School Troubles

Mrs. Hua continued her lecture on history, discussing the Dark Ages. Once Qi disappeared from the world along with the demonic beasts, cultivators found themselves helpless as their flesh returned to mortal.

The various treasures and elixirs they once had all but lost their properties, becoming worthless. Power became dependent on weapons of steel, causing the price of once ordinary metals to skyrocket in value.

Then there were the wars over these resources. Without cultivation, more emphasis has been placed on martial arts and strategies in order to win battles.

Over time, humans began to forget about the existence of cultivators as technology continued to develop. From guns to the Industrial Revolution, humanity managed to flourish again through invention and technological development.

"Ding!" The bell rang, and Mrs. Hua dismissed the class for lunch.

Bai Feng yawned as he knew that the resurgence of Qi aided this continual evolution, but also caused another major shift in the world when the different countries allied into 3 separate supercontinents.

From then on, each country within these supercontinents placed a major focus on developing talents. Schools were tasked to search out the most talented and nurture them to become powerful cultivators, and many joined the military afterwards with major reward incentives.

Bai Feng didn't want to fight on the front lines though. He had a sister to take care of, and he'd seen enough bloodshed for countless lifetimes already.

The teen just wanted to enjoy a peaceful life, as tiring as it was.

Bai Feng tried to get out of his seat, but Shan Lingling suddenly appeared in front of his desk and blocked his way. He wore a disgusted look as the beautiful girl leaned in, sensing that the transfer student was up to no good.

"Bai Feng, right?" Shan Lingling gave him a charming smile, but Bai Feng could sense the malice behind her facade.

"No." He replied coldly, trying to get out of his seat again.

"You two know one another?" Before Bai Feng knew it, he was surrounded by many classmates who were interested in Shan Lingling.

Many gave questioning looks at Bai Feng as well, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. They didn't think such a beautiful and temperamental girl like Shan Lingling had a connection with the poor orphan Bai Feng.

Shan Lingling then turned bashful, painting a picture of beauty and pure innocence. Bai Feng shuddered in horror as he was trapped by the crowd, unable to exit the classroom.

"He's..." Shan Lingling paused for dramatic effect, causing the others to quiet down to listen.

Bai Feng also wanted to swear obscenities at her as he had a gut feeling as to what she was up to. "No, don't say it!"

"My boyfriend." The beautiful girl whispered, just barely loud enough to hear. She hid a sly look between her hands, only allowing Bai Feng to see.

"No, I'm not." Bai Feng deadpanned.

"You! But we... We also did so many things together." Shan Lingling's amicable eyes became teary with crocodile tears, mixing in with a blush.

There was a deadly silence as everyone's gazes slowly shifted towards him. Bai Feng's slightly long, messy hair painted an unusual picture beside the neat and tidy Shan Lingling.

The death stares also increased in intensity, and Bai Feng knew that there was going to be trouble.

"Bai Feng, step outside." A voice laced with jealousy commanded.

...

"Look! I heard people from the 10-2 class are about to get in a fight." A student told his group of friends.

"Really? Where are they fighting?" Another boy asked.

"I heard someone say it's the soccer field, let's go!"

The word spread like wildfire, and Bai Feng soon noticed students from the other classes were also there to watch the spectacle. He tried to leave, but his classmates and the ever-growing crowd prevented him from leaving.

Although he hated all the attention it attracted to him, Bai Feng had to complement the speed and effectiveness of the school's grapevine.

Cracking his knuckles, Zhou Jie was prepared to give Bai Feng a thorough thrashing.

Shan Lingling felt the situation was getting a bit out of hand. The situation had escalated to a point where they were both going to fight in front of so many students. She felt a bit sorry for her actions and tried to call them both off.

However, her attempts at mediating were drowned out by the large crowd hyping both of the fighters up.

Bai Feng gave Shan Lingling a scary look as he casually observed his opponent.

Zhou Jie was one of the popular boys in the class, a stereotypical musclehead. He was also an entire head taller than Bai Feng, who looked as skinny as a twig in comparision.

"If I win, you break up with Shan Lingling and she'll date me!" He declared loudly, pointing a finger at the facepalming Bai Feng.

He didn't think his fellow classmate was retarded. But to try and use fighting to woo a girl, Bai Feng felt that Zhou Jie had watched too many inaccurate dramas based on ancient times.

"Fighter System, activate!" In an exaggerated fashion, Bai Feng couldn't help but feel further embarrassment for him as Zhou Jie tried to look cool with a pose.

Every human was now born with a system for cultivating, in which only they can see the exact details of what they entailed. There was no need for any of these flowery antics that made Bai Feng internally cringe.

