November. Midday, yet a drizzling rain fell.
Lam Minh strolled alongside Le Dao Khuc.
One was holding an umbrella, while the other walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
"You dog, why do I have to hold the umbrella for you? You should take a turn holding it for me," Le Dao Khuc complained, seeing Lam Minh strolling along so casually.
Lam Minh glanced at Le. "You talk too much. In this day and age, we speak with our fists. When you're stronger than me, then I'll hold the umbrella for you."
Hearing this, Le's face turned red with anger, but he didn't know how to refute it.
He couldn't beat Lam Minh.
The other day, he had planned to teach Lam Minh a lesson to show him who the real boss was.
The result? He couldn't last more than three moves.
So humiliating.
"Oh, by the way," Le suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, "speaking of strength, I just remembered. Last week, a transfer student came to my class, 11A10. I have to say, he's a real freak."
"A freak? How so?" Lam Minh replied nonchalantly, his mind not really on it. His thoughts were no longer focused on school matters.
Le thought for a moment and then replied, "His name is An The Anh. He's been here for a week and has probably spoken a total of three sentences. His face is always cold. If anyone asks him anything, he just glances at them, too arrogant to even reply. He just sits in a corner reading all day. He's quiet, sullen, and just one look at him makes you dislike him."
Le went on and on.
"So what's so strange about that? He's probably just an introvert," Lam Minh shrugged.
"No, that's not all. This is the main point. What's scarier is that he's very strong," Le Dao Khuc said, his face showing a hint of fear. "The other day, on the way home from school, I saw him being cornered by some seniors from class 12A01. You know that class, it's full of monsters. But he took on three of them at once, took them all down, not a single wasted move. Isn't that scary?"
Le spoke with an eagerness to tell Lam Minh the story, then added, "This afternoon, he signed up for the challenge to transfer into your class, 11A01. Get ready to get your ass kicked, buddy."
Only then did Lam Minh become slightly interested. A suddenly powerful and mysterious guy appearing. This made Lam Minh frown slightly.
"Whatever. If he gets into my class, it won't affect me. As for the challenge, don't worry. I have no rivals my age," Lam Minh replied, his eyes gazing into the distance. The 11th-grade classroom block quickly came into view.
Lam Minh's goal was no longer school or the Combat University.
Just a degree.
His goal was to cultivate, to break through the heavens and earth, to slap the faces of the powerhouses of the Cultivation World.
Ah, what a dream.
Lam Minh said goodbye to Le Dao Khuc and strolled towards class 11A01.
As he passed by class 11A03, a graceful figure happened to walk out of the classroom.
A light, gentle fragrance wafted into Lam Minh's nose, making him feel relaxed and comfortable.
Long black hair, a flawless, delicate face. It was To Quyen.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw Lam Minh.
"The stubborn guy got into class 11A01. You look so smug, huh? Watch out you don't get kicked out," To Quyen said, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning towards Lam Minh, teasing him.
She didn't know why, but ever since she had watched the video of Lam Minh fighting, she had really enjoyed starting conversations and teasing this guy.
Something she had never done with any other male student.
In the past few weeks, the frequency of her teasing had even increased.
It was so confusing that it made it hard for her to sleep at night.
Lam Minh looked at her, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. The talented female student had spoken first; how could he refuse? "What's up? Miss me, Lam Minh? Can't go a night without seeing me, and you feel uncomfortable?"
"You... you're going too far! Who do you think you are? The more I look at you, the more of an eyesore you become. Get back to class, or I'll call my gang to deal with you!" To Quyen said forcefully, as Lam Minh had hit a nerve.
Her heart was pounding at this moment.
It was definitely the flutter of a young girl's heart.
"Hahaha, go ahead and call them. I'll give you thirty seconds. If you can't, you have to give me a kiss," Lam Minh replied, his face looking a bit roguish.
To Quyen looked at Lam Minh's face, and her cheeks turned even redder.
