Chapter 9 The Forum Has Been Updated

Zhao Panpan was the group admin.

After tagging everyone, the class group chat exploded.

“Damn, am I getting old? Is that really Zhang Chu?”

“What’s he doing at the Martial Arts Center’s virtual hunting ground?”

“Are you stupid? Shouldn’t you be focusing on the fact that he’s performed a miracle and is standing again? That was ALS—without a warrior above level 4, there’s no way to cure it!”

“You’re the stupid one! I’m asking when Zhang Chu became a martial artist!”

For a while, chaos reigned in the class group.

Someone with ALS suddenly becoming a level-1 martial artist—it was like a soul-crushing blow to these university students.

Su Mingyue had just left the martial arts testing center and was heading to the gravity training hall when her phone buzzed non-stop in her back pocket.

She pulled it out, glanced at the group, and just then, Zhao Panpan started a video call. “Mingyue, look, it’s really Zhang Chu!”

Watching the video, Su Mingyue saw the man on screen land a powerful punch, killing another virtual wild plains ironclad wolf. Her slender frame trembled uncontrollably. “How… how could that be him!”

“Congratulations, warrior: third kill completed in seven seconds, a new personal best, ranking first!”

“Prize money has been credited to your account!”

Hearing the voice in the video, Su Mingyue bit her lip hard, her eyes brimming with tears. “How dare he surpass me? He was in a wheelchair just yesterday—was he playing me for a fool?”

Su Mingyue felt as though she had been struck on the head.

Three years ago, Zhang Chu had been the brightest talent at Binzhou University.

If not for that encounter with the Frost Soul Beast during training, he never would have developed ALS.

Zhang Chu was finished.

Su Mingyue had lucked out, killed the Frost Soul Beast, claimed its core, and became Binzhou University’s new prodigy.

She had thought she would be admitted to the Martial Arts Academy with top scores, rising above all others.

But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Zhang Chu would not only stand again, but join the ranks of martial artists.

Astonishment, humiliation.

Thinking back to Zhang Chu in his wheelchair the day before, Su Mingyue clenched her molars so hard they nearly cracked, and tears burst forth. “Zhang Chu, I only rejected your advances, and this is how you humiliate me? I’m a girl, after all!”

...

Meanwhile.

In the Academic Affairs Office at Binzhou University.

The director stared at the video and comments on the Martial Arts Mall forum and quickly dialed Li Feng. “Li Feng, get to my office now and explain what’s going on!”

“Principal, we haven’t found the anonymous troublemaker at our school, but we’ve discovered a genius!”

After hanging up, the director hurriedly called Principal Huang Wenzhan.

Li Feng, who was reading group messages in his office, felt a chill down his spine when he received the director’s call.

He had been the one pushing for Zhang Chu’s withdrawal from the university.

Who could have predicted this guy would return to the ranks of prodigies?

Within ten minutes, Zhang Chu’s video had spread throughout the entire school.

...

Martial Arts Center, twelfth floor, Hunting Ground No. 1.

Zhang Chu had completed five hunts and was thoroughly exhausted.

Each target had been a wild plains ironclad wolf.

From a ten-second kill, Zhang Chu had gradually cut the time to five seconds.

But strangely, the system gave no prompts.

His martial arts proficiency remained at the beginner level.

Zhang Chu now suspected that in order for the system to boost proficiency, the only way was to consume blood vitality points.

The virtual hunting ground merely allowed those at the beginner level to refine their skills.

But glancing at his mobile banking app, Zhang Chu grinned.

Five hunts had cost four thousand yuan.

The prize money was twenty thousand.

In just half an hour, he’d earned sixteen thousand yuan.

If he weren’t so exhausted, a little more effort would have gotten him a low-grade level-1 blood vitality pill.

“Manager, I’ll call it a day,” Zhang Chu said to the lobby manager as he left Hunting Ground No. 1.

“Brother, you make money faster than I ever could,” the manager managed a strained smile, watching Zhang Chu leave with envy in his eyes.

Downstairs, Zhang Chu crossed the street for some hotpot.

