Crushing It in Swimming Class

The scattered moments of free warm-up vanished in an instant. The playful noise and hushed chatter around the pool gradually died down.

The PE teacher clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention and bringing the loose warm-up session to an end. Looking at the students before him, all in varying conditions, he was clearly accustomed to the uneven physical fitness of high schoolers. In an even tone, he began the official lesson.

"Today, we're not doing tedious basic drills, and there won't be any mandatory target training."

As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the previously sluggish students perked up at once. Everyone pricked up their ears, anticipation gleaming in their eyes.

Compared to endlessly repetitive stroke and breathing exercises, a fun competition was undoubtedly the greatest perk of pool class.

"Let's go straight into a fifty-meter freestyle race. Participation is voluntary." The teacher's lips curved slightly as he unveiled the part everyone cared about most. "First place gets a direct reward of five thousand personal points, credited immediately, with no additional conditions."

The entire place instantly erupted.

Five thousand points!

Converted to Chinese yuan, that was over two hundred yuan—enough to splurge at the campus store on piles of snacks, drinks, and daily necessities. The value was off the charts. For Japanese high school students who carefully budgeted their way through each month on a hundred thousand points, it was a genuine windfall.

In an instant, more than half the boys' eyes lit up. They rubbed their hands together, eager to give it a try.

Everyone was doing their own calculations. No grinding through test questions, no exhausting strategizing—just swim a lap and get five thousand points for free. It would be foolish not to go for such an easy win. Even if their swimming skills were average, they were still high schoolers who had taken swimming classes for years. They wouldn't come in last, and who knew? Maybe luck would land them first place.

For a time, students signed up one after another. More than half the boys raised their hands, and even a few girls who were decent swimmers and bolder by nature joined in for the fun of it.

After explaining the rules, the teacher raised a hand to quiet everyone down and proceeded with the routine basic assessment.

"First, let's confirm everyone's baseline. Raise your hands if you can't swim at all, panic in the water, or don't dare swim a lane by yourselves."

The moment he said that, the lively poolside fell noticeably quieter.

After all, this was an elite academy. Most students had athletic foundations from a young age, and swimming was considered an essential skill. Those with absolutely no experience were few and far between. After several seconds of hesitation, only three or four students in the entire class timidly raised their hands, standing out conspicuously before everyone else.

Most of those who raised their hands were physically weaker girls who had always been quiet and disliked playing in the water, along with one or two boys who were simply afraid of water and rarely went near pools. They lowered their heads awkwardly, afraid of becoming the focus of the entire class.

The teacher was unsurprised. He casually arranged, "Those of you who raised your hands don't need to participate in the race. Practice kicking and breathing in the shallow end later. You don't need to force yourselves to race with everyone else. Just pay attention to safety."

Looking at the students with no swimming experience, the teacher added in a serious, fair tone.

"I'll make this clear in advance: today is an exception that allows you to practice in the shallow end. In future classes, I'll teach you one by one and make sure everyone in this class learns how to swim."

The students who could not swim nodded quickly, secretly breathing sighs of relief. They would not be forced to compete and embarrass themselves, nor would they have to grit their teeth and race. They had escaped disaster.

The teacher swept his gaze over the list of participants before finally settling on Bai Mu, who stood tall with a perfect physique. He casually asked, "That student there, do you want to participate too? Judging from your build, you exercise regularly. You should be a decent swimmer, right?"

Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward him.

After the earlier blow from his physique, no one in the class dared to regard Bai Mu as an ordinary high school student anymore. The perfect lines forged through discipline and his explosively powerful build made him the very definition of a dimensionality-reduction strike in athletic events.

Bai Mu did not put on airs or decline. He simply nodded. "Sure."

He was already proficient in all kinds of sports, and swimming was even more of a basic essential. Five thousand points were practically free, so there was no need to deliberately slack off and miss out. Besides, loosening up a little was far more comfortable than standing by the pool watching everyone make awkward small talk.

The moment Bai Mu confirmed his participation, Shibata Hayate let out a mournful cry beside him, his mindset instantly cracking in half. "It's over! The dream of winning I just started to have has been completely shattered!"

He had originally been brimming with confidence and planning to make a run for the prize money, but now he immediately gave up and lay flat. Others might not know Bai Mu's strength, but he had personally witnessed him sweep through the major sports clubs and crush countless upperclassmen with terrifying dominance.

Competing against a monster like that, forget taking first place—even avoiding being completely crushed and left in the dust would count as an exceptional performance for him.

It was not just Shibata. The other boys who had signed up to compete also instantly lost heart. Their previously soaring fighting spirit was cut in half, their faces filled with the helpless resignation of people destined to be supporting cast.

What had been a fair race where everyone could compete for a lucky draw had, because of Bai Mu's participation, become a sightseeing tour of one man crushing everyone else.

While the boys collectively gave up on life, the girls instantly became excited.

The girls who had originally stood quietly at the poolside watching immediately gathered along both sides of the pool. Their eyes remained fixed on Bai Mu as soft cheers rose one after another.

"Go, Bai Mu!"

"Stay steady! We believe in you!"

The gentle, clear female voices were particularly noticeable. Among them, Okakura Asako and Kobashi Yume were the most excited, their cheeks flushed as they softly cheered him on, their eyes filled with anticipation and admiration.

