Chapter 61: Percentage

Chen Meng soon returned to his own room and glanced at his current stats.

Knowledge Points: 491
Page Count: College Runes (0/1998)
Analysis Progress: Ghost Step Lotus (6%)

He looked at the book of Ancient Wilderness Language lying on his desk, considered it for a moment, and silently recited in his heart, "I want to study this book."

The contents of the Ancient Wilderness Language instantly transformed into a beam of white light, shooting into his forehead.

There was a reason Chen Meng wanted to learn this book. First, it was the most challenging for him; second, fluency in the Ancient Wilderness Language was an essential skill for entering the Wilderness. Nowadays, every divine-body lifeform could speak it to some degree, and in college, there was even a proficiency exam. Failing to pass level four might mean being unable to graduate.

The Ancient Wilderness Language was important—it was Earth's tool for understanding the wisdom of Wilderness lifeforms.

The book contained 698 pages; if turning a page required one knowledge point, he would need 698 points in total, which meant spending 69,800 yuan. It was a luxury he could hardly afford.

"Let me try flipping a few pages first," Chen Meng thought, and silently commanded, "Ancient Wilderness Language, flip ten pages."

With a mere thought, he saw the book in his sea of consciousness slowly turning, its knowledge being absorbed and digested.

"Huh?"

Chen Meng noticed something odd—after flipping ten pages, it hadn’t consumed ten knowledge points as he expected, but only seven.

Knowledge Points: 484
Page Count: College Runes (0/1998), Ancient Wilderness Language (10/698)
Analysis Progress: Ghost Step Lotus (6%)

He examined the interface again, confirming he hadn't misread. What was going on? Was the system giving him a discount now? Had it become so user-friendly?

Unable to grasp the reason, he felt uncertain.

"What could be the cause?" Chen Meng muttered, carefully analyzing the difference between the Ancient Wilderness Language and the other three courses. "The only distinction is that I truly knew nothing about those three, but I've been studying the Ancient Wilderness Language recently, and Senior Yan Ruoxi has tutored me a bit. I already know some."

He scrutinized the system data interface and couldn't help but complain, "Who made this lousy system? Not smart at all—practically brainless. Can't it just tell me the reason? If you can't talk, at least write something simple. Don't tell me you can't even type?"

Whether or not the system could really hear him, the interface suddenly changed.

Knowledge Points: 484
Page Count: College Runes (10/1998), Ancient Wilderness Language (10/698 (71%))
Analysis Progress: Ghost Step Lotus (6%)

Chen Meng was stunned. A percentage had suddenly appeared after Ancient Wilderness Language—something that hadn’t been there before.

What did the percentage mean?

His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, "This must represent the proportion of content I haven't learned yet—yes, that's it!"

Understanding now, he could only sigh in resignation. "This terrible system—if I don’t scold it, it won’t react. Looks like I'll have to berate it more often in the future."

System: "..."

...

Chen Meng didn’t continue using knowledge points to flip pages, realizing it wasn’t necessary.

“There’s still some time before the college entrance exam. I can keep studying the Ancient Wilderness Language for a while, and later use knowledge points to flip through the parts I haven’t mastered. That’ll be more cost-effective,” he murmured. The pressure from the exam no longer weighed heavily on him, and he wanted to use his knowledge points more wisely.

After reading for a while longer, Chen Meng went to sleep.

A new day began. As usual, Chen Meng went to school, and Ma Yiqun waiting at the gate watched him with a completely changed look in his eyes.

There was a hint of admiration.

Chen Meng shook his head slightly. "Ah, what can I do? I’ve become a top student now."

Walking down the street, Ma Yiqun mulled it over and said, "Chen Meng, there were several questions I couldn’t solve in yesterday’s exam. Once we get to school, could you explain them to me?"

Chen Meng was taken aback—was this really Ma Yiqun?

He’d never hesitated to ask questions before. Then again, Chen Meng was now a top student, so it made perfect sense for Ma Yiqun to seek his help.

