Scholar lv2

Galactic Year 225, December 31st.

Early morning.

The sky was still dim, the narrow windows of the old residential building letting in little light.

Mm~

Li Wen opened his bleary eyes, stretched lazily in bed. His bones gave off a faint, crisp crackle, carrying a noticeably more vibrant energy than yesterday morning.

Last night, when cultivating the Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method, he had deliberately reduced one cycle of intensity, allowing his body to rest better.

Sure enough, he woke up today before the alarm went off.

"In martial arts, one must proceed step by step, balancing tension and relaxation," he murmured to himself, feeling the faint blood energy within him, slightly fuller than yesterday morning.

Without enough blood energy potions to replenish what was excessively consumed, he had no choice but to restrain himself like this. This wasn't just wisdom—it was an inevitable choice for the long haul.

After a quick wash, he grabbed the warm steamed buns and a bowl of millet porridge his mother, Wang Juan, had left on the living room table, wolfed them down in a few bites, slung his faded canvas schoolbag over his shoulder, and pushed open the door, stepping into the chilly, bustling air unique to the old city district at dawn.

Compared to the previous two days, Li Wen's pace was noticeably quicker today, carrying an unspoken anticipation. Barring any surprises, his [Scholar] level would be grinded to lv2 today.

When that happened, the boost to comprehension from activating [Absolute Focus] would jump from 10% to 20%, and his control over his physical body would improve significantly.

That would be a qualitative leap, a crucial foundation for his push to secure a spot among the top sixty in the Flying Star Class.

Qingshi No.3 High School, Cultural Studies Classroom, Class 21, Senior Year 3.

In the empty classroom, Li Wen arrived ten minutes earlier than usual.

He stuffed his bag into the desk, hesitated not a moment, and immediately pulled out the thick, arduous High-Energy Mathematics Fundamentals. Time was precious; none could be wasted.

There was one damnable thing about [Scholar]—even when using [Absolute Focus] to study books, it couldn't speed up the experience gain rate.

Experience could only be accumulated through effective study time: ten minutes per point, an unbreakable rule.

This was an artificial restriction the designers had imposed back when designing the game, to balance learning-type professions against other combat ones.

"Who'd have thought this damned restriction would now be the stumbling block slowing down my Scholar experience grind," Li Wen thought with a flicker of helplessness, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.

Restrictions were rigid; people were flexible. The only answer was to invest more time.

He calmed his mind, cast aside distractions, and immersed himself in those formulas, theorems, and derivations that were tedious and logically complex to ordinary people.

[You studied earnestly for ten minutes. Scholar experience +1]

[You studied earnestly for ten minutes. Scholar experience +1]

Time slipped away in the faint rustle of a pen scratching across scratch paper.

Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened, and the campus grew noisy.

Classmates filed into the classroom one by one, glancing at Li Wen's figure, seemingly welded to his seat in deep focus—they were long used to it.

The bell for the third period rang. The math teacher began explaining multiple solution methods for a comprehensive application problem.

Li Wen remained buried in his books, the experience bar steadily approaching full.

The teacher's voice in the classroom, the rustling of classmates' pages—all faded into distant background noise.

Just as the math teacher finished writing the third key auxiliary line formula on the blackboard—

[Profession: Scholar lv2 (0/200)]

A prompt appeared in his mind without warning. An indescribable coolness spread from the depths of his soul, as if some invisible shackle had been broken. His thoughts instantly became more transparent and clear.

"Done!" Li Wen's heart raced. Suppressing the urge to immediately try [Absolute Focus], he kept his composure and continued watching the example problem on the board.

He endured until the start of the last class before noon.

"Activate—[Absolute Focus]!"

With a flicker of thought, the skill triggered.

Whoosh—

This time, unlike the intangible ripple at lv1, the activation produced almost no external effect. It was as if Li Wen had simply taken a light breath, and his mind sank into an absolute, crystalline ocean.

The noisy classroom instantly faded. His deskmate turned to say something but only saw his profile, head down, earnestly studying the exercise.

His gaze didn't even waver. The deskmate only felt he seemed a bit more focused, detecting no abnormal energy fluctuations or shifts in aura around him.

This was a notable trait of leveling up to lv2—the skill's activation concealment was greatly enhanced!

By lv5, legend had it one could roughly control the skill's activation duration, avoiding the awkward situation of being completely drained before being forced to stop without external interference.

Focus! Absolute focus!

In that instant, the complex application problem the teacher had just explained—all its conditions, steps, and formulas—laid themselves out clearly in his mind.

The trade-offs between the several solution methods that previously required repeated deliberation were now instantly clear. He saw the key differences and applicable conditions at a glance, even vaguely deducing a more streamlined approach.

