Li Yuan's heart raced.
Entering the top ten would mean a scholarship of 100,000 Blue Star Coins?
If he made it into the top five, it would be a special scholarship of 500,000 Blue Star Coins?
That’s a lot of money!
If Li Yuan remembered correctly, his aunt, who was a middle school teacher, only earned about 100,000 Blue Star Coins a year.
And his uncle, if he didn’t choose to be stationed in dangerous areas, also brought home only a few hundred thousand Blue Star Coins a year.
“Teacher, is that true?” Li Yuan instinctively asked.
It was understandable for him to react this way.
No matter how mature or calm he was, he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy, and in his eyes, 100,000 Blue Star Coins was already a huge fortune.
“Would I lie to you?”
Xu Bo’s voice remained cold. “The rewards are real, but don’t think about the top five. Can you even get into the top ten in the martial arts exam next January?”
Li Yuan calmed down.
That’s right!
No matter how good the rewards were, he had to earn them first.
If he could make it into the top twenty, he thought he still had a chance, but the top ten? The hope was indeed very slim.
The most important reason was the Martial Spirit… Students who awakened their spirits got a 10% score boost in their martial arts results, which was a huge advantage.
If Li Yuan scored 900 points, an elite class student only needed to score 820 points to surpass him.
“It’s tough to get into the top ten, but you still have some hope.”
“Also, I’ve fought hard with the principal. Even if you can’t make it into the top ten, if your raw score reaches second in the grade,” Xu Bo looked at Li Yuan, “you will still get some extra support, though it won’t be as good as the scholarship.”
“Raw score, second in the grade?” Li Yuan felt a spark of hope.
In the last final exam, his raw score was already sixth in the grade.
Getting second in raw scores? That seemed more achievable than being in the top ten overall.
“Thank you, Teacher.” Li Yuan sincerely said, feeling that even though Xu Bo seemed cold, he actually cared a lot for him.
“It’s late, go home and rest.”
“Tomorrow when you get to school, you’ll have access to the independent martial arts room. You’ll get the specific number tomorrow,” Xu Bo waved his hand.
“Okay.” Li Yuan nodded and left the office, closing the door behind him.
Listening to the faint sound of Li Yuan’s footsteps fading away, a slight smile appeared on Xu Bo's cold face. “Those who aim high will achieve something, those who aim for something will achieve less, and those who aim low will achieve nothing.”
“Kid, don’t blame me when you find out the truth later.”
Xu Bo had observed Li Yuan for a while and knew he was steady and hardworking in his training.
But he also understood human nature better; a bit of pressure and temptation could inspire greater motivation.
In short, it was like drawing a pie in the sky!
But the pie couldn’t be hung too high, or it would be discouraging. So in the end, Xu Bo set Li Yuan a goal of ‘second in raw score.’
“Three goals.”
“Kid, as long as you reach the medium goal, that’s actually a high achievement.” Xu Bo thought to himself, “I hope you don’t let me down.”
Out of two thousand students this year, Li Yuan was the second one to catch his eye.
…
At Wanhua Platinum Residence, Building 2.
“Mu Hua, do we really have to spend 20,000 Blue Star Coins this month?” Li Yuan was in his room, feeling heavy-hearted.
Earlier, his aunt Chen Hui had avoided him and quietly talked with his brother Li Mu Hua in the master bedroom, trying not to let him hear... but Li Yuan’s hearing was too good.
Standing in the living room, he still faintly caught some of the conversation.
“I need at least 30,000 a month, and Mu Hua needs about the same, while Qian Qian also needs nearly 20,000. Adding daily expenses…” Li Yuan had calculated this amount in his mind countless times.
The family expenses amounted to at least 90,000 Blue Star Coins a month.
In reality, if the three kids didn’t practice martial arts, his uncle and aunt could easily support them with their income… but the costs of various supplements and medicines to assist in martial arts training were truly staggering.
“And Qian Qian and Mu Hua are not like me.”
