Chapter 3

After a night's rest, Xiaotian felt incredibly refreshed, and it was only six o'clock. He planned to go for a morning run before heading to school. After changing into a loose set of sportswear, Xiaotian went downstairs.

His cousin and her friend next door were still asleep.

After the necklace's treatment, Xiaotian felt much lighter and stronger. He used to struggle with twenty push-ups, but this morning, he did a hundred in a row without any fatigue.

When he arrived at a park not far from his residence, Xiaotian started some simple exercises. He was surprised to find that no matter what exercise he did, it wasn't as strenuous as before, and he felt more at ease.

At that moment, he saw an old man staring at him from a distance.

The old man smiled and nodded when he saw Xiaotian looking at him. Xiaotian nodded back and continued his exercises.

"Young man, you have quite a good physique. Did you serve in the military before?" the old man asked as he approached Xiaotian.

"I never did. I'm only nineteen," Xiaotian explained, not stopping his movements.

"To have such good physical condition without military service is truly impressive," the old man praised, nodding. He then performed Tai Chi next to Xiaotian. His movements were not fast, but they gave Xiaotian a mysterious feeling.

"Young man, are you interested in sparring with me?" the old man suddenly asked.

"Maybe not," Xiaotian replied, knowing his body had become stronger. If he really sparred with the old man, he might easily hurt him.

"What? Afraid of hurting me?" The old man smiled and then kicked a nearby stone pedestal, which moved several meters before stopping.

Xiaotian was stunned. The stone pedestal must weigh over a hundred pounds, yet the old man kicked it away with just a light kick. This was definitely not something an ordinary person could do.

He had heard of martial arts masters before, but as he grew older, he thought they were fictional. However, the old man in front of him was undoubtedly a martial arts master.

Actually, this was quite normal. His eyes could see through things, so why couldn't anything else be possible?

Xiaotian had never sparred with anyone, let alone fought. Now, finally meeting a legendary martial arts master, he was eager to try.

"Then I'll have to ask for your guidance, Senior," Xiaotian said respectfully.

"Good, not arrogant or impatient, that's rare," the old man praised, nodding, and then got into a stance.

Xiaotian, who knew no martial arts, simply threw a punch. The old man didn't move his feet but used his hands to throw Xiaotian away. Xiaotian didn't expect to be thrown so easily, but his overall physical condition had improved, and he did a backflip to land on his feet.

"Excellent skills," the old man praised, satisfied.

Xiaotian no longer underestimated the old man. The old man hadn't moved a step but easily deflected his punch.

This time, Xiaotian feinted and then attacked the old man's lower body. The old man saw through Xiaotian's move and kicked to deflect the sweep, then grabbed Xiaotian's arm and threw him backward.

"Amazing," Xiaotian said, landing on the ground with his right hand. "It seems there are no weak points in his body; no matter where I attack, he can perfectly deflect it."

At that moment, Xiaotian's X-ray vision activated automatically, and countless lines appeared in his mind, representing the old man's attack routes. Seeing these routes, Xiaotian's face lit up, and he threw a punch. The old man quickly retreated, as Xiaotian's punch seemed to find his weak spot.

More attack routes appeared in Xiaotian's mind. The old man's Tai Chi had few weaknesses when he didn't move, but once he did, the weaknesses became more apparent.

Xiaotian seized the opportunity and attacked the old man, a series of attacks making the old man struggle. The old man felt constantly under threat.

"Enough, enough," the old man waved, and Xiaotian stopped his punch.

Xiaotian felt refreshed. Sparring with the old man was incredibly satisfying. Although he knew no martial arts, his X-ray vision helped him find the old man's weaknesses, breaking through what seemed to be an unbreakable defense.

The old man was even more astonished. He knew his Tai Chi well, and although he wasn't a martial arts master, ordinary people couldn't get close to him. Even three or four veterans together wouldn't be a match for him.

He could see that the young man in front of him knew no martial arts but could break through his Tai Chi.

"Brother, what's your name?" the old man asked.

"My name is Xiaotian," Xiaotian replied.

