Chapter 1: Starting Self-Discipline Today
Inside a classroom at Dongping County First High School, Xu Ming sat on a stool, his brow furrowed, a panicked expression on his face as he stared at the math test spread before him, confusion written all over his features.
"Shouldn't I be in a hospital bed?"
He remembered graduating from graduate school and starting a business with his classmates. However, just as their venture began to show promise, they were maliciously suppressed and set up by competitors.
Ultimately, their efforts were snatched away.
Years of painstaking effort were crushed by the powerful hand of capital.
He got drunk by the river late at night, and in a daze, he was sent to the hospital. Who would have thought that upon waking, instead of a hospital ceiling, he would find himself sitting in a classroom, taking a test?
This was simply a nightmare.
Rubbing his eyes again, he noticed "Third Year High School Practice Test" written at the top of the paper, and a sigh of relief immediately escaped him.
Phew~ Good thing it wasn't the college entrance exam.
He lifted his gaze. The figures of his classmates in the front rows were familiar, yet he couldn't recall many of their names. Above the blackboard directly opposite him, a red banner was displayed.
"Aspire to stroll through Tsinghua Garden, only through diligence can you reach Weiming Lake."
He subconsciously murmured the large characters, then suddenly jolted, finally confirming one thing.
"This is Dongping First High. I've been reborn back into my old high school?"
Looking at the ceiling fan above and the famous quotes on the walls, his mind gradually calmed, while long-forgotten memories flooded back like a tide.
As the county's high school, Dongping First High would cover all high school courses during the first and second years. Especially after the second semester of the third year, essentially every day was just tests and problem-solving sessions.
Having figured out his situation, he had just accepted reality when he suddenly felt a nudge on his arm.
He instinctively turned his head and saw a familiar face enter his vision.
"Got any ideas for the second fill-in-the-blank question?"
Qian Hong had naturally curly hair and was of average height among the boys in their class. His face revealed the pure, slightly foolish innocence of a high school student.
His gaze lingered on his deskmate, and Xu Ming's mind was flooded with thoughts.
In his previous life, Qian Hong had gone to Jincheng for university, and they had lost touch, not seeing each other for many years.
After a brief moment of愣怔 (stunned/dazed), he lowered his head and glanced at the fill-in-the-blank question Qian Hong had mentioned, trying to recall his previous test-taking mindset.
"The range of x for which log(-x) < x+1 holds true..."
After seriously scrutinizing the problem for almost two minutes, he started to feel flushed, his mind still a chaotic mess.
What was the domain of a logarithmic function again?
Solving inequalities? Forget it.
After all those years of entrepreneurship, his knowledge had long since settled somewhere unknown; he couldn't recall formulas or theorems, let alone provide an accurate answer.
He could only choose to give up.
However, he wasn't discouraged; instead, his gaze grew even more determined.
After all, he had a "new brain" now. He was confident that with some review, he could quickly bring his knowledge back.
In his previous life, his college entrance exam results hadn't been ideal, and for other reasons, he had ended up choosing a private undergraduate university within the province. Although he worked hard in university and later got into Yan Jing University for graduate school, a sense of regret always lingered in his heart. More than once, he had fantasized about returning to high school to correct the mistakes of his youth.
"Since the heavens have given me a second chance, I absolutely cannot walk the old path again," Xu Ming mused to himself.
Just as he was about to make a study plan, a translucent screen suddenly appeared before his eyes, causing his upper body to involuntarily lean back. He nearly cried out in alarm.
Seeing that no one else reacted, he finally let out a breath of relief.
He then looked at it again, and several lines of black text gradually appeared on the panel.
——
Name: Xu Ming Profession: Student Math: Lv0 (23/100) Physics: Lv0 (20/100) Chemistry & Biology: Lv0 (25/100) Chinese: Lv0 (29/100) English: Lv0 (33/100) Talent: Absolute Self-Discipline Entries: None
"This information is..."
Upon seeing the content, Xu Ming first froze, then fell into ecstasy.
If anyone else encountered such a thing, they might suspect it was due to excessive study pressure, leading to mental stress and hallucinations; after all, third-year high school students often have minor ailments. But he knew this must be his potential being completely unleashed.
