April 5th, 2008.
Saturday.
Yangcheng No.1 High School, Class 4, Senior Year.
Fang Ping spent half an hour before finally confirming one thing—this wasn't a dream.
And it sure as hell wasn't a movie shoot—nonsense! What kind of film crew could make his classmates turn back into teenagers? That would be some divine production team!
Once he was certain this was a rebirth, Fang Ping only felt a flicker of unease before quickly accepting it.
As a card-carrying member of the "Five Poisons" generation of the new millennium, who hasn't read about rebirths before?
Even if he hadn't experienced it himself, the internet was full of such stories. Just from browsing, he knew—rebirth was the ultimate golden cheat code for every short, broke, ugly nobody to turn into a tall, rich, handsome success!
Besides, he had no money, no girlfriend, no future. Just by being reborn, he could live a few extra years. No matter how he calculated it, he came out ahead.
Finally, the class bell rang. The teacher—familiar yet strangely unfamiliar—dragged on for several more minutes before reluctantly leaving.
As for the teacher's parting words, Fang Ping figured he must have misheard them.
"Martial Arts Exam registration starts next week. Those interested should be prepared."
Fang Ping didn't care. He thought the teacher had said "Liberal Arts" registration. College entrance exam registrations were usually handled by the school anyway—why bother reminding them?
Besides, Class 4 was a science class. What did Liberal Arts have to do with them?
But compared to the monumental fact of his rebirth, who cared about these trivial details?
At this moment, Fang Ping's thoughts were on punching Jack Ma, kicking Ma Huateng.
Sure, 2008 was already a bit late, but what kind of reborn protagonist didn't shake the world with some shocking moves?
Or maybe… skip business altogether and go into politics?
Fang Ping was secretly plotting, not in the mood to chit-chat with his classmates.
These kids couldn't possibly imagine the grand plans in his mind. From this day forward, they were no longer on the same level!
Just as Fang Ping was busy building castles in the air about his future, the burly classmate sitting in front of him, Yang Jian, suddenly turned around and asked, "Fang Ping, Chen Fan, are you guys signing up?"
Fang Ping remembered Yang Jian vividly—not because Yang Jian was particularly handsome.
It was because, years later, at their college graduation reunion, Yang Jian had shown up with a full beard, looking so much like his own father that Fang Ping almost thought he'd brought his dad along.
Ever since then, Fang Ping never forgot his bearded classmate. The impression was just too strong.
Still lost in thought, Fang Ping didn't respond immediately.
Instead, his deskmate Chen Fan—part of the so-called "Ordinary Duo" along with Fang Ping—shook his head.
"I'm not signing up. It's just a waste of money.
Registration alone costs ten thousand yuan, and there's no way I'll pass. With that money, I could cover almost an entire year's tuition and living expenses for university."
Yang Jian sighed. "Yeah, but it still feels unwilling. If I don't try, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
His deskmate, another boy whose name Fang Ping vaguely recalled, also joined in with a gloomy expression. "This is our only chance to leap over the Dragon Gate. Too bad… it has nothing to do with us."
The three of them lamented with heavy hearts, leaving Fang Ping completely baffled.
What registration?
Wasn't the teacher talking about "Liberal Arts" registration?
Why would it cost ten thousand yuan just to sign up?
This was 2008! If he remembered right, apartment prices in downtown Yangcheng were only about 4,000 yuan per square meter. An exam costing ten thousand?
Were these guys kidding, or had they been scammed?
Just as Fang Ping was about to ask, Chen Fan adjusted his glasses and said firmly:
"Even if we don't take the Martial Arts Exam, the Liberal Arts track doesn't mean we'll be nobodies forever!
There are private martial arts training schools out there. Once we graduate and start earning money, we can still study martial arts.
Even if it's not as good as being a Martial Arts student, at least there's still hope!"
Hearing this, Yang Jian's deskmate grew excited. "Exactly! If we can get into a top Liberal Arts university, we'll still have decent salaries and jobs when we graduate!"
"I still want to give it a shot…" Yang Jian hesitated. His family wasn't poor, and with his sturdy physique, he wasn't willing to give up without trying.
The others didn't stop him. The chance was slim, but when opportunity was right in front of you, someone was bound to reach for it.
They all understood—if they tried to stop him now and he missed his chance, Yang Jian might resent them for life.
The three continued debating passionately, while Fang Ping sat there utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell is going on?
He swallowed, studying their faces. No one looked like they were joking.
Something was definitely wrong here.
But before he could ask, the two boys at the next desk, who had been whispering, apparently decided it was more fun to share with a larger audience.
Once Fang Ping's group quieted down, a buzz-cut boy beside them leaned over, grinning with excitement.
"Yang Jian, Chen Fan, did you guys read the news online last night?"
The two shook their heads. With college entrance exams looming, their families were strict—who had time to surf the internet?
Seeing they were clueless, Fang Ping and the others also looked confused. The buzz-cut boy—Zhang Hao—laughed gleefully.
"Too bad! You missed the biggest headline!
Do you know what happened?
Grandmaster Ma broke through to Eighth Rank!
He's not even forty yet and is already the strongest martial artist of the younger generation!
Yesterday, Penguin Group officially sent a challenge letter to Tim, the veteran Eighth-Rank powerhouse and Google's Asia-Pacific president!"
"What?!"
"No way!"
"Grandmaster Ma broke through to Eighth Rank? Didn't he just hit Seventh Rank a few years ago?"
"Unbelievable!"
"Zhang Hao, tell us! Was it an official public challenge, or a private duel?"
"An Eighth-Rank battle… If only we could watch, but there's no way we'd ever get the chance…"
Most seniors in high school had little time for the internet. Even though the news had already caused a global sensation, few in the class had heard.
But Zhang Hao had spoken loudly enough for others nearby to hear. Soon, the entire class erupted.
Zhang Hao basked in the spotlight, beaming.
"It's true! Grandmaster Ma really broke through! Not just us—even the whole world can't believe he advanced so quickly.
So when that challenge letter was released, the whole world was shocked!
If Grandmaster Ma defeats Tim, Penguin Group can expand massively across Asia and become one of the continent's dominant corporations!
And in a few more years, once Grandmaster Ma reaches Ninth Rank, Penguin might even dominate the entire world!"
"Oh my god, Eighth-Rank Grandmaster!"
"Has the Grandmaster Rankings been updated yet? This puts Grandmaster Ma in the top thirty for sure!"
"Top thirty? I'd say he could break into the top twenty easily."
"No way. He just broke through—he can't rise that fast. Unless he beats Tim, then maybe."
"…"
The entire class was buzzing, excitement shining in every eye.
Even the girls, usually uninterested in such things, were no exception.
The only one sitting there in utter confusion was Fang Ping.
His mind was in complete chaos, his face blank with shock.
What the hell?
He understood every word they were saying—he recognized each character if written down.
But strung together? Not a clue.
Who the hell was this Grandmaster Ma?
Sure, he knew Penguin Group—by 2008 they were already a giant in the IT industry.
Of course he knew Google—who didn't?
But Zhang Hao's words sounded like… Penguin and Google competing through martial arts duels?
Why… why did that sound so absurd?!
Fang Ping swallowed hard, his lips dry.
This script… feels completely wrong!
(End of Chapter)