Era of Mist

His high school classmates, who should have been listening to the lecture, had all turned their heads in unison. They were staring at Shi Tiexin with identical looks of utter astonishment. Shi Tiexin stared back, his own expression mirroring their shock, bewilderment, and confusion.

He glanced down. There was a desk in front of him, too, but it was overturned, its books scattered across the floor. ’I must have knocked it over when I suddenly stood up,’ he thought. A quick, logical analysis told him he must be one of these "high school students." Everyone had been sitting quietly in class until he let out a long roar, flipped his desk, and shot to his feet...

’This is not good...’

His mind was a complete mess, but one thing was clear to Shi Tiexin: this situation was bad. Very bad.

The silence was absolute, until a roar of thunderous rage suddenly erupted from the front of the classroom.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

Hearing that voice, a sense of dread washed over him, as if he’d heard the roar of a lion. It was a fear that sprang from his body, from his very soul, triggered by a memory that flashed through his mind.

Shi Tiexin shivered involuntarily and looked up. A man in his forties was standing at the podium, glaring at him with barely contained fury.

"Are you starting a rebellion? Is that it? Trying to lead a revolt?!"

The man slammed his hand on the desk. SLAM! He was practically bristling with fury. Shi Tiexin flinched, and his thoughts scattered in a panic, like a flock of startled ducks.

’I’m screwed, so screwed! It’s Old Jia’s class! My God, what was I doing? Why would I lose my mind during Old Jia’s class?’

"You don’t want to be in my class, is that it? Fine, I won’t force you! Get out! Get out right now!" Old Jia roared, pointing at the classroom door like a raging lion. "From now on, you will stand out there until school is dismissed! You are not allowed back in!"

The thought of resisting never even crossed his mind. Shi Tiexin lowered his head and meekly started to walk out.

"Fix your desk before you leave!" Old Jia roared again. "Have you forgotten how to do even that? Are you sleepwalking?!"

He obediently turned back, righted the desk, and crouched to gather his scattered books. Some writing seemed to flash before his eyes, but in his dazed state, Shi Tiexin didn’t register it at all. He stood up and walked toward the door. Every student in the classroom stared at him, their expressions a mix of emotions. The moment he moved, a low buzz of whispers filled the room.

Their gazes held confusion, bewilderment, disgust, disdain, and even a little pity. But Shi Tiexin paid them no mind, walking dazedly out of the classroom and taking his place against the wall in the corridor.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the whispers inside the classroom grew louder, a droning hubbub that seemed to have no end.

"Alright, alright, all of you, shut up! You think you have time to worry about him? If you’re struggling and don’t want to drop to the regular classes, and if you’re doing well and still want to get into the elite class, then you’d better get your act together and study! Study like your life depends on it!" Old Jia’s roar was clearly audible through the wall. "Natural selection, survival of the fittest. Here at Fengming First Middle School, you have to be strong, stronger, and strongest to soar to the heavens!"

Old Jia’s voice reached him in the hallway, but Shi Tiexin’s expression remained lost and bewildered. His memories and consciousness were like a radio caught between two stations, broadcasting one signal one moment and another the next. They were like two decks of cards being shuffled together, overlapping and mixing in a chaotic, noisy flurry through his mind.

One moment, Shi Tiexin felt he was a "novice disciple" who had grown up in the Orphanage of Tumu Fortress Space City, studied at the Star Worker School, possessed the basic Essence Nourishment Technique and basic fist techniques, practiced the Six Basic Heart Techniques, and was about to face the pressure of the preliminary township examinations.

The next moment, he was a "high school student" born in Donghua Country, raised in Nanzhili, a first-year at the prestigious Fengming First Middle School, utterly weak and with nothing special about him whatsoever.

These two different sets of memories clashed and tangled in his mind, making Shi Tiexin completely unaware of the passage of time. Before he knew it, class was over. The bell rang, and Old Jia stalked out of the classroom, his face as dark and hard as pig iron. He walked past Shi Tiexin, looking him up and down. The sight of Shi Tiexin’s dazed, sleepwalking expression only deepened his displeasure. With a heavy "Hmph!" he walked away without another word.

Shi Tiexin flinched instinctively. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but with the endless turmoil raging in his mind, no words came out.

Then came the students, pouring out of the classrooms in droves—some from his own class, some from others. The sound of excited chatter instantly filled the air. Students from other classes stared openly at Shi Tiexin, the boy being punished, while his own classmates immediately began to explain what had happened.

"Oh!"

"So that’s what happened!"

"No way... Why would he do that?"

"Is he crazy?"

Many students pointed and whispered from a distance, but no one came over to talk to him or ease his embarrassment. Through the haze of his confusion, Shi Tiexin understood. He was usually quiet and withdrawn and had never really interacted with his classmates. It was only natural that they wouldn’t want to get mixed up in his troubles.

"Haven’t you guys heard? He’s the famous ’Champion Scholar Stone,’" someone said from a distance, jutting his chin in Shi Tiexin’s direction with a peculiar expression. "He was the First Guard Champion Scholar in the entrance exams. The school specially recruited him."

"Huh?" another person asked, scratching his head. "Out of the five prefectures and twenty-eight guards in the Three Provinces of Nanzhili, becoming a First Guard Champion Scholar is still a huge deal. And since he was specially recruited, he should’ve been a shoo-in for the elite class. How did he drop down to an honors class?"

The honors classes at Fengming First Middle School were certainly full of talented students, but they were still a tier below the elite classes.

"Who knows? I vaguely heard from a buddy in the elite class that this ’Champion Scholar Stone’ was originally in an elite class. For a while, he even had the potential to break into the top ten. But then, for some reason, his grades took a nosedive. By the first semester finals, he had already dropped to the bottom of his class. Then, after the second semester midterms, he couldn’t even hold onto his spot and was demoted directly to an honors class."

"How could that happen?" someone asked in surprise. "A First Guard Champion Scholar getting forced out of the elite class? That’s just sad. By the way, Gu Shaohuai, is he actually any good at his studies?"

Gu Shaohuai curled his lip, his face full of scorn. "Hmph. When he first showed up, we all thought some Banished Immortal or an Overseas Dragon had arrived—at the very least, a top student who would fight like hell to get back on top. Who would’ve thought he’d just turn out to be a nutcase? Mark my words, with finals coming up, forget about fighting his way back. He’ll be lucky if he can even keep his spot in an honors class."