Seeing that the Natural Selection achievement had been completed, Lin Zichen ended his personal challenge and stopped wasting time on the martial stage.

Then, under everyone’s gaze, he walked toward the administration building with the principal.

Shen Qinghan originally wanted to go back to the classroom, but since Lin Zichen called her to come along, she followed him with her head lowered.

When they arrived at the office in the teaching building, the principal could no longer suppress her joy and laughed heartily in front of the two of them.

After laughing for a while, she congratulated Lin Zichen for winning the title of first place in the whole school.

Then, recalling the moment Lin Zichen instantly defeated Chen Wuxing, she couldn’t help but ask, “You could even instantly defeat Chen Wuxing, Zichen, you must still be hiding your strength, right?”

“Not much, just a tiny bit.”

“I think it’s a bit more than that. Chen Wuxing recently participated in the Kyoto University special admissions test. I saw his results, he could lift a 690kg barbell with one hand, yet even so, you kicked him down instantly. That means your stats must be at least 800kg.”

“The principal really is insightful. I just measured last week at home, my number was 795kg.”

After saying that, Lin Zichen smiled and asked, “By the way, Principal, when will I get the 8,810 yuan from the prize pool?”

“Right now.” The principal took out her phone, opened WeChat and said, “Come, let’s add each other, I’ll transfer it to you directly.”

After transferring the money, the principal continued chatting with Lin Zichen.

They talked about a lot of things — representing the school in martial arts tournaments, what university he planned to attend and some trivial matters.

During that time, Shen Qinghan sat quietly to the side, listening obediently and not daring to play with her phone.

* * *

After about half an hour, Lin Zichen felt that was enough and stopped chatting about random things with the principal.

He then mentioned that both he and Shen Qinghan loved swimming and asked to use the competition pool in the gymnasium.

He wanted to use it freely whenever they wished and privately — the pool would be closed off to others during use, making it exclusive to him and Shen Qinghan.

The principal immediately agreed without hesitation.

Seeing how readily she agreed, Lin Zichen took it a step further and requested that the security cameras be covered while they used it.

His reasoning was that he didn’t like being watched while swimming in trunks; it made him uncomfortable.

Hearing that, the principal raised an eyebrow.

‘These two kids not only wanted to monopolize the pool alone but also wanted the cameras covered? What on earth were they planning?’

Although she was curious, the principal didn’t press the issue. Instead, she opened a drawer, took out a key, handed it to Lin Zichen and said with a smile, “Zichen, since you wish it, the gym pool is now your private swimming spot. I’ll collect all the other teachers’ keys this evening so no one else can use it.”

Then her tone grew more serious as she added, “But Zichen, you two are still young. When you’re alone in the pool, be careful and stay safe, don’t let anything happen.”

Lin Zichen found that sentence sounded a little strange but didn’t think too much of it. He just replied, “Got it, we’ll be careful.”

* * *

After leaving the administration building, they returned to the classroom.

The classroom was empty; everyone was out in martial training class.

Lin Zichen didn’t plan to attend class, so he texted Han Yuanfeng on WeChat to say he was heading home early.

Then he packed up and left the school with Shen Qinghan.

On the way home, Shen Qinghan said she had become familiar with her song but still wasn’t syncing well with Li Chuxin during their duet, so she needed more practice. She asked if Lin Zichen could practice with her for half an hour that evening.

Lin Zichen readily agreed.

He was glad Shen Qinghan cared about the singing competition.

He wanted her to show herself on a big stage and find confidence again, to stop being so shy and self-conscious.

She was naturally talented, smart and beautiful — she shouldn’t live like this.

He knew well that her lack of confidence came from him being too dazzling.

He could even say, it was entirely because of him.

A firefly in the pitch-black night sky shines as the brightest star.

But under the moon, its light fades away.

* * *

That evening, at Shen Qinghan’s home.

Shen Jianye and Xu Meng were grading papers in the living room after dinner.

Meanwhile, from upstairs came the sound of Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan singing together, along with bursts of laughter whenever they went off tune.

“Dear, do you think it’s appropriate for the two of them, at their age, to be alone together in her room for so long?” Shen Jianye suddenly asked.

Xu Meng nearly choked from anger, glaring as she snapped, “What’s wrong with that? They grew up together; what’s the problem with them playing in the same room? Who are you to object? Listen, Shen, don’t meddle where you shouldn’t, or you’ll have me to deal with!”

Xu Meng was genuinely upset. She couldn’t understand what her husband was thinking — saying it was inappropriate for their daughter and Lin Zichen to be together like that? Was he out of his mind? He was just asking to be scolded!

* * *

Upstairs, Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan were practicing their singing.

With his sharp senses, he overheard the couple’s conversation downstairs and found it both funny and exasperating.

He understood what both Shen Jianye and Xu Meng were thinking.

That’s just the difference between fathers and mothers.

The father thinks his little girl is being taken away, the mother thinks she’s found a good match.

“Alright, Hanhan, we’ve practiced for half an hour, that’s enough. Go study.”

Lin Zichen turned off the accompaniment track on his phone and spoke to Shen Qinghan, who was sitting nearby.

She glanced at the time and nodded obediently before going to her desk to study.

She wasn’t as gifted as Lin Zichen, so she had to rely on diligence to maintain her grades.

