This is my ninja way.

Early December, clouds drift and gather.

The results of the first mock exam were posted by Xia Yanchun on the back wall of the classroom.

Ma Mingfan quickly squeezed through the crowd and glanced at it, finding his name at fifteenth place.

From the middle of the class pack to the upper-middle!

Holy shit, I improved!

Exercising willpower really works!

For Ma Mingfan, exercising willpower, besides abstaining from masturbation, had another goal: to study seriously.

Although he still often played games, he did very little else outside of gaming. To force himself, he didn't even go home on weekends, staying in the dorm and only going out when absolutely necessary.

As long as someone was in the dorm watching, he had to keep holding back, using this extreme method to train and temper himself.

It turns out, this is a viable method.

But the most viable method has to be what Shen Nian said: watching "Candy Super Sweet." That thing is the most basic. Only those who can watch "Candy Super Sweet" twenty times with a straight face can start the advanced version of willpower training.

Now, he's terrifyingly strong.

He's already quite adept at training his willpower and plans to write a book for everyone's reference when he finds the time. He's even thought of a title.

"Urban Mad Horse: The Path to Invincibility Starting from Candy Super Sweet"

Because the difficulty varies, scores fluctuate with each exam. Most people's scores were a bit lower than the midterms, but his scores and ranking both improved—a solid step forward.

Ma Mingfan was over the moon. He felt like even if Liang Jing, wearing enchanted diamond armor and holding an enchanted diamond sword, ate an enchanted golden apple and then got nibbled to death by a regular zombie, he could calmly praise Liang Jing with a "Nice death, bro."

Shen Nian and Chen Dong seemed to have gone to the bathroom. As their good bro, Ma Mingfan naturally felt obliged to check their scores for them.

Shen Nian and Chen Dong's scores were both above his.

Looking up from his own ranking...

Chen Dong... total score 671, class rank 4. Damn, my man Chen Dong is back on top! That's my Brother Chen for you.

Next up is Li Shiyan, total score 672, class rank 3. My Brother Chen was just one point away from being third in class. Amazing, absolutely savage.

Shen Nian... total score what?

How much?

Shen Nian's total score is 705, class rank 2, school rank 2.

Harvey Nian got 148 in English. Ma Mingfan took one look and nearly fainted.

And above that is the class monitor, Xia Yanchun...

Xia Yanchun, total score 708, class rank 1, school rank 1. Truly fearsome.

My dad Shen Nian is awesome too. If he'd gotten lucky and guessed one multiple-choice question right, with three more points he'd be tied for first with the monitor.

Looking at it this way, Ma Mingfan suddenly felt his own progress wasn't really worth getting happy about.

Ma Mingfan smiled, letting it go. Looking at these top students' scores is pointless; they're out of reach. Better to look at those he surpassed.

Not cool, man, Huang Chen, how are you still at three hundred?

Not cool, man, Zheng Bu, how did you get overtaken by me?

Now I get it.

Ma Mingfan realized that comparing grades should be done with those you've surpassed. That's where the satisfaction, the positive feedback, and the motivation to keep trying come from.

Studying is like playing Naruto. Getting teabagged by a pro for thirty minutes just makes you want to quit, but after you teabag someone else for thirty minutes, you definitely want to keep playing.

That's just how we Naruto players are. This is my Learning (Ninja) Way.

Since he was already looking, Ma Mingfan casually checked Liang Jing's score.

Well, well, middle-of-the-pack ranking in the mock exam, only 19th in class. Can't beat small zombies online, and now you can't even beat me offline? Get good, scrub.

Ma Mingfan couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He quickly ran over to Zheng Bu and gave him a kick. "Hey bro, what's your score?"

Zheng Bu was furious. The phrase "careless for a moment, gets ridden by a dog" was materializing right here, right now, and he really had been overtaken by Ma Mingfan.

As soon as Shen Nian returned to the classroom, he saw Ma Mingfan chasing Zheng Bu and kicking him. What kind of performance is this for?

None of his business. There was a crowd of people at the back of the room—clearly, the scores were out.

"Make way, make way, folks." Shen Nian also squeezed in and glanced at his own score.

Didn't see himself in first place. Alright, seems like surpassing Chunbao will have to wait until finals (referring to grades).

But it's not like he didn't improve. The gap between them had shrunk from over a hundred points to tens of points, and from tens of points to just three points now.

Gotta keep pushing.

It was crowded at the back. After quickly scanning everyone's scores, Shen Nian slipped over to Xia Yanchun's side to chatter with her.

"Look at this." Shen Nian spread his fingers, indicating a distance, then slowly shortened it. "This is like the distance between us. Now it's only this much left!"

"You know, in Korea, that hand gesture could get you chopped into mincemeat."

"Probably not that big... Uh, I'm not in Korea, why bring that up?" Shen Nian leaned on her stack of books, smiling. "Looks like I'll be able to pull you down by finals."

