Chapter 72: The Ugly Duckling’s Rise

After learning about Jiang Xincheng’s achievement, Li Haiying’s expression was truly a sight to behold. A tangled mess of emotions flickered across her face—sourness, sweetness, bitterness—like a spilled jar holding all the flavors of life.

Inside the private karaoke booth, Liu Ping was singing alongside Li Haiying. Several underlings and attractive ladies filled the surrounding seats, helping the group live it up. Of course, their main goal was to distract Liu Ping from his gloom.

Earlier that day, during the Primordial Force aptitude test, Liu Ping scored a mere thirty points. Over the past year, his progress had been painfully slow. He still hadn’t broken through to the Tendon Training Realm.

A few months ago, he’d reached the Late Muscle-Tempering Stage. Back then, he dreamed of shocking everyone by breaking through to the Tendon Training Realm before the end-of-year exams, securing a perfect score. But after his fight with Jiang Xincheng, he suffered serious injuries.

Despite relentless training since then, his strength hadn’t budged. Frustrated and clueless about why, he’d dragged his crew out tonight to drink and sing his worries away.

Li Haiying hadn’t improved much either, though she fared slightly better than Liu Ping. She’d scored fifty points on the test, a respectable result.

“I-I-I-I love you so, yeah-yeah-yeah, come on, come on! Whoa-whoa-whoa, haha!”

Suddenly, a chubby kid’s phone rang. The noise made Liu Ping scowl mid-lyric. “Put your phones on silent! Can’t even enjoy a damn song in peace!”

The chubby boy apologized quickly and answered cautiously. “Monkey? What’s up?”

“Hey, Fatty. Got some bad news for you and Boss Liu,” came Monkey’s dejected voice.

Fatty frowned impatiently. “Spit it out, then! Shit or get off the pot. What’s with the hesitation?”

“Uh…” Monkey sounded taken aback. “Didn’t you tell me to keep tabs on Jiang Xincheng? Just heard—that bastard scored a perfect hundred on today’s Primordial Force test!”

“What?!” Fatty yelled in shock. “Jiang Xincheng? That loser? Perfect score? I only got sixty! And I’m almost at the next stage! How’s it possible he got a hundred?!”

Silence instantly choked the booth. Everyone stared at Fatty. Liu Ping and Li Haiying included.

Liu Ping’s brow furrowed. “Fatty! Put it on speaker. I want to hear this. And mute the music! Shut that damn singing off!”

Everyone scrambled to silence the background songs. Not a soul dared whisper as Fatty switched his phone to speaker, filling the room with Monkey’s voice.

Li Haiying’s wide eyes fixed onto the phone in Fatty’s hand, unblinking. Jiang Xincheng? That worthless trash got a perfect score? Impossible.

Everyone present knew how incredibly rare a perfect score was at Tianhai University. It meant either breaking through a whole major realm or advancing at least two minor stages. Could that loser have improved that fast?

Monkey continued, horrified: “I didn’t believe it either! But I asked around—even some guys in his dorm! It’s true. He aced it. And get this—when he first enrolled, he was only at the Initial Stage of Muscle Training! In just one year, he jumped a whole major realm—six minor stages! He’s already Late Tendon Training Stage now! A monster who can compete with third and fourth-year elites! That’s why the teachers gave him full marks!”

“I swear it’s gospel truth. Everyone in the College of Computer Management and Science knows! Fat Bro, if you don’t believe me, go ask yourself! Jiang Xincheng—that kid’s freaky talented!”

After Monkey’s words faded, thick silence smothered the booth. No one spoke for a long time. Liu Ping’s face slowly drained of color, turning paper-white. Across the room, a hint of regret flickered across Li Haiying’s beautiful face, then spread like wildfire until it consumed her entire expression.

Even after hearing Jiang Xincheng had defeated Zhuo Qiang (who was at Late Tendon Training Stage), Liu Ping and Li Haiying had feared he might be Tendon Training Realm—perhaps even stronger than just the Early Stage.

But Zhuo Qiang insisted Jiang Xincheng had tricked him—that his true strength wasn’t so high. Happy to believe the lie, Liu Ping and Li Haiying had clung to the fantasy that Jiang Xincheng wasn’t that powerful. They’d fooled themselves.

Now the truth slapped them hard. Jiang Xincheng was a Tendon Training expert. Not Early, not Mid—but Late Stage! A monster who crushed all first-years! A talent ranked among Tianhai’s third and fourth-year elite students!

Liu Ping himself? He lingered only at the Peak Late Muscle-Tempering Stage. A gaping chasm separated them—one entire major realm and three minor stages.

Li Haiying? Barely into the Late Muscle-Tempering Stage. She faced the gulf of one major realm and nearly four minor stages.

As for Liu Ping’s lackeys? The strongest was Peak Late Muscle-Tempering Stage. Hopelessly outclassed. No match for Jiang Xincheng at all.

The sheer strength Jiang Xincheng possessed pushed Liu Ping toward despair. Just months ago, Jiang Xincheng was nothing—a pathetic loser whose girlfriend he’d stolen. Campus-wide trash.

But in under half a year, that trampled failure had soared to heights he could never reach. The distance between them now? Like the sky above the earth.

Regret flooded Liu Ping. He’d pressed Jiang Xincheng too hard, gone too far. But the bridge was burned; no going back. Li Haiying’s remorse cut deeper. Once, she’d viewed Jiang Xincheng as worthless stock—scrap paper—and Liu Ping as prime blue-chip. The winning ticket.

So when Liu Ping pursued her, Li Haiying had rushed headlong into his arms. Behind Jiang Xincheng’s back, she played games—cheating without a shred of guilt.

To cling to Liu Ping’s favor, she sacrificed Jiang Xincheng completely. Stabbing him deep, she turned him into the laughingstock of the College of Computer Management and Science. Her reward? Becoming Liu Ping’s girlfriend.

But barely two months later, her prized ‘blue-chip’ Liu Ping remained unchanged. Rich family, family assets soaring past millions—all the wealth she coveted. Still, an easy shortcut into high society.

That ‘scrap paper’ Jiang Xincheng, though? He’d risen like a phoenix. From penniless joke to the undisputed star—the top performer blazing a trail none could follow. The first-year class’s awe-inspiring monster.