C5 Lee Mo Entered the Martial Academy

With a muffled thud, Lee Mo's body jolted slightly. However, he didn't retreat even half a step, let alone get sent flying.

The onlookers were utterly shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Zhang Shijiu was stunned. His punch, delivered with a third of his strength, had failed to knock down this so-called reject of the Lee family?

At that moment, Lee Mo threw a direct right punch, landing it squarely on Zhang Shijiu's face.

Caught completely off guard, Zhang Shijiu fell and sat down hard, his nose bleeding.

As Lee Mo counterattacked, the crowd gaped in surprise.

Zhang Shijiu was stunned by the punch. It took him a long time to come to his senses, and when he did, he bellowed in fury, "You dare to hit me?"

Lee Mo looked at him icily and said calmly, "You didn't say I couldn't hit back, did you?"

As the preeminent earth-level alchemist of the Vruthurenth Empire, Lee Mo had never been at a disadvantage. The notion that this pampered fool could take advantage of him was preposterous.

Zhang Shijiu was left speechless. He wanted to strike back but found no justification. His nosebleed drew suppressed laughter from many spectators.

The Zhang family's shop assistants looked at each other, their mocking expressions frozen on their faces.

They hadn't expected their perfect plan to fail, leaving their young master at a loss.

Meanwhile, Lee Mo had already taken the Ember Stone from the shopkeeper and was walking away leisurely.

Only then did Zhang Shijiu realize he was still on the ground. He hurriedly got up and glared at Lee Mo's departing figure, vowing through gritted teeth, "Lee Mo, you wait. I will avenge this humiliation!"

Back at home, Lee Mo immediately began refining the Tri-Arcane Fire Pill.

By noon, he had finished the pills. Of the six in the furnace, one was of supreme grade.

Lee Mo selected the supreme grade pill and placed it in his mouth. Then he began practicing the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell's cultivation method.

As soon as the pill touched Lee Mo's tongue, it erupted like molten lava, surging throughout his body. In a flash, Lee Mo felt as if he had fallen into a volcanic pit, completely engulfed by the relentless heat.

His skin seemed to decay, his bones nearly vanishing. His body endured excruciating pain that would be insufferable for most.

Each pore on his body opened wide, radiating a fiery red luster. Lee Mo appeared to be bathed in a blaze of fire.

The Tri-Arcane Fire Pill's fierce heat ravaged him. Over time, the pain not only persisted but also repeatedly pushed Lee Mo's limits.

The suffering he now endured was a hundred times more intense than the pain he experienced as a level four warrior during Meridian Refining.

However, Lee Mo was the top earth-level Alchemist in the Vruthurenth Empire. He had faced trials unimaginable to the average person. Even as pain washed over him like a tsunami, his gaze was sharp, his fighting spirit indomitable.

No amount of pain could defeat him!

Gradually, Lee Mo's meridians adapted to the pill's power, absorbing its essence.

The red glow on Lee Mo's body diminished as his meridians underwent a significant change. He had reached the first layer of the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, entering the stage of Meridian Refining.

After absorbing the potent Fire Vigor, his veins had completely transformed. His physical strength had increased tenfold, with substantial improvements in his physique, Qi, and Vital Energy.

Though he was only in the Early Period of the Qi Condensation Stage, he could now match a Middle Period Martial Apprentice and even challenge those in the Late Period.

With the achievement of Meridian Refining and the support of Cultivation Pills, Lee Mo's strength grew exponentially. In just two months, he entered the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage.

"Bang! Bang!"

At dawn, the courtyard's bamboo rustled softly in the breeze.

The three-foot iron sword in Lee Mo's hands felt like a Massive Tool. He practiced various sword techniques with precision, each strike reducing the wooden stakes to splinters.

Lee Mo was honing the Twelve Forms of the Spirit Snake Sword. His swordsmanship was elegant yet filled with overbearing strength, making it uniquely formidable. His skill with the sword had reached its Peak!

In just a short while, over ten wooden stakes in the courtyard had been reduced to splinters.

Lee Mo's father, Lee Wending, happened to walk in just in time to see Lee Mo slice through the last stake with his sword. Amazed, he exclaimed, "Mo, I had no idea your swordsmanship had become so formidable!"

Lee Mo maintained his composure. Considering his physical condition, achieving such progress in just a few months was quite impressive, which explained Wending's astonishment. Yet, when he thought of the Spirit World expert who had once defeated him, Lee Mo recognized the vast disparity between their abilities. He knew he could not allow himself even a trace of arrogance or complacency.

Sheathing his sword, he asked, "Dad, what brings you here so early?"

With a smile, Wending replied, "You've just turned fourteen, and it's a tradition for the Lee family's youth to attend the County Academy at this age. Since you've attained the rank of a third-grade Yellow Level Alchemist, why not enroll in the Temple of Alchemy?"

The suggestion piqued Lee Mo's interest. The county was rich in resources for cultivation, which would naturally speed up his progress. However, he had no desire to attend the Temple of Alchemy.

As an earth level Alchemist, and with his Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell improving, it was only a matter of time before his alchemy skills advanced further. His current focus was on honing his martial skills.

"My aim is not the Temple of Alchemy," he declared. "I wish to attend the Martial Academy."

"The Martial Academy? But it seems you have a greater talent for alchemy," Wending said, surprised.

