Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Immortal Race System
Cyan Blue, Yanhua Country.
Jianghuai City, Jinshui District, Nanliang High School.
On the wall above the back of the classroom, posters read: "Suffer through senior year, live it up for a lifetime," and "Go to college, or get screwed."
Below them, in the center of the blackboard, was a giant fist print the size of a wheel. It wasn’t drawn, however. It was the actual Fist Intent left by the dean of discipline, saturated with the Martial Dao Will of an "Innate" realm Martial Artist.
If the students in the back rows slacked off or got drowsy, they would feel a chill run down their spines, making it impossible to sleep.
Yang Shen uncomfortably shifted his back. ’The dean’s fist is the real deal. Leaving a clear, sunken print on a wooden blackboard without damaging the wall behind it in the slightest... if a punch like that landed on a person, wouldn’t it max out their health insurance card?’
’I’ll be sure to wear my uniform properly next time.’
The clamor of the break between classes was enough to make one’s head spin. The laughter of boys and girls alike was like a 360-degree surround-sound loudspeaker.
Meanwhile, Yang Shen’s hands clenched and unclenched into fists, the hairs on his arms standing on end, then lying flat again.
As a high school senior, his Martial Arts Realm was "Skin Refining," a level that was considered rock bottom for the upcoming college entrance exams.
The exams were like a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses crossing a single-plank bridge. He was the bridge.
Mainly there to be trampled on.
The top students in his class were already attempting "Marrow Refining," a full two major realms above Yang Shen, with "Bone Training" in between.
In the college entrance exams, academics only accounted for 30% of the score, while physical education (Martial Arts) made up 70%. And that 70% had no upper limit, as those with vastly superior realms could receive extra points and special recruitment offers.
Nanliang High School was just an ordinary high school, and Jinshui District was practically a "suburb of the suburbs," almost written off the map. The academic gods from the city’s key high schools had some who had already reached "Late-stage Marrow Refining." And those once-in-a-generation geniuses you heard about on the news? Some were monsters who entered university already at the "Innate" realm of cultivation.
Most university students didn’t even reach the Innate realm by graduation...
As for Yang Shen, university was a hopeless dream. Even getting into a "Martial Arts College" would be difficult. A teacher had even privately advised him to give up the Martial Arts path and switch to a liberal arts college, since his academic grades were decent.
He was often mocked for it: "You’re so cultured!"
But Yang Shen had his own troubles.
His parents died young, so he was raised by his uncle and aunt. He also had two younger female cousins in elementary school.
With so many children, money was tight, which was one of the reasons for his rock-bottom physical education scores.
How could you cultivate Martial Arts without money?
But he never complained. His uncle and aunt hadn’t sent him to an orphanage, insisting on raising him themselves. He didn’t see his impoverished family situation as a shackle he was born with, but rather as a consequence he had brought upon them—or at least, one he had contributed to.
However, three months ago, his uncle went out to sea on a ship and never returned. He had died while hunting Sea Beasts, and the ship owner, shamelessly, hadn’t bought any insurance.
Thus, a human life was exchanged for a "theoretically existing compensation" of about 300,000 Flame Coins. But that was only if they could get it. The ship owner had also died, and his family was dragging out the lawsuit, acting like deadbeats. It would likely be years before they saw a dime.
A family of five had become a family of four, and the one they lost was the sole breadwinner.
His aunt hadn’t worked in years, being a full-time mother. Now, the remaining four had no stable source of income and were just eating through their savings.
At this critical juncture, Yang Shen had to step up and find a solution. He had to become the pillar of the family!
If he switched to liberal arts, he’d have no income for four years and would still have to pay tuition.
But if he could make it in Martial Arts—even if he was only accepted into the lowest-ranked college—he would receive a monthly stipend from the Yanhua Country government. That stipend was higher than the starting salary of a typical liberal arts graduate.
He just had to survive the last two months of his senior year and successfully get accepted in the college entrance exams.
Attending classes during the day, working a part-time job after school, staying up all night to practice physical training, and not being able to completely give up on his academic subjects—Yang Shen had already squeezed out every last drop of potential from his seventeen-year-old body.
While he was lost in thought, the short break ended. The math teacher walked in, textbook in hand, and took his position on the podium. Just as he was about to launch into his classic "You’re the worst class I’ve ever taught," another, taller figure appeared at the doorway.
