In the world of martial arts, one works tirelessly to attain enlightenment.

Chapter 22, Yan Lingfei, the first person to be trained in the program.

In the courtyard.

bang bang bang...

Three blurry figures clashed and collided, their movements indistinct.

Lingxi and Lingmeng watched the battle from the corner, their emerald green pupils narrowing into elongated shapes.

Yunzhu and Mengyu worked together perfectly, and even in a two-on-one fight, they were still outmatched by Lin Ran!

Lin Ran felt a lot of pressure, but the rapid increase in experience made him even more excited.

The skill that improves the fastest is [Fighting], followed by Dragon Dance. Hidden Dragon Body improves very slowly because Dragon Scale Armor is not yet activated.

However, by harnessing the power of the armor to restore stamina, stamina is greatly enhanced.

Yunzhu and the other two were not to be outdone. The cat people had grown up experiencing countless battles since childhood, and their grasp of timing was extremely precise. Moreover, now that two cat people were working together, they were even better.

However, when facing Lin Ran, he felt like a hedgehog with no way to attack. Every time he found an opportunity to attack, he would find another trap that was no less powerful than the attack, and he had no choice but to retreat.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate for a full hour and a half before Mengyu and Yunzhu began to show signs of fatigue due to exhaustion.

boom!boom!

Lin Ran seized the opportunity and mercilessly punched each of them, sending the two cat-men flying. They were caught halfway through their flight by Lingxi and Lingmeng.

"Phew~"

Lin Ran breathed a sigh of relief, took out a few pieces of spirit beast meat, and swallowed them in a few bites.

[Combat experience +3560]

[Fighting LV4→LV6: 10/3000]

[Dragon Soaring Technique, Experience +349]

[Hidden Dragon Form, Experience +59]

[Aim accurately, experience +660]

"Brother Lin, you're amazing!" Yunzhu ran over after landing, her eyes full of joy.

"Indeed, but not as delicious as pudding," Mengyu said seriously.

Lin Ran: "..."

"Captain, shall we have a match?" Lingmeng suddenly asked, followed closely by Lingxi.

"Tomorrow, I have classes today."

Lin Ran checked the time, waved, and left.

Lingxi, Lingmeng: "..."

Yunzhu and Mengyu followed along, and thanks to Lin Ran's identity, they could also train together.

Two hours later, Yunzhu and Mengyu came out of the shooting range, rubbing their ears.

"Brother Lin, I'm not coming to the shooting range tomorrow. I feel so bad." Yunzhu frowned.

"I'm not coming either. The gunshots are making me uncomfortable," Mengyu said, rubbing her ears.

"Okay." Lin Ran didn't object; he had come here to gain experience points as well.

[Aiming for LV7→LV8: 2700/4000]

At this rate, the skill will evolve in less than four days.

Suddenly, a splash of blue caught my eye—it was Feng Wuhen.

"I lost the previous sparring match. When will I train with you?" Feng Wuhen said, still expressionless.

"Tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, in my yard, the training will last for two hours, and there will be classes afterwards."

"Okay." Feng Wuhen agreed immediately and then left.

The afternoon was dedicated to culinary and spiritual skills training.

[Cooking Skills, Experience +440]

[Cooking Skill LV3→LV4: 10/2000]

[Attribute Control - Earth, Experience +360]

[Attribute Control - Wind, Experience +460]

After the course ended.

Lin Ran was reading a book when her vision suddenly darkened.

Looking up, I saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old with short red hair and bloodshot eyes. A scorching aura emanated from her, raising the temperature in the air.

"Hello, I am Yan Lingfei."

"Hello, I'm Lin Ran. Is there anything I can help you with?" Lin Ran shook hands with her gently, remembering that this person was also part of the Elite Project's first plan.

"Not long ago, Feng Wuhen said he lost to you in a sparring match, so I want to have a match with you," Yan Lingfei said, taking out a piece of golden transparent crystal.

"This is a spirit crystal. I found it myself. If you win, it's yours. If you lose, you have to give up something of equivalent value, but it can only be yours. Resources from the Elite Program don't count."

