Old Calendar Year 2096, or New Calendar Year 70.
On February 26, exactly one hundred days remained until the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam.
Blue Star, Xia Kingdom, Suzhe Province, Pengcheng City.
Pengcheng No. 3 Martial Arts High School.
The buildings of the senior year teaching block stood connected one after another, with long banners hanging between them, each bearing a similar slogan.
"Fight hard, strive hard, or your senior year will have been wasted!"
"One year of suffering for the College Entrance Exam, a hundred years of happiness in life!"
"If senior year isn't exhausting, how can..."
In a classroom at the end of the first floor, Xu Ziming leaned against the back door, gazing ahead.
In front of him lay a score sheet, freshly handed out and still smelling of ink. At the top, it read, "Pengcheng City Senior Year First Martial Arts Mock Exam."
His eyes settled on the total score for the academic subjects: 182 points.
The result was just what he had expected. His academic scores were decent; out of a possible 225 points, he could answer 80 percent of the questions correctly.
Xu Ziming's gaze moved farther down, landing on the martial arts scores that took up most of the sheet.
Life Energy Level: 2.3, Score: 138
A Life Energy Level of 5 meant one qualified as a Martial Artist. His was a mere 2.3, so naturally his score was extremely low.
Last came the practical exam. He used a sword, but his Basic Sword Method was only so-so, and he had scored a mere 121 points in practical skills.
His total across all three sections came to just 441 points.
In Suzhe Province, that score would only get him into an ordinary martial arts junior college.
"Stop staring at your score sheets and look up here!"
An angry voice rang out from the front of the classroom.
"If you want to get into a Martial Way University this year, your Life Energy Level needs to be at least 3.0. Think about it: can you manage that in the final hundred days?"
Listening to him, Xu Ziming couldn't help sighing inwardly again.
Life Energy Level was the measure of a Martial Artist's physical vitality, developed after the rise of the Martial Way in the New Calendar Era. After seventy years of development, the standards for evaluating it had become highly scientific.
An untrained man's Life Energy Level was 1.0.
Xu Ziming's paltry 2.3 put him only in the middle of the pack, even in an ordinary class. He was still 0.7 short of the estimated cutoff for the lowest-tier martial arts bachelor's programs.
The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam stipulated that only those who met the Life Energy Level cutoff could take the martial arts practical exam. Otherwise, no matter how skilled you were at boxing, it would all be for nothing.
At the podium, their homeroom teacher, Ma Mingyu, paused for two seconds, then knocked on the desk again.
"You've all seen your scores. Academic subjects are the foundation, accounting for 30 percent of the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam. You still need to work hard to improve."
Then he changed tack.
"But martial arts scores are the real dividing line. They determine whether you can get into a Martial Way University, especially your Basic Body Forging Method."
He adjusted the watch on his wrist. The next moment, a huge electronic screen appeared at the front of the classroom, densely covered with text:
Basic Body Forging Method: Created by the Martial Saint of Xia Kingdom especially for young people aged fifteen to eighteen. It is the safest and most effective body-forging method, with every movement designed to bring out a Martial Artist's full potential.
"Like I keep saying, the basics are what matter most. Only by mastering the Basic Body Forging Method and raising your Life Energy Level will you have a chance to compete!"
Xu Ziming turned his head away, bored. He had heard these words too many times over the past three years.
He had even memorized them before starting high school. But limited talent was limited talent; some things didn't work out just because you tried hard.
After three years of effort, he was still an ordinary nobody. At the thought, he looked away, pressed his lips together, and quietly folded his score sheet before slipping it into his schoolbag.
His hand accidentally brushed against the Basic Body Forging Method that had been sitting there undisturbed.
[Detecting equipable item: Basic Body Forging Method] [Equipment trait preview: Body Forging Acceleration—While practicing the method, body-forging speed increases by 50%; all energy is absorbed while forging the body; training progress is quantified.] [Permanent trait condition: Practice the Basic Body Forging Method 100 times (if you lack talent, just repeat it)] [Equip?]
What was this? A cheat?
Xu Ziming's heart began pounding, but his expression barely changed. If this was real, his training speed would increase by 50 percent from now on!
Don't underestimate that 50 percent. It was as if he had another 150 days before the College Entrance Exam.
"Xu Ziming, how'd you do?" His deskmate, Dai Fei, leaned over.
Dai Fei was a little chubby and wore glasses. His academic scores were even worse than Xu Ziming's, while their martial arts scores were about the same. His Life Energy Level was only 2.4.
He glanced at his score sheet and smacked his lips. "About the same as you. But my mom said getting into a martial arts junior college wouldn't be so bad. Afterward, I could teach little kids some basic breathing exercises. That'd be a decent job, too."
He sounded relaxed, as if he had long since accepted his own mediocrity.
"Yeah."
Xu Ziming forced down his excitement and answered softly.
Dai Fei's family was well-off, so he naturally took exams and things like that more lightly. But Xu Ziming was different.
"All right, I'm off. See you tomorrow."
By the time Xu Ziming checked his Equipment Slot, class was already over. Dai Fei had packed his schoolbag and was already heading out without looking back.
Xu Ziming rode his bicycle out through the school gates. On his way home, he always passed the Pengcheng Martial Arts Training Base.
The building's exterior was covered in sleek, futuristic walls. Through the entrance, he could see people in martial arts uniforms training with specialized equipment.
Whenever Xu Ziming passed by before, he couldn't help stealing a couple of glances. Then he'd pedal faster and hurry away.
Today, though, he felt much more at ease.
His home was in an old residential neighborhood. The stairwell was always cluttered with odds and ends left by who knew whom, and the whole place looked as if it had been there for ages.
The moment he opened the door, he smelled the food cooking. Its aroma was rich and savory.
"Xiao Ming, you're home!"
Mother Xu came out of the kitchen with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron. "Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."
"Big brother!"
When she saw Xu Ziming come in, a sweet-looking girl tossed aside the TV remote and threw herself at him like a shot.
"Watching TV again? What are you watching?"
"Hehe, it's the Pengcheng High School Martial Arts Tournament from a while ago. It was really exciting. I heard they're holding another one in two months."
Xu Ziming glanced at the TV from afar. The image was paused on a young man.
In the corner of the screen, the boy's information was displayed: [Chen Jinghao, 17 years old, Pengcheng No.1 Martial Arts High School, Life Energy Level: 4.7!]
"Stop watching, you two. Come eat!"
Mother Xu's voice rang out, and the two of them finally turned off the TV and hurried over.
As soon as Xu Ziming sat down, he noticed a thick layer of meat piled in his bowl.
"Xiao Ming, eat more. With the College Entrance Exam coming up, studying and training must both be tiring. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Mother Xu never asked about Xu Ziming's First Mock Exam results. Instead, she cared for him in every way.
"Got it, Mom. Don't worry. I'll get into a Martial Way University and make sure our family can live in a big house!"
"Don't worry. In a couple of months, maybe you and I will be heading to the Pengcheng High School Martial Arts Tournament, too."
Xu Zhiyao swung her chopsticks, brimming with confidence.
After dinner, Xu Ziming hurried back to his room. He opened his schoolbag and picked up the Basic Body Forging Method once more.
[Detecting...]
"I knew it. The cheat really exists!"