Winter Break

January 11.

Early morning.

Dawn had just broken. A faint light struggled to tear through the thick curtain of winter night, spreading a thin layer of gray-white across the window lattice.

Li Wen opened his eyes right on time.

The first semester of senior year had officially come to an end. Today was the first day of winter break.

He didn't slack off just because school was out. As usual, he got up before the alarm rang, as if his body had long since carved out a biological clock accurate to the second.

As always, he stretched first. His joints gave a faint crackle, dispelling the stiffness of sleep.

Then his consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness, and he deftly summoned the familiar virtual panel.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 6.3)]

[Profession: Scholar Lv. 3 (256→268/400)]

[Skill: Blade Art: Peak (Initiation 24→27/100)]

[Method: Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method (Minor Accomplishment 50→70/100)]

Though his Flesh Rank remained stubbornly fixed at Level 6.3, Li Wen could clearly feel that after two days of racing against time during the final exams, and near-masochistic practice of the Basic Method,

as well as yesterday's baptism by battle against the Green-Robed Virtual Human with Peak Technique - Minor Accomplishment, his body's foundation had been quietly reinforced and transformed.

The tearing pain brought on by pushing his method to its limits with each circulation was subtly tempering his muscle fibers, steadily driving his qi and blood toward the 6.4 threshold.

He could feel that the thin barrier was showing the faintest signs of loosening.

Blade art, cultivation method, knowledge... everything was climbing steadily, along that arduous yet unmistakable road.

Hope was like the brightening daylight beyond the window, dispelling the gloom weighing on his heart.

"Whew..." He let out a soft breath, ran a hand through his slightly tousled hair, threw back the covers, and got out of bed. Then he opened the door.

The familiar aroma of breakfast had already spread through the living room.

His father, Li Hong, bustled between the kitchen and the dining table. His deliberately light movements and tightly controlled breathing pricked at Li Wen's heart like fine needles.

"Dad, make sure you get plenty of rest too."

Seeing the fatigue his father couldn't quite hide beneath his forced cheer, Li Wen walked to the kitchen doorway. The words rolled around in his throat a few times, but in the end, he swallowed all his worries and questions and offered only a slightly hoarse expression of concern.

Li Hong paused, then turned around. He forced a smile and waved his hand dismissively.

"It's fine! There's nothing to do at home anyway, and I go to bed early."

He sounded casual, as if the stifled coughs Li Wen had heard last night had been nothing but his imagination.

"Go wash up. It's better to eat early and get to studying early. You can't let up just because it's vacation. The Flying Star Class... that's a big deal."

"Mm." Li Wen gave his father a long look, said nothing more, and nodded before silently heading to the washroom.

Cold water splashed across his face, jolting him awake.

After living together for eighteen years, he knew the man in front of him inside out. His father was the typical stubborn, middle-aged patriarch, as immovable as a mountain.

When it came to taking care of the family, he seemed to believe that even if the sky fell, he alone had to hold it up with his no-longer-broad shoulders. Whether he could manage or not, he had never considered letting his wife and son share even a sliver of the burden.

For such a "foolish" yet immeasurably great father, Li Wen knew that the only thing he could do right now—the only thing that could truly ease his father's burden—was study even harder and cultivate with even more reckless abandon, supporting his father's hopes with tangible progress.

The more anxious and worried he seemed about his father's illness, the more Li Hong would blame himself, sinking into the painful whirlpool of "an incapable father holding his son back." So no matter how bitter it was, Li Wen had to swallow it down. No matter how worried he was, he had to act as if he knew nothing.

After washing up, he returned to the living room, and father and son sat down across from each other for breakfast.

Though they ate together, Li Hong spent most of the meal transferring fried eggs, slices of meat, and vegetables onto Li Wen's plate. Li Wen silently accepted it all, wolfing down every bite of food, laden with his father's love and the energy his body needed.

Every mouthful felt like swallowing a weighty responsibility.

"By the way, A-Wen..." Li Hong stopped reaching for food. A cautious but intense anticipation shone in his eyes.

"You finished your final exams a couple of days ago. Have any of the results come out yet? Did you improve?"

For any parent, their child's academic achievements were always the heaviest stone on their heart.

Li Wen swallowed the last bite in his mouth with effort. His throat bobbed. "Even if you hadn't asked, I was planning to tell you in a couple of days."

He set down his bowl, a smile appearing on his face, brimming with confidence. "The academic results haven't been announced yet, but the Martial Arts Assessment results came out yesterday."

"By much?" Li Hong's heart shot straight into his throat. His chopsticks, holding a piece of pickled vegetable, hung in midair, his voice taut with barely concealed tension.

He knew better than anyone how difficult Li Wen's path through school had been. Now that their family had suddenly been struck by misfortune, he was even more afraid that his son would suffer a setback.

"By more than you can believe." Seeing his father's nervous expression, Li Wen's smile widened. "I was going to wait for the report card and show it to you in black and white. That would've made a bigger impact."

"You little brat, you're not just bragging, are you?" Li Hong's heart sank halfway back into his chest. He sounded skeptical, but a faint light of hope kindled in his eyes.

He knew his own son. Honesty was practically carved into his bones. Since starting school, his report cards had shown nothing but failing grades or barely passing ones. Lying? Almost never.

"Top ten in the class." Li Wen spoke slowly, carefully controlling the impact. "That should be a sure thing."

He didn't dare mention his grade-wide ranking, much less the battle against the Green-Clad Man that had shocked the whole school. He was afraid that too great a surprise might be more than his father could take.

"Top ten in the class?!" Clatter. The chopsticks slipped from Li Hong's hand and fell onto the table. He forgot to chew, and the pickled vegetable he'd just picked up dropped back into his bowl.

He jerked his head up, eyes wide, staring at Li Wen in disbelief, as if he were seeing his own son for the first time.

That child whom almost every teacher considered devoid of martial arts talent, with nothing to his name but "hard work"? That son who had languished at the bottom of the class year after year, barely scraping by? He'd suddenly clawed his way out of the mud at the bottom and stormed into the class's top ten, a symbol of strength and potential?!

The news rang through his head like a great bell, leaving him buzzing. He needed time to digest it and make sure he'd heard right.

"...You—you're not pulling my leg?" Li Hong's voice trembled slightly. The huge rush of joy left him a little dizzy.

"They should hand out the report cards in a couple of days." Li Wen picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth, then stood. His voice was calm yet full of strength.

"Then you can see for yourself." He had no plans to explain much. Let the surprise slowly build and boil in his father's heart. If it could dilute some of the bitterness of his illness, all the better.