Daydreaming

Zhang Meizhu suddenly understood and felt that Gao Teng's guess made some sense.

She smiled. "Could this count as a blessing in disguise?

Tonight, no mutated creatures came to bother us, so we can take it a little easier."

Gao Teng furrowed his brow. He couldn't feel happy about it at all.

He was counting on killing a few more mutated creatures to earn enough merit points to steal Zhou Xing's cultivation tomorrow.

And now this?

"Damn it!"

Gao Teng punched the wall and headed deeper into the sewer.

Zhang Meizhu found it strange and hurried after him, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? You're unhappy about having less work to do?"

"You don't understand. I want to hone myself in battle and improve my strength further."

"You can't rush these things..."

As she spoke, Zhang Meizhu swallowed the rest of her words.

The college entrance exam was getting closer and closer, and Gao Teng still hadn't met the admission requirements for a junior college. How could he not be anxious?

She asked with concern, "By the way, how are your scores these days?"

Gao Teng exhaled and calmed down.

There was no point getting anxious now. The mutated creatures wouldn't dare come out. What could he do about it?

He glanced at Zhang Meizhu and answered her question. "My cultivation has reached the middle stage of Level 2. My mental strength just reached Level 2, and my physical strength is a little short of Level 2.5.

"Basic Meditation is Level 7, Basic Body Forging Technique is Level 6, Basic Eighteen Fist Forms is Level 5, and Basic Breathing Technique is Level 2."

"Oh?"

Zhang Meizhu was a little surprised. Gao Teng had met the junior college admission requirements in many areas.

The requirements for a junior college were to reach the middle stage of Level 2 in cultivation, Level 2.5 in physical and mental strength, and Level 5 in the foundational techniques and martial skills for the four disciplines: internal, external, mental, and martial.

Gao Teng only needed to raise his mental strength and Basic Breathing Technique to get into a junior college.

But it would be incredibly difficult to raise those two in such a short time. His chances were truly slim.

"Wait!"

Zhang Meizhu suddenly remembered something. Somewhat astonished, she said, "I remember that when I first met you, your cultivation was still at the peak of Level 1.

"You reached the middle stage of Level 2 in just a few days? Isn't that way too fast?"

Gao Teng shrugged. "Maybe that's just what being a genius is like."

"?"

A question mark appeared over Zhang Meizhu's head. What kind of genius spent six years practicing and still struggled to get into a junior college?

"You might not believe me, but I think I've recently had a breakthrough.

"Not only have I been practicing incredibly fast, but I've also gained a lot of insight while studying techniques and martial skills.

"My strength is improving by leaps and bounds almost every day. If things keep going like this, I might even catch up to you before the college entrance exam."

Zhang Meizhu's expression shifted slightly. Gao Teng was getting a little carried away with his imagination.

She was already a Level 4 martial artist, and her foundational techniques and martial skills in all four disciplines—internal, external, mental, and martial—had reached Level 10.

If her physical and mental strength weren't a little lacking, she would already have met the admission requirements for a top university.

At present, her physical strength was 3.88 and her mental strength was 3.93. With a final push over the next fifty-odd days, she was almost certain to get into a top university.

With strength like hers, it was impossible for Gao Teng to catch up. He was just daydreaming.

Zhang Meizhu gently shook her head. Although she knew Gao Teng had no chance, she still couldn't bring herself to shatter his confidence.

She encouraged him. "Keep working hard. As long as you have a dream, you have a chance."

Gao Teng smiled indifferently. How could he not know what Zhang Meizhu was thinking?

She must have thought he was daydreaming and had no idea how little he was capable of.

There was no need to explain. When the college entrance exam came, the truth would speak for itself!

By then, Zhang Meizhu's expression would be priceless.

At the thought, Gao Teng couldn't help grinning.

Just then, strange noises suddenly came from all around them.

Immediately afterward, a jumble of running footsteps drew closer, mixed with chilling squeaks.

The two instantly went on alert. Standing back-to-back, they swept their flashlights around.

Countless red eyes lit up in the darkness. Rats surrounded them on all sides, nearly every one as big and sturdy as a dog. They bared their sharp teeth viciously, saliva dripping from their mouths.

Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu's expressions darkened. They had never expected to cause such a commotion.

"The snake smell on us is too strong. These rats probably think we're intruders." Zhang Meizhu's face was grave. "Usually, when we clear out the sewer, they deliberately hide from us. Now they think snakes have invaded their territory, so they've all come out to defend it."

"Yeah."

Gao Teng tightened his grip on his knife, a fierce glint in his eyes.

In this situation, they had no choice but to fight for their lives.

And fortunately, a Level 4 martial artist was right there beside him.

"I've been trying to avoid this. I was afraid I'd get injured in battle and lose my chance to get into one of the top five universities. Of course, the very thing I feared would happen..."

Zhang Meizhu was helpless. She circulated the true energy in her body.

At the same time, the rats could no longer hold back. Like a tidal wave, they surged toward the two of them.

They immediately swung their long knives in a flurry, sending a sheet of blade-light flashing through the air.

Their knives were swift but controlled, striking every rat with precision. Each blow was fatal.

[You gained 36 merit points]

[You gained 41 merit points]

[You gained 33 merit points]

[You gained...]

Amid a flurry of notifications, Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu fought as they retreated, until the rats had them trapped against a wall.

With their backs to the wall, they faced a sea of black rats. There were too many to count.

They had no time to worry about their numbers. They could only swing their knives for their lives, cutting down every rat that lunged at them.

But no matter how swift and deadly their knives were, they couldn't withstand the endless flood of rats.

Soon, some rats broke through the blades and bit them.

Fortunately, their physical strength was high enough. These rats, none of which had even reached Level 1, couldn't break their skin.

"Damn it!"

Gao Teng viciously tore the rat off his throat, snapped its neck, then swung his knife at a giant rat lunging through the air.

This rat was bigger and faster, and its incisors were sharper.

[You gained 95 merit points]

Unfortunately, Gao Teng's knife was faster.

The giant rat was cleaved in two midair, and foul-smelling blood splattered all over him.

He had no time to wipe it off. He swung his knife at the next rat.

[You gained 62 merit points]

[You gained 59 merit points]

[You gained 77 merit points]

[You gained...]

Rat after rat died beneath Gao Teng's knife, and his merit points rose rapidly.

But there were simply too many rats. Soon, his arms began to ache, and his long knife felt heavier and heavier.

Even after switching the knife to his left hand, dozens of consecutive swings left it too heavy for him to wield.

Worse still, the blade was badly damaged. It was no longer sharp like before, and he could only rely on brute force to smash the rats to death.

Gao Teng couldn't help growing uneasy. If this went on, he might live long enough to earn merit points, but not long enough to use them!