Elite Class

Afterward, Yang Huai'an introduced the three to him. "This is Great Martial Master Zhong Wanshan. He is a senior martial arts professor at the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall. You may call him Teacher Zhong."

"Teacher Zhong!" the three greeted in unison.

Zhong Wanshan looked at them, his expression very satisfied.

His gaze fell on Qin Heng as he said, "Qin Heng, regarding the Divine Pill Rumor, is there anything you wish to say?"

Qin Heng answered decisively, "A straight body does not fear a crooked shadow!"

"Good!"

Zhong Wanshan was greatly pleased. "As a martial warrior, do not fear doubt or slander. So long as your strength is sufficient, every voice will eventually turn into praise—just like our great Goddess of War."

The Goddess of War...

Qin Heng's mind drifted for a moment.

He had actually been compared to the Goddess of War. What an immense honor was that?

During the chaotic years, the Goddess of War, Jie, had once had a terrible reputation. Some said she slaughtered innocents without restraint, some said she was savage and tyrannical, and others even questioned whether she was human at all, claiming she had transformed from a Monster.

But as Base Cities rose from the ground one after another under her direction, giving people new homes, and after they witnessed her personally slay three Beast Gods through televised broadcasts, those voices of doubt quickly vanished.

By now, she had become a mythical existence, an idol of the entire populace, revered as the savior of the new era.

Qin Heng said, "I will work hard and cast off those rumors as soon as possible, clearing the name of both myself and the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall."

"Mm."

Zhong Wanshan nodded and took out a sealed document, handing it to him. "This is your Admission Notice. It bears the joint seals of the mayor and the curator. The only one this year."

Qin Heng accepted it with both hands.

Normally, an Admission Notice only required the Martial Hall's seal.

But this "first copy" was to be photographed and preserved by the media, and the mayor of the Base City would also leave his seal upon it as a memento.

"Open it and take a look," Zhong Wanshan said.

"Mm."

Qin Heng tore open the seal.

The Admission Notice was made of stiff cardstock, with ornate patterned designs on the back.

Opening it, he saw a single sentence written inside: Student Qin Heng, after joint assessment by the Base City government and the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall, it has been decided that you are admitted as a student of the 2088th class of this Martial Hall. Please report to the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall for enrollment before July 1.

Below were two signatures and seals.

Mayor: Zhou Zhiping

Curator: Wang Daoyi

Besides that, there was also a small card and a thin booklet in the document envelope.

"What are these?" Qin Heng took them out and glanced at them.

Zhong Wanshan explained, "The freshman enrollment handbook. It introduces our Martial Hall's organizational structure and some matters new students need to pay attention to. Read it when you have time. This card is a bank card, which will be used to pay your salary in the future. The initial password is 123456. Keep it safe yourself."

A salary card!

Qin Heng's eyes lit up.

This was where his monthly salary of 120,000 would be deposited from now on!

"Thank you, Teacher Zhong!" Qin Heng said.

Zhong Wanshan smiled faintly. "I heard from Junior Brother Yang that your family circumstances are poor, so I deposited 10,000 yuan into your card in advance. It will be deducted from next month's salary."

"Huh? This..."

Qin Heng was instantly overjoyed.

He had thought he would not receive his first salary until August, yet Zhong Wanshan had directly given him 10,000 today!

That was 10,000 yuan! Even if he ate meat every day, it would be enough to feed him for a year!

At that moment, Yang Huai'an said, "Qin Heng, once you have money in the future, you must not forget your roots. Remember why you began practicing martial arts."

"Yes, Coach. I will certainly never forget my original aspiration!" Qin Heng replied, beaming.

His original aspiration was to let his parents and Ling Xue live good lives.

That would never change!

Besides that, he had a second dream: to hunt wild beasts and, like the great heroes and Martial Gods he had read about in books, fight to protect humanity's home!

"Speaking of which..."

Zhong Wanshan said, "Qin Heng, Old Wang's grandnephew said you had taken a divine pill and smeared your name... This should be a personal grudge, right?"

Qin Heng nodded. "He and I had a conflict long ago. We used to be evenly matched when we fought, but now that his status has changed, he wants revenge on me."

Zhong Wanshan frowned slightly. "That is rather troublesome. If it were someone else, the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall could naturally stand up for you. But Old Wang is a Grandmaster, and he has no children or grandchildren. This Wang Peng is extremely important to him."

