By now, Jiang Ye couldn't be bothered to sleep. He'd been having nightmares every day lately, and his sleep had been restless.
With the day still young, Jiang Ye began practicing his punches in his room.
The moment he assumed a stance, he immediately sensed something different.
"My understanding of the Cultivation Method seems to have deepened."
Jiang Ye thought back briefly and found that his memories of Chen Zilu's instruction had become incredibly clear.
Every last detail stood out in sharp relief.
Before, those memories had been hazy, and he had missed quite a few details.
"Is this what it feels like to be a genius?"
Jiang Ye immediately lost himself in it, utterly absorbed.
As the saying went, "The master leads you through the door; cultivation is up to you."
No matter who the Martial Arts teacher was, it was impossible for them to explain every single detail of cultivation.
So when a teacher demonstrated a technique, how much the student grasped depended entirely on the student.
Some things remained beyond understanding, no matter how many times you watched.
But some Martial Arts geniuses could figure out those crucial points on their own and benefit immensely.
And that was exactly what was happening to Jiang Ye now.
He watched Chen Zilu in his memories, focusing on her chest, waist, hips, and other key areas.
"From head to tail, the flow of energy connects them. Every movement follows the last, each part locked tightly together."
"So that's how the Divine Dragon Swishes Its Tail is done."
In just a few minutes, Jiang Ye had already gained a great deal.
He entered a state of total absorption, utterly enthralled and tireless, as he practiced the Star Martial Cultivation Method again and again.
In the blink of an eye, daylight flooded the room.
Jiang Ye saw the bright sunshine outside his window and only then noticed it was already eleven in the morning.
Fortunately, today was a day off, so he didn't have to go to school.
"I can't believe I practiced for six hours straight."
Jiang Ye was drenched in sweat, but he felt he'd gained a great deal.
"I heard that progress after reaching Great Accomplishment is much harder than at Minor Accomplishment, but why does it feel easier than when I was at Minor Accomplishment?"
Jiang Ye had spent three whole days going from 99% to 100% of Minor Accomplishment in the Cultivation Method.
According to Chen Zilu, making progress after Great Accomplishment was more than five times harder than at Minor Accomplishment.
In other words, it might take him half a month to improve by 1%.
But that had been before.
"I wonder how much progress I made?" Jiang Ye glanced at the panel nervously.
[Techniques] Star Martial Cultivation Method: Great Accomplishment (3%) --
"Just six hours, and I actually improved by 2%?!"
Jiang Ye stared at the display in shock.
Something that should have taken a month had taken him only six hours?!
"Is this what I'm capable of?"
Jiang Ye knew that his tremendous progress was inseparable from the Physique Enhancement he'd just received.
His Martial Bone had now transformed into a Class B Mortal Body, and his comprehension had permanently increased by 10%.
That meant his Martial Arts aptitude had improved many times over.
Though he still had a Primitive Talent, he was already a world apart from before.
"And this is only the reward for the First Layer of the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder."
"If the reward for the First Layer is already this incredible, I wonder what the later layers will give me?"
Jiang Ye was filled with anticipation.
Even if nothing else changed, another physical transformation on the Second Layer would be astonishing.
Still, to reach the Second Layer, he would probably have to bring the Cultivation Method to perfection, or even achieve a First Break.
"Big brother, big brother!"
"Come out for lunch!"
Just as Jiang Ye was thinking, Jiang Ting's clear, high-pitched voice came from outside the door.
"Coming."
Jiang Ye answered. After practicing punches all morning, he was indeed hungry.
At the table, Jiang Ting looked at Jiang Ye and asked, "Big brother, why didn't you come out when I called you last night? And why did you lock the door? Were you doing something bad in your room?"
Before entering the Martial Arts Heavenly Ladder last night, Jiang Ye had locked his door just in case.
"Who taught you to say things like that?"
Jiang Ye shot his little sister a glance.
Jiang Ting grinned. "My classmate said that if a boy locks himself in his room and won't come out, he's doing something bad."
At her words, Jiang Ye couldn't help recalling how a bevy of beautiful women had pinned him to the bed and worn him down all night.
Seeing Jiang Ye lost in thought, Jiang Ting's playful grin faded.
Her little face tensed with worry. "Big brother, what did you do? Are the police going to come arrest us?"
At the sight of her expression, Jiang Ye immediately tapped her on the head and said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Eat!"
"Oh, okay."
Jiang Ting stuck out her tongue and obediently started eating.
Jiang Ye looked at the empty spot at the other end of the table and thought, "Mom and Dad have both gone to work."
Although Jiang Dahai worked night security, sometimes he had to stand guard during the day too.
As for Li Anping, on top of her regular job, she had found herself a part-time one.
After all, Jiang Ye was at a crucial stage now and ate a lot every day. Making sure he had meat at every meal was bound to cost a lot.
"I've already broken through to Great Accomplishment in the Star Martial Cultivation Method. According to my teacher, I can take part in trials to earn money."