Coach Liu glanced at the math teacher and said flatly, "Wu, are you feeling sick?"
The math teacher froze, sighed, and walked away, dejected.
There was nothing to be done. Martial Arts was the most heavily weighted subject in the college entrance exams, so other classes had to make way for physical education. He "got sick" more than a dozen times a month. He was used to it.
After all, he couldn’t hold the kids back from their Body Refining, could he? Otherwise, when they entered society, they’d be mocked: "Did a math teacher teach you PE?"
All the students in the class wailed in despair. Aside from a few top students, who didn’t love math class?
Yang Shen sighed as well, quickly packed his things, and followed the main group to the athletic field.
"Today, we’ll continue practicing the ’Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist.’ Xu Bamboo!"
"Here!"
A tall girl stepped forward, her delicate face full of seriousness and a cool detachment.
"You’re dismissed from the formation. Go warm up on the side. I’ll teach you separately in a bit!"
Xu Bamboo was the top student in their class and top three in their grade, a genius who had reached Great Success in Bone Training and was preparing to begin Marrow Refining.
Worlds apart from Yang Shen.
She was also Yang Shen’s desk-mate. Of course, the main reason they sat together was that their heights matched.
Both were 173cm...
——————
Four consecutive hours of PE class drained every last ounce of Yang Shen’s stamina. Back in the classroom, many students pulled out all sorts of supplements from their bags.
There were some to drink, some to chew, and even some that required injections.
The boys would lift their shirts and jab the needles right into their waists or thighs. They plunged them in deep, leaving none of the index-finger-long needle visible.
They were afraid the effect wouldn’t be as good if the injection was too shallow.
The girls were a bit more reserved, going to the restroom hand-in-hand to do their injections.
If they were really good friends, they’d even inject each other.
After high-intensity training, "supplementing" was an effective way to aid physical growth. Unfortunately, Yang Shen had nothing. He just drank a large glass of water.
The water had some wolfberries in it—his way of fooling himself.
He glanced down at the "Martial Arts Watch" that was standard issue for every student. It was provided by the school and had many practical functions. Because its notification sound was always a "didi," it was also nicknamed the "Di Di Boy."
It was originally supposed to sync with the teachers’ computers, but Yang Shen’s had been broken for a long time. The school probably didn’t pay much attention to a poor student like him and had never replaced it.
The small screen displayed his gains from the four hours of training.
"Qi and Blood Value: 68.4 (+0.1)"
’Heh, the smallest possible unit, huh...’ He needed a Qi and Blood Value of over 100 to even qualify for Bone Training.
On a journey of ten thousand miles, he had just tied one shoelace!
Although the requirements and training methods for each realm were different, the "Qi and Blood Value"—a concept that unified the foundation of life—served as a standard metric. Only when one’s Qi and Blood Value increased did they have the "fuel" to strengthen their body, whether it was for Skin Refining, Bone Training, or Marrow Refining.
’Right... Martial Arts cultivation isn’t a perpetual motion machine; energy doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.’ Without "supplementing," relying only on normal food, even gaining 0.1 was a sign of his exceptional talent.
In fact, if he slacked off, got injured, or... jerked off too much, his Qi and Blood Value would even drop.
Yang Shen started to wonder... ’Should I take out a loan?’
’I’ve heard there are "College Exam Loans" specifically for high school seniors now, and the interest rates aren’t bad.’
’If I can get into a Martial Arts College with the help of a loan, I might be able to pay it back...’
’Of course, the more likely outcome is passing down the debt from generation to generation.’
A black vial was tossed over. Yang Shen caught it with one hand. Although he was a scrub in class, he was still at the Mid-stage of Skin Refining. In ancient Yanhua, he’d be considered a trained martial artist; he wasn’t so weak that he’d miss a catch.
His desk-mate, Xu Bamboo, wiped the sweat from the side of her face and rolled her eyes prettily. "You’re training so hard and only drinking water. Aren’t you afraid you’ll wreck your body?"
Yang Shen looked at the item in his hand. It was the high-end "Initial Realm Passage Essence Liquid" sold on the market. It was quite effective for the three realms of Skin Refining, Bone Training, and Marrow Refining, containing an extremely high amount of "Source Material." A single vial cost two thousand, and a box cost twenty thousand.
