This…
Liang Xiao froze—then his eyes widened in astonishment, followed by sheer delight.
His Special Golden Core was truly miraculous.
It could not only refine essence into Qi automatically, but also strengthen his physical body at the same time!
"Boss, ten more!"
He devoured the remaining buns in a few bites, then waved his hand impatiently.
The breakfast vendor stared, momentarily dumbfounded—but seeing the young man's eager expression and money in hand, he quickly complied, packing ten more buns into a plastic bag.
As soon as Liang Xiao scanned to pay, the light at the intersection turned green.
He rushed across the wide street, eating as he ran.
The war-era intersections of Changlin City were enormous—more than a hundred meters wide—designed to accommodate tanks and supply trucks.
By the time he reached the other side, all ten buns had vanished.
Only half full?
He glanced down in disbelief. His appetite was monstrous.
Yet as the food digested, a wave of warmth pulsed through him.
His physique and strength continued to climb subtly but steadily, and inside his Dantian, within the Special Golden Core, three wisps of True Qi now rotated gently.
That seemed to be his current limit.
Though his stomach wasn't empty, the automatic refinement had stopped.
So three wisps is the capacity for now, he thought. Maybe more layers will allow more.
A sudden question surfaced in his mind.
Does this mean… I'm a Cultivator now?
While jogging, he pulled out his phone and searched.
Within seconds, he found what he was looking for:
[Excerpt from the Federation Cultivation Index]
"After completing the Foundation Establishment Stage, one can begin refining Qi and is then considered a quasi-Cultivator.
To reach the true Qi Training Stage (Early Stage), one must refine at least nine wisps of True Qi and form a Qi vortex.
Unless the Cultivation Technique includes Body Refinement effects, or is a Body Refining Technique itself, early Qi Training Cultivators differ little from Mortals in physical ability—their superiority lies mainly in the destructive power of True Qi."
Liang Xiao frowned slightly.
"So I'm only a quasi-Cultivator…?"
But as he thought more, it made sense. His Golden Core was just a single, fragile layer.
The True Qi he could generate on its own was limited—only three wisps for now.
Still, he couldn't help but smile.
According to that information, my physique's improvement is already beyond normal. My Special Golden Core Method doesn't just work—it surpasses ordinary cultivation!
His months of struggle had not been in vain.
A little over a thousand meters from Changlin High School, several young men stood at a street corner, dressed casually and wearing gas masks. They looked bored but alert.
"That kid hasn't passed already, has he?" one asked, checking his watch.
"Impossible," another replied. "We've got people watching every route from his neighborhood to the school. No alerts so far."
"Maybe he saw us and ran off?"
"If he did, great. Saves us a few sprays and we still get the Foundation Establishment Pills Young Master Tan promised."
Their tone was casual, but their eyes were cold.
Their task was simple: stop Liang Xiao from taking the college entrance exam.
Delay him—don't kill him.
Open assault was too risky. The streets were patrolled by Law Enforcer Cultivators, and even minor offenses could lead to severe punishment.
But a quick hit with a tranquilizer spray? That was manageable.
The reward was too tempting to refuse.
The spray was an illegal concoction laced with traces of demonic miasma—harmless to Cultivators, but highly toxic to ordinary people.
A single dose could leave a person hallucinating for days.
In the Rich Area, such things were mere playthings.
For the slums, they were forbidden and deadly.
And their employer—Tan Weifeng, the arrogant young master who had just broken through to the Qi Training Stage—had plenty to spare.
A young man with a red birthmark on his neck suddenly glanced at his phone and smirked.
"He's coming. Everyone get ready. Aim carefully."
At once, their lazy posture straightened.
They crouched behind a parked transport truck, each pulling a small spray canister from their pockets.
"He's finally here. I thought the brat might have taken another route."
"Our wait wasn't wasted after all."
"Remember, don't hold back. Use the sprays freely. The Young Master said not to mess this up."
The buildings on either side of the street rose two to three hundred meters, their shadows narrowing the hundred-meter-wide roadway into a dim canyon of steel.
Liang Xiao sprinted along the right sidewalk, his breath steady, his body light.
In the distance, an electronic billboard flickered the time: 8:50 AM.
If I'm late by less than five minutes, I can still enter. I have ten minutes left—plenty.
He pushed harder.
Then—a faint hiss.
A passerby brushed past him, raising an arm casually, and sprayed something at his face.
He frowned. A strange smell stung his nose.
He thought he'd accidentally brushed against someone and ignored it.
But then, several figures stepped out from behind a truck ahead—
all wearing masks.
All raising spray canisters.
In that instant, realization struck.
They were targeting him.
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
The moment the sprays hissed, Liang Xiao planted a foot, used his sprinting momentum, and leapt high—spinning forward mid-air.
As he flipped, his hands shot out, seizing two of the masked attackers by their hair.
He twisted, using centrifugal force to hurl them aside like rag dolls.
Before his feet even hit the ground, he swung his leg sideways in a sweeping kick, smashing into the remaining two.
Bang!Bang!
Bodies flew. Groans echoed.
The first man—still holding his canister—stared in shock.
"How—how is that possible?!"
Liang Xiao landed lightly, eyes cold.
He lunged forward, his fist whipping through the air.
Crack!
The punch connected with the man's jaw. Teeth scattered as he spun and slammed into the pavement.
Even if he wasn't yet a true Cultivator, his current strength made handling a few ordinary thugs effortless.
The other two he had thrown were still writhing on the ground, moaning.
"You… your strength…" one stammered, terrified.
None of them dared move.
They weren't facing a human in the Foundation Establishment stage.
They were facing a monster.
Foundation Establishment might strengthen the essence and spirit, but not the body.
This level of power was far beyond their understanding.
Liang Xiao checked his phone.
8:51. Still time.
His gaze turned icy. "Why are you targeting me? Speak. Three seconds."
"Tan Weifeng!" the red-birthmarked man blurted instantly. "It was Young Master Tan from the Rich Area! He told us to stop you from taking the exam! He—he promised us ten Foundation Establishment Pills!"
"Yes! It was him! We didn't know you were a Cultivator, sir! Please forgive us!" another pleaded, trembling.
Liang Xiao's eyes narrowed.
That name again.
Just as he expected.
So, it really is you.
"If I find out you lied," he said coldly, stepping forward, "there will be no place for you in Changlin City."
He ground his heel into the red-birthmarked man's hand as he walked past.
The man screamed, but didn't dare pull away.
Liang Xiao didn't even look back.
He had no time to waste.
He broke into a sprint once more, cutting through the streets with wind-like speed.
By 8:53 AM, he crossed the final gate—
and stepped into Changlin High School.