The midday air at Tran Hung Dao High School was extremely hot, causing the students taking the exam to sweat profusely.
"Damn it, a big school like this, and the exam room doesn't even have an air conditioner," the chubby Nguyen Phuc had already finished his literature exam. He held the collar of his shirt with one hand, fanning his belly full of excess fat.
Lam Minh sat beside him, smiling brightly at Nguyen Phuc. He had also finished copying the answers.
And it was likely that he would still have to rely on this guy for the next subjects.
"Brother Nguyen, your kindness is truly great. You, this friend, I accept. From now on, if anyone in school bullies you, just tell me. I guarantee you won't lose a single hair."
Lam Minh said, his body dry without a drop of sweat, a complete contrast to the chubby Nguyen Phuc.
Hearing this, Nguyen Phuc smiled kindly and nodded as if accepting Lam Minh's goodwill.
But he thought to himself: Who in this school dares to touch me?
He was the Ninth Young Master of the Nguyen family from Hanoi. His family had a thousand-year lineage, with ancestors who had sat on the imperial throne. Throughout the ages, their contributions had been countless. It was just that he was rather useless, so his family had sent him to the south to fend for himself, far from the status conflicts within the clan.
He knew he was ostracized in his family, but that didn't mean he would be afraid of others when he stepped out into society. Not at all.
No one dared to touch him.
Looking at the naive Lam Minh in front of him, Nguyen Phuc didn't know what to say.
No matter how much of a genius you are, as soon as you meet someone with power and influence, a single word from them is enough to take your life.
Unless you step onto the path of cultivation, at least to the ninth layer of Body Tempering or the Qi Refining realm, then you would surely be invited by all the major families to work for them.
In reality, there were countless cultivators in this era, but not many could pass the body tempering stage.
It was an extremely demanding step that required willpower and perseverance.
Most would fail at accumulating blood essence or at the first, second, or third layer of body tempering.
Because it was extremely time-consuming, and the increase in strength was not obvious.
It was like a person who had been going to the gym for a few months. They clearly felt stronger, but to get even stronger was a slow and stagnant process.
Many people, in their haste, would skip the body tempering stage and directly absorb spiritual energy.
But what kind of damn spiritual energy did they cultivate? It was weak, pale, and a single strike was no different from a gust of wind.
Absorbing spiritual energy was a waste.
It only strengthened the body a little.
"By the way, what class are you in?" Lam Minh continued to chat.
He was quite free at the moment. He only had math and English exams left today.
Nguyen Phuc's face contorted from the heat. "11A08. To be honest, I know you, the genius of the school. You have a lot of trouble, and I hate trouble. I'm really afraid of trouble."
Nguyen Phuc thought: This guy is at most a genius in high school. When he steps out into society, he won't be anything special.
Even if Lam Minh was a genius now, he might still get stuck at the body tempering stage.
If Lam Minh were a Qi Refining realm cultivator, he would surely hug his thigh and comfortably call him 'big brother'.
Hearing this, Lam Minh's face turned ashen. Normally, he would have turned hostile immediately. But right now, he still wanted to finish his exams with this chubby guy's help, so he couldn't.
"Hmph, don't believe the rumors in school. I've always been a good person. I've never hit, scolded, or cursed anyone. I wouldn't even hurt an ant."
The chubby Nguyen Phuc smirked. "I've heard few rumors about you, isn't that enough? Well, I'll try to help you finish your exams today, but after that, let's just be ships passing in the night."
Hearing this, Lam Minh had nothing left to say.
He was being looked down upon.
You damn chubby guy, I really want to explode my spiritual energy right now and blind your dog eyes.
But no matter what, this chubby guy had helped him finish his exams, which was a kind of favor.
Lam Minh secretly remembered this in his heart.
He clenched his fist, thumped his chest two or three times, and then pointed at Nguyen Phuc, as if to say, "Brother, you are truly a good person. I'll remember you. Respect."
Nguyen Phuc didn't bother to pay attention to Lam Minh. Screw you. After today's exams, we can just pretend we don't know each other.
The bell signaling the end of the exam time rang, and the math papers were distributed.
Everything repeated itself: one person seriously doing the exam, the person next to him continuously copying.
The bell signaling the end of the exam rang.
Lam Minh now submitted his exam paper with full confidence.
Before he left the exam room, he didn't forget to nod a greeting to the chubby Nguyen Phuc as a thank you.
Nguyen Phuc watched Lam Minh's back as he left the exam room, and he couldn't help but laugh. His shoulders shook, and his face turned red from holding it in. "Heh heh heh."
…
Lam Minh now had his hands in his pockets, whistling as he walked.
Finishing the knowledge part of the exams made him feel quite relieved.
Classes 11A01 and 11A02 were special classes specializing in cultivation, so the knowledge part of their exams in high school was not very heavy.
He was now striding towards the cultivation testing room. According to the requirements of Tran Hung Dao High School for the elite classes, each student had to have their cultivation tested once a month. If their blood essence did not increase by 10-15 points within a month, that student would be forced to participate in the weekly platform defense.
