In fact, Shennian also put in effort and sweat, but the sweat was on someone else's head.

Tomorrow was a workday, so Shen Yue went to bed at 11 PM.

Shen Nian had just closed his book after studying for several hours, his neck and back aching slightly.

Alas, an adventurer's journey is always fraught with obstacles—what’s a little studying in comparison?

Lying in bed, Shen Nian opened his system tasks.

Two tasks were currently visible: one main quest and one side quest.

Side quests, being trigger-based, weren’t too bad. The main quest, however, was a pain—it followed a linear progression, requiring completion of one before unlocking the next.

Though there was no time limit, it was still annoying. Worse, the rewards for main quests so far paled in comparison to side quests.

Maybe he should just skip the main quest!

Just kidding. Who would turn down money?

He just wanted more side quests. Forget passive skills—even life skills would do.

Take today’s fishing trip. The ability to catch several big fish in under an hour might seem unremarkable, but it was downright OP.

Even if he accomplished nothing else in life, mastering fishing alone would ensure he’d never go hungry—his safety net was absurdly high.

As for other life skills like Cooking Mastery, Farming Mastery, or Animal Husbandry Mastery... Shen Nian was too much of a coward to even fantasize.

Fishing Mastery was proof enough. The system hadn’t given him any actual fishing knowledge, yet he could reel in fish effortlessly.

"Don’t look at me—the fish practically begged to be caught."

Swap that with Cooking Mastery...

"I dunno, the beef just jumped into the pot and breakdanced itself into a dish."

Or Animal Husbandry Mastery...

"Isn’t raising shrimp just tossing in the fry? Water quality, oxygen, feed—what are those?"

Why should others spend a decade mastering a skill when he could do it in two days?

To be fair, Shen Nian had put in effort and sweat—it’s just that the sweat was on someone else’s brow.

The next day, Monday.

Shen Nian woke up a minute before his alarm.

Have you seen Harvard’s library at 4 AM?

Well, Shen Nian hadn’t—just as Harvard’s library had never seen him.

If Harvard’s library missed out on Shen Nian, that was its loss. Such was his life philosophy.

Blaming yourself for everything breeds insecurity and anxiety, so it’s crucial to shift the blame onto others.

He went to school with Xia Yanchun. The graded weekly test papers from yesterday had been returned.

Out of 600 points, Shen Nian scored 548: 90 in Chinese, 100 in Math, 74 in English, and 284 in Science.

At first glance, it looked impressive, but weekly tests were informal, with easy questions set by teachers—hardly a meaningful benchmark.

Still, his English score was worth noting. Regardless of difficulty, Shen Nian had previously scored 40-50 points purely on luck, hitting rock bottom with 21 once. A certified English failure.

But this time, armed with memorized vocabulary, he’d climbed to 74.

A small step for the score, a giant leap for Shen Nian—transitioning from pure luck to pure skill, zero to one.

Enough chatter. Point is, Shen Nian was thrilled and decided to mooch a chicken leg off Chen Dong at lunch.

The system panel popped up.

[Side Quest: Youthful Ambition! (Completed) Reward: 1000 gold, Passive Skill: Unyielding Spirit (Continuous bodily recovery, heightened combat focus)]

[Main Quest: Courage is Humanity’s Anthem! (Completed) Reward: 1000 gold]

[New Main Quest Unlocked: When the Pupils Still.

First hunt against a mid-tier monster. Reward: 1000 gold, Title: Flickering Trial (Slight EXP gain boost)]

As Shen Nian expected, both quests completed simultaneously, with the next main quest unlocking only after the previous one.

He mulled it over. The new main quest required hunting a mid-tier monster... If the weekly test was an entry-level monster, then mid-tier likely meant the monthly exam.

And the monthly exam wasn’t until the end of the month...

The 1000 gold reward was meh, but the title was the real prize.

"Slight EXP gain boost"—sounded abstract.

In games, you grind monsters for EXP. In real life, grinding problems doesn’t spit out experience points.

The system lacked a stats panel too—no visible levels, base values, or caps. Just vague attribute boosts.

Then there was the new passive skill.

Continuous bodily recovery... Is it what I think it is?

Interesting.

Shen Nian had a bold idea—bolder than a one-take film shot—but he kept it to himself because it was too bold.

Morning reading began, forcing Shen Nian to shelve his quest thoughts.

Freshman military training had ended, so today all students gathered for the flag-raising ceremony, followed by a long-winded speech from the administration.

Shen Nian never listened. The principal’s speeches paled in comparison to... ULTRA HEROES!!!

Dyna, Tiga, Gaia~♩, Taiga, Tregear~♫, [forgot the middle], [forgot the end]—now THAT’S real music!♪

The morning featured back-to-back English classes. Yan Yuzhu strode in with her long legs to review the weekly test, pausing halfway to praise Shen Nian.

"Shen Nian’s improvement is remarkable. Those who’ve given up on English should ask him for study tips."

The compliment flustered him.

Heh.

"Shen Nian, come to the office after class."

"Oh." No more heh.

After class, Shen Nian followed Yan Yuzhu to the office.

The office was divided by subject. Hers housed mostly young female teachers for Chinese and English, the air tinged with a fresh, floral scent.

Shen Nian—the picture of obedience—stood dutifully beside her. "What did you need, Teacher?"

"Remember the study plan we discussed? Take this material and memorize the vocabulary and grammar. I’ll test you tonight. Do well, and there’s a reward."

Yan Yuzhu was gentle and patient—what teacher wouldn’t adore a ‘prodigal son’ student?

"Any hints about the reward?"

"Just some snacks, probably." She smiled. ‘The future is worth pursuing; it’s not too late to correct your course.’ I believe in you.

"Absolutely, Teacher. You know I’ve always loved English."

"Pfft—" Yan Yuzhu covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with laughter. Why had no one told her Shen Nian was this hilarious?

Her laughter breathed life into the otherwise dull office, drawing curious glances toward Shen Nian.

Which class’s prodigy is this, charming our pretty teacher so effortlessly?

"I’ll head back now, Teacher."

"Mm, keep up the good work."

"Roger! I’ll be Teacher Yan’s most devout follower!" Shen Nian stood at attention, eyes blazing like a Gundam pilot’s.

"Sure, sure. Oh, and if you don’t complete the task, there’s punishment too."

"Professor Yan, it seems my loyalty to you isn't quite loyal enough."

"......"

My recent condition hasn't been great—I've been slacking on updates for a few days. Let me adjust my schedule and get back to double updates. Sorry about that, orz.

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily visits putting too much pressure on the servers, we now recommend switching to other big players' sources: