8: Chapter 8 Scholar Level 2

December 31st, Year 225 of the Galactic Calendar.

Early morning.

The sky was still dim, and the narrow windows of the old residential building let in very little light.

Mmm~

Li Wen opened his sleepy eyes and stretched on the bed. His bones let out slight cracking sounds, carrying a sense of vitality more obvious than the previous morning.

Last night's Cultivation of the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method, he intentionally reduced the intensity by one round, allowing his body a better rest.

As expected, he woke up before the alarm clock today.

"The path of martial arts emphasizes gradual progress and balanced relaxation," he murmured to himself, feeling the faint Qi and blood within him slightly fuller than the previous morning.

Before he had enough qi and blood potion to replenish the excessively consumed Qi and blood, he could only restrain himself like this. This was not just wisdom, but an inevitable choice for the long run.

After a quick wash, he picked up the warm steamed buns and a bowl of millet porridge already prepared by Mother Li, Wang Juan, from the living room table. He finished them in a few quick bites, then slung his faded canvas schoolbag over his shoulder and pushed open the door, merging into the air unique to the old city's morning—tinged with slight chill and busyness.

Compared to the previous two days, Li Wen's pace was a bit faster today, carrying an indescribable sense of anticipation. If nothing unexpected happened, today he would grind his Scholar Rank to Lv2.

At that time, when casting Absolute Focus, the boost to Comprehension Ability would jump from 10% to 20%, and his control over his Physical Body would also increase significantly.

That would be a qualitative leap, a crucial reliance for him to impact the top sixty spots in the Flying Star Class.

...Qingshi No. 3 Middle School, Grade 12, Class 21 cultural studies classroom.

In the empty classroom, Li Wen arrived ten minutes earlier than usual.

He tucked his schoolbag into the desk drawer and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately took out the thick and profound book, advanced mathematical foundation theory. Time was precious and could not be wasted.

There was a supremely annoying aspect to the Scholar profession: even when casting Absolute Focus while studying books, it could not speed up the rate at which experience was generated.

Experience points could only be obtained by accumulating effective study time; one point every ten minutes, an unchangeable iron rule.

This point was an artificial restriction put in place by the designers back when they designed the game, intended to balance learning-type professions against other combat professions.

"I didn't expect this damned restriction to now become the stumbling block slowing down my grind for scholar experience," a trace of helplessness flashed through Li Wens mind, but it was instantly replaced by determination.

Restrictions are dead; people are alive. The only way is to invest more time.

His mind calmed, casting aside distracting thoughts. He immersed himself in those formulas, theorems, and derivation processes that were tedious and logically complex for ordinary people.

[You study diligently for ten minutes, scholar experience +1]

[You study diligently for ten minutes, scholar experience +1]

...

Time flowed silently amidst the faint rustling sound of the pen tip scratching against the draft paper.

The light outside the window gradually brightened, and the campus slowly became noisy.

Classmates arrived one after another, seeing Li Wens focused figure seemingly welded to his seat, something they were long accustomed to.

The bell for the third period of the morning rang, and the Math Teacher began explaining multiple solutions for a comprehensive application problem.

Li Wen remained buried in his books, his experience bar approaching full at a steady rate.

The teachers voice in the classroom and the sound of classmates turning pages around him seemed to fade into distant background noise.

Just as the Math Teacher finished writing the third key auxiliary line formula on the blackboard—

[Profession: Scholar Lv2 (0 / 200)]

A prompt jumped out in his mind without warning, and an indescribable coolness permeated from the depths of his Soul, as if some invisible shackle had been broken, making his thoughts instantly clearer and more lucid.

"It worked!" Li Wens heart pounded. He suppressed the urge to immediately try Absolute Focus, calmly continuing to look at the example problem on the blackboard.

Finally, he endured until the start of the last class of the morning.

"Activate! — Absolute Focus!"

His thought flickered, and the skill activated.

Buzz—

This time, unlike the formless fluctuation at Lv1, this activation had almost no external movement, as if Li Wen had merely taken a light breath, and his mind instantly sank into a sea of absolute clarity.

The noisy classroom instantly faded away. His deskmate turned to speak to him but only saw his profile, diligently studying the exercise. His gaze did not even waver slightly; he just felt that he seemed even more focused, completely failing to notice any abnormal energy fluctuations or Aura changes around him.

This was precisely a significant characteristic of the Scholar profession upgrading to Lv2—the concealment of skill activation greatly enhanced!

It was rumored that once he upgraded to Lv5, he could roughly control the duration of skill activation, avoiding the awkward situation where the caster was completely drained before being forced to stop due to a lack of external interference.

Focus! Absolute Focus!

In an instant, all the conditions, steps, and formulas of the complex application problem the teacher had just explained were clearly laid out in his mind.

The advantages and disadvantages between the several solutions that previously required repeated pondering were now seen through at a glance, revealing the key differences and applicable conditions, and he even vaguely deduced a more concise approach.

