Commendation on the Dais

Chapter 50: Commendation on the Dais

He exited the Virtual Network Pod.

Li Yuan began today's martial arts training, first practicing the Basic Cultivation Method, then drilling his spear techniques.

This had become Li Yuan's habit.

Not until three thirty in the afternoon did Li Yuan take a hot shower in the rest room and leave the Martial Arts Room.

As Teacher Chen had said that morning,

at four in the afternoon, the entire school's teachers and students would gather on the field for an assembly. They had to arrive on time.

He had just closed the door to the Martial Arts Room.

"Li Yuan?" A rather delighted voice came from nearby. "You're still in the Martial Arts Room? Hurry up. I thought I was the only one left."

"Xiao Qiang, you haven't left yet?" Li Yuan smiled, spotting the delicate-looking youth at the end of the corridor at a glance.

Whether they were eating, using the restroom, heading to the field, or leaving school, students liked finding someone to tag along with.

Boys were no exception.

Over nearly half a semester, Li Yuan and Gu Qianghan had often run into each other.

Their relationship could be considered fairly familiar.

After spending more time together,

Li Yuan had long discovered that although Gu Qianghan seemed flighty by nature, he actually had no bad intentions. Everything was written all over his face, making him a very good choice for a friend.

"Call me Gu Qiang! Gu Qiang!" Gu Qianghan jumped in agitation. "That's what my sister calls me."

"Your sister can call you that, but I can't?" Li Yuan walked closer with a smile. "Come on, let's go downstairs."

"Of course my sister can call me that." Gu Qianghan walked ahead on the stairs, turning half his head to glance at Li Yuan. "You're not my brother-in-law. What right do you have to call me Xiao Qiang?"

"So what if I call you that?" Li Yuan smiled. "You can't beat me anyway."

"In this exam, your raw martial arts score didn't seem to be higher than mine."

Gu Qianghan choked.

That was true!

He had seen the score sheet and already knew of Li Yuan's terrifying score in the January Adjustment Exam—second in the grade in raw score... and far, far ahead of third place.

From the standpoint of actual combat, whoever had the higher raw martial arts score often held the greater combat advantage and higher chance of victory.

"Pah!"

Gu Qianghan suddenly raised his middle finger. "So what if your raw score is higher than mine? I've got Spirituality bonus points. I'm second in the grade by total score, while you're only—"

Seeing that Li Yuan did not respond,

"Forget it." Gu Qianghan abruptly realized that was inappropriate to say. He waved his hand, putting on a magnanimous act. "I forgive you for tricking me during the exam. Just remember to call me Gu Qiang from now on. Xiao Qiang isn't for you to call me."

"Got it, Gu Qiang~~~han." Li Yuan deliberately dragged out the sound.

"Damn it, you're going to have no friends if you keep this up." Gu Qianghan glared.

Li Yuan and Gu Qianghan exchanged "friendly greetings" all the way as they entered the field together.

There were only two minutes left until four o'clock.

The students from the vast majority of classes had already lined up in orderly formation.

The lines for Grade 12 Class 1 and Class 2, Grade 3 stood right beside each other.

"Lanyue." The slightly plump girl Peng Qiqi bumped Lin Lanyue's arm. "Look, why is your brother so close with Li Yuan? They even came over together this late."

"Could Li Yuan be trying to sneak across Chencang?" Peng Qiqi waggled her brows. "First he gets on good terms with your brother, then he chases you."

"Qiqi, have you been reading too many romance novels?" Lin Lanyue reached out and pinched her best friend's neck, making Peng Qiqi giggle.

Quite a few boys around them could not help looking over.

In the martial arts classes, no small number of boys liked Lin Lanyue.

Yet no one dared confess.

"Hehe." Peng Qiqi tried to block Lin Lanyue's hand while muttering softly, "Then tell me, why is he so close with Gu Qiang?"

"Don't you know Gu Qiang's personality?" Lin Lanyue gently shook her head. "If you pinned him to the ground and beat him a few times in a row, he'd be willing to be friends with you too."

