Under the flourishing martial arts civilization, it was quite common for people to become first-level martial artists. However, the age at which one achieved this was a crucial matter.

The earlier one tempered the body and gathered energy, the better, as it indicated greater future martial achievements. Generally speaking, ordinary people completed body tempering and energy gathering at the age of 18. Previously, William Clark's martial arts instructor had commented that if he could condense his internal energy and become a first-level martial artist before the age of 24, it would already be a stroke of luck.

In other words, what William Clark told William Brooks last night was somewhat exaggerated.

But now, William Clark was filled with confidence. He believed he could definitely condense his internal energy and become a first-level martial artist before turning 18.

According to the records in the "Chongxu Condensing Energy Technique," William Clark calmed his mind, tried to gather his essence and energy in his dantian, and sought to sense the presence of qi.

Almost as soon as his mind immersed itself, he felt a tingling sensation in his lower abdomen, as if thousands of ants were scurrying around his dantian. The feeling made William Clark's face instantly contort in discomfort.

Why is it so itchy? So sore? And so bloated?

Is this the so-called qi sensation? Why does it feel like I’m about to have diarrhea?

William Clark frowned in pain, enduring the torment in his belly. Strangely enough, if it had been before, his mind would have drifted off long ago.

But now, no matter how uncomfortable he felt, his mind seemed locked onto the dantian, letting that faint tingling sensation gather in his lower abdomen, and the feeling only grew stronger.

Then, his navel pulsed in and out, vibrating nonstop like a heartbeat.

This sensation lasted for 30 minutes. When it finally faded, William Clark immediately stood up and dashed into the bathroom. “I can’t hold it! I need to go number two. Oh, that feels so good…”

Chapter 008: Class Special Training

Another morning dawned bright and sunny, but William Clark was in a terrible mood.

He muddled his way to school, and during class, used his “sleeping with eyes open” technique to drift through the morning in a daze. Fortunately, with graduation exams approaching, the teachers had completely given up on this hopeless student. When the homeroom teacher, John Thompson, patrolled the class, he simply scowled and pretended not to see him. As for the other classmates, they were long used to William Clark’s behavior. If there ever came a day when William Clark didn’t sleep in class, that would truly be a bizarre event.

At noon, William Clark sat at the edge of the playground holding his lunchbox, staring blankly ahead, eyes unfocused. Even when his best friend Henry Wood quietly took the meat from his lunch, he didn’t react at all, his expression wooden and gaze fixed straight ahead, not a hint of focus in his eyes.

Henry Wood looked at William Clark in surprise. “A Yan, are you sick?” Normally, anyone who dared steal meat from William Clark’s lunchbox would be met with a rabid counterattack.

William Clark sighed. “I don’t know. I feel like there’s no light left in my life.”

Yesterday, after practicing the "Chongxu Gathering Energy Technique" for an entire day, something terrifying and inexplicable happened to him. Every time William Clark trained for 30 minutes, his belly would rumble like thunder, and then he couldn’t help but rush to the bathroom, producing waste so foul it was unbearable.

This cycle repeated ten times, leaving William Clark utterly exhausted, with no strength left to continue practicing the "Chongxu Gathering Energy Technique."

“I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch! What’s the use of having comprehension if I can’t condense internal energy? I’m still just a useless loser!” William Clark said with a miserable face. “Now I’m even worse off than before. At least the instructor said I’d still have a chance to condense internal energy and become a first-level martial artist by 24.”

If he couldn’t condense internal energy, then no matter how good his combat skills were, he’d be like a rootless duckweed. Besides, it was said that practicing advanced combat techniques required deep internal energy to unleash earth-shattering power.

“After the graduation exam in half a month, I’d better just find a job and stop making Dad work so hard,” William Clark thought gloomily.

At that moment, Henry Wood suddenly whispered, “Hey! Isn’t that Camilla from Class B-3? Wow, she’s gotten even curvier.”

“Where, where?” William Clark’s eyes lit up instantly, all his worries vanishing without a trace. He looked in the direction his best friend pointed and saw a voluptuous, alluring girl on the playground.

“Hmm, her cup size has gone up again!” William Clark nodded repeatedly, giving a very professional assessment. “She used to be just a C+, now she’s a D, and there’s still plenty of room for growth!”

“Sigh, if only I had a girlfriend like that,” Henry Wood started fantasizing again. “Even just holding hands would be enough.”

William Clark scoffed, “With your height, just one of her assets could smother you.”

“Let her smother me, come on, come on.” Henry Wood closed his eyes and swayed, lost in his fantasy.

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. “Oh? Smother who?” A tall figure appeared behind them without a sound.

Hearing this voice, William Clark’s hair stood on end, like a mouse meeting a cat. He shot to his feet, stood at attention, and looked straight ahead. “Reporting, Instructor! I was asking Henry Wood about the ‘Underwater Breather’ technique.”