Lu Chen lazily stared out the window, having swapped out his political science textbook for a history one.
The early spring breeze rustled the willow branches. Everything outside looked tinged in soft green.
It was the perfect kind of day... for dozing off in class.
After Raiden Ei's fencing tryout, school life settled back into its usual rhythm.
But that shocking match had quickly become the hottest topic on campus, thanks to some enthusiastic gossipers.
"Did you hear? A super pretty girl transferred to our school and joined the fencing team!"
"I heard she wrecked the school team so bad they couldn't even fight back. The entire sports department's still talking about it…"
"Is she really that strong? And that pretty? Sounds like a stretch."
"No, for real! Gorgeous and totally elegant!!"
No one really cared about the match itself. Everyone was more focused on her looks...
Zhou Yang and his deskmate were even debating whether they should sneak off after class to spy on the fencing team's training. Maybe they'd get a glimpse of the legendary fencing senpai.
"She really that pretty?"
"I swear, totally!"
"Then you haven't seen true beauty yet…" Zhou Yang stole a glance at Lu Chen in front of him.
"True beauty? From our school?"
Zhou Yang leaned in and whispered, "I saw a girl pick up Lu Chen at the school gate the other day. Damn, that's a real beauty."
"Eh—?" His deskmate's curiosity was instantly lit up.
"I'm telling you, no one compares to Lu Chen's older cousin. That fencing girl's got nothing on her!"
"Older cousin?"
"Well, technically she's his cousin from the neighboring village back home."
"..." The girl was stunned. What kind of relationship was that?
"You two think I can't hear you talking behind my back?" Lu Chen turned his head.
"Ah..." Zhou Yang immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, guilty as charged.
How did Lu Chen suddenly get this sharp? His hearing's evolved too? How's anyone supposed to survive now?
After the exam results came out, Lu Chen had landed in the top five of every subject in the class, and top fifteen in the entire grade—leaving everyone dumbfounded.
His progress was like watching a rocket launch. The homeroom teacher mentioned him every time during staff meetings for special praise.
Everyone was dying to know his study method. Seeing him blaze through books at lightning speed, they figured he must've mastered some top-secret learning technique.
"Quantum Wave Speed Reading," a scam from Lu Chen's original world, suddenly caught on in class...
Watching several classmates awkwardly flipping pages in an attempt to copy him, Lu Chen felt like he was ruining the youth of the nation...
...
During a break, Zhao Xiaohan suddenly plopped down in the empty seat beside him, hugging a book to her chest.
She blinked innocently, giving him a look no guy could refuse, and asked for help with a problem from class.
"Zhao Xiaohan, this one's actually pretty simple."
"How do I solve it?"
Zhou Yang and his deskmate peeked at the school's two most talked-about students, their gossip radar going wild.
"You do this first... then this..."
Lu Chen stayed calm under Zhao Xiaohan's silent gaze. He just wanted to finish explaining the problem so he could go back to enjoying his peaceful break.
The drifting clouds and swaying willows outside the window were really nice.
Occasionally, he could even spot a few seagulls.
Please, let me enjoy some quiet.
...
"Lu Chen!"
Just then, Zhang Zikai—sporting his signature dyed-blue bangs—strode over and sat next to him.
From the look on his face, he had something important to say.
Lu Chen sighed and reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the view.
Zhang Zikai and Zhao Xiaohan exchanged a quick glance. Zhang Zikai opened his mouth, then stopped short and looked away.
Lu Chen recalled that Zhang Zikai liked her. Judging from this awkward moment... had he seriously never confessed?
That didn't sound like him at all.
"You two talk." Zhao Xiaohan, quick to pick up on the mood, stood up and left.
Once she was gone, Zhang Zikai leaned in and reported, "My dad said Miss Ei's enrollment is all set! He's asking when you two can join the training camp."
Director Zhang really was efficient. The paperwork for Raiden Ei's transfer had been processed almost immediately after the tryout.
The school clearly hoped this "genius" would bring glory to Haizhou High as soon as possible.
That match really must've left a deep impression.
"As her guardian and coach..." Lu Chen kept the nonsense going, "We've got our own training methods. As long as the school provides the space, we're good."
No way was Ei going to slog through training with that group every day. She'd obviously crush any competition she entered.
Her martial skills were already near perfection. These local matches were just formalities—opportunities for Lu Chen to complete tasks.
They chatted a bit more about other logistics before Lu Chen waved him off.
Because at last—a system notification popped up.
[Challenge Task: Enroll Raiden Ei at Haizhou Academy and have her become a student.]
[Task Completed]
[Reward: 1,600 Primogems, 1.6 million yuan in real-world currency]
1,600 Primogems! A ten-pull at last!
Even someone as jaded as Lu Chen couldn't help getting a little excited.
This "Real-World Teyvat System" was unbelievably stingy.
Since his return, he'd had to trigger achievements and scavenge treasure chests just to scrape together three draws.
But now he could pull ten times in one go. Imagining golden shooting stars lighting up the sky, Lu Chen opened the wish interface with anticipation.
Once again, the familiar azure sky. Shooting stars flared to life in the clouds and came streaking down.
This time, Lu Chen didn't jinx himself. He spoke earnestly:
"Please give me a gold... I've worked so hard..."
He hoped some heartfelt sincerity would move the gacha gods.
The shooting stars fell, growing brighter and brighter.
Until finally—one exploded in a blinding light. The color was—
Gold!
I... I hit gold!
I actually pulled a gold!
Lu Chen blinked, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably. To anyone nearby, it probably looked like he was laughing at a history book for no reason.
And the more he looked, the happier he got.
He quickly opened the list of wish rewards.
[Blue Item — Traveler's Experience: Increases character level ×1]
[Blue Item — Traveler's Experience: Increases character level ×1]
[Blue Item — Adventurer's Experience: Increases character level ×5]
[Purple Item — Attribute Point (Charm +1)]
[Blue Item — Traveling Doctor's Silver Lotus (Artifact: Flower of Life)]
[Blue Item — Traveling Doctor's Pocket Watch (Artifact: Sands of Eon)]
[Purple Item — Debate Club (Weapon: Claymore)]
[Blue Item — Shimmering Nectar (Material)]
[Blue Item — Slime Condensate (Material)]
[Gold Item — Vision (Anemo)]
Lu Chen stared wide-eyed at the dazzling array of loot.
Holy crap... it's a Vision!