I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"The martial arts competition is held every three years. The maximum age for participants is 30, and the minimum cultivation level must be that of a Blood Cultivation Martial Artist."

Meeting Zhou An's bright eyes, Liu Shuqing held up three fingers and said with high spirits.

"There are three levels: A, B, and C, which represent those under 20, under 25, and under 30, respectively."

Anyone who can enter the top ten in these three tiers can directly go to the official martial arts academy run by the Great Li Dynasty to cultivate.

Under the same cultivation level, the younger the age, the higher the talent, and the more resources one can enjoy.

The martial arts exam just ended less than two months ago, and there are still nearly three years until the next one.

My dream is to master the power of internal energy transformation before I turn 20, become a Bone Forging Martial Artist, and then strive to be among the top ten in the next martial arts competition.

"Brother Liu, are you confident?"

Zhou An asked with bright eyes and an expectant look.

"I'm not sure, but I should be able to sense the flow of qi and blood within ten days at most."

Liu Shuqing said firmly.

"So fast?"

Zhou An looked surprised, his eyes filled with envy.

"It's alright, since I already had a certain foundation before I came here."

But Brother Zhou, don't be discouraged. With your talent, you should be able to catch up in less than a month.

Liu Shuqing patted Zhou An on the shoulder, looking at him with a comforting expression.

"Brother Liu is too strong. It seems I need to learn more from him."

Zhou An was greatly encouraged and praised him repeatedly.

"No, no, let's go eat first."

Liu Shuqing felt as if she were bathed in a spring breeze. She waved her hand and, imitating her father, strode forward.

There are too many prodigies at the Ultimate Martial Arts Academy. This place is much better, as it's easier to showcase one's skills here. His choice was indeed correct.

"Too fast! It only took 10 days to be able to sense the flow of qi and blood... I really can't be careless. I will try to master the fist technique within two days and let the qi and blood flow through my whole body."

Watching Liu Shuqing's retreating figure, Zhou An silently made up his mind.

He lacks a solid foundation and needs to work much harder.

"Brother Liu, why aren't you leaving?"

Soon, the two arrived at the cafeteria, and Zhou An saw Liu Shuqing suddenly stop.

"Look!"

Liu Shuqing pointed to the dining table not far away.

"It was them."

Following the direction Liu Shuqing pointed, Zhou An saw Qian Youde, who ranked fifth, present a medicinal meal to Wang Yi, just as Liu Shuqing had done that day.

"Qian Youde is smarter than Liu Xuehui. Although he was a step behind me, he has already started to win over people with potential."

Liu Shuqing glanced at Liu Xuehui, who was sulking not far away, and said with a smile.

"If one does not possess extraordinary talent, martial arts practitioners should support each other; only in this way can they go further."

Unfortunately, Liu Xuehui doesn't understand this principle yet. If there were two more tests, Wang Yi would likely easily surpass him.

"Brother Liu is right."

Zhou An nodded, agreeing that what the other person said made a lot of sense.

If he hadn't befriended Liu Shuqing, he wouldn't have been able to break into the top ten so openly, let alone hear about the martial arts exam and the suspected immortal family quota beforehand.

However, no matter how much Qian Youde tries to win over Wang Yi, it has nothing to do with him. These petty squabbles are nothing compared to the importance of martial arts training.

Thinking of this, Zhou An couldn't wait to join the queue.

Today is the second serving of medicinal cuisine he has earned through his own efforts. If it gets sold out, he'll have nowhere to turn.

After all, he wasn't like Liu Shuqing and Qian Youde, who had enough money to buy a second serving of medicinal cuisine.

"Brother Wang, why the long face? In the end, we both have only one goal: to become official disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect."

Look at Zhou An, wasn't it because he received Liu Shuqing's sponsorship that he officially entered the top ten?

Ultimately, if you fall behind at one step, you'll fall behind at every step. If you want to make great strides in martial arts, it's not enough to rely on just one person.

Only by making more friends and working together can we go further.

Qian Youde pointed at Zhou An and Liu Shuqing, who were queuing up for food, and looked at Wang Yi with a patient expression.

Now that Liu Shuqing has won over Zhou An, it's time for him to set aside his arrogance and strive for more support in the future.

Ultimately, he and Liu Shuqing both chose to come here in order to obtain more cultivation resources.