"Why can someone so powerful, with such an otherworldly face, have such a perverted expression? Heaven truly doesn't give anyone everything," To Quyen thought to herself.
"GET... TO... CLASS... NOW!" To Quyen growled, word by word.
If this guy lingered any longer, she would probably turn into a boiled shrimp.
Lam Minh laughed cheerfully, turned, and walked away. As he walked, he said with a pleased look, "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Goodbye, beautiful girl."
With that, Lam Minh casually walked into his classroom.
To Quyen stood there, watching his back. Her five fingers were clenched tightly. She didn't know why, but her face felt a little hot. The image of Lam Minh's face kept replaying in her mind.
"Annoying guy," she muttered and then turned to go back to her class, forgetting that she was supposed to go to the teachers' office to report on her class's academic progress.
…
The class periods passed quickly. Lam Minh looked around the classroom.
Ever since he had transferred into this class, every single person was crazily practicing martial arts.
The atmosphere was completely different from a regular class. The instructors let the students practice and study on their own. Their job was to answer questions when the students had them.
Lam Minh felt that if they stopped practicing for even a second, they would die.
Unlike the regular classes, which were just full of desks and chairs.
The classroom of 11A01 was designed quite specially.
It was five or six times larger than a normal classroom.
There was a podium for the instructor to teach.
In the middle of the class was a training ground with many machines and training equipment.
Surrounding the training ground were rows of tiered seating.
Lam Minh was lying languidly on a chair closest to the training ground.
His sea of consciousness pulsed out waves of mental energy.
Rows of attribute bubbles were collected, and the notification sounds rang out continuously.
"Good, just keep providing me with points," Lam Minh thought to himself.
Just then, a figure appeared at the classroom door.
It was Le Dao Khuc. He shouted loudly, waving his hand, "Lam Minh! Want to go watch that weirdo The Anh challenge for a spot? He's about to go on stage."
Lam Minh had just stepped out of the classroom when he was dragged away by Le, who ran as if he were afraid of missing some spectacular performance.
Lam Minh had originally planned to just "soak" and collect points until the end of school, but hearing about that strange guy made him want to see what he was like.
Lam Minh entered the gymnasium.
A familiar, bustling atmosphere hit him.
The stands were packed. Lam Minh's appearance caught the attention of the MC.
"Well, well, well, fellow students! Today we have the super genius Lam Minhhhhhhh here to watch the competition!" the MC shouted, deliberately drawing out Lam Minh's name to add to the spectacle.
After that statement, countless eyes turned to him. The camera from the big screen also panned to him.
Many students chanted Lam Minh's name.
So embarrassing.
Lam Minh scratched his head, gave a small wave to everyone, and then chose a seat.
"Phew, that MC. I just wanted to watch the show quietly, but he won't even let me do that," Lam Minh muttered.
Suddenly, he smelled a familiar scent.
He glanced to the side.
Fate truly brings people together across a thousand miles.
By some twist of fate, he was sitting next to To Quyen to watch the competition.
She also looked at him. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"Hi." Both Lam Minh and To Quyen greeted each other, and then silence enveloped them.
At this moment, she didn't want to tease Lam Minh either.
There were too many people. If she teased him and he did something outrageous, she would probably die of embarrassment. So, she pretended to focus on the platform.
The match began.
The number of participants in this week's preliminary round was up to 162.
A massive brawl in the giant spiritual energy cage.
The MC's commentary was continuous, and the audience's cheers rang out.
One by one, people were eliminated from the platform.
Gradually, one outstanding individual caught everyone's attention.
A tall, handsome figure.
In terms of handsomeness, one could say he was only slightly inferior to Lam Minh.
His figure was a whirlwind in the cage, fighting in all directions.
Fists and kicks. Most opponents who faced him couldn't withstand more than three punches before being knocked unconscious.
"A new rising star, a new rising star! An The Anh from class 11A10! Could it be that we will have another dark horse this week?" the MC shouted in his commentary.
