The Beginning of the Story

Jump squats, close-grip push-ups, and overhand pull-ups were all fundamental body-conditioning exercises in martial arts class. Shen Qian had always known his own limits well.

He knew that hard work might not change one's fate, but at least it would leave no regrets, so he rarely slacked off.

Yet the Training Memory from the system's auto-training today had somewhat overturned his understanding of himself.

Part of it was certainly because the Stamina Potion was still taking effect, but that was not the whole reason.

After loading the "Training Memory," Shen Qian found the gap between himself and the system within those familiar yet unfamiliar movements.

Under the system's control, every movement he made—whether its range, force, or overall grace—could only be described as perfect. It was a textbook standard.

Now, as his stamina gradually recovered, Shen Qian had a powerful feeling that he had improved again.

Unfortunately, there was no Simulation Machine nearby, so he had no idea how great that improvement was.

He hurriedly tidied up the clothes on the balcony, then sighed. It was all because he had no money. Otherwise, wouldn't it be great to just book the martial arts hall for the whole day?

Over the following week, Shen Qian felt as though he had completely become "trash."

Other than attending class and eating, drinking, and answering nature's call, all Shen Qian did each day was wait for System Daddy to favor him, then go to sleep, day after day.

The system precisely grasped the limit of his training every time. His training volume was increasing at an inconspicuous yet extremely steady pace, and after a night's sleep, Shen Qian would be brimming with energy again.

His appetite grew as well. Fortunately, meat, which replenished energy best, was not expensive. Other than complaining about why the refrigerator was empty again, Wang Xiaojuan said nothing else.

What comforted Shen Qian most was System Daddy's reliability.

Shen Qian trained on the rooftop in all sorts of positions, yet no one had ever caught him. From a probabilistic standpoint, that was basically impossible, so he could only credit it all to the system.

To be cautious, Shen Qian had not gone to the Physical Testing Hall again that week. He could only roughly estimate his strength. He felt that his physical fitness had likely reached last year's minimum qualifying line for the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam.

Shen Qian had also tried to shake off the feeling of being a cultivation puppet, but when he discovered that even working himself to death could not match the system's efficiency, he gave up with a clear conscience.

Beep beep!

It was Friday. After dinner, Shen Qian, who had just endured another round of hellish training, was sipping water in small mouthfuls when he felt his wristband vibrate. He took it out and glanced at it.

Messages were popping up one after another in the Class 109 group chat.

Zhou Xu: "What's everyone doing? It's the weekend tomorrow. Anyone want to team up and pull an all-nighter at a VR Hall?"

Zhang Ziqiang: "111. A new dungeon just came out on the national server of Martial God. Perfect chance to try it together!"

Huo Shuai: "An all-nighter costs a hundred or two, doesn't it? Too expensive. We might as well split the bill and go sing instead..."

A group of boys chattered away for a while. Shen Qian could tell at a glance that everyone joining the discussion was the kind of trash with no hope of passing the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam. He could not help sneering disdainfully. There was no way he would continue wallowing in the same mire as them.

Wang Yangming: "Why not come play near my place? A new VR Hall just opened here. New customers get ninety percent off!"

Zhou Xu: "Do they have all the games?"

Wang Yangming: "Ahem, you could say they have everything..."

Shen Qian was about to close the group chat when he saw Wang Yangming's message. He instantly sat up in bed and began rummaging through the loose change in his jacket.

"Proper work and rest is beneficial to the healthy development of martial arts. The principles in the textbooks should still be followed."

Having successfully found the thirty yuan in allowance Wang Xiaojuan had given him yesterday, Shen Qian opened his wristband and was about to ask Wang Yangming for the address when it vibrated first.

Shen Qian glanced at it. It was a video call from Ding Yi. Though reluctant, he still switched it to voice mode and answered.

"Shen Qian, where are you? Why aren't you answering the video call?" The moment the call connected, Ding Yi's hurried yet aloof voice rang out.

"I was just about to... No, wait. Why do I have to report something like this to you?" Shen Qian cleverly countered.

Ding Yi fell silent briefly, then sidestepped Shen Qian's question and asked, "Are you going to play those messy VR games with them?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? When have you ever seen me go to those places?" Shen Qian said righteously.

"Mm, you really haven't." Ding Yi thought about it and agreed with him.

"Then I'll just..."

Shen Qian was about to hang up when Ding Yi immediately asked another question. "Are you busy today?"

