Chapter 1

It was the height of summer, the heat like a blazing furnace, and today was the day the college entrance exam results were announced. In front of a key high school in a certain city, Li Yan held his college entrance exam results notification, a bitter smile flashing across his face.

Full marks in all subjects!

His scores were still so terrifying. Needless to say, he was the top student of this year's college entrance exam. Tsinghua, Peking, and other prestigious universities had already extended offers to him before the exam, because... in all previous exams, Li Yan had never received anything less than full marks. He was known as the "Full Marks Man" and the "Never Deducted Man," a genius. For a genius like him, choosing which university to attend was a matter of simple selection, with no difficulty at all.

In theory, his future was bright, and he should have been overjoyed. However, he couldn't bring himself to feel happy, and the reason for this...

At that moment, a group of girls happened to pass by him. One of the girls whispered, "Is that the genius Li Yan from our school?"

Another girl replied, "Yes... the monster who always gets full marks... It's said that once, the Chinese teacher wanted to play a joke on him and break the 'Full Marks Man' myth by deducting two points from his essay. But after carefully reviewing his essay, the teacher had no choice but to give him full marks."

"Wow!" The first girl gasped. "That's amazing? He looks handsome too. He's a good man, a prime stock. I want to try talking to him."

Several small hands immediately held her back, and the girls shook their heads in unison. "Don't be silly. Do you really think you can approach him? Think about it, would a handsome, full-marks man even look at you? To be his friend, you'd at least have to be the school beauty... No, even the school beauty wouldn't dare to talk to him, for fear of not matching up to him. Why would you want to join in? Besides... someone with such good grades must be a bookworm. Do you want to spend your life with a bookworm?"

"Uh... that's true, I hate bookworms." The girls chattered like butterflies, flitting past Li Yan and disappearing around the corner of the street outside the school gate.

In fact, Li Yan had heard everything they said. His ears were very sharp, perhaps due to his perfect physical education scores. As he watched the girls disappear, he felt a bitter frustration. He really hoped that girl would come over and talk to him, and he would have greeted her with a smile, without putting on any airs. Unfortunately... they were still scared off by his grades...

His life was bleak, with no friends! He didn't like this kind of life. He wanted friends too, but unfortunately, people around him always kept a distance from him because of his grades. He had tried to get along with his classmates, but unfortunately... in the end, he couldn't gain their friendship due to their retreat.

A bitter smile appeared on Li Yan's face. Well, high school was over, and he would soon be a college student. A new life, full of infinite possibilities. He took a few steps, thinking: I want to change my bookworm image in college, make a few close friends, and live a happy, fulfilling life.

Just then, Li Yan suddenly felt as if he had collided with an invisible wall. This wall had a strange stickiness, like an invisible spider web, which stuck to him tighter and tighter.

"Oh? What's happening? Am I about to be dragged into some ridiculous and frustrating situation?" Li Yan felt a huge suction pulling him... and then, the surroundings changed instantly...

The blue sky, white clouds, and gentle breeze all disappeared, replaced by a bustling ancient street. The street was lively, with many pedestrians in ancient clothing. Li Yan, who had full marks in history, recognized the clothing. It seemed to be... hmm... Song Dynasty clothing? He looked down at his own clothes, which had also turned into Song Dynasty attire, but it was tattered and looked like a beggar's outfit! His age seemed to have changed too; although he was already a nineteen-year-old high school graduate, he now had the body of a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old, still a child. Fortunately, this body was still his own, just like his body in junior high school.

"What a frustrating development. I knew it, the most frustrating thing for a 'Full Marks Man' is to be transported to ancient times. I hate ancient times!" Li Yan grabbed the hem of a passerby's clothing, putting on an innocent smile. "Excuse me, sir, where is this place? What year is it?"

"Little beggar, don't touch my clothes. Can you afford to pay for the dirt you've caused?" The man jumped up, cursing. "This is the capital of the Song Dynasty, Bianjing. This year is the first year of the Jingkang era."

"The first year of the Jingkang era?" The benefits of having full marks in history immediately became apparent. Li Yan instantly understood the situation: "So it's 1126 AD. Hmph, the Jin Dynasty will destroy the Northern Song in a year... Well, it's a typical plot from a historical穿越 (穿越 means '穿越' in Chinese, which translates to '穿越' in English, but in this context, it means 'time travel') novel! No problem, with my full marks in chemistry, physics, and mathematics, I can handle time travel. Making guns, cannons, soap... copying poems, lyrics, military books... there's nothing I can't do! I'll save the Song Dynasty from its crisis... Future generations will write a book about my deeds, called 'In Search of the Song Dynasty' or 'Becoming a Prince in the Song Dynasty.'"

Just as Li Yan thought this, a large, fat hand suddenly reached out. It turned out to be a Song Dynasty soldier who had grabbed him, apparently a city patrolman. He grinned at Li Yan. "Little beggar, do you know martial arts?"

