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0.82% A World Worth Protecting / Chapter 12: Breakthrough

Chapter 12: Breakthrough

Editor: Atlas Studios

Nearly all the Combat faculty students had unfriendly looks. Their eyes seemed to burn with fighting spirit. Even Chen Ziheng's face looked grim, his expression turning very serious.

Zhuo Yifan was the same. After he clenched his fists, his mouth warped into a sneer.

Even the Combat faculty teacher looked Wang Baole deeply in the eye.

The strange scene of hundreds of bulky men looking at him left a chill running down Wang Baole's back. He felt that something was amiss.

Have these people from the Combat faculty gone silly from all the training? Wang Baole subconsciously took a few steps back and began to turn suspicious. As he had been too engrossed in running previously, he had ignored everything that happened around him. The only thing that had occupied his mind was the Fatso Forefathers chasing him. Therefore, he had not noticed the Combat faculty students and their setbacks.

"Everyone is a member of Ethereal Dao College. Haha, since you wish to train here in private… it's all the same if I go elsewhere too." Wang Baole smiled dryly when he saw the situation before him. Just as he was about to leave, the Combat faculty students rushed forward and surrounded him, preventing him from leaving.

"What are all of you doing? This is Ethereal Dao College. I'm a specially-recruited student of the Dharmic Armament faculty!" Wang Baole became frightened as he stared at them immediately.

The Combat faculty teacher had a deep, meaningful smile on his face. He took a few steps forward and grabbed Wang Baole before laughing out loud.

"Student Wang Baole, there's no need to be afraid. Come, train with our Combat faculty." He smiled with a pleased look as he secretly rejoiced. Even if Wang Baole was good at running, he was definitely no match for the Combat faculty when it came to strength.

After all, members of the Combat faculty spent nearly all their time on training their bodies. They had the absolute advantage in strength. Nothing would have happened if Wang Baole had not delivered himself to them, but since he had, how could he be spared?

We have to vent our anger well. We have to show him how powerful our Combat faculty is!

With a smile, the teacher escorted Wang Baole straight to the training grounds. He pointed at the hundreds of gigantic barbells on the ground and said with a smile, "Wang Baole, come, come, come. They are free for your picking."

With that said, the teacher looked at the other Combat faculty students and shouted, "And all of you, quickly begin training!"

Wang Baole hesitated for a moment. Just as he wanted to speak, the Combat faculty students rushed at the barbells like tigers and wolves. Each of them raised one and stared at Wang Baole provocatively.

Something is wrong! Wang Baole turned wary, but against so many provocative glares, he could do nothing. With eyes widened, he went forward and grabbed a barbell. After taking in a deep breath, he raised it up with a grunt.

The moment Wang Baole raised the barbell, the teacher felt extremely pleased. He shouted, "Countdown begins. Punks, all of you are to use all your strength!"

While the teacher reeled in excitement, the students began the rather atypical competition amid deep grunts. Nearly everyone was grunting as they raised the barbells, especially Chen Ziheng and Zhuo Yifan. They were at the second stage Ancient Martial realm, so although their barbells were extremely heavy, it was still a weight they could handle.

They are trying to compete with me! Wang Baole did not accept defeat either. He realized that it was not that heavy when he raised the barbell. He also managed to raise it with his strength.

Immediately, there were heavy breathing sounds coming from everyone on the training ground.

"Ten… Twenty… Thirty… Have you guys even eaten? Use more strength!" bellowed the teacher, his voice constantly reverberating. Gradually, the all students completed at least fifty repetitions, and people began to falter. The barbells' weight indicated that the average person was very strong if they could handle five repetitions.

At that moment, nearly everyone had lasted fifty repetitions. This was already quite an uncommon feat for them. Their bodies were trembling as though they could not keep at it.

Is it that heavy? Wang Baole felt a little puzzled. Despite having raised fifty repetitions, the weight was not something unbearable to him. Most importantly, the spirit fat in his body was rapidly being depleted as he raised the weights, turning into Spirit Qi that nourished his body. Not only was he not tired, he even felt more energetic and alert.

