Chapter 4

In this world, martial arts training is much like taekwondo dojos on Earth, only considered a form of physical exercise and self-cultivation. Although there are ranks and levels, except for the higher ranks, most are just for show and have little practical combat value, only useful for physical fitness and looking good.

For parents and families, these things are akin to music and dance, part of a well-rounded education that can make children more versatile.

Garon, like all the other students, paired up according to their rankings. The girl from last time stood in front of him again.

The girl had an average appearance, a slender waist, but a rather flat chest. Her silver short hair glinted slightly red in the sunset. "Number 15, Delilah."

"Number 16, Garon."

The two stood face to face, stating their rankings and names.

"Begin!" Sharmila shouted.

Garon and the others immediately focused solely on their opponents' movements.

In the basic combat techniques, no specific fighting moves were taught, only a simple exercise routine and explosive power techniques. In Garon's memory, there were no set moves; the so-called sparring was just two people using their past fighting experience, with the explosive power techniques making their strikes more powerful. In fact, this was the purpose of the martial arts school, to have students engage in strength-based sparring.

With this in mind, Garon didn't say anything more and lunged forward, aiming a punch at Delilah's left shoulder. He hadn't increased his attribute points yet, wanting to see the exact extent of his body's capabilities.

As his fist was still in mid-air, Delilah sidestepped to the right and then rammed her shoulder into Garon.

Both of their speeds were not fast, and Garon reacted in time, also sidestepping and ramming his shoulder forward.

With a thud, both of them took a step back. Then they continued to charge at each other. This time, they were thoroughly grappling, exchanging punches and kicks, with no particular form or technique, just like before.

The last time, Garon had struggled for a while, but eventually lost to Delilah due to exhaustion.

This time, after a bit of grappling, Garon took advantage of a moment when both were catching their breath, focusing his attention on the five attributes below his status. He paused on the strength attribute.

Snap!

A light sound seemed to come from his brain, and Garon felt his muscles suddenly bulge, as if they had grown larger.

Looking at the strength attribute, the number had increased from 0.31 to 0.41.

"Just a 0.1 increase? There's such a noticeable change in my body?" Garon was slightly surprised. He then looked at Delilah, who was panting heavily.

Without a word, he charged again. This time, as he pushed off the ground, Garon clearly felt his speed increase.

Because the strength had been converted into explosive power, enhancing his speed, this attack came unexpectedly.

Delilah hadn't anticipated Garon's sudden increase in speed. She tried to sidestep as before, but it was too late. As she shifted her center of gravity, Garon slammed into her shoulder.

Snap!

Delilah spun half a circle and fell to the ground, unable to get up. She panted heavily, her face full of surprise, staring at Garon.

"You actually... pant... still have... so much strength..."

Garon clearly felt the changes in his body, feeling a mix of joy and confusion. He didn't have time to pay attention to Delilah's condition and turned to report his results to Sharmila.

Sharmila had also noticed Garon's sudden burst of power. Although he was weak, he was one of the five she had been paying attention to. After recording his number, she smiled at Garon and nodded. "Go rest for a bit."

"Okay, Instructor Sharmila." Garon wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and walked to the side to sit and rest, waiting for the others to finish their matches. About half of the students were in the same situation.

Watching the remaining students practice under the tree, Garon carefully felt the changes in his strength.

He lifted his thin arm and was surprised to see a faint outline of muscle, not just skin and bones.

"Just an increase in strength has such a significant change. My strength has increased by at least a third, and I can now consistently rank 15th among the students. I doubt I can rank higher, but it's much better than before. If the other attributes increase similarly—agility, constitution, intelligence... If the other attributes also increase significantly..."

Garon felt a surge of anticipation. "I need to find out the reason for the potential increase... If strength, constitution, and speed can continuously increase, I should be able to meet the standards for the martial arts school to recruit. That way, I can earn a substantial income from the martial arts school."

**************

The increase in strength didn't bring any significant changes to Garon's school life, except that he ate more. Academically, he lost all interest, focusing all his energy on studying the attribute symbols.

To continue collecting potential percentages, he started paying attention to the jewelry and accessories worn by girls. After school, he would go to the city's jewelry stores, pretending to shop.

