Third

The morning sunlight seeped through the gap in the curtains, stirring his sleeping consciousness.

"Sleeping early really is comfortable." Li Wen stretched with a satisfied yawn, dispelling the last traces of drowsiness.

Out of habit, he focused his mind slightly, and a translucent virtual panel unfolded before his eyes.

[Name: Li Wen] [Age: 18] [Realm: Unranked (6.2→6.3)] [Class: Scholar Lv3 (101/400)] [Skill: Blade Art (Perfected), Blade Art (Not Yet Begun)] [Art: Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method (Minor Success 40→50/100)]

His gaze swept quickly, pausing briefly on the two entries for "Realm" and "Art."

"Sure enough, my physical level went up another 0.1." Looking at the number that had become 6.3, the corners of Li Wen's mouth couldn't help but lift slightly.

The once-distant threshold of a 7.0-level physique was being steadily approached step by step. The gap to the baseline for martial university enrollment was now only 0.7 levels.

Bending his legs and engaging his core, he executed a clean, crisp kip-up, landing steadily on the slippers at the foot of the bed. The lightness and strength in his body clearly spoke of the changes brought by his cultivation progress.

Turning the doorknob to his room, the aroma of food drifted over. Li Hong had already prepared breakfast—the sweet fragrance of corn porridge and the refreshing scent of pickled vegetables whetted the appetite.

"Up already, Ah Wen." Hearing the movement, Li Hong turned around, a gentle smile on his face.

"Morning, Dad." Li Wen replied, rubbing his slightly tousled hair as he headed toward the bathroom.

Completely focused on sprinting toward martial arts and academics, Li Wen didn't notice the deeper-than-usual weariness between his father Li Hong's brows, nor did he pay attention to his deliberately suppressed breathing.

Father and son ate breakfast as usual, the cold morning light outside the window casting their quiet silhouettes.

After breakfast, Li Wen slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and said his usual goodbye before heading out.

"Cough... cough..." Only when the heavy front door was fully shut and the sound of his son's footsteps had faded from the stairwell did Li Hong suddenly turn, bracing himself against the wall, suppressing a violent fit of coughing, a dull rumble echoing from his chest.

It took a while for his breathing to settle. He rubbed his tight chest, his face full of worry.

The family's savings were slipping away like sand through fingers.

His wife, single-handedly maintaining the household expenses and their son's cultivation resources, was already exhausted.

His illness had come at the worst time, costing him his factory job and cutting off a crucial source of income.

His son's future—college entrance exams, advancing in martial arts—which of these didn't require massive resources of blood and qi?

Without his income, how could they manage? Was he supposed to let Li Wen's talent wither away under the shackles of insufficient blood and qi? Every time he thought of this, Li Hong felt a suffocating weight.

He walked to the balcony, looking down at the direction his son had gone. The morning breeze brushed past, but it couldn't blow away the thick, unshakable gloom in his heart.

In the end, all the unspeakable anxiety and confusion about the future dissolved into a single, long, silent sigh.

Qingshi No.3 High School, Senior Year (21) Class Culture Classroom.

The moment the bell rang, the classroom atmosphere buzzed back to life. Several liberal arts students near Li Wen were heatedly discussing yesterday's math mock exam.

"I only got stuck on the last fill-in-the-blank and the three sub-questions of the final big problem. 135+ should be solid." Wang Ruiming, sitting in the front row, wore a confident smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't even mention it, I'm way worse than you. I dawdled too long on the earlier parts and only did the first sub-question of the last problem. 120 is about the best I can hope for." His deskmate, Huang Yu, shook his head with a look of regret.

"120 is pretty impressive too. Math isn't your main battleground anyway. There's no way your total culture score won't get you into a top-tier university." Yang Junzhe, sitting in front of Huang Yu across the aisle, turned around to join the discussion.

"Hard to say. The academic track is fiercely competitive now too." Huang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "The only one in our class who's a lock for a top-tier school is probably Wei Wu."

"There's no comparing with that," Wang Ruiming said, his tone laced with undisguised envy. "I heard his family even bought him mental enhancement potions, specifically to improve his study focus."

"Mental enhancement potions? Those are several times more expensive than ordinary blood and qi potions! They're really willing to splash the cash." Huang Yu clicked his tongue in amazement.

Ding-ling-ling—

The bell for the next class cut off the discussion, which was tinged with sourness. The math teacher walked up to the podium, a stack of exam papers under his arm, a thermos in one hand, and a lesson plan tucked under the other.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Overall, the results of this mock exam are barely passable. However, a few students have performed exceptionally well!"

The teacher deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping across the class, lingering especially on top students like Wei Wu and Chen Yashi, then seemingly casually brushing past the direction where Li Wen was sitting.

"Several students in the class have broken through the 140-point mark. That's no small feat!"

As his words fell, the classroom instantly erupted into a buzz. This was the third round of comprehensive review, and the mock exam difficulty was usually on par with, or even slightly higher than, the college entrance exam. Scoring above 140 was the mark of the elite among elites!

"Quiet down. I'll announce the results now!" The math teacher raised his hand and pressed downward.

"First in the class, 147 points, Wei Wu."

"Second in the class, 145 points, Chen Yashi."

These two names were no surprise, drawing the expected glances and murmurs of acknowledgment.

"Third in the class, 142 points." The teacher's voice paused, and his gaze focused once more on the back of the classroom.

"This classmate... has made tremendous progress, very worthy of praise. I hope he maintains this momentum!" As he spoke, he once again looked clearly in Li Wen's direction.

That single glance made Huang Yu and Wang Ruiming's hearts leap! Huang Yu even subconsciously straightened his back, while Wang Ruiming clenched his fists. Could it be...?

"He is—Li Wen!" The math teacher stopped dragging it out, gesturing firmly toward Li Wen's seat. "Let's applaud to congratulate classmate Li Wen!"

Clatter—

The classroom fell into a brief, stunned silence, then a tidal wave of enthusiastic applause suddenly erupted!

Everyone, including the teacher on the podium, turned their gazes in unison toward that figure who had always been mediocre in cultural classes, even considered a "specialized student" by the martial arts class.

Wei Wu's eyes flickered with surprise, Chen Yashi glanced sideways, and Xue Jun frowned deeply, almost unable to believe his ears.

[You achieved third place in the class on yesterday's math exam. Scholar EXP +80]

[Occupation: Scholar Lv3 (113→193/400)]

The information flashing on the virtual panel was crystal clear.

Looking at the surging experience points, Li Wen's hanging heart finally settled completely, and he smiled with satisfaction.

142 points, far exceeding expectations! This not only proved the effect of his full activation of [Absolute Focus], but also let the [Proof Once, Proven Forever] skill shine brilliantly in cultural classes!

"Fourth place, 140 points, Huang Yu."

"Damn! Huang Yu!" Wang Ruiming nearly jumped out of his seat, twisting his head to stare at the desk mate who had just been "playing pitiful," his face turning green. "140?! You call that 120?! You study-slut!"