Linjiang First High School's Genius

In the end, Jiang Yan was expelled.

With his bag on his back, he headed out of the school alone, only to run into the person he least wanted to see.

"Hello, Principal." Jiang Yan forced a smile.

Early that morning, Liu Hair-Ren had heard that two Aperture Awakened students had gotten into a fight at school. At first, he had thought nothing of it. In an era where martial arts flourished, it was only natural for students to have the occasional friction.

But not long after, the Academic Affairs Office reported that one student had had his hand broken, while the other had been forcibly expelled.

Liu Hair-Ren was furious. In the span of a single morning, he had instantly lost two Aperture Awakened students. How could that not pain him?

Those were potential university recruits, people who would one day be recorded among his achievements.

"Your name is Jiang Yan, right? I heard you usually train diligently. As your principal, I've always thought highly of you."

Jiang Yan nearly felt sick enough to throw up.

"Thought highly of me? If you thought highly of me, would you have forbidden me from entering the Martial Arts Field? You only want to keep me because I awakened my apertures."

Jiang Yan glanced at Liu Hair-Ren without changing expression, then said bluntly:

"Principal Liu, I don't think Linjiang First High School suits me."

"How does it not suit you?" Liu Hair-Ren asked, puzzled.

"Heh. I don't know."

After tossing out that cryptic remark, Jiang Yan turned and left Linjiang First High School.

Talking big before one had grown strong was an extremely dangerous thing. Jiang Yan had no desire to spout hot-blooded nonsense about thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river in front of Liu Hair-Ren.

Since Liu Hair-Ren looked down on him, fine. He would leave. There was no need to stay in a place like this and grovel like a grandson.

Without Linjiang First High School, was he incapable of getting into a good university?

Jiang Yan shook his head.

Left standing there by Jiang Yan, Liu Hair-Ren's face darkened. He snorted coldly.

"What an ungrateful brat. Does he really think awakening his apertures makes him invincible?"

"I kindly tried to keep you, but you refused to appreciate it. Without Linjiang First High School's training resources, I'd like to see what kind of trash university you can get into."

He knew Jiang Yan's family circumstances. They definitely could not afford a private tutor, and going to a martial arts gym to train was even more impossible.

The Body Tempering realm emphasized training the physique.

In other words, Jiang Yan's only way to exercise was to hole up at home. Without professional equipment to assist him, at best he could only get into some third-rate university. His whole life would amount to nothing more than that.

Liu Hair-Ren smiled confidently, dispelling the irritation in his heart as a smile returned to his face.

"Idiot."

He leisurely left the area and went to visit Chu Ming, whose hand had been broken.

For a time, the image of a kind and approachable principal was deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts.

Jiang Yan's expulsion caused quite a stir. After all, the students of Class Three and teachers from other classes had all witnessed the entire development of the incident.

And both protagonists were Aperture Awakened, so naturally the matter drew no little attention.

Rocket Class One.

Its specialized training room was outfitted with professional equipment comparable to that of a martial arts gym. It was the genius class every Linjiang student dreamed of entering.

The class had forty students in total. Half were Talent Users, while the other half were Aperture Awakened who had awakened later in life.

These geniuses had been recruited at great expense by the school from Linjiang City and neighboring cities. The school had promised them numerous benefits to keep them here, grooming them as seeded contestants to boost the school's rankings.

If these students performed well in the College Entrance Exam, educational resources the following year would tilt slightly toward Linjiang First High School. Its reputation would also rise greatly, attracting even more high-quality students the next year.

It could be said that Rocket Class One's students were the prodigies of all Linjiang City, the precious darlings in Principal Liu Hair-Ren's palm.

Inside the training room, a handsome, powerfully built student stood before a metal dummy, continuously striking it with his body. One dull collision after another rang out from the dummy, and exaggerated dents had even appeared across its surface.

During a break, a few idle remarks drifted over.

"Boss Ai, I heard an Aperture Awakened from our school got expelled."

Ai Ning replied, "Mm."

He wiped the sweat from his body, seemingly utterly uninterested in the matter.

Ai Ning was the strongest at First High School, a Second-Stage Coagulation Mid-Phase martial artist. He had awakened his talent in his first year of high school and crushed everyone at the same level. He was the strongest prodigy in all Linjiang City, a prime candidate for a key university.

"Boss Ai, that was an Aperture Awakened. You're not even surprised?"

Ai Ning rose to his feet and looked coldly at his lackey.

"Remember this: people who only awaken their apertures now are barely any stronger than trash."

"My target is the geniuses of the big cities. As for idiots from a place this tiny who dare call themselves geniuses just because they awakened their apertures...

If we meet in the examination hall someday, I could casually scatter them like dust and they wouldn't even know why.

This—is the gap between us Talent Users and Aperture Awakened."

Ai Ning said no more and resumed his focused training. The metal dummy was battered beyond endurance and actually fell apart on the spot, delicate screws and components scattering all over the floor.

His lackey stared wide-eyed in shock, his gaze toward his boss filled with respect and worship.

"So... so strong."

Uncle Wang was still teaching at school. Jiang Yan went straight home and entered his room.

The moment he closed his eyes, his consciousness arrived in the Divine Martial Space.

He entered the study room, customized an Alloy Long Blade, then stepped into the combat room.

He had originally planned to put on armor as well, but after giving it some thought, he decided against it. Armor affected his movements too much, and dying in the Combat Space would not mean truly dying anyway.

Upon entering the combat room, a giant bird appeared before him, motionless. Several large words appeared on Jiang Yan's retina:

Azure Lord Eagle: Second-Stage Mid-Phase

After killing it, there is a chance of obtaining a Trait. Begin battle?

With his previous experience, Jiang Yan understood just how outrageous his cheat was.

Level gaps no longer existed for him. No matter how thick the health bar was, ten thousand slashes would take it down. At worst, he would just die a few more times.

Moreover, because of Heaven Rewards Diligence's trait, he could obtain Traits with a one hundred percent chance, temper his physique during battle, and practice martial techniques.

It was an all-around improvement, an existence so unbeatable it had no solution.

"Begin battle!"

"Screech!"

The Azure Lord Eagle let out a long cry toward the heavens, its shrill screech piercing and drilling straight into Jiang Yan's eardrums.

It was incredibly fast, reaching Jiang Yan in an instant.

Jiang Yan's pupils constricted. Under the threat of death, his body twisted at an eerie angle, narrowly dodging the Azure Lord Eagle's sharp beak.

Jiang Yan knew that his Desperate Truth had activated.

Joy rose in his heart. Though this Trait's active effect was not particularly good, it really could save his life at a critical moment.

Just imagine it: while fighting, some bastard sneaks behind you for a surprise attack, and you twist your butt.

Hey, guess what? You dodged.

If that wasn't a cheat, what was?

The Azure Lord Eagle circled in the sky, glaring greedily at every movement Jiang Yan made below as it waited for its next chance to strike.