"No problem," Chen Meng replied with a smile. He wouldn’t refuse to help Ma Yiqun. The two had grown up together, even sitting side by side through high school. Their friendship was genuine and deep, and he’d gladly lend a hand.

...

There were four classes in the morning, but after the first two, Chen Meng requested leave.

At the school gate, he saw the dean catching students for being late.

"Chen Meng, where are you off to?" The dean smiled warmly at him, a stark contrast to how he treated other students.

Chen Meng had no intention of provoking him, so he casually replied, "The lessons this morning are too simple. Sitting in class is just wasting time, so I plan to go to the martial arts school I registered at and train for a bit."

The dean was momentarily taken aback. If it were any other student, he would have scolded them without hesitation. But this was Chen Meng—he dared not say a word.

He nodded solemnly, "Chen Meng is right. If you already know the material, don’t waste time—use it for something more meaningful. You are the future pillar of the nation, and every moment now is precious."

Looking at the shameless dean, Chen Meng sighed deeply—truly, those who abandon shame are invincible.

He left the school smoothly and headed straight for the martial arts school.

"Hope the old man is in today," Chen Meng mused. He planned to ask about foundational matters, and even if the old man didn’t know about them, as long as it was confirmed that Hong Qing had taken more than one advancement potion during the first stage of divine-body cultivation, Chen Meng would do the same.

He believed there was never anything wrong with learning from the strong.

He arrived at the martial arts school, only to be disappointed—the old man wasn’t there, and even the doors were closed.

But since he’d come, Chen Meng decided to practice Ghost Step Lotus inside, then thought better of it and practiced Mountain-Lifting Technique for a while.

Before he knew it, it was noon.

He wanted to grab a bite next door, but as soon as he stepped out, he saw the old man wobbling along on his little electric scooter.

The old man caught sight of Chen Meng and muttered, "This kid treats my place like his own home."

Pulling up at the entrance, he looked at Chen Meng trailing behind and asked impatiently, "Well, what do you want?"

Chen Meng grinned and immediately stated his purpose.

The old man listened, frowned, then remembered something. "It’s midday already—about time for lunch."

Chen Meng understood at once—he was supposed to treat him.

"Master, what would you like to eat? I’ll go get it right now," Chen Meng offered.

"I’ve heard the sauce-braised pork knuckle, steamed mandarin fish, braised pork, and imperial goose at Mingyun Restaurant on Sanli Street are pretty good. Get some of those. Ah, your master isn’t particularly picky, just buy whatever. If you could bring a soup and two bottles of wine, that’d be best," the old man said shamelessly.

Chen Meng could only grit his teeth—the old man’s shamelessness rivaled that of their school dean.

But since he still needed the old man’s help, he swallowed his frustration.

"Master, if I take the bus, it'll be over half an hour each way, at least an hour round trip, and it’ll be hard to carry all that soup."

"Just call ahead and place the order, then ride my electric scooter over. You’ll be back in half an hour, and it’s easier to transport things on the scooter," the old man said calmly, having thought of everything.

"Alright," Chen Meng replied helplessly, resigned to being fleeced this time—he’d consider it an investment in knowledge points.

At the entrance, Chen Meng eyed the old man’s electric scooter, not knowing what brand it was. He couldn’t even find the keyhole.

"Master, where’s the key for your scooter? I can’t find it," Chen Meng called out.

"What key? Just get on and go," the old man replied from inside.

Chen Meng was speechless—did he think Chen Meng was stupid? Whose scooter didn’t need a key? But when he sat down and tried riding, it really did move.

"Unbelievable—what a knockoff," Chen Meng grumbled, glancing at the speedometer, which didn’t even move. "See? Even the speedometer doesn’t work. These knockoff products are just unreliable."

But as soon as he finished speaking, the speedometer suddenly spun wildly, leaving Chen Meng utterly bewildered.

This ridiculous scooter—it even responded to his voice.