Immortal Martial: Pushing Through Two Worlds From Reality Section 17

"Today, a Senior Brother at the Hungry Tiger Martial Arts School broke through to Full Body Vital Energy Circulation, but because he was too old, he couldn't become a formal disciple. He had to withdraw from the school and accept recruitment by a wealthy household, becoming a high-level bodyguard."

"It seems that in martial arts training, the faster the better. Once you're late, you lose the path upward, reduced to a rich family's guard, trapped in a small county town for life."

"A world of class solidification, with resources distributed by the upper echelons. For ordinary people without talent, there's really no way to rise. Lucky for me, I have a golden finger."

"Teacher Yan said there's a big martial arts lecture today. I wonder what new info the higher-ups will reveal."

Casually loosening his joints, he glanced at the panel, then lightly jumped down from the bed. Wearing his undershirt, he pulled on his school uniform and pushed open the door.

Mystic Star Calendar, 2027, March 1st. Monday.

Morning sunlight bathed every patch of land in Ji City.

Ji City Fifth High School.

Jiang Shu arrived just at eight o'clock. Soothing music played over the campus speakers, and the school leadership's voice came through, instructing homeroom teachers to organize their classes and head to the sports field in an orderly manner.

"Phew, if only we had big lectures like this every day—one or two hours long. Today, we skip math and English class outright."

"Kid, you're still too young. You don't know that every gift fate bestows already has its price secretly marked. Skip math today, skip English tomorrow, and your college entrance exam score will be one or two points short of your dream university."

"Piss off, man. Last night you were shaking the bunk above me like crazy, and now in broad daylight you're acting all high and mighty. Fate's gift, dream university. What university can you even get into? I think that 'X Science Institute' someone rated on some forum suits you just fine. 'X Science's gate faces west, no phoenixes come out, just pests.'"

"Oh? There's a college that good? Alright, I'm putting that down as my top choice!"

"???"

At every classroom door on each floor of the teaching building, students had already lined up. Jiang Shu walked to the back door of his own class, naturally took the last spot, and followed the group downstairs toward the sports field.

Soon, the field was packed with students from all three high school grades.

After the usual flag-raising ceremony, the school leader stepped onto the podium, tapped the microphone, and said seriously:

"Dear teachers and students, good morning! After a full winter break and a few days of adjusting back to school life, I trust you're all full of energy and ready to throw yourselves into your studies. Here, I wish every student's grades can reach new heights—'a hundred feet, one step further.'"

"Since ancient times, our Xia Kingdom has said: 'In civil arts, one can wield a pen to pacify the world; in martial arts, one can mount a horse to settle heaven and earth.' Now, it's been over three months since the Xia Kingdom promoted the martial arts Horse Stance. Our school has specially invited Mr. Zheng from Shengjing to tell us the true secrets of martial arts."

"Now, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome Mr. Zheng!"

Applause surged like a tide across the field.

A middle-aged man in a black jacket walked up to the flag-raising platform under the gaze of thousands of students.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Zheng Yanbo. Today, I'm honored to come to Ji City Fifth High School and talk about the Xia Kingdom's martial arts. For those of you in the know, you've probably heard that today, it's not just Fifth High School—other high schools are also holding special martial arts lectures."

"Last November, the Xia Kingdom officially incorporated martial arts into the college entrance exam system. Minor achievement in Horse Stance, Qi and Blood Sensing—exempt from exams and admitted to undergraduate universities! Major achievement in Horse Stance, Qi and Blood Transportation—exempt from exams and admitted to key universities! As for perfection in Horse Stance, Full Body Vital Energy Circulation—direct entry into academies! This alone shows how much our Xia Kingdom values martial arts."

"I know many of you are still hesitating, still thinking: if I get into college through martial arts, what majors can I choose? Will society recognize the degree after graduation? In the age of the internet and hot weapons, what's the point of martial arts?"

"Well, today I'm going to tell you."

Zheng Yanbo paused, scanning the crowd.

As he expected, not many students on the field were actually listening closely.

With his eyesight, he could clearly see the state of every student below.

Some were looking around and chatting, some were staring blankly with heads down or tilted back, and even in the front rows, a few had their eyes closed, resting.

Perhaps only years later would they suddenly realize that on this seemingly ordinary morning, the gears of fate had already begun to turn.

"Martial arts will surpass every major in college! Martial arts are completely different from any other subject. Right now, graduates from ordinary universities are frantically sending out resumes, looking for jobs, hoping to land a few-thousand-yuan gig, working nine to five, living a life that seems set in stone from the start."

"Liberal arts, sciences, engineering—none of them can easily change their fate. Only martial arts! A fish leaping over the dragon gate! Real and true!"

"Qi and Blood Sensing, three hundred jin of strength. Qi and Blood Transportation, six hundred jin of strength. Full Body Vital Energy Circulation, nine hundred jin of strength. After that comes the true martial artist. Inner Strength surges forth from the body, fists shatter the air, a single strike lifts a thousand jin!"

"Clear Force! Hidden Force! Transformation Force!"

