Elite Training Class for Martial Studies

Going in one at a time?

Everyone was a little puzzled, but since no one had spoken along the way and they were all keeping up their cool personas, no one voiced any questions now either. A burly boy silently lifted his foot and took the lead inside.

The door was ajar, yet the strange thing was that it was pitch-black inside, with nothing visible. The boy made no sound after walking in either. Beyond the door was as still as a stagnant pool.

Zhao Hanhai waited a few seconds before speaking. "Next."

With someone taking the lead, the rest did not hesitate. In order of proximity, they entered one after another.

Soon, it was Shen Qian's turn.

The moment he stepped through the door, the sound of wind abruptly reached his ears, and a shadow lunged at him. Shen Qian instinctively dodged, but the shadow relentlessly followed. Left with no choice, he raised an arm to block.

Thud, thud...

Shen Qian staggered back several steps in the darkness. Just as he became alert, the shadow vanished.

"Go on through."

A deep, heavy voice sounded. Only then did Shen Qian notice the light behind him. Though somewhat puzzled, he followed the instruction and walked over.

After passing through the pitch-black corridor, his view suddenly opened up into an open space the size of a courtyard-style basketball court. It was completely empty, while the seven people who had entered before Shen Qian were gathered together in twos and threes, discussing something.

When he saw Shen Qian enter, the burly boy who had gone in first grinned at him. "Bro, you got hit too?"

"More accurately, I was attacked," Shen Qian corrected him.

"Class 111, Zheng Shaoyang." The burly boy proactively extended his hand.

Shen Qian had always found bold, straightforward people like him agreeable. He nodded and shook his hand. "Class 109, Shen Qian."

By now, Shen Qian had more or less figured it out. From what Zheng Shaoyang had said, it seemed everyone had been attacked by that mysterious shadow after entering. Coupled with the matter of filling out the forms, Shen Qian could easily infer...

This was a test—or rather, an inspection.

Having been completely unprepared, Shen Qian had not had time to decide whether to hide his strength. In other words, once he had entered this place, there was no turning back.

Though it did not fit his steady way of doing things, Shen Qian figured that the school would not have gathered so many geniuses together for anything bad.

As for how Shen Qian knew everyone was a genius, it was simple. That shadow had been very strong. Although it had held back, ordinary people probably would not have been able to withstand it.

Also, he was the only one from Class 109... Without Ding Yi, Class 109 had instantly dropped to the bottom of the grade. There was not a single person who could fight.

At this point, the rest gradually entered as well. Some looked calm, some had slightly furrowed brows, and some had trouble walking, seemingly having suffered minor injuries.

Zhao Hanhai was the last to enter. Beside him stood a stern young man with sharply defined features, wearing a stringer vest that exposed his muscular body.

"Congratulations, everyone. You have all passed the inspection. No one falsified anything on the forms, and your conduct is commendable. Ten points will be added to each of your records," Zhao Hanhai said with a smile.

This little bonus was an unexpected delight. Shen Qian secretly felt fortunate as well. If he had really listened to Teacher Liu and "come clean" from the beginning, he feared he would have lost far more than ten points.

"I imagine everyone is somewhat confused about why you were gathered here."

Zhao Hanhai continued, "Everyone standing here is an outstanding student with Burst Strength above 140 kilograms. Some of you are even already standing before the gates of the Beginner Martial Artists. What you lack may be only that final push..."

"There are only a little over two months until the college entrance exams. The school has specially established this Elite Training Class for Martial Studies to help everyone take things a step further and face the exams in better condition and with greater strength."

No one was surprised by this. As outstanding talents in martial studies, aside from those geniuses recommended directly to prestigious universities, they had all heard a little about and knew of one another. Many had already formed their own guesses.

As for unfamiliar faces like Shen Qian and that junior girl with blunt bangs appearing among them, that was perfectly normal. Some people were simply more low-key.

Training Class?

Shen Qian mulled over those words. So this was extra tutoring?

A threshold of 140... As expected, the system had definitely done it on purpose.

"There was no such practice in the past. This year is somewhat special. As for what is special about it, you will gradually come to understand."

Zhao Hanhai added meaningfully, "To avoid unnecessary disputes, I hope everyone will keep this Training Class confidential. The training schedule also will not conflict with your regular coursework."

Everyone nodded. That was easy enough to understand.

People do not fear scarcity; they fear unfairness.

If news of this openly preferential treatment got out, plenty of students would surely raise a fuss.

What, geniuses get special privileges?

Reality was only silently cruel; it had never deigned to explain itself.

"Since everyone comes from different classes and will be spending the next two months training together, let's begin with brief introductions," Zhao Hanhai said with a smile.

On the third floor of the small building, two figures stood side by side at a railing.

While Zhao Hanhai was explaining things to Shen Qian and the others, the two had been quietly observing.

"Damn it, the real geniuses were all poached by the four prestigious universities long ago. All that's left are crooked melons and cracked dates... Every year, they pry people away without even giving us a heads-up. I have no idea what the teachers are thinking, never stepping in to stop them. As the Master said: if this can be endured, what cannot?"

The indignant speaker was a young man of around thirty. His attire was strange. He had the currently fashionable buzz cut, yet wore an extremely old-fashioned long robe. He cursed profanely while speaking in an archaic, literary manner.

"Brother Liu, the Master also said, 'Do not worry that others do not recognize you; worry that you do not recognize others.' Isn't it a little hasty to draw conclusions so early?" the middle-aged man beside him said with a smile. His sideburns were frosted white.

"Principal Huang, I've read all the files. You don't need to comfort me." Liu Changqing waved a hand and sighed. "Do not worry about having no position; worry about what qualifies you to stand in one... Damn it!"

After shaking his head and reciting the line, Liu Changqing could not help but curse again, making Huang Tao's face twitch.

"I truly wasn't trying to comfort you." Huang Tao pointed below. "Take Zhou Xiaoguang, for instance. He is currently the one with the greatest potential. You may not know this, but when the recruitment teachers from the four prestigious universities came, he happened to be on extended leave. Otherwise, he would have been recommended away too."

"Oh?" Liu Changqing became interested. "According to the file, he has only just reached the level of a Quasi-Martial Artist. Is there something I don't know?"

"The records you read were all final exam results from the end of last year. The reason he has not broken through to become a Martial Artist is not because he does not want to, but because he is striving to become an Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist..." Huang Tao said with a faint smile.

"Really?"

Liu Changqing's eyes immediately lit up. He nodded in satisfaction. "I didn't expect a student from an ordinary high school to possess such awareness. So he already has the strength to advance to a Beginner Martial Artist. He's a good prospect... What about the others? Are there any similar ones?"

Liu Changqing eagerly pressed for more.