This Advantage Is Mine!

"Tiger Leopard Fist is a public martial art! It doesn't even qualify as a basic martial skill!"

Zhang Tian slapped a palm down on the solid wood dining table.

He held up two fingers and shoved them right in front of Zhang Yining's nose.

"To earn extra points on the college entrance exam, a martial skill has to be at least intermediate!"

"Master an intermediate martial skill, and you get 30 points!"

"Perfect an intermediate martial skill, and you get 60 points!"

Zhang Tian looked at Zhang Yining, utterly at a loss.

Today, he'd finally met a true marvel.

And he'd become the cousin of one, no less.

"Say you perfected your radio calisthenics. Do you think the college entrance exam would give you extra points for that?"

Zhang Tian added, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Zhang Yining froze in place.

The hand holding his chopsticks stopped in midair.

"???"

"What! There are rules like that?"

"No! Does this mean a prodigy like me is doomed to fall at the college entrance exam?"

Zhang Yining slumped over the table, unwilling to face reality. He'd even lost his appetite.

Every morning, he got up at five and practiced his fist in the courtyard, braving Haicheng's bitter winds.

Rain or shine, he'd trained for two and a half years!

The calluses on his hands had worn away layer after layer. He'd been counting on his "Perfect Tiger Leopard Fist" to make a splash in the college entrance exam.

And now he was being told it didn't even meet the minimum requirement for bonus points.

Gu Yuan swallowed the vicious-beast meat in his mouth and set down his chopsticks.

"Don't overthink it. I haven't trained much in martial skills either. You're still a little better off than me, right?" Gu Yuan leaned forward to comfort him.

"The skill I'm best at is just a beginner-level movement technique, and I've only just reached the entry level."

Gu Yuan had mostly focused on cultivating his qi and blood before, and had rarely studied martial skills. So his proficiency in them wasn't very high.

At those words, Zhang Yining jerked his head up.

He grabbed Gu Yuan by the wrist.

"Oh! Really?"

He snatched up his chopsticks and quickly fished a slice of beef from the bubbling pot.

"Then I'm relieved. At least I've mastered a first-tier martial skill."

As long as his good buddy was at the bottom, even if the sky fell, he could use it as a blanket.

This advantage was mine!

"Hold on, Yining. I'm not trying to discourage you, but considering Gu Yuan's performance in the ring today..."

"With his qi and blood and combat instincts, he could get into a top martial arts university with his eyes closed!"

Zhang Tian, who was watching Zhang Yining genuinely celebrate, couldn't help chiming in.

That did it. The moment Zhang Yining heard those words, his composure completely crumbled.

When someone was extremely heartbroken, they couldn't speak. Zhang Yining was a perfect example.

He stared blankly at the food on the table without saying a word.

"All right, don't be sad."

Zhang Tian reached out and patted Zhang Yining on the back.

"Besides, with your current strength, you still have a decent chance of getting into a martial arts academy at a martial arts university, even without bonus points."

Zhang Yining turned his head mechanically and looked at Zhang Tian.

"Cousin, how small is this 'decent chance'?"

Zhang Tian rubbed his chin and thought it over for a few seconds.

"Last year, only twelve students from Haicheng No. 1 High School got into a martial arts academy at a martial arts university."

"Ahem. Your cousin here was one of them," Zhang Tian said, straightening his hair.

Haicheng No. 1 High School had several thousand seniors, and only twelve of them got in.

Those odds were worse than winning the lottery.

"I'd been counting on bonus points from martial skills to get in outright. Now look at me. I can only leave it to fate."

Zhang Yining stared down at the bubbling hotpot, dejection radiating from him.

But just a few minutes later, Zhang Yining suddenly grabbed the strainer and scooped all the meat from the pot into his bowl.

"Whatever!"

He stuffed meat into his mouth by the handful, swallowing without even chewing.

"Cousin, you're right. I'll study to become a Spirit Chef over the next few months!"

"I think I've got a real talent for cooking!"

Zhang Tian and Gu Yuan exchanged a glance.

This kid could bounce back better than a vicious beast in the wilderness.

He'd mastered the art of turning grief into an appetite.

Half an hour later, at the Destiny Bureau building.

Gu Yuan sat alone on the sofa in Team Three's area.

He still hadn't finished farming the Inspiration trait.

Leaning back against the sofa, he quietly activated the Eye of Meridians and observed Sun Miaomiao's qi.

The numbers on the system panel began to change.

[Inspiration] (Purple)

[Acquisition Condition: Use the [Eye of Meridians] to observe the holder circulating her mental energy 10 times.]

[Current Progress: 3/10.]

[Observation complete! Mental energy has been slightly nourished and improved.]

A cool sensation spread through the depths of Gu Yuan's mind.

He stood up and stretched.

"Done for the day. Time to go home!"

Gu Yuan turned and headed for the Destiny Bureau's entrance.

"Gu Yuan, come here for a moment."

The office door suddenly opened.

Shen Tingxue stood in the doorway.

Gu Yuan had no choice but to stop and turn around, then stride toward the office.

Once inside, Shen Tingxue pointed at the desk.

Two things sat on it.

A bound paper contract and a blue, thread-bound book.

"Your security guard contract."

Shen Tingxue pulled out a chair and sat down.

"You can start work tomorrow. It'll temper your martial will into something unbreakable."

She'd repeated Gu Yuan's words from yesterday's car ride back to him, verbatim.

Gu Yuan picked up the pen on the desk. Without even looking at the contract, he flipped straight to the last page.

With a couple of quick strokes, he signed his name.

At last, he could officially farm traits from the old gate guard.

As long as he got in with the old gate guard, that trait would be as good as his.

Shen Tingxue took the contract, glanced it over, and casually put it in a drawer.

Then she tossed the blue, thread-bound book into Gu Yuan's arms.

"Take it."

Gu Yuan caught the book and looked down.

Three large characters were written on the cover: Overlapping Wave Fist.

"What's this?"

"An intermediate martial skill, Overlapping Wave Fist."

Shen Tingxue leaned back in her chair.

"Train hard."

Gu Yuan opened to the first page.

Any intermediate martial skill on the market cost at least a million Great Xia Currency.

His cousin was being remarkably generous this time.

"I heard this year's college entrance exam will be a practical test held in the Beast Realm."

Shen Tingxue folded her hands on the desk and dropped a bombshell.

Gu Yuan's hand froze as he turned the page.

He looked up.

"What! They're sending high school students into the Beast Realm!?"