Era of Mist

Should I just call it a night?

’No way! I’m on a roll right now, it’s like I have divine help. I’d be an idiot not to use every second to cultivate!’

’So, should I go back to the dorm to study tonight?’

’No, no, no. That smell... I couldn’t stand it, no matter how focused I was. That nauseating stench is like having a constant, health-draining debuff. I doubt I could even get into a focused state if I tried to study there. Why do you think those delinquents like to smoke in the remedial classrooms? At least twenty percent of the reason is that dizzying odor—they use the smoke to cover up the stink.’

Returning to the dorm was out of the question. There was no way he was going back there to study; he could only scrape by in the study hall. Noticing the frenzied flames and crackling lightning on his progress bar were about to cool down, Shi Tiexin grew anxious. ’I have to find a place to continue this combo!’

He looked around. ’Maybe I should just find a lit spot around here, sit on the floor, and study by any light I can find? The environment has to be better than the dorm, anyway.’

But just then, another consciousness in his mental domain stirred, and Shi Tiexin had a sudden realization—Fengming First Middle School was truly worthy of its name, enforcing class distinctions in every conceivable way. Apart from the few study halls he could see, there was actually a large study hall used by the elite class, one that people like Zhao Qingmiao had no access to whatsoever.

The large study hall wasn’t far. Shi Tiexin turned decisively and led the two of them toward the elite class’s study hall. After going up the stairs, taking a few steps, and making a turn, he arrived outside a large classroom. The room boasted clean, bright windows and excellent facilities. Peeking through the large glass panes, he could see that not only was it incredibly spacious, but the seats were actually cushioned. Just looking at them promised a world of comfort for one’s behind.

Shi Tiexin glanced at the entrance. Great. The security guard responsible for managing the classroom and checking student IDs was gone, probably on a bathroom break. Shi Tiexin nodded to the two people with him, then shouldered his bag, pushed open the door, and walked into the elite class’s study hall.

He’d been hearing about the "elite class" for so long, but this was Shi Tiexin’s first time truly seeing its students up close. His first impression—they lived up to the name.

The noise Shi Tiexin made pushing the door open was neither loud nor soft, but even the best door makes a sound. Yet as he looked out over the tightly packed ranks of elite students, barely anyone reacted. The vast majority didn’t even seem interested enough to look up. A quick glance revealed at least a hundred and seventy or eighty people in the study hall, but besides the RUSTLE of flipping pages and the SCRITCH-SCRATCH of pens on paper, it was almost completely silent.

From front to back, all one hundred seventy or eighty of them had their heads bowed, making it impossible to see their faces. Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but reflect that these people hadn’t made it into the elite class by luck, but by sheer ability. ’If they all had a vision interface like mine,’ he thought, ’they’d probably all have a furiously burning progress bar floating over their heads, too.’

’These guys, both smart and hardworking, are the very target I need to catch up to. In less than half a semester, I have to beat out all the swarming students in the downstairs study halls and get into this small group with its incredibly intense academic atmosphere. Only then will my second Destiny Quest be complete.’

’Tough.’

’All the more reason not to waste any time. Time to start the chase, beginning with basic arithmetic!’

Shi Tiexin wasn’t picky. He plopped down in an empty seat, took out his two remaining elementary school math textbooks, and continued his journey of "integrated study and practice." Before putting pen to paper, Shi Tiexin glanced at the icon on the right side of his vision representing the progress of his Auxiliary Secret Record. Sure enough, it was more than halfway filled with light.

It looked like the Auxiliary Secret Record’s durability would be completely depleted once he finished this set of books. A used record was invalid; it would have no effect a second time. This was precisely why Auxiliary Secret Records were such a massive money sink in Mind-Art cultivation—a bottomless pit of an investment.

But what did Shi Tiexin have to fear now?

’Extreme Training and Little Genius are still waiting for me!’

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH. Shi Tiexin re-entered his focused state, once again finding himself inexplicably getting boosted by a pro. The interface faded, no longer distracting him, and Shi Tiexin became completely immersed in his studies, blending in with the other focused students around him.

An environment where everyone was studying intently truly made it easier to settle down and focus. Looking at the students to his left and right gave him the strange feeling that if he wasn’t studying, he would be left behind—that not studying was practically a crime.

However, not everyone in the study hall was engrossed in wrestling with practice problems.

In the back of the study hall, Gu Shaohuai was furtively sizing up several students.

As a student from the honors class, he wasn’t actually qualified to study in this room. But rules were one thing, and enforcement was another. Gu Shaohuai had pulled out some cash to treat the guard to cigarettes and tea, professed his passionate dedication to his studies, and the guard had let him in.

’Being on duty here until the wee hours every day... that guard has a tough job.’

Gu Shaohuai had snuck in, and he was feeling great.

For one, he reveled in the feeling of being part of the top tier, even if it was a sham. It was like how, when heading to the classroom building in the morning, he’d deliberately walk past the fourth-floor landing and head up the stairs. He’d crane his neck like a proud rooster, ascending to the fifth floor under the envious gazes of onlookers mistaking him for an "elite class big shot"—only to sneak back down to his own honors classroom afterward.

You think this is pointless?

Gu Shaohuai found it plenty meaningful. He thought this kind of flexing was the absolute best. It was as if the simple act of turning on the fourth-floor landing to set foot on the stairs to the fifth floor was enough to prove he was a cut above the rest.

And tonight, successfully infiltrating the elite class’s study hall made his ego swell to new heights. Looking around, he felt he was born to be in the same class as these elites. Though he had no one to show off to here, the self-satisfaction alone was giving him an incredible high.

On the other hand, he had also snuck in here for "official business."

"Commencing reconnaissance on Target Three. Discovered one pin-up magazine hidden in Target Three’s desk. Continuing to record subject’s behavioral patterns. I can tip off a teacher from the Academic Affairs Office before the exams, have them catch him red-handed. That should be enough to take down Target Three."

Gu Shaohuai scribbled the information into his small notebook, his shifty eyes scanning the room. ’Continuing reconnaissance on Target Four...’

As he was scouting, Gu Shaohuai suddenly froze. ’Wait a minute, that big oaf next to Target Four... isn’t that Champion Scholar Stone?’

’What’s he doing in the elite class’s study hall?’