This 20% boost in Comprehension Ability, while seemingly a small number, when superimposed on his existing foundation and the characteristic of Absolute Focus itself—the condensation of thought—the improvement in efficiency was far from simple addition; it was a qualitative leap.

Problems that previously required deep thought were now understood instantly.

For the entire class period, Li Wen maintained this state of highly burning spirit.

"Jingle-jingle~~"

It was only when the harsh bell for the end of the fourth period suddenly rang that he surfaced as if from deep water, slowly exiting the Absolute Focus state.

A strong sense of fatigue instantly flooded his cerebral cortex, like a server slightly overheating after high-intensity computation, bringing slight discomfort and a mild throbbing pain.

Forty minutes of deep concentration was not negligible in terms of mental consumption.

"Hoo..." Li Wen let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

He felt the unprecedented clarity and the afterglow of high-efficiency operation within his brain.

"A qualitative improvement!" He confirmed this fact once again.

With this efficiency, he was completely relieved of worry regarding the 20% assessment score for cultural classes.

He even vaguely harbored an ambition to transform this into a real advantage, turning it into an insurmountable barrier in his final results.

...Two oclock in the afternoon.

Wang Hu's imposing figure stepped into the martial arts classroom of Grade 12, Class 21 precisely on time, his steps steady and powerful.

"Assemble!" A deep, resonant voice sounded, instantly drowning out the lingering echoes of clashing equipment.

The students in the classroom, whether still practicing sweatily or sitting on mats recovering, immediately put down the equipment in their hands upon hearing the call and quickly gathered towards the front of the room.

The news of the Flying Star Class was like a shot of adrenaline, causing everyone to unconsciously tighten their strings.

"Not bad," Wang Hu swept his gaze over the young Faces covered in sweat, speaking a rare word of praise, "You finally have some self-awareness as Grade 12 students; you know how to seize every second."

"Yesterday, the matter of the Flying Star Class was announced. Students who are interested and believe they have the strength to compete for the top sixty spots in the grade,"

Wang Hu surveyed the room, his voice clear, "Now, hand your individual application forms to me." After speaking, his gaze landed sharply on the crowd.

"Teacher, I apply to participate in the selection.", The first to step out, without any suspense, was Xue Jun, who had held the top spot in martial arts for Class 21 for two and a half years.

His expression was calm, carrying inherent confidence. He strode forward and handed a neatly filled application form with both hands to Wang Hu. His movements were crisp and clean, as if completing a predetermined procedure.

"Mm," Wang Hu accepted Xue Juns application form, a look of approval on his Face. He patted Xue Juns shoulder forcefully,

"Even after getting into the Flying Star Class, you must work hard and show your real skills. Don't bring shame upon my Class 21!"

He had no doubt about Xue Juns selection; after all, his strength had always been among the top in the grade.

"Yes, Teacher! I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Xue Jun straightened his back and replied in a deep voice.

"Teacher, I sign up!"

"Teacher, I'm joining too!"

...

The power of example was immense. Following closely behind Xue Jun, the top ten students in the class, including some students whose strength was close and had a chance to contend, stepped forward one after another, handing over their application forms.

These were mostly the elite students of the class, who generally had better family backgrounds or resources. Soon, Wang Hu held ten thin sheets of paper carrying the aspirations of young men.

The crowd stirred slightly. Everyone assumed the list was settled. After all, the Flying Star Class was the elite among the elite, and most people in Class 21 had self-awareness.

However, just as the crowd was moving and everyone was preparing to hear Wang Hu start today's training—

"Teacher Wang, I also apply."

A calm yet clear voice sounded. It was not loud, but it clearly cut through the slight clamor.

Instantly, the front area of the entire martial arts room fell into an eerie silence.

All eyes focused in unison on Li Wen, who was walking out from the line.

Surprise, astonishment, confusion, and even a touch of absurdity... various complex emotions intertwined on the Faces of the classmates.

"The Overachiever is applying too?" A suppressed gasp sounded from the crowd. This decision was clearly beyond the expectations of the vast majority present.

Li Wens grades were evident to all. He was in the lower-middle tier of the class, and his Physical Body Rank was a hard flaw. Applying for the Flying Star Class? This was not something that could be achieved by grinding test questions.

Their eyes exchanged glances. Although there was no open mockery, the silent atmosphere already expressed their attitude—had he gone crazy from practicing too hard?

What surprised them even more was Teacher Wang at the podium.

The Martial Arts Teacher, known for his strictness, looked down at Li Wens equally serious application form. Not only did he not show any displeasure or contempt, but instead, he solemnly nodded and even said something almost identical to what he said to Xue Jun:

"Mm, I accept this application. Prepare well; I have high hopes for you!" His tone was steady, carrying a seriousness that was definitely not mere encouragement.

He had high hopes for him?!

This sentence was like a small stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up even greater ripples in the hearts of the surrounding students.

