Last September, when Teacher Xu helped Li Yuan apply for a second-class scholarship, he promised that if Li Yuan made it into the top ten of his grade, he would receive a first-class scholarship of 100,000 Blue Star Coins. If he made it into the top five, the reward would be a special scholarship of 500,000 Blue Star Coins.
"Just one more place," Li Yuan sighed to himself. He didn't feel too disappointed; he had done his best and didn't want to dwell on it. After all, he couldn't rely on others to underperform.
"That's enough," he thought. "At least I can get 100,000 Blue Star Coins." He remembered that a few days ago, he had met the left hall master at the martial hall, who mentioned that the rewards from the martial hall and the martial arts department would be coming soon, and there would likely be a lot of money involved.
Li Yuan's bank account still had a decent amount of Blue Star Coins and martial hall points. However, his martial arts training was like a money pit, and expenses added up quickly. He needed to find a way to manage it.
"Li Yuan, keep it up," said Teacher Chen as she glanced at him from the podium. "I hope other students can learn from Li Yuan."
"I'll read out the scores for the others now," she continued. "Li Tianyou, 685 points."
Li Tianyou was right behind Li Yuan, ranking second in martial arts scores in the class. However, despite being second, his score was quite far behind Li Yuan's.
"685 points?" Li Tianyou's expression softened a bit, but he still didn't look happy. With his cultural score of 59 points, his total score was only 744. It seemed unlikely that he would get into a martial arts university with that score.
"Am I not working hard enough?" Li Tianyou clenched his fists, feeling a bit unwilling. "If I had more training resources and more guidance from teachers, my score would definitely be higher."
Li Tianyou wasn't foolish. He trained hard, sometimes pushing his body to the limit. He understood the kind intentions of his classmates when they occasionally reminded him to take it easy. But with his family's financial situation, what could he do?
"Gu Yaoyao, 664 points," Teacher Chen continued reading the scores. Most of the students had average martial arts scores, with little variation.
Martial arts training required talent, but it relied even more on resources. Unlike cultural exams, where one might have a moment of brilliance, martial arts evaluations only had normal performance or underperformance—no extraordinary results. Strong was strong, and weak was weak.
After announcing the scores, it was time to hand out the test papers and discuss the questions. Li Yuan listened attentively.
"I already spend little time on cultural classes, so I need to focus during lessons," Li Yuan thought. "If I want to get into one of the five major martial arts academies, I need to fight for every point. If I can raise my cultural score a few more points, my chances will be better."
Every point could make a huge difference. For Li Yuan, being able to score over 900 in martial arts and raising his cultural score by ten points was no small feat.
Soon, it was ten o'clock, and there was a fifteen-minute break. Teacher Chen first posted three score sheets on the bulletin board, then turned to Li Yuan, Li Tianyou, and Wang Zihan. "You three, come to my office."
"Everyone else, class dismissed."
Immediately, the students surged toward the bulletin board to check their rankings. Teacher Chen had only announced the scores earlier and hadn't read out the full rankings.
"Got it! Top ten in the city!"
"What? Just one point difference, and I dropped over a hundred places in the city ranking? There are so many competitors?"
"Ugh, my parents are going to lecture me again."
"I didn't perform well this time; my cultural score only ranked thirteenth in the grade, not even in the top ten."
Students chatted among themselves, some happy and some disappointed, but most were unsatisfied, calculating how a few extra points in one subject could have changed their ranking.
Li Yuan and Li Tianyou followed Teacher Chen to her office. Li Yuan was calm, while Li Tianyou was quite nervous.
"You two wait outside," Teacher Chen instructed. "Li Yuan, come in with me."
Once inside the office, Teacher Chen sat down, organizing papers while chatting with other teachers, seemingly forgetting about Li Yuan for a moment. This was a common tactic used by older teachers to keep students on edge. They would let the student stew for a while, occasionally giving them a cold look, making the student increasingly anxious. Eventually, the student often ended up admitting to things without the teacher needing to say much.
However, being called to the office after a major exam usually meant one of two things—either a huge improvement or a significant decline. Li Yuan believed he was in the first category.
"Cough, cough," Li Yuan cleared his throat and reached for a cup. "Teacher, the water is cold; let me get you some hot water."
Without waiting for Teacher Chen to respond, Li Yuan walked over to the water dispenser. He poured out the cold water, added hot water, and tested the temperature with his hand.
Once he had the water ready, he wiped the cup with a tissue and returned to the desk, placing the cup gently to the left of Teacher Chen.
Most people hold the cup with their left hand and twist the lid with their right.
"Teacher, the water temperature is just right," Li Yuan said with a smile. "Why don't you have a sip?"
"You!" Teacher Chen watched the whole process, shaking her head with a smile, clearly in a good mood. Teachers generally appreciate students who are thoughtful and sweet-talking.
"I'm calling you in because I have something to discuss," Teacher Chen said, taking a sip of water. "You did well this time, ranking sixth in the grade. Especially your martial arts technique score, which in previous years could have contended for the top score in the city."
Li Yuan listened attentively.
"Unfortunately, this year, a genius student came from the affiliated high school of the teacher's college," Teacher Chen said, somewhat regretfully. "He scored full marks in martial arts technique."
