Chapter Five: Opportunity Arrives!

"You're right, I really have been slacking off with my studies lately. From now on, I'll keep working hard!" Suddenly, Chen Feng turned and smiled at Fang Yue.

Huh!

Fang Yue was briefly stunned. He suddenly felt that Chen Feng seemed a little different today. Normally, he would just deal with everything in silence, wouldn’t he? What had gotten into him? Chen Feng was always the silent warrior.

"I'm glad to hear you think that way," Fang Yue replied with a gentle smile.

Chen Feng made his way to his seat and casually opened a brand-new textbook. Ever since these books had been handed out, he’d barely looked through them. Now, flipping open the textbook and glancing at it for a while, he felt as if he were reading an alien script. Since the start of the second year, he hadn’t really studied at all, and now he found it particularly difficult to get back into it.

In truth, it wasn’t that Chen Feng had truly given up on himself. Before starting high school, he had suffered a serious illness. In their desperation to find a cure, his parents had turned to all sorts of remedies, ultimately falling into the hands of an unscrupulous doctor who gave him steroids. Though he recovered, his body began to swell rapidly, transforming him from a handsome young man into the round figure he was now.

But that wasn't the worst of it. His memory and reaction times had begun to decline. He would frequently forget things, and whatever he managed to remember would soon slip away again. As a result, his grades never improved. Over time, Chen Feng simply gave up.

What about the English textbook, he wondered?

With a flicker of thought, he opened his English textbook. The moment he did, Chen Feng was inwardly startled. Of all his subjects, English was by far his worst. His academic weaknesses were severe, and English was always his Achilles' heel. In every test, he’d score only twenty or thirty points, relying solely on blind guesses for multiple-choice questions.

Yet now, Chen Feng felt something strange. The English text made as much sense as Chinese, as if it were his mother tongue.

Exchanging just one achievement point for English proficiency had been worth it.

Chen Feng felt his heart stir. Cradling the textbook, he found for the first time that English was actually rather charming. He mouthed the words, reading out every sentence with a flawless accent, as natural as a native American.

Fang Yue glanced back, noticing Chen Feng earnestly reading his English book, and couldn’t help but smile.

Exhaling deeply, Chen Feng set down the book. He felt as though there was no need to consciously study English anymore. In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that even the school’s English teacher might not be any better than he was now.

The Great Extraction System!

A thought crossed Chen Feng’s mind, and instantly the Great Extraction System appeared before him. A virtual interface materialized, hovering directly in front of his eyes—unlike the night before, this time it was a three-dimensional screen suspended in the air.

Hmm!

Scanning the room, Chen Feng noticed that none of his classmates seemed to see anything unusual. Apparently, the virtual screen was invisible to them.

“So, besides extracting abilities from fictional characters, I can now extract abilities from anyone in the real world?” he muttered, his gaze settling on Fang Yue. Not only was she the class beauty, but she also held the top academic record.

Extract character—Fang Yue!

Chen Feng focused his thoughts, and Fang Yue’s profile immediately appeared on the screen.

Name: Fang Yue
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Extractable Abilities:
Chinese Language Proficiency – 1 achievement point required
Mathematics Proficiency – 1 achievement point required
Physics Proficiency – 1 achievement point required
Chemistry Proficiency – 1 achievement point required
Biology Proficiency – 1 achievement point required

Cross-Stitching – 1 achievement point required
…

“Only one point? Does that mean our difference isn’t that great?” Chen Feng was a bit surprised. Normally, English would have appeared as an option for extraction, but since he had already acquired Captain America’s English skills, that option had disappeared.

Still, even a single point was out of reach for him now. He had no achievement points left, so there was no way to exchange for anything.

All of a sudden, Chen Feng realized he didn’t really need to study hard anymore. He could just keep things as they were. As long as he earned enough achievement points, that would suffice. But how on earth was he supposed to earn those points?

This thought left Chen Feng frustrated, and he scratched his head in dismay. He was sure the Great Extraction System wasn’t just relying on the five points gifted each month. There had to be another way to earn achievement points. Just then, the teacher entered the classroom and began the lesson, but for Chen Feng, it was all incomprehensible—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make sense of it.

What a hassle!

With little else to do, Chen Feng started fiddling with the Extraction System. Soon, he discovered something interesting: for academic knowledge, no matter whose ability he tried to extract, it always cost just one achievement point—even for teachers.

It seemed that, up to a certain threshold, the lowest cost for extraction would always be one point.

After two classes, the homeroom teacher, Sun Minghai, entered the room. Chen Feng noticed that all the students were leaving with the teacher and, puzzled, followed along, not knowing what was happening.

