This entry is suspicious.

In the training room.

As a noblewoman from a prestigious family and a top student in her grade, Ming Shu is well-informed and ordinary methods could not possibly arouse her interest. Zhou Ran was well aware of this, so he took the Thirty-Six Ways of Enlightenment to the extreme.

The Thirty-Six Forms of Enlightenment are body-refining exercises included in the Basic Enlightenment Method. They are also textbook-level exercises compiled by the Education Bureau of the Heavenly Ring Federation with the combined efforts of countless powerful individuals. While seemingly basic, they actually contain profound secrets. Each form has been refined through countless trials and tribulations, simplifying complexities to maximize the development of human potential.

Many students are overly ambitious, believing that the techniques taught in schools are not as sophisticated and powerful as those taught by businesses and sects outside. But if the "Basic Enlightenment Method" is really useless, why would major families and corporations regard it as the foundation for their children's enlightenment?

The mysteries within are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Only a few people know that the true essence of this body-refining martial art lies in the "divine" element it contains.

Form is easy to learn, strength is difficult to master, and spirit is the most ineffable.

If you imitate the teacher's movements meticulously, anyone can learn about 70-80% of it.

Strength requires daily practice and understanding; with enough talent and diligence, it can always be developed.

But gods are different; this kind of thing can't be learned through practice, it can only be comprehended through enlightenment.

The so-called "divine" refers to the "intention" that was given to this body-refining martial art from its inception. Opening the meridians and breaking through obstacles to ascend to heaven... Each move is not just a simple physical action, but also represents a complete intention. One must not only move the body, but also let the mind sink in to feel the sharpness of breaking through shackles and opening up the way forward.

The first of the Thirty-Six Forms of Enlightenment is called "Opening Heaven and Earth," and this name is not arbitrary. From this glimpse, one can see just how magnificent and powerful the entire Thirty-Six Forms are.

Zhou Ran naturally grasped all the spirit and intent of this martial art perfectly. Every move and every stance was accompanied by the flow of his will, and it was a natural and seamless execution.

He was confident that this alone would pique Ming Shu's interest.

Halfway through the rehearsal, Zhou Ran secretly observed the reactions of Ming Shu and Song Ci.

Unsurprisingly, both of them were stunned.

Zhou Ran was secretly delighted when he saw this.

"They were indeed amazed by my extraordinary mastery of the Thirty-Six Techniques of Enlightenment."

"If I show them 'The Hundred Ways to Power' later, it will definitely boost my image. Once my image improves, my tutoring fees will naturally increase... I wonder if 100,000 per hour is a viable option."

"Then I'll have them refer customers to me. I don't even need many. Ten students, each earning 100,000 per hour, that's one million per hour. Four hours in one night would be four million..."

Zhou Ran had already begun to fantasize about a life of wealth and luxury in the future, and then decided to give Ming Shu another shock to completely dispel her doubts.

Perfect timing! After this round of the Thirty-Six Opening Techniques, my Qi and blood are surging. Why not take this opportunity to break through the barrier of the Heavenly Aperture?

Just do it.

After completing the thirty-sixth move, Zhou Ran took a deep breath as he finished the move, and his internal energy and blood instantly surged. He mobilized this energy and blood to rush towards the Heavenly Aperture on the top of his head.

The flow of qi and blood surged like a tide, wave after wave, crashing violently against the already crumbling Heavenly Aperture barrier.

Zhou Ran concentrated his energy and gathered his blood and qi into an unstoppable torrent, which he then slammed into.

boom!

A muffled sound exploded deep in his mind, like the first thunderbolt splitting through chaos. Without any surprise, his Heavenly Aperture opened up, and a cool spiritual light spread from the top of his head. Zhou Ran immediately felt his mind clear, his vision seemed to become clearer, and every pore on his body opened up, bringing him an indescribable sense of comfort.

Six levels of enlightenment achieved!

"call……"

Zhou Ran let out a breath and smiled at the two of them, saying, "Sorry for the delay, the opportunity for a breakthrough has arrived, and there's no stopping it."

Upon hearing this, Song Ci raised an eyebrow slightly: "You haven't suddenly gained some kind of supernatural insight, have you?"

She knew that Zhou Ran's sixth acupoint was the Heavenly Acupoint.

Seeing Zhou Ran's mysterious, irritating smile, Song Ci knew she was right, and a storm raged within her.

Because it has been less than ten days since Zhou Ran's last breakthrough, only about a week, his progress is practically like flying!

One acupoint opens every week... If this continues, wouldn't it be possible to break through to the Qi Refining stage before entering the second year of high school?