However, Wang Baole noticed the crowd's angry gazes. With a displeased inward grunt, he deliberately quivered as though he was about to fail at any moment. He even heaved heavily.

"I want to raise one last time!"

With him saying that sentence, the students that were about to give up seemed to gain strength from his words. They gritted their teeth and, with a cry, forcibly raised their barbells once more. But when they looked at Wang Baole, they realized that he too had raised his in a shaky manner. They immediately felt gripped by anxiety.

"I want to raise it one final time again!" Wang Baole panted as though he was about to collapse at any moment. He had let out the statement with his face reddened.

The other students clenched their teeth again, but they were ultimately at their limits. Nearly half of them failed to continue. With a plop, they dropped the barbells, but thanks to the safety precautions, they were not injured.

At least a hundred plus more people were holding on. All of them raised their barbells once more as they held their breaths, but soon, they realized that Wang Baole had raised his barbell despite saying the same words.

"Everyone, keep it up!"

"He can't hold out much longer!"

The enervated students lay on the ground but continued supporting their fellow faculty mates. Their cheers slowly grew softer, and eventually, they were left clenching their teeth.

Wang Baole had repeatedly claimed that it was his last time, but he had never once faltered. Instead, more and more of the remaining hundred plus people gave up successively, despite their rage. Finally, fewer than ten people were left holding on as they trembled.

They were also at their limits, but every time they were about to give up, they would see Wang Baole's trembling body and think to themselves, Perhaps this is Wang Baole's final one.

But… these people ended up reeling in despair one after another. Only Chen Ziheng and Zhuo Yifan stood standing. Yet, Wang Baole was still shaking as he raised his barbell.

"I can still last a little longer. This is really the last one!" Wang Baole stumbled as he took a step back. He forced himself to stand up straight, and with a pant, he raised it again.

"Shameless!"

"He's too much!" The surrounding students could not help but shout angrily. Even the Combat faculty teacher was cursing in his heart. The act that Wang Baole put on from the beginning appeared too shameless to him.

"Chen Ziheng, Zhuo Yifan. I can let your running loss to the Dharmic Armament faculty pass, but are you going to lose at weight-lifting as well!" roared the teacher.

Chen Ziheng's eyes turned red, and the two remaining students seemed to give it their all. They clenched their teeth, raising their barbells once again. After raising more than a hundred repetitions, Chen Ziheng looked at the trembling Wang Baole, who could still continue. With a lamenting cry in his heart, he collapsed weakly.

Even Zhuo Yifan finally reached his limit. In the end, he had already released all his potential. An attempt to raise the barbell while shaking only left him spinning. He could not continue.

Wang Baole seemed to be sharing the same fate when he looked over. His body seemed to stagger, and he did not seem capable of raising the barbell again. Zhuo Yifan immediately felt his hopes raise while the other students turned excited as well.

"Fatso Forefathers, lend me your energy!" Wang Baole was perspiring all over. With his roar, he gradually lifted the barbell as all the students—and even the teacher—were secretly calling for him to drop the barbell inwardly.

Immediately, everyone glared angrily. Zhuo Yifan's eyes turned a deeper red as he found the situation unacceptable. He attempted to raise the barbell again, but bereft of any more strength, he collapsed.

His eyes turned black, and the despondent feeling in his heart could hardly be described.

At that moment, everyone in the training ground had an ugly expression. They stared at Wang Baole who was the only one remaining. Wang Baole raised the barbell again and again as though there was no end…

Two hours, four hours, six hours, eight hours…

While they rested, Wang Baole was raising the weights. When they recovered and continued again, Wang Baole was still doing the same. When they headed off for their meals, Wang Baole was still lifting. Only on the third day did they leave. Under the moonlight, Wang Baole was still lifting.

In the end, everyone was left dumbfounded. If he had raised the barbell normally, everyone could have tolerated him, but he would always roar, claiming that it was the final repetition. After shouting for so long, his voice did not even turn hoarse.

"This rascal is too crafty!"

"Darn it. Doesn't he tire out from shouting for so long?"

Everyone felt miserable. The Combat faculty teacher also turned disheartened; he felt completely defeated. He planned on leaving with the students and never engaging in outdoor training whenever he saw Wang Baole.

