Evening, East District Building 7.
Dormitory 302, a four-person room.
Ye Xiao pushed open the door and entered. Three people inside were chatting.
When they saw him, their conversation stopped.
A yellow-haired guy sneered. "Well, well, isn't this the special admit from our class? An E-Grade Martialist. I've heard so much about you."
Another guy wearing glasses didn't say anything. He just looked down at his phone, pretending not to notice.
The last one was a chubby, honest-looking guy. He walked over and held out his right hand to Ye Xiao.
"Hi, I'm Wang Hou!"
"Everyone likes to call me Fatty Wang. You can call me that too."
Ye Xiao nodded. "Ye Xiao."
Fatty Wang smiled reassuringly. "I know about you. I heard what happened... Don't take it to heart. Your awakened rank doesn't define everything."
The yellow-haired guy burst out laughing. "Fatty Wang, why are you comforting him? An E-Grade Martialist—he's going nowhere in life."
"Our class may only be an Ordinary Class, but remember, anyone who gets into Jiang University is a genius in ten thousand, one of the best among their peers. Any one of us could crush him."
"And Ye Xiao has no achievements, got in through special admission, and awakened the lowest-ranking E-Grade talent. Someone like him belongs in a training academy. They might as well send him straight to the front lines as cannon fodder."
"Who doesn't know? Martialists are the universally acknowledged useless profession, battlefield fodder! Mages can command the wind and rain, sword users can fly a thousand miles on their swords, and summoners can command creatures from other worlds. And Martialists? They're nothing!"
The dorm fell frighteningly silent.
Fatty Wang hesitated, feeling that the yellow-haired guy had gone too far.
Then the guy with glasses finally spoke.
"Martialists have three cardinal sins. Have any of you heard of them?"
The other three turned their attention to him.
Ye Xiao looked at the guy with glasses too, curious to hear what the three cardinal sins of Martialists were.
"Slow cultivation! Few methods! Low ceiling!"
"First, Martialists can only hone their bodies day after day, so their cultivation is far less efficient than that of other professions. While others can fly a thousand miles in a day, Martialists are still sweating as they run along the ground."
"Second, others can attack from a distance, control minds, unleash elemental blasts, or summon armies. Martialists can only fight at close range. In a true battle against monsters, they're only good for filling out the front lines."
"Third, historical records say that the highest a Martialist can rise is to serve as a bodyguard for a Transcendentalist. No one has ever attained the Dao through this path. The truly powerful Transcendentalists can command the wind and rain and wield supernatural abilities. Not one of them has ever been a Martialist."
"In conclusion, my advice to our new classmate is to stop practicing martial arts and go home to find a job. It's more practical."
The glasses-wearing guy's words were harsh, but they raised a very real issue.
Based on the memories of this body's previous owner, Ye Xiao understood that the essence of this high-martial world was "strength above all."
Society was structured like a pyramid.
Top: Transcendentalists with powerful professions, who held absolute power and resources.
Middle: The descendants, subordinates, and disciples of Transcendentalists, who managed day-to-day affairs.
Bottom: Ordinary people and low-level Martialists, regarded as "consumables."
Ye Xiao's adoptive father had been a Martialist by profession.
That was why he had become a Demon-Hunting Warrior, fighting monsters on the front lines.
It seemed to be the way forward for Martialists.
And the only respectable one.
The yellow-haired guy grinned. "I'm hungry anyway. How about we go out to eat?"
The glasses-wearing guy nodded.
Fatty Wang looked at Ye Xiao. "Ye Xiao, want to come with us?"
Before Ye Xiao could answer, the yellow-haired guy cut in.
"Fatty Wang, we don't even know this guy. Why invite him?"
"You'd better not get too close to people like him, either. Bad luck might rub off on you!"
Fatty Wang looked awkward, caught between them.
Ye Xiao gave him an out. "Fatty Wang, I'm not hungry. Go eat with them."
Fatty Wang nodded.
"Then... all right. Let's exchange contact information. If you get hungry, message me and I'll bring you something."
The two exchanged contact details.
As a transmigrator, Ye Xiao had gained his first friend in this world.
As Yellow Hair passed by Ye Xiao, he said, "Ye Xiao, everyone's betting you'll be expelled within a month."
"But I'm betting you won't last even half a month!"
"Don't let me lose, okay?"
Ye Xiao glanced at Yellow Hair.
He said nothing.
He walked over to his bed and began unpacking.
Late at night.
The dormitory's rooftop.
Two in the morning.
The whole dormitory building was quiet.
Ye Xiao pushed open the rooftop door and stepped onto the empty concrete.
Above him, the city's night sky was stained dark red by the neon lights.
In the distance, the Martial Arts Tower was still lit.
He took a deep breath.
Raised his fist.
Then slammed it hard into the air in front of him.
Bang—!
His fist cut through the air with a muffled whoosh.
It hurt.
His hand bones felt as if they were about to crack.
But the sensation...
felt incredible!
Then, the next second—
Thud.
A deep sound rang out in his mind, like an ancient war drum.
It pierced his soul and made his whole body shudder.
Then he saw it.
A faint golden glimmer, so slight it was almost impossible to make out, flashed across his fist and disappeared.
The power within him had also increased to some degree!
[System notification!] [You completed one punch. Punch strength: 35%!] [You gained 1 Martial Value!] [Your realm has advanced!] [Current realm: Mud Embryo Realm, Second Stage!]
Seeing this, a smile tugged at the corner of Ye Xiao's mouth.
At the same time, he understood one thing:
As long as he threw punches, he could grow stronger!
"No cultivation resources? An E-Grade Martialist with the worst talent? You think that's enough to stop me?"
"When I've thrown a million punches!"
"Whether you're a god in the heavens or a demon on earth, I'll suppress you all with one punch!"
Ye Xiao stood motionless.
He looked at his fist.
It was still trembling slightly—not from pain, but from...
excitement and exhilaration!
He raised his head and looked at the distant Martial Arts Tower.
It was the tallest building in the whole city. The strongest martial artists in Jiang City lived inside.
It also held the secret behind his adoptive father's death!
His lips slowly curved into a smile.
His adoptive father's voice echoed in his mind.
"Xiao'er, survive. Make something of yourself!"
Ye Xiao clenched his fist, a fierce blaze of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes!
"All right, Father!"
"Everyone looks down on me, Ye Xiao? Then I'll make something of myself!"
Not only would he avenge his adoptive father.
He would also prove himself.
Before transmigrating, Ye Xiao had drifted through life, achieving nothing. He had felt powerless, yet been unable to do anything about it.
But things were different now.
He had a chance to change the course of his life!
Here, he would...
prove his worth!
Ye Xiao raised his fist again and threw it at the air before him with all his strength.
The wind howled, and a sonic boom swept across the entire rooftop!
Bang—!
System notifications rang incessantly in his ears.
[Your realm has advanced!] [Your realm has advanced!] [Your realm has advanced!]
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