The Lifeline of Knowledge

Chu Fei took a deep breath and suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

Outside the dormitory, he looked up toward the west and could not help letting out a gasp of amazement.

Only after relaxing did he notice the magnificent scenery around him.

The towering city wall was like a sharp blade, cleaving the heavens apart. Above it hung dark-red sunset clouds; below stood the blackened wall.

Dim yellow lights illuminated the streets, while the factory district glittered brilliantly.

The mountain breeze drifted by, carrying the scorched odor unique to heavy industry and a faint rumble. It was the scent of civilization, reassuring and comforting.

After admiring the view for a moment, Chu Fei headed east, climbed the steps, and arrived at a brightly lit plaza.

From far away, he saw several groups of students. Aside from those who had arrived today, there were also older students.

Dawn Academy recruited one batch every month, with each batch forming one class.

Along the north side of the plaza stood a row of "benches," where four muscular old men were playing chess.

The moment he saw those four old men, Chu Fei felt a chill rise from his heels.

"Line up by the benches." Cao Liwen's indifferent voice suddenly drifted over from behind Chu Fei.

"Whoosh!"

Chu Fei sprang up on the spot, his scalp going numb.

"Heh heh..." Cao Liwen walked past Chu Fei and went to watch the chess game beside the four old men.

Once everyone had gathered, Cao Liwen spoke coldly. "Those whose names I call, come line up.

Chu Fei, Zhang Xuan, Li Honggang, Lu Hong, Jiang Shaohu."

They had been called out!

Chu Fei gritted his teeth and walked over.

Running was definitely not an option.

Cao Liwen looked at the five of them. A nearly imperceptible smile appeared on his cold face as he handed each of them a coin.

"You performed well. Five yuan each as a reward."

Taking the coin, Chu Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

The coin had ridges around its edge. One side was stamped with the words "Flying Tiger," while the other bore "5 Yuan."

Then Cao Liwen turned to the remaining twenty-two people, and his tone abruptly became stern and icy.

"During my evening inspection, most of you were loafing around. Some of you were even sleeping in.

This is your warning for tonight."

With that, Cao Liwen and the four old men headed for the second floor of the cafeteria.

The cafeteria staff began calling out.

Food was free. They could ask for more if it was not enough, but wasting food was forbidden.

There was also food that was not free, such as fried chicken, grilled meat, and snacks.

Chu Fei checked the prices. Fried chicken legs cost one yuan per jin. Based on the prices here, that was a little expensive.

The cafeteria worker smiled at Chu Fei and the others. "You boys are still growing. Eat more. Tonight's chicken legs are especially good."

Chu Fei thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Money was not omnipotent, but without money, nothing could be done.

But when it was Chu Fei's turn, the cafeteria worker lowered his voice again. "If you don't eat it now, you won't be able to keep that money anyway."

Chu Fei narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "Five jin of chicken legs!"

"Coming right up. Hang them up to air-dry when you get back, and they'll keep for three or four days."

Chu Fei took the chicken legs, carried his tray to a seat, and spat several times onto them.

A burly figure stood before Chu Fei, looking both stunned and angry.

Chu Fei looked at him and smiled. "How should I address you, big brother?"

The burly man sat across from Chu Fei and snorted. "Huang Dapeng. Not bad, kid. You got a reward on your first day."

"So it's Brother Huang. I was just lucky today."

"Be careful. Old Cao may have his eye on you. You were the first one he called just now."

"Thank you. How many years have you been here, Brother Huang?"

"I forgot." Huang Dapeng did not want to discuss it and left.

"Chu Fei." Li Honggang came over and sat across from Chu Fei. Then Lu Hong, Zhang Xuan, and Jiang Shaohu came over as well.

After dinner, the five of them left the cafeteria together.

Only to find Huang Dapeng blocking the doorway with two equally burly men.

The crowd detoured around Huang Dapeng's group, faint fear showing on their faces.

When he saw the five of them emerge, Huang Dapeng gave a sinister chuckle and barked, "Chu Fei, get over here!!!"

Chu Fei narrowed his eyes, then smiled. "So it's Brother Huang. We're going back to study. Are you going to interfere with our studies, Brother Huang? Are you trying to get us whipped?"

The moment Chu Fei said that, Li Honggang and the others turned solemn, their blazing gazes fixed on Huang Dapeng.

Just thinking of that two-meter-long "Discipline Whip" made their hearts tremble with fear.

Huang Dapeng's expression changed, gaining a touch of viciousness. "Kid, don't talk nonsense. Your brother's a little short on cash lately, so lend me some money.

I answered so many of your questions just now. That wasn't free.

Knowledge has value."

"Oh." Chu Fei nodded, looking embarrassed. "I only have less than five jin of chicken legs left. If Brother Huang doesn't mind..."

