You test young people with *this*?!

Until the end of class, Zhao Cheng still hadn't guessed the correct answer, though he remained calm about it.

Great events require a steady heart.

Over the past half-year, his greatest achievement in cultivation wasn't an increase in vitality or the refinement of his swordsmanship, but the strengthening of his focus.

Stay calm and composed when facing trouble!

Cultivation is, at its core, a process of constant self-strengthening; if one only focuses on increasing power, they have undoubtedly strayed from the path.

Zhao Cheng's mind was clear; panicking over such matters was useless.

Of course, everyone understands the principle that one shouldn't panic, but knowing is one thing—some people can remain calm, while others know it but are completely incapable of doing so.

This is the difference in focus.

Zhao Cheng followed the flow of people toward the cafeteria; it was already dinnertime.

In truth, Zhao Cheng's home wasn't far from the school. In fact, the most important reason he chose to attend Qingyuan was that his home was nearby, located in the school district.

However, his parents were both working, and since they had only just finished their shifts, there would be no food waiting for him at home, so he had always eaten at the cafeteria.

Aside from the food not being particularly refined or delicious, the cafeteria didn't have many major flaws.

As he walked, Zhao Cheng engaged in a "self-dialogue," exploring the mechanics of the Panel.

Just then, Zhou Yu sidled up to him.

He didn't stand on ceremony, immediately throwing an arm around Zhao Cheng's shoulder. While this gesture was normal among high schoolers, Zhou Yu's hulking, burly physique made it look somewhat strange, drawing quite a few glances.

In this era, living standards had improved, and average heights had increased, but someone this tall was still a rare sight.

Zhou Yu, however, was completely oblivious. He chuckled, "Old Zhao, that 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west' routine of yours—the whole 'Dragon King returns' script—was absolutely legendary."

"Let me tell you, just now, based on my secret observations, I noticed Wu Yiran looking at you several times. Even the look in her eyes has changed."

"If you strike while the iron is hot, you've got a great chance."

"That Chen Shan, who used to be the big shot, is just a loser now. He can't compete with you at all."

"As they say, to forge iron, you must be strong yourself!"

"You're clever, Old Zhao."

"I was wondering why you'd been so quiet for the past six months. Turns out you were secretly working hard to stun everyone."

"High, that is truly high!"

"I've learned a lot!"

"If I'd learned your trick earlier and grinded with you, my chances of marrying a senior would definitely be huge."

Zhou Yu chattered on, one sentence after another; his desire to vent was clearly at an all-time high.

"Wu Yiran?"

"So it was her."

Hearing the name, Zhao Cheng's thoughts stirred slightly, and he realized who Zhou Yu was talking about.

Had Zhou Yu not mentioned it, he wouldn't even have remembered her, despite her being his classmate.

This wasn't because he was intentionally trying to forget, but because once a person focuses on a specific goal, they instinctively ignore things they deem unimportant.

If one had to say, there was actually a slight connection between Zhao Cheng awakening his past-life memories and Wu Yiran. Of course, this connection refers to the fact that she was the catalyst that moved his awakening forward by a dozen days or so; otherwise, it would have happened a little later.

To summarize their history, the story was quite cliché, but the process and the outcome were perfectly normal.

It was just a teenage boy seeing a pretty girl, followed by a sudden infatuation, acting as if he liked her so much that he'd already planned where they would be buried together after death.

And then, as it happened, the girl had absolutely no interest in the unremarkable boy.

Thus, a "tragic" love story was born.

Of course, this tragedy was only relative to a boy of that age.

Young people are too inexperienced and haven't weathered many storms, so a minor setback feels like the sky is collapsing, hence the perceived tragedy.

The story began with "that girl is so pretty" and ended with "sorry, you're a good guy."

The reason such stories are cliché is that they happen far too often; most people have even experienced it themselves.

Later, when they grow up and see similar things, they might mock the person involved as a fool, though they are often mocking themselves.

Of course, there are some who don't even get the "you're a good guy" evaluation; it starts with "that girl is so pretty," and then—well, that's the end of it.

As for Zhao Cheng, he was naive at the time, but the slightly awakened memories of his past life gave him more courage than the average high schooler.

And so, he launched a suicidal confession.

I call it suicidal because anyone who thinks "it's success or death" is committing suicide; if it were truly mutual, such thoughts would never arise.

The result of the suicide mission was, naturally, receiving a "Good Guy Card +1."

It wasn't actually a big deal, but to the naive Zhao Cheng of that time, it felt somewhat tragic, and the psychological impact was significant.

And so, in that sudden moment, the memories of his past life fully awakened.

As for the high school environment, any minor disturbance in the class couldn't escape the sharp eyes of his classmates, so naturally, everyone knew what had happened.

It wasn't just his class; rumors had been quietly circulating in other classes as well at the time.

For the naive and ignorant Zhao Cheng, such an event was a devastating blow to his life—he might as well have been singing a song about snowflakes drifting down—but for Zhao Cheng after awakening his memories, it was merely a trivial matter.

In one's teens, small things bring great sorrow, but by one's twenties, after being slightly battered by society, the reverse becomes true.

What's more, this world possessed near-supernatural power!

Back when Zhao Cheng first awakened his memories, his first thought was that he had been far too young in this life; his second thought was that since there was the Way of the Sword, what was the point of having a girlfriend? It would only affect the speed at which he drew his sword; he had been narrowing his own path.

Young people are, after all, just too young.

Thus, he immediately turned over a new leaf and deleted every photo of Wu Yiran from his phone.

Of course, Wu Yiran was indeed a beauty. While she couldn't quite be called a stunning knockout, her pure temperament, paired with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, fair skin, and the glimpses of her snow-white arms she would inadvertently reveal, made her the standard, idealized image of a first love.

For a naive high schooler, she was essentially a Super Kill.

Zhao Cheng had originally been captured by the sight of her lotus-root-like arm exposed as she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear under the sunlight.

Testing a young man with something like that—a young man truly couldn't withstand it.

As for now, Zhao Cheng could only say that human energy is ultimately limited; love and the Way of the Sword cannot both be possessed. If he were forced to choose between the two, even if he were given ten thousand more chances, he would still choose the Way of the Sword.

How could romance ever be as interesting as the Way of the Sword!