Flying Star Class

The next day, December 30th.

Early morning. A sharp, monotonous alarm brutally tore through the silence of the room.

Click. Li Wen, eyes still closed, instinctively reached an arm out from the warm covers and precisely shut off the annoying alarm.

The world fell silent again, but the interrupted sleep was gone for good.

He struggled to sit up, leaning his back against the cold wall. The thin blanket slipped off, revealing a lean chest that had already begun to take on a youthful, angular shape.

A heavy fatigue clung to every muscle, especially in his limbs, which had been pushed too hard the night before practicing the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method. Now, they ached and throbbed more noticeably than usual.

He frowned slightly, pressing his fingers against his tense temples.

Overloaded again... he sighed inwardly.

This unexpected exhaustion stemmed from last night's basic method training exceeding his current body's recovery capacity.

Normally, his internal clock would wake him a few minutes before the alarm—a delicate balance where the Qi-Blood expended in effective training was barely replenished by sleep.

But last night, to boost his technique proficiency as fast as possible, he had pushed on for nearly ten extra minutes, raising his entry-level mastery from 90 to 95/100 points.

The price was this hollow emptiness, as if he'd been drained—the Qi-Blood consumed far exceeded what sleep could restore. The new day hadn't even begun, and he was already carrying a heavy burden.

A bitterly ironic paradox surfaced in his mind.

Others had resources and talent; what they lacked was effort and sweat. But Li Wen? He lacked neither resolve nor sweat. What he lacked was the very fuel to sustain it all—Qi-Blood.

Resources were limited; he dared not train at full capacity. Afraid of draining himself dry and damaging his foundation, making the loss outweigh the gain.

This cramped, calculating existence, measuring every ounce of effort, felt like cold threads binding his eager heart.

The sense of urgency, like a lurking beast, sank its fangs into him once more.

The profession panel had given him a glimmer of hope to break through the ceiling of skill, but the most immediate, realistic problem remained the minimum physical level required to enter a martial arts university—7.0.

He was currently at 6.1, still 0.9 levels short of the baseline. The college entrance exam was only half a year away, and registration closed a month before that. Strictly speaking, he had less than five months left!

Ordinary martial arts universities required level 7.5 or above; top-tier ones demanded 8.5; and the four elite academies were beyond mention.

"7.0... As long as my technique proficiency goes up and training efficiency improves, I'm confident I can reach it before registration," Li Wen's gaze hardened. "But if I want to aim for a better university, my physical level has to keep pace."

Relying solely on efficiency gains from higher proficiency to break through to 8.5 in five months? Too hard! Let alone the requirements of the elite academies.

The core problem circled back—he needed more, stronger sources of energy.

He needed Qi-Blood Potions!

The rules of this world were cruel: skill realm determined the ceiling, but physical level was the foundation.

Without enough Qi-Blood to support a high physical level, it was like a building with a weak foundation. When Qi-Blood eventually declined, no amount of skill could push through to higher realms and true transcendence.

Reborn with the wisdom of two lifetimes, especially the perspective from an age of information explosion, he deeply understood the importance of "platform."

Getting into an ordinary martial arts university? That wasn't his goal.

The coveted resource allocation of top-tier universities was the key to truly changing his fate and catching up to the strong.

One step slow meant every step slow!

Chaotic thoughts churned in his mind. Li Wen shook his head, forcing down the heavy pressure, and threw off the covers to get out of bed.

In the bathroom, cold water splashed onto his face, sending a jolt through him that slightly dispelled the fatigue.

In the living room, his mother, Wang Juan, had already prepared a simple breakfast as usual.

Qingshi No.3 High School, Senior Year Class 21, cultural studies classroom.

Winter morning, dim light.

The empty classroom still had Li Wen as the first to arrive. The corner seat by the window had become his exclusive territory.

He set down his bag, quickly spread out Advanced Energy Mathematics: Basic Theory, and once again immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge.

Just over ten minutes into his focus, the classroom door opened.

