The Money Arrived! Joy!

8:00 a.m., Guanshan District No.1 High School.

Li Yuan frowned as he twirled his pen and worked through the math paper in front of him, his head throbbing in waves. Derivatives, limits, continuity, indefinite integrals, linear transformations... University-level material from more than a century ago had now all become National College Entrance Examination math questions.

People of this era had far stronger physiques, higher learning efficiency, and correspondingly greater exam difficulty.

"Math is really hard."

"Memorizing history and biology is much easier than this." Li Yuan muttered inwardly, yet he still worked through the math questions with great seriousness.

Since his second year of high school, Li Yuan's Spiritual Power had continuously improved, noticeably boosting his thinking speed and memory... Therefore, even though he spent only four hours a day studying Cultural Courses, his grades had not fallen behind those of his classmates.

In fact, his ranking in the grade's academic results had even improved.

One had to know that Guanshan District No.1 High School was a key high school. Its average students would be considered top students in many ordinary high schools.

Still, this was close to the limit of Li Yuan's cultural course studies.

His greatly improved memory had significantly raised his scores in subjects requiring extensive rote memorization, such as language, history, and biology... But subjects like math and physics were much harder.

Yet in today's National College Entrance Examination, math and physics accounted for the largest share of the score.

"I still have to study seriously. In math, physics, and chemistry, I should strive to get full marks on the basic questions." Li Yuan silently made up his mind.

Just then.

Bzz~

Li Yuan's Smart Ring Watch vibrated twice in quick succession.

"Hm?" Li Yuan glanced at it from the corner of his eye, and his eyes lit up.

"Your account ending in 1486 has received 50,000.00 Blue Star Coins... The transfer account ends in... Balance: 83,124.64 Blue Star Coins."

"Your account ending in 1486 has received 50,000.00 Blue Star Coins... The transfer account ends in... Balance: 133,124.64 Blue Star Coins."

Of the two payments, one fifty thousand was a reward from Starry Sky Fighting Net.

The other fifty thousand was the Second-Class Financial Aid reward.

"Good." Li Yuan could not help clenching his fist. If he had not been in class, he might have jumped up in excitement.

A hundred thousand Blue Star Coins!

From childhood to adulthood, this was the first time Li Yuan had ever received such an enormous sum of money.

More importantly, in a sense, this was a reward Li Yuan had earned through his own efforts.

It was fundamentally different from the money his uncle and aunt had given him.

It was like how many people, after growing up and starting work, would remember their first paycheck deeply. Even if they later gained ten times or a hundred times that wealth... nothing could replace the meaning of that first paycheck.

The first time was always special.

"Brother Yuan, what's got you so happy? Solve a big problem?" Beside him, Yan Zhou kept his eyes on his own paper and muttered softly, "Let me see."

"No."

Li Yuan calmed down and subconsciously raised his head slightly, glancing in the teacher's direction to see whether the teacher had noticed him. "I only ever do the first question."

Suddenly.

"Some students, don't think the teacher can't see you just because I don't want to call you out by name." A cold voice rang out. "Do it yourself! Will you still be able to peek at someone else's paper during the National College Entrance Examination?"

Li Yuan and Yan Zhou lowered their heads at once and shut their mouths.

9:00 a.m., the principal's office.

Principal Tan Zhenlong, who had been working, suddenly looked up at the flickering holographic projection not far away.

"Master, it is Director Wang from the Education Bureau." A gentle voice sounded.

"Number Nine, answer it." Principal Tan put down his pen. "Activate guest mode."

"Yes."

Whoosh~ Principal Tan's office immediately changed. Streams of light swept through it, visibly altering the entire office's style and making it more comfortable to the eye.

"Director Wang." Principal Tan smiled.

A young man in a jacket appeared in the projection, looking to be around thirty.

"Principal Tan, sorry to disturb you." Director Wang smiled. "I need to trouble you with something. It concerns one of your school's students."

"A student?" Principal Tan was immediately puzzled.

"Here's the situation. This morning, the City Martial Arts Bureau notified us that they needed us to report the information of a student from your school, named Li Yuan. He should be a senior high school student." Director Wang said. "He entered the Blue Star Youth Ranking yesterday..."

"Li Yuan? I know that student. He's a good prospect." Principal Tan nodded repeatedly. "I understand. I'll compile the information and send it to you right away."

Having worked in the education system for decades, Principal Tan had encountered similar matters more than once.

He already understood the whole story and knew what he needed to do.

"Good. It's all routine business, so I won't disturb you any longer." Director Wang smiled. "Go ahead and get busy."

The video call ended.

"Li Yuan?"

"The Blue Star Youth Ranking? He got on it so quickly?" Principal Tan sat behind his desk, secretly astonished.

Yesterday, he had been invited to watch Lin Lanyue's duel with Li Yuan, and he had felt that Li Yuan might be able to enter the Blue Star Youth Ranking.

But he had not expected it to happen so soon.

After thinking for a moment.

"Number Nine, contact Teacher Xu Bo." Principal Tan spoke, and the call connected quickly.

"Old Tan, you wanted me?" Xu Bo appeared in the video, smiling. "What is it? Hurry up and say it, don't delay my cultivation."

"Cultivating during work hours?" Principal Tan glared.

"There are no martial arts classes in the morning. What else should I do if not cultivate?" Xu Bo said righteously. "I work hard at cultivation so I can do my job properly."

