As you grow up, time seems to move faster.
In the blink of an eye,
half a year had passed.
Lin Zichen felt as if he had just come to Shanhai High School to complete his enrollment yesterday, but before he knew it, the second term of seventh grade had arrived.
For him, life in middle school was not much different from that in elementary school or kindergarten.
Shen Qinghan was still his deskmate.
He continued to openly read his own books during class.
After school, he would secretly exercise his body intensely without his parents' knowledge.
The only difference was that after getting a cell phone, he often browsed various instructional videos online when he was bored at night, learning a myriad of new skills to empower himself.
Cooking, photography, driving, swimming, wilderness survival, and all sorts of sports - if it was available online and seemed somewhat useful, he would learn it.
After all, with the "Divine Human Wisdom Root" enhancing him, he learned everything quickly, so he had to make good use of it and not waste time.
During that time, in order to light up the title "Junior Middle School King" in seventh grade, Lin Zichen took the initiative to show himself off at school.
In the past term, he had been first in the entire school in every exam, without exception.
And he found time to participate in various national middle school competitions.
These included competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer programming among others.
He won awards in every competition he participated in.
Whether it was gold, silver, bronze medals, or first, second, third prizes, or even precisely first, second, third places, he had won them all.
Actually, if he wanted to, he could have won gold medals, first prizes, first places in everything.
But if he did that, he wouldn't just be the local genius; he would be a national sensation.
Then, with all the attention pouring in, his peaceful life would inevitably be disrupted, and he would no longer be able to quietly continue his evolution.
This was not the life he wanted.
The reason he was so enthusiastic about exhibiting himself now was purely to light up the "Junior Middle School King" title as soon as possible.
Therefore, it sufficed to keep himself at the top of the school.
There was no need to go beyond that.
...
Today,
after Lin Zichen left home and had just arrived at school and entered the classroom, the homeroom teacher came to him, saying the school wanted him to hold a study sharing session in the afternoon.
In the past term, his performance had been so astounding that both the teachers and students in the school were curious about his study methods.
The leadership had wanted him to hold this study sharing session for a while now.
"Okay, I got it," Lin Zichen nodded, then lowered his head to continue reading his book.
Seeing his response, the homeroom teacher did not disturb him further.
However, his deskmate, Shen Qinghan, chuckled, prodding him and said, "Xiao Chen, you're going to be the star of the show again this afternoon, aren't you excited?"
"It's okay," Lin Zichen smiled and replied.
In the beginning, he quite enjoyed the spotlight, feeling like he was the chosen one.
But as it happened more and more, it gradually lost its appeal.
"You may think it's just okay, but your little fangirls won't see it that way. By the afternoon, the school auditorium is sure to be filled with them, and I won't even get a place to sit," said Shen Qinghan, dreadfully thinking about it.
Because Lin Zichen was handsome and had such excellent academic performance, having been at Shanhai High School for just half a year, he had already captivated countless young fangirls.
From seventh to ninth grade, there were many girls who admired him.
In just half a year, he had received hundreds of love letters.
"Don't worry, I'll ask the principal to reserve a front-row seat for you," Lin Zichen said carelessly to Shen Qinghan while he continued reading his book.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghan immediately felt delighted.
The two did not chat for long and soon busied themselves with their own tasks.
Lin Zichen silently read his book.
Shen Qinghan worked hard on test papers, striving to improve her academic scores.
The Honors class curriculum was too advanced for her.
Not only were there many subjects, but the questions were also difficult, making it a struggle for her to keep up.
In order to keep up with the class's teaching schedule, she could only spend more time studying, even using the breaks between classes to stay in her seat and practice problems.
"Xiao Chen, I don't know how to do this problem, and I can't even understand the answer, teach me," she said.
Shen Qinghan picked up a physics test paper and placed it in front of Lin Zichen, pointing with her pen at the last multiple-choice question about the analysis of forces on an object.
Lin Zichen quickly glanced at the question and soon moved over to sit next to Shen Qinghan with his paper and pen, shoulder to shoulder, and taught her how to solve it.
Seeing the two of them sitting so close together, the girls in the class showed expressions of envy on their faces, extremely envious of the close relationship Shen Qinghan had with Lin Zichen.
...
Time flew by.
The moment for the afternoon study sharing session arrived in the blink of an eye.
When Lin Zichen arrived at the lecture hall, he found it was just as Shen Qinghan had said—filled with his little fangirls.
But at the moment, what he cared about wasn't these fangirls, but the ten students sitting in the front row.
He remembered the faces of these ten students, who often appeared on the school's honor roll, the top academic achievers in their junior year.
To this, he was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected even the junior year's top students to come to his study sharing session.
Junior year achievers attending a study session led by a freshman, if spoken aloud, would hardly be believed by anyone.
"It seems I've already become the king of studying within the school. Next, as long as I dominate in sports, I should be able to unlock the title of 'Junior High Tyrant,'" he thought.
Thinking this, Lin Zichen became excited inside, eager to show off his skills at the school sports event next month.
Soon, the study sharing session began.
The ten top students in the front row all listened intently, their ears perked up, fearing they would miss any detail.
Shen Qinghan, who was also sitting in the front row, was taking notes with a focused expression on her face.
The girls sitting further back, seeing how Shen Qinghan, an average student, was able to sit in the front row, were very envious of her being Lin Zichen's childhood friend and receiving special treatment from him.
...
One month later.
Shanhai High School was hosting its 70th Annual Sports Day.
The scheduling was strange.
It was set in April of the following semester, not in December of the previous semester.
Moreover, it was not celebrated with much pomp, lasting only one day.
It was evident that Shanhai High School did not place much emphasis on the Sports Day.
But even so, Lin Zichen still felt incredibly excited.
Because as long as he dominated the events today, it was highly likely he would unlock the title of 'Junior High Tyrant,' complete the achievement of 'Dominating Nine Years of Compulsory Education,' and thus gain the Biometric Attribute of 'Survival of the Fittest.'
"Participants who have signed up for the events, please go to your respective venues to check in; failure to do so within the time limit will be taken as forfeiture by default!"
A physical education teacher, serving as the chief referee, stood in the middle of the field and shouted through a megaphone.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zichen immediately went to check in.
He had signed up for individual events, namely the 100-meter sprint representing speed, the running long jump representing agility, and shot put representing strength.
"Zi Chen, you have to win the gold medal!" a junior shouted.
"Zi Chen, I will be waiting for you at the finish line when you run the 100 meters!" another junior exclaimed.
"Zi Chen, go for it!"
"..."
While Lin Zichen was in line to check in, several junior girls standing nearby shouted out to him with smiling faces.
Hearing their voices, he responded with a polite smile.
The juniors who saw his smile suddenly covered their mouths and let out a burst of giddy screams.
A boy standing behind Lin Zichen saw this and felt a sour twinge of jealousy in his heart.
He was a junior and a member of the school's Martial Arts Team with exceptional athletic talent, often representing the school in competitions.
Ordinarily, he looked down upon the school sports events as juvenile play.
But upon learning that Lin Zichen was participating, he specifically signed up to compete, aiming to take Lin Zichen down a notch.
He couldn't accept that the girl he secretly liked had become one of Lin Zichen's fangirls.
"Heh, I might not be as handsome as you, nor do I get grades as good as you, but would my athletic talent be any less? Just wait and see how I'll ride on your head and snatch first place!" the boy thought, looking at Lin Zichen ahead of him and impatient to thoroughly trounce him on the field.
...
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