Inside the Grade 12, Class 9 classroom, Ian Song stared intently into the empty air in front of him as the lottery pointer froze on a yellow square, and his heart raced with excitement.
A flash of light passed by, and four words appeared on the yellow square: Intermediate Combat Arts.
Immediately, the four words melted away and transformed into a golden beam that shot into Ian Song's brow.
"Ugh!"
Ian let out a muffled groan, because this time, not only did his head feel swollen, but his whole body seemed to puff up like it was being inflated—extremely uncomfortable.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
That strange discomfort faded away like the ebbing tide, and Ian felt his mind fill with combat knowledge, while his body surged with explosive strength.
Feeling a sudden urge, he swung his fist at the wall.
"Crack!"
A ceramic tile on the wall shattered with a crisp sound, breaking into pieces that clattered to the floor.
"So strong!"
Ian muttered to himself, rubbing his knuckles in awe.
He pulled up the system interface again, and saw that the skill section had changed: Elementary Combat Arts had become Intermediate Combat Arts.
His stamina and mental power had also changed—stamina jumped from 130 to 500 points, while mental power only increased by 10, reaching 70 points.
"Meow-Meow, how many levels are there for Combat Arts?" Ian asked in his mind.
Meow-Meow's voice echoed in Ian's mind: "There are four tiers: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Supreme."
Elementary Combat Arts let you fight one against ten, Intermediate lets you fight one against a hundred, Advanced lets you fight one against five hundred, and Supreme lets you fight one against eight hundred!
Of course, that's assuming your opponents are all ordinary people."
"Heh, this is awesome—one against a hundred! I never thought I'd see the day I'd be this powerful!" Hearing Meow-Meow's explanation, Ian Song couldn't help but grin foolishly.
At the cold drink shop near the Saint Night High School gate, Victor Xue sat by the window, his gaze sweeping over the school entrance from time to time, a look of anticipation in his eyes.
Outside the school gate, six young men—clearly not students by their looks and dress—were squatting on the ground smoking. Whenever a pretty girl walked out of the school, they'd break into strange laughter or whistle at her.
"Why isn't Ian Song out yet?" Victor Xue bit his straw and asked his lackey Mark Ma, who sat across from him. Mark's face was still swollen, with faint finger marks visible.
"Don't worry, Young Master Xue. We've got people watching inside—he can't get away!" Felix Wang said confidently.
"Good." Victor Xue nodded, a flash of venom in his eyes.
"Ian Song."
Ian Song had just walked out of the teaching building when he heard someone call him from behind. Turning around, he saw it was the lovely teacher Hannah Han.
"Hello, Miss Han."
"Why are you only leaving now?" Hannah Han walked over and asked with a smile.
"Weren't you just leaving too?" Ian Song replied cheerfully. Ever since he got the ring system, Ian felt much more confident—even facing the lovely Hannah Han, he could stay calm.
Seeing Ian Song so composed in front of her, Hannah Han was a little surprised. "I was grading papers. Let's walk out together." Besides teaching Grade 12, Class 9 English, she also taught Grade 10, Class 5.
"It would be an honor." Ian Song nodded.
Hannah Han was stunned again, vaguely sensing that something about Ian Song had changed. He seemed far more confident and charming than she remembered.
Teacher and student walked side by side out of the school. The setting sun cast a golden glow over them, and a passing student unconsciously rubbed his eyes, thinking the pair looked perfect together—like a golden couple.
Shane Xie had dropped out before finishing middle school, and had been mixed up in the underworld for five or six years. Now, with a dozen or so underlings, he had gained some local reputation.
Today, the son of Xiang City's famous businessman Warren Xue actually contacted him, offering ten thousand yuan to bring his men and teach a Saint Night High School student named Ian Song a lesson.
It had been nearly twenty minutes since school ended, and that Ian Song still hadn't come out. Shane was starting to get impatient.
"Boss Shane, is that the kid?"
