After exiting the virtual network pod, Li Yuan began his martial arts training for the day. He started with the basic cultivation method and then practiced his spear techniques. This had become a routine for him.
It wasn't until three-thirty in the afternoon that Li Yuan finished taking a hot shower in the lounge and stepped out of the martial arts room. According to what Teacher Chen had said in the morning, there would be a school-wide meeting for all teachers and students at four o'clock, and everyone had to gather on the playground without being late.
Just as he closed the door to the martial arts room, a cheerful voice called out from nearby, "Li Yuan? You're still in the martial arts room! Hurry up, I thought I was the only one here."
"Xiao Qiang, you haven't left yet?" Li Yuan smiled as he spotted the handsome young man at the end of the corridor. Students liked to find a buddy for meals, bathroom breaks, going to the playground, or after school, and boys were no exception. After nearly a semester, Li Yuan and Gu Qianghan had often run into each other and had grown quite familiar.
Having spent more time together, Li Yuan had noticed that although Gu Qianghan seemed a bit carefree, he was actually a good person with no bad intentions. Everything was written on his face, making him a great friend choice.
"Call me Gu Qiang! Gu Qiang!" Gu Qianghan jumped up, "That's what my sister calls me."
"If your sister can call you that, why can't I?" Li Yuan laughed as he walked closer. "Let’s go downstairs."
"My sister can call me that, of course," Gu Qianghan said, leading the way down the stairs, glancing back at Li Yuan. "You're not my brother-in-law, so you can't call me Xiao Qiang."
"What if I do?" Li Yuan chuckled. "You can't beat me anyway."
"In this exam, your martial arts raw score isn't as high as mine," Gu Qianghan retorted.
Li Yuan paused. That was true! He had seen the report card and knew about Li Yuan's shocking score from the January test, which was second in the grade... and far ahead of the third place.
"Ha!" Gu Qianghan suddenly raised his middle finger. "So what if your raw score is higher? I have spirit points added in, making my total score second in the grade. You're only... "
Seeing that Li Yuan didn't respond, Gu Qianghan realized his mistake. He waved his hand and pretended to be generous. "Forget it. I forgive you for tricking me during the exam. Just remember to call me Gu Qiang from now on. Xiao Qiang is not what you should call me."
"Got it, Gu Qiang~~~han," Li Yuan deliberately stretched the last syllable.
"Hey, you won't have any friends acting like that," Gu Qianghan shot him a glare.
Li Yuan and Gu Qianghan continued their friendly banter as they walked onto the playground. There were only two minutes left until four o'clock. Most of the students had already lined up in an orderly fashion.
The classes of Senior Year Three (Class One) and Senior Year Three (Class Two) were right next to each other.
"Lanyue," a slightly chubby girl named Peng Qiqi nudged Lin Lanyue beside her. "Look at how close your brother is with Li Yuan. They came over so late together."
"Is Li Yuan trying to sneak in?" Peng Qiqi teased. "First, he builds a good relationship with your brother, then he goes after you."
"Qiqi, you’ve been reading too many romance novels," Lin Lanyue said, playfully pinching her friend's neck, making Peng Qiqi giggle.
Many boys around couldn’t help but glance over. In the martial arts class, there were quite a few who liked Lin Lanyue, but no one dared to confess.
"Hehe," Peng Qiqi tried to block Lin Lanyue's hand while whispering, "Then why is he so close with Gu Qiang?"
"Don't you know Gu Qiang's personality?" Lin Lanyue shook her head lightly. "If you can pin him down a few times, he’d be happy to be your friend."
"Did Gu Qiang spar with Li Yuan?" Peng Qiqi asked, surprised.
"Yeah, their martial arts rooms are next to each other," Lin Lanyue nodded. "They’ve fought in virtual battles several times, and each time, Gu Qiang lost."
Peng Qiqi thought for a moment. "That makes sense. Li Yuan's raw score is second this time, above 900 points, not far from yours."
"Twenty-eight points lower," Lin Lanyue emphasized. She was actually quite concerned about Li Yuan's score. In the morning, her cultural class teacher had immediately told her his scores and rankings, as well as that Li Yuan had the highest technique score in the district and second in the city.
At that moment, Lin Lanyue was shocked by how fast Li Yuan had improved. However, she didn’t want to admit it in front of her friend.
"You remember his score quite well," Peng Qiqi laughed. "By the way, you said only those who get on the stage can earn your affection. I think next time, Li Yuan's raw score might surpass yours."
Lin Lanyue blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering. "Let’s see if he surpasses me first."
"Even if his raw score surpasses mine, his total score is still lower than mine. The one who gets on the stage is the total score first, not the raw score first," Lin Lanyue said lightly. Deep down, she felt that Li Yuan had a chance to surpass her raw score.
"You’re just being stubborn," Peng Qiqi laughed, suddenly sticking out her tongue. "Teacher Xia is coming."
Teacher Xia was the cultural class teacher for Senior Year Three (Class One).
"Today, we have several leaders visiting our school. They are Director Zhang from the Guanshan District Martial Arts Bureau, the Education Bureau... the left hall master from the Starfire Martial Hall Guanshan Branch, and the master from the Starry Sky Martial Hall Guanshan Branch..." the host teacher introduced the guests on the stage.
