Provocation and covenant war

A warm current surged from his brain and spread throughout his body in an instant.

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and held back a moan of comfort.

His breathing became lighter, and his vision clearer.

He clenched his fists, even feeling as if his own strength had grown stronger.

No, it might not be an illusion, after all, a healthy and excellent body can become stronger more easily!

Lin Xiao's spirits lifted, and he worked even harder to gain experience points.

The teacher at the podium adjusted his glasses, looking at the suddenly diligent student with a hint of confusion on his old face.

...

In the lunchtime cafeteria, a girl with shoulder-length hair and a pretty face took a bite of her chicken leg and mumbled in complaint, "That Wu Zhixing is going too far! What's so great about bullying classmates?"

Sitting opposite Zhao Siya, Lin Xiao looked at her still-angry round face and said calmly, "It's a fact that I'm not strong enough; there's no need for you to get angry with him."

Actually, Lin Xiao didn't know why the other party targeted him so much.

Wu Zhixing was indeed domineering in daily life, but he didn't seem to be idle in causing trouble for classmates.

There were several students at the bottom of the class, and Lin Xiao wasn't the worst, but he was the one Wu Zhixing disliked the most.

"You were third in the entrance exam! If it weren't for your health later on..."

Zhao Siya stole a glance at Lin Xiao, and seeing his face as usual, she continued, "If it weren't for your frequent fainting, he wouldn't be able to compare with you now!"

Zhao Siya and Lin Xiao were from the same neighborhood, and their families had a good relationship. They had grown up together since childhood, almost like family.

Before university, it was always Lin Xiao who stood up for Zhao Siya, but now it was the other way around...

"Yo—! Eating together again, huh?"

A frivolous voice came from behind. Lin Xiao saw Zhao Siya's face on the opposite side droop immediately, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Turning his head, he saw a tall and thin man walking over.

He wasn't actually thin, but his height of nearly six feet four inches was too lanky, making him look a bit gaunt, with a somewhat sharp and mean expression.

Wu Yong, ranked 17th in the class, was Wu Zhixing's lackey.

Walking between the two, Wu Yong glanced at the meal trays on the table and started to speak sarcastically again.

"I say, Zhao Siya, hanging out with trash every day, be careful you don't become weak too."

Zhao Siya coldly raised her eyelids and said indifferently, "None of your business."

"You...!"

Wu Yong was about to spew out some vulgar language, but he bit his teeth and held back. Then he turned his anger on Lin Xiao.

"Hey... you know what you are, don't you? Shouldn't you just get lost? Don't hold others back."

Lin Xiao looked at him with interest. Wu Yong actually had no particular interest in him.

He would mock him usually, not only to agree with Wu Zhixing but also because of Lin Xiao's childhood sweetheart.

This person had a crush on Zhao Siya, and seeing the two of them together every day, he was full of jealousy, always targeting Lin Xiao.

He took a sip of soup, and a pleasant smile appeared on Lin Xiao's face.

"I don't think I'll hold her back."

"Ha—! What are you talking about?"

Wu Yong掏了掏耳朵 (touched his ear), and an exaggerated surprised expression appeared on his face.

"Every day during free sparring, you always choose Zhao Siya as your opponent. Aren't you just counting on her to go easy on you?"

He reached out, grabbed Lin Xiao's collar, and said in a gloomy tone, "How about we practice this afternoon? Let me show you just how trash you really are..."

"Wu Yong—! Let go of me!"

Zhao Siya slapped the table with both hands, stood up, her small face full of anger, and she shouted fiercely.

Others in the cafeteria were also attracted by the commotion and cast their gazes over, watching the spectacle.

Lin Xiao stood up, facing him head-on.

At six feet two inches tall, he was at a slight disadvantage compared to Wu Yong, but he didn't back down in terms of momentum.

"Alright, let's be opponents this afternoon."

"Lin Xiao...!"

Zhao Siya wanted to stop him but was interrupted by Lin Xiao's raised hand, leaving her anxious and blushing.

Wu Yong obviously didn't expect Lin Xiao to really accept the challenge, and he was stunned for a few seconds with a surprised look on his face, then a cruel sneer appeared.

