Prologue 1: Xueba Wu Zewen (Main Character)

It was the start of a new term for many schools at the end of August. Due to the break, He Xuyang was disconnected from the school’s network. When school started, he had immediately logged on to the school system and checked the result of last semester’s final exams. His professional course had once again passed with a low 61%. He Xuyang touched his nose and smiled back, “How’d you guys do? I don’t need to retake with 61%.”

A roommate beside him said, “I got 62%, higher than you by one percent.”

Inside the dorm that was busy discussing their results, there was a student with glasses who was silently sitting in the corner the whole time. A pair of jet black eyes staring intently at a computer screen which was also opened to the school’s exam results.

He Xuyang couldn’t help but ask, “Zemen, what mark did you get?”

Seeing the other not responding, He Xuyang moved beside him, lightly patted his shoulder and then said, “It’s nothing, don’t mind it for not testing well once in a while. How many marks did you get? Was it a pass?”

Wu Zemen turned his head, “What did you say?”

——Turned out this guy, just moments ago, was completely absorbed in looking over the marks. He wasn’t even listening to his roommate’s discussion.

He Xuyang helplessly said, “I asked, what mark did you get? Did you pass?”

Wu Zeyang pushed up his glasses and said seriously, “Passed, 100%.”

“……”

“……”

The other two glanced at each other and silently cursed a single word: Crap!

61% and 62% compared to 100%, this was too much.

He Xuyang suddenly felt like an idiot.

Who was Wu Zewen? Asking if he had actually passed? He should be asked whether he passed with 100% or not.

This guy was well-known as a xueba[2] in the physics department. It was said that he would usually get full marks in science during senior middle school[3] and often failed in liberal arts. However, he would still be very serious even if he wasn’t good at it. He also has a severe case of myopia. Normally, he didn’t like talking, only replying when spoken to, it was like trying to get a top to spin. However, whenever he came across a mathematic formula, his brain would run faster than a computer’s CPU processor.

[2] Xueba (学霸): is a popular slang to refer to someone who always gets high marks on tests and is overall an excellent student

[3] In Western culture, it is more commonly known as a high school with grades going 9-12. Whereas in China after grade 6 it is split into two levels: junior middle school was for grades 7-9 and senior middle school (高中) was from grades 10-12

This person’s mental maths skill was terrifying. When going to the supermarket, it didn’t matter how much was bought, the total would always add up to a whole number like 100, 500 and 20, and no coins of any kind were used at all.

Wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, Wu Zewen had a delicate and beautiful appearance with fair skin and a figure that was tall and slim. His white shirt and jeans were neat and tidy and his personality was very quiet and refined. All the teachers thought of him as the perfect example of a straight-A student.

This kind of high IQ was born to make people envious and jealous.

He Xuyang saw the 100% and silently envied for a moment and couldn’t help thinking: this guy was known to be in the library the whole day studying, should he try dragging him into playing games?

He Xuyang moved beside Wu Zewen and said with a smile, “Zewen, since school hasn’t started yet, there are a few days with nothing to do. How about I teach you how to play a game? Have you heard of Wulin?”

Wu Zewen turned his head, “Wulin? It’s an online game, right? I heard Li Xiang talk about it.”

Li Xiang was one of the physic’s class representative and a hardcore gamer who recently started playing Wulin.

He Xuyang said, “Yeah, Li Xiang’s roommates also play this game. This game is really popular. It’s a Chinese-style martial arts game that’s made beautifully. It has realistic graphics with excellent sceneries and the combat system is great!”

He Xuyang spoke while pulling Wu Zewen to sit beside the table and opened Wulin.

An antique picture slowly unfolded in front of them like a scroll. At the top, there was a row of ink-coloured buttons labelled with official announcement, forum, database, recharge, and Professional League. To the lower right corner, there was a flashing login button and moving the mouse would turn it into a beautiful brush stroke.

He Xuyang used the mouse to click the flashing “Login” button.

Ten seconds later, a full-screen picture popped up in front of them. In the middle of the lush green bamboo forest was an empty space and standing at the centre was a person. The name above the head was “Abstained Master1“.

A Shaolin monk with an honest and serious face, dressed in a red kasaya[4] and holding a string of prayer beads in hand, was in an “Amitabha[5]” pose —— He Xuyang cried to himself every time he saw his character.

[4] Kasaya: a robe worn by Buddhist monks and nuns

Source

[5] Amitabha: a celestial buddha in Pure Land Buddhism, which is a branch of Mahayana Buddhismin

Source

He Xuyang entered the game and directly went to the Wulin General Arena area and at the same time, explained to Wu Zewen, “This arena is specially made for others to invite challengers to battle. The arena has many arena lists. You can sign up to join someone else’s arena or you can also create one and wait for others to challenge you. Winning 1V1 arenas will also increase your points.”

Wu Zewen understood and nodded his head.

Next, He Xuyang explained to Wu Zewen in three minutes how to PK and use the Shaolin’s skillset. Afterwards, he selected the arena “Handsome Tangmen Begging for Abuse” and requested to join.

The request was approved and Abstained Master entered the arena. Once he entered, he saw a Tangmen standing on the arena with the ID Little Handsome Tangmen. He was wearing a navy sect garb and in his hand was a glowing bow and arrow.

He Xuyang pointed at the Tangmen and said, “Zewen, go ahead. Use what I just taught you and kill him.”

“Ok.” Wu Zewen nodded, took a few steps and prepared himself.