"What's going on?" Everyone looked at each other, wide-eyed and completely bewildered.

When did The Overachiever receive such high praise from Teacher Wang? Or was Teacher Wang saying this deliberately to motivate him?

But this motivation... wasn't it a bit too much for the Flying Star Class selection? What if he was instantly defeated in one Move on the ring...

Faced with the crowds full of doubts and probing gazes, Wang Hu had no intention of explaining. He looked at everyone with a calm expression:

"Does anyone else want to apply? Seize the opportunity; time is short."

He lightly waved the eleven application forms in his hand, paused for about half a minute, and seeing no one else step forward from the crowd, he delayed no longer:

"Since no one else is signing up, let's start today's lesson!"

The crowd suppressed the surprise in their hearts and dispersed to find their positions.

"Li Wen, are you serious?" Wei Wu, who had returned to his practice area, finally couldn't help but approach, lowering his voice, his Face still holding that look of disbelief,

"This isn't the top sixty in the class; it's the grade! The top sixty out of all twenty-one classes in the entire Grade 12!"

"I know, I'll just try," Li Wen smiled at him, his expression relaxed and natural, "It doesn't cost money anyway, I'll just treat it as motivation for... winter break training."

Wei Wu hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but remind him:

"I'm telling you seriously, don't take it lightly. Knowing the school's usual ways, this selection will most likely use a virtual ring. All the students in the grade will be watching in the virtual grand world."

He swallowed, his voice dropping even lower, carrying a trace of lingering worry:

"If you really get into the ring, and if... I mean if you get instantly defeated by the virtual opponent in one Move, that would be a public execution in front of the entire school... It would be terrible for your Face!"

Li Wen nodded after hearing this, his expression still calm: "Thanks for the reminder. We'll talk about it later; there's still a winter break before the selection. Let's Cultivate."

He couldn't very well tell Wei Wu: Brother, don't panic, I have a cheat.

Saying no more, Li Wen walked straight to his usual corner spot.

His gaze swept over Xue Jun not far away. The latter had already begun immersing himself in spear technique drills, acting as if he hadn't noticed the small interlude here.

He pulled out the brightly polished fine steel quick blade from the familiar weapon rack. The cold hilt settled in his hand, and the familiar touch instantly calmed Li Wens mind.

Activate! Absolute Focus!

Buzz—

The formless and silent field of focus enveloped him. The concealment of Lv2 skill was perfectly displayed; to the outside world, he just seemed a bit more composed than usual, without any special fluctuations.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Wielding the blade!

Under the boost of 120% focus (100% self + 20% Comprehension Ability boost from the skill), Li Wens world instantly consisted only of the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the air and the trajectory of his own bodies power flowing.

The blade light in his hand seemed to have been injected with a new Soul.

The slashes were as swift as lightning, the angles tricky and fierce. Compared to yesterday's practice, the trajectory was more precise and deadly, possessing less stiffness from rote imitation and more smooth, natural fluidity stemming from deep understanding.

The upward flick was no longer a monotonous upward sweep; the slight twist of the wrist and the subtle shift of the waist and hips combined perfectly, forming a continuous wave of power.

During the circular block and parry, his footwork was as agile as a ghost. Every movement landed exactly where it was most needed at the end of the blade trajectory, making the transition between Moves smooth and seamless, without the slightest obstruction.

The preceding and succeeding Moves were no longer independent entities but were thoroughly merged into a whole filled with a sense of breathing and martial rhythm.

This was no longer simply Blade Technique; it was more like a rhythmic dance of the blade, executed with ease, where the intent led, and the blade followed.

All signs clearly indicated that his mastery of Blade Technique was only separated from the Great Perfection stage of Advanced Blade Technique by a final membrane, thin as a cicada's wing.

[Technique: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 90 -> 94 / 100)]

[Technique: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 94 -> 97 / 100)]

[Technique: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 97 -> 99 / 100)]

The golden numbers on the panel jumped wildly, getting closer to Perfection with each iteration.

The reality matched the external display.

After the two brief practice sessions last night and during the break just now, superimposed with the 20% Comprehension Ability boost from Lv2 Absolute Focus, he had already pushed his Blade Technique experience value all the way up.

At this moment, in this final segment of practice, the last step of experience value, fueled by his practice that integrated deep accumulation and double comprehension, was fiercely pushed to the critical point.

[Technique: Blade Technique - Advanced (Major Achievement 99 / 100)]

He sheathed his blade and stood still.

Li Wen slowly exhaled a long, concentrated breath.

The moment Absolute Focus retracted, an unprecedented sense of fullness and control flowed throughout his body.

He could clearly feel the existence of the Bottleneck. That final barrier was within reach, requiring only a catalyst, a thought, an Epiphany...

He gently stroked the cold blade, his eyes sharp, like a peerless treasured blade about to be drawn, harboring an indescribable sharpness.