Flying Star Class

The next day, December 30.

Early morning. A shrill, monotonous alarm brutally tore through the room's silence.

"Click." With his eyes still closed, Li Wen's arm instinctively reached out from beneath the warm covers and precisely shut off the obnoxious alarm.

The world sank back into silence, but the sleep that had been so rudely interrupted was gone for good.

He struggled to sit up, leaning against the cold wall. The thin blanket slipped down, exposing his lean chest, already beginning to take on the definition of a young man.

A heavy fatigue clung to every muscle in his body. It was especially pronounced in his limbs and organs, which he had pushed too hard with the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method the previous night. Waves of soreness and tightness washed through him, more intense than usual.

He frowned slightly and massaged his tense temples with his fingers.

"Overdid it again..." he sighed silently.

The fatigue, far worse than expected, came from practicing the Basic Method for longer than his body could currently recover from.

Usually, his body clock woke him a few minutes before the alarm. It was a delicate balance: his accumulated qi and blood had been spent on effective cultivation, then his sleep had just barely replenished it.

But the previous night, to improve his technique proficiency as quickly as possible, he had persisted nearly ten minutes longer than usual, raising his Initiation proficiency from 90 to 95/100.

The price was the hollow, emptied-out feeling he had now. He had spent far more qi and blood than sleep could restore, and the new day had yet to begin, but he was already carrying a heavy burden.

A deeply ironic paradox surfaced in his mind.

Those with resources and talent lacked only dedication and sweat. But he, Li Wen, lacked neither determination nor sweat. What he lacked was the energy to fuel all that effort—qi and blood.

Resources were limited, and he didn't dare cultivate at full force. If he wrung himself dry, he might damage his foundations, making the effort more costly than it was worth.

The embarrassment of having to carefully calculate every ounce of strength he used felt like cold threads winding around his heart, eager as it was to surge forward.

A sense of urgency, like a lurking beast, sank its fangs into his heart once more.

The Profession panel had given him a glimmer of hope for breaking through the ceiling of his skills, but the most pressing problem before him was still the Flesh Rank threshold for entering a Martial Arts University: level 7.0.

He was currently level 6.1, still 0.9 levels short of the minimum to apply. There were only six months until the college entrance exam, and applications had to be submitted a month in advance. Strictly speaking, he had less than five months!

Ordinary Martial Arts Universities required level 7.5 or higher; first-rate martial universities demanded level 8.5. The four unreachable top universities went without saying.

"Level 7.0... Once my technique proficiency improves and my cultivation efficiency increases, I'm confident I can reach it before applications open." Li Wen's gaze grew intent. "But if I want to aim for a better university, my Flesh Rank has to keep up too."

Could he reach level 8.5 or higher in five months just by improving his cultivation efficiency through technique proficiency? It would be incredibly difficult! And the requirements of the top universities were even more out of reach.

The core issue came back into focus: he needed more energy, and more powerful sources of it.

He needed Qi-Blood Potions!

The rules of this world were cruel: skill mastery determined one's ceiling, but Flesh Rank was the foundation.

A Flesh Rank built without enough qi and blood was like a skyscraper with unstable foundations. If his qi and blood declined in the future, no matter how advanced his skills were, he would struggle to break through to a higher realm and reach true transcendence.

Having lived a second life and fused the wisdom of two lifetimes—especially the perspective he had gained in an era of information overload in his previous life—he deeply understood the importance of a "platform."

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

The coveted resources lavished on the top martial universities were the key to truly changing his fate and catching up with the strong.

Fall behind by one step, and you'd fall behind at every step!

His thoughts churned chaotically. Li Wen shook his head, temporarily suppressing the weight of all that pressure, and threw off the covers.

Cold water splashed across his face in the washroom, jolting him awake and easing his fatigue a little.

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

Classroom for the cultural studies course, Class 21, Grade 12, Qingshi No.3 High School.

It was a winter morning, and the first glimmers of daylight had yet to brighten the sky.