"Martial arts?" Li Yan was shocked. "Isn't this a historical穿越 (time travel) plot? Why do I need to know martial arts? I can make guns, cannons, soap, copy poems, lyrics, and military books, but I don't know martial arts!"

"You don't know martial arts?" The patrolman coughed lightly and put on a serious face. "Because you don't know martial arts, according to Article 32, Section 32 of the 'Song Dynasty Constitution,' you will now be forcibly enrolled in the nine-year compulsory education! You will be sent to school."

"What? What's nine-year compulsory education?" Li Yan asked urgently.

The patrolman, who seemed to be a decent person, honestly answered, "Due to the joint attack by the Jin, Liao, Mongol, Tubo, Western Xia, and Manchu states, the Song Dynasty is in grave danger. The state has issued the 'Emergency Measures for Dealing with the Northern Barbarians' and revised the 'Song Dynasty Constitution.' It stipulates that all boys under sixteen who do not know martial arts must attend a martial arts school to learn martial arts, strengthen their bodies, and prepare for national defense. The students are divided into grades based on their martial arts skills: six grades in elementary school, three in junior high school, three in high school, and four in college... The state provides funding for the nine grades of elementary and junior high school, which is known as the nine-year compulsory education system!"

Li Yan was drenched in sweat. "Oh my God! What kind of Song Dynasty is this?"

"Enough talk, let's go to the school!" The patrolman grabbed Li Yan and said seriously, "Don't even think about running away. No matter where you go, if you are discovered, you will be sent to school for nine-year compulsory education. So just accept your fate. Besides, as a little beggar, once you enter the school for nine-year compulsory education, the state will provide you with food and lodging, and you won't have to suffer from hunger. Isn't that great? Remember to fight for the country after graduation."

Li Yan: "What a frustrating situation... What kind of Song Dynasty is this? Ah! Ah! Ah!"

The patrolman dragged Li Yan down a few streets and through several intersections. Ahead, a huge cliff appeared. The cliff was dark and towering into the clouds, with ropes suspending wooden baskets that moved up and down, resembling some kind of elevator.

"The school you will attend is on top of the cliff!" The patrolman introduced, "Its full name is the Blackwood Cliff Comprehensive Martial Arts School, abbreviated as Blackwood Cliff. It is also known as the Sun Moon Sect, established by the greatest martial arts master of the Song Dynasty, Dongfang Bubai... I'm sending you to this school to learn martial arts, which is a great opportunity for you..."

Li Yan heard: Dongfang Bubai? Blackwood Cliff? Sun Moon Sect? So this is a martial arts world in the Song Dynasty! Well, a martial arts world isn't bad. Which man doesn't have a martial arts dream? As long as I don't have to learn the 'Manual of the Plum Blossom' or the 'Evil-Exorcising Sword Technique,' I can learn other martial arts.

The patrolman dragged Li Yan onto the "elevator." Suddenly, another patrolman appeared and squeezed onto the same "elevator" with them. Behind this patrolman was a small figure, whom Li Yan guessed was also being forcibly enrolled. He gave the child a sympathetic look, and as soon as he did, he felt a sudden brightness in his eyes.

It turned out that the child was a girl, about twelve years old, a little girl with a pretty face, clear and innocent, with very black pupils and very white sclera, without a trace of bloodshot, making her eyes look exceptionally beautiful. Her white clothes and black hair complemented each other, creating a black-and-white contrast. She had dimples on her face, and when she smiled, it was truly captivating.

Should I talk to her? New school, new life, new friends, this should be fine, right? But... if she finds out I'm an excellent student, will she isolate me again? Classmates are terrifying creatures; they will mock me for being the 'Full Marks Man' and call me a bookworm, then isolate me harshly. Talking to such terrifying creatures requires a lot of courage.

Li Yan decided to make an effort to gain a friend and began to create an atmosphere for conversation.

Unexpectedly, while he was still preparing, the girl greeted him first. She smiled at Li Yan and said, "Hey, big brother, what's your name? Were you also caught for compulsory education?"

"Wow, someone is talking to me!" Li Yan was moved to tears and quickly replied, "My name is Li Yan! I'm a beggar caught for compulsory education."

"Sure enough, I could tell from your clothes! I used to be a beggar too." The little girl smiled. "Later, I joined the Ancient Tomb Sect and became a disciple. My aunt is my master, and she is very cold and finds teaching martial arts too troublesome, so she asked the patrolman to send me here to study..."

"I see, may I ask what your name is, little girl?" Li Yan asked.

"My name is Yang Guo."

"Wow? Ancient Tomb Sect? Yang Guo? And a cold aunt?" Li Yan's vision went dark. What a frustrating development. A little girl named Yang Guo? What kind of world is this?