His energy was spent, and he was starving.

He had no idea his hunting video had already gone viral on the forums.

Nor did he know that Zhao Panpan had sent every move he made to Su Mingyue.

His terrifying pace of martial arts proficiency improvement had stunned not only the lobby manager, but also the level-1 martial artists on the forums. They were all replying to the thread, eager to uncover the identity of this mysterious master.

With just the lowly “Skyward Cannon” technique, he had dominated the rankings and kept breaking his own records.

Five videos, and the views had shot up to a hundred thousand.

Some micro-merchants were even hawking unofficial versions of “Skyward Cannon” in the comments.

Halfway through his hotpot, Zhang Chu’s phone rang.

It was Zhao Wuming, a researcher at Kewei Institute.

Zhao Wuming’s call was partly to check if Zhang Chu was experiencing any side effects, and partly to invite him to the institute to sign a long-term special project cooperation agreement.

“I’ll be there in half an hour,” Zhang Chu replied readily.

Now, both increasing his martial artist rank and improving his martial arts proficiency required blood vitality.

In short, everything depended on blood vitality.

There was no way Zhang Chu would risk his life in a real hunting ground outside the city, at least not until his “Skyward Cannon” reached intermediate proficiency.

Having been given a second chance at life, Zhang Chu valued nothing more than his own skin.

Courting death was not an option.

At present, there was only one fast way to raise his blood vitality: drug trials.

Compared to the shoddy blood vitality pills from small workshops, Kewei Institute’s refined essence pills were far superior.

Now that he had a way to make money, Zhang Chu continued his habit of taking a taxi.

Arriving at Kewei Institute, he was greeted personally by Zhao Wuming and his project team.

Seeing Zhang Chu striding with vigor, Zhao Wuming was even more convinced that his refined essence pills not only greatly boosted blood vitality for martial artists, but were also a boon for paralyzed patients.

“Twenty thousand base salary a month, plus bonuses for drug trials—total monthly income not less than fifty thousand.”

“And a comprehensive accident insurance policy.”

“If you have any other requests, just say the word.”

This project was a priority for the institute, and with such progress, Zhao Wuming was not about to let this professional test subject slip away.

The special drug trial agreement had even been personally approved by Director Qin Zaiye.

If the refined essence pill’s development succeeded, they’d give Zhang Chu even a villa, let alone a hundred thousand in cash.

“No other requests. Can I try the medicine today?” Zhang Chu asked.

Zhao Wuming, who had been wondering how to broach the subject of testing the just-upgraded refined essence pill, agreed on the spot when Zhang Chu volunteered.

The process was the same as before.

As this was a new drug, they could only provide Zhang Chu with two pills.

“Ding!”

“Detected that the host has consumed two semi-finished upgraded refined essence pills. Blood vitality increased by fifteen.”

Watching his blood vitality reach 166.1 on the digital panel, Zhang Chu was so excited he could barely contain himself.

Fifteen points a day meant four hundred and fifty in a month.

At five hundred, he’d become a level-2 martial artist, live in a villa, drive a luxury car, and turn the tables on his goddess.

What took others years, Zhang Chu calculated would take him just over two months—and that was a conservative estimate.

Add in the occasional trip to the virtual hunting ground for cash and some blood vitality pills, and he might hit level 2 in a month.

This time, the observation period was longer—Zhang Chu didn’t leave until eight in the evening.

Back at Warrior’s Home, he’d just flopped onto his Simmons mattress and was about to scroll through the forums when he received a call from an unfamiliar number: “Zhang Chu, this is your homeroom teacher, Li Feng. Why did you block my contact? It took me ages to get through to you.”

“What do you want?” Zhang Chu was a bit surprised by Li Feng’s call, especially hearing the ingratiating tone—wasn’t this how Li Feng spoke to Su Mingyue or the school leaders?

“I just went to your place and found you’d moved.”

“Can you come to school tomorrow? The Academic Affairs Office wants you to fill out the application for early recommendation to the Martial Arts Academy, so we can submit you to the talent pool on behalf of our university.”