It didn’t take long to find out. Sun Minghai was leading the class to the school gymnasium. Their school had excellent facilities and a staff of exceptional teachers. The gymnasium was especially well-equipped, catering not just to academic students but also to a sizable number of student athletes.

Only then did Chen Feng realize—it was time for the basketball tournament for the second-year classes. The school was known for academic excellence, but to relieve the stress of study, they regularly organized activities like this.

This was one of the bigger events; all twenty-four classes in the grade would participate.

Each class formed its own team, and the tournament had been underway since the start of the term. By now, the field had been narrowed down to six teams, and today’s matches would decide the top three.

At this stage, the games were sure to be exciting.

Watching the match unfold, Chen Feng’s thoughts began to stir. Just last night, he had extracted Mitsui Hisashi’s basketball skills. If he could participate in this match and shine, might he earn some achievement points?

The damn system had only vaguely stated that “achieving certain accomplishments” would earn points, but how those accomplishments were judged was something he’d have to figure out for himself.

“But how do I get on the court?” Chen Feng glanced at Sun Minghai, hesitating over whether or not to ask.

His class—Class Six—was actually quite strong.

As Chen Feng hesitated, the game began: Class Six versus Class Two.

“Lin Hang! Lin Hang! Lin Hang!”

As Chen Feng pondered how to get on the team, a chorus of girls’ cheers interrupted his thoughts. From Class Two, a group of boys in blue jerseys took to the court.

Lin Hang!

Chen Feng muttered the name to himself. Lin Hang was a legend at their school—good-looking, an exceptional basketball player, and academically outstanding, always ranking in the top fifty of the grade.

He was on the school basketball team and had once helped them finish in the top four citywide.

It was hard not to be the school idol with credentials like that.

The moment Lin Hang appeared, the faces of Class Six’s players fell. Their team might be among the top six in the school, but compared to Lin Hang, they were simply outclassed. In terms of basketball skills, Lin Hang was in a league of his own.

“This round, let’s just try to keep things steady. Don’t let the score get too lopsided!” said Zheng Qiang, another member of the basketball team, to his four teammates.

He knew Lin Hang’s abilities all too well.

“Zheng Qiang, fancy seeing you here!” Lin Hang strode over, grinning. “So, strategizing, are we?”

Zheng Qiang frowned slightly. “Yeah, so what?”

Lin Hang grinned wider. “No big deal. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. After all, we’re both on the basketball team. Tell you what—I’ll keep the margin to around fifty points. You won’t lose too badly.”

Zheng Qiang’s face darkened and he gritted his teeth. “Don’t get too cocky, Lin Hang. The game's not over yet. We’ll see who wins.”

With a laugh, Lin Hang turned and walked away.

Zheng Qiang glared at his back, biting down hard in frustration at the provocation.

With both teams in position, the PE teacher strode to center court with the ball in hand and announced, “Let the game begin!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he tossed the ball high into the air.

Whoosh!

Both players leapt simultaneously for the ball. Zheng Qiang’s jumping ability was decent, but Lin Hang was clearly superior—and a full six foot three.

Smack!

Lin Hang quickly tipped the ball to a teammate. As soon as he landed, he shot toward the hoop like lightning. Zheng Qiang hurried to intercept him.

Whoosh!

Just as Lin Hang received the ball, Zheng Qiang was already in his way. But Lin Hang snorted, feinted slightly, and Zheng Qiang’s eyes narrowed—he couldn’t tell which way Lin Hang would break.

That moment’s hesitation was all Lin Hang needed. He broke through, reached the basket, and put the ball in with an easy layup.

Score!

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. Lin Hang had plenty of fans, and as soon as he scored, a group of girls squealed and shouted his name.

With a smug grin, Lin Hang walked up to Zheng Qiang. “Relax, fifty points. I won’t let you lose too badly.”

Zheng Qiang ground his teeth, wishing he could wipe that smirk off Lin Hang’s face.

In the first half, Class Six was utterly crushed. By halftime, the score difference was already thirty-two points.

“Friendship first, competition second!” homeroom teacher Sun Minghai tried to console them.

But Zheng Qiang was still fuming, furious but helpless—the skill gap was simply too wide. Lin Hang was a star player, while Zheng Qiang was just a benchwarmer.

Deep down, Zheng Qiang wished he could outplay Lin Hang or at least close the gap, but he knew it was beyond him.

The second half continued the rout, and the deficit grew to fifty-four points. Class Six had lost all will to fight, their bodies stiff with exhaustion, just hoping for the game to end soon.

There were five minutes left.

Suddenly, a Class Six player cried out and collapsed to the ground, clutching his ankle in pain.

He’d twisted his foot!

Chen Feng’s eyes lit up with excitement.

This was his chance!