That was enough to buy half of his kidney.
Xu Bamboo said calmly, "My mom got me a new supplement. She said it’s pretty effective. Want to try it?"
Yang Shen sighed. "I can’t afford this. A single sip would cost me a month’s living expenses."
He used to have supplements, but they were the cheap kind. He hadn’t had any since his uncle passed away.
His desk-mate, Xu Bamboo, squeezed past Yang Shen to get to her seat, her long, firm thighs pushing forcefully, as if expressing her displeasure.
Don’t be fooled by her tall, slender appearance; it was just a result of her different Body Refining focus. Her power was countless times greater than Yang Shen’s. She was like a bulldozer with explosive looks—completely unstoppable.
Xu Bamboo plopped down in her seat, pressing right up against Yang Shen. Her skin radiated a noticeable heat, making the hairs on Yang Shen’s arm stand on end. The girl’s face was covered in sweat, but there was no smell of it at all. He could only sigh in admiration—as expected of a top student on the verge of Marrow Refining, her constitution was completely different. There was even a faint, pleasant fragrance.
"I didn’t say I was charging you. Just drink it. My mom bought too much, and I can’t finish it all. It’s going to expire in three months anyway."
Before Yang Shen could say anything else, Xu Bamboo snatched the "Initial Realm Passage Essence Liquid," inserted the straw, and shoved it into his mouth.
She didn’t move her fair hand away, keeping it pressed against Yang Shen’s lips, as if afraid he would spit it out.
Xu Bamboo said seriously:
"Yang Shen, there’s no shame in accepting kindness from others. I know your personality, but that stubborn pride of yours should be used for other things, not for being polite with me."
Yang Shen sighed and sipped the liquid through the straw.
It was bitter.
But his heart was warm.
A thought popped into his head. ’Once his family was back on their feet, maybe he could give Xu Bamboo some of his own Essence Liquid to drink.’
As Yang Shen drank, his "Martial Arts Watch" continuously flashed with notifications of [+0.1], [+0.1]. His stamina recovered rapidly. Things rich in "Source Material" were absorbed that quickly, directly nourishing his entire body.
Based on the effects he’d heard about, one vial of Initial Realm Passage Essence Liquid could increase one’s Qi and Blood Value by 0.5, which was better than several days of his own hard work.
Of course, if you only drank it without training, the value would eventually drop. In Coach Liu’s words: "You have to take the shot, and you have to throw the punch. That’s what you call ’making steady progress.’"
Seeing Yang Shen obediently drink the supplement, Xu Bamboo nudged his shoulder in satisfaction. "That’s more like it! We’re bros!"
When her pretty face said this, it was exceptionally bright, as if she were a different person from the cool and distant girl she was to others.
Yang Shen was a bit dazed. "Even though we’ll go our separate ways after the college entrance exams?"
Xu Bamboo just shrugged. "Maybe."
With her grades, Xu Bamboo was guaranteed to get into a top-tier university and then move to a big city.
In the more distant future, she might use her outstanding Martial Certificate to find the best job, or she might participate in Exotic Realm exploration, becoming one of the most respected people on Cyan Blue.
Going their separate ways, perhaps to never see each other again, was almost a certainty.
Every high school senior, in fact, experiences many "never-see-you-agains-in-this-lifetime."
It’s just that some people are especially unforgettable.
The pretty girl rested her chin on her hand, looked at the exam-prep slogans on the wall, and murmured:
"But that’s exactly why we should cherish these last two months, isn’t it?"
Thinking of the pressure from his family, the classroom ceiling seemed to transform into a leaden cloud, pressing down on his face and making it hard to breathe.
"Yeah... exactly because of that."
After the exams, regardless of the outcome, only greater pressure awaited him.
As he was lost in these heavy thoughts, a string of information suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Host has been detected as the sole male heir of the family."
"Host’s power has been detected to have surpassed the minimum threshold."
"[Immortal Race System] has been activated!"
"Strengthen the family and ensure the continuation of the bloodline to receive system rewards. Please work hard, Host, to build your own Immortal Race!"
Yang Shen froze.
’What system?’
’Family?’
’I’m just a high school student! Did you log into the wrong account from a different region?!’
’Besides... what’s an Immortal?’
’He had only ever heard of Martial Arts. This world only had Martial Arts!’
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