Daydreaming

Zhang Meizhu had a sudden realization, feeling that Gao Teng's guess made some sense.

She laughed, "Could we consider this a blessing in disguise? Since no mutated creatures are coming to harass us tonight, we can finally take it easy."

Gao Teng frowned, unable to feel happy about it at all.

He had been counting on killing a few more mutated creatures to rack up enough merit points to steal Zhou Xing's cultivation tomorrow.

And now this?

"Annoying!"

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

Zhang Meizhu felt strange, quickly chasing after him and asking in confusion, "What's wrong? You're not happy about doing less work?"

Gao Teng replied, "You don't understand. I want to hone myself in battle and improve my strength."

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

As she spoke, Zhang Meizhu swallowed her words.

With the college entrance exam drawing closer and Gao Teng still failing to meet the admission requirements for a junior college, how could he not be anxious?

She asked with concern, "Right, what level is your performance at now?"

Gao Teng exhaled, calming himself down.

There was no use in being anxious now; if the mutated creatures wouldn't come out, what could he do?

He glanced at Zhang Meizhu and answered, "My cultivation has reached the mid-stage of Level 2, my mental strength has just hit Level 2, and my physical strength is just shy of 2.5. My Basic Meditation is at Level 7, Basic Body Tempering at Level 6, Basic Eighteen Fist Styles at Level 5, and Basic Breathing Technique at Level 2."

"Oh?"

Zhang Meizhu was a bit surprised; Gao Teng had already met the admission standards for a junior college in many areas.

The admission requirements for a junior college were reaching the mid-stage of Level 2 in cultivation, 2.5 in both physical and mental strength, and breaking through Level 5 in the four basic arts: internal, external, mental, and martial.

Gao Teng was now only lacking in mental strength and the Basic Breathing Technique to qualify for junior college.

However, it was extremely difficult to improve those two areas in such a short time; the hope was truly slim.

"Wait!"

Zhang Meizhu suddenly thought of something and said in surprise, "I remember when we first met, your cultivation was only at the peak of Level 1, right? You reached the mid-stage of Level 2 in just a few days? Isn't that a bit too fast?"

Gao Teng shrugged, "Perhaps this is what it means to be a genius."

"?"

A question mark appeared over Zhang Meizhu's head. Which genius spent six years training only to struggle with even a junior college entrance exam?

"You might not believe it, but I feel like I've had a breakthrough recently. Not only is my training speed incredibly fast, but I've also gained many insights while practicing my techniques. My strength is leaping forward almost every day. At this rate, I might even catch up to you before the college entrance exam."

Zhang Meizhu's expression shifted slightly; Gao Teng was being a bit delusional.

She was already a Level 4 martial artist, and her four basic arts—internal, external, mental, and martial—had all reached Level 10.

If not for her physical and mental strength being slightly lacking, she would have already met the admission standards for a top-tier university.

Currently, her physical strength was 3.88 and her mental strength was 3.93. With over fifty days left to push, she had a ninety percent chance of getting into a top-tier university.

With her level of strength, it was impossible for Gao Teng to catch up; it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Zhang Meizhu shook her head gently. Although she knew Gao Teng had no hope, she couldn't bear to crush his confidence.

She encouraged him, "Keep working hard; as long as you have a dream, there's a chance."

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

She definitely thought he was daydreaming and had lost sight of his own worth.

He didn't feel the need to explain much anyway; once the college entrance exam arrived, the facts would prove everything!

By then, Zhang Meizhu's expression would surely be quite spectacular.

Thinking of this, Gao Teng couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

Just then, a strange noise suddenly echoed from the surroundings.

Following that, the sound of chaotic running approached from afar, interspersed with eerie "squeaking" sounds.

The two became instantly alert, standing back-to-back as they swept their flashlight beams around.

Countless red lights ignited in the darkness. An uncountable number of rats had surrounded them, each one as sturdy as a dog, viciously baring sharp fangs with saliva dripping from their mouths.

Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu's expressions darkened; they never expected such a massive commotion to break out.

"The scent of snakes on us is too strong; I'm afraid these rats have mistaken us for intruders." Zhang Meizhu's face was heavy with gravity. "Usually, when we clean the sewers, they deliberately hide and stay out of sight. Now that they think a snake has broken into their territory, they've all come out to defend their turf."

"Mm."

Gao Teng gripped his sword hilt tightly, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

In the current situation, there was no other way but to fight for their lives.

Fortunately, he had a Level 4 martial artist by his side.

"I've always tried to avoid this kind of situation, fearing that I'd get injured in battle and miss my chance to get into the Top Five Universities. Truly, whatever I fear most is what happens."

Zhang Meizhu felt quite helpless as she circulated the True Qi within her body.

At the same time, the swarm of rats could no longer restrain themselves, surging toward the two like a tidal wave.

The pair immediately swung their long blades, casting out a shimmering curtain of steel.

Their strikes were fast yet orderly, precisely cleaving every rat that came their way, each blow claiming a life.

[You have gained 36 merit points]

[You have gained 41 merit points]

[You have gained 33 merit points]

[You have gained...]

Amidst a flurry of notifications, Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu killed as they retreated, eventually being cornered against a wall by the swarm.

With their backs to the wall, they were faced with a sea of black, countless rats that defied estimation.

They had no time to worry about the numbers, only able to swing their blades desperately, cutting down the rats that lunged at them one by one.

Yet, even with their sharp and swift blades, they could not hold back the endless tide of the swarm.

Soon, some rats broke through the curtain of steel and latched onto their bodies.

Fortunately, their physical bodies were strong enough that these rats, which lacked even Level 1 strength, could not break through their skin.

"Troublesome!"

Gao Teng ripped a rat off his throat, snapped its neck in one fluid motion, and swung his blade at a giant rat leaping through the air.

This rat was larger, faster, and possessed even sharper incisors.

[You have gained 95 merit points]

Unfortunately for it, Gao Teng's blade was faster.

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

He had no time to wipe it off before swinging his blade at the next one.

[You have gained 62 merit points]

[You have gained 59 merit points]

[You have gained 77 merit points]

[You have gained...]

Rat after rat died under Gao Teng's blade, and his merit points climbed rapidly.

However, there were simply too many rats; soon, his arm began to ache, and his long blade felt increasingly heavy.

Even when he switched the blade to his left hand, after dozens of consecutive swings, it became too heavy for him to wield effectively.

What was even more distressing was that the blade was severely damaged and no longer as sharp as before, forcing him to rely on brute strength to smash the rats to death.

This made Gao Teng's heart sink; if things continued like this, he feared he would have the merit points, but no life left to spend them!