Suddenly, one of his men pointed at the pair walking toward the school gate.
Shane Xie quickly pulled out his phone, glanced at Ian Song's photo, then tossed his cigarette aside and said coldly, "Target's here—get ready!"
"Ian Song, I'm heading off. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye, Miss Han." Outside the school gate, Ian Song waved to Hannah Han.
Just then, six young men surrounded Ian, forming a loose circle around him.
Hannah Han, about to leave, was startled by the scene. She quickly rushed over and stood protectively in front of Ian, glaring warily at Shane Xie and his men. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
Staring at the beautiful woman before him, Shane Xie swallowed secretly and said, "Pretty lady, we're just here to deal with this kid. It's none of your business—I'd advise you not to meddle!"
"I'm a teacher at Saint Night High School, and he's my student. I suggest you don't do anything reckless!" Hannah Han's eyes flashed with nervousness, but since Ian was her student, she couldn't just stand by.
Seeing Hannah Han step up, Ian felt a surge of gratitude and emotion. He stepped forward to stand beside her and said, "Miss Han, please step aside—I'll handle this."
Ian had been practicing boxing at a nearby Zhao Family Fist Martial Arts Hall. Before getting Intermediate Combat Arts, fighting six thugs at once would have been tough for him. But now, with the new skill, he could take on a hundred—so what were six thugs to him?
Hannah Han's expression grew serious. "Don't be reckless. Don't worry, as your teacher I'll protect you."
Hearing this, Ian felt a wave of warmth in his heart. At that moment, Hannah Han seemed even more beautiful to him.
"Miss Han, trust me just this once. I promise I'm not being reckless, okay?"
Seeing the seriousness and determination in Ian's eyes, Hannah Han hesitated.
"Pretty lady, are you leaving or not? If you don't, don't blame us for being rough!" Shane Xie urged impatiently.
"Trust me!" Ian said again.
"Alright." Hannah Han seemed to catch Ian's confidence and nodded, stepping aside. Still, she kept one hand in her pocket, gripping her phone in case she needed to call the police.
"We're just doing a job for someone who paid us, kid. Don't hold it against us. Get him!"
At Shane Xie's command, five thugs attacked at once, throwing a flurry of punches at Ian.
Seeing the fists and feet coming at him, Ian took a deep breath—and moved.
He stepped left to dodge a punch and a kick, then kicked out with his left leg, clashing with another attacker's leg. At the same time, he threw both fists straight out, meeting two more punches head-on.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
With three sharp impacts, three thugs staggered back, groaning. Ian quickly pulled back his left leg, then pivoted on it, whipping his right leg out like a lash.
"Thud! Thud!"
This sweeping kick knocked the other two thugs to the ground, clean and swift—his moves were as smooth as flowing water.
After knocking down two more, Ian didn't stop—he spun and charged forward.
With another series of impacts, the remaining three thugs were all knocked to the ground.
From start to finish, the whole fight lasted less than twenty seconds.
Seeing this, Hannah Han couldn't help but gape in astonishment. She never imagined Ian could fight so well—three punches and two kicks, and five thugs were down.
Shane Xie was just as shocked. Seeing all five of his men taken out, he realized he'd messed with the wrong guy.
Suddenly, he felt Ian's sharp gaze fall on him, and Ian spoke up: "Since you stuck to the rules and didn't harm any innocents, I won't hit you. Take your men and leave."
"Thanks, man. I won't forget this favor!" Shane Xie said gratefully, giving Ian a respectful nod before quickly leading his men away. He was secretly relieved he hadn't tried anything with that beautiful teacher—otherwise, Ian probably wouldn't have let them off so easily.
In the cold drink shop, Victor Xue watched in frustration as the men he'd paid ten thousand yuan for slunk away in defeat. Furious and resentful, he gritted his teeth and muttered, "Ian Song, I'll let you off this time, but next time you'll regret it for life!"