"These are the three martial arts realms newly announced by the Xia Kingdom. You don't need to know the differences between them. You only need to know that even a martial artist at the first realm, Clear Force, will have a status surpassing that of ordinary civil servants! Travel—whether high-speed rail or plane—is completely free! All tourist attractions, entry without restriction!"

"As for work, if they want a job, they can apply to any high school in the Xia Kingdom and be hired as a martial arts teacher!"

Zheng Yanbo's pace wasn't fast. These details hadn't yet been made public.

So when he said them, a wave of murmurs rose from the crowd.

The students were fine—they hadn't entered society yet and didn't realize how hard it was to become a tenured teacher. Their amazement was mostly about the perks: free travel and entry to attractions perfectly hit their restless hearts.

But the teachers thought deeper. Martial arts in the college exam, martial artists outranking civil servants, the ability to walk into any high school as a martial arts teacher, and today's big push for martial arts propaganda.

All of this, without exception, showed that the Xia Kingdom's higher-ups valued martial arts far more than they had imagined!

Martial arts were definitely not a whim of the leadership!

A single leaf falls, and you know autumn has come.

Yan Dehou adjusted his glasses, his gaze involuntarily drifting to Jiang Shu at the very end of the line.

Meanwhile, on the flag-raising platform, Zheng Yanbo's voice didn't stop. He spoke each word deliberately.

The final news hit like a bomb, exploding on the water's surface:

"But this! Is still far from enough! Far from proving how much the Xia Kingdom values martial arts!"

"From now on, Clear Force martial artists will officially receive the National Martial Cultivation Stipend."

"No work required—ten thousand a month!"

"Ten thousand a month—who can resist that? Once you become a martial artist, the state basically pays your way. Starting today, no one's stopping me from training. I said it, and even Jesus can't stop me!"

"You people don't even dare to dream big. First Realm martial artists get ten thousand a month. What about Second Realm, Third Realm? But just think about it—martial arts training must be damn hard. I bet there's not a single senior in the Martial Arts class who's achieved Qi and Blood Sensing yet. No big deal, though. The seniors are already old news. The future belongs to us freshmen!"

"This lecture's definitely meant to hype us freshmen up for martial arts. Seniors have the college entrance exam, and juniors are hitting the crunch time. Stuck in the middle, nowhere to go—that's us freshmen! We've got the most time, the most energy. Perfect timing, bros. When we get back, everyone's holding Horse Stance!"

"Talking big now makes you look proud, but once you're holding that stance, you'll be begging for mercy. You want to train and stand in Horse Stance? Go ahead—one stance, and you won't make a peep."

"The seniors are really screwed. Switching to Martial Arts now leaves them less than four months to train. Not like us freshmen—we've got two and a half years from now till the exam."

"Two and a half years of training. No need to worry about exams. Graduate without working a job, and the monthly support fund's still ten grand."

The lecture ended, and students filed out one by one.

The freshmen were the most fired up, slapping each other on the back and chatting away. Plenty had already made up their minds to switch to Martial Arts. In their eyes, Martial Arts students had always been the most laid-back bunch.

They'd thought it was all fun now and a bleak future later.

But who knew—with the new policy out—

Martial Arts students were the real golden ticket.

Once you became a martial artist, you wouldn't trade it for a top-tier university degree.

Senior year, Class Eight.

Jiang Shu's class.

Homeroom teacher Yan Dehou stepped up to the podium, glanced at the full seats, cleared his throat, and said, "The lecture just ended. I'm sure you all have plenty to discuss. We'll skip class for now. Stay in the classroom and move around freely."

"Keep it down, don't disturb anyone who wants to study. Next period's as usual. Anyone switching to Martial Arts can come to my office after class."

With that, Yan Dehou left the classroom and closed the door.

Instantly, the room came alive.

Voices sprouted up like bamboo shoots after rain, one after another.

"Jiang Shu, why are you back this time?" Xu Shuhui, the girl in front, swung her ponytail around and asked curiously, "Are you staying to study, or heading home later?"

A few days ago, when Old Yan announced Jiang Shu had taken a leave of absence, she'd been pretty surprised.

As his deskmate up front, she thought she knew him well enough.

His grades were average, but he was a decent guy. He didn't crack crude jokes at girls like the other boys in class. When he had time, he'd do little things like tidy up the trash corner.

A classmate like that, in her mind, should've just gone to school normally, taken the exams, maybe luck into an average university, and started college life.

Taking a leave was completely out of left field.

"I'm heading back soon."

Jiang Shu sat in his chair, frowning slightly as he looked at the books on his desk that weren't his.

He'd braced himself, but seeing it in person still felt excessive.

Last time, he'd left abruptly without returning to the classroom.

After breaking through the In-Utero Mystery and deciding to train in martial arts, he'd focused solely on that, letting everything else go.

But still, his desk held the memories of this life's high school years.

Notes from hard work in class.

Doodles during breaks.

Scraps of writing when he was down.

That desk didn't hold books or test papers.

It held the entire span of his high school years in this life.

But now...

"Jiang Shu, I've put my books in your desk, so don't go rummaging around. Yours are in the corner. Since you've dropped out, you don't need the desk or the books anymore."