In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

"Son, it's okay if you don't get into university. Just go learn to drive with your Uncle Chen!"

Unit 4, Building 1, Jingsong Residential Area, Beijing, Room 808.

Zhang Yong sat listlessly at the dining table, listening to his father's endless ramblings.

Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table. The bok choy glistened with oil, and the cooked food bought downstairs emitted a faint aroma of meat.

The TV is replaying the 1990 Spring Festival Gala. It must have been a few months ago, yet they're still replaying it.

Zhang Yong's mind went blank because Zhang Defa's voice was too loud.

Zhang Defa patted his son's back forcefully, striking a fatherly pose:

"Your dad has dealt with college students before, and many of them are quiet types who will get bullied when they enter the workforce!"

Zhang Yong sneered inwardly. The expansion of college enrollment was something from 99!

Every college student these days...

They are not only outstanding individuals, but also exceptionally talented, such as Lei Jun when he first entered the school and Liu Qiangdong when he was still in high school.

If I could pass the exam... sigh!

Zhang Yong couldn't help but look a little gloomy. Why was he so unlucky?

In 2026, Zhang Yong is 16 years old and has just started high school.

I just took a nap, and when I woke up I found myself sitting in the college entrance examination hall, looking at the 1990 national unified college entrance examination paper. I was dumbfounded!

Zhang Yong had good grades, but he hadn't learned any of the material from his second or third year of high school yet, so he gritted his teeth and took the exams for two days.

Unsurprisingly, I failed the exam.

But it's okay!

1990 years!

An era when gold was everywhere!

Learn a skill! Go into business! If all else fails, you can join the army!

As long as you master a skill, dare to fight and strive, and complete your initial capital accumulation before the millennium, catching up with Ma Chaolei in the future will be a piece of cake!

The only problem is...

Zhang Yong's skills include, but are not limited to, using mobile phones, playing basketball, and acting as a keyboard warrior online.

Knows a little about everything, or you could say knows very little about everything.

I've never learned how to make money.

Seeing that Zhang Yong seemed somewhat uninterested, Zhang Defa sighed softly, took a sip of the strong liquor, and said, half reminiscing and half advising:

"When I was transferred from the army, my superiors asked me to be a section chief in the Forestry Bureau, but I couldn't stay in Beijing. However, your father had dreamed of seeing Tiananmen Square since I was a child, and I wanted to live near Tiananmen Square, so I didn't agree."

"I regretted it after I left. I didn't know anything, and all the factory jobs were 'carrot jobs'. So I had no choice but to start driving a truck for a cotton mill."

"After all these years, haven't you finally established yourself in Beijing?"

"The company has started providing housing now, your dad has finally managed to build a home for himself."

Zhang Defa downed a glass of wine, then patted Zhang Yong's shoulder earnestly:

"Son, listen to your dad's advice. Failing the college entrance exam is nothing! What can't a man do? Go try working for your uncle tomorrow. If you don't like it, we'll find another job!"

Zhang Yong's eyes reddened, even though he didn't grow up in this family.

But one can still feel a rare warmth from the faint traces of memory.

Zhang Yong didn't enjoy the meal. He returned to his bedroom and stared blankly at the ceiling. He could vaguely hear his parents' soft, whispering voices coming from the living room.

"Do you think your child can drive a car for the rest of their life like you?"

"What's wrong with driving? Can't you make money driving?"

"I didn't mean that! Our son is only 18 this year. He needs to make his own choices, see the world, and experience life. What's the point of him entering society so early?"

"Well, that's true... I'll ask Old Li tomorrow to see if we can get a spot in the army."

......

"Click!"

Zhang Yong unconsciously wiggled his fingers, making a crisp sound.

Time travel is really boring.

No internet, no cell phone, no games to play.

You can watch TV, but watching "Investiture of the Gods" three times a day gets boring, no matter how novel it is.

Watching movies required waiting for the company to project a large screen; we could only listen to tapes, there weren't even any CDs.

CDs didn't become popular until after the millennium, and the internet was still a long way off.

At this moment, Zhang Yong felt an overwhelming longing for the feeling of commanding the internet in his previous life.

When Zhang Yong was in junior high school, he would secretly play on his phone during Chinese class. His Chinese teacher was a gentle female college graduate who had just graduated and wouldn't call him out on it.

Instead, I called him out alone after class and patiently explained to him what was right and what was wrong.

Zhang Yong didn't really understand.

He's not stupid, he just doesn't understand.

Just like every teacher tells students that they should study hard and read books so that they can have a bright future and make a lot of money.

Everyone understands the principle, but not everyone can put it into practice.

Perhaps only when you graduate and can't find a job will you suddenly realize that the bullet fired when you were 14 years old has hit you right between the eyebrows.

[Ding! System unlocking...]

Congratulations! The auto-play system has been unlocked!

Name: Zhang Yong

Age: 18

Skills acquired: None

[AFK slot: Empty]

[AFK speed: 30x]

......

Zhang Yong was stunned for a moment before he immediately realized what was in front of him.

system!

It's the system!

It is one of the most beautiful things in the world!

After a little research, Zhang Yong understood the role of the system.

In short, you can place a skill in the auto-learning slot, and that skill will learn automatically at 30 times the speed!

Malcolm Gladwell once said:

"Genius comes from hard work. With 10,000 hours of practice, anyone can go from an ordinary person to a top master in their field."

Based on this calculation, he can master a skill perfectly in about 14 days.

This applies whether you're driving.

Still writing.

There are even paintings that are extremely difficult to draw.

They can all reach the top level within 10,000 hours!

However, he must unlock the skill before placing it in the AFK slot.

It requires a certain level of proficiency.

However, compared to the speed gained from starting to AFK, the time cost of mastering basic skills is negligible.

"Should I repeat a grade?"

The idea naturally popped into Zhang Yong's mind.

I didn't experience the brutality of senior year in high school, so I should be able to hold on... Hmm, college students were highly sought after in this era, incomparable to those of later generations.

However, we must consider whether studying can be done in a background or in a standby mode.

Zhang Yong thought to himself that, strictly speaking, subjects like mathematics and physics cannot be considered skills, and they are very different from skills like writing and painting, which can be mastered through long-term training.

There's a saying that goes something like this.

When people are pushed to the limit, they'll do anything, except solve math problems.

After much deliberation, Zhang Yong abandoned the idea.

Just as he had thought, this was an age brimming with gold.

Whether it's writing, painting, or even medicine, health preservation, or traditional Chinese martial arts, mastering any of these can lead to success.

You don't necessarily have to stick to the path of studying and going to university.

"call!"

Zhang Yong let out a long, relaxed breath and began to vaguely look forward to his future.

"Okay, I'll get up early tomorrow and go to Uncle Chen's to learn to drive!"

......