Chapter Fifteen: The Superiority of Intelligence

When he entered the classroom, Chen Feng greeted a few classmates before returning to his seat. Although his desk was tucked away in a corner, he had an entire table to himself, right by the window, with a pleasant view; without a desk mate, Chen Feng wasn’t bothered in the least.

As was his habit, he opened up a set of practice problems, prepared to continue honing his problem-solving skills—in other words, to increase his speed in analyzing questions. If he could improve just this one aspect, he would be able to attain the ultimate level of academic excellence.

But very soon, Chen Feng realized something was off.

His thoughts were much quicker, and his speed at tackling questions had increased dramatically. At first, the change was so abrupt it felt unfamiliar, and he wondered if he might have made careless mistakes. Yet, after a thorough check, Chen Feng found every answer was correct.

“How could this be?” Tapping his forehead, a sudden thought flashed through his mind: “Could it be because I injected the Captain America serum?”

There was simply no other explanation. That was the only reason that made sense.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly. He recalled reading online that the Super Soldier Serum didn’t just enhance Captain America’s strength, agility, and physique—it also unlocked the full potential of his mind, making him a perfect specimen. It seemed his intelligence had increased as well.

“Is it possible my intelligence has also been enhanced? Or did the Super Soldier Serum neutralize the side effects of those hormones I was given?” Chen Feng mused to himself.

He completed three or four sets of test papers in a row, using just a quarter of the time he would usually need. His accuracy remained at one hundred percent. The only thing holding him back was the speed of his handwriting.

It felt as if he no longer needed to analyze the problems at all—at first glance, countless formulas and solution strategies would surface in his mind. Within seconds, the correct answer would be written down.

“With this, I suppose there’s no need for me to specially train my analytical skills anymore,” Chen Feng muttered, a little amused. There was simply no need for further practice—he was now at the level of a true academic genius.

Glancing around at the classroom full of students still diligently studying, Chen Feng suddenly felt a sense of superiority.

An intellectual superiority.

He exhaled softly, realizing that while the world claims equality for all, in truth, there is no such thing.

Some are born into privilege, able to squander resources freely, surrounded by beauty and luxury. Others are born into poverty, and a lifetime of struggle may only amount to a rich heir’s monthly pocket change—perhaps not even enough to afford a wife.

Some are naturally blessed with superior intellect, gifted with an extraordinary capacity to learn. For them, no matter what the subject, mastery comes with just a touch of effort, and understanding is almost instinctive. With a brilliant mind, anything can be learned and extrapolated with ease.

This world, for all its appearance of fairness, is anything but fair.

Chen Feng was no fool. He had earned his place in No. 1 High School through his own ability. If not for a serious illness and the unscrupulous doctor who pumped him full of hormones—compromising his weight and mind—he would never have given up on himself.

Now, with the Captain America Super Soldier Serum coursing through him, the side effects of those hormones were instantly wiped away.

Not only that, but the serum had further strengthened his body—perhaps not to the original’s level, but Chen Feng could clearly sense that he was now many times stronger than before.

Just how strong was he, exactly?

Chen Feng couldn’t say for certain. At this moment, he found himself envious of those protagonists with systems—those systems always displayed data like strength, stamina, endurance, comparing the hero’s stats to those of ordinary people.

His own system, by contrast, only showed his name, gender, weight, and achievement points. There was no way to see how much his power had grown. Even when he asked questions, the system only responded if he addressed it directly, never offering so much as a hint.

He had complained to the system before, but it couldn’t be bothered to explain. (Mainly because the author wasn’t interested in playing with endless stats—blowing up planets with numbers was tedious, and wild data swings made writing feel unbearably awkward.)

“But if things are like this, maybe there’s no need for me to stay cooped up in the classroom studying!” Chen Feng murmured, a smile breaking through his chubby face. “I should talk to the teacher about it.”

As soon as the first period ended, Chen Feng went straight to the office of his homeroom teacher, Sun Minghai.

Sun Minghai was preparing his lessons. Seeing Chen Feng walk in, he looked up with a hint of surprise. “Chen Feng, did you need something?”

“Yes, sir.” Chen Feng met his gaze. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Go ahead.” Sun Minghai smiled, pleased to see a promising student take the initiative.

