The moment he made the demand—number one in the entire school—Chen Meng himself felt he had gone a bit too far.
He knew what Lin Ye's skill level had been before.
Even factoring in his insane progress over the past two weeks, plus the extra month he was giving him, it still meant catching up to two and a half years of everyone else's hard work in less than two months.
It was a completely unrealistic demand.
But Chen Meng soon discovered something surprising.
Lin Ye wasn't discouraged, nor did he try to bargain.
He just stared at the Cultivation Technique that Chen Meng had produced, his eyes blazing with passion.
'This kid... he's not actually going to agree, is he?'
Chen Meng's true intention was simply to motivate him.
As for the Cultivation Technique, he had planned to give it to Lin Ye all along.
In all his years of teaching, it had been too long since a student had impressed him as much as Lin Ye.
He'd met many exceptionally talented students, but none with a temperament as good as Lin Ye's.
And those with good temperaments inevitably fell short in other areas, not quite to his liking.
Now, Chen Meng was feeling the satisfaction of watching a student develop.
He wanted to see this student's limits, to use a seemingly unreachable goal to squeeze out every last drop of his potential.
He just didn't want Lin Ye to feel that any of this came too easily.
On the path of martial arts, the greatest taboo was a smooth journey. Once a mindset of getting something for nothing took root, one's future path was as good as over.
"Yes, Teacher. I'll do my best."
"In one month, I will take first place!"
Lin Ye's reply was incredibly decisive.
"Good!"
"For the next month, if there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me anytime."
"For our after-class sparring, I'll even make time on the weekends. As long as you show up, I'll train with you!"
"In one month, I'll be waiting for you to come and claim this!"
Lin Ye gave a firm nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave the office.
Back in the empty classroom, Lin Ye tapped the CR bracelet on his right wrist and expertly connected to the Dongjiang First Middle School intranet.
A virtual screen materialized, projecting itself before his eyes.
He skillfully opened the "Third-Year Comprehensive Strength Rankings."
The results from yesterday's placement test had been fully recorded after a night of data compilation and updates, and the entire ranking list had been completely transformed.
The system detected Lin Ye's login and automatically navigated the rankings to his own entry.
[Lin Ye, Third Year, Class 7]
[Punching Power: 612 kg (Grade Rank: 49)]
[Qi and Blood Index: 22.01 (Grade Rank: 51)]
[Life Index: 14.67 (Grade Rank: 19)]
[Combat Record: None]
[Overall Assessed Rank: 42]
The last time he had checked this list, his name had been somewhere beyond rank 240. In the entire grade, he was considered middle-of-the-pack at best.
Now, however, it was as if he had strapped himself to a rocket, leaping over two hundred people to land in the territory of the "top students."
Lin Ye felt little excitement.
His finger slid gently up the virtual screen, his gaze following.
Soon, he saw a familiar name.
[Zhang Yuqing, Third Year, Class 1]
[Punching Power: 1331 kg (Grade Rank: 2)]
[Qi and Blood Index: 52.37 (Grade Rank: 1)]
[Life Index: 19.07 (Grade Rank: 1)]
[Combat Record: 31W - 12L - 0D]
[Overall Assessed Rank: 2]
'She's only second?'
Lin Ye's pupils contracted slightly.
He had assumed that with such dazzling achievements, Zhang Yuqing would be the undisputed number one in the school.
He never expected there would be someone who could best her.
His gaze finally fell upon the name enthroned at the very top of the list.
[Jiang Feng, Third Year, Class 1]
[Punching Power: Hidden (Grade Rank: 1)]
[Qi and Blood Index: Hidden (Grade Rank: 3)]
[Life Index: Hidden (Grade Rank: 2)]
[Combat Record: Hidden]
[Overall Assessed Rank: 1]
'Even though his actual stats are hidden, a look at the rankings shows that except for Punching Power, all of this Jiang Feng's other stats rank lower than Zhang Yuqing's. Why is he number one?'
Driven by curiosity, Lin Ye clicked into Zhang Yuqing's detailed profile.
He soon found the answer he was looking for.
[Engagement History:]
[Fought Jiang Feng 4 times, lost all 4 matches.]
'I see.'
The two's basic stats were actually neck and neck.
In that case, their head-to-head combat record naturally determined their rankings!
Lin Ye looked at the stats of Zhang Yuqing and Jiang Feng.
He calmly analyzed the gap between them and himself.
Punching power—theirs was more than double his.
Qi and Blood—also more than double.
The Life Index appeared to be the smallest gap, but at higher levels, every single tenth of a point represented a world of difference.
Not to mention, he was currently most lacking in combat experience and martial skill mastery.
Right now, he couldn't even defeat Zhang Yuqing.
Let alone the undefeated Jiang Feng.
To aim for number one in the school in such a short time was, without a doubt, a fool's dream.
'This goal has to be pushed back.'
'It's a long-term objective, not a shackle for the here and now.'
For now, he had only one primary, core objective.
Complete the system's advancement mission!
Advance from [Goblin Minion] to [Goblin Warrior]!
As long as his template was upgraded, the growth rate of his All Attributes would increase, and he would also unlock brand-new skills. His strength would surely take a massive leap forward.
With this realization, Lin Ye's path forward instantly cleared.
Since cultivating the *Basic Body Refining Skill* no longer yielded any experience points, there was no reason to waste time on it, other than completing the daily quest, [Sharpen Claws].
The time he saved could be poured entirely into live combat and grinding levels in the Ruined City.
Although the EXP from killing monsters had been halved, the life force absorbed by the Soul Furnace could still steadily increase his maximum Life Value.
At the same time, high-intensity combat would constantly increase the proficiency of his two core combat skills, Staff Skill and Staff Aura.
Constant dripping wears away stone; quantitative change is what leads to a qualitative leap.
While grinding levels, he also had to systematically gather intelligence on that Lv. 8 mutated black panther.
Its roaming area, its routine, its attack patterns, and even… its weaknesses.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.
Facing a monster two levels higher than him, Lin Ye treated it with the utmost caution. He would absolutely not attempt to tackle it without being fully prepared.
Besides this mutated black panther, the only thing left was…
...tackling [Lone Wolf].
There was a massive gap between them in terms of martial arts comprehension and the application of Qi and Blood.
This was a gap that would be difficult to close in a short time.
That left only one path to victory.
Stat-crushing!
The daily quests provided a fixed number of free attribute points.
As long as he persisted, his Strength, Constitution, Agility, and Spirit would all increase steadily.
When his base attributes completely surpassed his opponent's, even the most exquisite techniques would shatter before absolute power.
In a few days, once he had saved up some more attribute points, he would challenge him again.
At the same time, he would gather combat intelligence on him and adjust his tactics and approach accordingly.
With that, Lin Ye's entire plan was set.
He let out a long breath, his eyes shining with exceptional brightness.
This next phase was going to be tough, but it would be every bit as fun as his frantic power-leveling over the last two weeks.