Chapter 65: Persevering in Rigorous Cultivation, The Unified Examination Begins (Part I)

This matter itself was nothing significant, merely a trivial event. Yet Stone Ironheart realized that there was a fundamental difference between himself and the other scholars here. Namely, he could not skip ahead while studying secret arts.

Don’t understand? Indeed, this phenomenon is quite fascinating.

In this world, when students learn, they are not entirely bound by the rigid progression of levels in their manuals. Take basic physics, for instance—middle schoolers might get a taste of all four levels at once, blending them together for an initial overview, and then revisit each aspect in greater depth during high school.

Even if they swallow the material whole at first, it doesn't seem to hinder progress in any way. While the order of knowledge acquisition is generally determined by complexity, it is by no means set in stone. Who says elementary students can't learn a bit about spatial dimensions ahead of time? In fact, Stone Scholar’s memories of elementary school were full of students gesticulating wildly, performing bizarre moves while shouting things like “two-dimensional space!” or “galactic explosion!”

But Stone Ironheart discovered he was different.

To be precise, he could also skip ahead—he could easily read through all of middle school physics at once, and the intake of knowledge itself was unrestricted. Yet this manner of learning did nothing to advance his cultivation of the Mind Technique.

That is, he had to master the first tier of basic physics before he could begin the second. If the first tier was not up to standard, no matter how dazzlingly he mastered the second, his Mind Energy would not increase in the slightest.

Of course, if he did master the second tier ahead of time, then once his foundation in the first tier caught up, his progress in the second would become frighteningly rapid—much like his current state, being pulled along by the Stone Scholar’s lead.

Stone Ironheart had no idea why this was the case, but the cultivation of Mind Techniques was clearly more structured and rhythmic than mere acquisition of knowledge. With his current understanding, he couldn’t fathom the reason. Still, it made little practical difference, and didn’t even hinder his training that evening.

He took out his middle school physics textbook, “borrowed” a high school edition from a nearby classmate with a “friendly expression,” and plunged into intense study, pushing his first tier of physics up to “Good.” At midnight, a massive “Excellent” flashed before his eyes, smashing the previous “Good” to pieces with a resounding thud.

[Basic Physics Tier One progress increased to Excellent.]

Stone Ironheart found his progress in physics was faster than he expected. He didn’t know whether he truly had a gift for physics, whether the Stone Scholar had a strong foundation in it, or if his deep mastery of basic mathematics was indirectly accelerating his physics cultivation.

Perhaps it was a combination of all three.

But Stone Ironheart had no intention of delving into the matter. Leaving the teaching building, he looked up at the sky. Tonight’s night sky was beautiful, and as he gazed at the stars, a sudden urge to express his accumulated feelings welled up inside him.

Before he could open his mouth, however, he spotted someone in the darkness, swaying and chanting something to himself. Though the figure was barely visible, a palpable flamboyance radiated from his voice: “Night… night… oh night… you are truly dark…”

Instantly, Stone Ironheart lost all desire to speak.

In fact, he realized that what he’d wanted to say… might not have been any more profound than this fellow’s ramblings. His heart had surged with emotion before, but listening as an observer, it all sounded utterly foolish!

Thank goodness he hadn’t spoken—how fortunate…

The stranger, meanwhile, seemed suddenly inspired: “Ah, I’ve got it! Night has given me… black eyes? Eyes? No, too cliché. Hmm… wait! Night has given me black glasses! Yes, black glasses—that’s good, that’s original.”

“But speaking of black glasses, I think of sunglasses.”

“Sunglasses make me think of Blind Abing, and blind people.”

“Blindness brings to mind darkness, loneliness, and eyes.”

“And eyes make me think of… glasses.”

“Ahhh… Night has given me black glasses! What a poem, what a poem!”

The man muttered flamboyantly to himself as he swaggered into the night, his ostentatious aura trailing behind him in the moonlight. Stone Ironheart found this flamboyance oddly familiar. After a moment’s thought, he remembered—wasn’t this the fellow who, just a few days ago, had been pointed out as “Aquarius of Art and Romance,” drawing down starlight?

Judging by this ten-mile stench of pretension, there truly was every kind of oddball at Phoenix First High!

Well, the world is vast and full of wonders; a little flamboyance is nothing. Besides, this was Central Star, the legendary Central Star—what’s a few eccentrics here?

With that, Stone Ironheart quickly put the incident out of his mind and returned to his dormitory to sleep. Before turning in, he sniffed his shirt and realized it was getting rather dirty. No surprise, really—he’d been so focused on cultivating the Mind Technique and seizing every moment to strengthen himself that he’d neglected even the most basic personal hygiene.

This would not do; his Ironheart self still needed to maintain a presentable image! He resolved to set aside some time tomorrow… or rather, to find a moment to browbeat Zhou Nan into washing his clothes for him.

After all, it was just a matter of a few words. No matter how busy he was, he couldn’t let anything spoil the bright and clean years of his youth, could he?

The next morning, the shouts of consonant and vowel drills rang out once again. Recently, Stone Ironheart’s practice of basic pronunciation had improved by leaps and bounds, making his Mandarin ever more precise. From a distance, a window was pushed open again: a girl with almond-shaped eyes yawned as she wound her hair around a pencil, as if trying to create a new style.

“That weirdo is still at it, practicing basic pronunciation every day. Is he hoping to join the school broadcasting club or something? His diction is impressive—just a bit more training and he’d be a real contender.” The girl’s mood brightened at some thought. “Well, if he’s trying to get close to me this way, at least he’s more determined and proactive than those who merely talk. Ah, to think my charm can inspire such diligence—truly a service to the nation and a boon to society!”

With a bang, the girl shut the window and returned to her hairstyling. Her graceful figure, curving and elegant, left a striking impression.

Stone Ironheart, having set his book aside, finished breakfast and energy exercises with his usual discipline, then arrived at the classroom earlier than ever. At that hour, only Zhao Qingmiao, responsible for unlocking the door, was present. To be honest, Zhao Qingmiao’s tenure as class monitor was rather thankless—the job was little more than running errands.

Zhao Qingmiao greeted him respectfully. Stone Ironheart nodded and returned to his seat, not lingering in conversation. Unusually, he hesitated for a while, considering how to arrange the day. After much deliberation, he put away his calligraphy practice and took out his Limit Practice and Little Genius books.

No more calligraphy for now—perfection in Basic Mathematics Tier One was within reach. Better to charge ahead for that perfect score first!