"Save those words for after finals then."

Xia Yanchun wasn't about to indulge him. First place is first place. A first place leading by three points is still first. Maybe next time she'll score 710 or 720, and Shen Nian will only manage 700.

Only when Shen Nian actually surpasses her will she think he's truly better. Until then, no deal.

"You really are looking down from on high, Monitor..."

Shen Nian wasn't annoyed. The gap shrinking is a good thing. Regarding grades, he remained quite optimistic.

Originally, only Xia Yanchun was far ahead of the pack. Now, both Xia Yanchun and he were far ahead, leading third and fourth place by over twenty points.

Can I start laughing now?

Just kidding, I've been laughing since the end of last term.

Class was about to start, so Shen Nian returned to his seat and glanced at the system's new message.

[Main Quest: Demonic Energy Erosion!

Reward: 50,000 Gold Coins (Completed)]

Shen Nian's backpack vibrated, startling him. He forgot to put his phone on airplane mode when he left.

Su Kexi's class was next. Luckily, Su Kexi hadn't arrived yet. That damn phone almost got him in trouble.

Tonight, I'm gonna fill your tiny 5000mAh battery with my big 140W charger head. I bet you're looking forward to those thirty minutes with the cable, aren't you, Mrs. Phone?

After completing the main quest, a new one popped up immediately.

[Unlocked Main Quest: Demon Spawn Descends

The Demon King's top generals have all been defeated. The Demon King arrives personally with the Demon Spawn. Darkness envelops all, everything withers, vitality is drained, and no light remains in the world.

Vanquish the Demon Spawn.

Reward: 50,000 Gold Coins, Title: Legendary Adventurer (Charm +4, Stamina +4, Agility +4)]

What the heck, the Demon King is bringing his offspring to fight?

The Demon King personally supervising the Demon Spawn's operation, huh.

The system's script is pretty intense. Since the Demon King is here... after beating the Demon Spawn, it'll probably be the Demon King's turn next, right?

After all, beating the young brings out the old—a universal, eternal tradition...

Damn, it's a hell-difficulty isekai. Better leave this to the Cautious Hero, who only leaves seclusion after grinding to max level.

The Demon Spawn is definitely stronger than the Demon Generals. If the Demon King is the college entrance exam, then the Demon Spawn is probably the major unified exam.

Finals and midterms, the first mock and second mock exams are probably all monsters of the same tier.

Shen Nian stroked his chin. The legendary adventurer title didn't offer any extra attributes; it simply raised all his stats a little.

Has your system reached its limit, Hacky System?

Shen Nian closed the system screen because the teacher had arrived.

He never used to pay attention in Su Kexi's class before, and now that his grades were so good, he had even less desire to listen.

However, Su Kexi started the class by talking about the recent exam results.

Having already praised Shen Nian to the point of exhaustion, this time Su Kexi commended Ma Mingfan, as his improvement was solid and undeniable.

Ma Mingfan's nose was practically in the air. He turned around and winked at Shen Nian. "See how awesome I am?"

"I think you really should change your name to Niu Mingfan (Awesome Mingfan). Seriously awesome."

"Bet. It's all thanks to you, bro Nian. I wouldn't be where I am today without your help. I'll treat you to a Pepsi later, the big bottle."

Shen Nian waved his hand. "No thanks, not interested."

Ma Mingfan's expression changed.

Refusing Coke was one thing—Coke is just okay—but to refuse even Pepsi... Had bro Nian been body-snatched?

Something was seriously off, nine times out of ten.

Seeing his confusion, Shen Nian gave a faint smile and pulled his water bottle out of the desk drawer.

It was filled with a sweet drink, containing a few goji berries and red dates.

"Goji berry water? Didn't you quit that? Why are you drinking it again?"

"This is a major tonic."

Thanks to the effects forcibly enhanced by [Cooking Mastery], this goji berry water was not only rich in vitamins but also nourished the liver and kidneys, boosted essence, and improved eyesight. High school students might not need it much, but for college students, or some thirty-year-old master mages, it was absolutely explosive, top-tier divine medicine.

Because it genuinely treated kidney deficiency.

Of course, Shen Nian was just drinking it for fun. Xia Yanchun's period had gotten much better, so the brown sugar ginger water wasn't needed for now. But he felt something was missing if he didn't brew something, and conveniently, there were some goji berries and red dates left over from Shen Yue's soup-making at home.

"It's okay, Shen Nian, I understand you," Ma Mingfan said earnestly, patting Shen Nian's shoulder.

"What exactly do you understand? You don't understand a damn thing."

Just as Ma Mingfan was about to speak, Su Kexi's voice came from the lectern.

"Can't handle a little praise at all? Getting cocky after some improvement, huh? Still talking in class. Shen Nian, you and Ma Mingfan, go stand at the back."

Ma Mingfan blinked, looking at Shen Nian again.

Oh no, my bro!

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily updates causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big shots.