March in Step

Ling Yun was brimming with energy after chatting and had no trace of sleepiness.

He decided to use the time to carefully investigate how this "reborn" world differed from his previous life, especially the "blank spots" in the entertainment industry, and see whether he could seize some opportunities through his foreknowledge.

He focused on searching for the entertainment stars who had once dominated the industry in his previous life, along with their phenomenal works... The results left him pleasantly surprised!

In this world, celebrities still shone brightly, but their catalogs had developed some subtle "gaps"! Many classic songs, novels, and films and television dramas that had once swept the country and become household favorites were nowhere to be found in this timeline!

"This is practically... a godsend!" Excitement gleamed in Ling Yun's eyes.

His previous livestream plans instantly became much clearer—once Honor of Kings had built up a sufficient fan base, the day he made a stunning debut on Douyin would be the starting point of his leap into a broader sphere! With this face, plus several "original" hit songs to blow up the stage and the platform's traffic promotion, becoming the new Douyin's Number One Streamer would be no difficult feat!

Those "disappeared" works would be the leverage he used to pry open even greater fame and wealth in the future!

Immersed in planning his future blueprint, he lost track of time. Before he knew it, it was already four in the morning.

Although his body felt not the slightest bit tired, Ling Yun still decided to rest for a while and conserve his energy.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already time for school. He wasn't hungry, so he simply headed straight for the school field on an empty stomach.

As soon as he reached the field, he heard Zhou Da, sporting two dark circles as large as a panda's, boasting enthusiastically to several classmates:

"You guys have no idea! Last night! My Brother Yun! Top of the Peak! National Server Ma Chao! His moves were practically divine! He carried me to a brutal killing spree! We reached King rank in no time! From now on, call me King!"

When he saw Ling Yun approaching, Zhou Da immediately ended his speech and scampered over. He studied Ling Yun with astonishment. "Brother Yun! What time did you go to bed last night? Four? Holy crap! Your face... You don't even have dark circles? And your skin looks this good? That's not scientific!"

Ling Yun grinned wickedly and poked Zhou Da in the waist. "Young man, you need to learn some restraint. What's wrong with going to bed at four? It's called exceptional talent, understand? Unlike certain people who clearly have... insufficient kidney energy."

"Ow! Brother Yun! Easy! Easy!" Zhou Da exaggeratedly shielded his waist, his face twisted with pain. "This is my treasure! If you poke a hole in it, you're paying for it!"

Then he sidled closer and lowered his voice. "By the way, Brother Yun, last night... did Sister Yingqing send you pictures? How were they? Were they... hehe, smoking hot?"

"Comrade Zhou Da." Ling Yun patted his shoulder with a solemn expression. "Ask less, be less curious. The adult world is complicated, and the waters run deep. You... wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Fuck!" Zhou Da instantly bristled. "Did Xiao Chunan eat your rice? Aren't you still a virgin yourself? What are you pretending to be, some experienced old wolf?"

"Oh?" Ling Yun raised an eyebrow, his smile turning even more sly. "I can stop being one whenever I want. Can you? Want to try becoming one whenever you want, too?"

The remark struck home perfectly. Zhou Da instantly turned "mentally broken," his face flushing red as he pointed at Ling Yun and stammered, "You-you-you..." for a long time without managing to say anything else.

Just as the two were attacking each other verbally—though mainly Ling Yun crushing him one-sidedly—Jiang Yingqing walked over.

Seeing them sneaking around together, she asked curiously, "What are you two whispering about?"

Seeing his chance for "revenge," Zhou Da immediately answered, deliberately raising his voice slightly. "Reporting to Goddess Jiang! We're talking about your sister! Last night, Sister Yingxue sent Brother Yun some 'cool' selfies! I was just about to ask Brother Yun for details!"

With that, he glanced at Ling Yun with an expression that clearly said he was waiting for the show.

"What?!"

Jiang Yingqing's eyes instantly widened as she stared at Ling Yun in disbelief. "My sister sent you selfies? And... and 'cool' ones? Did you get some kind of leverage over my sister?"

She knew her aloof older sister far too well. This completely overturned her understanding of reality!

Facing the "accusation," Ling Yun didn't so much as change expression. Instead, he spread his hands with a hint of smugness. "Can't be helped. Perhaps my personal charm is simply too dazzling. Even an iceberg can melt."

"Hah!" Jiang Yingqing was amused into laughter by his narcissism, but a strange sourness welled up in her heart.

She placed her hands on her hips and threw out that classic deadly question. "Oh? Then whose figure do you think is better—my sister's or mine?"

Beside them, Zhou Da's eyes widened like brass bells. He was practically one small stool and a bag of sunflower seeds away from settling in to watch.

Seeing Jiang Yingqing's puffed-up yet slightly provocative face, Ling Yun not only didn't panic, but took a step forward, the corner of his mouth curling into a wicked smile.

Ling Yun's gaze swept over her—mainly at her school uniform—and he said leisurely, "Your sister's figure is... indeed excellent. As for you..."

He deliberately drew out his tone. "Wearing this school uniform, you're wrapped up like a rice dumpling. Nothing is showing at all. How about... you send me some 'cool' pictures tonight, too? I'll carefully compare the two of you and give you an absolutely fair and impartial answer! How does that sound?"

