January 13th, 9:00 AM sharp. The third day of winter break.

In the bedroom, the warm winter sun streamed through the window, bathing the desk in light.

Li Wen sat bolt upright, his fingertip tracing a page in a thick textbook titled *Galactic Common Tongue (Basic to Intermediate Edition)*. His brow was slightly furrowed and his lips moved silently as he struggled to sound out a complex set of syllables.

On a report card lying next to the book, his final grades were starkly displayed: Five subjects—Excellent; Foreign Language (Galactic Common Tongue)—Good.

"Hiss... These prefix syllable rules are such a mouthful." Li Wen rubbed his throbbing temples.

Even with the thirty-percent comprehension boost from [Absolute Concentration], learning this language had been an arduous journey, proving just how weak his foundation had been.

This winter break, conquering the Galactic Common Tongue to raise his overall academic score and, in turn, gain more Scholar experience points had become his other core mission besides cultivation.

The mysterious origins of this new common tongue, which had a 100% adoption rate among humans, were only vaguely mentioned in textbooks and classes.

It was no longer an old-world language like English, Russian, or Japanese, but one originating from the broader backdrop of galactic civilization, a language every human child was required to learn from the moment they began to babble.

For Li Wen, it was not only a requirement for his exams but also a potential key to accessing a much wider world in the future.

Just as he was lost in a mental vortex of arcane grammar rules, two crisp notification chimes, "DING-DONG~" "DING-DONG~," suddenly rang out, immediately followed by the unique "payment received" tone from his phone’s payment app.

Li Wen’s spirits lifted, and he snatched the phone off his desk in an instant.

He unlocked it with his fingerprint. The screen lit up, clearly displaying two text messages from Huannong Bank at the top:

[Huannong Bank]: Your account ending in 9409 was credited with 2,000.00 yuan at 9:00 on January 13 for "Progress Award". Current balance: 2,574.85 yuan. Payer: Bluestone County Centralized Treasury Payment Center.

[Huannong Bank]: Your account ending in 9409 was credited with 10,000.00 yuan at 9:00 on January 13 for "Second-Class Scholarship". Current balance: 12,574.85 yuan. Payer: Bluestone County Centralized Treasury Payment Center.

"Phew..." Li Wen gazed at the vibrant "12,574.85" on the screen and let out a long, genuine sigh of relief. A heartfelt smile spread across his face.

’It really is on time! They said three to five days, and it arrived on the third!’

This twelve thousand yuan was the key to unlocking the fast track for leveling up his physical body.

The total included a thousand yuan from the Progress Award and another thousand as an extra reward for placing in the top three of his class. He’d been pleasantly surprised to find his final ranking had shot up that high, netting him five hundred more than he had anticipated.

This meant he could get his hands on a full twenty-four vials of Level 1 Qi and Blood Potion.

For an ordinary student, consuming twenty-four vials of Qi and Blood Potion over the thirty-day winter break was almost inconceivable.

A normal person’s absorption rate required an interval of about three days to digest a single vial without damaging their foundation.

For most of his classmates in Class 21, ten vials a month was the absolute limit. Those with slightly better talent and a solid cultivation of the basic techniques could, at best, manage one vial every two days by pushing themselves to their brink. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

But Li Wen was different. He had [Absolute Concentration]!

This ability wasn’t just for studying and comprehending profound truths; when cultivating the basic techniques, it allowed him to use his superhuman willpower to precisely extract and temper every last shred of his body’s potential, ensuring the Qi and Blood energy was completely absorbed and converted without a single drop going to waste.

Maintaining the standard stance until the state of extreme exhaustion in the later stages of stance training was something ordinary Martial Artists found difficult to endure. For him, however, it was a daily trial he underwent with the help of [Absolute Concentration].

Twenty-four potions, one winter break—this was the high-intensity plan he had tailored for himself.

’Time to tell Mom and Dad the good news.’ Li Wen quickly composed a concise message and sent it to his father, Li Hong, and his mother.

He hadn’t told them he had applied for the scholarship beforehand. His father was already under immense mental stress after being laid off, and he hadn’t wanted to get his family’s hopes up for nothing.

For the past few days, his father had been busy attending memorial services for his coworker who died in the Qingmu Project accident, leaving early and returning late, so there had been no opportunity to tell him in person.

After sending the message, Li Wen picked up the *Galactic Common Tongue* textbook again, his gaze becoming focused and sharp once more.

Time flowed by as he remained focused.

It wasn’t until his phone’s 12:30 PM alarm rang that Li Wen put down his book and stretched languidly. A message promptly appeared in his mind:

[You have studied diligently for six hours. Scholar EXP +36]

[Profession: Scholar Lv. 5 (200 -> 236/1600)]

He savored the mental clarity that came with his increased Scholar level, but he still had a long way to go.

He deftly slung on a backpack already stuffed with compressed energy bars and high-protein energy paste, then left the house.

The bus to the Fire Hall moved along smoothly.

Familiar street scenes flew past the window. Li Wen had his eyes closed, mentally reviewing the difficult points of his afternoon’s Rainbow Light Saber Skill training, when an abrupt voice shattered the quiet of the bus.

"We interrupt this program with an emergency announcement. All citizens of Bluestone County, please be advised: Avoid Qingmu Road and its surrounding areas! The area has been temporarily sealed off by the Public Security Bureau due to an unforeseen incident. The time it will be reopened is yet to be determined... We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!"

On the radio, the previous advertisement had been replaced by the solemn announcement.

’Qingmu Road?’ Li Wen opened his eyes. ’Isn’t that near the original site of the Qingmu Project? A massive collapse happened there just two days ago, causing major casualties... How long has it been? Something else happened?’

A sliver of doubt and unease flickered through his mind. That project had far-reaching implications. His father had once been a part of it, and the death toll from that catastrophe had cast a pall over his whole family for days.

A few minutes later, the bus neared the outskirts of Qingmu Road.

He peered through the window.

Sure enough, a new, taller ring of blue temporary steel barriers had been erected around the original accident site. Several uniformed security officers stood at the entrance, manning a conspicuous police cordon. No-entry signs were particularly striking.

Behind the steel plates, faint plumes of dust and smoke seemed to be rising. Vehicles and pedestrians were being redirected far away from the area.

’Looks like a big commotion...’ Li Wen frowned, but that was all.

He tried to get a better look, hoping to gather more information, but aside from the blockade personnel and the steel plates, he couldn’t see any other details.

The bus quickly drove past, and the sealed-off area rapidly disappeared from view.

His intense curiosity was quickly diluted by reality—his father no longer worked there, the place was far from his home, and besides passing by it on the way to the Fire Hall, it was in a completely different direction from his house.

The news said to avoid it, so he wouldn’t worry about it. His time was incredibly precious right now; he couldn’t afford the slightest distraction.

Cultivate, get stronger, and earn money to treat his father’s illness—that was his true battlefield.

"Now arriving at: Fire Hall!" a clear electronic voice announced.