"I'll probably have to wait until next semester, though."
That reminded Jiang Ye that tomorrow was the final assessment.
"For the final assessment, I'm going to break into the top three!"
Jiang Ye thought to himself.
As long as he made the top three, he would receive a scholarship worth several thousand—or even ten thousand—yuan, which was very important to him.
Jiang Ye glanced at little Jiang Ting, who was busy eating, and felt a hint of warmth in his eyes.
Life in this family was plain and simple, but that was nice too.
He hoped things could stay this way forever.
Suddenly,
Jiang Ye seemed to remember something.
He secretly opened the Low Martial Achievements panel to see whether he could view Jiang Ting's talent.
The instant he pointed the panel at Jiang Ting,
two lines of text appeared above her little head.
[Physique: Mortal Body] [Talent: Primitive]
"So this is Talent Visibility?"
Jiang Ye's eyes shone with curiosity.
He could really see other people's physiques and talents?
To test his hunch, Jiang Ye got up and walked to the window, looking down at some of the pedestrians below.
Several lines of text appeared above each passerby's head.
[Physique: Mortal Body (Class D)] [Talent: Primitive] [Physique: Mortal Body (Class D)] [Talent: Primitive]
"Hm?"
"That's strange." Jiang Ye suddenly noticed something. "Why does Jiang Ting's physique only say Mortal Body, without a class?"
He looked at Jiang Ting again. It was still the same as before.
[Physique: Mortal Body] [Talent: Primitive]
"That's odd." Jiang Ye rubbed his chin, then suddenly remembered something.
The little girl wasn't Jiang Dahai and his wife's biological child. Like him, she had been taken in.
Because of health issues, Jiang Dahai and his wife had never had children of their own. They had long raised Jiang Ye as their only child. Then, when Jiang Ye was five, they came across a little girl abandoned on the street.
At the time, their finances were tight, and Jiang Dahai hadn't wanted to take her in.
But Li Anping had been an orphan herself, and she couldn't bear to leave the girl there. She insisted on bringing her home.
"Could Mom have picked up a treasure? Is this girl's physique unusual?"
Jiang Ye pondered it, then quickly shook his head.
He remembered his textbooks saying that Martial Arts prodigies were born with some kind of extraordinary ability.
But Jiang Ting had never shown anything special, from childhood to now.
"In the end, she's still a Mortal Body."
Jiang Ye sighed inwardly. "No matter how unusual it is, it can't be that unusual—especially with a Primitive Talent."
In this world, talent was everything.
Ninety-nine percent of those with Primitive Talent were destined for an ordinary life.
As Jiang Ye pondered,
Jiang Ting was secretly watching him too.
When she saw him pacing back and forth by the window, she couldn't help thinking, "Did big brother really do something bad?"
At the thought, she clenched her small, fair fist, a look of determination flashing through her eyes.
"Big brother, don't be scared. If the police come in a bit, tell them I did it."
Jiang Ting worked up her courage and shouted.
Jiang Ye froze.
Jiang Ting held up her little fist and said, "I'm just a kid. Even if I did something bad, the police wouldn't do much to me."
"What are you imagining?"
Jiang Ye was at a loss for words. "Your big brother didn't do anything bad!"
He walked over and rubbed the little girl's head, feeling both amused and helpless.
After lunch, Jiang Ye went back to his room to continue cultivating.
He only came out once, at dinnertime, then went right back to training.
He practiced until one in the morning the next day, then finally fell into a deep sleep, his body exhausted.
Perhaps because he was so tired,
as Jiang Ye drifted between sleep and wakefulness, he seemed to dream of himself as a young child.
He was only one year old then, being carried by a young man toward a magnificent palace.
Jiang Ye noticed that the young man looked somewhat like him, with the same deep-set eyes and high nose bridge.
The young man looked toward the palace ahead.
Four characters were carved on its plaque: "Star Sea Divine Path."
In a daze, Jiang Ye heard the young man mutter to himself, "I must succeed."
Then Jiang Ye watched as the young man strode resolutely forward.
The dream came in broken fragments.
The scene shifted, and Jiang Ye realized that the young man had disappeared without a trace, while his one-year-old self lay in the darkness, wailing.
The night was pitch-black, and an endless darkness swept over him like a tide.
"!!!"
Jiang Ye jolted awake in bed, drenched in cold sweat.
"That strange nightmare again."
Jiang Ye clutched his head. He'd been having the same nightmare every night these past few days.
But this time, the dream had been unusually clear, and he still remembered it vividly after waking.
"Why am I having these dreams?"
Normally, memories from before the age of one should have long since faded.
But that memory seemed to have taken root deep in Jiang Ye's mind.
He realized that perhaps his growing strength had caused memories from his early childhood to surface too.
"Who was that young man?"
Jiang Ye was certain that it wasn't Jiang Dahai.
He recalled the man's appearance. The two of them looked seven or eight parts alike.