This 20% boost to comprehension might seem small numerically, but layered on his existing foundation and [Absolute Focus]'s inherent trait of sharpening thought, the efficiency gain wasn't simple addition—it was a qualitative leap.

Problems that once demanded long, hard thought now became clear in a single glance.

For the entire class period, Li Wen maintained this state of highly burning spirit.

"Ring~ring~ring~~"

Only when the piercing bell for the fourth period's end suddenly exploded did he surface as if from deep water, slowly withdrawing from [Absolute Focus].

A wave of intense fatigue instantly flooded his cerebral cortex, like a server running slightly hot after high-intensity computation, bringing mild discomfort and faint throbbing pain.

Over forty minutes of deep concentration took no small toll on his mental energy.

"Hoo..." Li Wen let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

He savored the unprecedented clarity in his mind and the lingering afterglow of efficient operation.

"A qualitative leap!" He confirmed this fact once again.

With such efficiency, he no longer worried at all about the 20% assessment score from cultural classes.

He even vaguely harbored the ambition to turn it into a true advantage, an insurmountable barrier in his final results.

At exactly two in the afternoon.

Wang Hu's burly figure stepped punctually through the front door of the Senior Three (21) Class martial arts training room, his stride steady and powerful.

"Fall in!" His deep, resonant voice rang out, instantly drowning out the lingering echoes of clashing equipment.

The students inside—whether still sweating through practice or recovering on the mats—immediately dropped their gear upon hearing it and quickly gathered toward the front of the room.

The news about the Flying Star Class was like a shot of adrenaline, tightening everyone's strings invisibly.

"Not bad," Wang Hu's gaze swept across the youthful, sweat-streaked faces, and he offered a rare word of praise. "Finally showing some self-awareness as senior three students, knowing to seize every moment."

"Yesterday I announced the matter of the Flying Star Class. Those who are interested and believe they have the strength to compete for a spot in the top sixty of the grade,"

Wang Hu scanned the crowd, his voice clear, "now is the time to hand in your personal application forms." With that, he cast a sharp look at the group.

"Teacher, I apply to participate in the selection." The first to step forward, unsurprisingly, was Xue Jun, who had held the top martial arts seat in Class 21 for two and a half years.

His expression calm, carrying a natural confidence, he strode forward and presented a neatly filled application form with both hands to Wang Hu. His movements were crisp and decisive, as if merely completing a routine procedure.

"Mm," Wang Hu took Xue Jun's application, a hint of approving smile appearing on his face as he firmly patted Xue Jun's shoulder.

"Once you're in the Flying Star Class, keep working hard. Show your real skills and don't disgrace our Class 21!"

He had no doubt whatsoever about Xue Jun's selection, given that his strength had always been at the forefront of the grade.

"Yes, Teacher! I won't let you down!" Xue Jun straightened his back and replied in a deep voice.

"Teacher, I'm signing up!"

"Teacher, me too!"

The power of example was immense. Hot on Xue Jun's heels, the top ten of the class, including some students with close strength and a shot at breaking through, stepped forward one after another to hand in their applications.

These were mostly the cream of the class, with relatively privileged family backgrounds or resources. Soon, Wang Hu held ten thin sheets of paper carrying the aspirations of these youths.

A slight stir ran through the crowd. Everyone assumed the list was settled. After all, the Flying Star Class was for the elite of the elite; most of Class 21 had enough self-awareness.

Yet, just as the crowd was shifting, ready to hear Wang Hu begin the day's training—

"Teacher Wang, I also apply."

A calm but clear voice rang out, not loud, yet piercing through the subtle noise.

Instantly, the entire front area of the martial arts room fell into an eerie silence.

All eyes focused sharply on Li Wen as he stepped out from the ranks.

Surprise, shock, confusion, even a touch of absurdity... a complex mix of emotions wove across the faces of his classmates.

"The... the Grinder is signing up too?" A suppressed exclamation rose from the crowd, clearly catching the vast majority off guard.

Li Wen's results were plain for all to see. Middle to lower tier in the class, with a physical body level that was a glaring weakness. Signing up for the Flying Star Class? This wasn't something you could grind your way into with practice problems.

They exchanged glances, and though no one mocked him openly, the silent atmosphere already conveyed their stance—had he exhausted himself from training and lost his mind?

What surprised them even more was Wang Hu at the podium.

The notoriously strict martial arts teacher's gaze fell on Li Wen's equally carefully filled application form. Instead of showing any displeasure or contempt, he nodded solemnly and actually spoke words almost identical to those he'd said to Xue Jun:

"Mm, I accept this application. Prepare well—I have high hopes for you!" His tone was steady, carrying a seriousness that was far from mere encouragement.

High hopes for him?!