Lee Mo explained, "You're right, but relying solely on alchemy won't keep me safe in danger. I've decided to enhance my martial skills first, and then I can consider the Temple of Alchemy."

Wending nodded in understanding and said, "In that case, start with the Martial Academy."

That afternoon, Lee Gaoyuan came by to talk about traveling to the county. He was overjoyed to hear about Lee Mo's choice to pursue the Martial Academy.

A few days later, Lee Mo said goodbye to his parents and set off for the county with Lee Bo and Lee Gaoyuan.

After several days on the road, they finally arrived at Millbourne.

Upon entering the city, they were greeted by the bustling traffic of carriages and pedestrians, as well as a myriad of shops offering an abundance of goods. Lee Gaoyuan couldn't help but frequently express his admiration for the vibrant scene.

Lee Mo, on the other hand, remained far more composed. To him, this county was nothing compared to the grandeur of the imperial city—it was practically the countryside.

They quickly made their way to the Martial Academy, an imposing institution located in the eastern part of the city, with its ancient and dignified buildings arranged in orderly rows.

Lee Mo had enrolled in the Low Academy, a branch of the Martial Academy. After completing his enrollment, he was directed to his assigned living quarters, where over a dozen students shared a courtyard, with two disciples to a room. Conveniently, Lee Mo and Lee Gaoyuan were paired as roommates.

Once the elders had departed, one of the Lee family disciples suggested they explore the county to gain some worldly experience. Lee Mo, however, had no interest in such an excursion. Instead, he invited Lee Gaoyuan to accompany him to the True Martial Tower.

The True Martial Tower, a repository of the Martial Academy's vast collection of books, spanned six floors and contained thousands of tomes, including various spells and mystic manuals. The academy's policy allowed new students to select a spell from the tower. As they progressed through each realm, they could return to choose additional spells from the corresponding floor.

Martial arts were divided into nine realms, each with three levels of mastery: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Each martial art could be refined to three stages of proficiency: Small Completion, Great Completion, and Peak.

Some martial arts required cultivators to progress through several realms to reach the Peak, and others could demand a decade of dedicated study, making them significantly more valuable than more common arts. Spells like the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell, which required cultivation from the first to the ninth realm, were exceedingly rare.

Lee Mo's cultivation had reached the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage, and he had mastered the Spirit Snake Spell to its Peak, making further practice unnecessary. As his Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell progressed into the Meridian Refining realm, he recognized the need to practice a higher level of martial arts to fully harness the power of the spell and advance its realm.

The True Martial Tower, towering six stories high, loomed like a mountain. A middle-aged martial master stood solemnly at the entrance, resembling a guardian deity. As Lee Mo and Lee Gaoyuan approached, the master didn't even glance their way.

Upon presenting their Identity Tags, the master briefly inspected them and addressed Lee Gaoyuan, "With your cultivation at the Middle Period of the Monolith Stage, you may ascend to the second floor and select three martial arts within one hour."

Then, turning a dismissive eye toward Lee Mo, he sneered, "At fourteen, you're only at the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage? You're part of the Lee family, yet you don't measure up to even a disciple from a collateral branch. Head to the first floor and choose two martial arts within fifteen minutes."

Unperturbed by the gatekeeper's scorn, Lee Mo took his Identity Tag and confidently entered the True Martial Tower.

Inside the hexagonal first floor, hundreds of bookshelves stood, laden with various martial arts manuals. A Martial Master guarded the entrance to the second floor.

Although Lee Mo was an Alchemist, his status granted him unrestricted access to even the ninth floor of the Imperial City's True Martial Tower.

In comparison, the True Martial Tower in this modest county felt decidedly less impressive.

Surveying the area, Lee Mo noted that it was still early, yet numerous new recruits were already frantically selecting their preferred martial arts, their expressions tense with urgency.

These youngsters, of modest talent and merely at the Qi Condensation Stage, were mostly choosing intermediate-level martial arts.

Lee Mo made his way directly to the advanced Warrior's Quarter. Some youths snickered at his ambition, mocking his lofty aspirations.

Reaching the advanced Warrior's Quarter, Lee Mo found shelves upon shelves of high-level martial arts. The books were neatly organized, offering a wealth of knowledge on the arts of the sword, saber, axe, and unarmed combat.

For the average person, selecting an intermediate martial arts spell that fits their style requires careful consideration. Choosing an advanced spell is an even greater challenge.

Yet, Lee Mo's approach was straightforward and uncomplicated: he aimed for the most difficult one! Naturally, the most challenging spells were located on the last shelf of the advanced section.

In contrast to the other densely packed shelves, this final row held only a handful of volumes.

With time at a premium, Lee Mo didn't dawdle. He swiftly began selecting the martial arts he desired.

The first page of each book provided an introduction to the spell:

Stone Crushing Palm: An advanced palm technique that flows seamlessly, delivering fierce and dominant strikes capable of shattering rocks and boulders.

Meteor Slash: The sword strikes with the speed of a meteor, swift as lightning...

Lee Mo surveyed a vast array of martial arts, yet his interest lay solely in two types of mystic manuals: firstly, a commanding swordsmanship that could vanquish an enemy in a single strike, and secondly, a Lightness Technique.

Despite examining dozens of volumes, the martial arts he desired eluded him. As he closed the final book, his brow creased in vexation. To him, training in these martial arts would be a regression. None of the most formidable spells seemed to suit him.