Wei Wu, small-eyed and slightly chubby, walked in with a bulging backpack stuffed with review materials and notes.

His gaze swept the room and, unsurprisingly, landed on Li Wen.

Unexpectedly, instead of heading straight to his seat to study, he carried his bag over to Li Wen's desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down, a hint of excitement on his face as if sharing a secret.

"Hey, Li Wen, heard the news?" Wei Wu lowered his voice, mysteriously.

"Hm?" Li Wen looked up, his eyes still struggling to pull away from the dense formulas, a trace of confusion at the interruption.

"Next semester, the school's planning something big!" Wei Wu didn't mind Li Wen's distracted response, continuing enthusiastically. "According to tradition, they're forming a 'Flying Star Class.' You know about that, right?"

"Flying Star Class?" Li Wen replied absently, his gaze drifting back to the book. He had little interest in this yearly "elite class." It had always been far out of his reach.

"Yeah! The elite class! But this time, it's different!" Seeing Li Wen's lack of interest, Wei Wu raised his voice a little, trying to grab his attention. "Rumor has it the school board approved a huge budget and went all out! They're selecting the top fifty martial arts students from the entire senior year!"

Hearing "selecting fifty," Li Wen's fingers holding the pen only paused slightly, but he still didn't look up. Selections happened every year.

Wei Wu was getting anxious, so he just dropped the most explosive news: "Here's the kicker! Not only are they selecting people, but I heard the benefits for students picked for the Flying Star Class this time are absolutely insane—way beyond anything in previous years!"

Li Wen's pen unconsciously traced a line across his scratch paper. Way beyond previous years? How far beyond could it be?

"Not only will they hand out a ton of Qi-Blood Potions for free, but I also heard the martial arts teachers for the Flying Star Class are all Super Warriors." Wei Wu finally revealed what he thought was his strongest card.

"...Free handouts?!" It was like a depth charge exploding in his ears—the keyword "Qi-Blood Potion" instantly pierced the fortress built by his knowledge!

The book in Li Wen's hand slammed onto the desk with a sharp thud. He jerked his head up, his eyes blazing with a sharp, predatory gleam like a starving wolf locking onto prey, fixed firmly on Wei Wu. His body even leaned forward slightly from excitement.

"Wei Wu! Did you just say... free Qi-Blood Potions?! A lot of them?!"

Wei Wu was startled by Li Wen's intense, staring reaction and instinctively shrank back. He'd thought Li Wen would be more interested in the Super Warrior teachers, like he was.

"Uh... yeah... they said there'd be a big supply..." Wei Wu stammered a bit, then his face twisted into a look of exasperation.

"Dude! The main point is! The martial arts teachers! I heard the school spent a fortune to hire actual 'Super Warriors' to teach in person! Super Warriors! Do you know how much it costs to hire a Super Warrior for a one-hour private lesson outside? It starts at tens of thousands of Galactic Credits! How many Qi-Blood Potions could we buy with that?!"

Wei Wu thought Li Wen was completely missing the point. You could buy Qi-Blood Potions, but guidance from a Super Warrior was an opportunity money alone couldn't always secure!

But Li Wen didn't hear a word of that second half about Super Warriors.

Right now, his mind was a churning storm, with only those few words repeating and amplifying: Free! Qi-Blood Potions! Massive supply!

His heart pounded in his chest, his blood seemed to race! A crystal-clear thought struck like lightning splitting the fog:

The Flying Star Class! This was his golden chance to break free from his Qi-Blood shackles! Maybe even his only chance!

"But... sigh..." Seeing Li Wen fixated only on the Qi-Blood Potions, Wei Wu deflated, slumped back into his chair, and shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

"But this has nothing to do with us anyway. Top fifty in our class? Maybe there's hope. Top fifty in the whole grade? Dream on.

Besides, I heard you have to write your own application. With our strength, going there would just be wasting time as cannon fodder..." He listlessly picked up his bag. "Forget it, forget it. Let's just study."

