Chapter 13: Our Hobbies Are All the Same

Returning home, Jiang Changkong remained excited for quite a while before finally calming down.

For now, he would have to keep this matter from Ji Ziling. He would make it up to her later.

There was no other way—if he told Ji Ziling and she took it back, he would lose the Star Stone.

If he didn’t make the most of it, he would feel guilty about the student ID Ji Ziling had given him.

Looking at his Essence, he decisively allocated it to the Tai Chi Fist Scripture.

Regarding the Tai Chi Fist Scripture, waves of insights flooded his mind.

Streams of power surged from within his body, repeatedly tempering it.

His body became increasingly flexible and resilient, as well as more solid.

Along with this, the Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique also improved somewhat.

Tai Chi Fist inherently had the effect of nourishing and strengthening the body, so it was natural for it to enhance the Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique.

His Star Qi also increased, and his strength grew accordingly. The character for “power” within his body thickened ever so slightly.

The bulge at his temples was now only slight, and his abundant vitality became even more restrained.

He looked just as he had when he first achieved mastery in Iron Shirt.

Once he broke through to perfection, his outward appearance would be no different from that of an ordinary person.

Jiang Changkong: Peak stellar qi.

Low-grade martial arts:

Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique: Perfection 20/32000

Tai Chi Fist Scripture: Mastery 1/8000

Essence: 720

With the Tai Chi Fist Scripture at mastery, his insights deepened, and his techniques for redirecting and generating force became more proficient.

If he were to face a late-stage stellar qi opponent, he could directly overpower and crush them.

Even against peak stellar qi opponents, with the principle of “using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds,” he could easily subdue them.

Of course, this was under the condition that his Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique had reached perfection, providing a solid foundation.

Otherwise, relying solely on the Tai Chi Fist Scripture would make facing peak stellar qi opponents somewhat challenging.

As he prepared to sleep, Li Qiuchuan sent him a text message: “Come to the school at midnight. I’ve confirmed the details about the student ID—it resets automatically at midnight.”

Jiang Changkong’s spirits lifted. He set an alarm, lay down fully clothed, and fell asleep.

Midnight was the time when the fewest people were around.

The more people there were, the greater the risk of exposure.

Li Qiuchuan had also prepared a hat, a mask, and a school uniform for him.

He slept until eleven o’clock when the alarm rang. After washing up, he headed to the school.

The security guard at the gate was still awake. Jiang Changkong took out his student ID, swiped it on the device at the entrance, and the gate opened automatically.

The guard didn’t even glance at him. Safe passage.

Shortly after entering the school, Li Qiuchuan emerged from the darkness and handed him the hat and uniform.

After changing, the two quickly made their way to the Iron Tower.

“I’ve arranged everything. Six people, all close friends of mine,” Li Qiuchuan whispered. “Completing the Simulation Exam early yields richer rewards.”

“That’s too conspicuous,” Jiang Changkong said softly. “For now, let’s stick to the normal route.”

Although Ji Ziling intended to support him, he couldn’t make it too obvious, could he?

Besides, taking it slow and keeping a low profile would allow him to earn more in the long run.

Li Qiuchuan nodded and said nothing more.

Outside the Iron Tower, the six people had been waiting for some time.

Seeing Li Qiuchuan and Jiang Changkong, two of them hurried over to greet them.

“This is a senior. No need to know his name. Hurry up and take the Simulation Exam,” Li Qiuchuan urged.

The six nodded, wisely refraining from asking further questions.

Jiang Changkong first led them into the first-year Simulation Exam room.

This time was different from before. Instead of starting with defense, he directly resorted to brute force, overpowering everything.

He aggressively crushed everything!

Then he went to the second floor and continued to defeat the four Golden Figures.

After completing the Simulation Exam, Jiang Changkong left first.

As for the Star Stones, Li Qiuchuan would deliver them to him tomorrow.

Returning home, he went back to sleep.

Early the next morning, Jiang Changkong woke up.

After washing up, he felt somewhat hesitant.

Today’s simulation exam had already passed, so there was no need to go to school.

As for the clinic, things weren’t busy at the moment, and going there would just mean sitting around idly.

He practiced a set of Taiji Fist. The Taiji Diagram remained faint and elusive as before, but now carried a hint of ease.

He could effortlessly manifest the Taiji Diagram with his hands, shifting and applying force with just a thought.

After finishing the set, his mastered Taiji Fist showed no fluctuations at all.