In the empty classroom, Li Wen was still the first to arrive. The seat by the window in the corner had become his own territory.

He set down his schoolbag, quickly spread open High-Energy Mathematics Fundamentals, and plunged once more into the sea of knowledge.

After he had been immersed in his studies for more than ten minutes, the classroom door opened.

Wei Wu, a short-eyed, slightly chubby boy, walked in with a bulging schoolbag slung over his shoulder, stuffed full of review materials and notes.

Wei Wu's gaze swept across the classroom and, as expected, landed on Li Wen.

Unexpectedly, he didn't return to his seat and immediately start studying as usual. Instead, he carried his schoolbag straight over to Li Wen's desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down, his face alight with the excitement of sharing a secret.

"Hey, Li Wen, have you heard?" Wei Wu lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.

"Hm?" Li Wen raised his head, his gaze pulling away from the difficult formulas with a trace of bewilderment at being interrupted.

"The school's making a big move when classes start next semester!" Wei Wu continued enthusiastically, not at all bothered by Li Wen's halfhearted response. "They're going to form the Flying Star Class, like they always do. You know about that, right?"

"Flying Star Class?" Li Wen responded casually, his eyes already returning to his book. He wasn't particularly interested in this annual "elite class." Before, it had been far beyond his reach.

"Right! The elite class! But this time, it's different!" Seeing that Li Wen wasn't very interested, Wei Wu raised his voice a little, trying to get his attention.

"Word is, the school board approved a huge budget this time—they're sparing no expense! They're going to select the fifty strongest in the entire senior class for the martial arts program!"

At the words "select the fifty," Li Wen's fingers twitched slightly around his pen, but he still showed no sign of looking up. They held selections every year.

Wei Wu grew impatient and went straight for the most sensational part. "Here's the big news! It's not just the selection. I've heard the benefits for students admitted to the Flying Star Class will be more incredible than ever before! They'll blow previous years out of the water!"

Li Wen's pen unconsciously drew a line across his scratch paper. Better than previous years? How much better?

"Not only will they hand out plenty of Qi-Blood Potions for free, I've even heard that the Flying Star Class's martial arts teachers will all be Super Warriors." At last, Wei Wu revealed the trump card he thought was most convincing.

"...Hand them out for free?!" The words detonated beside him like a depth charge. "Qi-Blood Potions" pierced straight through the fortress of knowledge!

The book in Li Wen's hands landed heavily on the desk with a smack. He jerked his head up, his eyes flashing with the sharp, hungry gleam of a wolf spotting its prey, and fixed them on Wei Wu. His body even leaned forward slightly with excitement.

"Wei Wu! You just said... they'll hand out Qi-Blood Potions for free?! A lot of them?!"

Wei Wu was startled by Li Wen's intense, unblinking reaction and instinctively shrank back. He had thought Li Wen would be just as interested as he was in the Super Warrior teachers.

"Uh... yeah... I heard they'll supply them in large quantities..." Wei Wu stammered, then wore an exasperated expression.

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

Wei Wu thought Li Wen had completely missed the point. Qi-Blood Potions could be bought, but a Super Warrior's guidance was an opportunity you couldn't necessarily get even if you had the money!

However, Li Wen didn't hear a word of Wei Wu's rambling about Super Warriors.

At that moment, his mind was surging like a tempest. Only those few words kept repeating and swelling in his thoughts: Free! Qi-Blood Potions! Large quantities!

His heart thundered in his chest, and his blood seemed to rush faster! A crystal-clear thought split through the fog like lightning:

The Flying Star Class! This was his perfect chance to break free of the shackles of his qi and blood! Maybe his only chance!

"But... sigh..." Seeing how Li Wen only cared about the Qi-Blood Potions, Wei Wu deflated and slumped back into his chair, shaking his head in self-mockery.

"Still... it has nothing to do with us two. We might have a shot at the top fifty in our class, but the top fifty in the entire grade? Dream on.