"Gu Qiang sparred with Li Yuan?" Peng Qiqi asked in surprise.

"Mm. Their private Martial Arts Rooms are next to each other." Lin Lanyue nodded. "They fought virtual battles several times. Gu Qiang lost every time."

Peng Qiqi looked thoughtful. "Makes sense. Li Yuan's raw martial arts score was second this time, over 900 points. He isn't much lower than you."

"Twenty-eight points lower." Lin Lanyue emphasized.

She actually paid close attention to Li Yuan's scores.

That morning, her cultural studies homeroom teacher had immediately told her his score and ranking, along with the fact that Li Yuan's "Arts Score was first in the entire district and second in the whole city."

At the time, Lin Lanyue had been stunned by Li Yuan's terrifying rate of improvement.

But before her best friend, she naturally did not want to admit it.

"You remember his score so clearly."

Peng Qiqi giggled. "By the way, last time you said only someone who got on the dais was qualified to make you like him. I think Li Yuan's raw score might surpass yours next time."

Lin Lanyue blinked, her long lashes fluttering. "Talk about it after he surpasses me."

"Even if his raw score surpasses mine, his total score will still be lower. The one who gets on the dais is first in total score, not first in raw score." Lin Lanyue said blandly.

Subconsciously, she felt Li Yuan already had a chance of surpassing her in raw score.

"You're a dead duck with a hard beak." Peng Qiqi laughed, then suddenly stuck out her tongue. "Old Xia is here."

Teacher Xia was the cultural studies homeroom teacher of Grade 12 Class 1.

"Today, the leaders visiting our school include Director Zhang of the Guanshan District Martial Arts Bureau, the Guanshan District Education Bureau... Hall Master Zuo of the Starfire Martial Hall Guanshan Branch, Hall Master Song of the Starry Sky Martial Hall Guanshan Branch..." The host teacher introduced the guests present on the dais.

There were more than ten of them in all.

"Hall Master Zuo came?" Li Yuan, standing among the ranks, looked at the valiant woman onstage with chestnut curls and was slightly surprised.

By rights, why would so many leaders attend an internal school assembly?

Even the two great Martial Halls had sent representatives.

"Brother Yuan, didn't you notice? It seems quite a few reporters came today." Yan Zhou suddenly whispered, pointing at the cameras on both sides of the dais.

"Oh, right." Li Yuan nodded. He had arrived at the field rather late and had not noticed earlier.

"Respected leaders, teachers..." Principal Tan Zhenlong had already begun his enthusiastic speech.

As Principal Tan read from his script and looked at the thousands of students below, it was as though he saw a scene of vigorous vitality, with all things bursting forth.

Time passed.

As one leader after another spoke, the students below had begun yawning.

Finally,

the most important segment of the day began—the commendation ceremony.

"In this citywide January Adjustment Exam, our Grade 12 students strove bravely to be first and achieved outstanding results once more... Wan Qingling... and ten other students ranked in the top ten for Total Cultural Score."

"Lin Lanyue, Gu Qianghan... Li Yuan... and ten other students ranked in the top ten for Total Martial Arts Score. Let all teachers and students congratulate these students, and we hope everyone can learn from them." The host teacher spoke passionately.

Sparse applause immediately sounded from below.

Most students had been thoroughly drained of interest and only wanted to leave quickly and return to their classrooms.

This was especially true for the first- and second-year students. Most felt they had come merely to serve as cheap "NPC audience members," continuously offering friendly greetings to the leaders in private.

Below the stage,

"Lanyue, it'll soon be your turn to go onstage." Peng Qiqi whispered. "Good luck."

By convention, first place in Total Cultural Score and first place in Total Martial Arts Score both had to go onstage to receive special commendation from school leaders and take photographs.

Lin Lanyue was rather calm.

She had experienced similar things many times over her three years of high school and was very familiar with the process.

