After the lunch break, Lin Zichen welcomed the afternoon’s practical classes.

The first was Wilderness Survival.

The teacher, Cheng Bei, didn’t talk about concepts or theories. He immediately had the students practice, asking if anyone knew how to make fire by drilling wood.

As he spoke, he threw a few dry sticks on the ground to see if anyone knew the skill.

But he figured no one would.

This skill was rarely needed in daily life. Who would learn it for no reason?

Yet, to his surprise, both Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, the two prodigies from Nanguan City, actually knew how.

As soon as the wood hit the ground, the two of them stepped forward and skillfully began drilling.

Before long, sparks appeared and they successfully made a fire.

“What’s going on? How are you two so incredible, even knowing how to drill wood for fire?” Cheng Bei said in disbelief.

Lu Gang chuckled, “Teacher, I went to a wilderness summer camp during the summer of my second year in middle school and I learned how to drill wood for fire there.”

Wang Shujie calmly said, “I self-studied online back in elementary school.”

Hearing this, many students in the class opened their mouths wide in surprise.

Were prodigies from Nanguan City really this insane?

Self-studying drilling wood for fire back in elementary school?

That was truly outrageous!

Lin Zichen also glanced at Wang Shujie, surprised to see someone else like him, who also liked watching online videos and self-learning various skills as a child.

It seemed prodigies did share certain similarities.

* * *

In the time that followed.

Apart from the two show-offs from Nanguan City, the rest of the class practiced drilling wood under Cheng Bei’s guidance.

“Xiao Chen, this is so hard, my hands are almost peeling and I haven’t even made a dent. How fast do you have to drill before you can make fire?”

Looking at her reddened palms that occasionally stung, Shen Qinghan was filled with frustration.

Beside her, Li Chuxin and He Yu struggled just as much, unable to even move the wood properly.

Seeing this, Lin Zichen said, “Come over here, I’ll teach you.”

He Yu asked curiously, “You know how to drill wood for fire?”

Lin Zichen explained, “I also self-studied it online before.”

Li Chuxin looked at him with admiration, “Zichen, you’re amazing!”

Lin Zichen only smiled, then quickly shared his little techniques for drilling wood with the three of them, correcting their mistakes.

Of the three, Shen Qinghan was the most clumsy. Her movements were always wrong.

Lin Zichen had no choice but to squat down beside her and guide her hand by hand.

In front of everyone, being held so closely by Lin Zichen made Shen Qinghan’s entire face flush bright red, all the way to her ears, looking as though it might drip with blood.

* * *

After Wilderness Survival, the students of Class 1 Grade 10 finally had Martial Arts Training with their homeroom teacher, Han Yuanfeng.

This was the single most important subject in high school.

The main content was learning about the human body, training it and mastering martial arts techniques.

Han Yuanfeng began by teaching everyone a special breathing cultivation method.

Learning it allowed one to regulate their breathing and enhance the effectiveness of physical training.

But the improvement wasn’t great, only slightly better than eye exercises.

Lin Zichen listened while watching Han Yuanfeng demonstrate and quickly learned it.

It wasn’t difficult. As long as you grasped the rhythm of the breaths, you could do it.

But that was only for him.

None of the other students could manage it. They all complained it was too hard, some even nearly suffocating.

One girl even practiced until she was dizzy from lack of oxygen, leaning on a tree and gagging.

“Don’t worry, everyone. This breathing technique is difficult. Even in the elite first-year classes, it takes an average of three days to learn.”

Seeing the defeated looks on their faces, Han Yuanfeng quickly reassured them.

Just then, Wang Shujie stepped forward, “Teacher, I’ve learned it.”

Han Yuanfeng was shocked. This was only the first lesson and he already learned it?

Before he even finished processing, Lu Gang raised his hand, “Teacher, I’ve learned it too. Is it like this?”

He then somewhat clumsily began running the breathing method, regulating his breath.

Wang Shujie followed suit.

Seeing both of them truly grasp it, Han Yuanfeng grew excited.

Looking at them, he praised loudly, “Incredible, truly incredible! No wonder you achieved such results in talent-filled Nanguan City. Your learning ability is outstanding!”

The surrounding students looked on with envy.

At the same time, a sense of defeat filled their hearts.

After all, those who made it into the elite martial arts class at Shanhai High School had all been geniuses in their own schools during middle school, admired as prodigies.

Yet here, in front of Lu Gang and Wang Shujie, they seemed like fireflies competing with the bright moon, completely overshadowed.

* * *

Time flew by and several days passed.

During this time, the school schedule remained consistent.

From Monday to Thursday, mornings were for Mechanical Modification and Gene Fusion, afternoons for Wilderness Survival and Martial Arts Training.

On Fridays, it was elective classes all day.

During this time, Lu Gang and Wang Shujie constantly stood out, earning the favor of every teacher.

Lin Zichen, on the other hand, remained low-key, quietly training his body every day.

Sometimes, he joined his small group of four to clean the blackboard, take out trash or water the classroom flowers, completing these trivial tasks to raise progress on his Social Animal achievement.

After several days, the progress bar had increased significantly.

[Achievement: Under the condition of teamwork, complete 1000 tasks in total]

[Reward: Gain the biological attribute Social Animal]

[Total tasks completed: 56/1000]

* * *

On Saturday morning.

Lin Zichen woke up early and went to wait outside Shen Qinghan’s house.

The night before, he and Shen Qinghan had agreed to go to the seaside today.

Just the two of them, without their parents.

Shanhai City was a coastal city, with beaches everywhere nearby.

The closest beach was less than 30 kilometers away.

The two going together wasn’t a problem.

They could go in the morning and return by night and both families felt at ease.

Of course, that was mainly because they trusted Lin Zichen.

“Xiao Chen, let’s go.”

A sweet voice sounded as Shen Qinghan came out carrying a backpack full of things, smiling at him.

Soon, the two boarded transport toward the nearest beach.

Although they called it an outing, in truth it was to practice swimming and study Shen Qinghan’s body.

Lin Zichen had always wanted to uncover Shen Qinghan’s secret—why she suffered from incontinence, why her swimming ability was so exceptional.

And what was that sound she heard under the sea last time?

Was it an illusion, or something else?

Could it be related to her years of physical abnormalities?

These questions lingered in his mind every day, waiting to be solved.