Boom—!

Jiang Yingqing's face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, flushing from her ears all the way down her neck!

She had never expected Ling Yun to counterattack so shamelessly!

Overwhelming embarrassment and a hint of panic at being teased left her mind blank. In the end, she could only stomp her foot and point at Ling Yun as she cursed furiously:

"Pervert! Trash! Pervert!"

Then, like a startled little rabbit, she covered her face and ran away.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Brother Yun!"

Zhou Da was dumbfounded, his admiration complete. "That was an ultimate counterattack! You turned the tables and directly made Goddess Jiang suffer a mental breakdown and flee in defeat! Is this the realm of a love saint? I concede!"

"Heh." Ling Yun calmly straightened his collar. "Your perspective is too narrow. It mainly relies on my handsome face, modeled perfectly from every angle. Technique? That's merely the icing on the cake."

He shot Zhou Da a glance. "Understand?"

Zhou Da: "..." His smile vanished instantly. Well, perhaps he had simply been born without a sense of humor.

At that moment, Drill Instructor Cheng Yuanzhou blew the assembly whistle. Today's training exercise was the centerpiece of military training—marching in step!

It was also the core event of the military training performance evaluation, tied to the final honor of Military Training Model Class.

[ Ding! Sect Trial Mission issued! ]

[ The sect is about to hold the "Body Tempering Training Competition," and the Outer Sect Peaks will compete for the championship! The victor will receive an enormous allocation of cultivation resources! ]

[ Please lead your peak to seize first place in this competition! ]

Ling Yun looked at the mission and raised an eyebrow. This mission was somewhat difficult. After all, it was a team event, and no matter how strong he was alone, he couldn't carry the entire team.

Still, following the principle of "whether there are dates or not, swing the stick anyway," he accepted the mission. "Accept!"

Cheng Yuanzhou began explaining the essentials of marching in step: kick like the wind, strike the ground hard, swing the arms to set positions, and keep the body upright.

With his Top-tier Comprehension, Ling Yun only had to watch the demonstration once before his movements became textbook-perfect!

The height of his kicks, the angle of his arm swings, the steadiness of his body, and even the determination in his eyes had all reached the level of a military model soldier!

Watching Ling Yun's dashing, vigorous demonstration, Cheng Yuanzhou couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up. "Good kid! That marching of yours... is damn handsome! You're our banner bearer!"

At the front of every class formation, a banner bearer was needed to display the class number, lead the formation, call the commands, and lead the class in its slogan. He was the soul of the formation.

Ling Yun didn't refuse and accepted the symbolic class banner.

The class slogan had been "carefully" composed by homeroom teacher Liu Shiguo:

Class Three takes the field, mighty as thunder!

Train strictly, seize first place!

Keep our feet on the ground, aim for the peak!

When Class Three appears, who can contend!

The students stared at the slogan, brimming with "chuunibyou spirit," and collectively fell silent. A trace of awkwardness filled the air.

But for the sake of class honor, everyone still swallowed their embarrassment and memorized it.

The subsequent group practice, however, left Ling Yun, the "soul of the formation," somewhat on the verge of collapse.

No matter how he shouted "one-two-one" to adjust their rhythm, the formation gradually became a "hundred flowers blooming"—some people took smaller and smaller steps, some sped up more and more, and others even swung the wrong arm with their legs!

The entire formation looked like a twisted, tangled braid. It was unbearable to watch.

"No good. Forget first place—if we don't come in last, we'll have to burn incense and thank the heavens." Ling Yun frowned. For the system's reward, he had to think of something!

"Mental power..." Inspiration flashed through Ling Yun's mind! He tried blending a faint strand of mental power into the commands he shouted.

This wasn't control, but a form of guidance and resonance!

Like a stone tossed into a tranquil lake, the ripples of mental power carried clear, unified rhythmic instructions that gently yet firmly swept over every student's consciousness.

"One! Two! One!..."

This time, the commands seemed to possess magic! The students only felt the rhythm in their minds become incomparably clear and unified. Their bodies began moving involuntarily along with that "inner metronome"!

Kicks, arm swings, footfalls... their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they were one person!

The entire formation's momentum instantly rose several levels. Their steps rang out with power, merging into a single thunderous beat!

The effect was immediate!

After several rounds of joint practice, the marching ability of Senior Class One, Class Three, underwent a qualitative leap!

Compared with the other classes still engaged in a "dance of demons," they looked like a professional honor guard that had barged into a recruit training camp!

Cheng Yuanzhou's eyes shone as he watched. He excitedly slapped his thigh. "Good! Excellent! Dismissed for a break! That's enough for today! Maintain this condition—the performance championship will definitely be ours!"

"You kid... you're truly a monster! This comprehension, this coordination... It'd be a real waste if you didn't join the army! If I had talent like yours, let alone flying a plane, I'd be qualified to fly a space shuttle! Sigh, fate really toys with people!"

During free activity, Cheng Yuanzhou walked over to Ling Yun. Looking at his impossibly handsome face and then at his flawless movements, he couldn't help sighing with deep emotion, tinged with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

His tone was filled with amazement at Ling Yun's talent and wistfulness over his own shattered "dream of becoming a pilot."