"Xiaotian, very good. You can call me Old Fan. I'm curious, how did you break through my Tai Chi just now?" Old Fan was very curious. At first, Xiaotian was like an ordinary person and couldn't do anything to him, but later, he could attack his weak points.

"I was just lucky, a coincidence. If I were to spar with you again, I wouldn't even be able to take one hit," Xiaotian said, not revealing that his X-ray vision had seen through the old man's weaknesses.

"New talents emerge in every generation. Your character is also good, knowing how to respect the elderly. But I know my abilities. If you have the chance, come visit Green Forest Villa. Just say you're looking for Old Fan," Old Fan smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Senior. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave," Xiaotian said, left the park, and had breakfast at a nearby breakfast shop. He also bought two breakfasts for his cousin and her friend. When he returned to the residence, as expected, they were still asleep. Xiaotian placed the breakfast in the living room, changed his clothes, and headed to school.

Xiaotian attended Jianghai High School, the best high school in Jianghai City. He had gotten in on his own merit and had always been in the top ten of his grade.

The college entrance exam was approaching, but he hadn't been to school for half a month, so he had to report to his homeroom teacher. Xiaotian was a good student, and after explaining the situation to his teacher, the teacher didn't make things difficult for him and let him return to class.

There were twelve days left until the college entrance exam, and the teachers weren't managing the students much. They usually let the students study on their own or take practice exams.

When Xiaotian entered the classroom, he saw a girl, the class study committee member and his ex-girlfriend, Wenya. Xiaotian couldn't understand why Wenya had chosen to be with Xu Shaocong, a second-generation rich kid.

But all of that was in the past. Wenya had broken up with him, and she noticed Xiaotian. Since their breakup, Xiaotian had disappeared, and Wenya thought something had happened to him. She felt guilty at the time, but now seeing that Xiaotian was fine, she felt relieved.

She came from a poor family. After meeting Xiaotian, she thought that if they worked hard together, their future would be better. But then she met Xu Shaocong and realized the power of money. Even if they worked hard their whole lives, they couldn't compare to what Xu Shaocong could spend in a year.

She had never experienced such a luxurious life before, but now she did. Good grades, a good job, and hard work were meaningless. Xu Shaocong could easily arrange a job for her, earning tens of thousands a month.

If she married Xu Shaocong, she could live a good life forever, and her parents wouldn't have to work so hard. Even her younger brother could get married.

For all of this, she chose to leave Xiaotian. Although Xiaotian was good to her and worked hard, he couldn't give her what she wanted.

Xiaotian stopped thinking about Wenya, knowing they had taken different paths.

"Wenya, look what I brought you. French breakfast," a person entered the classroom, and it was Xu Shaocong. He placed a rich breakfast on the table and then saw Xiaotian.

He naturally knew Xiaotian was Wenya's ex-boyfriend: "Oh, isn't this Xiaotian? I thought you were so heartbroken that you went to commit suicide."

"Shaocong, don't say that," Wenya said softly.

"Hmph, can't even keep your own girlfriend. What's the use of good grades?" Xu Shaocong said, looking at Xiaotian disdainfully.

"Alright, Shaocong, let's eat. Don't say that," Wenya said, not wanting Xiaotian to get into trouble with Xu Shaocong because of her.

"Oh, Xu Shaocong, you dare to act so freely in my class? You must be tired of living," a girl stood at the classroom door, dressed in a peculiar way, like a gangster.

This girl was called Hot Pepper. Xiaotian really didn't understand if there was a surname "Fire" in the Chinese surnames, but he never dared to provoke Hot Pepper. Not just him, no one in the school dared to offend her. It was said that her family had a complex background, possibly related to the mafia. A few people who offended her disappeared from school.

"Hot Pepper, you and I don't interfere with each other. I advise you not to meddle in other people's affairs," Xu Shaocong said, not wanting to lose face in front of Wenya, even though he usually didn't dare to provoke Hot Pepper.

"I'll meddle in other people's affairs. What are you going to do about it?" Two more girls appeared behind Hot Pepper, and the three of them walked to Xiaotian's side. Hot Pepper's aura was overwhelming, like a legendary big sister.

"Hey, you stepped on my foot," Xiaotian suddenly looked at Hot Pepper.