Principal Tan smiled helplessly. "Enough nonsense. Let me tell you something."

Quickly.

Principal Tan explained the situation.

"The Blue Star Youth Ranking? The Martial Arts Bureau? This must be about special recruitment by the Five Great Prestigious Schools." Xu Bo gently shook his head. "From my experience, he probably won't get the special recruitment qualification."

In this era, the Martial Arts Department responsible for managing martial artists within Xia Country possessed astonishing authority.

Its subordinate Martial Arts Halls and Martial Arts Bureaus were likewise extremely powerful.

"Mm, that's what I think too." Principal Tan sighed softly. "Failing to awaken Martial Arts Spirituality means he is not suited to any Advanced Cultivation Method. His future improvement in physique will lag far behind that of other martial artists. It truly will be difficult for him to gain special recruitment directly into one of the Five Great Prestigious Schools."

Xu Bo nodded slightly without saying more.

He had guessed that Li Yuan's physique had improved astonishingly and that his actual talent was very high... But that was only his guess.

Over the years, not to mention all of Human Civilization, even within Xia Country alone, there had been many students like Li Yuan—strong in Martial Arts Technique and decent in physique, yet never able to awaken Martial Arts Spirituality...

In the end, very few could rise above the crowd.

"We should still nurture him properly." After thinking for a moment, Principal Tan said, "Even if the special recruitment fails, with his results, getting into a Martial Arts University will not be difficult. His future will not be bad."

"In the future, perhaps he may even catch up to you." Principal Tan suddenly smiled.

"Let's hope so." Xu Bo changed the subject. "By the way, Old Tan, since the special recruitment screening has already started, how about you first..."

Before Xu Bo could finish.

"Number Nine!" The smile vanished from Principal Tan's face, and he waved his hand repeatedly. "Hang up."

"Special recruitment?"

Xu Bo, dressed in a martial arts uniform, stood in his office and thought for a moment. "Forget it. There's no certainty yet, so I shouldn't tell Li Yuan. It would only unsettle him."

Xu Bo resumed cultivating the Basic Cultivation Method.

"After losing my arm, the neurotoxin was never completely purged. My Source Power circulation is obstructed, my dantian is damaged as well, and my physique has dropped four levels in a row." Xu Bo silently pondered. "For all these years, I have only barely been able to maintain Level 19."

"But at least I'm still alive."

"As long as I don't give up, there will always be a glimmer of hope." Light shone in Xu Bo's eyes.

Li Yuan knew nothing about being selected for the Five Great Prestigious Schools' special recruitment screening.

Classes ended at noon.

"Old Zhou, you guys go to the cafeteria first. I have something to do." Li Yuan told Zhou Qi and the others to leave first.

The students gradually filed out until only Li Yuan remained.

He went to the classroom door, glanced down the corridor, and confirmed that there was no one in the classrooms on either side.

Li Yuan could no longer hold back. He immediately activated his Smart Ring Watch. "Xiaoyu, connect me to Aunt."

Beep—beep—

A full six seconds passed.

Bzz~ A holographic projection condensed in front of Li Yuan. Only he could see the screen... an Anti-peeping Light Screen.

"Xiao Yuan, what happened? Why are you video calling me so urgently?" His aunt, Chen Hui, looked at Li Yuan with slight anxiety. Judging by the background, she was in her office.

Chen Hui was a middle school teacher.

"Aunt, put on your earphones." Li Yuan smiled. "I have some good news to tell you."

"Good news?" Chen Hui froze.

Soon, she put on her earphones.

"Aunt, it's about the financial aid and..." Li Yuan immediately explained the situation, emphasizing at the end, "Don't worry, Aunt. I'm not lying to you. Both payments have already arrived in my account."

As he spoke, Li Yuan sent his aunt screenshots of the account.

"A hundred thousand Blue Star Coins?" Chen Hui's mouth fell slightly open in surprise.

That was about the same as her annual take-home salary.

"Good!"

"Good!" Chen Hui said the word twice in succession. A faint tear glimmered at the corner of her eye as she urged, "Xiao Yuan, go eat first. Remember to call your uncle after you finish eating. Call before one o'clock—your uncle and the others take their lunch break from one to two."

"When he finds out, he'll definitely be very happy."

Ever since her son and daughter had entered middle school, with Li Yuan added to the household, Chen Hui had felt enormous financial pressure over the past few years.

Especially this month, when her husband, Li Changzhou, had gone to the warfront in Beijiang Province for the high subsidies.

Chen Hui often worried herself sleepless night after night, afraid that a message would suddenly arrive.

But she could not let the children see it.

Chen Hui knew that the hundred thousand Blue Star Coins Li Yuan had just received could not solve the family's problems.

But at this moment, Chen Hui finally saw a ray of dawn.

...After ending the call with his aunt.

Li Yuan tried video calling his uncle, Li Changzhou, wanting to tell him the good news.

Beep—beep—

No one answered.

"He didn't answer?" Li Yuan froze. A trace of worry rose uncontrollably in his heart, but he quickly comforted himself. "Uncle and the others are probably still busy."

He left a message, explained everything in detail, and sent the savings screenshot to Li Changzhou as well.

After doing everything.

Only then did Li Yuan relax slightly and walk out of the classroom.

Late September sunlight fell across the corridor and onto Li Yuan.

It was warm and pleasant.

"The sunlight today is really nice." Li Yuan smiled and headed downstairs toward the cafeteria.

(End of Chapter)