The screen was too bright.
That was the first thing Li Wei thought as he stood beneath it.
The electronic ranking board hanging above the main arena of Zhenwu No.1 Martial High School flickered once before stabilizing. Names were arranged in descending order, glowing white against a black background.
Rank 1.
Rank 2.
Rank 3.
…
All the way down.
At the very bottom:
Rank 250 / 250 — Li Wei
The characters looked smaller than the rest. Or maybe that was just his imagination.
Around him, the morning air buzzed with quiet conversations. The scent of medicated oil and sweat lingered in the massive training hall. Two hundred and fifty students stood in formation, black training uniforms crisp, school emblems stitched in red over their chests.
Some pretended not to look at him.
Some didn't bother pretending.
"Still there."
"Three years straight."
"Honestly, that's talent in its own way."
A few snickers.
Li Wei kept his gaze forward.
He had long ago learned that reacting only fed the fire.
At seventeen, he wasn't particularly tall, nor particularly muscular. His features were ordinary. The kind of face that would disappear in a crowd.
Except here, he was unforgettable.
Because he was last.
Always last.
Instructor Zhao stepped onto the main platform, hands clasped behind his back.
"Today," he announced, his voice echoing through the hall, "is ranking challenge day."
A ripple of anticipation spread.
"You may challenge anyone up to twenty ranks above you. Victories will result in immediate ranking adjustments. Losses…" He paused briefly. "Will remind you where you stand."
A few laughs.
Li Wei stared at the polished wooden floor beneath his shoes.
Twenty ranks above him.
Rank 230.
Even Rank 249 could defeat him cleanly.
Instructor Zhao's gaze swept the formation before stopping.
"Li Wei."
The hall grew a little quieter.
"Step forward."
His shoes made a soft sound against the floor as he walked to the central platform. Two hundred and fifty pairs of eyes followed him.
His opponent had already been chosen.
Rank 201 — Chen Hao.
Chen Hao stretched lazily as he stepped up. He wasn't cruel by nature, but he enjoyed easy wins.
"Try to last longer than ten seconds this time," Chen Hao said casually.
The crowd chuckled.
Li Wei bowed slightly.
The bell rang.
Chen Hao moved first.
A sharp forward step. Shoulder rotation. Fist cutting through the air.
Li Wei raised his guard.
Impact.
The force drove him backward three steps. His forearms burned.
Second strike.
A feint low, real attack high.
His cheek snapped to the side. Metallic taste filled his mouth.
Third strike.
A body blow.
Something cracked in his ribs.
The sound wasn't loud, but he felt it. A thin line of fire spreading from his side.
He didn't fall.
He always tried not to fall immediately.
The fourth strike came fast.
Too fast.
It landed squarely against his guard, shattering it. His back hit the floor hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.
The ceiling lights blurred.
Voices echoed faintly.
"Six seconds."
"New record."
Pain flooded him.
Not sharp.
Not clean.
Heavy.
Crushing.
And in that moment—between breath and darkness—something shifted.
The world didn't freeze.
It narrowed.
Sound dimmed until it was distant and hollow.
And then, inside the deepest part of his mind, something opened.
A voice.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Emotionless.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
The words appeared in darkness.
Clear.
Absolute.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Host: Li Wei]
[Compatibility: 100%]
[Status: Activated]
Li Wei's eyes snapped open.
The pain was still there.
But it felt… different.
As if it had weight.
As if it could be measured.
Chen Hao approached, preparing to end the match cleanly.
A kick descended toward Li Wei's ribs.
Impact.
The broken bone screamed.
And then—
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Pain Absorbed: 52 Units]
[Strength +0.3]
[Endurance +0.8]
[Mental Resistance +1.5]
Li Wei's breath steadied.
Chen Hao frowned slightly.
"Still conscious?"
Another punch.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Pain Absorbed: 31 Units]
[Strength +0.2]
[Endurance +0.4]
Something warm spread through Li Wei's limbs.
Not healing.
Not exactly.
But reinforcing.
Chen Hao threw a rapid three-hit combination.
Li Wei saw it.
