“Beginner’s Vajra Fist, huh! For the past three days, my mind has been full of Vajra Fist—even when I was on the toilet, I was practicing the moves. Heaven knows if I’ll actually pass in the end.”

Samuel Thompson muttered, and when he saw James Thompson approaching, he quickly shut his mouth.

“Fifty-one acupoints, meridians unblocked—qualified.”

James Thompson glanced at Samuel Thompson. This chubby kid was a bit slippery, but at least he was diligent.

Then he placed his hand on Adam Harper’s wrist and couldn’t help but let out a soft “hmm.”

“Sixty acupoints, meridians unblocked—qualified.”

Among the hundreds of disciples in the martial arts school, James Thompson didn’t have a particularly deep impression of Adam Harper.

He only remembered that Adam Harper’s family background didn’t seem very good. He was usually low-key and quiet, but very hardworking. He hadn’t expected his talent to be this good—he’d actually unblocked sixty acupoints.

The other disciples present also looked at Adam Harper with surprised expressions.

Among the qualified disciples in the school, most had only unblocked just over fifty acupoints, at most two or three more.

There were fewer than ten who had reached over sixty acupoints, and all of them came from wealthy families, soaking in medicinal baths every day to gain that advantage.

Adam Harper had always kept a low profile, never showing off, so no one expected he’d also reached sixty acupoints.

Samuel Thompson looked at Adam Harper from behind with a resentful gaze.

We agreed to grow old together, but you secretly got ahead!

He’d thought Adam Harper was just barely passing like him, but it turned out Adam Harper was completely confident.

After one round of inspection, more than twenty disciples were eliminated on the spot.

“The remaining people, form groups of ten and begin practicing Vajra Fist!”

Compared to internal cultivation, martial arts like Vajra Fist tested one’s comprehension even more.

Quite a few disciples hadn’t even grasped the method of generating force for Vajra Fist—their punches were soft and weak, making James Thompson frown as he watched.

At this moment, James Thompson suddenly looked at Adam Harper, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Adam Harper wasn’t just throwing punches—his entire body’s muscles and bones were tensed, his arm coming down as straight and heavy as a vajra pestle.

This punch carried the true force of “smashing”—powerful and heavy, even the air let out a muffled bang.

The other disciples’ Vajra Fist had only the form, but Adam Harper had truly grasped part of the Vajra Fist’s essence of subduing demons!

“Have you learned Vajra Fist somewhere else?”

James Thompson walked up to Adam Harper, staring at him without blinking.

“No.”

“How did you practice Vajra Fist these past three days?”

“I just focused wholeheartedly on practicing, immersing my body and mind completely, and visualized the moves as I trained.”

Adam Harper wasn’t lying.

He really did practice with full focus—just inside the gluttonous furnace.

He did visualize the moves, but not James Thompson’s version—he visualized the true martial essence of Vajra Fist.

James Thompson looked at Adam Harper with a fiery gaze.

What a promising seedling!

To reach this level with Vajra Fist in just three days—his comprehension of martial arts was the highest among this batch of disciples.

But James Thompson didn’t say much more, instead continuing to watch the others practice.

The path of martial arts is like ascending to the heavens—each step is a new challenge, incomparably difficult.

An early advantage doesn’t mean much; he needed to keep observing for a while.

If Adam Harper turned out to be mediocre later, he’d just be an ordinary disciple at the school.

After a few years, he’d be sent to work as an escort for a security agency, or to guard the homes of big families.

Only truly talented disciples could receive the true teachings.

When the Vajra Fist practice ended, James Thompson called roll one by one, and this time over thirty disciples were eliminated, leaving only about fifty people.

“The path of martial arts is as hard as ascending to the heavens. You’ve only taken the first step—don’t get arrogant.”

With a wave of his hand, James Thompson announced the end of class.

“Didn’t expect it—you were hiding your skills all along.”

Samuel Thompson grinned as he came over.

He hadn’t been eliminated, so he could finally give an account when he got home.

Adam Harper shook his head and said, “I wasn’t hiding anything—my potential was just forced out.”

In fact, Adam Harper had really been left with no choice but to sacrifice to the gluttonous furnace.

It was only after the sacrifice that he realized this golden finger was actually quite useful. He even wondered if he had anything else he could sacrifice.

But that thought only flashed for a moment before Adam Harper suppressed it.

The gluttonous furnace was a bit sinister—almost like those evil gods.

It lets you pay a small price for a benefit at first, then step by step lures you to pay more, until you’ve sacrificed yourself completely.

Adam Harper had to keep control—unless it was a critical moment, he absolutely couldn’t sacrifice anything from himself.

“I’m heading home—my old man’s waiting for me to bring back good news.”

Samuel Thompson hurried home, while Adam Harper left the martial arts school and found a small tavern, ordered a few dishes to reward himself.

After eating black rye buns for days, he’d almost forgotten what meat tasted like.

He ordered a roast chicken, a plate of stir-fried greens, and a plate of braised pork with tofu. Just these three dishes cost a hundred coins—the prices in Blackstone County had gotten a bit outrageous lately.

The tavern cook’s skills weren’t anything special, but Adam Harper still ate with great enjoyment.