Chapter 4

Outside the alley, facing the streaming sunlight, Fang Can spoke with confidence and calmness:

"I've dabbled in all kinds of learning—poetry, prose, philosophy, celestial movements, arithmetic, geometry, gunpowder development, international affairs, music, chess, calligraphy, painting… I understand all of these a little."

Fang Can spoke with confidence, revealing everything without concealment to elevate his standing within this faction.

Like job seekers filling out their resumes, had this not been another world with different nations and landscapes, he would have added that he knew foreign languages and geography too.

After all, he really did know all of them—just a little each.

As for his identity?

Naturally, he was at the peak of mental, physical, and memory capacity: Gao San in full perfection!

That's right!

The above seemingly prestigious skills, in plain terms, are called Chinese, Physics, Geography (Astronomy), Math, Chemistry, Politics, and extracurricular interests.

After swallowing the Gaokao magic pill and digesting it for two months, he could successfully regress into a fragile college student who only knew how to eat.

Hearing Fang Can's self-introduction, Li Fengtian's mind froze for a moment, then he instinctively questioned: "You dare boast so wildly? Who do you think you are, knowing everything?"

What kind of family could produce someone like you? Are you an Imperial Prince or a Crown Prince?

In this era where most are illiterate, people gain knowledge only through prenatal teaching or oral tradition; mastering even one practical skill is already rare.

Fang Can's high school education here could even be called prophetic.

'This is just basic competence for an ordinary Gao San student preparing for the Gaokao,' Fang Can explained to himself inwardly.

Faced with Fang Can's resume crushing his contemporaries, Li Fengtian couldn't tell if the boy was lying or not, yet a respect for scholars rose in his heart.

So, with a slight test in mind, Li Fengtian asked only one simple question: "Alright, can you write your own name?"

Fang Can: …

That single sentence shattered him as effectively as calling Sun Wukong 'Bima Wen.'

He had just arrived in this world with no chance to learn at all; he couldn't even read, let alone write.

Only because their speech resembled his past world's dialects did Fang Can avoid becoming mute.

Looking at the unfamiliar square characters printed on Li Fengtian's clothes, Fang Can never imagined he, a high school student, would one day become illiterate.

One glance confirmed: identified as a complete illiterate!

If tested on practical skills—even gunpowder formulation or methamphetamine extraction—he might still attempt it with his shallow high school knowledge, but his own name…

Stammering, Fang Can reluctantly admitted, ashamed: "No, I can't."

'Heh~ I knew you were bluffing,' Li Fengtian sneered, his respect for scholars vanishing instantly.

A sense of superiority rose within him—he at least could write his own name—and this conveniently erased Fang Can's arrogance as mere boasting.

Without waiting for Fang Can to prove himself, he turned and walked off, leaving the shattered Fang Can behind.

Fang Can, holding back a flood of words, could only trudge after him, realizing his top priority now was learning to read this world's script.

After all, even holding a Wu Gong manual was useless to an illiterate—no one here was Shi Potian.

As they walked, he focused his attention on the transparent panel he hadn't had time to study earlier, preparing to examine it closely.

Name: Fang Can

Body: 1.2

Spirit: 1.2

Qi: 1.0

Talent Term 1 【From Despair to Fortune】: The worse your environment, the higher your hidden stats—turning misfortune into fortune, transforming hardship into blessing!

Talent Term 2 【Unyielding Resolve】: The lower your HP, the faster you heal—only by nearing death can you awaken to the truth of life!

Description: None

…

In his vision, a pale panel, seemingly formed from e-cigarette vapor, displayed data like a game character's stats.

Fang Can guessed this must be his three-dimensional attributes.

Talent Term 1 was his innate supernatural ability—but when had Term 2 appeared?

Suppressing his inner questions, Fang Can diverted his focus to Li Fengtian's explanation.

Seeing Fang Can's complete ignorance of martial sect divisions, Li Fengtian took the opportunity to explain some basic knowledge on their way back to the sect.

Of course, the main content was bragging about how incredibly powerful the Tiger Demon Sect was—no other force in Yanggu County's hundred-mile radius could rival them, absolute authority, and Fang Can had hit the jackpot by joining, a true blessing, and so on.

As they walked, Li Fengtian in his fine woven robes and Fang Can with his short hair naturally drew attention from passersby.

But upon seeing the blood-red tiger motif on Li Fengtian's chest, everyone instinctively shrank aside, avoiding confrontation—indirectly revealing to Fang Can that the Tiger Demon Sect's reputation was not good.

'Have I just joined the Mo Sect?' Fang Can thought instinctively.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two stopped before a gate adorned with a lion statue.

Under Fang Can's gaze, the stone steps were wide, with six sect members standing on either side, dressed in black robes with red patterns.

Above the gate hung a massive plaque, inscribed with bold, powerful characters bearing the sect's name: 【***】.

'What a magnificent "Heaven Rewards Diligence!"' Fang Can inwardly praised the three unreadable square characters on the gate.

Seeing Li Fengtian approach, the gate guards bowed respectfully: "Welcome, Master Li."

Li Fengtian nodded slightly, pointing behind him at Fang Can: "This is my new disciple. Arrange his paperwork, and take him to the Training Hall tomorrow to begin martial practice."

"As you command, Master," replied one of the gate guards, bowing.

Li Fengtian turned to Fang Can: "Follow him. Train for a month first—we'll see what your talent's worth before assigning you a role."

"Wait a moment, Master," Fang Can hurriedly said, watching the guard take over and Li Fengtian prepare to leave.

"Kid, what now?"

"You… does the Tiger Demon Sect have a library?" Fang Can couldn't help asking.

Li Fengtian couldn't help laughing: "Don't tell me you, someone who can't read a single character, wants to study?"

But then he saw the boy nodding seriously before him, and his lips couldn't help but twitch upward.

"Kid, don't say I didn't warn you—reading too much isn't good for martial cultivation. As the sect master says, it's this thing called 'viewing obstruction.'"

"But if you want to read, go ahead. Just ask him directly later." Li Fengtian pointed with his finger at a nearby gang member.

Watching Li Fengtian's figure walk away and vanish from sight, Fang Can couldn't help but mentally grumble:

"It's 'knowledge obstruction,' you illiterate."

(End of Chapter)