A countdown popped up on the screen: 5…4…3…2…1… Once the word “Start” appeared, the Tangmen suddenly jumped behind him and before Wu Zewen could turn around, a huge green light game flying from behind——

Piercing Arrow, Draining Arrow, Piercing Arrow, Draining Arrow!

Sorry, you were critically injured!

Wu Zemen looked at the master sprawled on the floor, a bit confused and turned to ask, “I’m dead?”

“Mm.” Helplessly looking at his xueba roommate who was recklessly killed. It was such an obvious thing! He Xuyang held back his urge to bust out laughing and said seriously, “It’s nothing, go again. Get up and kill him.”

Wu Zewen got up and after that, Wu Zewen was lying down again.

Piercing Arrow, Draining Arrow, Piercing Arrow, Draining Arrow!

……Sorry, you were critically injured!

Before his fingers could even react, he was killed again by the opponent.

Wu Zewen was confused. “I haven’t even moved and I died…”

He Xuyang’s stomach quickly cramped from laughing. Seeing his xueba roommate asking what’s happening gave He Xuyang a unique sense of achievement. What happened? Of course, it was because you were too weak so you weren’t able to react in time before your opponent killed you in seconds. The skill level difference was too big!

“Come, watch me.”

He Xuyang proudly sat on the chair and used his master to challenge the Tangmen again. This time, the situation was reversed and He Xuyang killed the Tangmen in under ten seconds.

“See, just attack him like this and he’ll quickly be killed,” He Xuyang said while proudly puffing out his chest.

“Ok.” Wu Zewen observed from the side and said after a few moments, “I will try again.”

He Xuyang immediately offered his seat.

Wu Zewen was defeated five times in a row, but he wasn’t discouraged. He got up when he died and continued to fight. He died again and got up again…

After being beaten 40 times in a row, He Xuyang realized, he seemed…to have overplayed?

Wu Zewen appeared very peaceful and refined, however, underneath all that was his pride that refused to lose. He did everything very seriously and the result of this seriousness was…dying 40 times in a row, exactly 40 times.

Seeing him die again and again and get up every time, only to continue to die again……

Finally, He Xuyang reminded in a shaking voice, “Cough, Zewen, you already played 40 games…”

Wu Zewen held the mouse, a pair of shining jet-black eyes stared intently at the computer screen, and said seriously, “I’m going to fight a few more time.”

……Sorry, you were critically injured.

……Sorry, you were critically injured.

……Sorry, you were……

He Xuyang was speechless!

He died ten more times, but the Tangmen was a bit impatient and bluntly said, “Hey[6], rookie, are you going to play? Do you need me to be your master? I can teach you well.”

[6] 喂: this is how people casually greet when they answer the phone. It is equivalent to saying “Hello” or “Hey”. This can also mean “to feed”

Wu Zewen looked at the monk who had beaten him to the ground and thought about it seriously, then said, “No thanks, I’m going to eat first.”

Tangmen: “……”

He Xuyang: “……”

Wu Zewen calmly got up, grabbed his meal card and went downstairs to buy his meal.

He left behind a stunned roommate in tears.

My points……a whole week’s worth of hard work gone in a blink of an eye……

He Xuyang sent a message in the game to the Tangmen: “Li Xiang, you idiot! Who told me using reverse psychology2 to get Wu Zewen to play the game would definitely work? It was completely useless! He went downstairs to eat!?”

Handsome Tangmen3: “……”

He Xuyang was infuriated. “I went along with your scheme to put on a show and I have lost all my points. Quickly lie down and let me abuse you a few times to get me back my points.”

Li Xiang suddenly sent a handwaving emoji. “I need to eat too. See you later.”

He then quickly went offline.

He Xuyang: “……”

In the cafeteria, Li Xiang took one glance and saw Wu Zewen in the line.

He stood there waiting among the noisy crowd. Although his face was expressionless but because of the fair skin, refined appearance and his unchanging cool temperament, he was still easily spotted.

The physic’s xueba and a yearly scholarship recipient, Wu Zewen, didn’t actually have many friends in class.

Except for a few roommates that he usually gets along with, Li Xiang was his only friend.

This was also related to his silent nature. Some people thought it was because his grades were too good. The truth was that people who understood him knew…he has face blindness. He often didn’t recognize those who he had met the day before.

During sophomore year, a girl from a class next door had a crush on Wu Zemen and was introduced through Li Xiang. The first time the two met, the blushing girl didn’t know what to say. Wu Zewen waited patiently for a while. Seeing that she wasn’t going to say anything, he looked at his watch and said, “I want to go to the library, do you want to come?”

Suddenly, the girl’s racing heart sped up! It was said that relationships between xueba and xueba started by studying together. Was Wu Zewen asking her to study together? Did this mean that she has a chance?

It turned out…

She thought too much.

Wu Zewen started studying once they reached the library. He never spared her a glance from beginning to end and had been seriously taking notes the whole time. He said he needed to go to the library to study only because he goes to the library to study every day. This was part of his daily routine. It had nothing to do with anyone…

The girl cleared away her depressed mood and returned to her dorm.

The next day, the girl saw Wu Zewen on campus. She blushed and approached him with her heart racing, “Hey! Zewen, going to class?”

Wu Zewen looked at her confusingly. “We’ve met?”

Girl: “……”

In university, this was how the only girl who wanted to date Wu Zewen was shocked by the xueba’s face blindness.