That would absolutely qualify her as having the appearance of a celestial being!

Is enlightenment between life and death really that powerful?

Song Ci herself was tempted to give it a try, but she immediately dismissed the idea because she knew she could really die if she tried.

"Ming Shu, what do you think of my Thirty-Six Opening Techniques?" Zhou Ran looked at the major client with anticipation.

Ming Shu seemed to be pulled back from a daze, and after a pause, he said, "I think it was a very fierce fight."

But in reality, Ming Shu was not looking at Zhou Ran's Thirty-Six Techniques for Enlightenment at all.

From a certain moment on, all her thoughts involuntarily drifted away from that martial arts technique and fell on Zhou Ran.

The taut lines of her forearm when she threw a punch, the Adam's apple bobbing up and down as she swallowed, her focused and serious gaze... these details, unrelated to the martial arts technique, were etched into her mind frame by frame.

Ming Shu felt like she must be going crazy. Why was she paying attention to such trivial things? But she couldn't control herself and was completely distracted.

Hearing the major client's affirmation, Zhou Ran was overjoyed and decided to continue his efforts to secure the deal completely.

"In fact, I not only excel at the 'Basic Enlightenment Method,' but I've also made some progress on the recently popular 'Research on One Hundred Applications of Force Based on the Practical Needs of Body Cultivation.' If you'd like to learn, I can teach you."

He walked to the training boards placed in the corner of the training room, picked one up, placed it on the table, and pressed it down silently.

After he stopped, a palm print, half an inch deep, was left on the wooden board, with the palm lines clearly visible.

Immediately afterwards, a series of faint cracking sounds came from inside the wooden board, and cracks spread rapidly like a spider web, causing the entire wooden board to disintegrate layer by layer from the inside out.

"Oh?" Song Ci's eyes widened, and even Ming Shu was taken aback. With their discerning eyes, they could naturally see how exquisite the control of that force was.

The problem is, such superb skills shouldn't be found in a high school student!

It wasn't over yet. Zhou Ran picked up a brand new wooden board, spread his five fingers, pressed them against it, and pulled it down sharply.

Stab it!

A large chunk of hardwood was torn off by the palm of a hand, the cut surface was jagged, the wood fibers were sticking out like claws, and there were still fine wood chips hanging from the edges.

"This is the sticky force among the eighteen basic forces. Once you're stuck, it's very difficult to shake off. If you use it in combat, as long as you make contact with the enemy, you can directly stick to them and tear off a large piece of flesh," Zhou Ran explained.

After saying that, he pulled out a brand new wooden board and stood it upright on the table.

To make the Song porcelain and Ming ware clearer, instead of punching it directly, he used his left hand to hold the top of the wooden board in place, his right fist to brace against the panel, and then suddenly twisted his arm.

When you press your fist against the quilt and rotate it, the fabric will form a soft vortex due to the force of the twisting.

And now, the same thing is happening on the wooden board. As the fist twists, the board immediately cracks with ring-shaped vortexes, and wood chips fly out from them. The wood fibers radiate outwards in a spiral, like twisted ropes.

"This is spiral force." Zhou Ran withdrew his fist and shook off the wood chips on his fist. "When spiral force hits a person, the force will spin in like a drill, twisting through the skin and flesh, breaking the bones and internal organs, and turning them into a lump of mud."

Song Ci stared in disbelief, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. She turned to look at Ming Shu and found that even the usually calm and collected top student in the grade was now filled with shock.

Ming Shu hadn't paid attention to Zhou Ran's Thirty-Six Forms of Enlightenment earlier, so he didn't have a clear understanding of how powerful Zhou Ran really was. But now, as Zhou Ran displayed three different kinds of power in succession, Ming Shu finally understood how terrifying Zhou Ran's talent was.

Ming Shu had witnessed the physical cultivators' moves on many occasions and had a certain understanding of their power.

That's why she understood better than Song Ci what Zhou Ran's casual gestures meant.

It's not that he's trained well, nor that he's achieved some success, but rather that he has... reached the level of a master that many body cultivators may not be able to reach even after years or a lifetime!

"When did you start practicing?"

Song Ci stepped forward, picked up the wooden board, and examined it with disbelief on her face. For the past week, Zhou Ran had been attending classes during the day and tutoring her at night. In addition, there was time for eating, drinking, using the restroom, and sleeping. She had very little personal time.

In such a short time, Zhou Ran actually mastered several basic techniques? This was beyond her comprehension.

"Practice whenever you have free time, and you'll get the hang of it as you practice. Want to learn? I can teach you."