Temporarily suppressing his excitement, he quickly examined it more closely.
First, his gaze landed on the Talent section, and soon, the text information changed again.
[Talent: Absolute Self-Discipline] [Effect: You will always relentlessly pursue and complete any study goals you set for yourself.]
As the content flashed before his eyes, even with Xu Ming's decades of life experience, he found it hard to control his excitement.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Most students are prone to intermittent ambition; whenever they're asked to write down their goals for the semester, their aspirations tend to be grander than the last, yet those who actually persist and achieve them are often few and far between.
If he could maintain self-discipline, not only would he be confident in getting into a key university, but pursuing a master's or doctorate would also be no problem in the future.
He could even delve deep into scientific research and academia, achieve great things, and advance the progress of civilization.
After all, in his previous life, while studying for his master's at Yan Jing University, he had decisively chosen Materials Science, a field often dubbed a "pitfall major," and even achieved considerable success in it.
When he decided to start his business, his advisor had even tried to persuade him to stay, hoping he would pursue a doctorate.
Furthermore, after studying the other contents of the panel...
Besides this talent, he also discovered that by continuously studying, he could raise his subject levels.
This would allow him to draw various 'entries' or 'traits' to help improve his knowledge.
"Then from today onwards, I will become self-disciplined..." Xu Ming took a deep breath, making a silent resolve.
Immediately, he decisively pulled out his first-year high school math textbook, Volume 1, from his desk.
He started his review with sets.
Currently, all his subject levels were at zero. Compared to Chinese and English, which required time for memorization, focusing his main energy on math would undoubtedly accumulate subject experience faster.
This way, he could draw those anticipated 'entries' sooner.
Moreover, as the foundation of all subjects, improving his math level would also aid in reviewing physics, chemistry, and biology.
He recalled that in his previous life, when researching materials, his weaker math skills had caused him considerable difficulty.
Seeing Xu Ming's prolonged lack of reaction, Qian Hong was about to ask him something when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a figure outside the window. He quickly sat up straight and whispered a warning.
"Our homeroom teacher is back."
Wang Qingtao, who was both a math teacher and their homeroom teacher, returned to the podium and sat down. Like everyone else, he was also working on the same math practice test.
However, his answering speed was much faster.
Every half hour, he would get up and walk around the classroom, casually checking on the students' progress.
His gaze lingered on the test papers as he scanned back and forth, his expression sometimes relieved, sometimes shaking his head.
But as he turned down the northern aisle, returning to the podium from the back row, his footsteps suddenly halted.
His brow furrowed tightly.
In his line of sight, Xu Ming was flipping through his math textbook. Though he looked serious, this wasn't something that should happen during an exam.
"Could it be that he hasn't even memorized the formulas and has to look them up in the book?" he couldn't help but ponder as he saw this.
He searched his memory for impressions of Xu Ming; he didn't recall the boy's math scores being this bad. How could they have declined so drastically over one winter break?
Despite his doubts, Wang Qingtao didn't criticize him directly; instead, he simply addressed everyone and rambled a bit more.
"Most of the question types on this test, we've already covered," he said, moving around and continuing, "The overall difficulty of the paper isn't high. Anyone who answers incorrectly will be letting down their teacher's earnest guidance."
He decided to find time another day to have a proper talk with Xu Ming.
The hundred-day sprint was about to begin; now was not the time to drop the ball.
Meanwhile, Xu Ming paid no attention. At this moment, he was completely engrossed in mathematics, feeling immense enjoyment as he reviewed the knowledge points.
He continuously received positive feedback, and dopamine was being secreted.
At this moment, it was as if he was delving into that knowledge because he had developed a strong interest in mathematics, rather than simply to complete a goal.
As time passed, a vast number of mathematical symbols and formulas were continuously awakened and recalled in his mind.
It was as if a wrung-out sponge was reabsorbing its lost mathematical nutrients. He felt a sense of accomplishment in math that he had never experienced before, making him even more delighted with his Self-Discipline talent.
At the same time, new information continuously appeared on the panel.
[Through diligent study, your [Math] level has increased, gaining 5 experience points.]
(End of Chapter)