Truly saw it.
The shoulder tension before each strike. The rhythm between breaths. The slight delay in the third punch.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Analyzing Technique…]
[Basic Tiger Fist — 19%]
Another hit.
[Basic Tiger Fist — 47%]
Another.
[Basic Tiger Fist — 100%]
[Technique Permanently Learned]
Li Wei's heart pounded.
Not from fear.
From clarity.
Chen Hao stepped in for the finishing blow.
Li Wei moved.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't flashy.
He rotated his hips the same way Chen Hao had.
Mirrored the shoulder.
Timed the breath.
His fist shot forward.
Clean.
Direct.
It connected.
Chen Hao staggered.
Silence fell.
Li Wei stood.
His legs trembled, but they held.
The board above flickered slightly.
Instructor Zhao's brows furrowed.
Chen Hao attacked again, now irritated.
The exchange was no longer one-sided.
Each strike Li Wei received strengthened him.
Each pattern repeated became his.
Minutes passed.
Sweat dripped.
Blood stained the corner of Li Wei's mouth.
But his eyes grew steadier.
Stronger.
Finally—
A counter.
Perfect timing.
Chen Hao fell to one knee.
The bell rang.
The hall was silent.
No one understood what had happened.
Instructor Zhao stepped forward slowly, studying Li Wei.
Chen Hao had not gone easy.
That much was obvious.
And yet—
Li Wei had endured.
More than endured.
He had adapted.
The ranking board flickered.
Rank 201 and Rank 250 swapped.
Gasps filled the hall.
Li Wei lowered his gaze.
No one could see the darkness inside his mind.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Victory Against Higher Rank Confirmed]
[Rival Devourer Protocol Activated]
[Bonus Strength +1.2]
[Bonus Agility +0.7]
[Ability Acquired: Burst Acceleration]
[Growth Multiplier x1.2 — 72 Hours]
His heart pounded violently.
He felt it.
The surge.
The expansion.
But outwardly—
He simply bowed.
No smile.
No arrogance.
Just quiet.
Across the hall, Lin Yuxi watched him carefully.
Rank 3.
Her expression did not change.
But her eyes sharpened.
Because something was different.
Not in his strength.
In his gaze.
There was depth there now.
A darkness.
A hunger.
And yet—
When Li Wei stepped down from the platform, he looked almost shy.
As if embarrassed by the attention.
The whispers began immediately.
"Lucky."
"Chen Hao underestimated him."
"Fluke."
Li Wei heard every word.
And he accepted them.
Because none of them mattered.
Only one thing mattered.
Pain had value now.
Loss had meaning.
Suffering was no longer wasted.
He walked past the ranking board once more.
This time it read:
Rank 201 / 250 — Li Wei
Still near the bottom.
Still insignificant.
But no longer powerless.
That night, alone in his small bedroom, he locked the door.
Sat cross-legged on the floor.
Closed his eyes.
The darkness returned instantly.
[.Martial Abyss System.]
[Host: Li Wei]
[Strength: 6.8]
[Agility: 6.1]
[Endurance: 8.4]
[Mental Resistance: 12.7]
[Techniques:]
— Basic Tiger Fist (Perfected)
[Abilities:]
— Burst Acceleration (Passive)
[Pain Storage: 0 Units]
His original strength had been barely above five.
Now
He exhaled slowly.
This was real.
No one could know.
No one.
If the school discovered something unnatural
He didn't know what would happen.
So it would remain his secret.
His suffering.
His path.
He stood up.
Walked to the mirror.
Bruised face.
Swollen cheek.
Cracked lip.
He smiled faintly.
"Rank 201," he whispered.
Then his gaze hardened.
"How far can I go?"
How far would you go… if every time you were beaten, you became stronger?
Would you endure it?
Or would you break?
Li Wei turned off the light.
In the darkness, his eyes remained open.
Tomorrow
He would challenge again.
And he would lose again.
If losing meant growing.
If you're enjoying the beginning of this journey, drop a comment and tell me:
Should Li Wei challenge aggressively next chapter, or train in secret first?
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See you in Chapter 2.