But, at the instant they were about to leave, an extraordinary aura suddenly blasted out of Wang Baole's body. At that moment, his body seemed to emanate red light that resembled fire. This red light effused from within his body, through his skin, before inundating the vision of everyone present.

This was… Blood Qi that stirred the skies!

Extremely rich Blood Qi rushed everywhere. Wang Baole's body also shrank rapidly, eventually returning to his original size. All the spirit fat burned at that instant, providing him with the energy needed to reach the Blood Qi realm!

This scene immediately left the minds of the people that were planning to leave abuzz. They stood there and felt as though they had been struck by lightning, leaving them completely awestruck.

"I succeeded!" Wang Baole threw the barbell in excitement. He roared with laughter when he saw his restored body line. He next noticed that he had reached the Blood Qi realm, which made him even more pleasantly surprised. He ran off quickly and exuberantly.

Even when he was long gone, the Combat faculty crowd at the training grounds did not extricate themselves from their daze. A series of gasps spread only a while later.

"He… he actually broke through?"

"Heavens, he stepped into the Blood Qi realm faster than us despite being from the Dharmic Armament faculty!"

"Did I see wrong? He broke through… from lifting weights!"

Incredulous exclamations and discussions broke out among the students. The scene that they had witnessed incited them just too much. It would have been fine if they had lost to Wang Baole twice, but to watch him break through left them envious.

Even the Combat faculty teacher spent an entire day in a deranged grievance. He could not help but blow up.

"You bunch of trash!"

"You can forget about sleeping. He's from the Dharmic Armament faculty. He can even breakthrough from lifting weights! What about all of you? Keep training. Do not stop until you breakthrough!"

This time, none of the students complained. Instead, many of their eyes lit up. They felt that perhaps it was really a good way of breaking through. All of them rushed to train with hastened breaths.

It was unknown if lifting weights was really effective or if it was due to the immense shock, but after that night, one student from the Combat faculty actually managed to break through from lifting weights.

As such, this matter caused a stir throughout the Combat faculty. It was like a legend. As a result, even a long time after that incident, there were people from the Combat faculty who would go to that very spot to lift weights, hoping to try their luck.


Chapter 13: Cleansing Pill

Editor: Atlas Studios

After leaving a legend in the Combat faculty, Wang Baole returned to his cave abode in the Dharmic Armament faculty. He sat on the veranda in satisfaction as he looked at the beautiful blue sky. He felt good as he picked up a bag of snacks and began chomping on its contents.

I'm already so thin; I need some nourishment. Wang Baole sighed as he caressed his tiny fat face and his bulging belly. Although his weight-loss plan had ultimately allowed him to lose all the spirit fat, he still was in the shape of a fatty. However, Wang Baole was already satisfied with this outcome.

"Those Grandpa Fatties are unlikely to catch me now." Wang Baole chuckled as he felt the mighty Blood Qi in him. As he reeled in his delight, he took out another bag of snacks and began eating.

Only when dusk fell did Wang Baole fill himself with snacks. He ignored the tiny pile of empty snack wrappers on the veranda and returned to his cave abode to begin refining Spirit Stones.

With his prior experience, he soon managed to gather the surrounding Spirit Qi through the circulation of the Great Void Qi Devouring Art. After he sucked the Spirit Qi, he condensed it in his right hand and finally formed a chestnut-shaped Spirit Stone!

This Spirit Stone was not especially crystalline but was still rather translucent. It felt like a valuable treasure in hand, making Wang Baole grin from both ends.

A purity of 75%. I need to work harder and quickly achieve a purity of more than 90%. In Wang Baole's excitement, he turned passionate just from the thought of the position and power the position of Head Prefect entailed. He hurriedly cultivated.

Seven days quickly passed.

In those seven days, Wang Baole would occasionally attend classes in Spirit Stones Hall and not be as diligent as before. However, he still spent most of his time cultivating the Great Void Qi Devouring Art until he discovered a problem.

