Zhang Yuxi, who sat in front of Chen Mo, had become his "examiner" for liberal arts subjects and an occasional conversation partner.
The girl had a round, baby-faced look, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. She was much better at liberal arts, especially history and politics, where her grades consistently ranked near the top of the year. She'd noticed that the last few times she'd turned around to ask Chen Mo a question, his answers had been not only accurate, but also clear and logically sound. Sometimes he even added details from beyond the textbook or offered an unusual perspective that made her see things in a new light.
During break one day, Zhang Yuxi turned around again with a history exam paper in hand. Pointing to an essay question, she asked with open curiosity, "Chen Mo, how did you think to approach this question about the impact of the 'Psionic Tide on modern international relations' from the angle of Martial Arts Resource Allocation? The textbook only mentions it in passing. I had no idea what to write."
Chen Mo took the paper and glanced at the question. In his previous life, this would have been a classic geopolitics question, merely wrapped in this world's trappings of the "Psionic Tide" and "Martial Arts Rise." After thinking it over and drawing on both his past knowledge and this world's circumstances, he explained in a clear, orderly way, "The Psionic Tide gave rise to the flourishing of Martial Arts. The top Martial Artists are powerful enough to rival elite military units, making them a strategic resource that every country wants to claim. In the past, countries competed over the number of guns and cannons they had and the strength of their industries. Now, they may also compete over the number and quality of high-ranked Martial Artists. The mineral veins rich in psionic energy and the Secret Realms have naturally become contested territory. Places with abundant resources develop their Martial Arts more quickly, and naturally gain more say. That, in turn, changes how countries compete and cooperate with one another."
His explanation wasn't complicated, but his approach made Zhang Yuxi's eyes light up.
"Wow, that makes sense!" Zhang Yuxi said, suddenly enlightened. She tapped her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that? I was so focused on memorizing the textbook that it never even occurred to me." Then she blinked her bright eyes and leaned closer, studying Chen Mo with a curious expression. "Chen Mo, how did your brain suddenly get so much sharper? Did you really just have a sudden breakthrough?"
Under her gaze, Chen Mo felt a little embarrassed. He rubbed his nose and joked, "Maybe... standing meditation so much made my Qi and Blood surge and opened up my mind."
"Pfft—" Zhang Yuxi couldn't help laughing, her eyes curving into crescents. "Then you should do more of it and try to open up your math and physics minds too. Maybe you'll break into the top ten on the next exam."
"I'll take your word for it." Chen Mo smiled too.
The atmosphere between them was relaxed and friendly. Their interactions, based on studying together, weren't the least bit flirtatious, but they added a bright splash of color to the dull, tedious life of senior year.
The true focus of the class, however, remained the elegant figure seated in the center of the front row—Xu Yunjing.
She always seemed so composed, focused, and meticulous. During class, her back was always ramrod straight, her eyes fixed on the teacher as she took neat, densely packed notes. During breaks, she either sat quietly at her desk reading and working through problems, or discussed difficult questions in hushed voices with a few equally outstanding classmates. In Martial Arts Class, she was even more nimble and graceful. Her basic punches flowed like water, a pleasure to watch, and she seemed to be on the verge of surpassing Lv.4 (Proficient) and approaching Lv.5 (Major Accomplishment).
She was the perfect example the teachers held up, the object of her classmates' admiration, and the undisputed pride of Class 7, Grade 12.
Chen Mo could not find the book by searching its title, so he could try searching for the author instead. Perhaps it had simply been renamed!
Chen Mo still admired her purely. Sometimes, when his gaze passed over the fair nape of her neck beneath her tied-up ponytail, or the delicate brows she furrowed slightly while thinking, a ripple of youthful feeling stirred in his heart. But it soon faded, washed away by the next math problem he needed to solve or his pressing need to raise his Qi and Blood Value.
He knew full well that he had no time to let himself get distracted. Xu Yunjing was like a distant peak bathed in rosy light, beautiful yet out of reach, a constant reminder that the road ahead was long and he still had a great deal of climbing to do.
That afternoon's Martial Arts Class was an ideal window into the class's social dynamics and the differences between this world's social strata.
Instructor Xu's stern gaze swept across the room. His deep voice echoed through the Martial Arts Hall. "Everyone, after warming up, do Standing Meditation for twenty minutes, then practice the Body Tempering Fist! Today, we're adding 'Qi and Blood Sensing and Initial Guidance.' Pay attention! This is the foundation for cultivating advanced techniques in the future!"
The students answered in unison, taking their places on the specially made soft cushions and soon sweating profusely.
Chen Mo stood in the middle of the line, eyes closed and mind focused. With continued practice of the stance and the system's support, he could clearly feel the warm mass of energy in his Dantian slowly but steadily growing stronger. On the System Panel, his [Qi and Blood Value], which represented his overall Qi and Blood level, had risen steadily from just over fifty when he first arrived to 71.
That was comfortably above the school's passing mark of 60, meaning he could at least get a score on the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam that wouldn't drag him down.
But passing was far from his goal.
His gaze drifted toward several corners of the Martial Arts Hall.
There was the group of top students who also trained in Martial Arts, led by class monitor Li Haoran. Li Haoran's Cultural Class grades consistently ranked among the top three in the year, and he also had considerable talent for Martial Arts. His Black Tiger Stance had long since reached Lv.4 (Proficient), and his Qi and Blood Value was said to be close to 90. When he practiced Standing Meditation, he looked focused, his posture as straight as a pine tree, every tiny movement precise. Clearly, his privileged background and hard work were helping him advance steadily.
On the other side were several boys whose clothes and belongings were plainly beyond the means of ordinary students, with a trace of arrogance between their brows. They were the so-called Martial Arts Second Generation, or the children of extremely wealthy families.
Their leader was a boy named Zhao Peng. He was tall, with clearly defined muscles, the result of long-term training. Rumor had it that his family ran a chain of Martial Arts gyms, and both his parents were registered Martial Artists. They were well-off. The boxing gloves and wrist guards he used were all brand-name, with soft leather and fine workmanship that gave them a distinctly luxurious feel. During breaks, Chen Mo would sometimes see him pull out a small silver spray bottle and spray a couple of times into his nose and mouth, or take a pale blue nutritional capsule from an elegant metal case and swallow it.
"That's Calming Mist. It helps steady your mind and improves how efficiently you sense Qi and Blood. A small bottle costs over a thousand yuan—enough to feed me for half a month." During one break, Zhang Shun had secretly pointed toward Zhao Peng and explained it to Chen Mo, his tone sour. "And those blue pills are a diluted version of Basic Qi and Blood Pill. They're not as effective as the real thing, but if you take them over time, they're a big help for building up your Qi and Blood at the foundational stage. Tsk, people really are different. We work ourselves to the bone doing Standing Meditation for half an hour and barely gain a few points, while he pops a pill and gets the equivalent of days of our hard work."
Chen Mo listened in silence as he watched Zhao Peng. According to the rumors circulating in private, Zhao Peng's Qi and Blood Value might already have surpassed 95. He was pushing toward the ordinary person's limit of 100, and might even have touched its threshold already. When he practiced the Body Tempering Fist, his movements were fierce and powerful, and both his strength and speed were clearly a cut above those of ordinary students. Almost no one wanted to be paired with him for sparring—nobody wanted to get beaten up.
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