“So he was just an airhead, almost fooled me. But that body of his is really something!”

“He’s a scoundrel, but scoundrels are even more annoying. I don’t like rude men.”

“Ah, this world is so cruel. Beautiful dreams shatter so quickly.”

“Hehe, looks like the little girl’s heart is starting to flutter…”

The new student who had been talking all along finally couldn’t hold back: “Give it a rest, stop dreaming. Even though he’s a repeating student, he still wouldn’t be interested in any of you.”

“Why not! Hmph, if it weren’t for that great physique of his, I wouldn’t even bother glancing at him,” one of the feisty girls said with a look of disdain.

The new student looked at her with even more contempt: “He’s the one who can’t be bothered to look at you. With all that flab, you’re not even worth a single strand of Ashley Cooper’s hair! He has Ashley—why would he ever look at you?”

Ashley!

Several girls instinctively covered their mouths, eyes wide in shock. Ashley Cooper was a legendary figure in Starwind City, the idol of every girl, the dream lover of every boy—unparalleled beauty, gentle and lovely, and she had entered Ander Academy with the top score. After joining Ander, she always held the number one spot, and because of her, Ander’s ranking soared. The year she left Ander, the school’s ranking plummeted.

The girls fell silent. If anyone dared say a bad word about Ashley, at least half the people here would immediately step in to fight.

“How could Ashley ever fall for such a useless man?” one girl said in disbelief.

The boy sighed with deep frustration: “I want to know too! Let me tell you, because of Ashley’s lingering influence, none of the top students at our school will mess with him.”

Even though Ashley had been gone for a year, her legend still lingered in Starwind City.

Up in the office building, Mr. Bennett stood by the window, looking down at the training field below. His weathered eyes betrayed no emotion, but in his heart, he sighed softly.

In this world, not everyone is lucky.

He was very fond of Jason Clark, which made him all the more worried about Jason Clark’s future. Jason Clark was already seventeen, and among a group of thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, he was still at the bottom.

According to Jason Clark’s age, this was his last year. If he didn’t make it this year, he would be too old to be admitted to the academy. That meant Jason Clark would have to enter society. But with Jason Clark’s abilities, he wouldn’t be able to find a job that could support himself.

No one would hire someone who only knew basic martial arts.

Even with second-level martial arts, things would be a bit better—there would be some low-paying, tough jobs. Life would be hard, but at least he could survive.

If only he had a tenth of Ashley Cooper’s talent…

Section Two: Bronze Badge

The sky had not yet lightened when Jason Clark got up on time.

He washed up quickly, turned on the light, sat at his desk, spread out a sheet of letter paper, and began to write with his head down, the pen rustling across the page.

“Ashley, how have you been lately? I miss you a lot. I’m doing well, so don’t worry. The new semester has started, and I’m still serving as the assistant instructor in Mr. Bennett’s swordsmanship class. It’s a bit boring without you here. They look down on me, and I don’t like them either. Recently, Mr. Bennett’s health hasn’t been great. He’s a really good person, and I hope he stays healthy forever. How is Uncle Qian’s health? Please send him my regards. I really want to see the Perseus Constellation’s Nebula Waterfall you mentioned—I wonder how spectacular it really is. I’m still sticking to my training. Maybe it’ll go on for a long time, but I don’t want to give up…”

He wrote a long letter, filled with little things from daily life. Carefully, he folded the letter, put it in an envelope, and sealed it.

He carefully wrote the address: Grade 3, Class A, Baihong Academy, 15th Avenue, Baihong City, Baihong Star, Perseus Constellation, Ashley Cooper (recipient).

After finishing, he took the Skyroad stamp he had prepared earlier and stuck it on the envelope.

Once everything was done, he got up again and went out into the yard.

The morning air carried a hint of refreshing chill. Jason Clark stretched his limbs until all his muscles were loosened up, then took his stance and began his daily training.

He practiced the basic fist technique.

After nearly a year of training, his basic fist technique was close to perfection.

The basic fist technique consisted of three moves: straight punch, thrust punch, and hook punch. The straight punch was powerful and forceful; the thrust punch was light and swift, coordinated with footwork, like a butterfly weaving through flowers; the hook punch was somewhere in between, focusing more on the angle of attack.

These seemingly simple basic moves were full of grace in Jason Clark’s hands—a beauty born of countless repetitions, simple and harmonious.

Jason Clark’s expression was focused; the monotonous training never brought even a hint of boredom to his face.

Soon, he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through, beads of sweat rolling down his neck.

He seemed to be surrounded by a faint mist, practicing back and forth over and over, occasionally pausing to reflect, but quickly throwing himself back into practice. Time ticked by, the sun leapt up from the horizon, and the morning chill was quickly dispelled.

Jason Clark was completely absorbed in his training.

Suddenly, a shrill bell rang out. Jason Clark stopped—time’s up!

Huff, huff, huff!