First Place

With Fang Xing's current strength, he naturally swept through the arena battles without resistance.

As the eight-to-four and four-to-two rounds concluded, fewer and fewer arenas remained, yet more and more students gathered to watch each match.

Until...

"Final match: Fang Xing versus Liu Wei. The two of you will determine first and second place in this Combat Assessment!"

On the arena, Xia Long looked at the two of them and smiled.

No matter what, the top two in combat had already been claimed by his Class 1 Grade 2.

Not to mention anything else, the principal ought to give him a bit more in benefits this year, right?

If either of them got into university, he would receive a hefty bonus too!

"A Xing..."

Liu Wei looked at Fang Xing, eagerness rising on his face. "Come on... I've wanted to see your true strength for a long time."

As he spoke, the muscles across his body rippled like flowing water, looking especially strange.

Fang Xing suddenly sighed.

Liu Wei was very strong!

Awakening a superpower was equivalent to changing one's fate against the heavens, especially a strength-type superpower with immediate effects!

Once they started fighting, it would be hard for him to deal with Liu Wei without revealing all his strength.

That would make it easy to expose certain things.

After all, Jade Skin could be explained as the Third Realm of the Great Dragon Stance, while his rapid progress in stance training could be attributed to his astonishing comprehension.

But being more than halfway through Flesh Refinement would be harder to explain. No matter how talented he was, it was impossible without investing a great deal of resources.

Second place in combat is still a decent ranking. Besides... there's also the Written Exam!

The hot-blooded youth's final battle against his old friend, followed by a bitter struggle and a hard-won victory—that's not my style...

Having made up his mind, Fang Xing finally spoke. "I concede..."

"You concede?"

Xia Long frowned, while the surrounding students and teachers erupted in an uproar.

"Concede? Why concede?"

"I heard Liu Wei and Fang Xing are good friends. They grew up playing together... Maybe he couldn't bear to fight him?"

"Bullshit! My childhood friend and I were inseparable since we were kids. When we took the high school entrance exam, he didn't hold back either—beat me into a pig's head... Isn't it perfectly normal for friends to spar?"

"Hmph, foolish! As a Biochemical Human, he has nothing and can only be judged by his grades... First-year high school final exam scores are extremely important. If there's a tie when applying to university in the future, they'll definitely review the records for a comprehensive comparison. This one past score could become the final weight on the scales... Fang Xing is being incredibly unwise!"

Some approved, while others sneered.

Liu Wei's expression suddenly darkened. "Why?"

"I don't want to fight you. That's the reason."

Fang Xing let out a long breath. "Besides... second place in combat is good enough."

Liu Wei's heart stirred. He knew that final exam rankings were determined by combining the Written Exam and combat scores.

And his academic grades?

They were not a complete disaster, but they had always been a little worse than Fang Xing's.

"Alright. Since one of the contestants has conceded, Liu Wei wins this match!"

Xia Long cleared his throat, a smile appearing on his face. "This Final Exam has concluded successfully. The results will be released immediately!"

With the Smart Brain grading the papers, the Written Exam results had actually been ready long ago.

They had only waited until now for the combat results.

Very soon, Fang Xing saw his scores.

Written Exam: 874 points (out of 1000)

Combat: 98 points (out of 100)

Overall Score: 175.6 (Overall Rank: 1)

"Hmm? I'm first in the entire grade?"

Fang Xing was slightly taken aback before quickly understanding. "Looks like those Written Exam standouts got beaten pretty badly in combat this time..."

"How is that possible? I'm only third?"

Liu Wei saw his results as well and found them hard to accept.

"That's perfectly normal. The overall score is calculated from 90% of the combat score and 10% of the Written Exam score. You ranked first in combat with a full score of 100... Your Written Exam score was 840, making your overall score 174. You're still one point behind Bai Lianyi, who ranks second in the grade, leaving you in third place..."

Xia Long then looked at Fang Xing. "You knew you were outmatched and decisively conceded. That, too, took courage... But some teachers felt you were afraid to fight, so they scored you a little lower. Otherwise, second place in the grade would usually receive 99 points in combat... Student Fang Xing, you must keep working hard. This score can easily be surpassed."

"Yes, Teacher."

Fang Xing nodded. "This summer vacation, I plan to focus on studying and training in seclusion..."

"Very good. I hope the three of you can maintain this kind of progress. I'll apply for scholarships for you next semester."

Xia Long spoke to Fang Xing and Liu Wei, then looked at Bai Lianyi, unable to suppress the smile on his face. "Student Bai has excellent academic results, but you still need to work harder in combat..."