After the Spirit Stones' purity reached 75%, it was very difficult to make any progress. It was as though he had met a bottleneck, and no amount of hard work seemed to rectify the problem.

This made Wang Baole anxious. After several days of attempts with no progress, he patted his stomach vexingly. He took out the black mask and grumbled.

Did I cultivate wrong? Did I not discover something due to the blurry text? With that thought, Wang Baole felt that he was out of solutions. He took out the Hallucination Pillow and entered the Hallucination realm again.

It was still the ice plain with snow fluttering and biting cold wind. Wang Baole was not in the mood to experience the pleasant cold feeling as he hurriedly looked at the blurry mask in his hand.

Moments later, he saw the words again. After careful perusal, he finally determined that he had not made any mistakes in his cultivation.

Odd… There's no mistake, but why am I stuck at 75%? Wang Baole was feeling even more depressed as he sighed after grumbling. Just as he was about to leave the Hallucination realm to think of other solutions, the black mask seemed to hear his words and began warping rapidly.

This scene shocked Wang Baole as he looked over. He was astonished to discover that the Great Void Qi Devouring Art was gone. Replacing it were new words.

And those words actually gave him the answer to solving the problem of the Spirit Stones' purity!

Such a scene astounded Wang Baole. He rubbed his eyes and glared at the mask, roaring, "Come out. Who's in there? I see you. Come on out!"

With that said, Wang Baole braced himself and stared intently at the mask. However, the mask remained unchanged. Finally, Wang Baole looked suspiciously at the words that had appeared as his eyes gradually lit up.

Cleansing Pill…

The words on the mask told Wang Baole clearly that to obtain higher-purity Spirit Stones, he needed pills known as Cleansing Pills. Only such a pill could selectively remove the impurities in his body, allowing Spirit Qi to flow unobstructed in his body. As such, he could raise the purity.

Wang Baole fell into a dilemma when he saw this. He was intrigued by the solution, but he also found the mask strange. He remained hesitant even when he left the Hallucination realm. After logging into the Spirit Intranet, he began investigating what Cleansing Pills were.

Not long later, he found an introduction to Cleansing Pills on the school's Spirit Intranet. The pill was harmless to people and had excellent effects. It could cleanse a person's body of impurities, causing Ancient Martial realm warriors to be agiler.

However, the pill was extremely expensive, and the difficulty of refining it was extremely high. It was not something ordinary Alchemy faculty students could refine. Only the Alchemy faculty Head Prefect might be able to luckily refine one. Typically, he would eat it for himself.

As the herbal ingredients used were precious, even a Head Prefect would bemoan at his financial inadequacies. Only an Alchemy faculty teacher could refine one at great cost.

Basically, such Cleansing Pills were pretty much priceless in all of Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy.

Upon seeing the Cleansing Pill's introduction, Wang Baole no longer hesitated. He felt that even if the mask was odd, the pill was still something beneficial to him. He was immediately overcome with burning passion.

In the following days, apart from classes and cultivation, he spent nearly all his time investigating the pill. He even contacted Bunny and Du Min, who had entered the Alchemy faculty. He got them to help him seek out information, but their search turned up nothing as well. He was left at a loss.

After all, the pill was rare and valuable. Even if someone wanted to sell it, it was not something ordinary students like Bunny or Du Min would learn of. Although Wang Baole was a specially-recruited student, he had not yet been at the school for even a year. It was still difficult for him to come into contact with things of that level.

Hard work paid off eventually. Bunny placed great emphasis on Wang Baole's request. She kept feeling that Wang Baole had saved her life. Even though she had learned the truth about the test, she could never forget Wang Baole's bloody figure just like Liu Daobin.

Therefore, she handled Wang Baole's matter with great seriousness. Furthermore, with her sweet and adorable looks, coupled with her bubbly character, she managed to learn of something a month later.

"Baole! There's an auction in half a month's time in Ethereal City. They will be selling one Cleansing Pill there!"

When Wang Baole received Bunny's voice transmission, he immediately turned excited and kissed his transmission ring.

"Xiaoya, I love you!"

Inside the Alchemy faculty's dormitories, Bunny was sitting on her bed. When she heard Wang Baole's kissing sound from the voice transmission ring, she blushed instantly. Du Min, who was opposite her, looked over suspiciously.