"Top fifty in the grade... application..." The speaker meant nothing by it, but to the listener, it struck like a great bell! Every word of Wei Wu's final, deflated remarks hammered into Li Wen's thoughts like a heavy blow.

He froze completely.

His earlier plans about improving his skill realm and his distant goal of getting into a top university were suddenly pulled close and condensed by the huge, tangible stepping stone that was the "Flying Star Class"!

An unprecedented, clear, and specific short-term goal seized all his attention and desire like a magnet—"I must break into the top fifty of the grade by the start of next semester! I must get into the Flying Star Class!"

Wei Wu trudged back to his seat with his bag, and soon the rustling of pages turning could be heard.

But Li Wen, his eyes on the open math book, could no longer focus on a single formula or symbol.

The lines and symbols on the page seemed to blur, leaving only the keywords "free Qi-Blood Potions," "Super Warrior guidance," "top fifty in the grade," and "application" shining, circling, and intertwining clearly in his mind.

A calm analysis began to spin like precision gears in his fused thoughts:

The selection criteria for Qingshi No.3 High School's Flying Star Class in previous years were basically three major components:

Martial Arts Skill (50%), Cultural Assessment (20%), Physical Level (30%).

Cultural Assessment? A faint, unconscious smile curved at the corner of Li Wen's mouth.

With the [Scholar] profession, gaining fixed experience daily was a mandatory task.

But even more ridiculously overpowered was the passive skill "Once Proven, Forever Proven"—once knowledge was understood and mastered, it was never forgotten!

This meant his learning efficiency in cultural subjects would far surpass ordinary people. He just needed to follow the plan steadily; for this 20% component, he was extremely confident he could score close to perfect!

This subject wasn't a weakness at all—it was a stable point booster! He was determined to claim that 20%.

Physical Level? This was a hard metric and his current weak point. But the Flying Star Class selection was at the start of next semester; he still had over a month to prepare.

Time was tight—he had to seize every second.

The key was to increase the proficiency of the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method, striving to break into the "Minor Success" realm as soon as possible to maximize training efficiency.

At the same time, he had to do everything possible to secure extra Qi-Blood Potions, even if it was just one or two bottles. For this 30% component, he needed to score as high as he could.

Martial Arts Skill! This was the most important! Accounting for 50%! And it was also his biggest, clearest advantage right now!

The [Scholar] profession, "Absolute Focus"—this was his strongest trump card for breaking into the top fifty! Advanced Blade Mastery, Great Completion (55/100)?

That was far from enough!

His goal was to push his blade realm—preferably breaking through to the "Initiation" realm of Top-Tier Blade Mastery before the selection.

Advanced Blade Mastery wasn't rare among third-year students, but Top-Tier Blade Mastery? Even just "Initiation" would be enough to make him stand out among his peers! Add in that terrifying comprehension and improvement speed...

"The Flying Star Class... that endless supply of Qi-Blood Potions..." Just thinking about it made Li Wen's breath quicken.

If he got in, the speed of his Physical Level improvement would be earth-shattering! Then, getting into a top-tier school would no longer be a pipe dream!

The entire morning passed in seemingly calm page-turning and problem-solving. Li Wen invested more focus than usual, because his cultural grades had now become extremely important!

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

[Profession: Scholar Lv1 (36→72/100)]

In the empty classroom, Li Wen let out a long breath and stretched his slightly stiff body.

The midday sun outside the window shone on his sharply defined profile. The goal had never been so clear.

The first step to becoming a top-tier warrior started with entering—the Flying Star Class!

He packed his bag and left the classroom with firm steps. On his way to the cafeteria to fill his stomach, his mind repeatedly painted the two goals that could change his fate:

Within five months, break through his Physical Level to 8.5 or above, securing the minimum qualification for a top-tier martial arts university.

By the start of next semester, give it his all to squeeze into the top fifty of the grade and claim his ticket into the Flying Star Class!