"It's a deal, kid... don't come crawling to me begging for mercy later!"

"You might not be qualified enough for that."

Lin Xiao shook off his right hand and calmly straightened his clothes.

"Good! You've got guts..."

Wu Yong nodded, gave him a cold look, and then turned and left the cafeteria.

"Lin Xiao! Why did you accept his provocation?!"

As soon as Wu Yong's figure disappeared, Zhao Siya bounced over to Lin Xiao like a rabbit, grabbing his shoulders and shaking them vigorously.

"He's really going to be ruthless! Why have you become so impulsive?!"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Lin Xiao quickly grabbed the girl's hands; he felt like his head was about to be shaken to a pulp.

"Don't worry, I might not necessarily lose..."

"...His punch has a force of over 750kg, and his military martial arts are qualified. I might not even be able to beat him..."

Zhao Siya gazed at his eyes with a hint of anger, pouting her lips.

Lin Xiao laughed and reached out to gently pull the girl's cheeks to the sides, making a ridiculous face.

"My headache is gone, and I've become much stronger now."

Zhao Siya blinked her big eyes, her face full of doubt.

"Really? How can you be sure you're better? And even if you are, you can't become strong all at once..."

"It's okay, at least I won't lose too badly."

He patted Zhao Siya's head and continued to eat his lunch.

He lied; this time... he was going to win.

...

The Military University had a good treatment, with free dormitory buildings on campus.

Two people shared a room for naps and overnight stays.

Lin Xiao's roommate was named Luo Tao, a somewhat introverted and shy person who didn't like to talk much.

He wasn't a classmate, but they had a decent relationship.

After greeting each other with a nod, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on the bed.

Wu Yong's strength attribute was 10, and his agility was 8.

When he touched him just now, Lin Xiao saw Wu Yong's attributes.

Lin Xiao's strength was 8 points, with a punch force of 534kg, while Wu Yong's punch force was over 750kg.

Why was there such a big difference in strength with only a two-point gap?

If calculated on average, each point of Lin Xiao's strength attribute was about 66kg, while Wu Yong's was over 75kg.

Moreover, Wu Yong's agility was only 8 points, so his energy loss during exertion must be relatively high.

If his agility increased, his punch force might reach over 800kg.

Perhaps, the growth of strength attributes isn't a straight line but an upward curve...

...The further along, the more valuable each point of attribute becomes?

After making this guess in his heart, Lin Xiao opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Xiao]

[Potential Points: 2]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 9]

[Constitution: 8]

[Spirit: 10]

[Skills: Wei Neng Refinement Method (Incomplete) - Lv1 (82%), Boxing - Lv0 (89%), Two-Handed Sword - Lv0 (95%), Footwork - Lv0 (78%), Speed Memory - Lv1 (0.5%), Mental Calculation - Lv1 (0.1%), Drawing - Lv1 (0.1%)]

After Speed Memory upgraded to Lv1, the most noticeable change was the improvement in memory.

Paragraphs that used to require two or three readings to memorize could now be remembered with just a quick glance.

However, a problem arose: the upgrade became very slow.

Not only did the required experience points for skills increase, but the speed at which he gained experience points also slowed down.

Each subsequent paragraph of memorization only added 1 point of experience, and some shorter paragraphs didn't give any at all.

It was probably because after the skill upgrade, these activities no longer served as effective training.

After memorizing a few pages and finding the experience points only reached 0.5%, Lin Xiao immediately gave up on grinding points for Speed Memory and started looking for other ways to earn experience points.

After searching for a whole morning, he discovered the skills of mental calculation and drawing.

Lin Xiao couldn't draw; what he drew were geometric models.

Random scribbling didn't yield experience points, but drawing geometry did, especially polyhedrons.

Not every action could be recognized by the system as a skill, and Lin Xiao summarized his experience.

Speed Memory enhanced memory; mental calculation enhanced computational power; and drawing enhanced spatial imagination.

The common point of these skills was that they all exercised Lin Xiao's brain.

As for the other skills on the panel, they not only tempered his body but also strengthened his techniques in using his physical strength.

All of these provided a clear positive enhancement for Lin Xiao.