There were at least ten of them.
"Left hall master is here?" Li Yuan, standing in the line, looked at the brown-haired, spirited woman on stage, slightly surprised. Why were there so many leaders at a school meeting?
Even the two major martial halls sent representatives.
"Brother Yuan, didn’t you notice? It seems like quite a few reporters are here today," Yan Zhou whispered, pointing to the cameras on both sides of the stage.
"Yeah," Li Yuan nodded. He had arrived at the playground a bit late and hadn’t noticed before.
"Dear leaders and teachers..." Principal Tan Zhenlong had already started his enthusiastic speech. As he read from his notes, he looked at the thousands of students below, as if seeing a scene full of life and vitality.
Time passed. As each leader spoke, the students below began to yawn.
Finally, they reached the most important part of the day—the recognition ceremony.
"In this city-wide January test, our Senior Year Three students have shown great determination and achieved excellent results... Wan Qingling... and nine other students ranked in the top ten for total cultural scores."
"Lin Lanyue, Gu Qianghan... Li Yuan... and nine other students ranked in the top ten for total martial arts scores. Let all teachers and students congratulate these students and hope everyone can learn from them," the host teacher passionately announced.
Below, there was a scattered applause. Most students had lost interest and just wanted to leave and return to their classrooms. Especially the first and second-year students, many felt they were just there to serve as cheap 'NPC spectators,' continuously greeting the leaders.
"Lan Yue, get ready. It’s your turn to go on stage," Peng Qiqi whispered. "Good luck."
The students with the highest total cultural and martial arts scores usually went on stage for special recognition and photos with school leaders.
Lin Lanyue was quite calm. She had experienced similar events many times during her three years of high school and was familiar with the process.
However, the host teacher did not introduce the two top students as Lin Lanyue and most of the Senior Year Three students expected. Instead, he handed the microphone back to Principal Tan Zhenlong, who stepped forward.
"Today’s meeting," Principal Tan Zhenlong said seriously, "is not only to summarize the results of the January test for Senior Year Three and commend outstanding students, but also to present a very special recognition."
A special recognition? This immediately caught many students' attention.
"All students should know," he continued, "that just a week ago, our Guanshan District suffered a severe attack from star realm creatures..." Principal Tan's voice became deep and heavy.
At this moment, the previously dull atmosphere lifted, and many students looked up at Principal Tan, curious about what was happening.
Special recognition? What does it have to do with the star realm creature attack?
Even Lin Lanyue and Gu Qianghan were quite curious.
"...However, at the moment when the ranked star realm creatures charged into the crowd, a seventeen-year-old high school student happened to pass by. Without regard for his own safety, he picked up a nearby simple weapon and bravely stood between the star realm creatures and the innocent crowd..." Principal Tan spoke passionately, recounting the intense battle that had taken place not long ago.
The thousands of students below listened with great interest, finding this much more engaging than the previous speeches.
"Wow! A battle with ranked star realm creatures? Who is it?" Peng Qiqi in the line asked in surprise, whispering, "Lanyue, was it you?"
In fact, not just Peng Qiqi, many students from the elite class and other classes were looking at Lin Lanyue. All the students realized that since Principal Tan was speaking like this, the student who fought the star realm creatures must be from their school.
In their minds, only Lin Lanyue could barely fight against ranked star realm creatures. Who else could it be besides her?
"It’s not me," Lin Lanyue shook her head, her eyes flashing with curiosity. "Who is it?"
In reality, she had fought against star realm creatures before, but only in controlled environments and against unranked creatures. Actively battling a ranked star realm creature? Lin Lanyue knew she didn’t have that kind of courage or strength yet.
"After a tough and extraordinary battle," Principal Tan continued, "this seventeen-year-old student managed to kill the star realm creature and saved many innocent lives."
"In recognition of this student’s bravery and outstanding contribution during the star realm creature attack, the Jiang City Martial Arts Hall, Education Bureau, Starfire Martial Hall Jiang City Branch, and Starry Sky Martial Hall Jiang City Branch have decided to jointly award him the title of 'Young Hero,'" Principal Tan said passionately, his eyes shining. "Now, let’s invite Senior Year Three (Class Two) student Li Yuan to the stage."
"Wow!"
"Clap, clap, clap~" Instantly, the entire playground erupted with applause like a tidal wave. First and second-year students stretched their necks, eagerly looking at the stage, wanting to see which senior was so impressive.
The classes near Senior Year Three (Class Two) widened their eyes, watching the figure of the young man slowly walking out from the class line. Dressed in a white martial arts uniform, he had a well-proportioned build and an impressive demeanor.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the young man walked calmly onto the stage with a slight smile.
"Lanyue."
"Li... Li Yuan, he really made it to the stage," Peng Qiqi stared at the white figure with wide eyes, a bit mesmerized. She suddenly whispered, "Do you really think Li Yuan is no good? If you don’t want him, you can’t compete with me for him."
"Let’s talk about it later." Lin Lanyue's gaze was fixed on the stage, her eyes unblinking.
(End of Chapter)