"Could he be my biological father?"
Jiang Ye was shocked by the thought. It was a truly startling possibility.
Soon, Jiang Ye stopped thinking about it.
He had been a transmigrator in the first place. Since he had none of those memories, who his biological parents were didn't matter. What mattered was the people by his side.
After breakfast, Jiang Ye walked Jiang Ting to Ancheng Primary School.
At the entrance to Ancheng Primary School.
Just before they parted, Jiang Ting suddenly said, "Big brother, could you bring me a hot dog today?"
Jiang Ye smiled. "Why do you suddenly want a hot dog?"
Jiang Ting said earnestly, "My classmate said that if you want to get stronger, you have to eat hot dogs."
"?"
Jiang Ye looked puzzled.
Jiang Ting clenched her little fist. "I want to grow up and get stronger quickly, so I can help Mom and Dad with their work."
Jiang Ye patted her little head and smiled. "If anyone's going to help them, it'll be your big brother. How could it be your turn?"
"I can assist you, big brother," Jiang Ting said, looking up at him.
Jiang Ye shook his head with a smile and nodded. "I'll bring you a hot dog after school. Off you go."
"Hehe, thanks, big brother. You're the best."
The little girl hugged his arm and gave it a kiss, then skipped into the school.
Ancheng Third Middle School.
The moment Jiang Ye stepped onto campus, he felt a solemn atmosphere.
The school grounds were no longer as lively as usual. The students looked either tense or eager, hurrying toward the classroom buildings.
That was because today was the final exam.
As he walked, Jiang Ye glanced at his status panel.
[Cultivation Method] Star Martial Cultivation Method: Great Accomplishment (5%)
"After a whole day of cultivation yesterday, my Cultivation Method improved by 4%."
Four percent in one day!
This was the Great Accomplishment stage, more than five times harder than the Minor Accomplishment stage. Every 1% gained meant something.
Even most students in the Key Class probably couldn't do much better.
"So this is what a B-grade physique is like?"
Jiang Ye couldn't help sighing. What kind of hard life had he been living before?
After reaching Great Accomplishment, the difficulty really did far exceed that of Minor Accomplishment.
But for his current B-grade Mortal Body, cultivation was somehow even easier than before.
It was like the same advanced math problem: a poor student could rack their brains and still not understand it, while a top student at Peking or Tsinghua University found it as simple as one plus one equals two.
As he mused, Jiang Ye had already reached his exam room.
At that moment, only around twenty people were in the spacious classroom.
The morning exam was on general academics.
Because they practiced martial arts, the students all had excellent eyesight. To prevent cheating, the school had specifically required each examinee to sit at least three meters from the others.
As the top student in academics, Jiang Ye naturally found the exam easy.
Of course, he didn't let his guard down. After finishing the paper, he checked it over several times and only handed it in when the bell rang.
Even Martial Arts University required students to meet a 30% standard in academic scores.
The geniuses in the Key Class usually got full marks.
Geniuses excelled in every respect.
The academic exam ended.
Jiang Ye ate lunch in the cafeteria, then hurried straight to Class Nine's martial arts classroom.
Quite a few students were already inside, training hard and making their final preparations for the exam.
"Pfft!"
Nearby, Li Zhichao jabbed a needle deep into his arm, getting ready for the exam.
Naturally, it was an injection permitted under the exam rules. As long as it was administered an hour before the exam, it wasn't against the rules.
It just cost more than ordinary injections.
"Must be nice to have money," Jiang Ye thought with a sigh.
But he understood.
Li Zhichao's parents were both Starry Sky Martial Artists and held senior positions at major companies.
When it came to family background, Jiang Ye simply couldn't compare.
At the thought, Jiang Ye opened his panel and looked at Li Zhichao through it.
The next moment, two lines of text appeared above Li Zhichao's head.
[Physique: Mortal Body (Class C)] [Talent: Primitive]
"He's only Class C?"
Jiang Ye was a little surprised, but when he thought of Li Zhichao's cultivation speed, it made sense.
Li Zhichao had reached Minor Accomplishment in the Cultivation Method during his first year of high school, then broke through to Great Accomplishment right at the start of the second semester of his second year.
That was faster than the Ordinary Class students, but still far behind the Key Class.
Jiang Ye looked at the others. Most of them had Class D physiques.
Only a few of the top ten in the class were Class C.
"Ordinary people really are the majority."
Jiang Ye shook his head with a sigh.
Then he felt a little anticipation. "I wonder how much stronger I've gotten by now, after this final exam."
There weren't many exams in the second year of high school, and only two really mattered.
The entrance assessment at the start of the school year and the final exam.
The final exam was especially important. Students who ranked in the top ten of their class could apply for financial aid if they were poor.
And those who made the top three could receive a considerable sum.
This chapter plants a few subtle clues. Nothing troubling, so enjoy it without worry—the later chapters are great.
P.S. The protagonist's father has no connections or special background. Don't read too much into it.
Before you continue