On Monday morning, Yu Fei was wearing a blue baseball cap and a pair of large-framed black sunglasses.
Coincidentally, Jiang Yifan was dressed the exact same way!
The two exchanged a glance and instantly knew the other had also passed the Skin-Refining stage and was now in the transitional phase.
Their teacher, Yan Sea, had actually given them a detailed explanation of the characteristics of Skin-Refining, but at first, no one had made the connection.
And so, first thing in the morning, Lei Xiaoqiang started acting up.
Lei Xiaoqiang grabbed a random classmate and gestured with his eyes toward Yu Fei and Jiang Yifan. Then, he brought his clenched fists together, repeatedly tapping his thumbs, all while making a series of lewd groans. The crude gesture quickly became contagious, spreading from one person to another.
Yu Fei didn't pay it much mind, but Jiang Yifan was absolutely fuming.
Li Mengyao couldn't stand seeing her crush being disrespected. She deliberately tossed an eraser in Lei Xiaoqiang's path.
As he walked past, Li Mengyao slammed her hand on her desk and shot to her feet!
"You stepped on my eraser! You're dead!"
With that, she grabbed her martial arts workbook, which she had already rolled into a club, and started whacking Lei Xiaoqiang over the head with it.
Xiaoqiang, who was hopeless at both academics and martial arts, was no match for her. He was chased around the classroom and beaten for two full laps.
Wailing, he ran to Yu Fei and cried out, "Fei, get your girl in check!"
Yu Fei tilted the physics textbook in his hand, revealing the large sunglasses he wore underneath.
"What's it got to do with me? Why'd you step on her eraser?"
"Oh, Fei! Is this really about the eraser?"
"Then what is it? You got a problem? You want me to get involved?
Li Mengyao, keep hitting him!"
Upon hearing this, Li Mengyao, who had stopped, gave Xiaoqiang a few more solid whacks before returning to her seat. On her way, she kicked the eraser on the floor into the classroom's cleaning corner.
"BANG!"
Li Mengyao had put some real force behind the kick, and the eraser had so much kinetic energy that it startled a guy who was "AFK" next to the cleaning supplies. He looked around in a daze, saw that the homeroom teacher wasn't there, and went right back to "idling."
Before long, the classroom was abuzz with whispers.
Someone had figured out the truth: Yu Fei and Jiang Yifan had successfully completed their Skin-Refining and passed the first stage.
Suddenly, no one had the heart to study anymore.
By this point, only halfway through the first semester of their sophomore year, some students still hadn't even sensed their Qi Blood, yet the class's top students had already passed the Skin-Refining stage.
It was a stark reminder that people aren't born equal, and many of their classmates couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Every child dreams of becoming a Martial Saint, but for most, it remains just that—a dream.
The news that students in Sophomore Class 6 had succeeded in their Skin-Refining swept through the entire grade like wildfire.
During breaks, people were constantly peeking in through the classroom doorway.
When it came to the martial path, the two of them were indeed the fastest-progressing students in their year.
During math class, Mr. Kun couldn't hide his delight. He didn't teach martial arts, but as their homeroom teacher, having promising students in his class who would later get into good universities meant his bonus wouldn't be short by a single cent.
Zhang Kun privately calculated that Yu Fei and Jiang Yifan's progress in Skin-Refining was far ahead of the curve, even compared to students from any previous year.
Normally, students would only break through the Skin-Refining stage a week or two after midterms. These two were a half a month ahead of schedule.
Throughout class that day, Yu Fei remained on high alert, because Lei Xiaoqiang was constantly looking for a chance to knock his hat off.
The bastard was relentless; no amount of beatings could deter him.
The crucial part was that Li Mengyao, sitting nearby, was also eager to give it a try!
To be honest, she was incredibly curious about Yu Fei's current look.
'A hottie got a new look; how could she miss it?'
When it came to knocking off Yu Fei's hat, Li Mengyao and Lei Xiaoqiang had reached a consensus. The two shared a silent, unspoken agreement.
Li Mengyao even started creating various excuses to distract Yu Fei, while Xiaoqiang lay in wait for the perfect moment to strike.
Unfortunately for them, they had no idea how terrifyingly fast Yu Fei's reflexes were.
At the end of his rope, Yu Fei shut down both Lei Xiaoqiang and Li Mengyao.
Unfortunately, Yu Fei's hat and sunglasses were eventually removed after all.
