Volume One, Chapter 15: Extra! Extra!
“Hey, what are you doing? Stop it right now!”
At that moment, a teacher finally rushed over.
Ye Cheng immediately let go.
“Look, everyone can vouch for me—it’s not my fault. Peng Jiahu lost control and started biting people. I was forced to defend myself!”
Ye Cheng spread his hands innocently, trying to clear himself first.
“Everyone disperse! We have exams coming up, no more trouble!”
The teachers scowled as they pushed the students apart.
They were accustomed to such scenes; as long as no one was seriously hurt, they let it slide.
These were passionate young men, all martial artists in training—some toughness was to be expected when fighting strange beasts.
The crowd dispersed, but Ye Cheng’s brief, striking glance lingered deeply in everyone’s minds.
He was the hidden powerhouse of No. 1 High School!
He Bide challenged from a distance: “Ye Cheng, huh? I hope to face you in real combat! Your traditional martial arts will surely be trampled under my feet.”
Glancing down at Peng Jiahu on the ground, he spat disdainfully and muttered, “Trash,” before striding away.
Ye Cheng was speechless. “When did I ever say I represent traditional martial arts? Ridiculous!”
“Ye Cheng, I’m from No. 2 High School. Could you sign my notebook?”
“Sign… here?”
A rosy-cheeked girl opened her collar, revealing a snow-white chest.
“Get lost, you shameless flirt!”
“Ye Cheng, sign on my shoulder strap instead, teehee.”
Her friends hurriedly dragged her away.
After this incident, Ye Cheng gained a whole new wave of fangirls.
Huo Jun, watching as his original admirers “defected” to Ye Cheng, felt like his heart was bleeding.
His face turned as dark as a pot.
He was rich, handsome, and respectable—what was Ye Cheng compared to that?
Just then, a lackey who had gone to gather information came running back in a hurry.
“Extra! Extra—”
“Cut the crap, spit it out!”
“All right, Young Master Huo. This Ye Cheng is from the Ye family, but a marginal member.”
“He’s a weirdo. In first year, he was diagnosed with four F-level talents. Just over a week ago, he was still at the Body Tempering stage, but suddenly his cultivation skyrocketed—rumored to be a breakthrough through sudden enlightenment.”
“Also, his college application is exactly the same as yours—only the Kyoto Martial University, leaving the rest blank. He’s either aiming to succeed or die trying.”
Huo Jun suddenly stopped.
He grabbed his companion by the collar, eyes flashing fiercely, and growled:
“Make it clear—I’m not ‘succeed or die,’ only Kyoto Martial University is worthy of admitting me. Understand?”
“Y-yes, yes, yes!”
His companion broke out in cold sweat, lips trembling.
“Also, don’t compare Ye Cheng to me—he’s not worthy!”
Huo Jun released him and strode away.
“Phew—”
His companion sighed in relief and muttered to himself:
“If he’s not worthy, why get so worked up? Or is he just insecure himself?”
…
“Bro, I’m feeling pretty down!”
Chang Xi looked up at the sky, suddenly sighing with a tear glimmering at the corner of his eye.
“What’s wrong?”
“We used to be the unbeatable duo, soaring freely at the peak. Now that you’ve suddenly become so strong, I feel useless! It seems we’re drifting apart.”
Chang Xi sadly wiped his eyes.
“You can’t think like that!”
Ye Cheng looked at him earnestly, voice deep.
“Even a scrap of worthless paper, when there’s no choice, can still be used to wipe one’s backside.”
“You must firmly believe you’re not trash, not a deadbeat—you just haven’t encountered your moment to shine yet.”
“Bro, hearing your encouragement I finally… hey wait! You just compared me to toilet paper—what kind of encouragement is that?”
Chang Xi shouted, lunging at Ye Cheng and unleashing a Dragon Claw Strike.
Ye Cheng countered with a Monkey Steals Peach move.
After some playful sparring, Chang Xi stopped and pulled a pure black card from his pocket, handing it to Ye Cheng.
“The new underground fighting season starts tonight. This is the admission ticket my dad got. The event kicks off at nine—if you have time, come check it out.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Ye Cheng took the card and examined it. Aside from its exquisite craftsmanship and sturdy material, there was nothing special about it.
“It has an embedded chip, you can’t see it.”
“Oh.”
Ye Cheng pocketed the ticket.
With ten minutes left before the exam, the two headed to their respective classrooms for the theory test.
…
The theory exam wasn’t difficult. Ye Cheng’s knowledge of liberal arts was solid—he was a true scholar.
A perfect score was guaranteed.
To avoid being harassed by Peng Jiahu, He Bide, and others, he submitted his paper half an hour early, then left the city to fight monsters.
Night fell swiftly—around eight o’clock—he disguised himself slightly and hailed a taxi.
“Driver, please take me to the Liang Martial Arts School.”
“What? You want to go to Liang Martial Arts School?”
The taxi driver was surprised upon hearing the destination.
“Yes, why?”
“Oh, nothing!”
The driver started the car but kept glancing at Ye Cheng through the rearview mirror.
Seeing Ye Cheng’s cheerful, well-behaved student appearance, he couldn’t help but say:
“Hey kid, you’re a student, right? Well, the place you’re going is remote, dangerous, and messy. It’s best not to go there at night.”
Ye Cheng knew what he meant.
The Liang Martial Arts School hosted underground boxing matches and was located in the southeast corner of Yun City.
An old district, very isolated.
The remoteness made it easier for them to conduct their affairs.
From Chang Xi, Ye Cheng learned that the organizers had people patrolling nearby from eight o’clock to keep out unsuspecting passersby.
Suspicious individuals were even forcibly removed.
Outsiders didn’t know the details, but the driver, a longtime Yun City resident, was well aware.
He was kind-hearted and, seeing a student going there at night, worried he might be in trouble, so he warned him politely.
Ye Cheng smiled and said, “Thanks for the warning, driver! But I’m going there on purpose. No problem!”
“You’re… a martial artist?”
The driver cautiously asked.
“Yes.”
“Impressive!”
The driver sighed and stopped worrying about the Liang Martial Arts School.
He even started chatting non-stop:
“When I was young, I also aspired to be a martial artist. Unfortunately, my martial arts talent was too low—the highest agility grade I got was D.”
“I spent a few years at some no-name martial arts college, but my progress stalled, and it cost my family a lot.”
“In the end, I had to accept reality and work to make a living. That’s been thirty-three years!”
“Martial arts—something I sought but never attained—is my lifelong regret!”
The driver’s story was the fate of most people.
Martial talent was everything, and it was predetermined by fate—no amount of effort could change it.
Ye Cheng deeply sympathized.
Without the system, his fate would likely mirror the driver’s—a mundane life, lost in the currents of history.
“All right, stop here.”
Ye Cheng got off near the Liang Martial Arts School. The driver took his fare and sped away.
It seemed even a minute longer in such a place was dangerous.
“Stop!”
Just as Ye Cheng put on a silver mask he’d bought in advance, a figure flashed out from the shadows, blocking his path.
The newcomer was burly and muscular—clearly not someone to be trifled with.
His steps were light and his aura steady—he was a martial artist.
“If even the outer guards are this strong, the inside must be even more intense. What kind of organizers are behind this?”
Ye Cheng thought to himself.
“This is my admission ticket!”
He handed over the black card.
“Wait a moment.”
The martial artist scanned the card with a device. A green light flashed, confirming it was genuine.
“You may enter.”
The martial artist pocketed the card instead of returning it and silently slipped back into the darkness.
Chang Xi had mentioned that this was a one-time-use ticket, collected after use.