Chapter 22

School.

Gymnasium.

Jiang Li's current training is like being the center of attention among the stars.

All the classmates gathered around him, with him at the center, because after his evenly matched confrontation with the class president, Zhang Yue, he immediately established his authority.

"Brother Jiang, your physical strength has increased a lot recently. Why don't you try to see how much your punch power has improved?"

A male classmate spoke with a somewhat fawning tone. His name was Li Dong, with a vitality of 0.8, which was excellent and ranked high in the class, but he was far behind Jiang Li and Zhang Yue.

Originally, everyone in the class wanted to curry favor with Zhang Yue, but Zhang Yue paid no attention to these minor characters. Jiang Li, on the other hand, was more approachable.

"Yeah, Brother Jiang, test your physical strength," a few female classmates chimed in, chattering away.

They used to ignore Jiang Li, but now they gathered around him, making him realize that having strength means having status.

Guo Meng, following his close friend, felt especially honored and radiant.

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Jiang Li said as he walked up to a machine.

The machine was over two meters tall, wide, and had a sandbag connected to a light brain, which could accurately calculate the force of each punch.

Hey!

Walking up to the machine, he moved with ease, slightly pulling his hand knife, creating a sound as the air split. Midway, he clenched his fist, the speed of his hand movements leaving people in awe as he struck the sandbag forcefully.

"Punch power: 0.8 tons!"

The number appeared on the light brain, and a mechanical voice announced it.

"Wow! 0.8 tons!" a girl screamed.

"I remember when Zhang Yue tested, he only got 0.76 tons. Does that mean Brother Jiang's punch power exceeds Zhang Yue's?" Li Dong was secretly shocked. He had asked Jiang Li to test his punch power to gauge his true strength, but it far exceeded his expectations.

Moreover, Jiang Li's punch this time was delivered without moving his feet, and his hand knife strike already reached 0.8 tons. If he used his full strength, it would be even more terrifying.

However, his younger brother, Jiang Tao, tested at 0.9 tons, but Jiang Li could reach 0.9 tons with full effort, which was not a problem.

With this one punch, his prestige among the students grew even stronger.

After all, among the 4,000 students in the class, most had a punch power of only 0.4 tons, and even the best students barely reached 0.5 tons. No one had ever tested above 0.5 tons.

Jiang Li looked at the number, feeling very satisfied. It seemed that after fighting the "Phantom Fox" and activating the "Emperor of the Mind Seal" cultivation, his physical strength had increased significantly, and his movements were more coordinated. He believed that if he met Zhang Yue again, he could definitely crush him.

"Strange, why isn't the class president, Zhang Yue, here today?"

Many students wanted to see how Zhang Yue and Jiang Li would face off again.

"Zhang Yue only associates with the school's elite, the top students from other classes. He doesn't even look at those with a vitality below 0.9."

"But this time, I think Brother Jiang's vitality will definitely break 0.9 in the final exam, making him a top figure."

"Zhang Yue won't be able to act so arrogantly anymore."

The students chattered excitedly.

"Everyone, let's start our combat training. If you have any questions or need guidance, feel free to ask me," Jiang Li said. Unlike Zhang Yue, he was very approachable, good at building relationships, and had no airs. In just a few days, he had become the de facto leader of the class.

"Sure, Brother Jiang."

"Brother Jiang is so righteous. You have to protect us in the future. If other classes bully us, you have to step in."

"Right, our class is weak in the grade and often gets bullied. In the past, Zhang Yue mostly ignored it, but now we finally have Brother Jiang to take charge."...

The female classmates flattered him.

"Bro, you're on a roll," Guo Meng came up and whispered, "I think a few girls are quite interested in you. Just hook your finger, and you can get them. Give your brother a chance, leave one for me. I'm still single in my senior year, and I'm really desperate."

"Get lost," Jiang Li laughed and scolded, "Still desperate? In your final year, focus on your studies. Get good grades, and you can find someone easily in college."

At that moment, all the students were training in the gym, engaging in combat and sparring, sweating and pouring out their youth.

Bang!

The gym door was kicked open, and the loud noise echoed throughout the room. All the students turned to look at the door.

A student appeared at the door, standing at 1.9 meters tall, with a perfect physique, handsome features, and an imposing presence.

"That's Yang Wu from Class 1, with a vitality of 0.9, ranked 37th in the school, even above Zhang Yue. What is he doing in our class? Class 1 is the strongest class in the senior year of the school."

Yang Wu, one of the strongest students in the school, exuded pressure as he entered, and the class fell silent, unsure of his intentions.

"Who is Jiang Li?"

Yang Wu raised his head and scanned the room.

"Looking for me?" Jiang Li frowned and stepped forward, "What's up?"

"You're Jiang Li?" Yang Wu glanced at the 1.8-meter-tall Jiang Li, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, "Brother Bing wants to see you. Follow me."

Jiang Li was originally 1.75 meters tall, but after months of cultivation and consuming large amounts of nutrients, his endocrine system changed, and he grew taller and stronger, now standing at 1.8 meters, though still a bit shorter than 1.9 meters.

"Brother Bing?"

