Invitations from Three Schools

In the hallway, Liu Haifeng practically dragged Chen Fan along as he raced forward. Sweat and flecks of spittle flew from his face, which was flushed red with excitement.

"Jianghai City! Tiannan City! And Bei Yang City!"

He lowered his voice, but he couldn't contain his wild delight. He sounded like a beast roaring with excitement.

"They're all the top Martial Dao middle schools in the province! The principal was right, kid... You really did draw them all here!"

Bang!

Liu Haifeng shoved open the door to the highest-grade VIP reception room in the principal's office.

Inside, the air seemed to freeze.

Principal Li Guangming sat upright in the seat of honor, a smile as warm as a spring breeze on his face as he leisurely refilled his guests' tea.

Across from him, three figures sat side by side on a sofa.

On the left was a stern-faced middle-aged woman dressed in black martial attire. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, as if it could cut through the air, and her whole body radiated the grim aura of iron and blood.

In the middle was a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. A smile rested on his lips, and he looked gentle and harmless, but the eyes behind his lenses were too deep to fathom.

On the right was a burly man built like an iron tower. He lounged casually against the sofa with his arms crossed, his exposed muscles knotted like rocks. A wild, domineering aura swept over them, making the temperature in the entire room seem to rise a few degrees.

The three had completely different auras, yet each radiated a powerful sense of pressure.

A silent contest had clearly begun long ago.

"You're here?" Li Guangming rose with a smile, seemingly oblivious to Liu Haifeng's loss of composure, and beckoned Chen Fan over warmly. "Come, Chen Fan, let me introduce you."

He gestured toward the stern woman. "This is Ms. Qin Lan, director of admissions at Jiang Hai City War God Middle School."

Then he pointed to the refined man. "This is Mr. Su Wen of Tian Nan City No. 1 Experimental Middle School."

Finally, he indicated the burly man. "And this is Mr. Hong Lei, head instructor of Bei Yang City Beichen Martial Dao Academy."

As soon as he finished, Qin Lan, the most impatient of the three, stood up before Li Guangming could offer any more pleasantries.

She didn't look at Li Guangming. Her sharp, knife-like gaze went straight to Chen Fan.

"Chen Fan."

Her voice, like her gaze, was sharp and decisive, without a trace of unnecessary emotion.

"Our school has a direct connection to the military and specializes in training true warriors for the front lines. If you come, our school's treasured A-rank cultivation technique, the Burning Blood Battle Art, will be made available to you immediately. And in my capacity as War God Middle School's chief admissions officer, I guarantee that in your first year, you'll qualify to enter the military academy preparatory camp!"

An A-rank cultivation technique!

The military academy preparatory camp!

Listening nearby, Liu Haifeng felt his heart give a violent jolt, and his breath caught.

That was a military academy!

In the star domain occupied by the Human Federation, any military academy was a glory countless Martial Dao students dreamed of and risked their lives to win!

"Hehe, Director Qin, why always think about fighting and killing?"

Before Liu Haifeng could recover from his shock, Su Wen, the refined man in the middle, shook his head with a smile.

He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and rested his gentle gaze on Chen Fan. His voice was unhurried, yet carried an almost irresistible persuasiveness.

"Student Chen Fan, the path of Martial Dao offers more than a common fighter's courage. Our school emphasizes all-around development and holds a Federation research permit for level-three civilizations. We're willing to offer you an SS-rank genius contract, with three grandmaster-level professors from different fields to tailor a unique training plan just for you."

"All of our school's resource repositories will be open to you, including the biological gene bank, which isn't open to outsiders."

The corners of Su Wen's mouth rose slightly as he spoke his final sentence, as if stating a truth.

"We intend to cultivate well-rounded students!"

Liu Haifeng's head buzzed, and his brain nearly crashed.

An SS-rank contract?

Personal instruction from grandmasters?

A biological gene bank?

