"What were you spacing out for just now? Hey, what happened to your forehead? Are you hurt?" Only then did Shuai Yu notice the bump on Su Hang's forehead, along with a small but painful-looking cut that was smeared with blood.
"It's nothing, just bumped it a bit," Su Hang replied, shaking his head.
"Like hell! Was it that Xu Feng from Mechanical Engineering? Damn, stealing someone's girl and then beating him up too—what a jerk! Come on, let's go find him. I'll knock his teeth out," Shuai Yu growled, grabbing Su Hang's arm as if he was ready to charge, brimming with fury.
"It was really just me bumping it."
"Think about it. If I actually fought with Xu Feng, would I just end up with this?" Su Hang pulled Shuai Yu back quickly.
"Really?" Shuai Yu looked at him skeptically.
Su Hang nodded seriously. Xu Feng, whom Shuai Yu mentioned, was a senior in Mechanical Engineering who had a bit of a history with him. The reason? A girl.
Back in high school, Su Hang had a girlfriend named Tan Lili. She'd gotten into Rongcheng University of Technology the first time she took the college entrance exams, but Su Hang didn't. That's why he had retaken the exams for three years—so he could attend the same school. But when he finally got in, he discovered that Tan Lili already had a new boyfriend.
To make things worse, she'd been hiding it all along. For two of those three years, she'd been two-timing him while he'd been excitedly studying to join her at the same university. When he tried to talk to her recently, Xu Feng found out and had already beaten him up once over it. Shuai Yu had been furious for Su Hang's sake.
"If he messes with you again, you'd better not take it lying down," Shuai Yu said, slapping Su Hang's shoulder. Although he was two years younger, Shuai Yu had a big-brotherly attitude.
Hearing his words, Su Hang felt a warm sense of camaraderie. Despite the drama with the girl, he was grateful to have a friend like Shuai Yu.
"Hmm?" Su Hang's eyes lingered on Shuai Yu for a moment. A thought suddenly occurred to him—this guy's quite good at fighting. He wondered if that might qualify as a useful skill.
…
Name: Shuai Yu
Age: 21
Realm: First Level
Special Skill: Two-Finger Zen (Grade F)
First-time skill extraction and refinement costs no energy points. Extract and refine?
[Yes] or [No]?
…
"Whoa, Two-Finger Zen?" Su Hang's eyes widened at the information that appeared in his mind. This guy had actually practiced the Two-Finger Zen?
"Extract and refine!" Su Hang didn't hesitate and chose "Yes."
A new prompt immediately appeared.
Skill extraction successful. Please choose between [Normal Refinement] or [Special Refinement].
Su Hang paused, then asked, "What's the difference between Normal and Special Refinement?"
The system's voice replied, "Refinement functions are divided into Normal and Special types. Normal Refinement simply strengthens the skill. With your current Level 1 realm, only 2x strengthening is possible. Special Refinement, however, allows for an evolution or mutation in the skill's essence. Both types consume the same energy points, but Special Refinement has a risk of failure. However, as this is your first time using the feature, energy is not required, and the success rate is 100%."
"A first-time registration bonus, huh?" Su Hang thought, not fully understanding but able to gather that Special Refinement sounded much cooler. Without a second thought, he selected it.
Skill refining in progress!
…......
Refinement complete. Two-Finger Zen has mutated, granting the E-rank technique 'Secret Art——Millennium Strike'! Absorb the inheritance? [Yes] or [No]?
A red crystal orb in his mind spun for a moment before a stream of information flooded his thoughts.
"Pfft, what is this? Millennium Strike?" Su Hang's face twitched.
Secret Art from the Leaf Village. Form hands into the Tiger Seal, feint to the enemy's back, and target their weakest spot for both a physical and psychological blow, crushing their fighting spirit…
"Wait…" Su Hang was speechless. The high-end, dignified Two-Finger Zen had somehow evolved into this bizarre, borderline shameless skill. He wondered if the system had also absorbed some of Shuai Yu's… unique personality during the process.
"Absorb!" Su Hang chose to absorb the skill anyway. Whatever its nature, it was a perfect chance to test out the system's power.
Swift as lightning, targeting the power spot of the body—a vulnerable area and the source of human strength… within ten meters, a single point strikes true! With training, one can strike from hundreds of miles away, temporarily disabling the target…
…
A sequence of images and information rapidly filled Su Hang's mind, each one integrating itself deeply into his consciousness. He felt a warm rush spread through his body and an instinctive urge to press his hands together, forming a tiger seal with his fingers.
He needed someone to test this on, and his eyes naturally landed on Shuai Yu, the only other person in the room.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shuai Yu asked, suddenly unnerved by Su Hang's gaze.
"Secret Art—Millennium Strike!" Su Hang muttered, invoking a line that Shuai Yu often said himself.
As the skill activated, Su Hang moved without thinking, appearing right behind Shuai Yu. Before Shuai Yu could react, Su Hang's fingers were already speeding toward his rear.
"Ahhhh!"
A scream echoed through the dorm.
In the dorm, Shuai Yu was lying on the bed, his face pale.
"Hey, did it hurt that much?"
Su Hang hadn't expected the skill to be so potent. A guy as tough as Shuai Yu was left helpless.
Shuai Yu raised a weak hand, signaling he needed a moment of peace. "I just… I need a moment."
"It wasn't that hard of a hit," Su Hang said apologetically, unable to suppress a smile.
Shuai Yu, too drained to respond, thought to himself, What goes around comes around, I suppose.
…
At a small diner near the school gate, Su Hang and a limping Shuai Yu sat down to eat. The weekend had left the place relatively empty.
Supporting himself against the wall, Shuai Yu rubbed his sore backside. "Dude, you really hit me hard. This meal's on you," he said, staring at Su Hang in exasperation.
"I didn't use full force. Come on, it can't have been that bad," Su Hang replied, trying to stifle a laugh. "Fine, I'll pay for lunch. Get whatever you want."
"Pork chop rice!" Shuai Yu didn't hesitate and ordered the most expensive rice dish on the menu.
Su Hang rolled his eyes. "You've gained enough weight already. Keep it up, and you'll be the pork chop."
"What do you know? I'm just… well-built," Shuai Yu retorted, patting his belly.
"You see, there's only so many pork chops in life. The more you have on your plate, the fewer you'll encounter in real life, get it?"