Chapter Forty-Eight: The Meridian Unblocking Technique

Returning to the classroom.

The room was still abuzz with noise, as if everyone was embroiled in some heated debate; no one was reviewing their lessons at this moment.

When Xiao Nan entered, the atmosphere suddenly fell quiet for a moment.

It was a peculiar feeling—there was admiration, envy, suspicion, and scrutiny in those gazes…

Many classmates, though outwardly calm, were inwardly in turmoil. A few even raised their thumbs in silent approval.

“Xiao Nan, impressive! Who would have thought that someone as low-key as you could take down the class monitor?”

“When did you practice your swordsmanship? Did Mr. Tang give you special lessons?”

In the face of such a scene, what could Xiao Nan possibly say?

It was just like a poor man who suddenly comes into wealth—one must endure all those watchful eyes.

In everyone’s mind, he had always been the underachiever, dragging the class down with his weak talent. Such a sudden, dazzling performance was hard to believe, and inevitably gave rise to all sorts of fanciful thoughts.

Mainly, the sentiment was: If Xiao Nan can do it, so can I.

Why should he be so outstanding, and not me?

If only I had resolved myself back then… If I’d had such an opportunity, I’d be even stronger than him now.

Such thoughts were unspoken, but they churned beneath the surface.

Sun Kai was one of them.

He held a book, pretending to be engrossed in it.

When Xiao Nan returned to his desk, Sun Kai seemed not to notice, but his slightly hurried breathing betrayed his inner unrest.

“Forget it, better not ask to borrow his notes now. Looks like he’s too shaken up by all this,” Xiao Nan thought to himself.

He glanced sideways at his desk mate but said nothing.

He began quietly organizing his books, primarily searching for his notes from the martial arts courses.

Perhaps his previous self had a subconscious aversion to these studies, for he hadn’t learned the material particularly well.

It was understandable.

Though he used to remind himself relentlessly that he must gain admission to a martial arts university, it was little more than an empty slogan.

In truth, neither his mother and sister at home, nor his teachers and classmates at school—himself included—had ever truly believed he could one day pass the entrance exam for a martial arts university.

Given that, it was no surprise his theoretical knowledge of martial arts was shaky—certainly less thorough than his efforts in the liberal arts and sciences.

“Now that my mind has improved so greatly, and my memory has sharpened, I should be able to master it all with some revision.”

Glancing over his notes, Xiao Nan found them fairly complete. His former self had at least taken copious notes, whether or not he understood or remembered the content.

He probably hadn’t missed too much.

That would suffice.

“Are you planning to take a leave of absence and skip classes?” Sun Kai finally couldn’t resist asking, his expression complicated.

“Yes,” Xiao Nan replied. “I may have passed the mental and technique assessments, but the most crucial part of the martial arts exam is the test of vital energy. As you know, my vitality is still lacking. I need to find a way to improve it quickly, so I won’t be coming to school for a while.”

“Still aiming for Yanghe Martial University?” Sun Kai grew agitated. He wanted to say it was impossible—that there wasn’t enough time to raise his vitality, that even a third-rate martial university would be an achievement, and that with only a hundred or so students in the running, Xiao Nan was being far too ambitious.

But on second thought, he swallowed his words.

He really couldn’t understand the Xiao Nan before him now. The classmate who once buried his head in books and assignments had vanished.

“It might not necessarily be Yanghe Martial University; perhaps another school,” Xiao Nan replied with a smile. He didn’t bother to explain that he had no intention of settling for a second-rate martial arts university—no one would understand that.

“Then do your best.”

“You too,” Xiao Nan replied, patting Sun Kai’s shoulder with a wry laugh. “As you said, specializing in the liberal arts isn’t a dead end—one can still make a name for oneself.”

In truth, nothing more needed to be said; the more said, the deeper the wound.

…

Leaving the classroom, Xiao Nan headed to the teachers’ office to find his homeroom teacher, Yang Yankun.

Several classmates emerged from the office, grinning with delight. They greeted Xiao Nan as they passed.

He recognized them—they were the ones, like himself, who had passed both the mental and technique assessments.

He nodded in return, said nothing more, and walked inside.

It was best to request leave first.

Time was tight. Lin Anguo had been ruthless, moving the test of vital energy up to just ten days from now—a move that struck right at Xiao Nan’s weakness, putting him under considerable pressure.

“Mr. Yang, I’m—”

“Here to request leave? Approved,” Yang Yankun interrupted with a genial wave, the scar on his brow seeming to glint in the light.

After the two assessments, Class Five of the third-year had twenty-two students who passed—one more than Class One.

For the homeroom teacher, this was proof of his excellent work, and he naturally felt proud.

Though some students had no hope of entering top universities and would have to settle for selection by third-rate martial arts schools, those were still martial universities, and their graduates had sometimes risen to high positions. The prospects were promising.

According to tradition, students who passed both assessments were generally admitted unless unforeseen circumstances arose.

This cohort could already be considered as having graduated ahead of schedule.

“It’s a pity. You have talent in martial skills and have reached the meditative state of mind, but if you had begun cultivating your vital energy earlier, things might be very different. Now, with only ten days…”

Here, Yang Yankun’s tone turned bitter, though he said no more. The decision was made by Vice Principal Lin Anguo, and he had no authority to intervene. He could only sigh and add, “You were too impulsive—you shouldn’t have gone so hard on Lin Hao.”

Xiao Nan merely smiled.

“I don’t blame you… Lin Hao, too, was at fault. During the skills test, he showed no restraint. I saw it all. But now, Vice Principal Lin inevitably bears a grudge.

“He’s been deputy principal of Yuanjiang No. 1 High for years, built up plenty of connections, and has ties with instructors from those third-rate martial universities that recruit directly. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Are you saying he might interfere, trying to keep me from being selected?” Xiao Nan’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t considered this before, mainly because he’d never thought about graduating with his current results and passively waiting to be picked.

“I didn’t say that. In any case, do your utmost to raise your vital energy in these ten days.

“No matter what means you use, as long as you pass the test, you’ll earn the school’s recommendation and can go straight to the provincial capital for the martial arts college entrance exam.

“Once your results are public and you meet the cutoff, no one can interfere with which school you choose.”

“I understand.” That was precisely Xiao Nan’s plan.

“Good.” Yang Yankun nodded in satisfaction, though a trace of guilt lingered in his expression. “I haven’t done enough for you these past two years. Now that you’re about to graduate, I have little left to teach you. Here, study this method carefully—I hope it will be of help.”

With that, he handed over a stack of papers.

Xiao Nan took them and saw, written at the top in bold characters, the title: “Tideflow Meridian Passage Technique.”