"Yes!" Shen Qian's heart skipped a beat, and the answer flew out of his mouth.

"Put it off until tomorrow."

"Can't."

"Then pay me back today."

"Heh... I put it off."

"Meet me at Central Plaza in an hour."

Even after hanging up, Shen Qian cursed himself for having no backbone. He put on his jacket and went out listlessly, but before leaving, he stubbornly made one more call.

"Hey, Old Wang, when does that new customer promotion at your VR Hall end...?"

"Today?! Are you sure?"

"...Damn it!"

At Central Plaza in Jingcheng City, dusk had passed, and it was the liveliest time of day.

Yet Shen Qian, who had arrived by bus, spotted Ding Yi at once beneath the Tai'a Sword statue.

The statue's spotlights scattered across her like shattered fragments. Her sculpted features were cast in shadows, yet they could not hide her bright eyes. Her excessively fair skin gave people the illusion that she was mixed-race, but her brows, eyes, and lips clearly possessed the charm of classical Eastern beauty.

Her familiar high ponytail, knee-length plaid skirt, and striking height of 177 centimeters made her exceptionally conspicuous. Even the crowd around her seemed to slow because of it.

"Shen Qian, why are you so slow?" Ding Yi shifted her feet upon seeing Shen Qian, but she still stood where she was and waited for him to approach before coolly asking.

"I don't know what's going on. Police Warriors were checking vehicles at so many intersections in the South District. The bus kept stopping and starting, so it was much slower than usual," Shen Qian explained.

He was not lying about that. Since he had agreed to meet Ding Yi, he would not deliberately drag his feet.

"Could it be because of those Scavengers who sneaked in?" Ding Yi guessed. "I saw Police Warriors conducting inspections around Central Plaza too."

"Scavengers have sneaked in before. Why are they making such a big fuss this time?" Shen Qian frowned.

"I saw on the news that not only were there an enormous number of Scavengers crossing the border this time, but there were also an unknown number of martial artists among them."

"Martial artists?"

Shen Qian suddenly understood. That did explain it.

Even the lowest-ranked Beginner Martial Artists possessed tremendous lethality against ordinary people. A moment of carelessness could trigger a serious bloodshed incident. Jing City had enjoyed peace for many years due to Marquis Jingcheng's presence. No wonder the Police Warriors were so nervous.

"By the way, where are we going?"

Without realizing it, the two had already moved far away from Central Plaza and turned onto another street. Only then did Shen Qian remember to ask.

Ding Yi glanced at Shen Qian but did not answer. She merely quickened her pace.

Knowing her personality, Shen Qian shrugged and could not be bothered to press further. He fell half a step behind her, occasionally glancing at Ding Yi's fair, slender calves. It was not all that boring.

At some point, Ding Yi stopped walking. "Shen Qian, do you remember this place?"

A minute earlier, Shen Qian had already realized where Ding Yi was taking him. Looking at the brilliantly lit Jingcheng National Martial Arts Hall before him, Shen Qian grinned as well.

Every story had a beginning.

Three years ago, Jingcheng National Martial Arts Hall had opened a special martial arts training class for teenagers. The reason this training class had caused such a sensation was because Marquis Jingcheng, Gao Wenyuan, would personally teach one lesson there.

Shen Qian had come with the enormous sum of three thousand yuan his parents had given him to pay the registration fee, only to encounter Ding Yi crying at the entrance.

She had tilted her head up and stood beneath the very streetlamp where they now stood. Tears streamed down her face, yet she stubbornly did not make a single sound.

When Shen Qian learned that Ding Yi's money had been stolen, his blood rushed to his head. Risking having his legs broken by his parents, he lent Ding Yi his own registration fee.

Only later did Shen Qian learn that it had been the final half hour before registration closed.

Only later did Ding Yi learn that Shen Qian had only had three thousand yuan as well.

"Actually, about that... you really don't owe me anything."

Looking into Ding Yi's sparkling eyes, Shen Qian suddenly felt a little guilty. He decided to tell the truth. "Before lending it to you, I'd already gone in once. But they had a quota limit, and my talent was too poor, so I was rejected... so, ahem..."

"..." Ding Yi was silent for a while before saying faintly, "I know..."

"You know?" Shen Qian sighed in relief, but in the next moment he sucked in a sharp breath and lowered his gaze to the slender fingers pinching his waist.

"If I knew, would I have borrowed money from you for three years?" Ding Yi gritted her teeth and twisted her fingers several more times.