“Clarence Woods, 25 points.”

As soon as the homeroom teacher’s voice landed, snickering broke out across the classroom.

All eyes turned toward the slender boy at the back. Mockery written all over their faces.

“Twenty-five? That’s gotta be the lowest score in class history!”

“I could’ve scored more blindfolded.”

“This bumpkin’s dragging down our class average again!”

Clarence sat in silence, head lowered, ears burning red. His fists clenched tight under the desk, but he said nothing.

“No idea how someone like you even made it into Haizhou First High,” the teacher muttered without even looking at him again, then continued handing out papers.

Once the papers were all given out, the teacher dismissed the class. Students began to pack up and trickle out.

“Clarence, why aren’t you leaving yet?” asked a soft, clear voice beside him.

He looked up. It was Emily Laine.

Top student, class monitor, school belle. One of the few who didn’t look down on him.

There wasn’t a guy in class who didn’t like her. Clarence was no exception.

But with his grades and poor family background, he’d never dared show it. He just buried the feelings deep inside.

“Oh... You go ahead. I’ll finish up the rest of the exercises," Clarence said quietly.

Emily nodded and left without pressing him.

Soon, the classroom was empty but for Clarence. He lingered until night before finally gathering his things and leaving.

Taking the narrow paths, he tried to avoid trouble. But just as he passed a dim alley, three figures stepped out and blocked his way, trapping him in the middle.

All classmates. Daniel King and his two sidekicks, Arthur and Damon.

“Still trying to dodge us, huh?” Arthur shoved Clarence, slamming him against the wall.

“I... I’m not...” Clarence tried to explain.

“Where’s the money? You bring it?”

“I... I don’t have any...”

“Still got a mouth on you?”

Arthur slapped him hard across the face. Clarence’s cheek swelled instantly.

Damon smirked as he reached into Clarence’s pockets. When he pulled out an old Nokia, his expression turned sour.

“Seriously? Who the hell still uses this kind of junk?”

He threw the phone against the wall in disgust.

Then Damon searched him again, this time only finding a handful of coins and small bills—barely 30 yuan. His face twisted in anger. He slugged Clarence a few more times.

“Alright, that’s enough,” said Daniel, who’d been casually recording the whole thing on his phone. He lifted a hand to stop the other two from going further.Daniel King put away his phone and gave Clarence Woods a couple of light slaps on the face. The slaps didn’t hurt, but the humiliation ran deep.

“Listen up,” Daniel sneered. “Bring me three hundred bucks tomorrow. If you don’t, I’ll smack you every time I see you.”

With that, he and his two goons walked off, laughing.

After they disappeared down the hall, Clarence slowly picked up his phone from the corner, snapped the battery back in, and powered it up. As soon as it turned on, it rang.

“Clarence, I just tried calling you. Why was your phone off?” came his mother Linda Reeves’s gentle voice.

Clarence took a deep breath and forced himself to sound okay. With a fake smile, he said, “It’s nothing, Mom. Just ran out of battery. I just charged it.”

“How’s school? Do you have enough money? If not, I’ll send more,” she asked softly.

“I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry. The classmates treat me well. Even the teacher praised me today for improving.” Clarence put on a cheerful tone.

“Clarence, when are you coming home? I miss you!” his sister Chloe Woods’s voice chirped in the background.

“I’ll come back once school’s out. Work hard, and I’ll bring you a gift,” Clarence said warmly.

“Really?” Chloe sounded excited.

“Of course. When have I ever broken a promise?” he chuckled.

After a few more words, Clarence hung up. His smile vanished.

He gripped the phone tightly, lips trembling, holding back tears—unsuccessfully.

They fell.

His family lived in the countryside. His place at Haizhou No.1 High was thanks to a favor from his aunt. He’d always studied in the village, so when he got here, he struggled to keep up. He worked hard, never caused trouble.

Still, teachers gave him side glances, students avoided him.

Why?

He knew why. Daniel King and his crew didn’t need the money—they just thought it was funny.

“What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

Clarence’s lips cracked and bled. His vision blurred.

Then, a raspy voice suddenly echoed in his ears. “Still don’t get it? Being weak is a sin.”

He jolted, eyes darting around. There was no one in sight.

“Who’s there? A ghost?” he stammered, backing away.

“Don’t bother looking. You won’t see me,” the voice returned. “Just answer me—do you want power? Want to stop being their punching bag?”

Clarence’s breath caught. “You… you have a way?”

“I am the great Elder Cycle from the Immortal Realm. Call me Elder. Pledge yourself as my disciple. Train under me. I’ll make sure no one dares to touch you again—and your grades will leave everyone in the dust,” the voice promised.

