500 SP

As the crowd murmured in awe at Fang Xia's victory, Zhang Wei turned to Liang Wei and spoke up, "I guess she really is the heavenly demon."

Liang Wei nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on Fang Xia's figure.

His gaze was drawn to the beads of sweat on her forehead that glimmered under the fluorescent lights of the practice hall.

They traced a path down the curves of her cheeks, down her neck, and finally disappeared beneath the collar of her blouse.

He couldn't help but notice how her blouse clung to her skin, accentuating the swell of her chest as she took deep breaths.

'Maybe I have a thing for violent women?' he mused to himself.

Suddenly Fang Xia turned towards Liang Wei, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Was she going to scold him for ogling her?

But then she spoke, "I need to talk to you, follow me."

Liang Wei was confused, "M-me? Why? What about?"

Fang Xia didn't answer and turned around, walking away.

Liang Wei hesitated for a moment before following her, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

As Fang Xia and Liang Wei walked out of the practice hall, the crowd was abuzz with speculation.

"Did you see that? Fang Xia just walked up to the Zombie-Man out of nowhere!"

"The Zombie-Man? Who's that?"

"Are you serious? He's the unranked Upper Demon who wiped the floor with Shen Yan!"

Shen Yan gritted his teeth, feeling jealous and frustrated.

"What is she seeing in him? He's just a fat little guy!"

Su Yan rolled her eyes.

"Um, hello? Don't you remember that you lost to him?"

Shen Yan shot a glare at Li Feng, clearly not happy with the comment.

"I didn't lose. He just didn't get defeated by me," he retorted.

Li Feng simply shrugged. "Well, that means he's resilient enough to take your beating. That makes him strong too."

Su Yan nodded in agreement. "And he seems to have caught the attention of Fang Xia. Maybe he has qualities that we don't see."

Shen Yan scoffed. "Like what? Being able to eat more dumplings than the rest of us?"

Su Yan rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Maybe he has other skills or talents that we don't know about. And besides, it's not like Fang Xia has ever shown any interest in you."

Shen Yan scowled, his insides twisting with jealousy.

_______

Liang Wei followed closely behind Fang Xia, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the abandoned part of the school.

They passed by overgrown weeds and shrubs, and the occasional rustling of leaves caused by the gentle breeze.

The air was thick with silence, save for the sound of their breathing and footsteps.

Liang Wei couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as they made their way to the secluded area.

Finally, they arrived at an open ground, behind one of the abandoned buildings on campus.

The area was surrounded by trees, and the sun cast long shadows across the ground.

Fang Xia turned to face Liang Wei.

The surrounding was quiet, and only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"Liang Wei," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I have noticed something about you, and I believe you have a secret power inside of you."

Liang Wei widened his eyes in surprise.

He thought to himself, 'What? Does she know about my system?!'

"I-I have a secret power?" he stuttered, trying his best to calm his beating heart.

Fang Xia nodded. "Yes, and I can help you unlock it."

Liang Wei raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Unlock it?" he repeated, looking at Fang Xia skeptically.

He was sure that his system was already unlocked, so he couldn't understand what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?"

Fang Xia's face turned serious and she nodded.

"Liang Wei, you have 'Qi' inside of you, and I can help you unlock and train it."

'Oh...so that's what she meant.'

Liang Wei was not entirely surprised by Fang Xia's statement, having seen the fight between her and Huang Wei, and sensing something unusual during her sudden power-up.

'I guess she used Qi back then'

"How can I unlock it?" Liang Wei asked as he looked at Fang Xia.

"Our family is an ancient clan of martial artists with enormous knowledge of Qi and its uses. I can give you our Qi refining technique, but in exchange, you'll have to join my clan."

Fang Xia paused for a moment before continuing.

"Our family's martial arts clan is not like any ordinary martial arts clan. We have a history of over a thousand years, and our ancestors have developed and passed down an extraordinary Qi refining technique."

Liang Wei was intrigued. "What kind of technique is it?"

"It's called the Dragon's Breath technique," Fang Xia replied.

Liang Wei's eyes widened in amazement.

"That sounds cool. But what do you mean by joining your clan?"

"Joining our clan means that you will become one of us, a member of our family. You will learn from our masters and be a part of our community. In exchange, you will have access to our knowledge, resources, and support. You will also be expected to undertake missions from the clan."

Liang Wei hesitated.

Joining a martial arts clan would mean serious restrictions on his actions, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

However, the opportunity to develop his Qi was too tempting to ignore.

He knew that if he could go to another world, he could easily get better Qi refining techniques than what Fang Xia was offering.

However, he didn't have enough SP to do that yet.

Suddenly notifications from his system rang out in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Potential Target found!]

[Name: Fang Xia]

[Status: single]

[Favorability: 15]

[Lust: 0]

[(Target Quest) Get closer to Fang Xia. (Favorability: 50) Rewards: +500, +5 Strength, +1 Cultivation level]

"I'll join your clan!"

Fang Xia was surprised by Liang Wei's sudden change of heart.

"Are you sure?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

But Liang Wei was already thinking about the rewards from his system.

"Yes, I'm sure."