High-level martial arts: Starting with a heart of steel, stats crush everything.

"ah..."

As soon as Geng Lianhu finished speaking, Gu Feng closed his eyes in pain.

He now finds the painful tempering process surprisingly blissful, at least much happier than attending classes.

"Bullshit, I'm not sending you to class, I'm sending you on a trip abroad."

Geng Lianhu appeared beside Gu Feng in a flash and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Don't rush to ask, let me explain slowly."

"You all know about the World Youth Martial Arts Tournament, which is held every five years, right?"

"The World Youth Martial Arts Tournament will be held in ten days, so we'd better set off the day after tomorrow."

"The higher-ups specifically gave us this opportunity to support our Great Xia Grandmaster Academy in stepping into the limelight."

"Originally, the contestants were to be selected from various regions, but this time the higher-ups directly decided to give all four spots to the Great Xia Grandmaster Academy."

"I have a question!" Gu Feng, who had just gotten up from the ground, raised his hand, with a bright red handprint on the back of his head.

"Speak." Geng Lianhu looked at Gu Feng, wanting to see what kind of nonsense the little brat of the Gu family could spout.

"Isn't the World Junior Championships for participants aged 18 to 30?"

"We're only eighteen years old. There must be some seniors who are better than us, right?"

"I think Senior Sister Dai Emei and Senior Brother Zhu Long would be a good match."

Gu Feng really didn't want to join in the fun; he'd rather go back and properly strengthen his internal organs.

"They all don't want to go, but you guys happen to be free, so you can go along."

Geng Lianhu waved his hand, dismissing Gu Feng's question in a very perfunctory manner.

"..." Gu Feng didn't know what to say. Wasn't the old man's words implying that this opportunity was very rare?

"In general, the World Youth Championships will last for a while, and according to the schedule, you should be able to return before the Chinese New Year."

Geng Lianhu was not affected by Gu Feng's question, paused for a moment, and continued.

"The World Youth Championships are divided into team and individual events, with the two events occurring one after the other, and broadcast live worldwide."

"Our country will also broadcast the game live, and the authorities will be paying attention to it."

"Of course, you don't need to be nervous. Just treat it as a learning experience."

Don't be fooled by Geng Lianhu's seemingly nonchalant attitude and lack of concern for results. Wasn't he sending Chen Mo and the others out to put on a show of bravado?

He's not young, but he was young once too, and he knows the art of showing off.

Other countries sent their strongest martial artists who were just above the age limit, but the Great Xia Grandmaster Academy only sent a few freshmen who had nothing better to do.

The difference is quite significant.

People from other countries might think that way, but those martial artists within the Great Xia Dynasty who are familiar with Chen Mo and his group know that these guys are stronger than the average senior student...

"We'll set off promptly at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Just bring your weapons; everything else will be provided."

"Alright, you guys discuss the order of appearance for the individual competition, I won't say any more."

"The staff will explain the details to you once we arrive at the destination."

After informing Chen Mo and the others about this, Geng Lianhu turned and left.

"..." Chen Mo and the others exchanged glances and couldn't help but sigh.

"Then go ahead, as long as it doesn't interfere with the New Year celebrations."

Chen Mo didn't care; going there would give him a chance to hone his skills a bit more.

I'd rather fight outsiders than spar with my own people.

When sparring with your own people, you have to be careful about how much force you use, but when you're in the ring fighting outsiders, you don't have to worry about that.

"Tsk, I forgot to ask if there would be any trouble if I accidentally killed someone."

Gu Feng and the others glanced at Chen Mo; it seemed that the ferocious beast Chen Mo was about to make a comeback.

"Go back and rest, pack your things, and we'll meet at the school gate tomorrow morning."

After glancing at the time, Chen Mo decided to go have another meal of tofu pudding rice, since he didn't know when he would come back next time.

But just as Chen Mo stood up, the system's announcement rang in his mind.

[Challenge mission triggered!]

[Participate in the team competition and win the team championship as a solo player to receive the following rewards: Hero Skill Selection x1, Perfect Steel Marrow Promotion Card x1, and Storage Space Expansion Card x1]

"?" Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, then looked carefully at the rewards for the challenge mission.

Individual or team competition?

What, are you letting him fight four opponents the whole time?

With such generous rewards, it seems I have no choice but to give it a shot.

I just don't know how difficult it will be.

"System, are you sure this reward is correct?"

Chen Mo pointed to the 'Perfect Steel Marrow Advancement Card' and asked.

"Shouldn't it be the energy transformation of steel marrow?"

[Note: Steel Marrow Energy Transformation is a higher level of state than Perfect Steel Marrow, which the host needs to explore on their own.]

"Alright, at least it saves us trouble."

He scratched his head; this promotion card at least saved him the trouble of tempering his steel marrow.

[Challenge Mission Two Triggered!]

[He participated in the individual competition and won the championship, defeating all opponents with overwhelming force!]

[Upon successful completion of the mission, you will receive the following rewards: 1 selectable buff, 1 resurrection armor (which takes precedence over the last stored buff and has a 24-hour cooldown), and 5 selectable emblems.]

"..."

Chen Mo was at a loss for words. Did the system mean that he should single-handedly dominate the entire World Youth Championship?

Isn't that a bit too flashy?

After a moment's thought, Chen Mo felt that being a little flamboyant wouldn't do any harm.

He's just strong enough; he can single-handedly dominate the entire World Youth Championship. That's a fact.

After decisively accepting the two challenges, Chen Mo changed his clothes and headed out of the school.

There is a dilapidated little shop about 30 kilometers away from the martial arts academy.

Don't let the shabby appearance of this little shop fool you; both their tofu pudding and dipping sauce are incredibly delicious.

There's also stir-fried liver and kidney, which is Chen Mo's favorite dish besides tofu pudding.

It has a strong wok hei (wok aroma) effect.

......

As night fell, Chen Mo, having eaten and drunk his fill, put his weapons back in their case and took out his phone.

He hasn't been in contact with his family for some time.

I was very busy every day at the Great Xia Grandmaster Academy, but after arriving at the Mountain City Martial Academy, I spent every day studying and leading teams down into the abyss, and had no time to contact my family.

Taking advantage of a rare moment of relaxation, Chen Mo decided to ask about the recent situation at home.

Press the dial button, and the call is answered almost instantly.

"Feed? Little Mo?"

The person who answered the phone was not Chen Li, but Xu Liu.

"Mom?" Chen Mo was also taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't surprised.

"I've been a bit busy lately and haven't had time to call you all to let you know I'm safe."

"I'm doing well lately, and I've already reached the sixth level of martial arts."

"Yes, I know I need to be careful, don't worry."

"Chinese New Year?"

"I'll definitely be going back before the Lunar New Year. Don't forget to make me braised pork ribs then."

"Okay, I'll hang up now."

The conversation between Chen Mo and Xu Liu was quite brief, and there seemed to be some noise on the other end of the phone.

"What's going on? It sounds like they've been drinking?"

Scratching his head, Chen Mo didn't think too much about it; he still needed to continue training his muscles.

He's 75% complete and still has one reward to claim, so he can't afford to relax.

However, since completing the upper body muscle tempering, his muscles seem to have adapted to the energy liquid explosion tempering method.

The consumption of energy fluid is now much greater than before, to the point that even Chen Mo is feeling the pinch.