Memories of all his humiliation at Haizhou No.1 flooded Clarence’s mind. He clenched his fists."Why do the teachers and students all look down on me?"

"Why can't I even look Emily Laine in the eye, let alone tell her how I feel?"

"Why is it always Daniel King and his crew coming after me?"

"Why can't I get my mom and sister out of that poor countryside and give them a better life?"

Why?

Damn it, why!

I need power. I need strength. Now.

For the first time, Clarence Woods's desire to become stronger burned hotter than ever. He clenched his jaw. "Fine. Teach me."

"Good choice, boy," the hoarse voice said with a trace of approval. "One day, you'll thank yourself for making this decision."

Moments after, ancient, obscure characters lit up inside Clarence's mind. He'd never seen anything like them, yet somehow, he understood every word.

Without wasting a second, he dropped onto a patch of grass and started cultivating.

He had no idea how much time passed. Only when loud voices broke the silence did Clarence snap out of it. A warm current flowed inside him, soothing, like he’d shed an old skin.

The sting on his face was gone, not even a trace left.

"Master, how’s my cultivation going?" he asked the void, but Elder Cycle didn't answer. Instead, the distant shouting grew clearer.

Then Clarence realized—it was a cry for help.

He looked up and spotted two bulky men dragging a young woman toward a grove nearby, one of them covering her mouth.

He bolted toward them. "Hey! Let her go!"

As he got closer, he froze. He recognized them.

The tattooed guy holding the woman’s mouth shut was known as Dog Brother—a notorious thug from the West District. Lots of lowlifes ran with him. The other guy used to go to Haizhou First High, but got kicked out for fighting.

Clarence broke into a cold sweat. These two weren't street punks—they were trouble, the kind that tore through guys like him for fun.

"Scram, kid. Before you get hurt," Dog Brother’s lackey growled at him.

Clarence stood his ground, though his legs were shaking. "Let her go, and I walk away like nothing happened."

"You little shit, you got a death wish?" the lackey snapped and came at Clarence, pulling a knife out of his pocket.

Just as Clarence panicked, that familiar voice echoed in his mind again.

"Huh? You’ve already stepped into cultivation territory? Not bad."

"You're still here?" Clarence asked in a hushed voice, both relieved and thrilled. "Master, what should I do now?"“Kid, no need to whisper. They can't hear me, and you don’t need to speak. Just think, and I’ll pick it up,” Elder Cycle scoffed. “Look at you, all timid. But you’re a cultivator now. Crushing these two bugs? Should be nothing.”

The moment his voice faded, one of the thugs rushed Clarence Woods.

Seeing him just standing there, the thug figured Clarence was too scared to move. Without hesitation, he plunged his dagger straight towards Clarence’s stomach.

But just before the blade touched cloth, it stopped cold—Clarence’s hand clamped down on the thug’s wrist like iron. He squeezed hard.

The thug yelped in pain, the dagger clattered to the ground. Clarence kicked him in the gut, sending him flying five or six meters. He hit the ground, gagging, unable to stand again.

“You little shit! Got a death wish messin’ with me?!” the lead thug, who’d let go of the young woman, charged at Clarence, fist the size of a bowl swinging for his face.

With a loud thud, Clarence didn’t even wait. His foot shot out fast—one solid kick sent the guy crashing back, landing right on top of his buddy. They rolled on the ground like rag dolls.

“Beat it. Don’t let me see your faces again.” Clarence shot them a cold glance.

Shaken to the core, the two scrambled to their feet and fled without a glance back. Not a single threat thrown, just pure panic.

When their figures vanished, Clarence finally looked toward the young woman. “Are you alright?”

She looked to be in her early twenties—stunning face, porcelain skin that looked like you could press water from it, curves in all the right places. Her legs, long and sleek, nearly glowed against the dark.

Tears still streaked her pretty face, and the fear in her eyes made her look too fragile for this world.

“Thank you for saving me. I’m Sophia Chen,” she said, voice soft and pleasant to the ear.

“No need to thank me. I’m Clarence Woods. This area’s not safe. Better not head out alone at night.” Seeing her rattled, Clarence added, “Where do you live? I’ll walk you home.”

She nodded, grateful again.

She lived close by. As they walked and talked, Clarence learned Sophia had just moved into a rental nearby and was out getting supplies.

Seeing his school uniform, she guessed he was from Haizhou No.1 High. But when he mentioned his class, her expression flickered strangely.

Clarence didn’t notice—he was looking ahead.

They reached her place and Clarence turned to leave, but Sophia suddenly asked, “Um… could you stay with me tonight?”