Morning in Hangzhou arrived wrapped in pale gray light.
Li Wei was already awake.
He hadn't slept much.
Not because of excitement.
Because of pain.
His ribs protested every breath. His left cheek was swollen. When he shifted slightly on his thin mattress, a sharp reminder ran through his side.
He welcomed it.
In the quiet of his small bedroom, with the door locked and curtains drawn, he sat up slowly and closed his eyes.
The darkness responded instantly.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Host: Li Wei]
[Strength: 6.8]
[Agility: 6.1]
[Endurance: 8.4]
[Mental Resistance: 12.7]
[Techniques:]
— Basic Tiger Fist (Perfected)
[Abilities:]
— Burst Acceleration (Passive)
[Growth Multiplier: x1.2 — 61 Hours Remaining]
[Pain Storage: 0 Units]
The numbers were still there.
Still real.
He exhaled slowly.
Last night hadn't been a dream.
He raised his arm experimentally and clenched his fist. The movement hurt—but not as much as it should have.
Endurance 8.4.
Before yesterday, he would have been bedridden.
Now he could stand.
He slid off the bed.
"Let's test it," he murmured.
He pressed his palm against the wall.
Then punched.
Not lightly.
Not recklessly either.
Just enough.
The impact sent a dull shock through his knuckles.
Pain bloomed.
Immediately—
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Pain Absorbed: 6 Units]
[Strength +0.02]
[Endurance +0.05]
His eyes sharpened.
So it wasn't limited to combat.
Training pain counted.
He punched again.
Harder.
The skin split slightly over his knuckles.
Blood welled.
[Pain Absorbed: 12 Units]
[Strength +0.05]
[Endurance +0.08]
A slow warmth spread from his hands to his shoulders.
His breathing deepened.
It worked.
The harder he trained.
The more it hurt.
The stronger he became.
But there was something else.
He paused.
Why him?
Out of 250 students… why was he the only one chosen?
He waited.
Silence.
The system did not respond to questions.
Fine.
He would find answers later.
For now—
He had ranks to climb.
By the time Li Wei reached school, whispers were already circulating.
"Did you see yesterday?"
"Chen Hao said he felt weird."
"He swears Li Wei copied his form."
"Copied? After getting beaten like that?"
Li Wei walked through the corridor quietly.
His rank had changed.
Rank 201.
It wasn't high.
But it wasn't 250 anymore.
And that alone made people look at him differently.
Not with respect.
With curiosity.
Inside the training hall, the ranking board glowed again.
Rank 1 — Zhou Yan.
Rank 2 — Fang Rui.
Rank 3 — Lin Yuxi.
…
Rank 201 — Li Wei.
His name no longer touched the bottom.
Instructor Zhao stood with arms folded.
"Since some of you are feeling ambitious," he said calmly, "today will be free sparring. No ranking adjustments. Pure evaluation."
Groans mixed with anticipation.
Free sparring meant chaos.
It meant pain.
It meant opportunity.
Li Wei lowered his gaze slightly.
He needed pain.
But not suspicion.
If he rose too fast, too strangely…
People would start asking questions.
And he could not allow that.
He needed control.
He needed to lose.
But intelligently.
A shadow fell across him.
"Li Wei."
He looked up.
Lin Yuxi stood there.
Up close, she was calmer than he remembered. Long black hair tied neatly. Eyes clear and steady.
"Congratulations," she said softly.
Her voice didn't contain mockery.
Just sincerity.
"Thank you," he replied.
She studied his face briefly.
"You're injured."
"It's nothing."
A faint crease appeared between her brows.
"You should rest today."
He almost smiled.
If only she knew.
"Maybe," he said.
She held his gaze for a second longer than necessary.
Then stepped away.
Why did she talk to him?
Rank 3.
She had no reason to.
Unless…
No.
He shook the thought away.
Focus.
The sparring began.
Pairs formed quickly.
Li Wei intentionally drifted toward someone ranked around 180.
Not too high.
Not too low.
Just enough to generate pain without attracting attention.
His opponent: Wang Lei.
Solid build.
Explosive legs.
They bowed.
The match began.
Wang Lei attacked fast.
A sweeping kick aimed at Li Wei's ribs.
He could dodge.
He saw it clearly.
Instead—
He adjusted slightly.
Let it connect at an angle.
Pain shot through his side.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Pain Absorbed: 28 Units]
[Strength +0.1]
[Endurance +0.3]
He staggered convincingly.