Lin Zichen didn’t rush home. He leaned against the wall, sitting on her bed, scrolling through news on his phone for a bit.

He came across reports about remnants of the Rat God Cult.

None of the nine remaining cultists had been caught yet, still at large.

According to the City Security Headquarters, the cultists could communicate with ordinary rats and use them as spies to evade capture.

Scrolling further, he found two more related stories.

The first: two young men were found brutally murdered last night, suspected to be the work of a female Rat God Cult member.

The second: this morning, a naked woman’s body was found in an alley, likely killed by a male cultist.

Seeing those reports, Lin Zichen frowned slightly. They were on the run, yet still committing crimes? Were they seeking death?

But then he understood.

These Rat God Cult followers had undergone irregular genetic fusions — with severe drawbacks.

The biggest flaw: their humanity faded, replaced by heightened animal instincts.

Once that instinct took over, they lost control and acted purely on primal urges.

And most primal instincts are driven by desire.

So those cultists weren’t courting death; they simply couldn’t control themselves.

After reading for a while, Lin Zichen stood up, ready to head home.

Before leaving, he said to Shen Qinghan, who was studying at her desk, “Hanhan, tomorrow afternoon we’ll go practice swimming after school, remember to bring your swimsuit.”

“Okay, got it, bye, Xiao Chen.”

Shen Qinghan waved with a sweet smile.

After Lin Zichen left, she went to her wardrobe, opened the door and took out two swimsuits from the bottom.

One was a modest one-piece, covering most of her body.

The other was more revealing — like just wearing underwear.

After some hesitation, blushing, she picked the revealing one and put it into her backpack.

Wearing that would let her feel the water better.

After all, the gym’s pool was reserved just for her and Lin Zichen, so it didn’t matter if it was a little revealing.

* * *

The next morning.

Right after breakfast, Lin Zichen left home to walk to school with Shen Qinghan.

When he arrived, she was still having breakfast — eggs, bread, milk.

Seeing him waiting outside, she grabbed the bread and milk, shouldered her bag and hurried out.

“Slow down, don’t trip.”

“It’s fine! I’m in the martial arts class, you know. Don’t underestimate me!”

“Being a student isn’t the same as being a martial artist. You’ll still fall if you trip on a rock.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying, always arguing with me!”

Shen Qinghan pouted and lightly slapped Lin Zichen in mock anger.

It was a playful gesture, like affectionate teasing between lovers.

They bantered a bit, then hurried toward school.

Along the way, Shen Qinghan couldn’t finish her bread or milk, so she handed them to Lin Zichen to eat.

He didn’t mind — he ate and drank without hesitation.

After a short walk, they passed through the school gates.

Just like yesterday, students whispered when they saw Lin Zichen.

But unlike yesterday, when most called him arrogant and conceited, today they spoke with awe — saying he had defeated Chen Wuxing in one kick and was monstrously strong, maybe even an Aberrant Beast in human form.

When he entered the classroom, the atmosphere had changed too.

Everyone looked at him as if he were some lofty figure, creating a sense of distance.

Before, they’d thought of him as the first-year’s top dog, still needing to grow before catching up to the upperclass geniuses.

But no one had expected him to instantly crush the former school champion.

He was a super-genius in a league of his own — stronger even than Wu Tiancheng, the so-called strongest in school history.

After all, back in his first year, Wu Tiancheng couldn’t have done that.

Lin Zichen didn’t care about their changing views.

High school, to him, was just an insignificant chapter in life.

All relationships during this time were fragile, most ending after graduation.

* * *

Time flew by.

Before long, it was four in the afternoon.

Having already told Han Yuanfeng he’d leave early, Lin Zichen packed up and left the classroom with Shen Qinghan once the time came.

Within five minutes, they arrived at the gymnasium and stood beside the long-awaited pool.

The pool was filled with clear, cool water.

The wall cameras were covered with black tape — the principal had arranged everything in advance.

She had practically acted like their caretaker, ensuring every detail was perfect for her star student.

Before getting in, Lin Zichen asked Shen Qinghan to close all doors and draw the curtains.

Then he took out two devices from his bag: a camera detector and an electronic signal jammer.

He’d bought them for his nighttime data tests and now they came in handy.

After ten minutes of checking, he confirmed the space was completely private. Only then did they each go to separate corners to change.

Soon, they both came out.

Lin Zichen wore only swim trunks, while Shen Qinghan’s swimsuit looked almost like underwear.

When they first saw each other, he tried to stay calm but couldn’t help feeling stirred.

She on the other hand, blushed deeply, her face as red as a ripe peach.

“Come on, let’s get in and practice underwater walking.”

Lin Zichen deliberately looked away from her and focused on the pool.

“Okay,” Shen Qinghan replied softly and followed him into the water.

Soon, they both submerged and started training in the deep end.

But after a short while, Shen Qinghan suddenly patted Lin Zichen’s shoulder and quickly surfaced.

Lin Zichen frowned — had she heard something strange like before in the ocean?

Thinking that, he surfaced immediately.

As he broke through the water, he heard Shen Qinghan’s panicked voice.

“Xiao Chen, look! The water is passing through my body!”

Following her voice, he looked ahead — and saw Shen Qinghan scooping water into her hands, only for it to flow straight through her palms and fall back into the pool.