I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

Gu Yan spent about an hour in the study room discussing the third chapter of his thesis with Su Qinghe—the core essence of the optimization of the exercise method he proposed.

Su Qinghe's regulations were clear and concise, analyzing each clause in detail, and she also offered guidance on the writing style of academic papers, speaking succinctly and clearly. Although it was only a short hour, Gu Yan had already benefited greatly.

He bowed and expressed his gratitude, praising his senior sister's profound writing skills and exquisite scholarship in both academic research and teaching.

But Su Qinghe just shook her head and said, "It's just a matter of practice makes perfect, and with time and experience, you'll become proficient. There's really nothing profound about writing; on the contrary, my junior brother's insights into the deduction of techniques and innovative thinking are outstanding, far surpassing mine. That's the real rare talent."

Given time, my junior brother will surely surpass me in both cultivation and writings.

Gu Yan said, "I still need to ask my senior sister for more guidance."

Su Qinghe nodded and said, "You can leave a message if you have any questions. I will reply as soon as I see the message."

Gu Yan thanked him again, got up and left the study room.

After Gu Yan left, Lu Cheng'an leaned over and teased, half-jokingly, "How was it, Senior Sister? Wasn't I right? The new junior brother is quite a prodigy, isn't he?"

Su Qinghe nodded: "No wonder you were no match for him."

Lu Cheng'an's smile vanished instantly.

He wanted to say, "Senior sister, can we not bring this up again?"

He coughed and then said, "I'm not trying to be mean, but I used to think you were already incredibly talented. But now it seems that before the end of this year, your title as the number one student in the school might change hands."

But Su Qinghe simply smiled indifferently: "What's the use of being number one in the school, such an empty title?"

She shook her head and said, "Our school is ultimately just an ordinary first-tier university. You may not feel this because you don't often participate in competitions with other schools, but the gap between our school and the top universities is indeed quite large."

Competition from other schools, exploration of historical sites, vying for resources... we suffer losses in too many areas. If a freshman like Gu Shidi could emerge as a dark horse, it would be a good thing for you, me, and the teachers and students of our school.

If one is confined to the height and size of a courtyard, one's perspective is far too narrow.

Although Lu Cheng'an was only joking, upon hearing his senior sister's words, he couldn't help but suppress his smile and show respect.

Indeed, he wasn't considered outstanding in his year and didn't often compete with other schools. That's why he realized that Su Qinghe was known as the top student in the school, and almost all the burdens of competing with other schools and vying for resources fell on her shoulders.

Moreover, because she is so outstanding and far ahead of her peers, and the quality of students in our school is indeed insufficient compared with key universities, it is likely that no one has been able to help her in the past few years.

Everyone revered her as the senior sister and respected her as the number one person in the school. But in Su Qinghe's eyes, she probably never cared about this useless title from beginning to end, and all she thought about was seeking the well-being of all the teachers and students.

Lu Cheng'an felt ashamed.

It turns out that my senior sister is not only broad-minded on the surface, but also on the inside, which is truly admirable.

He dropped his joking tone and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, we're not very talented. Although we wanted to help Senior Sister, we're powerless and have only held her back..."

"No, it's not your fault," Su Qinghe shook her head and said, "Everyone has their own expertise."

As she spoke, she looked down from the window. Gu Yan had already left the teaching building, and from that window, she could just see his departing figure.

Su Qinghe murmured to herself, "I just hope that Junior Brother Gu can grow up quickly and stand on his own soon."

...

...

"【Xuan Shu Bureau Finance】Your account ending in 7882 has received a deposit of 5,000,000.00 yuan. Source of funds: Xuan Shu Bureau special funds. If you have any questions, please contact the Xuan Shu Bureau Finance Department."

Seeing the money coming in on his phone, Gu Yan felt happy again.

They've got money again.

His wallet, which had just run out of money, quickly swelled up again, making him feel more confident as he walked down the street.

The Xuan Shu Bureau is incredibly efficient. The money arrived in the account shortly after Vice President Liu left.

This time, Gu Yan was even richer than before, and he spent money more generously, immediately spending 200,000 yuan to purchase a new batch of Qi and Blood Restoration Liquid.

Yesterday, during the main storyline final battle in Qingxi, I discovered that this medicine is consumed quite quickly during frequent battles. A mere 200,000 is no big deal now; I'll stock up on a few more doses on hand first.

Now that he has money, he doesn't feel bad about opening a Juyuan Room. He returned to the villa, went straight to the Juyuan Room, and sat down cross-legged.

As the Gathering Yuan Room was activated, and he heard the humming sound of the facilities inside the walls, he suddenly remembered what his father had said in his previous life.

In his past life, Gu Mingshan told him how difficult it was for him to climb out of the countryside. Back then, he was assigned to the county town, and his monthly salary was only one hundred yuan. Later, although air conditioning was available, everyone in the family regarded it as a high-consumption luxury. Sometimes, even when they were sweating profusely in the summer, they couldn't bear to turn it on.

