Chapter 1: Over-the-Knee Socks Belong in the Dustbin of History

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"Since the dawn of the Extraordinary Revival a century ago, aside from the state-sponsored nationwide cultivation program, the most significant endeavor has been the exploration of the ever-emerging underground 'ruins'..."

The speaker turned a page of her PowerPoint presentation, and an ultra-high-definition photograph of an enormous oil painting appeared on the projection screen.

A beautiful young woman, clad in resplendent armor and an elegant gown, brandished a greatsword. Her aura was noble, captivating all who looked upon her.

She resembled the character cards from certain old-era anime mobile games, but now, this was authentic historical material—an ancient extraordinary history far older than the known chronicles of the old era.

"This is the latest archaeological result from the ruins recently reported on the news. The protagonist of the oil painting is preliminarily identified as Lilith Arnorland, a member of the Demon King Subjugation Squad from the Sixth Epoch."

"Her lover, the squad leader, is recorded in historical documents as the strongest human of the Sixth Epoch. Some scholars speculate that the leader was reincarnated in our era and still lives, but I personally find it unlikely that her lover survives to this day."

"Of course, until the truth is revealed, all remains conjecture. Perhaps her boyfriend is sitting right beside you, listening to this very lecture."

The city’s top high school auditorium was packed to the rafters.

Standing onstage was a tall, slender girl with black hair and violet eyes. Her cool, refined face betrayed little emotion—she was the very embodiment of the high schoolers' fantasy of the aloof, untouchable genius.

"National Academy Affiliated High School, Third Year, Ye Sheng, Second Rank."

This was the nameplate displayed on the podium.

Pureblood humans only have the chance to awaken after reaching the physiological age of eighteen. Now, in the winter month of November during her third year, Ye Sheng had advanced from awakening to the second rank in just four months.

At the country’s most prestigious university, the average time undergraduates took to reach the second rank was four years.

My goodness, a true giant!

Everyone was listening intently, scribbling down notes as fast as they could.

Truth be told, the content was substantial and genuinely enlightening.

It was enough to move some to tears.

These days, so-called "top students" with real ability tended to keep their insights close to their chests.

After all, it was no longer the early days of the Extraordinary Revival.

Few extraordinary individuals shared their achievements freely anymore.

A lecture of this caliber, if held as a commercial event, would see tickets snatched up for exorbitant prices—if one could get a ticket at all.

In reality, this was simply a free, public-interest lecture organized by the Ministry of Education to support education in remote areas.

Dedicating herself wholeheartedly to what was meant to be a mere formality was entirely in line with the online rumors about Ye Sheng’s excessively forthright character.

Ye Sheng began with the latest ruins unearthed in the news, then expanded upon the origins of gemstone magic and the royal family of Calian, tracing the thread of extraordinary history all the way to meditation techniques for the Path of the Stars and preferences in magic spirit construction...

"That concludes my lecture for today. Thank you all."

Thunderous applause erupted.

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The host said, "Thank you, Ye Sheng, for your wonderful presentation. Now, we move to the Q&A and discussion session."

As if someone had flipped a switch, several hands shot up instantly.

Ye Sheng’s cool lips moved slightly, and she interrupted, "You few, put your hands down. I’m not interested in the polite, rehearsed questions you’ve prepared. When I came, the teachers said this event was about mutual exchange and learning... Just now, I shared something genuine with you. Now, it’s your turn."

She mercilessly pierced through the school’s arrangements, a hint of mockery flickering across her otherwise emotionless face.

A murmur spread through the crowd.

The dean shot meaningful glances at the top students in the front row, urging them to step up.

A few students stood up reluctantly to ask questions.

Each went through a similar ordeal—fidgeting with their uniforms, speaking nervously and haltingly, struggling to articulate their thoughts... only to be rendered speechless by a light, pointed retort from Ye Sheng, left to sit down in silence, flushed, and embarrassed.

It was a pitiful sight.

Even the perennial top-ranked girl in the grade was not spared Ye Sheng’s blunt criticism.

"Your question is empty, your thinking a tangled mess. It’s clear your understanding of the extraordinary system is shallow, your grasp of history weak, and you barely comprehended anything I said... If you’re at or below this level, don’t waste our time. Anyone else?"

"......"

An awkward silence fell.