“It’s like this,” Chen Feng began slowly. “Sir, I want to adjust my study routine going forward.”

“Adjust your routine?” Sun Minghai looked puzzled. “Isn’t that something you do yourself? Or do you think the teachers decide it for you?”

Hmm.

Chen Feng realized he was being too roundabout. He decided to be direct: “Sir, what I mean is, I don’t want to stay in the classroom for regular lessons. I’d like to arrange my own study schedule and plan my learning according to my needs.”

Sun Minghai’s expression darkened. He understood Chen Feng’s meaning: he wanted to skip class and study as he pleased. Frowning, he spoke earnestly, “Chen Feng, I know you did very well in the last monthly exam, but I don’t want you to become arrogant or complacent. I hope you’ll keep working hard and maintain this momentum. Don’t let pride get the better of you.”

“Sir, let me put it this way,” Chen Feng replied seriously. “I’ve never slacked off. You may have thought I was unmotivated, but you didn’t see the effort I put in behind the scenes. I’ve already self-studied all the material from first to third year. If you don’t believe me, you can give me a set of college entrance exam papers—I guarantee my scores will not disappoint.”

Sun Minghai looked at the confident young man before him. He found himself half-believing, though skepticism lingered.

“Fine, I’ll test you. Here’s a set of papers: if you can score over 700, I’ll let you arrange your own schedule,” Sun Minghai replied quickly, his curiosity piqued. He wanted to see if Chen Feng was truly as capable as he claimed.

“Alright,” Chen Feng nodded.

Sun Minghai handed him a stack of test papers and had him start right there. This time, Sun Minghai was even more astonished: Chen Feng’s speed had increased dramatically. He barely paused to think, writing down correct answers with ease.

By the end of the afternoon—apart from the essay portion of the Chinese exam—Chen Feng had completed all subjects.

The teachers for each subject graded his papers on the spot. To be honest, they found the whole thing quite interesting—they hadn’t expected to be marking Chen Feng’s papers again so soon, especially ones that included senior-level material.

The results left every teacher utterly stunned.

A perfect score in every subject. Admittedly, his handwriting was still untidy, but the flawless accuracy left each teacher deeply shaken. To his own surprise, Chen Feng noticed his achievement points had increased by three. Last time, only two had been added after the teachers reviewed his work. Now, it was three.

Thirteen achievement points in total!

“At this rate, he’ll soon rival An Ran!” gasped Li Linzhu after a long silence.

Their astonishment was understandable. Just a few days earlier, they had overseen Chen Feng’s work and found him struggling. Now, his speed had soared and he handled senior-level content with ease.

“So, sir, what do you think?” Chen Feng asked with a broad smile.

“Excellent!” Sun Minghai clapped him on the shoulder. “Chen Feng, you really kept your talents well hidden! I approve your request. But I have one condition.”

“Please, go ahead,” Chen Feng replied, still smiling.

“The next exam is the midterm. My requirement is simple: you must place in the top three of your grade. Remember, top three. If you do that, you can continue to set your own schedule. If not, you’ll have to return to class and attend lessons properly. Understood?” Sun Minghai said earnestly.

Top three in the grade—no small feat. Yet Chen Feng nodded without hesitation. “No problem at all.”

As he said this, he radiated an unshakable confidence.

He had absorbed the knowledge of a university professor, and with the Super Soldier Serum, his intelligence had soared. Exams now seemed as easy as eating or drinking.

Such was the superiority of true intellect.

When the dismissal bell rang, Chen Feng stood up and smiled at the teachers, “Sorry, everyone. I have a match to get to. I’ll have to excuse myself.”

The teachers stared after him in surprise as Chen Feng left the office.

Lin Hang was still waiting to play basketball with him—an excellent chance to rack up achievement points. How could he possibly miss it?

(Apologies for the delay! I’ve been traveling these past days and couldn’t update in time. As soon as I got home, I rushed to write this chapter. I’m truly sorry for being late and hope you’ll forgive me. By the way, the number of favorites has dropped lately—so shamelessly, I’m asking everyone to add this to your favorites! As for explosive updates—well, I’m really trying, but energy is limited. Once the book is officially launched, I promise to deliver an explosive release!)