“I’ve awakened my Spiritual Palace, and the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra’s relaxation and healing effects probably equal the high-level therapy that costs tens of thousands of Blue Star Coins a month.” Li Yuan understood this clearly: “But Qian Qian and Mu Hua, especially Mu Hua.”
“If they want to achieve great success in martial arts, the resources they currently have are not enough.”
“This scholarship offers 50,000 Blue Star Coins.”
“I must reach Gold Rank with 500 points this weekend to earn another 50,000 Blue Star Coins,” Li Yuan resolved.
As for Teacher Xu Bo’s three promises?
On the way back on the tram, Li Yuan calmed down and thought it through.
“500,000 Blue Star Coins!”
“If I can get that, it would relieve a huge part of the financial pressure at home.”
“But, the top five in the grade?” Li Yuan thought, feeling his heart sink.
On the way home, he checked the high school second-year final exam rankings again through his smart wristband.
His total martial arts score was 802 points, with a raw score of sixth in the grade and an overall score of twenty-ninth.
All the students in the top five were from the elite class, and each of them had raw scores exceeding 800 points. When adding the bonus points… the top student’s total score even reached an astonishing 962.5 points!
“The top student is too strong; I have no hope.”
“If I don’t awaken my Martial Spirit, my raw score is my total score.”
“To get into the top five, my raw score must at least reach 860 points to have a glimmer of hope,” Li Yuan thought. “Even for the top ten, my raw score would need to be around 840 or higher.”
A raw score of 840 points.
In the high school second-year final exam, that would already be the second-highest raw score.
“Let’s work hard.”
“When the January exam comes, I need to aim for over 410 points in physical constitution, over 375 points in martial arts skills, and over 75 points in cultural subjects.” Li Yuan set three individual goals for himself.
He had to meet all of them.
Only then would he have a slim chance to reach the top five in the grade.
…
In the master bedroom, Chen Hui was video calling Li Changzhou.
“Dear, did you receive the money?” Li Changzhou looked even more serious.
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll manage things at home.” Aunt Chen Hui nodded. “This 500,000, along with what we had before, will last us until around February or March next year.”
“Mm-hmm.” Li Changzhou smiled. “Don’t worry too much, at the end of the year, there’s another bonus from the company, and my salary… once Xiao Yuan finishes his college entrance exam, we’ll be able to relax.”
Chen Hui nodded and forced a smile, trying to appear relaxed.
Suddenly.
“Buzz~” The video call suddenly shook, and Li Changzhou, who had been sitting in a chair, abruptly stood up.
“Bang~” The slightly ajar door in the video was suddenly pushed open, and a loud explosion could be heard from outside.
“Manager Li, hurry! Hurry!” A worker covered in dirt rushed in, saying urgently, “We’ve been told to end our break and get back to work.”
“Okay.”
Li Changzhou nodded repeatedly, turning to Chen Hui on the video call, “Dear, I have to work overtime; I’ll call you back later.”
Buzz—The video call ended.
“Old Li.” A hint of worry appeared on Chen Hui’s face as she quickly turned off her smart wristband.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her face had returned to a relaxed expression as she walked out of the master bedroom. “Qian Qian, Mu Hua, hurry and sleep.”
“Xiao Yuan, don’t stay up too late either.”
“Okay, Mom!”
“Got it, Aunt.”
…
The next day at noon.
In the school cafeteria, students were eating while occasionally glancing at the news on the electronic screen.
“…Last night, Northern Frontier Province’s ‘Second Level Star Realm Lobu Sea’ erupted in intense conflict again. Our defense forces and alliance support troops fought bravely…” The news continued to play.
“They’ve been fighting non-stop.”
“There hasn’t been a break during this time. I heard many people died, and even some Star Realm creatures crossed the defense line.”
“Hope they can hold on.” The students whispered among themselves while eating.
Li Yuan sat next to Zhou Qi, silently watching the news with a hint of worry in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)