Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

"Have you heard? The Meridian-Opening Pills sold by He's Martial Arts School recently went bust!"

"What's going on?"

"When they first advertised it, they said it could open up the body's meridians and accelerate cultivation, so it was very expensive!"

"Isn't this great? I heard that a lot of people have bought it. Even Gao Jie, who has always been ranked first in martial arts in our class, whose family is so poor, was bought a bottle."

"But they didn't mention the side effects! The Meridian-Opening Pill can initially boost cultivation speed rapidly, but this only lasts for half a day. Afterward, it will clog the meridians, making it difficult for qi and blood to circulate!"

"Even if it's difficult to circulate, there must be a way to solve it, right?"

"If it were that easy, the blocked meridians would shrink along with it, and the damage would be irreversible! Preserving even half of your body's vital energy and blood is a blessing!"

"Wouldn't that be doing people a lot of harm?"

"Gao Jie hasn't come to school for the past few days. Haven't you noticed anything wrong?"

"No wonder, this is too tragic. Has no one reported the He family martial arts school?"

"The owner of the He Family Martial Arts School is a peak third-tier martial artist, about to break through to the fourth tier. I've heard he has incredibly powerful connections. Who would dare to mess with him?"

"Sigh, this world..."

-----------------

As Gao Jie approached the classroom door, he heard almost undisguised whispers coming from inside. He froze, remained silent for a moment, then turned and headed back the way he came, soon arriving at the sports field that Jincheng High School had prepared specifically for prospective martial arts high school students.

Because school had already let out, the stadium was empty and somewhat dimly lit.

In the corner stood a Qi and Blood Testing Machine, just big enough for one person to stand inside. Gao Jie walked into the machine, let out a clear shout, and unleashed all his strength to stimulate his own Qi and Blood.

The machine began to beep as his blood and energy surged. The scarlet numbers on the display screen jumped and rose steadily. 9...16...34...48...finally settling on the number "52".

"As expected!" Gao Jie stepped out, looked at the numbers displayed on the blood and qi testing machine, clenched his hands tightly, and his face was extremely pale.

During this period, he felt his blood and energy levels were constantly decreasing.

After taking the test at school today, just as expected! I was truly terribly harmed by that Meridian-Opening Pill!

As one of the top students at Jincheng High School, his Qi and Blood value had already exceeded 100 before he took the Meridian Opening Pill, meeting the requirements of a first-level martial artist. He was only one step away from refining himself and transforming into a true martial artist.

However, at the school-wide parents' meeting held last week, the vice principal of Jincheng High School promoted He's Martial Arts School's Chongmai Pill extensively, claiming that anyone who takes it can make further progress in martial arts cultivation.

Gao Jie's parents were very moved by what he said. They gritted their teeth, stomped their feet, and spent nearly 100,000 Alliance Coins on the spot to buy him a bottle of five Qi-boosting pills.

Once sold, they won't even allow returns or exchanges.

Otherwise, Gao Jie would never bother taking something of dubious origin.

When Gao Jie took the first pill, the effects of Chongmai Dan were indeed quite good. He could clearly feel that the speed of his blood circulation had greatly increased.

But when he took the last pill, he realized that his qi and blood were already severely depleted.

In addition, during this period, many students have developed the same symptoms of qi and blood deficiency as him, causing quite a stir in the entire city of Jincheng.

When Gao Jie's parents learned of this, it was as if the sky were falling and they seemed to have aged decades.

The parents went to He Lian's house to demand an explanation for this matter, but were beaten and thrown out.

What's worse, they were later secretly poisoned, and now the two are paralyzed in bed, suffering terribly.

Their peaceful life was thus completely shattered.

"You bastard surnamed He, you deserve to die!" Gao Jie gritted his teeth, unable to suppress the angry growls escaping his throat.

Even now, he can still feel the side effects of the Meridian-Boosting Pill taking effect in his body.

The once abundant Qi Sea is now showing signs of drying up and depleting.

Every time Gao Jie uses his qi and blood, he experiences a dull ache all over his body.

Just like the Yellow River on the ground, qi and blood are like river water. When they cannot flow smoothly in the meridians, which are "river channels" that have been artificially cut and narrowed, they will naturally disperse into the limbs and bones, and eventually overflow and dissipate to the outside world.

No matter how hard Gao Jie tried to strengthen his body, he could only retain a fraction of the vital energy he gained.

If this continues, he fears he won't even be able to retain his current vitality. But no matter how angry Gao Jie is, he is powerless to do anything about it.

He Lian, the owner of He's Martial Arts School, is a genuine third-level martial artist, and is only one step away from the fourth level.

Such cultivation is extremely rare in the entire Jincheng, making him a top expert among the best.

Once one is able to advance to the fourth rank, even within the entire Martial Arts Alliance, one can be considered a pillar of strength, having entered the upper echelons.

At that point, even if He Lian did something utterly heinous to these poor students, it would simply go unpunished.

Who told them to be powerless and without influence?

Gao Jie's family was just an ordinary family; his parents were only first-level martial artists, and they struggled to make ends meet. The 100,000 Alliance Coins were originally intended as tuition fees for Gao Jie to attend a martial arts university after his college entrance exams.

Now, they can only grit their teeth and swallow their anger. In this vast city of Jin, one can only imagine how miserable the consequences would be for an ordinary family to try to oppose a master who is about to advance to the fourth level of martial arts.

Even though the whole city knew about this, none of the powerful and influential people were willing to speak up for ordinary people like them.

As for himself, his promising future of being able to get into a martial arts university was suddenly shattered, how could he not be filled with hatred?

All of this is merely a bargaining chip used by those so-called big shots to exchange for benefits.

No. He Lian isn't even a big shot.

He's just taking advantage of others' power, using the lives and futures of his students to make money for himself!

Thinking of this, Gao Jie couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling a surge of sorrow and resentment filling his chest, which he could no longer vent.

Just as he was filled with resentment and anger, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

[Side effect system successfully bound]

Immediately afterwards, a screen of light appeared in front of them.

Name: Gao Jie

[Realm: Quasi-Martial Artist]

[Qi and Blood: 52 points]

[Current side effect: Chongmai Dan (After the effects wear off, the meridians will shrink due to their previous expansion, causing blockage of the meridian pathways, deficiency of qi and blood, duration: ∞)]

[Side effect designated recipient: None (current limit: 1)]

"System!!!" Gao Jie was overjoyed.

He had read many online novels, so he naturally understood the concept of a system.

That's why he was so excited!

When he was in despair, a glimmer of hope suddenly appeared, how could he not be overjoyed!

However, after a brief moment of excitement, Gao Jie immediately calmed down, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

For some reason, a bone-chilling cold suddenly filled the gymnasium.

"The chance for revenge has arrived!"