However,

the host teacher onstage did not introduce the two top-ranked students as Lin Lanyue and most Grade 12 students expected. Instead, he handed the microphone back to Principal Tan Zhenlong, who stepped forward again.

"Today's assembly,"

Principal Tan said solemnly, "is not only to summarize the Grade 12 January Adjustment Exam and praise outstanding students. There is also an extremely special commendation."

A special commendation? Those words immediately drew the attention of many students.

"All students should know that

just one week ago, our Guanshan District suffered a severe Star Realm Creature attack..." Principal Tan's voice was low and heavy.

At that moment, the somewhat dull atmosphere was stirred considerably. Many students could not help lifting their heads to look at Principal Tan, curiosity in their eyes.

A special commendation? What did it have to do with the Star Realm Creature attack?

Even students like Lin Lanyue and Gu Qianghan grew quite curious.

"...But when the Entry Rank Star Realm Creature charged toward the crowd,

at such a perilous juncture, at such a critical moment, a seventeen-year-old high school student who happened to be passing by disregarded his own safety. He picked up a crude weapon nearby and voluntarily stood between the Star Realm Creature and the innocent civilians..." Principal Tan spoke with deep feeling, recounting the recent "fierce battle."

The thousands of students below listened with growing interest.

They only felt this was far more interesting than the leaders' speeches from earlier.

"Wow! Fighting an Entry Rank Star Realm Creature? Who was it?" Peng Qiqi, standing in the ranks, was somewhat shocked as she whispered, "Lanyue, was it you?"

In truth, it was not only Peng Qiqi. Quite a few Grade 12 students from the Elite Class and other classes had already turned to look at Lin Lanyue.

All the students realized

that since Principal Tan was giving such a speech, this student who had fought a Star Realm Creature had to be from their school.

In these students' minds, perhaps only Lin Lanyue could barely fight an Entry Rank Star Realm Creature.

Other than Lin Lanyue, who else could it be?

"It wasn't me."

Lin Lanyue shook her head, a trace of curiosity flashing through her eyes as well. "Who was it?"

In fact, she had fought Star Realm Creatures before, but always in controlled venues, and the creatures she faced had not reached Entry Rank.

To voluntarily fight an Entry Rank Star Realm Creature?

Lin Lanyue asked herself whether she possessed that courage and strength. She did not.

"Finally, after an arduous and extraordinary battle." Principal Tan continued speaking. "This seventeen-year-old student managed with great difficulty to kill the Star Realm Creature and save the lives of many innocent civilians."

"To commend this student's courage and outstanding contribution during the Star Realm Creature attack,

the Jiang City Martial Arts Hall, the Education Bureau, the Starfire Martial Hall Jiang City Branch, the Starry Sky Martial Hall Jiang City Branch... have jointly decided to confer upon him the model title of 'Young Hero.'" Principal Tan's voice surged with passion, his eyes shining. "Now,

let us welcome Li Yuan of Class 2, Grade 3 to the stage

to receive the commendation and conferment of this model title!"

"Wow!"

"Clap clap clap~" In an instant, applause like crashing waves swept across the entire field.

The first- and second-year students all craned their necks, gazing eagerly toward the dais.

They wanted to see which senior was so unbelievably awesome.

Several classes near the ranks of Class 2, Grade 3 had already widened their eyes at the youthful figure slowly walking out from the class formation.

He wore a white martial arts uniform, with a well-proportioned build and handsome, spirited brows.

Under the gaze of the multitude, the youth remained calm and composed, a faint smile on his face as he walked steadily onto the dais.

..."Lanyue."

"Li... Li Yuan, he really got on the dais." Peng Qiqi stared wide-eyed at that white-clad figure, somewhat entranced. Then she suddenly whispered, "Do you really think Li Yuan is no good? If you don't want him, then you're not allowed to compete with me for him."

"We'll talk later." Lin Lanyue's gaze remained fixed on the dais, her eyes unblinking.

(End of Chapter)