Seriously? Did she actually take "exchange and learning" at face value?

Who among us is up to the task...?

Maple Sugar City No. 1 High School might be a provincial key school, but with the pressure of exams so immense, all students’ energy was focused on preparing to pass the awakening test.

It was just one exam after another.

What, you ask about extraordinary history?

Perhaps, during admission interviews, some might claim to have a "broad knowledge and a deep interest in extraordinary history," but in reality, they just memorized some lines to get by, their real interest being in the stable government jobs that awaited history majors. How many students would truly spend their precious free time studying topics outside the exam syllabus?

Come to think of it, do modern high schoolers even have "free time"?

In short, just being able to understand Ye Sheng’s lecture was already a blessing; as for "mutual exchange and learning"? Let’s not go that far.

The Q&A session had a selective function—those who performed well might catch the attention of university professors from the capital in attendance, earning favorable consideration in admissions.

So, despite several students being chastised by Ye Sheng in succession, others continued to stand up, hoping to impress.

As expected, all ended up humiliating themselves.

The university professors on the dais shook their heads repeatedly, clearly dissatisfied with this year’s crop of students, muttering, "Far too mediocre. Not a shred of talent among them."

The school leaders beside them looked grim, while the students below feigned invisibility.

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"Hello, Ye Sheng. I’m Li Xingming from Class 6, Grade 12. I’d like to make a small correction to your presentation."

The shift in atmosphere was abrupt; all eyes turned to the yawning boy.

He seemed to have just woken up—falling asleep during Ye Sheng’s lecture was a feat in itself, but given his reputation as the Li family’s resident slacker, well, it made sense.

As for his intention to point out a mistake in Ye Sheng’s talk...

Everyone simply assumed Li Xingming was up to his old tricks; it wasn’t the first time he’d butted heads with teachers in class.

"What’s wrong?" Ye Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. The truly arrogant never fluster in the face of challenge; only the weak are quick to anger.

The teachers around them shot desperate glances at Li Xingming, urging him to say no more.

He ignored them and continued, "On slide seventeen, the oil painting. There’s a note beside the painting about the character’s clothing that doesn’t align with historical fact. The heroine, Lilith Arnorland of the Sixth Epoch’s Demon King Subjugation Squad, should not be wearing black over-the-knee stockings, but black tights."

Discussing black stockings in this setting? Unstoppable.

An air of amused anticipation swept through the audience—it was, after all, a common joke among the students and staff that at Maple Sugar City No. 1 High, everyone made up the "No. 1," and Li Xingming supplied the "crazy" and the "nonsense."

Compared to all of them making a fool of themselves and the lecture ending awkwardly, Li Xingming’s antics were far more entertaining and even made everyone else seem less ridiculous by contrast.

Yet Ye Sheng’s languid expression suddenly turned serious. She gazed intently at Li Xingming, paused for a moment, and then asked:

"Why?"

"Over-the-knee stockings tend to slip during combat, but tights don’t. That’s a minor reason. The real reason is that Lilith, as an extraordinary of the Starfate–Vanguard faction, specialized in energy convergence, converting defensive absorption into explosive power. The third-rank magic spirit, 'Absolute Seal,' was central to her construction. This spirit requires the host to continuously perform 'sealing'—during battle, her skin cannot be exposed to air. Black over-the-knee stockings paired with a Calian court gown... Of course, the painting doesn’t show this directly, but it would leave an 'absolute zone' under the skirt. Uh, an 'absolute zone' is—"

"I know what that is. No need to explain."

"Got it, nya. Honestly, over-the-knee stockings should’ve been consigned to history’s dustbin ages ago—tights are forever supreme!"

Years later, when this cohort of students rocked on chairs at the retirees’ center, telling their grandchildren stories from their youth, they would still recall the afternoon when the notorious Li stood in the grand auditorium and loudly debated 'preferences' with the genius girl from the National Academy Affiliated High School.

More astonishing still, the genius girl did not flush and denounce him as a 'pervert!' Instead, she lowered her head in thought, and after a long while, gave Li Xingming a slight nod.

"Not bad."

Not bad in what way?

The university professors onstage brightened, scrutinizing the boy intently.

To earn a "not bad" from Ye Sheng—who looked down on everyone—who on earth was this young man?