Arrival

January 13th, nine o'clock sharp, the third day of winter break.

In the bedroom, the warm winter sun spilled through the window onto the desk.

Li Wen sat upright, his fingertip tracing across the thick pages of Galactic Common Language (Basic Advanced Edition). His brows were slightly furrowed, lips moving silently as he struggled to pronounce a complex set of syllables.

Beside the book lay his report card, which clearly displayed the final semester evaluation: the other five subjects—Excellent; Foreign Language (Galactic Common Language)—Good.

"Tch... this set of pre-syllable rules is really tongue-twisting." Li Wen rubbed his slightly aching temples.

Even with the thirty percent comprehension boost from [Absolute Focus], learning this language still felt like trudging through mud—proof of just how weak his foundation had been.

This winter break, conquering Galactic Common Language, raising his overall cultural course score, and thereby gaining more Scholar experience points had become another core task for him, aside from cultivation.

This new universal human language, with a penetration rate of one hundred percent, had its mysterious origins glossed over in textbooks and lectures.

It was no longer the English, Russian, or Japanese of the old era, but a language originating from the broader galactic civilization. Every human child was required to learn it from the moment they began to babble.

For Li Wen, it was both a necessity for exams and perhaps a key to accessing a wider world in the future.

Just as he was sinking into the mental vortex of awkward grammar, two crisp notification sounds—"Ding-dong~" "Ding-dong~"—rang out abruptly, followed by the distinctive deposit alert from his phone's payment app.

Li Wen's spirits lifted. He grabbed his phone from the desk almost instantly.

Fingerprint unlocked, screen lit up. At the top, two text messages from Huanong Bank were clearly visible:

[Huanong Bank]: Your account ending in 9409 received a deposit of "Progress Award, etc." of 2000.00 yuan at 9:00 on January 13th. Balance: 2574.85 yuan. Payer: Qingshi County Treasury Central Payment Center.

[Huanong Bank]: Your account ending in 9409 received a deposit of "Second-Class Scholarship" of 10000.00 yuan at 9:00 on January 13th. Balance: 12574.85 yuan. Payer: Qingshi County Treasury Central Payment Center.

"Phew..." Li Wen stared at the vivid "12574.85" on the screen and let out a long, truly relieved breath. A genuine smile bloomed on his face.

"Right on time! They said three to five days, and it arrived on the third!"

This twelve thousand yuan was the key to unlocking the fast track for raising his physical level.

Especially the Progress Award of one thousand plus the extra one thousand for being in the top three of the class.

What surprised him a bit was that his final overall ranking had actually pushed into the top three of the class—five hundred more than he had initially expected.

This meant he could pocket a full twenty-four Level 1 Blood Qi Potions.

For an ordinary student, drinking twenty-four Blood Qi Potions over the thirty-day winter break was almost a fantasy.

A normal person's absorption rate required an interval of about three days to digest one potion without damaging their foundation.

For most students in Class 21, ten potions a month was the limit. Those with slightly better talent and a solid foundation in the basic method could barely manage one every two days with all-out effort.

But Li Wen was different. He had [Absolute Focus]!

This ability wasn't just for studying and comprehending the Dao. When cultivating the basic method, it allowed him to use willpower far beyond ordinary people to precisely squeeze and temper every ounce of potential from his body, completely absorbing and transforming the blood qi power without a trace of waste.

The extreme fatigue of maintaining the correct stance in the later stages of post training—something ordinary martial artists struggled to endure—was, for him, a daily grind under the boost of [Absolute Focus].

Twenty-four potions, one winter break—that was the intensity plan he had tailored for himself.

"Time to tell Mom and Dad the good news." Li Wen quickly edited a concise message and sent it to his father, Li Hong, and his mother.

He hadn't mentioned applying for the scholarship beforehand. His father had been under immense mental pressure since being laid off, and Li Wen didn't want to get the family's hopes up for nothing.

These past few days, his father had been busy paying respects to the workers who died in the Greenwood Project accident, leaving early and returning late, with no chance to talk face to face.

After sending the message, Li Wen picked up Galactic Common Language again, his gaze refocusing with sharp intensity.

Time passed in concentration.

When his phone rang with the twelve-thirty alarm, Li Wen finally put down the book and stretched long. A message surfaced in his mind at just the right moment:

[You studied earnestly for six hours. Scholar experience +36]

[Occupation: Scholar Lv5 (200→236/1600)]

The clarity of thought brought by the Scholar level-up still lingered, but the road was long.

He quickly slung on his backpack, already stuffed with compressed energy bars and high-protein energy paste, and left the house.

The bus heading to Xinhuo Hall ran smoothly.

Familiar street scenes flashed by outside the window. Li Wen was closing his eyes, mentally sorting through the difficulties of practicing Rainbow Light Blade Art that afternoon, when a jarring voice suddenly broke the calm inside the carriage.

"We now interrupt this broadcast with an urgent announcement. Citizens of Qingshi County, please take note: When traveling, be sure to avoid Greenwood Road and its surrounding areas! This area has been temporarily sealed off by the Security Bureau due to an unexpected incident. The lifting of the lockdown is pending... We apologize for any inconvenience!"

The original advertisement on the radio was replaced by a stern public notice.

"Greenwood Road?" Li Wen opened his eyes. "Isn't that near the original site of the Greenwood Project? A large-scale collapse happened there just two days ago, causing heavy casualties... It's only been that long, and something else happened?"

A flicker of doubt and unease crossed his mind. That project had too many connections. His father had been part of it, and the death list from that disaster had cast a pall over the whole family for days.

A few minutes later, the bus approached the outskirts of Greenwood Road. Looking out through the window, a new ring of taller blue temporary isolation panels had indeed been erected around the original accident site. At the entrance stood several uniformed security officers, pulling up conspicuous warning tape. The no-entry signs were starkly visible.

Behind the steel panels, there seemed to be faint dust and smoke. Some vehicles and pedestrians were being directed far away.

"Judging by the scale, this is no small matter..." Li Wen frowned, but that was all.

He tried to get a better look, to glean more information, but aside from the cordon personnel and steel panels, he couldn't make out any details.

The bus quickly passed by, and the sealed-off area vanished from sight.

His strong curiosity was quickly diluted by reality—his father no longer worked there, the place was far from home, and aside from passing nearby on the way to Xinhuo Hall, it was in a completely different direction from his house.

The news had also said to take a detour, so he'd just ignore it. His time was too precious now to be distracted.

Cultivation, getting stronger, earning money to treat his father—that was his core battlefield.

"Xinhuo Hall, arriving!" A clear electronic prompt sounded.