"Besides, I heard we have to write our own applications. With our strength, we'd just be making up the numbers and wasting our time..." He listlessly picked up his schoolbag. "Forget it, forget it. Let's study."

"The top fifty in the grade... An application..." The words had been spoken without thought, but they rang in Li Wen's ears like a thunderclap! Every last word of Wei Wu's discouraging remarks struck his thoughts like a heavy hammer.

He went completely still.

His earlier plans to improve his skill mastery and his distant goal of applying to a top university were suddenly drawn closer and crystallized by the enormous, tangible stepping-stone that was the Flying Star Class!

An unmistakable short-term goal, clearer and more concrete than anything he had ever set, drew all his attention and longing like a magnet: I have to make the top fifty in the grade by the start of next semester! I have to get into the Flying Star Class!

Wei Wu carried his schoolbag back to his seat, dejected. Soon, the sound of pages turning came from his desk.

Li Wen's gaze rested on the open math book, but he could no longer focus on even a single formula or symbol.

The symbols and lines on the pages seemed to blur. Only the words "free Qi-Blood Potions," "Super Warrior instruction," "top fifty in the grade," and "application" remained bright and clear in his mind, circling and intertwining.

Calm analysis began spinning rapidly through his fused thoughts like precision gears.

The selection criteria for the Flying Star Classes at Qingshi No.3 High School had always consisted of three main categories:

Martial arts skills (50%), cultural studies (20%), and Flesh Rank (30%).

Cultural studies? The corner of Li Wen's mouth curved ever so slightly.

With the Scholar Profession, steadily gaining experience every day was a necessary part of his routine.

Even more incredible was the passive skill Once Proven, Forever Proven: once he understood and mastered something, he would never forget it!

That meant he could study cultural subjects far more efficiently than ordinary people. As long as he kept at it, he was confident he could score close to full marks on this 20% of the selection!

This subject wasn't a disadvantage. It was a strength that would reliably boost his score! He was determined to claim those 20%.

Flesh Rank? That was a hard requirement, and it was his current weak point. But the Flying Star Class selection would take place at the start of next semester, so he still had more than a month to prepare.

Time was tight. Every second counted.

The key was to improve his proficiency in the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method and enter the Minor Accomplishment realm as quickly as possible, maximizing his cultivation efficiency.

At the same time, he had to do everything he could to get extra support in the form of Qi-Blood Potions. Even one or two would help. This category made up 30%, and he needed to score as many points as possible.

Martial arts skills! They were the most important of all, making up 50%! They were also his biggest and clearest advantage right now!

The Scholar Profession and Absolute Focus—that was his strongest trump card for breaking into the top fifty! Advanced Blade Technique, Greater Accomplishment (55/100)?

That was far from enough!

Before the selection, his goal was to raise his blade mastery—ideally, to Initiation in Peak Blade Art.

Advanced Blade Technique wasn't rare at the senior level, but Peak Blade Art? Even Initiation would be enough to make him stand out among his peers! Add in his terrifying comprehension and rate of improvement...

"Flying Star Class... an endless supply of Qi-Blood Potions..." Li Wen couldn't help breathing a little faster at the thought.

Once he got in, his Flesh Rank would surely improve at a completely different pace! Then getting into a top university would no longer be a fool's dream!

The morning passed in what seemed like peaceful page-turning and practice problems. Li Wen put more of his mind into his studies than usual, because cultural studies had suddenly 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 stiff body.

The midday sun streamed through the window and fell across his sharply defined profile. His goal had never been clearer.

His first step toward becoming a top martial artist would be entering the Flying Star Class!

He packed his schoolbag and left the classroom with determined strides. On the way to the cafeteria to fill his stomach, he repeated in his mind the two goals that could change his fate:

Within five months, raise his Flesh Rank above level 8.5 and meet the minimum requirement for a top martial university.

At the start of next semester, give it everything he had, break into the top fifty in his grade, and claim his ticket into the Flying Star Class!