This sentence was like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring even greater ripples in the hearts of the surrounding classmates.

"What's going on?" They looked at each other, eyes wide, completely baffled.

When had the Grinder earned such high praise from Wang Hu? Or was Wang Hu saying this deliberately to motivate him?

But this kind of motivation... applied to the Flying Star Class selection, wasn't it a bit over the top? What if he actually got one-shotted on the stage...

Faced with everyone's full-blown confusion and probing stares, Wang Hu had no intention of explaining. He looked calmly at the crowd:

"Anyone else applying? Seize the opportunity—time is running out."

He held the eleven application forms and waved them lightly in the air, pausing for about half a minute. Seeing no one else step forward from the crowd, he wasted no more time:

"Since no one else is signing up, let's begin today's lesson!"

The crowd suppressed their shock and doubt, scattering to find their spots.

"Li Wen, are you serious?" Wei Wu, back in his own practice area, finally couldn't help leaning in, lowering his voice, his face still wearing that incredulous expression.

"This isn't the top sixty of the class—it's the grade! The top sixty out of all twenty-one classes in the entire senior year!"

"I know, just giving it a shot," Li Wen smiled at him, his expression relaxed and natural. "It's free anyway, so think of it as... motivation for winter break training."

Wei Wu hesitated, then couldn't resist warning him:

"I'm telling you seriously, don't take this lightly. Knowing how the school operates, this selection will almost certainly use the virtual arena. When that happens, the entire grade will be watching in the virtual world."

He swallowed, lowering his voice even further, a hint of lingering worry in his tone:

"If you actually get on that arena, and if—just if—you get one-shot by that virtual opponent in a single exchange, that's a public execution in front of the whole school... It won't look good for your reputation!"

Li Wen listened, nodded, his expression still calm: "Thanks for the heads-up. We'll talk about it later. There's still a whole winter break before the selection. Let's train."

He couldn't exactly tell Wei Wu: Bro, don't worry, I've got a cheat.

Without another word, Li Wen walked straight to his usual corner spot.

His gaze swept past Xue Jun not far away, who was already immersed in spear practice, oblivious to the little commotion here.

From the familiar weapon rack, he pulled out the polished fine steel saber. The cold hilt met his palm, and the familiar touch immediately settled his mind.

Activate! Absolute Focus!

Whoosh—

An invisible, intangible field of focus enveloped him. The stealth of the skill at Lv2 was perfectly displayed; to outsiders, he merely seemed a bit more composed than usual, with no trace of unusual fluctuation.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Swinging the blade!

Under the boost of 120% focus (his own 100% + the skill's 20% comprehension boost), Li Wen's world instantly narrowed to nothing but the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through air and the flow of power through his body.

The saber light in his hand seemed infused with a new soul.

His chops were like lightning, the angles vicious and precise. Compared to yesterday's practice, the trajectories were more accurate and lethal, shedding a hint of stiff imitation and gaining a fluid ease born of deep understanding.

His upward slashes were no longer monotonous lifts; the twist of his wrist and the subtle shift of his hips and waist combined perfectly, forming a continuous wave of power.

In his spinning parries, his footwork was nimble as a ghost, each shift landing exactly where the blade's arc needed it most, making the transitions between moves smooth and seamless, without a hint of obstruction.

The moves were no longer isolated actions but had fully merged into a cohesive whole, breathing with rhythm and battle intent.

This was no longer mere saber technique—it was a saber dance, rhythmic and free, where intent guided the blade.

Every sign clearly showed that his mastery of the saber was only a single, paper-thin barrier away from the great perfection of advanced saber technique.

[Skill: Saber Technique · Advanced (Great Completion 90→94/100)]

[Skill: Saber Technique · Advanced (Great Completion 94→97/100)]

[Skill: Saber Technique · Advanced (Great Completion 97→99/100)]

The golden numbers on the panel leaped wildly, each time closer to completion.

And reality matched the outward display.

After the two brief practice sessions last night and during the noon break, stacked with the 20% comprehension boost from Lv2 Absolute Focus, he had already pushed his saber experience points steadily higher.

Now, in this final stretch of practice, the experience needed for that last step—accumulated from deep foundations and doubled comprehension—was finally driven to the breaking point.

[Skill: Saber Technique · Advanced (Great Completion 99/100)]

He sheathed the blade and stood upright.

Li Wen slowly exhaled a long, condensed breath.

The moment Absolute Focus receded, an unprecedented sense of fullness and control flowed through his entire body.

He could clearly feel the bottleneck's presence, that final barrier so close—just needing a trigger, a thought, a single moment of enlightenment...

He gently stroked the cold blade, his gaze sharp, like a peerless treasure about to be unsheathed, carrying an indescribable edge.