The next day, December 30th.
Early morning. A shrill, monotonous alarm brutally tore through the room's silence.
CLICK. Li Wen, eyes still closed, subconsciously reached out from under his warm covers and precisely slapped the annoying alarm clock silent.
The world fell silent again, but the deep, interrupted slumber was lost for good.
He struggled to sit up, his back resting against the cold wall. The thin blanket slipped down, revealing a lean chest that was just beginning to show the angular frame of a young man.
A heavy exhaustion weighed down every muscle in his body. This was especially true for his limbs, which ached and throbbed more than usual after over-circulating the Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill the previous night.
He frowned slightly, his fingers massaging his tight temples.
'I overdid it again...' he sighed to himself.
The source of this far greater-than-expected fatigue was that he had practiced his foundational technique last night for longer than his body's current recovery ability could handle.
Normally, his biological clock would wake him up naturally a few minutes before the alarm. That was the delicate balance point—where his body had just managed to expend its stored qi and blood on effective cultivation, then barely replenish it through sleep.
Last night, however, in order to increase his Cultivation Technique's proficiency faster, he had pushed on for nearly ten minutes longer than usual, raising his introductory proficiency from 90 to 95/100.
The price was this feeling of being utterly drained—the qi and blood he had consumed far exceeded what sleep could restore. The new day had not yet begun, and he was already carrying a heavy burden.
An ironic paradox surfaced in his mind.
Others had resources and talent; what they lacked was dedication and hard work. But he, Li Wen, lacked neither determination nor sweat. The one thing he was missing was the energy to fuel it all—qi and blood.
With limited resources, he didn't dare cultivate at full strength. He was afraid of burning himself out and damaging his foundation, which would be a catastrophic loss.
This predicament of having to carefully calculate every ounce of effort he used felt like cold threads wrapping around his eager heart.
A sense of urgency, like a dormant beast, bit down hard on his heart once again.
The profession panel had given him a glimmer of hope for breaking through his skill ceiling, but the most immediate problem before him remained the physical level requirement for entering a Martial Dao university—Level 7.0.
He was currently at Level 6.1, still 0.9 levels short of the minimum registration requirement. The college entrance exams were only half a year away, and registration was a month before that. Strictly speaking, he had less than five months left!
Ordinary Martial Dao universities required Level 7.5 or higher; first-tier universities demanded a staggering Level 8.5; and as for the four unreachable top-tier academies, there was no need to even mention them.
'Level 7.0... As long as my Cultivation Technique proficiency goes up and my cultivation efficiency increases, I'm confident I can reach it before registration.' Li Wen's gaze was solemn. 'But if I want to aim for a better university, my physical level has to keep pace.'
Relying solely on the efficiency gains from increased Cultivation Technique proficiency to reach Level 8.5 or higher in five months? It was too difficult! Not to mention the level required by the top academies.
The core problem came back into focus—he needed more, and more powerful, sources of energy.
He needed Qi and Blood Potions!
The rules of this world were cruel: skill realm determined one's upper limit, but physical level was the foundation.
A physical level not supported by sufficient qi and blood was like a skyscraper with a shaky foundation. When one's qi and blood inevitably declined in the future, it would be difficult to break through to higher realms, no matter how high one's skill, and achieve a truly Extraordinary state.
Having been reborn and possessing the wisdom of two lifetimes—especially the perspective gained from the information-rich era of his past life—he deeply understood the importance of a "platform."
Getting into an ordinary Martial Dao university? That wasn't his goal.
The mouth-watering preferential resource allocation at a top-tier university was the key to truly changing his destiny and catching up to the strong.
One step behind meant always being a step behind!
His chaotic thoughts tumbled through his mind. Li Wen shook his head, temporarily suppressing the heavy pressure, and threw off the covers to get out of bed.
The cold water in the bathroom splashed against his face, a jolt that slightly dispelled his fatigue.
In the living room, his mother, Wang Juan, had prepared a simple breakfast as usual.
...
Bluestone Third Middle School, Year Three, Class (21) classroom.
On this winter morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
In the empty classroom, Li Wen was, as always, the first to arrive. The seat in the corner by the window had become his exclusive territory.
He put down his schoolbag, quickly spread open *High-Energy Mathematics Foundation Theory*, and once again submerged himself in the ocean of knowledge.
Just as he'd been immersed for about ten minutes, the classroom door was pushed open.
Wei Wu, with his small eyes and slightly pudgy build, walked in. A bulging schoolbag, stuffed with all sorts of review materials and notes, was slung over his shoulder.
Wei Wu's gaze swept across the classroom and, as expected, landed on Li Wen.
Surprisingly, instead of immediately going back to his own seat to start studying as usual, he carried his bag straight to Li Wen's desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down, his face alight with the excitement of sharing a secret.
"Hey, Li Wen, have you heard?" Wei Wu lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously.
"Hm?" Li Wen looked up, his gaze just pulling away from a difficult formula, a hint of dazed confusion from being interrupted in his eyes.
"Next semester, the school's planning something big!" Wei Wu didn't even notice Li Wen's perfunctory response and continued enthusiastically, "They're putting together the 'Flying Star Class' like they always do, you know about that, right?"
"Flying Star Class?" Li Wen replied absently, his eyes already falling back to his book. He had little interest in this annual "honors class." It had always been too far out of his reach.
"Yeah! That's the one, the honors class! But this time, it's different!" Seeing Li Wen's lack of interest, Wei Wu couldn't help but raise his voice a little, trying to get his attention,