Era of Mist

The other students were in an uproar.

"Class 28?!"

"Isn’t that the garbage class?"

"I heard it’s full of delinquents..."

"No way! Why would they transfer him to the garbage class?"

Since his classmates were all so sincere in their questioning, how could the magnificent Mr. Nobody not deign to mercifully answer? He wore a look that said it was all perfectly obvious. "Yelling in class, assaulting a teacher, and seriously violating school rules... this punishment is already considered light. The fact he wasn’t expelled on the spot is just Teacher Jia letting him off easy. But hey, I personally think sending him to the garbage class is a perfect match."

A perfect match?

—Actually, no one asked that question. But Mr. Nobody read its existence in his classmates’ eyes. There was no need for them to say it aloud; the ever-so-helpful Mr. Nobody had already learned to answer before the question was even asked.

"Of course it’s a perfect match!"

"Sending trash to the trash... bin, isn’t that just the natural order of things? For an academic failure to go to the trash... no, I mean, to the *regular* Class 28... that’s perfectly normal too. In any case, final exams aren’t that far away. At his level, it’s just a matter of a few days sooner or later." The nameless student turned to Shi Tiexin and cracked a nauseating smile. "Oh, my apologies. I tend to speak my mind. Just a joke."

"Hey!" His deskmate jabbed him a couple of times.

The nameless student ignored his deskmate, his gaze fixed on Shi Tiexin like a snarling mongrel. "If my words hurt you, I’ll apologize first. But you’re not so weak you can’t take a joke, are you... Cham... pion... Scho... lar... Stone?"

The entire class was watching them in silence.

Under the complicated gazes of the entire class, Shi Tiexin calmly packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and started to walk out. When he reached the nameless student, Shi Tiexin stopped. He turned his head and studied the boy for a long moment, his expression as placid as a deep well.

’This is nothing. I, Shi Tiexin, practically ran the Orphanage; I’ve seen way worse than this. A great man should be magnanimous. My future is destined to be brilliant, a meteoric rise to the top. Why would I even bother with a little nobody like you?’

Okay, if I’m being honest:

’I...’

’...fucking...’

’...have you marked!!’

"Champion Scholar Stone, you’re looking at me. Is there something else?" the nameless student said with a twisted sneer. "What’s the matter, don’t know the way to Class 28? Want me to see you out?"

’Fuck!’

’I... I really don’t know the way...’

’Gotta hit back with something harsh! I have to!’

’No matter what happens, I’ve got to win the war of words before any fists fly!’

Shi Tiexin finally spoke. His voice was low and heavy, like a majestic, unmoving mountain, commanding authority without a hint of anger. "Starting today,"

’You little bastard, from now on, you’d better start keeping a diary. That way, when you’re about to die, you can’t blame me for not giving you time to write your last words!’

"Keep a diary."

That was it.

’—My freaking tongue wouldn’t cooperate, my words came out all wrong, I couldn’t even say the whole thing! And I can’t even make the right facial expression! I’m so frustrated I could explode!’

’Whew... No good, I’m off my game today. Can’t even win a war of words. If I stay here any longer, I’m going to explode. Go. I’m leaving now. I’ll come back and get revenge on this little bastard later!’

And so, Shi Tiexin left. He walked with poise and composure, at a pace neither rushed nor slow, with an air of magnificent grandeur.

"Hey, Gu Shaohuai, wasn’t that a bit much?" His deskmate couldn’t help but speak up. "Getting transferred to Class 28 is bad enough. Why did you have to provoke him like that?"

"Shove off. What do you know?" ’To get promoted to the elite class in the next final exams, I have to rank in the top two hundred of the grade. The top two hundred at Fengming First Middle School are no joke. With my abilities, I’m just hovering around the 200 mark. A shift of even one spot could change everything.’

’This Champion Scholar Stone is a major threat. The best thing would be to provoke him until he’s too demoralized to recover. That would be getting a hard ’stone’ out of my path. No, just taunting him a bit probably isn’t enough. I need to think of something else...’

’That’s it! I heard Shi Tiexin’s grades only dropped because he’s constantly being harassed and bullied by delinquents. Before, in the elite and honors classes, he lived far away from those types. Now the guy is moving right into their main base of operations. If I find a few people to go ’pay him a visit,’ won’t that be a piece of cake?’

’Hmph, that’s the plan!’

Gu Shaohuai stared at Shi Tiexin’s departing back, cursing him viciously in his mind. ’Scram. Scurry away with your tail between your legs. Best if you just sink to the bottom of the sludge and stay there. No one will stand in my, Gu Shaohuai’s, way!’

’But... huh... what’s this about keeping a diary?’

’Why did that guy tell me to keep a diary?’

’Could he mean... Don’t tell me... he knows my literature grade is bad, so he deliberately used that line to provoke me? To tell me I have a weakness, a short plank in my barrel, that I can’t possibly beat him, and thereby throw my mind into chaos so I can’t study?’

’Hmph, how naive.’

’I, Gu Shaohuai, am a genius. How could I fall for such a trick? This time, I’ll beat you at your own game. I’ll make you the one who was too clever for his own good. The moment you realize your scheme has utterly failed, I will feast upon your bitter tears of regret as I drink my celebratory wine!’

’Starting today, I’m going to keep a diary out of spite!’

’This is perfect. I can also organize my little notebook...’

Gu Shaohuai took out a small notebook and riffled through the pages. It was filled with names, mostly students who were hovering around the 200th rank. Shi Tiexin was just one among them.

"Let me see... the second-most important target is... Shen Xingye?" Gu Shaohuai muttered, biting his finger as he began to plot. ’That guy’s in the elite class now, so it won’t be easy to mess with him directly. But everyone has a weakness, some dirt that can be dug up. Shen Xingye is no exception. As long as I can find it... you’ll obediently give up your spot in the elite class! My path to victory is clear!’

Gu Shaohuai was busy plotting his grand scheme.

Shi Tiexin was also busy plotting his own grand scheme.

He wasn’t plotting revenge against that nameless nobody; something so trivial wasn’t worth his immediate concern. He was plotting something far more important, far more critical: how to raise the level of his Heart Skills.

Of the Six Basic Heart Techniques, he had only reached the first, "Qualified," stage in three of them.

Yet among the students here, those at the third "Good" stage and above were everywhere.

’If I can’t find a way to improve my Heart Skill level, then at my current, actual standard, maybe that nameless punk was right. Maybe the garbage class really is where I belong.’

’In fact, judging by the average skill level around here, I’d probably be dead last even in the garbage class. No, not just last—I’d be the absolute rock bottom! Someone as pathetic as I am might not even qualify for the garbage class in the first place!’

’If I can’t find a way to improve quickly, the final exams will expose my true level. Coming in dead last in the entire grade... that would be truly humiliating.’

’I, Champion Scholar Stone, have my pride!’

’No, no, this won’t do. I have to get my Heart Skill level up, and fast. I absolutely refuse to let punks like that nameless guy turn me into a laughingstock.’

’But what exactly am I supposed to do?’