During martial arts class, Yan Sea caught the two of them off guard and removed Yu Fei's and Jiang Yifan's disguises!
The entire class erupted in laughter, with Li Mengyao laughing the hardest.
Zhang Qingyu also covered her mouth, stifling a giggle.
Their appearances were just too ridiculous.
The two geniuses reacted very differently to the situation.
With his disguise removed, Yu Fei calmly and openly presented himself to the class.
However, when someone tried to rub his perfectly smooth head, he couldn't tolerate it. Amid the chaos, he gave their hand a sharp flick; it must have stung like crazy!
Jiang Yifan, on the other hand, couldn't handle it. Being stared at by so many people, he went "red-hot" with embarrassment again.
The crucial part was that without a hat to hide under, he looked just like a round, red sweet potato! It was hilarious.
After the commotion died down, Yan Sea called for silence. He then performed a cupped fist salute and spoke to the two of them with great formality.
"Congratulations on your progress on the martial path. May your journey be prosperous!"
The other students caught on and, following Yan Sea's example, cupped their fists in salute as well.
"Congratulations on your progress on the martial path. May your journey be prosperous!"
The sound was deafening, echoing across the entire training ground. Many years later, it would still resonate in their hearts.
Yu Fei gracefully stepped forward and returned the cupped fist salute, saying,
"My deepest thanks to you all! Let us strive together!"
In that serious moment, Yu Fei's bearing was exceptional, his features handsome and full of spirit.
Jiang Yifan was also beside himself with excitement, the color of his head deepening by several shades!
He copied Yu Fei's movement, performing a cupped fist salute.
In his haste, he didn't know what to say. After holding his breath for what felt like an eternity, his face turning purple, he finally blurted out,
"Thanks, everyone! Let's all work hard together!"
Such were the students in their youth, full of vigor and vitality.
In that moment, all the usual unpleasantness seemed to vanish.
The salute Yan Sea had performed was actually an ancient rite.
A long time ago, Martial Artists lived in sects. When a disciple passed the Skin-Refining stage, it signified that they had crossed the threshold of the martial path. It was the first step in a thousand-mile journey, and their masters and friends would hold a small celebration.
That day, Yu Fei and Jiang Yifan acted as Yan Sea's assistants, helping to teach the others the Straight-Line Stance.
Once the Skin-Refining stage was complete, the sign that the transformation was ending was the regrowth of hair. Before that, it was inadvisable to rashly circulate one's Qi Blood.
Spurred on by the two of them, Sophomore Class 6 was exceptionally focused during their martial arts practice that day.
Young minds are simple and full of vigor. With such shining examples before them, a competitive spirit ignited, everyone striving to catch up.
By Wednesday, Yu Fei was scratching at his itchy scalp. New hair had already begun to grow.
This meant the Skin-Refining stage was well and truly over. Yu Fei could now begin his regular martial arts training.
The first realm of the martial path: Skin, Flesh, Tendons, Bones, and Blood!
Each stage has a primary focus for tempering, but the process subtly strengthens every part of the body.
If the tempering only focused on one area, then after a Martial Artist passed the Skin and Flesh stages, their strength would increase dramatically while their tendons and bones remained at their original strength. They would probably pull a muscle or break a bone with any casual exertion.
The newly grown hair was tough and wiry. It was fine on most of his body, but it was extremely uncomfortable in three... unmentionable places.
First, his armpits. For the past few days, Yu Fei had taken to walking with his arms slightly raised, like an old goose flapping its wings. It was just too prickly.
Second, his groin. It was so prickly and itchy he could hardly sit or stand still.
But the most unbearable part was around his rear end. Having lived two lifetimes, Yu Fei was discovering for the first time that hair even grew there. How utterly absurd.
It made him want to clench his butt cheeks at random moments, turning him from a wholesome, handsome young man into some kind of creepy weirdo.
During this phase, the atmosphere was extremely awkward whenever Yu Fei ran into Jiang Yifan.
Because only the two of them understood the awkward physical sensations they were experiencing. Occasionally, they'd catch a glimpse of the other's bizarre movements, feel a sudden sense of camaraderie, and instinctively look over... only to find the other person looking right back at them. The moment would be excruciatingly awkward!
Time flew, and a week passed in the blink of an eye. Yu Fei was finally back to his normal, sunny self. He made a solemn decision: 'My body, hair, and skin are gifts from my parents; I must not dare to injure them!'
'The ancients truly did not lie!'