At that time, Mark Benson was still feeling quite pleased with himself. If he hadn’t overheard that person telling the principal that the mortality rate for潜龙武者 was seventy-three percent, he might have tried to break through on the spot and just gone with them.

At that moment, he already had one foot on the threshold of becoming a martial artist.

Of course, Mark Benson messed up that assessment.

Since then, he didn’t dare to be so “outstanding” anymore.

The eleventh year after his rebirth.

Nothing worth mentioning...

The twelfth year after his rebirth.

Nothing worth mentioning...

The thirteenth year after his rebirth.

Aside from entering junior high, still nothing worth mentioning...

The fourteenth year after his rebirth.

In his second year of junior high, Mark Benson finally “boldly broke through” to the martial artist realm, at the level of an “ordinary genius” of his age. Although he could still squeeze into the city’s top one hundred, looking at the whole province, or even the whole country, he was no longer anything special.

The fifteenth year after his rebirth.

He messed up another special department recruitment.

This time, they were recruiting幼麟武者...

The sixteenth year after his rebirth.

In the high school entrance exam, Mark Benson achieved an excellent citywide ranking of “ninety-eighth,” got into Boyang City’s best Taigu High School, and began his three years of high school life.

The seventeenth year after his rebirth.

Mark Benson obtained his martial artist certificate, passed level two, and maintained a ranking in the school’s top twenty, and around seventieth or eightieth in the city.

The eighteenth year after his rebirth.

After three years of high school, Mark Benson was about to face the most important exam in every student’s life.

The National College Entrance Exam!

..........

This is also why Little Mark was zoning out, eyes glazed, with a look of “elderly widowhood” on his face...

Chapter 4: Quick Hands Little Mark

“Mark Benson! Mark Benson...”

Little Mark was elbowed several times by his deskmate before his dazed mind finally returned from who knows how many layers of daydreaming.

A fly was buzzing around him, catching Mark Benson’s attention and causing him to overlook another, much more important target.

“So annoying!”

Mark Benson slipped his left foot out of his slipper, and with a masterful leg move, his big toe landed steadily above his shoulder, pinching the annoying fly between two toes.

With a gentle flick of his toes, he sent the pesky little thing flying out the window.

This display of “footwork” was truly extraordinary and incredibly cool.

If not for his near-perfect control over his body, he could never have pulled off such a difficult move. Almost all his classmates couldn’t help but exclaim.

“What awesome footwork.”

“No wonder he’s Quick Hands Little Mark.”

“Amazing! Amazing...”

Mark Benson was feeling a bit proud himself, even standing up and clasping his hands to make a cupped-fist salute. Just as Little Mark was about to sit down in style, a delicate hand pressed down on his shoulder.

His shoulder twitched, about to break free, but when he turned his head and saw a familiar pretty face, he could only give an awkward smile. From rebellious, he instantly turned into the obedient Little Mark, and said, “Grace Smith laoshi, what brings you here?”

Grace Smith was the homeroom teacher of Class 9, Senior 3, at Taigu High School. She had only graduated thirteen years ago and was still considered a “young and beautiful” teacher in the students’ eyes.

In the eyes of this “young” homeroom teacher, Mark Benson was an exceptionally smart and talented student, gifted in both academics and martial arts, but he loved to play clever tricks and didn’t work hard enough, resulting in mediocre grades.

Grace Smith knew that Mark Benson had opportunities to be recruited by special departments in both elementary and junior high, but he was eliminated during the assessments each time, which she found especially regrettable.

Grace Smith said with exasperation, “Little Mark! If you put even a third of the energy you use to show off into your studies and martial arts, you might not make the school’s top ten, but you could at least get into a top university. Why settle for this...”

Mark Benson grinned and said, “I’ll definitely work hard and not embarrass Teacher Smith. This time for the college entrance exam, my goal is the Vajra Department at Tianchan Temple University. I swear I’ll get into a double top-tier school!”

Grace Smith sighed, feeling quite hopeless about Mark Benson. This student was just too lazy and incorrigible.

No matter what you said, he would always agree, pat his chest, and make solemn promises, but as soon as he turned around, he’d go back to his old ways, completely unruly.

Grace Smith walked up to the podium and began reviewing the material.

By now, all the senior three courses had been finished, leaving only review.

Most of the time, the students studied on their own, with teachers occasionally answering questions.

Grace Smith was not only the homeroom teacher but also taught two subjects: “An Introduction to Vitality Particles” and “A Brief Overview of the History, Humanities, Geography, Politics, and Economics of the Dimensional Realms.”

For this class, Grace Smith was reviewing “A Brief Overview of the History, Humanities, Geography, Politics, and Economics of the Dimensional Realms.”

This course, nicknamed “Dimensional Five,” was the one Mark Benson excelled at the most in the whole school.

Because... it included an introduction to the Taixu Divine Martial Realm.

In the era he was born into...

Everyone knew about the existence of the Taixu Divine Martial Realm.

“A Brief Overview of the History, Humanities, Geography, Politics, and Economics of the Dimensional Realms” begins with humanity’s history of exploring the dimensional realms.

In the early twenty-fifth century, scientists discovered the existence of the dimensional realms.

In the mid-twenty-fifth century, someone invented the dimensional anchor technology that could lock onto the coordinates of the dimensional realms.