previously, when he depleted his True Qi, the Special Golden Core had restored it automatically—one wisp every three seconds.
Now, with three wisps already stored, manually refining a new wisp took over ten minutes—and the consumption of food was several times greater.
After devouring all ten servings, he had only managed to form three additional wisps, for a total of six.
And yet, something curious happened.
When he tried weaving a second layer of the Golden Core, the process went smoothly—
but once the count dropped below three wisps, an invisible resistance appeared, blocking the weaving entirely.
That resistance was firm and unyielding, as though warning him not to proceed further.
So these three wisps… are like a foundation, he realized.
The base structure of the Golden Core itself.
As long as those three remained, everything functioned normally.
But if they were consumed, the Core would begin automatically refining new Qi to replenish them—
fast and efficient.
However, the automatic restoration stopped at exactly three wisps. Any Qi beyond that had to be manually refined—slowly and at great cost.
He sighed quietly.
If I keep this up, I'll only manage two full meals a day at most. At this rate, it'll take half a year to weave a complete second layer of the Golden Core.
And food wasn't free.
His family's finances were already stretched thin.
I need money—and cultivation resources.
And to get those, he needed to stand out.
A Top Scorer receives a massive scholarship, he recalled.
His gaze sharpened. Then that's my next goal.
The afternoon math exam went as smoothly as the morning test.
His thoughts were clearer, his memory sharper; even the hardest problems seemed straightforward.
When the test ended, he and Wu Jun shared a cheap dinner in the cafeteria before heading home.
But the moment Liang Xiao reached his apartment door, he stopped.
There was someone inside.
He could feel it—a faint but distinct Qi presence beyond the thin door.
A Cultivator.
His heart tensed, but as soon as he heard the familiar voices of his grandfather and brother, the worry eased.
He inserted the key, turned the handle, and stepped inside, expression calm.
Whatever awaited him, he would face it head-on.