To improve through diligent cultivation clearly required long-term accumulation.

If practicing one set could yield even a slight improvement, he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of obtaining Star Stones.

Around noon, Li Qiuchuan arrived with two First Tier High Grade Star Stones and four medium-grade ones.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 1400!

The Star Stones he received this time were different from before—some emitted blue specks of light.

This was related to the Star Power cultivated by Star Demons, which came in many colors like red, gold, and blue.

The more of these specks there were, the higher the grade of the Star Stone.

The color of the specks was determined by different types of Star Power. As for the specifics, even Li Qiuchuan didn’t fully understand when asked.

He didn’t leave the house, not even going to the market. He ordered takeout for all his meals.

He spent the entire day practicing his fist techniques, successfully increasing his Tai Chi Fist Scripture by 1 point.

At midnight, Li Qiuchuan notified him again.

This time, he went directly in his school uniform, wearing a mask and a hat.

The security guard only glanced at his attire and paid no further attention after he showed his student ID.

Once again, he soloed two floors of the simulation exam before returning home alone.

During the day, Li Qiuchuan came to deliver Star Stones, yielding another 1400 points of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Earning 1400 points of Essence, Qi, and Spirit daily filled Jiang Changkong with excitement.

With two months left until the Martial Arts School’s enrollment, if he could maintain this income every day, he would undoubtedly reach the Star Cloud Level by the time he entered.

He practiced his fist techniques during the day and tackled the simulation exam at night.

Jiang Changkong continued this routine, acting calmly and cautiously.

He completely stopped going to the market and the slaughterhouse, as they no longer earned him Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Eleven peaceful days passed before Ji Ziling finally contacted him.

Jiang Changkong had no choice but to go to the clinic, clutching his temporary student ID tightly, filled with reluctance.

But if Ji Ziling wanted it back, he could only return it.

She must have known about everything he had been doing during this time, right?

Ji Ziling had given him this student ID without mentioning anything about splitting the gains. He wondered what she was thinking.

Could it be that she looked down on such small gains?

This time, he needed to have a proper talk with her.

On the way, he passed by a bookstore and went inside to browse. He found a magazine from who knows which year.

Its content was excellent, of high quality—Ji Ziling would definitely like it.

Since Ji Ziling had helped him so much, he bought it as a treat for her.

Carrying the magazine, he stepped into the clinic.

Ji Ziling was sitting in front of the computer, looking serious and staring intently at the screen.

“Doctor Ji,” Jiang Changkong called softly.

Thud

Ji Ziling’s hand trembled, and the mouse rolled twice. Clearly, she hadn’t expected anyone to come in.

She looked up at him and sighed in relief. “Why did you come in without making a sound?”

“Didn’t you call me here?” Jiang Changkong pursed his lips. With such intense focus, she must have been criticizing something.

“How are your studies at the Martial Arts School going?” Ji Ziling asked, her eyes still fixed on the computer screen. “I heard you passed two floors of the simulated assessment on your first day.”

“Just luck,” Jiang Changkong sighed inwardly. She had found out after all.

“It seems you’re doing well. What’s that in your hand?”

Ji Ziling asked curiously.

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Changkong’s face: “I went through great pains to find this.”

It was an old magazine, its surface somewhat damaged, clearly having been flipped through countless times.

The cover was slightly yellowed, showing its age.

Ji Ziling finally looked away from the computer and focused on the magazine.

In an instant, her gaze froze, unable to look away.

“A rare edition, an absolutely unique copy.”

As if discovering a legendary secret manual, Ji Ziling’s eyes lit up.

Carefully opening the magazine, she looked at the colorful illustrations—images of voluptuous figures with ample curves and long legs.

“This is good, this is really good.”

Ji Ziling pointed to the first page, then glanced down at herself, confirming that hers were larger, before nodding with even greater satisfaction.

Jiang Changkong: “…”

“Come, let’s look together.”

Ji Ziling beckoned him over: “Huh, this one is even better. What do you think?”

“Senior, your taste is impeccable. I thought the same.”

“As expected of a brother, our tastes are exactly the same.”

Ji Ziling nodded with satisfaction.

Jiang Changkong glanced at her, noticing that the beauties in the magazine paled in comparison to her in every aspect.

Seeing her satisfied, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brother Ji, recently I…”

“Don’t speak. When appreciating beautiful things, one must stay focused.”

Jiang Changkong: “…”

Alright, you enjoy it first.