Wang Lei pressed forward.
Punch combination.
Li Wei blocked two.
Let one slip through.
Pain.
[Pain Absorbed: 17 Units]
He countered lightly.
Not enough to win.
Just enough to prolong.
Minutes passed.
Sweat soaked his uniform.
Bruises bloomed.
But inside—
The numbers were climbing.
He could feel it.
Wang Lei grew frustrated.
"Why won't you fall?"
Li Wei didn't answer.
Because he was calculating.
If he won too decisively—
Suspicion.
If he lost too easily—
Waste.
So he chose the edge.
The narrow line between defeat and growth.
Finally—
He misstepped intentionally.
Wang Lei's final kick knocked him down.
The instructor called the match.
Li Wei lay there briefly.
Breathing hard.
The ceiling looked less bright today.
Not because he was weaker.
Because he was stronger.
He stood slowly.
Bowed.
And walked away.
Inside—
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Strength: 7.4]
[Agility: 6.5]
[Endurance: 9.3]
[Mental Resistance: 13.1]
[Technique Analysis:]
— Whirlwind Kick (63%)
[Pain Storage: 0 Units]
Progress.
Steady.
Controlled.
But something unexpected happened.
As he reached for his water bottle, someone blocked his path.
Zhou Yan.
Rank 1.
The entire hall seemed to quiet instinctively.
Zhou Yan's presence was different.
Sharp.
Dominant.
"You changed," Zhou Yan said plainly.
Li Wei met his gaze.
"Did I?"
"Yes."
There was no hostility in Zhou Yan's tone.
Only observation.
"You weren't reacting like this before."
Li Wei shrugged lightly. "I trained."
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Training doesn't change eyes."
A chill ran through Li Wei's spine.
For a split second, he wondered—
Could he see through him?
No.
Impossible.
The system was his alone.
No one could sense it.
Still—
He lowered his gaze modestly.
"I just don't want to be last anymore."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Zhou Yan nodded once.
"Good."
And walked away.
Li Wei exhaled slowly.
That was close.
He had to be careful.
Very careful.
After school, instead of going home, he went to the old public park near the river.
There were rusted pull-up bars.
Cracked pavement.
Few people.
Perfect.
He started running.
Long distance.
He didn't stop when his lungs burned.
He didn't slow when his calves trembled.
He pushed until his vision blurred.
Collapsed to his knees.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Pain Absorbed: 74 Units]
[Endurance +0.6]
[Mental Resistance +0.9]
He laughed softly.
Not loudly.
Not crazily.
Just quietly.
Every limit was currency now.
Every bruise an investment.
He stood again.
"Again," he whispered.
How many times would you stand up… if standing up made you stronger every single time?
Would you chase pain?
Or run from it?
As dusk fell, a soft voice interrupted him.
"You'll destroy your body like that."
He turned.
Lin Yuxi stood by the path.
Watching.
For how long?
"I'm fine," he said.
"You're not," she replied calmly.
She walked closer.
Close enough to see the split skin on his knuckles.
Close enough to notice how heavily he was breathing.
"Why push this hard?"
He held her gaze.
Because pain is power.
Because suffering is growth.
Because losing is winning.
But he couldn't say any of that.
"I'm tired of being weak," he answered simply.
Something flickered in her eyes.
Understanding?
Respect?
Maybe both.
After a moment, she said quietly, "Then don't break before you become strong."
The wind moved gently through the trees.
For the first time that day—
His heartbeat wasn't from combat.
Wasn't from strain.
Just… steady.
She turned to leave.
Then paused.
"Tomorrow," she said without looking back, "I'll spar with you."
Rank 3.
Offering.
Why?
Was it pity?
Curiosity?
Or something else?
Li Wei watched her walk away.
Inside the darkness—
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Notice:]
[High-Rank Opponent Detected — Potential Growth Surge]
He swallowed slowly.
Tomorrow would hurt.
A lot.
But he didn't look away from the setting sun.
He welcomed it.
If Lin Yuxi fights him seriously next chapter… how badly should Li Wei lose before adapting?
And tell me honestly
Would you dare spar someone ranked 3 when you're barely 200?
If this chapter made you curious, drop your comments and let me know what you think. Add it to your collection so you don't miss the next fight. Powerstones and reviews truly push this story forward.
See you in Chapter 3.