Chapter 20: Language Arts Level 1

Stepping out of his deep-learning state, Xu Ming recalled the poems he had memorized during that period, feeling a lingering sense of unfulfilled craving for more. However, a sudden pang of hunger in his stomach snapped him back to reality.

"Why am I so hungry already?" he muttered, instinctively pressing a hand to his belly with a slight frown. Although he usually woke up early, he had never experienced this before. He quickly found the answer, guessing it must be a side effect of the deep-learning state. Engaging the brain for intensive study was, after all, a process that consumed physical energy. Since the state multiplied his efficiency, it naturally exhausted his body faster, requiring immediate sustenance to replenish his energy.

"Looks like I should keep some food in my desk from now on," he mused. Seeing that there were about ten minutes left before the morning study session for the senior class, he grabbed his lunchbox, stood up, and headed for the door, not forgetting to call out to his deskmate, Qian Hong.

"Let's go eat."

"It's so early today; the bell hasn't even rung yet..." Qian Hong looked at Xu Ming, completely bewildered. But even as he spoke, his body honestly followed along. After all, nothing was more important than fueling up.

Li Wenhui, who was sitting at the podium reading, noticed Xu Ming leaving early. Though he remembered the homeroom teacher saying not to interfere, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Xu Ming, it's not time for the break yet. Why are you leaving your seat?"

Xu Ming didn't even turn his head, tossing back two words: "I'm hungry."

Qian Hong bolted out of the classroom, leaving Li Wenhui stunned. Watching the two disappear from his field of vision, Li, though somewhat petty, had no choice but to let it go. Fortunately, while the rest of the class looked up, no one else followed them to the cafeteria.

Cui Zhibang, the homeroom teacher of the elite senior science class, was notoriously strict. Beyond his mandatory daily morning and evening study sessions, he would often pace outside the windows during other teachers' classes to monitor every student's state. If he spotted anything amiss, he would step in to offer a "reminder." He had no choice; the scores of the elite class were the school's face. If they didn't produce good results in the college entrance exam, it wouldn't look good for the school or the county. If the passing rate fell below previous years, he would be the first to be held accountable.

With the college entrance exam drawing near, he could not afford to slack off. He knew that for elite students, improving scores was difficult, while falling behind could happen in a flash. Standing at the classroom door, he glanced toward the east and caught sight of Xu Ming and Qian Hong. His expression darkened, but he ultimately refrained from calling them back, feeling a sense of frustration that they weren't living up to their potential.

"Students in the regular classes still lack self-discipline," he thought. "If only they were as proactive in their studies. I'll have to mention this to Old Wang later."

Xu Ming, of course, didn't look back toward the elite class. When he and Qian Hong reached the school cafeteria, the service windows were just opening. There were no other students around, so they skipped the lines, grabbed their food, and found the best spot to eat. Perhaps because he was extra hungry, Xu Ming even bought an extra steamed bun.

After eating, Xu Ming returned to the classroom and immediately resumed his review, continuing to memorize the Chinese textbook. Even if the efficiency wasn't as high as in the morning, his current memory was strong enough to yield significant subject experience points. He was certain he could bring his Chinese proficiency to Level 1 within the week.

When the rest of the class returned from the cafeteria, Yang Huijuan didn't head straight to her seat like Chen Lu. Instead, she walked directly to Xu Ming.

"Xu Ming," she asked, stopping by his desk with a look of pure curiosity. "You were flipping through your book so loudly during the morning study session that we felt embarrassed to recite our lessons out loud. Tell me, were you actually reading?"

Although Yang Huijuan and Chen Lu were deskmates and close friends, their personalities were polar opposites. While Chen Lu was quiet and reserved, Yang Huijuan was a social butterfly who could easily fit in even among the boys. Xu Ming's reading speed that morning had caught the attention of the whole class, and Yang wasn't the only one wondering. As she spoke, others turned around to chime in.

"He was probably just flipping through it for fun. Who can actually read at that speed?"
"Xu Ming, are you under too much pressure lately? I've noticed you've been coming in very early every day."
"I don't think it's worth reviewing Chinese; there's limited room for improvement. It's better to drill math and science problems. You might run into similar questions in the exam."

Listening to the discussion, Xu Ming didn't shy away. He flashed a sunny, confident smile and said, "Everyone's constitution is different. I've always been known for reading fast. I've already memorized most of the Chinese textbook. Don't believe me? I can start with 'Spring River in the Flower Moon Night'."

"Oh, please don't! Just save that to torture Qian Hong," Yang Huijuan said, shaking her head like a rattle. Clearly, she had bad memories of memorizing that particular palace-style poem.

Though the others remained skeptical, they lost interest and stopped the discussion. Qian Hong, having already heard Xu Ming's "constitution" explanation, remained silent throughout.

What they didn't notice was that Chen Lu, sitting a few rows ahead, appeared to be facing the podium, but her ears were twitching slightly—she was clearly eavesdropping. Li Wenhui was doing the same, though his motivation was pure jealousy, especially seeing how much harder Xu Ming was working than him.

"Diligence isn't everything," he thought, returning to his practice papers. "I'll see what you score in the next mock exam, other than math."

As for Xu Ming, after continuing his review, he entered a deep-learning state again the next day and finally accumulated enough experience to level up.

—
【Through diligent study, your [Chinese] level has increased to LV1】
【You have gained the trait — [Advanced Penmanship]】
【Trait: Advanced Penmanship】
【Effect: Your handwriting is as powerful as a pine tree and as fluid as moving clouds, possessing a unique and vibrant style.】

"Penmanship?" Xu Ming sat at his desk, looking at the new information on the interface with surprise. But after two seconds, his surprise turned into joy. He hadn't touched a pen in ages, and his handwriting had previously been barely legible. With this advanced penmanship trait, he could surely gain plenty of points on the written portion of his exams.