Were they fucking... recruiting a middle school student or crowning a crown prince?

"All flash and no substance!"

Bang!

A tremendous crash rang out as Hong Lei, as imposing as a mountain on the right, slammed his palm down on the alloy coffee table in front of him. The sturdy tabletop caved in instantly, and the teacups on it buzzed from the impact.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth. His voice rang out like a great bell, making their eardrums tingle.

"Kid, don't listen to those two. One's painting you a pie in the sky, and the other's spouting bullshit! Martial Dao has to be pure! It's about fighting!"

He pointed a palm-leaf-fan-sized hand at himself, his face full of unconcealed boldness and confidence.

"Come to our Beichen Martial Dao Academy! I guarantee you'll have the flesh and blood of high-tier exotic beasts to nourish you every week! And you can enter our academy's nine-story gravity tower whenever you want!"

"We don't play those empty games. We give you only what's most substantial!"

When he finished, the gazes of the three admissions directors locked onto Chen Fan like three scorching searchlights.

Each had put forward an offer enough to drive any genius, and even the family behind them, wild.

The reception room fell into utter silence.

Even the smile on Li Guangming's face faded a little. He held his teacup without drinking, simply watching Chen Fan in silence.

Liu Haifeng stood by the door, holding his breath. He felt like a mortal who had wandered into a wager among gods; even the sound of his heartbeat seemed unusually piercing.

Yet Chen Fan, at the center of the storm, showed not the slightest ripple on his youthful face from beginning to end.

There was no excitement, no delight, not even a hint of curiosity.

He simply listened in silence, as though they were discussing someone who had nothing to do with him.

At last, under everyone's expectant, nervous, and scrutinizing gazes, Chen Fan moved.

He stood up and first bowed slightly to the three admissions directors with their powerful auras.

The gesture was neither servile nor overbearing, and impeccably polite, yet it carried a sense of distance entirely at odds with his age.

Then he raised his head and spoke calmly.

His voice was clear and not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears distinctly.

"Thank you, teachers, for your generous regard. The terms you've all offered are extremely favorable."

"This matter is crucial to me, and I need a little time to consider it."

At this, he paused and gave a reason no one could dispute, but which left them deeply disappointed.

"And... discuss it with my family."

At these words,

a flash of barely concealed disappointment crossed the faces of Qin Lan, Su Wen, and Hong Lei at the same time.

They were all shrewd people and naturally heard the polite refusal and stalling in his words.

They had intended to strike while the iron was hot and seize this monstrous talent on the spot with the force of thunder.

But faced with Chen Fan, so composed and watertight, they couldn't bring themselves to utter a single word of the threats and inducements they had prepared.

Put pressure on an eight-year-old child?

If word got out, would they and the schools behind them have any face left?

In the end, Qin Lan was the first to withdraw her aggressive aura. She nodded coldly and left an encrypted contact number.

Su Wen, meanwhile, smiled and handed over an elegant electronic business card, as courteous and refined as ever.

Hong Lei scratched his head, somewhat irritated, but could only gruffly leave him with "Contact me whenever you've made up your mind," before sitting back down in disappointment.

When the heavy door to the reception room closed once more, shutting out those three powerful auras and leaving only Li Guangming, Liu Haifeng, and Chen Fan in the room,

Liu Haifeng finally let out a long breath. He looked as though he had just been pulled out of the water, his back soaked through.

Li Guangming, who had maintained his warm smile throughout, now underwent a subtle change of expression.

The perfectly measured courtesy and distance vanished, replaced by undisguised admiration and satisfaction like that of an old fox.

He looked at Chen Fan, his cloudy eyes, glinting with wisdom, full of mirth.

He didn't ask Chen Fan what he would choose, nor did he analyze the pros and cons of the three schools. He simply spoke meaningfully, his voice carrying a hint of understanding, as though he saw through everything.

"Well done."

"Now, tell your principal..."

"None of these are what you want, are they?"