After visiting all the jewelry stores in the city, Garon found something that could increase his potential at a second-hand jewelry store. One was a blue sapphire, and the other was a tiny red diamond from a red diamond earring.

Just touching these two items increased his potential percentage to 89%.

Unfortunately, he didn't find any more special jewelry after that.

Garon also discovered a pattern: only ancient jewelry could provide absorbable potential.

**************

"Garon, are you going to Bibo Lake this weekend?"

On the rooftop, a group of male and female students stood together, leaning against the railing and chatting casually.

The morning sunlight was cold and pale, providing little warmth.

Garon stood among the boys, leaning against the railing with Caledo and two other boys, Fein and Jekkeleris, whom he had just met. The girls included Ephy and two of Fein's friends.

The seven of them had become close this week.

"Bibo Lake? Where is it?" Garon asked Caledo.

"Near the paper mill in the suburbs. I've been there once; there are a lot of swans and other birds. And you know..." Caledo glanced at the girls chatting behind them, a sly smile on his face.

"The key is that it's remote, right?" Jekkeleris interjected. He looked mature, with short red hair and dark skin, appearing honest. In reality, he enjoyed using his appearance to deceive young girls.

"Convenient for making a move..." Garon added. The two of them chuckled.

Caledo signaled to Fein. "Don't blame us for not inviting you. There will be more girls there, including Fein's female friends from last time."

Garon shook his head. He had met Fein's other female friends.

Fein came from a good family, and the girls he associated with were indeed beautiful. However, when they went out together last time, those girls chatted and played among themselves, completely ignoring the poorer students. They looked down on them.

Even with Fein's attempts to mediate, there was no improvement.

"If it's like last time, I'll pass," he said casually. "And I don't have much money. I don't want to join in the fun. You guys go and have fun."

Lately, he had gained some muscle, looking less sickly and more handsome.

"No problem, I'll cover your share. It's not much money," Caledo said, patting Garon on the shoulder. "It's more fun when we all go together. What's the point of going alone? If we don't stick together, we'll drift apart soon. You don't want to stop hanging out with us, do you?"

"Again, you covering it..." Garon was speechless. "Last time, you covered for me..."

"Why bring that up? Let's just say it's settled. Meet at the school gate tomorrow at 9 AM. We'll leave together, okay?" Caledo set a time.

"Alright." "No problem."

The other two had no objections. Garon was dragged into agreeing by Caledo's enthusiasm, despite not wanting to go. Caledo made it clear that not going would mean the end of their friendship, so Garon had no choice but to agree.

After setting the time, they discussed it with the girls, but each of them had their own plans and didn't agree to go.

Ephy, with her red ponytail, stood on the rooftop, her right hand pressing down on her black-purple mini-skirt. The wind was strong where she stood, and the hem of her skirt kept being blown up. Ephy looked uncomfortable, pressing down on her skirt to prevent it from flipping up and exposing her. Even with tights, it was something no girl could tolerate.

Hearing the invitation to Bibo Lake, Ephy glanced at Garon. Since the goat's milk incident, the two had developed a sense of mutual understanding.

"Are you going, Garon?" she asked involuntarily.

"No choice..." Garon smiled bitterly. "Fein promised to show me his family's collection of jewelry if I go... You know my hobby."

Ephy nodded, frowning slightly. She had been paying close attention to Garon, finding him more mature and steady than the others, and their family situations were somewhat similar. "Doesn't that mean your sister will be home alone?"

"She's practicing archery and says she's going to participate in a competition. She's not good at academics, but she's talented in other areas," Garon explained. He had to go this time because he knew Fein's family had an ancient piece of jewelry that couldn't be bought anywhere, very old, similar to the black pearl he had absorbed the first time.

To further enhance his attributes, he had no choice but to agree.

The last increase in strength had stabilized him at 14th place in the Baiyun Martial Arts School. After further research on the jewelry that could absorb potential, Garon vaguely realized that this world might not be as simple as he initially thought.

**************

The increase in strength didn't bring significant changes to Garon's school life, except that he ate more. Academically, he lost all interest, focusing all his energy on studying the attribute symbols.

