Chapter 64: Weren’t Your Grades Supposed to Be Poor?

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived once more.

On Saturday, at four in the afternoon, Chen Meng received a message from Mo Xiaoyi, announcing his successful advancement to Divine Body Lifeform. After contemplating for a moment, Chen Meng called Mo Xiaoyi to inquire about the process of his advancement, preparing himself for his own imminent breakthrough.

Mo Xiaoyi was a chatterbox, recounting nearly every detail to Chen Meng, though his account was riddled with unnecessary digressions.

All day, Chen Meng had been practicing Ghost Step Lotus at the martial arts academy, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not make progress. This puzzled him greatly; it seemed his limit was only to analyze up to seven percent.

The next day, Chen Meng took a cab to the shooting range, where he would spend the entire day working as a part-time coach. From now on, he planned to dedicate one day each week to coaching at the range.

Determined not to become a coach who misled his students, like Coach Lu Guang, Chen Meng had devoted himself these past days to studying how to be a competent shooting instructor.

Upon arriving at the entrance, Chen Meng saw several signs displaying information about the new coaches—his own profile among them.

"Silver Fox: Master of Quickshot, Recoil Control, Spin Shot, and Stealth Shooting. Achievements: Multiple rapid-fire feats, killed First and Second Tier Divine Body Lifeforms as an ordinary human. Recommendation: Register if you wish to take your marksmanship to the next level!"

Chen Meng nodded; the description was fair.

Unlike the other new coaches, whose profiles included photographs, his displayed two silver pistols instead, just as he had requested.

As Chen Meng was reading, a familiar scent wafted by.

"This fragrance?" he murmured, turning to see Yan Ruoxi approaching. She, too, seemed surprised to see him.

Apparently, she hadn't expected to encounter Chen Meng here.

Beside Yan Ruoxi was a tall, slender man in a white shirt, who followed her closely. They must have come together.

"Senior," Chen Meng greeted her, taking the initiative, "fancy meeting you here."

Yan Ruoxi nodded slightly. "I enrolled in the clay pigeon shooting training. I come once a week, though I usually attend on Fridays. This week, something came up, so I postponed it."

Chen Meng nodded. Many students from Jiangzhou University frequented the range; given Yan Ruoxi’s enrollment in shooting training, it wasn’t particularly surprising to run into her here—the city only had a handful of ranges, after all.

As Chen Meng and Yan Ruoxi chatted amiably, the tall man beside them grew visibly wary.

"Junior, is this your friend?" he asked, scanning Chen Meng with a clear hint of hostility that Chen Meng immediately sensed.

Chen Meng smiled inwardly, guessing the man was likely Yan Ruoxi’s admirer, and seeing them converse had set him on edge.

Yan Ruoxi nodded, "You could say so. His name is Chen Meng; actually, he’s a senior high school student I’ve been tutoring."

"Yes, Senior Yan Ruoxi has been helping me with my studies," Chen Meng added with a smile, turning to ask, "Are you also a student at Jiangzhou University?"

The man didn’t wait for Yan Ruoxi to introduce him; he answered himself, "Xu Feng, vice president of the student union, sophomore at Jiangzhou University."

Chen Meng expressed surprise; from what he knew, student union leaders tended to be quite capable.

"Hello, Senior," Chen Meng said with a polite smile. Though he had little fondness for Xu Feng, he had no intention of making an enemy out of him without cause.

Yet Xu Feng seemed intent on picking a fight. He said gravely, "Junior, with the entrance exam approaching, you still have time to practice shooting? Can you get into a good university? You should focus on your studies now; once you’re admitted, then you can practice shooting. If you can’t even get into a good university, there’s no point in learning marksmanship."

Chen Meng frowned; Xu Feng’s words were blunt, but he kept his smile. "You’re right, Senior. I only come here on Sundays."

Xu Feng pressed on, "You said you’re catching up on studies? Isn’t it a bit late for that? How are your grades? What’s your class rank?"

Chen Meng was speechless—what was Xu Feng’s aim?

"I didn’t take my studies seriously before, so my grades weren’t great," Chen Meng replied calmly.

Xu Feng sighed, "I remember two years ago, when I took the entrance exam, I scored 265 in the academic section—a pretty high mark. My total score was 616, just a few points shy of Jiangdu University. Looking back, it’s still a regret."

Was this boasting?

Yan Ruoxi frowned slightly beside them; Xu Feng was clearly trying to undermine Chen Meng.

"Senior is impressive, missing Jiangdu University by only a few points," Chen Meng replied, emphasizing the ‘few points’.

Xu Feng’s expression changed minutely. When he spoke of it himself, it sounded humble; when Chen Meng said it, it felt like mockery.

"What university do you plan to apply for?" Xu Feng asked, assuming Chen Meng’s grades were mediocre—at best, he’d get into a second-tier school.

"Jiangdu University, I suppose," Chen Meng shrugged helplessly. "It’s always been my goal. Senior, you regret not getting in; once I’m admitted, I’ll be sure to tell you all about what makes Jiangdu University so special."

Xu Feng was momentarily confused. "But aren’t your grades poor?"

Chen Meng nodded sincerely, "They used to be. But lately, I’ve improved, so I’m bold enough to aim for Jiangdu University. Otherwise, I’d have to settle for Jiangzhou University, like you, Senior."

Xu Feng ground his teeth in frustration, while Chen Meng chuckled inwardly—after all, Xu Feng had initiated this exchange.

"Chen Meng’s grades have improved rapidly," Yan Ruoxi added, almost involuntarily.

"All thanks to Senior’s tutoring. If I get into Jiangdu University, you’ll deserve credit," Chen Meng replied, offering a bit of flattery.

Yan Ruoxi said no more, but glanced at the profiles of the coaches displayed before her. "My previous coach isn’t here today, so I’ll have to pick a new one from among these."

Xu Feng, his earlier gloom dispelled, examined each coach in turn. Finally, his gaze settled on Silver Fox—Chen Meng’s alias. "I think this coach is quite good. Recoil Control, Quickshot, Spin Shot, and Stealth Shooting are four advanced marksmanship techniques. Anyone who masters them is a true marksmanship expert. Since this coach claims proficiency and has killed First and Second Tier Divine Body Lifeforms, he must be a practical fighter. For marksmanship, you have to learn from people like this—not from coaches who shoot accurately but fall apart in real combat."

Xu Feng glanced at Chen Meng, "This is real marksmanship. Beginners probably haven’t even heard of these; only those skilled in marksmanship know them."

Yan Ruoxi nodded, "I’ve just mastered Recoil Control recently, and next I want to learn Quickshot."

Xu Feng smiled proudly, "I’ve mastered Recoil Control and Spin Shot. Quickshot is next for me, so it looks like we’ll both have to learn from this coach today."

Chen Meng was a bit stunned; his first day as a coach and he already had Yan Ruoxi and the vice president of the student union as students?

Xu Feng looked at Chen Meng, "Have you heard of these four advanced marksmanship techniques, Junior? I assume you’re just here to practice for the entrance exam. These are probably beyond you right now; I suggest you pick an ordinary coach, just to improve your accuracy."

Chen Meng was helpless; Xu Feng seemed intent on opposing him.

But this guy was truly unlucky—he had no idea that Chen Meng himself was the new coach, Silver Fox. It would be interesting to see his reaction when he found out.