And if they failed in the platform defense, being kicked out of the elite class was a certainty.
Lam Minh's blood essence test was quick and simple.
It was just a piece of paper showing that his blood essence had reached 1000 points.
So he passed. After all, for a high school, reaching that level in the 11th grade was already a monster among monsters.
Lam Minh was even listed by the school's board of directors as one of the students with the potential to enter the Body Tempering realm before the university entrance exams.
This made even the teachers smile brightly and chat with him whenever they saw him.
Lam Minh said goodbye to the school principal.
He walked straight towards class 11A03.
Lam Minh's appearance at the classroom door caused a group of academically gifted students, each with a pair of glasses, to shout wildly.
They weren't shouting because of how talented Lam Minh was.
They were shouting because of the drama surrounding him in the past few days.
Lam Minh looked at To Quyen, who was engrossed in a book. His appearance made her look up from the thick book with the words "Encyclopedia of the Cultivation World."
When she saw him looking at her, she gave a slight wave.
To Quyen put her book away and walked out amidst the cheers of her classmates.
At this moment, Lam Minh's gaze swept over the bruised and battered Gia Huy sitting at his desk. This guy's eyes were also extremely unfriendly.
He glared at Lam Minh with resentment.
Lam Minh was not to be outdone and gave Gia Huy a challenging look in return. He mouthed three words: "You-are-a-loser."
Seeing his lip movements, Gia Huy was so angry he was panting heavily.
A moment later, both To Quyen and Lam Minh were sitting on a stone bench in the schoolyard.
The shade of a green phoenix tree covered the two of them.
To Quyen's face was now flushed. She didn't know what to say.
This damn bastard had disappeared for a whole month, and now, taking advantage of the recent drama, he had appeared here looking for her.
To Quyen waited in silence for Lam Minh to speak first.
Lam Minh's heart was also in a mess.
This girl had publicly announced him to the entire school, and now that they met, she said nothing. If you have any questions, just ask. How else am I supposed to explain?
The silence that enveloped them both made the atmosphere quite awkward.
Finally, Lam Minh couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up.
"Ahem, are you well? Have you eaten?"
After he spoke, he silently slapped himself on the head.
What a stupid question. He himself didn't understand why he could ask such a question.
To Quyen looked at him, her eyes resentful. "You! How can you ask me if I've eaten at a time like this? You'd better explain why you disappeared for a month!"
She said, her eyes narrowed, staring at Lam Minh's face as if trying to read his expression.
Lam Minh was flustered and replied, "I found a part-time job at a dojo. My boss was on a business trip, so he made me go with him to serve him. I just got back."
Hearing this answer, To Quyen was still not satisfied.
"So what kind of job at a dojo could make you skip school? And you didn't even contact me at all. It made me worry, really worry, boo hoo..."
As she spoke, she couldn't hold back her emotions, and tears welled up in her eyes.
All the pent-up emotions of the past month seemed to erupt at this moment.
He had been missing for a month, and on top of that, her family had been assassinated. She had no one to share her feelings with.
She really missed this Lam Minh guy. She missed the gentle way he treated her.
Tears rolled down To Quyen's blushing cheeks, which made Lam Minh freeze.
He had a fear, and that was the fear of women crying.
Every time he saw a woman's tears, he felt worthless.
A very bad feeling.
Lam Minh reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of To Quyen's eyes.
His eyes looked at her with tenderness.
"It's okay, just cry it out. Just say everything that's on your mind. It's my fault," Lam Minh said in a gentle, enveloping voice.
As soon as To Quyen heard him say this, she found it even harder to control her emotions.
She cried louder, burying her head in Lam Minh's chest.
Sobs echoed.
Her hands pounded on his chest, making a thumping sound.
It was as if all the frustrations of the past month were being released at this moment.
A brush with death, a time when she felt she would become an orphan.
And when she was at her weakest, this Lam Minh guy had disappeared.
She cried, ignoring the prying eyes from a distance that were secretly watching them.
A public display of affection was being broadcast live in the schoolyard.
To Quyen cried so much that a patch on Lam Minh's chest was wet.
Lam Minh gently stroked the black, silky hair that fell over To Quyen's slender back.
Suddenly, his hand touched the strap of To Quyen's inner garment.
Lam Minh blushed.
"Damn it, this is a tender moment."
Lam Minh muttered. His little brother down below suddenly stirred.
So awkward.
"One times one is one, two times two is four, two times three..." he silently recited the multiplication table, hoping to calm his little brother down.
He couldn't be blamed. In his two lifetimes, this was the first time he had been this close to a girl.
Especially since he was at an age of raging hormones.
The Infinite Hong Hoang Dragon Body was now in full effect.
Lam Minh silently cursed his little brother a thousand times.
If To Quyen looked down now and saw a mound as large as an anthill, what would he do?
Lam Minh didn't know what to do.
He couldn't let her glance down there.
Lam Minh took her chin in his hand. Their eyes met.
He looked straight into those tearful eyes. A feeling of love and a desire to protect exploded in his heart.
Just then, To Quyen slowly closed her eyes, as if accepting something.