After all, a boy with top-tier looks, an incredible body, and all-around ability naturally came with immense popularity. Now that he was competing, he effortlessly captured the attention of every girl present.

Watching this extreme disparity in treatment, Shibata Hayate could not help complaining bitterly, so jealous his teeth nearly fell out. "That's too unfair! Why does only Bai Mu get his own personal cheering squad? We're competing too, but no one even notices us—not even a single person to cheer us on!"

His aggrieved complaint instantly amused the surrounding students, easing the tension before the race.

Even Shiratori Chihiro, who had quietly remained in front of Ichinose Honami, secretly lifted her eyes toward the starting end of the lanes, a trace of curiosity in her gaze. Ichinose Honami turned her head gently as well, her eyes falling on that calm and composed boy, her heart full of approval.

This boy seemed to remain calm and unhurried no matter what he did, carrying a natural confidence that he had everything under control.

Soon, the contestants took their places on the starting blocks one after another. Bai Mu casually stood in the outermost lane, his posture relaxed without the slightest trace of deliberate tension or preparation. He did not look like someone about to race at full speed at all—more like someone who had come to the pool to slack off and unwind.

The other contestants all bent forward, their bodies taut as they assumed professional starting stances, their nervousness at its peak. Bai Mu alone was completely out of place, relaxed to an unbelievable degree.

"On your marks—get set!"

"Dive!"

At the sharp blast of the teacher's whistle, all the contestants launched themselves into the water at once.

Water splashed everywhere as figures sped through the azure pool. Everyone paddled with all their strength, sprinting to seize the advantage.

During the first ten meters, the gaps between them were not yet obvious. They could still barely race side by side, creating quite the scene of rivals vying for supremacy.

But after only fifteen meters, the dividing line appeared instantly.

Bai Mu suddenly exerted himself. His arms cut through the water with steady, ferocious power, while his legs kicked in an even, forceful rhythm. Every stroke made perfect use of the water's force, without a single unnecessary movement. His efficiency was absurdly high.

His smooth, standard stroke was practically textbook-perfect. His body stretched out with every movement, his speed ferocious as he split the water flawlessly, reducing resistance to nearly nothing. While everyone else struggled to chase the current, he seemed to glide through it effortlessly, light yet swift.

In an instant, Bai Mu surged into an overwhelming lead, forcibly leaving every competitor behind by a full body length.

Twenty meters, thirty meters, forty meters...

The gap kept widening, and the crushing difference was obvious to the naked eye.

The boys competing behind him gave it everything they had, their faces flushed, their breaths held, their arms and legs aching. Yet when they looked up, all they could do was watch Bai Mu pull farther and farther ahead. They were practically unable to even catch his silhouette from behind.

That sense of helplessness was like being struck from an entirely higher dimension, completely stripping them of any desire to catch up.

For the final five-meter sprint, Bai Mu even deliberately held back a little. He did not unleash his full speed, leaving himself some room so as not to appear too shocking.

Even so, he was still the first to touch the wall, firmly claiming first place.

The moment Bai Mu rose from the water and lifted a hand to wipe the droplets from his face, the entire venue fell silent for a moment before erupting into thunderous applause and cheers.

His soaked black hair clung to his forehead, shedding his usual cold and distant air and adding a vivid, wild youthful charm. His damp skin appeared even brighter, while the taut lines of his muscles flickered in and out of view beneath the water, his masculine allure overflowing.

The girls cheered even louder, the admiration in their eyes nearly spilling over.

The PE teacher held his stopwatch and stared at the result displayed on the screen. His pupils contracted slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

What kind of ordinary high school student could achieve a result like this? Even contestants in high school swimming competitions in Neon Country might not necessarily post such an impressive time. It was fully comparable to the level needed to win a national youth competition!

After years in the profession, this was the first time he had seen a freshman with such terrifying talent during an ordinary school PE class.

The teacher hurried over and looked at Bai Mu, who remained as calm as ever. His tone was solemn and regretful. "Your talent for swimming is outstanding—completely professional level. Would you be interested in joining the school swimming club? Train properly, and you could definitely compete in the national championships and win honor for the school."

Faced with the olive branch the teacher had offered, Bai Mu gently shook his head and refused without hesitation.

"No, sir. I only practice casually. I have no plans to compete."

He had no interest whatsoever in club honors or competition rankings. Joining a club meant training on schedule, participating in competitions, and following the club's arrangements. It would be nothing but a waste of his free time, not worth the trouble.

His goal was to live freely and take it easy, to control his own pace—not to tie himself down with a pile of obligations.

Seeing this, the teacher did not try to force the issue. He only felt immense regret, sighed helplessly, and immediately delivered the promised reward.

[Five thousand personal points received in real time.]

His phone notification chimed. With one simple swim, Bai Mu had effortlessly earned five thousand points.

The Class B students on the shore watched the scene with faces full of reverence.

His stamina crushed theirs, his physique crushed theirs, his athletic talent crushed theirs—and now, even in a simple swimming class competition, he had effortlessly dominated the entire class.

At that moment, everyone became completely convinced that Bai Mu was a top-tier powerhouse hidden within Class B—low-key yet capable of anything, always stunning everyone when they least expected it.