Lam Minh silently observed and evaluated this guy with caution. Holding a box of buttered popcorn, he silently took a handful and offered it to To Quyen.
She opened her mouth slightly and took the popcorn.
Her face flushed.
"Ah! Why did I open my mouth?" To Quyen scolded herself internally.
But, once you've started down a path, you have to follow it through.
And so, one fed, the other ate.
Sometimes, Lam Minh would even hold the cup of coca-cola for To Quyen to drink to soothe her dry throat.
"So strange. Besides me who has a hack, how can he be so strong at this age? The blood essence of the guys in the arena must be at least 500-600 points," Lam Minh thought to himself.
"Um, Minh, who do you think the final 8 will be?" To Quyen asked Lam Minh as she chewed her popcorn.
Lam Minh offered her another piece of popcorn and replied, "There won't be 8 people. Just one, that An The Anh guy, will be left on the platform."
Lam Minh's answer surprised To Quyen.
She knew Lam Minh was very strong, which was why he was able to defeat all his opponents and remain on the platform alone.
As for this guy, could he also be as strong as Lam Minh, to be rated so highly?
"So, between you and that The Anh guy, who is stronger?" To Qwen turned and stared at Lam Minh, her eyes full of anticipation for the answer.
Lam Minh turned to look at her, his gentle eyes replying, "Of course I am stronger. The person stronger than me at the age of 16 has not yet been born."
His answer satisfied To Quyen. She turned back to focus on the competition.
Then, Lam Minh added, "If someone stronger than me is born, it will definitely be our child. After all, there's a saying, 'A son surpassing his father is a blessing to the family.' I won't compete with my own child."
To Quyen: (-_-)
…
Just as Lam Minh had predicted.
There were only two figures left on the platform now.
The stands exploded.
Waves of "An The Anh!" chants rang out.
And there really was a dark horse who, according to everyone's assessment, was no less than Lam Minh.
This matter once again alarmed the principal of Tran Hung Dao High School.
He was standing in the VIP stands, holding a file with An The Anh's resume.
"Young, orphaned from a young age, lived in the Hoa Sen Orphanage. Grew up and enrolled in a subsidized school for orphans. Finally transferred to our school on a scholarship. Truly a diamond in the rough. Was he born with divine strength? He needs to be nurtured with focus! Perhaps next year our school will have two national top scorers, hahaha," Principal Ma returned the file to the secretary beside him.
The corners of his lips turned up in a triumphant smile.
The glory of our school!
I have not disappointed my predecessors.
A few sparse strands of hair fluttered in the wind.
The secretary beside him squinted, blinded by the glare from the top of his head.
…
The final match. An The Anh's opponent was a not-so-outstanding student from class 11A01 with a blood essence index of 693.
An The Anh didn't expend too much energy.
He didn't use any weapons.
Every punch, every kick was pure strength. It felt extremely explosive.
His opponent couldn't withstand a few moves and was immediately kicked off the platform.
Absolute suppression.
The entire stadium exploded. Cries of "An The Anh!" echoed everywhere.
His brilliance at this moment had also overshadowed Lam Minh's achievements.
The students began to gossip.
"Between Lam Minh and An The Anh, who is stronger?"
This comment was not only in the gymnasium at this moment.
It was also a hot topic on the school forum.
The debates raged on.
A new fandom was quickly established in the school.
After being declared the winner, An The Anh did not celebrate.
He just silently walked off the platform.
His every step took him towards the gymnasium exit. His back exuded an air of solitude.
His sharp eyes swept across the cheering crowd in the stands.
Then they stopped. He stared intently at Lam Minh and To Quyen, then turned and quickly left the gymnasium.
Lam Minh also caught An The Anh's gaze.
The smile on his lips vanished.
Lam Minh's intuition told him that that gaze was not just a passing glance.
It was scrutiny, and also suspicion.