To continue collecting potential percentages, he started paying attention to the jewelry and accessories worn by girls. After school, he would go to the city's jewelry stores, pretending to shop.

After visiting all the jewelry stores in the city, Garon found something that could increase his potential at a second-hand jewelry store. One was a blue sapphire, and the other was a tiny red diamond from a red diamond earring.

Just touching these two items increased his potential percentage to 89%.

Unfortunately, he didn't find any more special jewelry after that.

Garon also discovered a pattern: only ancient jewelry could provide absorbable potential.

**************

"Garon, are you going to Bibo Lake this weekend?"

On the rooftop, a group of male and female students stood together, leaning against the railing and chatting casually.

The morning sunlight was cold and pale, providing little warmth.

Garon stood among the boys, leaning against the railing with Caledo and two other boys, Fein and Jekkeleris, whom he had just met. The girls included Ephy and two of Fein's friends.

The seven of them had become close this week.

"Bibo Lake? Where is it?" Garon asked Caledo.

"Near the paper mill in the suburbs. I've been there once; there are a lot of swans and other birds. And you know..." Caledo glanced at the girls chatting behind them, a sly smile on his face.

"The key is that it's remote, right?" Jekkeleris interjected. He looked mature, with short red hair and dark skin, appearing honest. In reality, he enjoyed using his appearance to deceive young girls.

"Convenient for making a move..." Garon added. The two of them chuckled.

Caledo signaled to Fein. "Don't blame us for not inviting you. There will be more girls there, including Fein's female friends from last time."

Garon shook his head. He had met Fein's other female friends.

Fein came from a good family, and the girls he associated with were indeed beautiful. However, when they went out together last time, those girls chatted and played among themselves, completely ignoring the poorer students. They looked down on them.

Even with Fein's attempts to mediate, there was no improvement.

"If it's like last time, I'll pass," he said casually. "And I don't have much money. I don't want to join in the fun. You guys go and have fun."

Lately, he had gained some muscle, looking less sickly and more handsome.

"No problem, I'll cover your share. It's not much money," Caledo said, patting Garon on the shoulder. "It's more fun when we all go together. What's the point of going alone? If we don't stick together, we'll drift apart soon. You don't want to stop hanging out with us, do you?"

"Again, you covering it..." Garon was speechless. "Last time, you covered for me..."

"Why bring that up? Let's just say it's settled. Meet at the school gate tomorrow at 9 AM. We'll leave together, okay?" Caledo set a time.

"Alright." "No problem."

The other two had no objections. Garon was dragged into agreeing by Caledo's enthusiasm, despite not wanting to go. Caledo made it clear that not going would mean the end of their friendship, so Garon had no choice but to agree.

After setting the time, they discussed it with the girls, but each of them had their own plans and didn't agree to go.

Ephy, with her red ponytail, stood on the rooftop, her right hand pressing down on her black-purple mini-skirt. The wind was strong where she stood, and the hem of her skirt kept being blown up. Ephy looked uncomfortable, pressing down on her skirt to prevent it from flipping up and exposing her. Even with tights, it was something no girl could tolerate.

Hearing the invitation to Bibo Lake, Ephy glanced at Garon. Since the goat's milk incident, the two had developed a sense of mutual understanding.

"Are you going, Garon?" she asked involuntarily.

"No choice..." Garon smiled bitterly. "Fein promised to show me his family's collection of jewelry if I go... You know my hobby."

Ephy nodded, frowning slightly. She had been paying close attention to Garon, finding him more mature and steady than the others, and their family situations were somewhat similar. "Doesn't that mean your sister will be home alone?"

"She's practicing archery and says she's going to participate in a competition. She's not good at academics, but she's talented in other areas," Garon explained. He had to go this time because he knew Fein's family had an ancient piece of jewelry that couldn't be bought anywhere, very old, similar to the black pearl he had absorbed the first time.

To further enhance his attributes, he had no choice but to agree.

The last increase in strength had stabilized him at 14th place in the Baiyun Martial Arts School. After further research on the jewelry that could absorb potential, Garon vaguely realized that this world might not be as simple as he initially thought.