"Xiaoya, what's the matter with you?"

"No… Nothing…" Bunny immediately lowered her head, her heart pounding. While feeling embarrassed, she had strange, indescribable thoughts.

As for Wang Baole, he circled his cave abode in excitement, pumping his fists into the air at times. His eyes were filled with excitement and eagerness.

The auction requires Spirit Stones, but they are too easy for me. Spirit Stones with 75% purity are worth a lot. Most importantly, I don't need any capital. Wang Baole laughed out loud. He felt like the Cleansing Pill was already his. This was because he had accumulated quite a number of Spirit Stones from his prior refinements.

And he did not require a lot of Spirit Stones; they were basically unnecessary to him. Even if he used all of them in exchange for Cleansing Pills, he would not flinch at all.

However, I can't be careless. The high officials' autobiographies have mentioned that one should never underestimate one's enemy. With this thought in mind, Wang Baole immediately decided to refine more Spirit Stones in the remaining half month.

Therefore, in the next half month, Wang Baole spent most of his time refining Spirit Stones. Time passed, and the day of the auction came. That morning, Wang Baole walked out his cave abode brimming with spirit.

The Green Forest Lake, where Ethereal Dao College stood, was on the eastern outskirts of Ethereal City. Ethereal Dao College's students were usually not restricted from entering the city. Although it was Wang Baole's first time heading there, he was no stranger to it. He took a boat, and after reaching the lake bank, he ran straight for Ethereal City.

He soon arrived and compared to his hometown—Phoenix City—Ethereal City was way bigger. It was more than a hundred times bigger than Phoenix City. After all, Phoenix City was only one of the countless tiny cities in the Federation. As for Ethereal City, it was one of the seventeen main cities of the Federation!

Outside the city, there were giant walls that resembled metal plates. They were lined with countless sharp spikes that twinkled. When the sunlight bounced off them, they exuded a stern feeling of death.

Apart from that, there was a massive array formation surrounding it. It was only activated at normal strength and not pushed to its limits. Even so, it was still able to effused a stunning feeling that enveloped the region.

From afar, one could see many pagodas towering over the city walls. Each one of them had a giant spinning ball at the top, intermittently releasing lightning out of it. It contained terrifying force and seemed like it could handle all enemies in the sky.

All of this was a result of the ancient greenish-bronze sword that had come from the cosmos. After it penetrated the Sun, its hilt had shattered into fragments that landed on Earth, its fragments spreading across the globe. Many of the factions of yesteryear had searched and gained control of them. Cultivation techniques had begun forming different schools of thoughts. Like a bed of flowers blooming across the land, it had changed the situation across the entire Federation.

Although the main body of power was the Federation, it was comprised of four major factions. Many tinier factions had dependent relations with them. If not for the beast war early in the Spirit Inception era, the Federation might have dissolved long ago.

And it was due to the beast war that, despite the Federation appearing peaceful, there was some friction between large and small factions occasionally. However, they only kept each other in check to certain limits. There was just no large-scale conflict.

After all, the beast war of yesteryear had been a calamity for all humans in the Federation. The Federation had faced the risk of extinction simply because of the sudden appearance of Spirit Qi.

The appearance of Spirit Qi had not only given humans the opportunity to cultivate; it had also included wild beasts and vegetation. The rich Spirit Qi had caused a large number of wild beasts, vegetation, and avian creatures to mutate. Some far exceeded humans, making them extremely powerful.

The beast war had been a result of that.

Although that battle had ended with the Federation gaining a stronghold in the cities, be it the desolate wilderness or the ocean, all of them were where the land and flying beasts ruled.

Therefore, cities needed strong defenses. In addition, due to the dangers that lurked outside the city walls, most people lived their entire lives in the cities. Venturing out had to be done with others or with specially hired combat cultivation escorts.

Just like how Wang Baole and the students had traveled to the Dao College.

At that moment, Wang Baole stood outside Ethereal City as he took in the lofty city. He took a deep breath, looked up, and puffed his chest before walking in.


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