Wang Jianming was, after all, a Grandmaster. In all of Nansha Base City, there were only thirty or forty such powerhouses.

As his only relative, Wang Peng would not be permitted to endure others pointing fingers at him, even if he had done something wrong.

Qin Heng understood this as well and replied, "I will settle my own grudges myself. I will not trouble the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall. So long as I am strong enough, he naturally will not dare trouble me again."

Zhong Wanshan said, "Neither servile nor overbearing. Very good."

Then he added, "But if he truly hires experts to deal with you and threatens your life, do not bear it alone. Our Heavenly Dao Martial Hall fears no power, even if the other side is a Martial God."

He spoke those words with exceptional confidence.

The Heavenly Dao Martial Hall was not afraid even of Martial Gods!

Because their chief curator was himself one of the strongest Martial Gods on Earth today!

Qin Heng was stirred. "I understand. Thank you, Teacher Zhong."

With the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall backing him, Wang Peng was nothing to fear.

"Oh, right. There is one more matter." Zhong Wanshan changed his tone.

"Please speak, Teacher Zhong." Qin Heng listened attentively.

Zhong Wanshan said, "Three months from now, the Four Great Martial Halls will hold a Martial Arts Tournament. You must participate, so prepare in advance."

"A Martial Arts Tournament? The one Xiao Yang mentioned?" Qin Heng asked.

Zhong Wanshan was somewhat surprised. "When did you meet Xiao Yang?"

"Yesterday, at the military cafeteria by the Border Wall. We met once, and he challenged me," Qin Heng answered truthfully.

Zhong Wanshan smiled upon hearing this. "That is quite good. Genius against genius—this fight is worth anticipating."

"Teacher Zhong, is there some instruction behind asking me to compete?" Qin Heng asked him.

Zhong Wanshan explained, "It is like this. Because of the Divine Pill Rumor, our Administrative Vice Curator specifically requested that you be temporarily removed from the ranks of the Elite Class. Only by proving through your actions that you did not take a divine pill and that your strength has been steadily growing can you regain the opportunity."

"Elite Class? What is that?" Qin Heng, Su Kuang, and Chen Yuan were all very curious.

Zhong Wanshan said, "All Four Great Martial Halls have Elite Classes. They are meant to cultivate talented students with the potential to become Grandmasters, and their learning resources are far more abundant than those of ordinary students. The Elite Class does not distinguish between seniority or grade level. No matter when one joins the Martial Hall, everyone is in the same class. At present, the Heavenly Dao Martial Hall's Elite Class has twelve students. If you can display strength at the tournament three months from now that is far greater than in yesterday's test, you can become the thirteenth."

Qin Heng's eyes lit up.

This Elite Class sounded incredible!

The entire Heavenly Dao Martial Hall only had twelve such students, every one of them a supreme genius with a chance of becoming a Grandmaster or Great Grandmaster!

If he could enter this special class, the resources he would enjoy would surely far exceed imagination!

"Teacher Zhong, I will definitely prove myself!" Qin Heng said with brimming confidence.

At his current rate of growth, three months later he would surely be an Elementary Martial Warrior, with a punching force of at least 1,200 kilograms.

That level of strength should be enough to clear away the rumors, defeat Xiao Yang, and secure a place in the Elite Class.

Zhong Wanshan said, "Mm. Work hard. Xiao Yang's potential is also outstanding, and he was born into a martial arts family. He has practiced since childhood, and his combat ability is exceptional. It will not be easy for you to defeat him."

"Understood!" Qin Heng nodded.

Afterward, he left together with Su Kuang and Chen Yuan.

Zhong Wanshan watched his retreating figure, a satisfied smile at the corner of his lips.

But after a while, he suddenly sighed.

Coach Yang asked, "Senior Brother Zhong, why are you sighing?"

Zhong Wanshan said, "I rather like this Qin Heng. But at such a young age, he has formed a grudge with a Grandmaster like Wang Jianming. His future may be very difficult."

Yang Huai'an was not worried. Smiling, he said, "Gold will shine sooner or later; a true genius cannot be buried. Though this child is young and lives off a woman, I can see that his heart is resilient and sharp. He is not one destined to die young."

Zhong Wanshan said, "Oh, then that is good... Wait? Lives off a woman?"