"Full marks in technique?" Li Yuan was a bit surprised. The physical constitution score required a level of 10.0, and while he wasn't sure about the requirements for the martial arts technique score, he guessed it might require four levels of technique.
"What's his name?" Li Yuan couldn't help but ask.
"Wu Dongdong," Teacher Chen replied. "He also scored the highest total martial arts score in the city this time, with 900 points in martial arts and a total of 1077 points."
"Two full marks? That's impressive!" Li Yuan exclaimed sincerely.
That was an incredibly exaggerated score, far more remarkable than Lin Lanyue's. A martial arts score of 900 meant the other person's physical constitution was at least level 10. Plus, they must have done well in cultural subjects as well.
The affiliated high school of the teacher's college had always been the best in Jiang City, well-known nationwide, so it was no surprise that such a martial arts genius emerged.
In reality, Li Yuan wasn't surprised at all that someone could surpass him by such a wide margin. He knew that the martial hall signed contracts in advance, with the highest being S-level, which meant someone had definitely signed one. Even though Li Yuan had awakened his martial spirit, he was only eligible for an A-level contract.
This world was never short of geniuses; Li Yuan had understood this since he was young.
"Forget about others."
"You are already doing very well," Teacher Chen said. "After the January assessment, in early March, Jiangbei Martial Arts University will have a 'visitation invitation event.' Our school has ten spots available, and the top ten students from the January assessment can attend."
"Would you like to go?" Teacher Chen looked at Li Yuan.
"The invitation from Jiangbei Martial Arts University?" Li Yuan was taken aback.
"Yes, they will invite elite martial arts students from the city and even the province, likely around a thousand people, for five days," Teacher Chen smiled. "If the professors at the school take a liking to you and believe you have potential, they will invite you to the martial arts university right after the college entrance exam, and special training will start during the summer."
"Martial arts training is different from cultural studies; the three months at your age are crucial. If used properly, it can significantly boost your martial arts strength."
"Mm." Li Yuan nodded. It was true that from the age of sixteen, with physical development and abundant vital energy, martial arts cultivation could progress rapidly.
"Teacher, my goal for the college entrance exam is 'Kunlun Martial Arts University,'" Li Yuan said.
The five major martial arts schools in Xia Country were named after major locations: Xiaking, Nanhai, Kunlun, Donghai, and Jixing. Kunlun Martial Arts University had the most enrollment spots in Jiangbei Province each year and was the top choice for martial arts students.
"I know."
"Kunlun Martial Arts University is definitely your first choice if you can get in. Your scores have a chance, but without awakening your martial spirit, do you have full confidence?" Teacher Chen countered.
Li Yuan fell silent.
"Your goal is to aim for Kunlun Martial Arts University, but Jiangbei Martial Arts University is a safe option. Visiting and getting to know the university's professors won't hurt you," Teacher Chen said, putting down her cup. "Right?"
Li Yuan nodded; Teacher Chen's words made sense.
"Alright, I'll send you the application form and the specific itinerary on your messaging app. Fill it out and send it back to me," Teacher Chen said. "By the way, after the school-wide mobilization meeting this afternoon, the scholarship for making it into the top ten in your grade will be credited to your account. Make sure to check."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher," Li Yuan replied, nodding.
For large exams like this, making it into the top ten in martial arts would earn him 5,000 Blue Star Coins and a few bottles of vitality-enhancing elixirs as a scholarship reward. He would also receive a private martial arts room, but he already had one.
Among the three, the last to enter the office was Li Tianyou, who was much more nervous than Li Yuan.
"Teacher," Li Tianyou approached the desk.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to criticize you. You did well this time," Teacher Chen smiled. "Do you remember what I mentioned last time about applying for a third-class scholarship?"
Li Tianyou's eyes brightened.
"Based on your performance this time and your family's situation... your application was successful," Teacher Chen said with a smile. "I know you work hard, but you also need to balance your efforts. Don't push yourself too hard. The 20,000 Blue Star Coins scholarship will be credited to your account today."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Li Tianyou was quite excited, his eyes slightly red.
"Alright, go on. Just keep this to yourself; it's enough that you know," Teacher Chen said, patting Li Tianyou on the shoulder as he left.
Once seated again, Teacher Chen's smile faded as she opened her smart wristband, staring at the document with a distant look—"Third-class scholarship application review: not approved."
"Sigh."
Teacher Chen sighed softly. After a moment, she forwarded the document to Xu Bo.
This scholarship application was something she and Xu Bo had worked on for Li Tianyou.
After lunch, Li Yuan returned to the martial arts room 4011 and entered the virtual network pod.
Connecting his consciousness, he accessed his personal space and checked the invitation from Jiangbei Martial Arts University:
Dear Student Li Yuan...
"All just fluff," Li Yuan frowned, quickly skimming through the first few pages.
Suddenly, he stopped, focusing on the itinerary.
The fourth day's schedule: Practical assessment: Hunt Star Realm Creatures.
After thinking for a moment, Li Yuan quickly filled out his information, signed electronically, and clicked to accept the invitation!
"Hope it doesn't let me down," Li Yuan murmured to himself as his consciousness left the virtual network.
(End of Chapter)