Jason Clark gave a violent shudder, his face drained of color in shock!

There was nothing left on his neck but five red strings twisted together.

The bronze token!

Where had the bronze token gone?

Just then, his palm suddenly grew hot.

Jason Clark looked down and saw a cross, identical to the one on the light gate, appear in the center of his palm.

The cross slowly faded until it disappeared completely.

Could it be...

Jason Clark's eyes widened in astonishment. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and the scene before his eyes shifted once more—he was back in front of the cross-shaped light gate.

The bronze token had actually fused into his body!

After a moment of surprise, the thick-skinned Jason Clark decided this was even better.

Now he no longer had to worry about losing the bronze token.

※※※

After going in and out several times, Jason Clark more or less figured out the function of the light gate.

What amazed and astounded him most was the reward of extra training time. When he stepped into the light gate, it was as if time outside stopped flowing. He spent a long time inside, yet not a single moment passed outside.

This was utterly unbelievable to Jason Clark. He stood there in a daze for a long while before coming back to his senses, a smile rippling across his face, finally breaking into loud laughter.

Time!

In the past five years, he had spent an amount of time on basic martial arts that ordinary people could never comprehend. Compared to others, he had four years less! But now, he finally had a chance to catch up!

He could finally reclaim lost time!

Jason Clark didn't even know how to describe his feelings at this moment. In five years, from age twelve to seventeen, he had become the oldest student at Ande Academy.

Although he acted indifferent on the outside, deep down he was always under immense pressure. The only thing that kept him going each day were those cold numbers, ticking upward, and the deep-seated longing buried in his heart. Jason Clark longed to find that bastard who abandoned his wife and child, to beat him like a dog, and drag him to his mother's grave to repent. He longed to fulfill his promise—he had promised Ashley that he would go to the Perseus Constellation to see her, and they had agreed to travel the Sky Road together.

So, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Until today, when his seemingly foolish persistence over the past five years was finally rewarded.

“Haha, I have to defeat Little Gray a few more times! That way, I'll have even more time!” Jason Clark was beside himself with excitement, clenching his right fist, his face glowing. Swish—he put his left hand on his hip and pointed his right hand straight at the gray shadow on the light gate: “Aha! Little Gray, in the presence of a godlike man, bow down and submit! Let me defeat you! Next time I see Ashley, I have to give her a real scare! Wahahaha!”

“I’m going to the Sky Road! I’m going to find Ashley! Woooooo!”

“I really am a godlike man! Ahahaha!”

His cheers echoed out from the house.

Suddenly, the cheering stopped abruptly, and Jason Clark's smile froze on his face. He suddenly realized a very real problem: where was he going to learn second-level martial arts?

Second-level martial arts were different from basic martial arts; they required a Soul General Card. Without one, it was impossible to learn. A Soul General Card was a card made with a martial artist’s own soul imprint. The card had two main functions, one of which was to learn martial arts.

“Soul General Card! Soul General Card! Soul General Card...” Jason Clark's eyes glazed over as he muttered to himself.

Even a bronze-level second-tier Soul General Card wasn’t cheap, and you had to provide your own. However, if you got into an academy, the school would issue you a Soul General Card based on your abilities when you first enrolled.

Jason Clark's gaze grew more and more vacant.

Bang bang bang!

The thunderous knocking at the door startled Jason Clark so much he nearly jumped out of his skin. The door shook violently, looking like it was about to fall apart.

Jason Clark's dazed eyes snapped back to reality. Suddenly, he remembered that if the door broke, he wouldn’t have the money to fix it! In a panic, Jason Clark leapt up.

Bang!

The wooden door finally gave in to the abuse, exploding into countless fragments.

Jason Clark finally understood what it meant for misfortune to come in droves. He stared blankly at the scattered pieces of the door...

“Basic Tang! You’ve finally been expelled! Aha, fantastic! Absolutely fantastic!” Amory's ecstatic roar came from outside the wooden frame.

Jason Clark's eye twitched, anger rising from his gut.

He’d seen people rub salt in wounds before, but never like this!

“Hahahaha! Fantastic! Fantastic!” Amory sprayed saliva everywhere, his massive body charging in like a whirlwind: “Basic Tang! This is your destiny! You’re destined to create a brand new martial path with me! Come on, join Beast Academy! Let’s create a whole new martial arts era together!”

Just as Jason Clark was about to explode, he froze—Beast Academy...

“Ahem.” Jason Clark lowered his raised fist, coughed lightly in a show of seniority, and put on a seasoned look: “You dumb ox, do you have any connections at Beast Academy?”

“Connections? What connections?” Amory looked completely confused.

Jason Clark immediately gave up hope. Damn, there really are people dumber than me in this world! Deeply disappointed, Jason Clark waved his hand: “Let’s talk about you paying for my door instead.”

Amory glanced at the door, then looked away, his face full of enthusiasm: “Basic Tang, come to Beast Academy...”