If it's just about showing off to country folk, wouldn't it be better to strut around the city gates every day?

Unfortunately, Liu Xuehui couldn't understand it, thinking that he had betrayed the organization, and kept sulking.

"Sister is right. You become like those you associate with. If you're surrounded by a bunch of useless people, you'll eventually become useless yourself."

Qian Youde glanced at Liu Xuehui not far away and thought to himself.

Looking at the medicinal cuisine on the table, Wang Yi recalled Zhou An's previous spirited appearance, and immediately nodded solemnly and spoke.

"Zhou An received 5 days of financial assistance from Liu Shuqing, and I also need 5 days. After 5 days, I will break into the top ten."

However, don't expect me to be your lackey.

"Brother Wang, rest assured, what I, Qian Youde, want are not lackeys, but friends who can support each other in the martial arts world."

Although Qian Youde was somewhat dissatisfied, he nodded in agreement after thinking of Liu Shuqing's appearance.

"Okay, we'll be friends in five days."

Hearing this, Wang Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

What he hates most is being someone's lackey and being looked down upon.

However, Wang Yi quickly lost all other thoughts. The moment the fragrant aroma of medicine wafted over, his entire being was jolted awake.

"No wonder Zhou An has made such great progress; this medicinal cuisine is indeed a good thing."

After taking a bite, Wang Yi felt a warm current flowing through his body, and a moment of dazedness appeared in his eyes.

Looking at Qian Youde smiling across from him, he no longer felt disgusted.

"Practice martial arts, practice martial arts."

After finishing several meals, Wang Yi immediately rushed to the courtyard in front of the canteen to begin his cultivation.

Not only Wang Yi, but many more impoverished teenagers also rushed out.

Even the Ningshan youths, who were usually too proud to admit their wrongdoing and dressed in fine clothes, joined in one after another.

The courtyard in front of the canteen had become a lively training ground.

"It's so greasy... If this keeps up, I'm afraid there won't be any room left to practice martial arts after I finish eating."

Looking at the teenagers practicing martial arts so intensely, Zhou An, who had just brought the food to the table, felt quite troubled.

"Um?"

At this moment, Liu Shuqing also arrived with the food. He was greeting Qian San and Sun Shi when his eyes suddenly lit up.

Then you can see that the stool under Zhou An's drum has been pulled aside, and he's just sitting there eating his meal while there's nothing there.

"Brother Zhou, are you eating while practicing your standing meditation?"

"There's nothing I can do. I arrived too late today, and there are no spots left to practice martial arts at the entrance."

Zhou An gestured with his lip towards the group of young people practicing martial arts at the entrance.

In that short time, two more boys dressed in coarse linen clothes rushed out.

Fortunately, Guo Tao and Qian Ming were cooking at home instead of eating here, otherwise he would probably be made an example of and accused of setting a bad example by freeloading rice from the cafeteria.

"Brother Zhou, don't you feel uncomfortable eating while practicing standing meditation?"

Watching Zhou An eat heartily while cooperating with the pile driver in breathing exercises, Liu Shuqing felt that her own medicinal diet no longer tasted good.

"Brother Liu, please don't mind. Brother Zhou has always been like this."

Qian San, whose face was still covered in rice, laughed from the side.

"I've finished eating and I'm going out to practice my martial arts now. Could you two please keep an eye on my dishes so that Sister Ge doesn't take them away?"

As he spoke, Qian San stuffed the rice grains off his face into his mouth.

"Brother Qian, wait for me."

Upon seeing this, Sun Shi, Liu Tiezhu, and Zhang Yida, who were standing nearby, immediately stood up and called out.

"Oh no, they're all working this hard... I hope they won't overtake me next time."

Watching the three hurried figures, Liu Shuqing subconsciously looked at Zhou An, who seemed oblivious to everything around him, and suddenly felt inexplicably uneasy.

His current arm strength is 132 jin, which is 14 jin more than Zhou An's.

This number is too dangerous.

Just then, Liu Shuqing saw that Sun Wenhao, who was usually taciturn, had also run to the entrance of the cafeteria and was now in a fighting stance.

"Gurgle!"

Liu Shuqing swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and then followed Zhou An's example, assuming a horse stance and eating heartily.

"These kids are really crazy."

At the window, Sister Ge, who was in charge of serving meals, said to the people behind her with a helpless expression.

"Let's cook another pot of rice."

.......