This time, the students in his class had truly brought him honor, taking the top three spots in the grade. Even the principal would have to toast him a few more times at the dinner banquet...

"Thank you, Teacher."

Fang Xing glanced sideways at Liu Wei and Bai Lianyi, feeling that something was rather strange.

Thinking of Jing Xia, the woman he had seen walking a dog that day, he suddenly felt that he should stay home this summer and explore the Other World instead.

As for living expenses?

He would be getting a scholarship soon anyway, so there was no need to go out and work part-time.

"It's finally over..."

Happy Home District.

Fang Xing closed his door and lay comfortably on his bed.

After the Final Exam, the school began its vacation.

Two months of holiday was enough for him to thoroughly explore that Other World!

"Strength. I need even greater strength!"

Thinking of Liu Wei's progress, Fang Xing felt as though thorns were pressing against his back.

It was not that he feared his brother living poorly, yet also feared his brother driving a luxury car.

Rather... Liu Wei's change was somewhat strange!

Perhaps it all seemed perfectly normal to everyone else, but the original Fang Xing had grown up with Liu Wei!

Together with certain things Liu Wei had occasionally revealed before, Fang Xing could still sense danger drawing near.

Maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe Liu Wei simply got lucky, underwent a genetic mutation, and gained a superpower...

But... I still need to distance myself from him as soon as possible.

Fang Xing faced his own heart directly. There was also the fact that he wanted to grow distant from Liu Wei to prevent the original Fang Xing's good friend from noticing anything unusual about him!

Even though I possess the original body's memories... I'm ultimately not the original Fang Xing. A transmigrator's habits always leave traces. Others might not notice them, but Liu Wei could... Is that why I had already been gradually distancing myself from him? Even unconsciously?

Fang Xing sighed.

The original owner's friend was not his friend, after all.

In his previous life, the protagonists in novels who immediately acknowledged their fathers and mothers after transmigrating, then treated their brothers and friends with complete devotion, were not his style.

Without the original owner's memories, it would have seemed even more fake.

I am who I am. I just need to be myself...

Fang Xing sighed and prepared to play a game in memory of his lost youth.

"Hmm, an adults-only game has released some new content. Let me criticize it properly..."

He put on his holographic glasses and immersed himself in a newly released blockbuster, completely unaware of time passing outside.

He did not know how much time had passed. Only after Fang Xing sighed in satisfaction and removed his glasses did he realize that it was completely dark outside.

"Hmm? My delivery is here?"

Seeing the notification, Fang Xing went to the door and found two courier boxes.

After opening them, he discovered a wig inside, along with the retro robe outfit he had ordered.

If he wanted to pass himself off as someone from the Other World, having long hair was necessary. Since time was limited, he could make do with a wig first.

Retro fashion was fairly popular on Chuying Star, so buying a set of ancient clothing would not seem out of place.

This type of ancient clothing was very similar to the wide-sleeved robes of the Other World. In addition, he had specifically requested an aged finish. It was made of coarse linen and dyed Qing, making it look almost identical.

"After eating and drinking my fill, I'll transmigrate tomorrow... This time, I'm going to Green Forest Market over there..."

After this period of foreign-language study, Fang Xing had basically mastered the Other World's language. At the very least, he would have no major problem communicating face-to-face.

He had even secretly approached several Farmland Areas and exchanged a few words with some farmers who appeared honest and simple. No flaws had been noticed.

"Two months... I hope to gain something. At the very least, I need to find a way to obtain Innate Pills..."

Advancing in martial arts was much easier if one had sufficient resources.

Advancing from the First Realm, the Flesh Realm, to the Second Realm, the Muscles and Bones Realm, was not much of a problem as long as one had enough Qi Blood Pills.

But advancing from the Muscles and Bones Realm to the Uncut Jade Realm was somewhat difficult.

Training the Five Viscera and Six Entrails, as well as strengthening one's inner breath, could not be accomplished overnight. Many high school students could not complete it and ultimately missed their chance at university.

"As long as I have Innate Pills, reaching the Uncut Jade Realm will be a smooth road... If I can further grind the Great Dragon Stance to the Fourth Stage and comprehend the Dragon Artistic Conception, I'll be able to advance smoothly into the Fourth Martial Realm—the Courage Realm!"

"If I reach the Courage Realm in my third year of high school, university admission will not only be guaranteed, but I might even be able to aim for a First-Class Academy... Though ultra-first-class schools like Blue Star University and Nine Swords Academy would still be a bit difficult..."

Fang Xing silently planned for the future, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"In such a brilliant Interstellar Age, wouldn't it be a pity not to venture to the very forefront of the tide?"