"Fuck your mother!" Huang Dapeng raised his hand and slapped him.

Chu Fei raised an arm to block it.

"Crash..."

Five jin of little chicken legs flew through the air.

Chu Fei immediately shouted, "Teacher, Huang Dapeng threw five jin of chicken legs onto the ground!"

As he spoke, Chu Fei calmly watched Huang Dapeng. From beginning to end, he had not panicked in the slightest—panic would not help. He did not know whether this tactic would work, but he had to try.

Huang Dapeng's face turned ashen.

Cao Liwen leaped down from the second floor, crushing several chicken legs into pulp beneath his feet on the way.

"What happened?" Cao Liwen looked around before finally fixing his gaze on Chu Fei.

Chu Fei opened his mouth and said, "Teacher, I just bought five jin of fried chicken legs. Huang Dapeng knocked them away and wouldn't let me eat them."

The corner of Cao Liwen's mouth twitched. He then turned to look at the pale-faced Huang Dapeng and said coldly, "Huang Dapeng, you know what to do, right?"

Huang Dapeng's face went even paler, but he pointed at Chu Fei and roared, "It was him! He did it on purpose!"

Cao Liwen ignored Huang Dapeng and looked at the two men beside him. "What are you two doing here?"

"Just passing by, just passing by." The two men backed away awkwardly.

Two old men walked over, seized Huang Dapeng, took him straight to a wooden frame, tied up his hands, and hoisted him into the air.

One of the old men directly swung the whip in a full circle.

"Whiiish..."

The whip tore through the air with a terrifying shriek.

With a ripping sound, the clothes on Huang Dapeng's back split apart, leaving behind a horrific bloody welt.

Huang Dapeng hung in midair, his body curled like a giant shrimp.

Only after whipping him viciously five times did the old man take Huang Dapeng down and throw him onto the ground.

Huang Dapeng's entire body was rigid, trembling violently.

One old man scooped up a ladle of water and splashed it over him.

"Aah..."

A shrill scream erupted as Huang Dapeng rolled across the ground.

Several minutes later, Huang Dapeng finally caught his breath. He lay sprawled on the ground, panting madly, but his eyes still turned toward Chu Fei, bloodshot and savage.

Cao Liwen kicked the chicken legs into a pile, stepped on each one, then grabbed Huang Dapeng by the neck, dragged him over, and pressed him onto the "sauce" of chicken legs as he said coldly:

"Five jin of chicken legs. I crushed the bones for you, so if you ration them, they'll last three days.

No wasting food. Waste one liang, and it's ten lashes.

Go reflect in the little black room. You may not go to the medical room until seventy-two hours have passed.

Remember this: you're being beaten not because you bullied someone, but because you failed to keep yourself clean."

After saying that, Cao Liwen glanced at Chu Fei and left.

That look made Chu Fei's heart pound wildly. He had wanted to demand compensation, but he did not dare say a word.

Cao Liwen's final words also made Chu Fei understand a truth: weakness was the original sin.

Back in the dormitory, Chu Fei took several deep breaths before calming his restless heart. Then he opened his book and began studying.

Today, he had thoroughly offended Huang Dapeng.

But even if he had to do it a thousand times over, Chu Fei would still make the same choice.

When facing an enemy, there was never a step back that opened onto boundless seas and skies. Tolerance would only invite them to press their advantage inch by inch.

But failing to kill a snake would also bring trouble.

Thinking of Huang Dapeng's massive body, Chu Fei's sense of crisis surged.

The only thing he could do now was:

Read!

Study!

Only knowledge could change one's fate!

Under the bright lights, Chu Fei immersed himself completely in his studies.

Cao Liwen passed by outside twice. At last, he took the initiative to knock on the door and said softly, "Ten minutes until lights-out. Time to wash up. Medical examinations are tomorrow, so don't stay up late."

Chu Fei raised his head and emerged from his reading state.

He focused and calmed his mind, once again "seeing" the crystalline Wisdom Tree Seed.

But it had changed.

On the surface of the seed was a sesame-sized dewdrop, crystalline and clear.

Focusing his thoughts to examine it, he sensed hazy information:

Wisdom Dewdrop (36%), contains a trace of 'Wisdom Order'.

"Wisdom Dewdrop? And what is Wisdom Order?"

After washing up, the lights soon went out. Lying in bed, Chu Fei continued to ponder.

The seed had appeared because of learning; the dewdrop had appeared because he had learned more knowledge.

But knowledge did not come only from studying. It also came from reflection: reviewing the old to gain new insights.

Let's try it!

Chu Fei recalled what he had learned today, recalled combat techniques, recalled his previous life, and so on. More than ten minutes later, the Wisdom Dewdrop increased to 37%.

In the pitch-black night, Chu Fei revealed a brilliant smile.

It seemed he had found the right way to unlock it.