At that time, Gu Mingshan remarked that although he had not achieved great things in his life, he had at least achieved the freedom of air conditioning. During the hottest summer days, the air conditioner at home was on from morning till night almost without stopping. Looking back now, he felt that he had accomplished something in his life.

At the time, Gu Yan simply listened and let it go, but now he seems to understand his father's feelings.

Although it was only a few days, he went from feeling the pinch after driving for a short while to now being able to barely achieve freedom in the Gathering Yuan Room, which can be considered a accomplishment.

Of course, this is far from enough. Compared to the world he yearns for, this step is still just the beginning.

Gu Yan composed himself and waited for about a minute after the Yuan Gathering Room was activated, during which the concentration of Yuan energy in the room gradually increased. Only then did he close his eyes, concentrate, and return to the game.

With the main storyline of Qingxi finished, the next step is to accompany Fu Qinghe and others to the Xuanzhou Demon Suppression Division to officially join the workforce.

The distance from Qingxi County to the Xuanzhou headquarters wasn't short. However, they had demon horses provided by the Demon Suppression Division, whose speed was unmatched by any other horse. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough mounts, so Gu Yan had to make do and share a horse with Shen Qinghan.

Of course, he had never ridden a demon horse before and did not know how to control it. So Shen Qinghan could only hold the reins in front, while he could only hug Shen's slender waist from behind to prevent being thrown off the horse when it galloped away.

Throughout the journey, her colleagues at the Demon Suppression Division treated Shen Qinghan with great courtesy in both words and actions. However, since she had been treated very politely by her colleagues since she first arrived at the Demon Suppression Division, she assumed it was because of her exceptional talent that she had earned their respect and didn't take it to heart.

She was still puzzled the whole way, wondering what it was about her that made the Qingxi monsters realize she came from Qingyun Island.

Shen Qinghan was puzzled, but Gu Yan, who was familiar with the plot, naturally understood the reason, and therefore found it somewhat amusing as he watched.

Although Shen Qinghan was born on Qingyun Island, her father was a grandmaster. However, the island lord was eccentric and for some reason strictly forbade his only beloved daughter from learning martial arts, and even more so from setting foot in the martial world.

However, Shen Qinghan had always longed for chivalrous heroes since childhood, which led to many conflicts with her father. Finally, she managed to seize an opportunity to sneak away from Qingyun Island behind her father's back and run away from home, which allowed her to join the Demon Suppression Bureau.

For this reason, although she had a master father, she never learned any of the family's unique skills; all her skills came from the Demon Suppression Division.

What Shen Qinghan didn't know was that she thought she was making her way in the world on her own and had nothing to do with her father. But how could the island lord, Shen, really let her fend for herself out there?

She actually carries the "Grandmaster's Mark" personally planted by Island Master Shen. That is a method that only Grandmaster-level experts can use to leave a mark on their disciples, which carries a trace of Grandmaster aura.

The island lord Shen left the mark intentionally to conceal it from his daughter. However, everyone except Shen Qinghan, whether it was the demon king of Qingxi or the officials of the Demon Suppression Division, as long as they had some insight, immediately recognized that she carried the mark of the Qingyun Grandmaster.

The mark is usually dormant and has no effect. But if she is attacked fatally, the mark will activate its defense, and the Lord of Qingyun Island can also use it to track and locate her.

Therefore, although she was trapped in the Black Wind Cave, the demons inside did not dare to attack her. The Black Wind Wolf King even rushed to the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion Master overnight to ask for instructions, because the wolf king, by his very nature, had no right to decide whether to offend a grandmaster.

So poor Shen Qinghan is still completely unaware of the truth, believing that her status is entirely self-imposed. Little does she know that wherever she goes, when she encounters experts with considerable skill and insight, it's as if she's wearing her father's Grandmaster's token around her neck, naturally commanding respect from everyone.

The group traveled day and night, and by dawn the next day, they were already close to Xuancang City, where the Xuanzhou headquarters was located.

Gu Yan now has over 10,000 potential points, but he's not in a hurry to spend them.

Gu Yan knew that his current cultivation level was sufficient for the time being. Once he entered Xuancang City, he would have the opportunity to acquire more cultivation techniques and martial arts.

Once you've mastered a new martial art, take a comprehension capsule and level up all at once while it's still effective to maximize your potential.

They had been traveling day and night without stopping for a moment. Now that they were not far from the city, they were not in a hurry to continue their journey. Instead, they stopped at a roadside tavern, ordered some wine and food, and took a short rest.

Although we haven't entered the city yet, we're already on the outskirts of Xuancang City, so it's quite a bustling place with travelers.

The group was waiting for their food. Before long, a large group of people slowly walked in through the door. Leading them was a young man in brocade robes, handsome and arrogant, followed by a group of close attendants in tight-fitting clothes. The entourage was impressive, clearly indicating that he was from a prominent family.

The young master entered, not even glancing at anyone else, and loudly announced to the innkeeper, "Innkeeper, all irrelevant people, please leave. This tavern is booked by the Zhao family today!"