The morning sun, filtering through a gap in the curtains, roused him from his slumber.
'Going to bed early really is the best.' Li Wen stretched contentedly, shaking off the last vestiges of sleepiness.
Out of habit, he focused his thoughts, and a translucent virtual panel materialized before his eyes.
[Name: Li Wen]
[Age: 18]
[Realm: Unranked (Level 6.2→6.3)]
[Class: Scholar Lv. 3 (101/400)]
[Skills: Blade Technique - Advanced (Mastered), Blade Technique - Peak (Uninitiated)]
[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Minor Achievement 40→50/100)]
His gaze quickly swept over the panel, pausing briefly on the "Realm" and "Cultivation Technique" entries.
'As expected. My body's level has increased by another 0.1.' Li Wen's lips curved into a slight smile as he saw the number change to 6.3.
The Level 7.0 physical threshold, once seemingly unreachable, was now drawing closer step by step. He was only 0.7 levels away from the minimum requirement for martial arts university admissions.
Bending his knees and engaging his core, Li Wen executed a clean kip-up, landing steadily in the slippers at the foot of his bed. The lightness and power he felt were a clear testament to the changes brought by his advancing cultivation.
As he opened his bedroom door, the aroma of food wafted in. Li Hong had already prepared breakfast. The sweet scent of corn porridge and the crisp aroma of side dishes were utterly mouth-watering.
"You're up, Ah Wen." Hearing the sound, Li Hong turned around, a gentle smile on his face.
"Good morning, Dad." Li Wen replied, ruffling his slightly messy hair as he headed for the bathroom.
Completely absorbed in his push to advance his Martial Dao and academics, Li Wen failed to notice the deeper-than-usual exhaustion etched on his father's face, or the way Li Hong deliberately kept his breathing shallow.
The father and son ate breakfast together as usual, the cool morning light from the window illuminating their quiet figures.
After breakfast, Li Wen slung on his backpack, said his goodbyes as always, and headed out.
COUGH… COUGH… Only when the heavy front door clicked shut and his son's footsteps had faded from the hallway did Li Hong spin around. He braced himself against the wall and broke into a fit of violent, suppressed coughs, a muffled rattling echoing from his chest.
After a long moment, his wheezing finally subsided. He rubbed his tight chest, his face etched with worry.
The family's savings were like sand slipping through his fingers, disappearing faster and faster.
His wife was already exhausted from single-handedly covering the family's expenses and paying for their son's cultivation resources.
His illness had come at the worst possible time. He'd lost his factory job, severing a vital source of income.
His son's future—getting into a good university, advancing on the Martial Dao… Every one of these things required a massive amount of Qi and Blood resources.
Without his income, how could they afford it? Was he supposed to just stand by and watch Li Wen's talent wither away due to a lack of resources? The thought brought a suffocating weight to his chest.
He walked out onto the balcony, gazing in the direction his son had gone. A morning breeze swept over him, but it did nothing to dispel the thick, suffocating worry that clung to his heart.
In the end, all the unspeakable anxiety and confusion about the future coalesced into a long, silent sigh.
...
Bluestone Third Middle School. Senior Year, Class 21 Classroom.
The bell had just rung, signaling the end of class, and the room buzzed back to life. A few of the liberal arts students near Li Wen were in a heated discussion about yesterday's math mock exam.
"I only got stuck on the last fill-in-the-blank and the last three parts of the final problem. I should be solid for a 135+," said Wang Ruming, the student in front of him, with a confident smirk.
"Don't even ask. I'm nowhere near you. I wasted too much time on the first few sections, so I only finished the first part of the last problem. I'll be lucky to get a 120," his deskmate, Huang Yu, lamented, shaking his head.
"Hey, 120 is still amazing! Math isn't even your strong suit. With your overall academic score, it'd be a surprise if you *didn't* get into a top-tier university," Yang Junzhe, who sat in front of Huang Yu across the aisle, chimed in, turning around.
"It's hard to say. The academic track is a total pressure cooker these days," Huang Yu said with a wave of his hand. "In our class, the only one I'd say is a lock for a top-tier school is Wei Wu."
"That's a whole different league," Wang Ruming said, his envy undisguised. "I heard his family even bought him mental enhancement potions, the kind specifically designed to boost concentration for studying."
"Mental enhancement potions? Those are several times more expensive than regular Qi and Blood Potions! His family really spares no expense," Huang Yu added, clicking his tongue in amazement.
DING-A-LING—
The bell for class rang, mercifully cutting short the envy-tinged discussion. The math teacher walked up to the podium, a stack of exam papers tucked under one arm, a thermos in one hand, and his lesson plan in the other.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "The results of this mock exam, overall, are barely acceptable. However, a few students performed exceptionally well!"
The teacher deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over the whole class, lingering especially on top students like Wei Wu and Chen Yashi, before seemingly glancing nonchalantly in Li Wen's direction.
"Several students in this class broke the 140-point mark. That's not easy!"
The moment he finished speaking, the classroom erupted with a BUZZ. They were in the third round of final review, and the difficulty of these mock exams was typically on par with, if not slightly harder than, the actual college entrance exams. A score above 140 meant you were the cream of the crop.
"Quiet down! I will now announce the scores!" The math teacher raised his hands and gestured downwards.
"First in the class, 147 points, Wei Wu."
"Second in the class, 145 points, Chen Yashi."
These two names came as no surprise, drawing the expected murmurs and glances from the class.
"Third in the class, 142 points." The teacher's voice paused, his gaze once again focusing on the back of the classroom.
"This student... has shown tremendous improvement and deserves a great deal of praise. I hope he keeps up the momentum!" As he spoke, he looked pointedly in Li Wen's direction again.
That glance made Huang Yu's and Wang Ruming's hearts skip a beat. Huang Yu even subconsciously straightened his spine, while Wang Ruming clenched his fists. 'Could it be…?'
"That student is—Li Wen!" The math teacher dropped the suspense, gesturing emphatically toward Li Wen's seat. "Let's give Li Wen a round of applause!"
CLAP CLAP CLAP—
The classroom fell into a brief, stunned silence before a thunderous wave of applause erupted.
All eyes, including the teacher's, were fixed on the student who had always been mediocre in his academic classes—the one the martial arts students dismissed as a "specialist" who couldn't handle anything else.
A flicker of surprise crossed Wei Wu's eyes. Chen Yashi glanced over from the side. Xue Jun's brow furrowed, and he could hardly believe what he was hearing.
[You placed third in the class on yesterday's math exam. Scholar experience +80]
[Class: Scholar Lv. 3 (113→193/400)]
The information that popped up on the virtual panel was crystal clear.
Gazing at the massive surge in experience points, the knot of tension in Li Wen's chest finally loosened, and he smiled, satisfied.
142 points—far beyond his expectations! This was proof of the effects of activating [Absolute Focus] at full power, and it allowed his [Permanent Proof] skill to truly shine in his academic studies.
"Fourth place, 140 points, Huang Yu."
"Holy shit! Huang Yu!" Wang Ruming nearly leaped out of his seat. He whipped his head around to glare at his deskmate, who had just been crying poor. His face was a sickly green.
"140?! And you called that 'lucky to get a 120'?! You goddamn sandbagger!"