Zhou Ran stood with his hands behind his back, adopting the air of a reclusive sage. "However, the price might have to be raised a bit. One hundred thousand per hour, how about that?"

These are the prices of top-tier tutors in the market.

"I'll give you two hundred thousand." Ming Shu thought for a moment and said seriously, without a hint of joking.

"What?" Zhou Ran was stunned for a moment, his image as a reclusive master completely vanished.

"Are you crazy?"

Song Ci's eyes widened in confusion, and only one thought popped into her mind: Could it be... that she's having a love-struck episode?!

"But I have a condition," Ming Shu said. "I want to buy out your tutoring services. You can't tutor anyone other than us in the future. If you agree, we can sign the contract here."

Buyout service...

This was undoubtedly the greatest recognition of his own strength, but Zhou Ran was still a little puzzled as to why he wanted to buy out the deal.

He fell into deep thought, and soon figured out the reason.

Ming Shu has rivals at school, and she's definitely afraid that if she tutors her rivals, they'll surpass her! That must be it!

"Two hundred thousand... Thank you for your attention, but it's not enough."

Zhou Ran felt he could increase the stakes further. "With my talent, there will be an endless stream of people seeking my tutoring in the future. Earning a million per hour is no problem. So there's no need for me to sign a buyout contract, which would be tantamount to cutting off my own future."

"I can provide you with cultivation techniques and resources, and it's not impossible for you to join the Ming family in the future."

On the surface, Ming Shu appeared calm, but her heart was pounding wildly. She felt so nervous she was about to faint; her words sounded like she was inviting trouble. In fact, she had indeed had a tiny bit of a thought in mind.

Zhou Ran didn't see anything wrong with it. It was normal for aristocratic families to recruit talented outsiders. Countless grassroots geniuses would do anything to get into an aristocratic family.

"It's a very tempting offer, but it's a matter of great importance. Let me think about it," Zhou Ran said after a moment's thought.

"No rush, think it over and give me your answer. Hmm... today's tutoring can begin, and I will pay you 200,000 per hour," Ming Shu said.

Upon hearing this, Song Ci's face darkened: "I don't have that much money."

"It's my treat."

Ming Shu is wealthy and powerful, and besides, she was the one who proposed the price increase, so she should bear the responsibility.

We've made a fortune! We've made a fortune!

Zhou Ran was overjoyed; his smile stretched almost to his ears.

He then coughed lightly, trying to appear calm, and nodded slightly.

"Let's try one class first. Go change your clothes."

……

Two hours later.

Ming Shu was covered in sweat, his cheeks flushed red all the way to his ears, as if he had just stepped out of a steamer.

That's all for today.

"Huh? You're leaving after only two hours?"

Song Ci was puzzled; she hadn't had her fill of practice yet.

Yesterday, without Zhou Ran's guidance, I felt listless while practicing. But today, with Zhou Ran's help, I immediately got into the swing of things and made rapid progress. It's simply an excellent supplementary training tool.

Song Ci couldn't help but fantasize that if she kept this up, she might be able to compete for a place in the top ten of her grade.

"I'm not feeling well."

Ming Shu felt that if he stayed any longer, he would die. He never expected that after being personally instructed by Zhou Ran, he would be so... so flustered and distracted.

Every time Zhou Ran helped her adjust her posture, gently placing his palm on her shoulder or forearm, her mind would go blank. She would forget all the techniques and breathing methods, leaving only her heart pounding wildly.

This isn't tutoring; this is torture.

She has to leave, immediately, right now.

"Alright then." Seeing her best friend's insistence, Song Ci, though still a little reluctant, had no choice but to end today's tutoring session.

And so, the tutoring session ended after only two hours.

Outside the training institution, Zhou Ran watched Song Ci ride away on that heavy motorcycle with Ming Shu in tow, and scratched his head in confusion.

After these two hours, it seems that Ming Shu's talent is even worse than Song Ci's.

I've taught him the movements several times, but he still can't get them right, and he always seems distracted. Wasn't he supposed to be number one in the grade? Is this all? I can't see any of the extraordinary demeanor of a top student. Surely his cultivation can't all be due to his special physique, the Moon Essence Body?

Zhou Ran was completely baffled and could only conclude that Ming Shu might not be in a good state today.

But it doesn't matter, as long as the money arrives in my account.

It has to be said that Ming Shu is really rich for a high school student. Two hundred thousand a hour, two is four hundred thousand, and two hours is eight hundred thousand.

Eight hundred thousand? I'll give it to you right away!