Jiang Li remembered that Brother Bing was a famous figure in the school, Zheng Wenbing.

"Why does he want to see me?"

"Don't ask too many questions, just follow me," Yang Wu gestured, "I'll take you to Brother Bing."

"Bro, don't go," Guo Meng stepped forward, "They might be up to something. If you go, we'll all go. Other classes won't bully us so easily."

"Right, Brother Jiang, we'll go with you!" a few classmates shouted.

"No need, you guys keep training," Jiang Li waved his hand. After his life-and-death battle with the "Phantom Fox," he had become more detached, especially towards a few students in the school.

"Let's go, lead the way," he gestured.

"Hmph!" Yang Wu snorted, turned, and walked away, not caring about the group of students in the class. To him, anyone with a vitality below 0.9 was insignificant. Two hundred years ago, in the national era, top students looked down on those with poor grades, and it was even more so now.

Back then, good grades were just a reputation, but now, good grades meant strong vitality, which was even more advantageous.

Soon, he followed Yang Wu to another building, a high-end gym with various equipment, even a virtual brain.

This was a specialized brain training room constructed by the school, capable of projecting various virtual scenarios for training. It was a paid service, costing 100 star coins per hour, equivalent to Jiang Li's parents' monthly salary, and only wealthy families could afford it.

Yang Wu swiped his card, and the large glass door opened. In the center of the gym was a large platform, where a student in white was fighting many soldiers.

The soldiers were virtual projections, but they were extremely realistic, with lifelike expressions. They were elite warriors input into the light brain, skilled in combat, and even though they were virtual, their presence exuded a sense of danger.

High-level brains used various laser energies to create virtual scenarios, and these soldiers were energy bodies. If they hit someone, they could even leave bloodstains.

The initial virtual training involved slicing fruits, where a person stood in a room, and many fruits made of light fell from the sky, and the person used a knife to cut them, improving their accuracy.

Now, virtual training could form lifelike people with a certain level of attack, condensed energy bodies.

Bang, bang, bang...

The student in white suddenly jumped, dodging attacks from two soldiers, and with one punch, he shattered another soldier's head, blood flowing to the ground and gradually disappearing. Then, his body flickered, and he punched again, striking with force.

His punches were like a storm, each one weighing hundreds of kilograms, fast as the wind, fierce as a tiger, and dozens of soldiers were torn apart in an instant!

Beep, beep, beep... The virtual scenario disappeared.

Whoosh!

The student in white jumped down from the platform, and a few students quickly offered towels to wipe his sweat.

"Brother Bing, I've brought Jiang Li," Yang Wu snapped his fingers.

"Yang Wu, you're a good brother," the student in white, Zheng Wenbing, was tall, handsome, and exuded a natural aura. His strength and skills in tearing apart virtual soldiers had reached their peak.

The few students around him also had a vitality of 0.8, from ordinary families, willing to run errands for Zheng Wenbing to gain some benefits.

However, there was another student standing nearby, equally tall and handsome, but with a proud and lofty demeanor, the class president, Zhang Yue.

The three top students in the school, Zheng Wenbing, Yang Wu, and Zhang Yue, were all gathered, eyeing Jiang Li with a predatory gaze.

Of course, these three centered around Zheng Wenbing.

Zheng Wenbing had the largest family assets, the strongest influence, and his own strength had reached the peak. In the last final exam, his vitality had already reached 0.98, just a step away from the 1.0 realm.

Once he reached 1.0, his status would be completely different, and he could wield great power in the school. Not only that, but he would also have a high status in society.

The military, police, and government agencies were eager to recruit such students.

"This is no big deal," Yang Wu nodded, looking at Jiang Li, "Brother Bing is here, why don't you greet him?"

"We're all classmates," Jiang Li sneered, "You're not a gang, do I need to greet you? When did the school have such a rule?"

"Truly audacious," a student follower said menacingly, "Brother Bing, it looks like we need to teach him a lesson first?"

The other followers immediately surrounded him, eyeing him with a predatory gaze, clearly not the first time they had done this.

"You have a lot of nerve," Zheng Wenbing waved his hand, stopping them from acting, and came to Jiang Li, "Your brother, Jiang Tao, doesn't respect me. What makes you think you can? Are you relying on your brother's influence, like a fox borrowing the tiger's might?"

"Why did you call me here this time?" Jiang Li looked around, realizing he was surrounded.

If it were the old him, he would have felt immense pressure, but now he was eager for a fight: "Don't tell me you want me to persuade Jiang Tao to stop associating with Lu Yaoyao. I can't control him, so it's pointless to come to me."

"Today, I want you to do something for me," Zheng Wenbing threw the towel aside, "Your family is having a meal together. I have a packet of medicine. You secretly put it in Jiang Tao's bowl, and the job is done. Afterward, I'll give you 10,000 star coins! You've never seen such a large sum of money, right?"

"What? You want me to drug my brother?" Jiang Li's face showed a strange expression. In the 21st century, 200 years ago, students would sometimes poison each other out of jealousy over good grades. Now, Zheng Wenbing was resorting to the same tactic.

Zheng Wenbing was willing to go to such lengths because Jiang Tao had defeated him.

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