He had never imagined that something this appalling could happen in his class.
A student's textbooks and test papers had all been thrown beside the trash can.
He couldn't even imagine that Jiang Shu, a student he had thought was pretty decent, had done this!
"Tell me what happened."
"Teacher Yan, while Jiang Shu was on leave, I just put a few of my books in his desk. I didn't expect that as soon as he came back, he'd take a few jokes I made with him and, without saying a word, lift the desk and throw all my books and test papers beside the trash can."
Seeing that there were other teachers in the office, Wang Han glossed over the important details. His anger was hard to hide.
"Not only that, after Jiang Shu threw my books and test papers, he came back with a look in his eyes like he was about to hit me. Teacher Yan, the school does give preferential treatment to Martial Arts Students, but it shouldn't go this far."
"We can't favor Martial Arts Students so much that they can bully people on campus and we have to pretend nothing happened."
"Jiang Shu lifted a desk, and even if he's doing well in martial arts—even if he's achieved Qi and Blood Sensing—he's still a student at our Fifth High School. A student hit another student. If this isn't handled properly, what will people outside think of our Fifth High School?"
"In a case like this, only a severe punishment will set things right!"
Wang Han lifted his chin, speaking with absolute conviction. He was gradually finding his rhythm, refusing to let go now that he had the upper hand, and his tone carried a hint of accusation. He glanced at Jiang Shu, who couldn't get a word in, looking as though he'd gained the upper hand.
What good would lifting a desk do Jiang Shu?
Would he dare lift a teacher's desk in the office?
After throwing the books and test papers, would he dare hit someone too?
Yan Dehou's gaze shifted at once to Jiang Shu.
But Jiang Shu's expression remained calm. There wasn't the slightest trace of panic or guilt.
He didn't look at all like someone who had done something wrong.
Could it be that things hadn't happened the way Wang Han described?
After more than a decade as a homeroom teacher, Yan Dehou naturally wouldn't take only one side's word for it.
He didn't jump to conclusions. In an even tone, he said to Wang Han, "All right, I understand. Wang Han, go back to class for now. I'll ask Jiang Shu what happened and find out the full story. First, retrieve your books and test papers, then get yourself settled. Class will start soon."
"Mm-hmm, Teacher Yan, please make sure you talk to Jiang Shu. I'll head back to class now."
He put extra emphasis on the word "talk," then, satisfied with what he'd accomplished, Wang Han opened the door and left. A gust of cold air swept in, and the whole office fell into a heavy silence.
The other teachers busied themselves sorting their lesson plans, not saying a word.
There were far too many serious conflicts between students at school.
As veteran teachers, they saw and heard about something new every year.
Looking at Jiang Shu's calm expression, Yan Dehou sighed and said,
"Wang Han's gone. Can you tell me what really happened now? Jiang Shu, I believe you're not the sort of person who'd use your strength to bully others."
"If you have a disagreement, you can argue or ignore each other. But throwing away his books and test papers was wrong. You shouldn't have done that."
"Come back to class with me in a bit and apologize to Wang Han in front of everyone."
"I'll help smooth things over by saying you've admitted your mistake, and that you only acted rashly in the heat of the moment."
Yan Dehou spoke earnestly:
"I know you're already a Martial Arts Student, and you can get into university through your martial arts level. Being able to lift a desk shows you've made some progress. But a little progress isn't enough. You need Qi and Blood Sensing to qualify for university without taking the exam."
"So let's make a big deal of this into a small one and keep the peace. Don't let it escalate to the school administration and get you a disciplinary record. That way, it won't cause you any trouble when you start working in the future. Take my advice on this. I'm your teacher; I'd never hurt you."
"Teacher Yan, thanks for your concern."
Having lived one lifetime already, Jiang Shu could naturally see how sincerely Teacher Yan cared about him. Even with Wang Han's evasive and misleading account, and without knowing the truth, he had still taken Jiang Shu's side and tried to protect his interests.
Any student would be incredibly lucky to meet a teacher like that.
An ordinary student in this situation could follow Teacher Yan's advice, apologize, swallow his pride, and let the matter pass.
But did Jiang Shu need to?
"Teacher Yan, there are security cameras in the classroom. You can check right now and see exactly what happened between Wang Han and me."
"Also, I didn't lift the desk because I might have achieved Qi and Blood Sensing and gained the strength of three hundred jin."
"It was because... I've already achieved Qi and Blood Transportation."
Jiang Shu spoke softly, but he had directly laid his trump card on the table. It was like a thunderclap exploding in the dead of night.
The moment Wang Han finished speaking, Jiang Shu had already understood his intentions.
Wang Han wanted to control the narrative, turn the school against him as a Martial Arts Student, and pressure the administration into taking his side.
It was a good plan.
If Jiang Shu had been just an ordinary Martial Arts Student, the matter would practically have been settled.
He'd be punished, and he'd apologize.
Even if he'd only been an ordinary martial artist with Qi and Blood Sensing,
the school would have worried about its reputation and made both sides shake hands and bury the hatchet.
But unfortunately...
Jiang Shu had already achieved Qi and Blood Transportation.
Apologize? Make peace?
If Wang Han had been reasonable, Jiang Shu could have been reasonable too.
But Wang Han wasn't being reasonable.
He'd taken up martial arts, his power now his own. Was he still supposed to reason with him?
How laughable.
Jiang Shu stood there, his expression cold.
In an instant, every teacher in the office raised their head and stared at the handsome young man.
Qi and Blood Transportation! Mastery of the Horse Stance! Direct admission to a top-tier university!
No one understood the level of their school's students better than its teachers.
Last year, out of 1,300 examinees at Ji City Fifth High School, 634 had been admitted to undergraduate programs.
Only 27 had made it into top-tier universities.
That meant the young man standing before them was already on par with the school's finest students.
And even more astonishing, when they thought it through, was this:
In just four months of martial arts training, he had already advanced through two minor stages: Qi and Blood Sensing, then Qi and Blood Transportation.
There were still three months until the college entrance exam.
Who could say he wouldn't advance even further?
His sights were set on the nation's top university!
Ji City Fifth High School had been around for nearly fifty years.
Not once had a student from the school gotten into the nation's top university!
The other teachers could see what that meant.
Yan Dehou could, too.
Ever since Xia Kingdom had announced the Horse Stance and added martial arts to the college entrance exam, teachers like them had been paying close attention to the Martial Arts Students' training.
As far as he knew, even the first student at their school to switch to the martial arts track hadn't yet reached minor mastery in the Horse Stance!
That student had once been a famous figure throughout the school.
In his first and second years, he'd won all sorts of awards at the school sports meet!
Long-distance running, sprints, high jump, long jump—he'd taken first place in almost everything!
Even the physical education teacher had said the student was born to be an athlete.
Maybe he could even bring glory to the country one day.
But even a talented student like that had spent more than three months training hard in martial arts and only managed to reach the entry level. By the time of the college entrance exam, his martial arts level might only be enough to get him into an ordinary university without taking the exam.
And now, Jiang Shu had claimed he'd already achieved Qi and Blood Transportation!
Qi and Blood Transportation meant the Horse Stance had reached mastery!
One step beyond that was Full Body Vital Energy Circulation, with the strength of nine hundred jin!
That strength was already greater than that of the current champion weightlifter.
How could they believe it?
How could they dare believe it?
Every teacher in the office stopped what they were doing. Their ears perked up, their gazes fixed on Jiang Shu.
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