Xu Bo's Shock

Xu Bo's Shock

Seeing that the middle-aged man in the Tang suit ignored them and spoke directly to Xu Bo, the vice principals' expressions subtly changed.

They could not help turning to look at Xu Bo.

Previously, although the vice principals had heard quite a few rumors, they had never witnessed anything firsthand, so they still harbored some doubts about Xu Bo.

Now? There was no doubt left.

Only Principal Tan Zhenlong remained the calmest. He knew Xu Bo's background best, which was why he had specifically called Xu Bo to the school gate to receive him.

The result was just as he had expected.

"Tie Ta, I heard about your hand..." The middle-aged man in the Tang suit looked at Xu Bo's silver mechanical right arm.

"Old Wan, it's all in the past."

Xu Bo waved a hand and smiled. "Today is your first inspection visit to our school during your term of office. Let's talk business first."

"This is Principal Tan." Xu Bo took the initiative to introduce him.

"Principal Tan." Hall Master Wan smiled faintly.

"Hall Master Wan, hello. I've long heard of your great reputation in the Star Realm." Principal Tan bowed slightly and extended his hand first.

Principal Tan kept a low profile.

As the hall master of the Starfire Martial Hall's Guanshan District Branch, Hall Master Wan held an extremely high position.

That status came from the might of the Martial Hall, but even more so from Hall Master Wan's own strength.

"Principal Tan, let's go into the school." Hall Master Wan smiled. "I've just returned from the Star Realm and am still unfamiliar with many things. Let's follow the usual procedure and first take a look at the students from the three Elite Classes."

"Alright."

"Hall Master Wan, this way, please. The students from all three Elite Classes are waiting in the Martial Arts Classrooms." Principal Tan said with a smile.

A group of people crowded around them as they entered the school.

Two hours later, a group gathered around Hall Master Wan, Principal Tan, and Xu Bo as they walked out of the Elite Building together.

"Principal Tan and the teachers have taught them well."

Hall Master Wan smiled. "The Elite Class students are all outstanding, especially the seniors. I think quite a few of them have a chance of getting into the Five Great Prestigious Schools."

"I believe that in a few years, another batch of Entry-Level Martialists will emerge from our Guanshan District." Hall Master Wan praised.

"You flatter us, Hall Master Wan." Principal Tan smiled. "I wonder if there are any students you have taken a liking to?"

The vice principals and teachers all looked toward Hall Master Wan with considerable anticipation.

Why did the Martial Hall conduct inspections?

At its core, it was to invite the people in charge of the Martial Hall to take a look and see whether any students were qualified to sign contracts early.

For schools, it was naturally best if students could be specially recruited by the Martial Arts Hall, but there were far too few such spots.

If they could sign early with a Martial Hall and receive its training, their chances of getting into the Five Great Prestigious Schools would rise greatly. For the school leadership, that was also a form of political achievement.

In fact, why were there only the Starry Sky Martial Hall and Starfire Martial Hall within Xia Country? And why did the two great Martial Halls possess such immense authority?

In a sense, although these two great Martial Halls appeared independent, both actually carried a somewhat official nature.

"These students are all excellent, but some matters aren't for me alone to decide." Hall Master Wan smiled. "Once I return, I'll have the Martial Hall conduct comprehensive evaluations of these students. I believe there will be good results."

Disappointment appeared in the eyes of several school leaders.

Clearly, Hall Master Wan had not taken a liking to any student, or at least, none had caught his eye at first glance.

"Hall Master Wan, would you like to take a look at the ordinary classes as well?" Principal Tan's smile remained unchanged. "There are some excellent students in the ordinary classes too."

Hall Master Wan merely smiled without speaking.

"Principal Tan, the Hall Master's time is limited today, and it's getting late." A man dressed in black beside them said softly. "What do you think?"

"Oh, alright, alright. Then we'll wait for another opportunity next time." Principal Tan nodded repeatedly.

This was normal. There were too many students in the ordinary classes, while their chances of becoming Martialists were low... Whether the Starfire Martial Hall or Starry Sky Martial Hall came to inspect, they basically would not visit the ordinary classes.

One had to know that inspecting school students was only a small part of the Martial Halls' work.

And there were dozens of middle schools and high schools combined in Guanshan District. There was not enough time to inspect them one by one; most of the time, they simply checked Martial Arts Scores directly.

"Old Wan."

Xu Bo, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke. "I picked out a few promising seedlings from the ordinary classes. Why don't you stay a little longer and take another look?"

Everyone looked at Xu Bo.

"Xu..." Principal Tan was just about to speak.

"Students you've taken a liking to, Tie Ta?" Hall Master Wan showed a trace of curiosity and smiled. "Picked from the ordinary classes? If they can catch your eye, Tie Ta, they must have some potential. Fine, I'll take another look."

Hall Master Wan agreed, firstly to give Xu Bo face.

Secondly, he had only just assumed the position of hall master and truly wanted to accomplish something, but none of the students from the three Elite Classes he had seen today had satisfied him.