His opponent's system was the Fighter System, meaning it belonged to the martial arts category. Zhou Jie was also acting exactly like those anime characters his sister watches, causing Bai Feng's lips to twitch as he tried his hardest to hold back laughter.

"Level 12 already?" Seeing the number appear above Zhou Jie's head, many students were shocked.

Cultivators could choose to reveal their level if they wish to do so. Similar to a video game, the level corresponds to how strong a cultivator is, appearing above their head.

However, only those with awakened systems are able to start cultivating and gain levels.

Bai Feng felt that it was stupid to do so. Revealing your true strength with no purpose would grant you nothing, but rather put you at a disadvantage by giving others information.

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Bai Feng completely agreed with Sun Tzu's words of wisdom from back then.

The exact max level is unknown, but many believe it to be 100. The levels become harder and harder to breakthrough as one ascends. Every 10 levels are considered to be a milestone, granting a special skill as a reward to the system owner once they achieve it.

Then there were also the techniques written in manuals, considered to be developed artificially, and typically had less strength than a system skill. High-level techniques are still powerful and useful in their own ways though.

"Level 12?" Even Shan Lingling was a bit impressed, although her level was quite higher.

At only around 16 years of age, able to break past level 10 meant that the cultivator's talent was very promising.

She then turned to Bai Feng, curious as to what the other boy's level would be. However, Bai Feng apparently chose to not reveal his level.

The crowd's anticipation rose once orange Qi began to gather around Zhou Jie's fists. They began to chant. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Here I come!" Zhou Jie raised both of his fists like a boxer, charging Bai Feng.

Lashing out with punches, the onlookers cheered as Zhou Jie took the initiative to attack. After a few exchanges, the excitement started to fizzle away when they realized something was wrong.

Shan Lingling's eyebrows were also raised when Bai Feng easily dodged the strikes with incredible flexibility. No matter what Zhou Jie was doing, he was unable to land a single blow.

A combination of unusual movements, ducking, and sidestepping made Zhou Jie look like an absolute monkey. Bai Feng seemed to be able to anticipate all of his opponent's moves, sticking out a back leg that caused Zhou Jie to trip on his face.

"That's it!" Zhou Jie growled in anger, spitting out dirt as he picked himself off the ground. "First skill: [Close Combat]!"

Taking in a deep breath, Zhou Jie's body began to radiate orange Qi. Lunging towards Bai Feng again, his fists flashed with incredible speed as the fighter unleashed a flurry of punches.

"First skill." Bei Feng whispered, leaning back to gain distance and dodging a strike that narrowly missed his face.

A strange glow started appearing from the bottom of his eyes as he instinctively activated his own system. "[A-]"

["Warning!"] The notification from the system rang in his mind, making him snap back to reality from his battle instincts. ["Using the first skill will consume 70% of the world's current spiritual energy. Continue? Y/N"]

Bai Feng sighed internally. "No."

Ever since the destruction of the ozone layer, the resurgence of Qi provided another benefit, developing spiritual energy through a method of conversion. Scientists discovered that this energy can be used to create an artificial barrier similar to ozone, protecting the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

If he decided to use his skill, this world might just immediately face an apocaplytic scenerio. The consequences of a massive and sudden depletion in spiritual energy will cause everything to descend into chaos.

He didn't even need his system to beat Zhou Jie. Catching onto the other teen's arm with a hand, Bai Feng spun around and used his other hand to slam him into the ground.

A deafening silence occurred once the crowd realized that the fight was abruptly over. Brushing off the bits of dirt on his uniform, Bai Feng wasn't worried about Zhou Jie dying since he controlled his strength.

Shan Lingling's mouth was also opened in an "O" shape. Bai Feng didn't even need to use any skills or special techniques to win the fight, only using basic martial arts.

This was something that she probably couldn't even do.

"Break it up! Break it up!" A loud whistle pierced the silence, getting closer by the second.

"It's Coach Liu!" A student's voice screamed. "Everybody, run!"

The crowd scattered like a strong wind blowing on a dandelion, leaving only Bai Feng and the fallen Zhou Jie at the scene. Shan Lingling was also close by when the teacher approached, but Coach Liu ignored her.

The teacher had titanic biceps and a chest that bulged out of his track uniform. A red mohawk stretched itself vertically across his polished head and complimented his enormous physique, making Bai Feng feel like Coach Liu seemed more like a mobster than an educator.

"Both of you. To the faculty office. Now." Growling, Coach Liu prodded the fallen Zhou Jie who groaned as he regained consciousness.

Bai Feng sighed again.

Unregulated fighting on school grounds will definitely be grounds for a large punishment. Complying with the teacher's orders, Bai Feng gave an unfriendly look to Shan Lingling as he walked past, causing the beautiful girl to feel sorry for her prank.