Era of Mist

Sitting in the study hall, Shi Tiexin was both exhausted and gratified.

Looking at the giant word "Profound" in his field of vision, Shi Tiexin felt as if his entire life had broken through into a brand new realm. Just a few days ago, he was an insignificant nobody struggling at the Star Worker Union School. He could barely scrape together enough cultivation manuals and had never even heard of supplementary ones.

Of the Six Basic Heart Techniques, only three were at a passing level.

But now? Setting everything else aside, his Basic Mathematics: First Level had actually broken through to "Profound," reaching a realm he had never before grasped. He felt like a completely different person. A single "Profound" far surpassed "Excellent," and even the thought-energy swirling in his mind had instantly grown much more resilient.

The leap in power from "Excellent" to "Profound" was much greater than the one from "Good" to "Excellent."

’So, is there a realm beyond Profound?’

’There has to be.’ Shi Tiexin vaguely sensed that in terms of basic calculation, he was approaching the Champion Scholar Stone’s level, but he hadn’t quite reached it. The Champion Scholar Stone was still significantly stronger than him, so there must be an even higher realm.

As Shi Tiexin watched with anticipation, the word "Profound" slammed to the left side of his vision. A phantom progress bar extended all the way to the end, where a brand new word appeared.

This word was unlike any of the previous ones.

This word shone with a golden light!

——Perfect——

Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened. That was it. At the very end of the progress bar was the glittering, golden word "Perfect." Just looking at that one word made his heart pound. He felt as if he could sense a profound presence emanating from it, an unshakable, immense weight.

In that instant, Shi Tiexin was filled with a deep yearning for the word "Perfect."

’Why do people climb mountains?’

’Because the mountain is there!’

’Why do people seek challenges?’

’Because "Perfect" is there!’

’So, what am I waiting for? Time to pull out the workbook and get back to training! Come on, my long-awaited Little Genius, let’s do this!’ His vision suddenly went black, and Shi Tiexin swayed, the sudden spell cutting off his fervent enthusiasm.

He steadied his head and rested for a full ten minutes before he recovered. Rubbing his temples, he still felt a little dizzy. Only then did Shi Tiexin realize that he was truly out of energy.

A full day of high-intensity studying, from morning till night, totaled nearly three times as long as his all-nighter yesterday. Such a long period of arduous training was definitely taking its toll. ’Going too far is as bad as not going far enough,’ he thought. ’I shouldn’t push my limits right now. If I force it and damage my foundation, it’ll be too late for regrets.’

’I’d better rest for a bit.’

Without a second thought, Shi Tiexin pushed Little Genius aside, folded his arms on the desk, and rested his head on them. Listening to the white noise—a mix of scribbling, rustling pages, and hushed whispers—Shi Tiexin soon fell fast asleep.

Not long after Shi Tiexin fell asleep, a figure appeared in the study hall. He seemed normal at first glance, but looked suspiciously furtive on closer inspection.

It was none other than Gu Shaohuai.

Today, Gu Shaohuai hadn’t gone to the exclusive elite-class study hall to act all high and mighty; instead, he had come to the regular one. This was where he was supposed to be, but for some reason, after hanging around the elite study hall, he couldn’t shake the self-important feeling that ’coming here is like an Immortal descending to the mortal realm.’

Sweeping his gaze over the students in the regular study hall, Gu Shaohuai’s eyes held the arrogance and disdain of a nobleman looking down on peasants. Even when he saw his own deskmate, a fellow student from Key Class 7, his expression screamed, ’Hmph, what a nobody.’

As for the garbage class? In his eyes, the people from the garbage class didn’t even count as human. They were just livestock, and anything they said was just an unintelligible series of yaps, like "WOOF, WOOF, WOOF."

Today, he was thrilled. His investigation into "Target Number Two," Shen Xingye, was starting to show promise. He had a gut feeling that with just a few more days, he could make a major breakthrough and dig up some serious dirt on him.

’This Shen Xingye... forget flaws, the guy is riddled with holes from head to toe! He’s a complete moron, the type to go clubbing on a cliff’s edge without even knowing it. All I have to do is finish my investigation, grab the evidence, and then, just before the exams, I’ll spread all that juicy dirt. Hahaha, then that idiot can just fall off the cliff and be smashed to smithereens!’

’Handing your position over to someone more talented—like me—wouldn’t that be a great contribution to society?’

A dark flame ignited in Gu Shaohuai’s eyes.

The reason he had come to the regular study hall today was to check on a few of his other targets. He couldn’t afford to focus on one and neglect the others, lest he get tripped up by a simple oversight.

’Hmm, Target Five and Target Six are both here. Can’t let my guard down.’

’Hmm, isn’t that Target Nine? He doesn’t look too energetic; his health must be poor. Perfect. I’ll secretly bribe a few students with the flu and have them hang around him all day. I’m a goddamn genius!’

Huh?!

Gu Shaohuai was surprised to see a hulking figure slumped over a desk. Even without seeing the face, that build was conspicuous and instantly recognizable. ’Isn’t that Target Number One, Champion Scholar Stone? What, couldn’t hack it in the elite class for even a day and came crawling back here? That’s more like it. Trash belongs where trash can go. He shouldn’t be indulging in fantasies all day.’

’But... this guy has been studying relentlessly for the past two days, and acting very strange. I should go see what he’s up to...’

Gu Shaohuai swiftly moved closer, feigning a casual glance.

’Hmm, sound asleep. And sleeping like a log, too. There’s a workbook in front of him—still that Little Genius one. Heh, looks like this guy’s really washed up... Huh! No, I can’t be so careless!’

A sharp glint seemed to flash in Gu Shaohuai’s eyes, like a master detective who had just discovered a massive flaw in the case. ’This guy... he could be faking it. Maybe he’s deliberately trying to make me lower my guard! He’s using a cartoonish cover to dispel my suspicions, but what if this Little Genius is actually full of practice problems that the elite class keeps secret!’

’Let me see...’

Gu Shaohuai glanced left and right. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he stealthily reached out and picked up the Little Genius workbook. He flipped it open, his eyes glinting—’Heh!’ Gu Shaohuai let out a relieved smile. It really was just basic arithmetic, no deliberate mystery. The guy was actually doing elementary school-level exercises.

’He’s washed up! This guy is totally finished! To think he’s practicing elementary school problems, how pathetic... Eh? No, wait a minute, these problems seem...’ Gu Shaohuai froze. He stared intently at the Little Genius in his hands, at the densely packed questions. A moment later, his eyes widened and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.

’Wh-what—what the hell is this?!’

’Looking closer, I can’t even solve the first problem in my head. If I had to write it out, it would take a while, and I still couldn’t guarantee I’d get it right.’

’Is elementary school math supposed to be this hard?!’