In the year 863 of the Martial Era, February 16th, Seventh Ecological Sphere, Liang City. Ethan Chen finished his usual morning routine—a thirty-kilometer jog to warm up after waking. As a senior at Liang City No. 1 High School preparing for the college entrance exam, Ethan held himself to high standards. Homework assigned by the school? He always completed twice the required amount, except for cultural subjects.
"Master! There are 35 minutes left until the 9:00 AM History and Literature exam."A sweet female voice chimed from the smart bracelet on Ethan's left wrist.
"Little Bear, calculate the best route and time to the exam hall."Ethan said, pulling a pack of Vitality Milk from his backpack, tearing it open and squeezing the contents into his mouth. Little Bear was the name Ethan had given his AI assistant embedded in the smart bracelet. It tracked his habits and provided helpful support. In this age of artificial intelligence, transportation had no fixed routes. Big data optimized vehicle allocation according to passenger flow.
[1: (Recommended) Low-altitude route: Take Flying Line 5 to Liang City No. 1 High School, estimated time 5 minutes 36 seconds, cost: 30 yuan.][2: Underground route: Take Metro Line 48 to Nanmen Ridge, transfer to Metro Line 72 to Liang City No. 1 High School, estimated time 15 minutes 52 seconds, cost: 3 yuan.]
Without hesitation, Ethan picked option two. It wasn't that he couldn't afford the flying route—he just preferred the better cost-performance of the subway.
"Route planned... Walk 278.26 meters to the left, then take the elevator down to the boarding point..."
Liang City No. 1 High School covered an area roughly equivalent to 200 soccer fields. Classrooms were spread out so widely that even students needed navigation assistance. As the city's only key high school, it was a revered institution for many students and parents. Its Hongzhi Class was especially outstanding, producing elite students who each year got admitted to the top eight universities nationwide. The Hongzhi Class was the elite class—named after the lofty ambition of a soaring swan.
One week ago, the school suddenly opened an extra slot for the Hongzhi Class. All ordinary senior students were eligible to compete for it through exams simulating the real college entrance tests, including both cultural subjects and martial arts evaluations. The student with the highest total score would win a spot in the Hongzhi Class—Senior Class 1.
Following his smart bracelet's directions, Ethan found his examination room in Senior Class 6 quickly. To ensure fairness, seating arrangements mixed students who normally didn't interact, keeping the room quiet. Except for a few chatty social butterflies, most students sat with eyes closed, quietly waiting for the exam to start.
Two and a half minutes before the exam, Ethan casually propped his chin on his hand and surveyed the classroom. On the blackboard, a clear countdown read: "120 days left until the college entrance exam!" Below it was an inspirational motto:Those who chase the light will eventually shine brilliantly!
This phrase had encouraged countless seniors through sleepless nights—and Ethan was no exception.
At exactly 9:00 AM, the classroom door clicked shut automatically. Latecomers would receive zero points. Immediately, the desk screens displayed the test papers and electronic pens popped up. Ethan picked up his pen and calmly began reading the questions.
1: Briefly describe the current world background and the start date of the Martial Era.History and Literature was the last cultural exam—one of the easiest, designed mainly to spread essential knowledge about the world.
Answer: In the year 2842 of the Old Era, an unknown fluctuation emerged deep in the universe. Mercury, Mars, Earth, and seven other planets merged into one massive irregular sphere, named Blue Star. Alien species from Mercury, Mars, Venus, and elsewhere began invading, and humans retaliated with nuclear weapons. Two years later, after a devastating nuclear war that killed over five billion people, humans began breaking their physical limits and evolving. On August 27, 2860 of the Old Era, all adults reached Life Intensity Level 2—marking the end of the Old Era and the start of the Martial Era.
2: What was the Life Intensity Level of an adult male in the Old Era?Answer: Level 0.5
The exam was mostly memorization, a strength of Ethan's. Fifty minutes later, he submitted his answers. AI graders completed evaluation in seconds. Two seconds later: 100 points—perfect score.
A perfect score in History and Literature was extremely rare, requiring answers to exactly match the textbook down to punctuation. Ethan smiled subtly, unsurprised—his phenomenal memory was the key.
Back in middle school, Ethan often had headaches but hid them from his poor family, hoping it would pass. On the first day of high school, he suddenly screamed on the playground and fainted. Medical checks showed nothing wrong physically. The school nurse attributed it to study stress and advised him to balance work and rest. At this key high school, many students had similar symptoms, so the nurse was used to it.
Since that day, whenever Ethan fell asleep, he automatically entered a strange space—a Crystal Space. Inside stood a solitary two-meter-tall blue crystal on a concave rock. Thick, pale mist with no visible thickness enveloped the area. Monsters never seen in textbooks emerged from the fog, all targeting the crystal. No matter how many Ethan killed, a new wave arrived every 30 seconds. If the crystal was destroyed, Ethan felt weak the next day. If he died protecting it, he instantly revived fully energized.
For over two and a half years, Ethan fought daily to protect this Crystal Space after falling asleep.
Cultural exams required at least an hour. During the wait, Ethan checked his virtual panel:
Name: Ethan Chen
Life Intensity: Level 5.1
Mental Strength: Level 5
Punch Force: 1000 jin (≈500 kg)
Speed: 20 meters/second
Martial Art: Flowing Light Sword Technique (Level 1) 89%
Defense Waves: 4/5 (incomplete), 4/10 (incomplete), 4/15 (incomplete), 4/20 (incomplete), 4/25 (incomplete), 4/30 (incomplete), 4/35 (incomplete)
Every 6 levels in Life Intensity grants one Evolution. Next evolution in 0.9 levels. The virtual panel appeared alongside the Crystal Space, displaying real-time stats so Ethan could track progress. What exactly defense waves and Life Intensity evolution triggered was still unknown—none of the waves were completed.
His only certainty was: each wave successfully defended increased his Mental Strength by one level. Normally, Mental Strength was level 1 before becoming a Martial Artist. Ethan's exceptional memory came from his unusually high Mental Strength.
The green light on the screen signaled the end of the exam. Ethan rose and left the classroom, heading for the Martial Arts Room.