CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 16: THE FIRST CLASS

This year, three thousand five hundred new students have chosen the martial master major. The first professional class is in the afternoon. Three thousand five hundred future little martial artists stand tall and form a line, following the teacher to the school playground, where seven other teachers await on the podium.

Once all the students are in place, a tall male teacher with long legs and a straight waist steps forward to address them:

"Welcome to the martial master specialty. Starting today, you will embark on a painful journey of improvement."

"You are the rising stars of the Qianyuan Continent. The outstanding among you will head to the Star Beast Battlefield to protect your homeland. The effort you put in now is all preparation for the future. More sweat in training, less blood on the battlefield. So cherish every opportunity to improve—years from now, you will definitely be thankful for your hard work!"

The teacher pauses and continues:

"Some might say that this is just a basic school; all you need to do is pass, then work hard when you move on to the preparatory military academy later. If you think this way, you are gravely mistaken!"

The teacher’s gaze sharply sweeps over the audience, and the students he locks eyes with feel a chill down their spine, as if stared at by a fierce Star Beast.

"The preparatory military academy does not accept slackers! I don’t care how other basic schools operate, but at Datang Academy, the assessments in the Martial Arts Department are strict: weekly quizzes and monthly exams, with all scores included in the final mark. Those who do not meet the standards will be expelled!"

"Whoa—"

The audience erupts. They’ve never heard of a basic school expelling students before. Who is this teacher? Isn’t this too extreme?

A boy standing at the front of Li Xing’s line whispers to his classmate:

"Sigh, my uncle warned me that Datang Academy would change drastically, and I didn’t believe it... Seems like it’s true, we are the unluckiest batch!"

"He expels whoever he wants? Who’s that impressive?"

"It’s Yang Zhou, the new head of the Martial Arts Department this semester. I heard he’s a noble from the upper city, sent down to Datang for training. His background is solid; he doesn’t care for anyone, and even the principal gives him some leeway!" The boy’s uncle is the head of the academic affairs office and has inside information.

"He really is a living Yama."

"If I’d known, I should’ve listened to my uncle and chosen the Rune Department. Even if I don’t have spiritual power, and can only stop at the Spiritual Level my whole life, it’s easy to earn credits, easy to find a job after graduation, and the income is high with low pressure. After working a few years, I could start my own Rune Shop."

"Come on, look at the senior brothers in the Rune Department. They’re balding at such a young age; I don’t want to end up like that."

"Uh, I don’t want that either, better let it go..."

Li Xing: So studying runes makes you bald? That’s terrifying!

Observing the classmates’ miserable expressions, Yang Zhou puts away the stick and offers a carrot:

"With punishment comes reward. For those of you who perform well, the school offers scholarships. The top scorer each semester receives a reward of 100,000 star coins, second place gets 50,000, third place gets 20,000, and from fourth to tenth place, each receives 5,000."

"Whoa—"

Another commotion arises. In Datang City, where the average monthly income is a few thousand star coins, 100,000 star coins is a huge sum, enough for an ordinary family’s yearly expenses. Datang Academy never offered scholarships of such magnitude before, it’s unclear how this teacher managed to get the usually stingy principal to agree.

"Alright, enough talk. Let’s start training now. Everyone run 50 laps around the playground. First place gets an extra five points; last place loses five points!"

At Yang Zhou’s command, everyone starts running. The playground is large; even completing one lap is tough, let alone fifty laps.

Li Xing initially was in the middle of the pack but fell to the back by the twentieth lap, feeling dizzy and out of breath, as if her lungs were about to explode.

Heavens, even in a past life, fleeing for my life didn’t require this much running!

Seeing the small figures running ahead of her, though drenched in sweat and grimacing, they never slowed down.

Li Xing felt a sense of frustration—she thought that with her minor refining and a decent foundation in martial arts, she would at least be outstanding among these rookies. Maybe she’d have to hold back a bit to stay low-key. But unexpectedly, she ended up at the tail end on the first lesson, her endurance far behind others. What’s with the monstrous physique of these people? They are incredibly strong!

"Everyone, pick up the pace, run faster!" Yang Zhou swings a whip, cracking it on the ground behind Li Xing, just inches from her heels, terrifying her into summoning all her strength to catch up with the group.

Gritting her teeth, Li Xing keeps going lap after lap. She wants to stick out her tongue like a dog to breathe more easily, but feeling the frequent gazes from the teachers, her sense of shame prevails.

"Just three more laps left!" Yang Zhou’s whip falls beside her again. Li Xing is already numb, resigned to her fate as she’s reached her limit.

"On the battlefield, the one who runs faster and longer has a better chance of survival! Running one more lap now increases your chance of living in the future, so pick up the pace and keep running!"

Li Xing sees double images in front of her; all she can hear is the wind and her own labored breathing like a broken bellows. Her mind feels fuzzy, and her legs move forward purely on muscle memory, until she clumsily collapses past the finish line just before losing consciousness.

"Tang Dou is first, earning five extra points. Li Xing is last, losing five points!"

In the cafeteria, Little Fatty, who’d said Li Xing was a fake dual black, is drenched in sweat, resting his palms on his knees and raising his eyebrows at Little Sparrow.

He is Tang Dou, a scion of a wealthy family in Datang City, with talent and strength among the best in this year’s students.

Little Sparrow, too exhausted to speak, sticks out his tongue and shakily gives Tang Dou a thumbs-up.

Li Xing lies on the ground, gasping for air. Losing points is just losing points, she accepts it. She truly can’t compete with these kids.

"Everyone, get up and walk three laps around the playground. Without my permission, anyone who dares to stop will lose ten points!"

Yang Yama’s voice rings out like a death knell, the whip cracks near them. Everyone struggles to get up, slowly walking around the playground.

Li Xing has no energy left. She really wants to lie motionless, but doing so would openly defy the teacher, and Yang Zhou could directly expel her.

Thinking of the large portions of tasty free food in the cafeteria, Li Xing grits her teeth, crawls up, and joins the walking group.

A female teacher with flaxen hair approaches Yang Zhou and initiates a conversation:

"They said there was a dual black among this year’s new students. I thought it would be impressive, but it turns out she’s so weak!"

Yang Zhou, hands behind his back, lets his eyes wander over the limping Li Xing before looking at the other students, not responding.

The female teacher’s expression reveals slight annoyance, but she remains undeterred and continues:

"Generally, Primordial Spirit aptitude and physical condition are proportional. It’s my first time seeing such a disparity between the two... and it’s a dual black. Brother Yang, with your vast experience, what do you think of her situation?"