"Good, Teacher Xu, lead the way." Principal Tan smiled, going with the flow.

"Mm, this way." Xu Bo walked at the front.

Teacher Xu told me to come here today and specifically instructed me not to go anywhere. What for? Li Yuan wondered, his gaze sweeping over the other three students.

There were two second-year students and one first-year student. None of them knew one another.

Including Li Yuan, there were only four of them in this Martial Arts Classroom.

Suddenly.

"Hm?" Li Yuan's ears twitched. He heard noisy voices coming from the end of the corridor.

It was Teacher Xu's voice.

"Hall Master Wan?" Li Yuan caught one form of address from among the voices.

Before he could think further.

Very soon.

Xu Bo, Hall Master Wan, Principal Tan, and the rest of the group entered the Martial Arts Classroom.

Faced with such a scene.

The other three students all looked nervous. Only Li Yuan had been prepared and remained the calmest.

"Hall Master Wan? Is he the hall master of the Starry Sky Martial Hall, or the Starfire Martial Hall?" Li Yuan's peripheral vision involuntarily fell on the middle-aged man in the Tang suit, and a string of text appeared in his field of vision.

[Target individual, life level exceeds detection limit (current life level detection limit: Level 16.9)]

The man stood at the front of the group, wore the most distinctive clothing, and was clearly of the highest status.

Moreover, with only one glance, the middle-aged man in the Tang suit gave Li Yuan an extremely dangerous feeling. Especially those eyes of his—seemingly calm, yet in truth like blades, making one instinctively want to look away.

What a formidable Martialist. He might even be stronger than Teacher Xu, Li Yuan thought in shock.

Every use of his Divine Palace Panel's Detection consumed mental energy. Using it too many times would leave him fatigued, much like undergoing a large number of Virtual Wars. Therefore, Li Yuan rarely used it in daily life.

A Martial Hall hall master? With the principal and Teacher Xu accompanying him? What is he here for? Thoughts raced through Li Yuan's mind.

At the same time.

Li Yuan and the other three students called out in succession, "Principal, Teacher Xu."

"Teacher Xu."

As for the vice principals? Li Yuan and the others recognized their faces and knew they were school leaders, but they had no idea what their surnames were, so naturally they did not address them.

"Good."

"You four, listen carefully. Today is a very important opportunity for you. In a moment, display your physical qualities and Martial Arts Techniques." Xu Bo said in a low voice. "Xiong Yifan, you're first. The three physical tests."

The three tests referred to the Life Qi-Blood Test, Punch Force Test, and burst-speed test.

Immediately.

The first-year student stepped into the detection range of the Life Blood Detection Instrument...

Hall Master Wan did not pay much attention to the first-year student. As though he had sensed something, his gaze had already involuntarily fallen upon Li Yuan. "Tie Ta, what is this student called?" he asked softly.

Xu Bo noticed Hall Master Wan's gaze and said, "His name is Li Yuan. Old Wan, do you think he's not bad?"

"Li Yuan?" Hall Master Wan's eyes shifted slightly, as if he had recalled something. He smiled. "Let's take a look first. No rush."

"Mm." Xu Bo nodded.

Very soon.

The three first-year and second-year students finished their tests. Their physical data would all rank in the upper-middle tier among Elite Class students of the same year.

But that was all. It was not enough to change Hall Master Wan's mind.

In the end, everyone's eyes fell on Li Yuan.

"So he's Li Yuan?"

"I've heard of him."

"His Martial Arts Technique seems pretty good."

"But he still hadn't awakened his Martial Arts Spirituality even after entering his senior year. The chances of signing early probably aren't high, right?" Several school leaders quietly exchanged words. They did not know that Li Yuan had entered the Blue Star Youth Ranking, but they had all heard his name.

After defeating Lin Lanyue in a Virtual War, Li Yuan had become a minor celebrity at school.

"Li Yuan, go." Xu Bo said in a deep voice. "Take this seriously. Show all your strength."

Of the four students selected from the ordinary classes, Xu Bo valued Li Yuan the most.

Or rather, in his eyes, Li Yuan was the one most likely to sign an early contract with the Martial Hall.

"Yes."

Li Yuan nodded and stepped directly onto the silver circular floor in the center of the Martial Arts Classroom. The range of this circle was both the technique-testing zone and the detection range of the Life Blood Detection Instrument.

Whoosh!

A red beam shot down, enveloping Li Yuan's entire body.

Three seconds later.

Data appeared on the screen at the back of the classroom—"Li Yuan (student), physical quality: Level 6.9 (previous test: Level 6.5)."

"Historical data: September 5: Level 6.5."

"Historical data: June 25: Level 6.0."

"Level 6.9? He improved by another 0.4 levels in just over a month?" Even Xu Bo's eyes revealed a trace of surprise as he looked at Li Yuan in considerable shock.

"Interesting." Hall Master Wan smiled.

(End of chapter)