"Okay." Lin Ran glanced at Crystal and agreed.

"Let's do it here."

After Yan Lingfei finished speaking, she took out a shield generator and activated it. A ten-meter-diameter energy shield separated the two people from their surroundings.

Lin Ran stood up, and his dragon scale armor instantly appeared. Then, he was struck in the chest by a fist engulfed in flames.

Ding~

The sound, like the tolling of a bell, echoed inside the shield but did not spread to the outside.

Lin Ran pulled back with her right hand, starting with a whirlwind attack.

boom!

Yan Lingfei was engulfed in crimson flames, her arms crossed in front of her chest to block, but she was still sent flying by a single blow, and most of the flames dissipated.

Lin Ran took a step forward, leaving a bloody trail, and raised his right fist to unleash another whirlwind of lightning!

boom!

The shield developed dense cracks, but ultimately did not break.

Yan Lingfei lay on the ground, questioning her existence. The flames covering her entire body were completely extinguished, and her clothes were torn to shreds. Only her specially made close-fitting breast protector and shorts remained intact.

"Should we continue?"

A dull thud came from beneath the armor.

Yan Lingfei snapped out of her daze and shook her head.

"Let's stop fighting for now. Your martial arts level far exceeds your spiritual energy level. Let's wait until you break through to the mid-level Awakener level before we talk about it again."

She got up, tore her tattered clothes to shreds, put on a new tracksuit, turned off the shield generator, and left, her calmness almost excessive.

Lin Ran removed the dragon scale armor and picked up the Earth Spirit Crystal.

The moment the earth's spiritual energy came into contact with the earth's spiritual crystal, the crystal melted into a liquid and entered the body.

Lin Ran's consciousness entered his dantian, where the liquid of the earth spirit crystal fused and melted with an earth attribute crystal. Then, it slowly split into two, and after the split was complete, it became a standard cube.

Lower-level Awakened One, Earth Attribute, Third Layer!

……

the next day.

Lin Ran crawled out from between the two catgirls, one big and one small, and pulled away their tails that were wrapped around her arms.

After a quick wash, they went to the courtyard, where Hong and Lan were already waiting, along with Lingxi and Lingmeng.

"It's not time yet," Lin Ran said, glancing at the time.

"You defeated Yan Lingfei, so arriving a few minutes early doesn't matter," Feng Wuhen said, the wind around him seeming even more agile.

"Aren't you afraid you won't be able to handle it?" Yan Lingfei looked at Lingxi and Lingmeng, her smile carrying a deeper meaning.

"Is it appropriate for a girl like you to say such things?" Lin Ran was speechless.

boom!

Taking advantage of the moment when Lin Ran's gaze shifted, Yan Lingfei burst into crimson flames, rushing towards Lin Ran like a giant fireball.

Feng Wuhen skillfully manipulated the wind spirit energy, merging it into the flames to fuel the fire.

Dragon scale armor appeared on Lin Ran's body, and unsurprisingly, she smashed into the fire tornado.

boom!

The fire tornado was instantly smashed, and Feng Wuhen and Yan Lingfei both staggered back three steps.

"Continue." Feng Wuhen raised his hand, and a tornado rose in the courtyard, blowing down a large number of willow leaves, turning the leaves into sharp blades.

Yan Lingfei's flames surged again, transforming into a two-meter-tall fire giant. The spreading flames dyed the tornado red, and together they pressed down on Lin Ran.

Lin Ran moved swiftly, bracing himself against the fire tornado's damage as he charged toward the fire giant, striking its right arm with a whirlwind thunderbolt.

boom!

The fire giant's right arm was blown apart, but its intact left hand had grabbed Lin Ran. However, no matter how hard it tried, it was difficult to deform the dragon scale armor.

Lin Ran controlled the dragon scales to wriggle, transforming them into a high-speed rotating drill that shattered the fire giant's left hand. Then, wind spirit energy solidified under her feet, and after a brief moment of leverage, she rushed towards the fire giant.

The fire giant stretched out two more arms from its chest and smashed towards Lin Ran, starting another round of combat.

(End of this chapter)