The Hongzhi Class, Summer Jobs

Eastern Xia, Hengzhou New Star, Tai'an Metropolitan Area.

At the Silver Horse Gym, located in the center of the commercial district, a brownish-yellow mascot bear squeezed through the entrance. It wobbled over to stand beneath the central air conditioner's vent, then critiqued the muscle-bound men in the equipment area:

"That's what beginners are like. They run out of steam after just a few sets."

"Brother Kun just finished his punching-power test. His final score was 275 kilograms.

May I ask, young hero, how many punches do you think that build can take?"

Qin Shi, standing at the front desk, smiled and handed over a bottle of mineral water.

Wearing a heavy mascot costume to hand out flyers in the scorching summer heat was genuinely grueling work.

"So what? If it came to a real fight, one punch would be enough to make him kneel and beg me not to kill him!"

The boy took off his mascot head. His skin was dark, and sweat covered his head as he greedily enjoyed the cool air.

"Old Qin, come clean. Did you bribe Old Xu? We both came out to work summer jobs, so why are you sitting here enjoying the air-conditioning while I'm standing on the street in over thirty-degree heat, trying to drum up customers?"

The boy was named Zhou Ning. He was Qin Shi's classmate, neighbor, and childhood friend.

They were both seniors at New No. 1 Middle School, taking advantage of the summer break to work and earn some money.

"Old Xu's the sort who'd sell his own grandmother for money, and I'm broke. How could I afford to bribe him?"

Qin Shi spoke in an even tone.

"He just said I had the skills to handle the front desk, and that I was pretty good at it, too."

Zhou Ning was baffled.

"What difference is there between sitting at the front desk signing people up for memberships and going out to hand out flyers? Anyone can do either one..."

He hadn't finished speaking when his eyes suddenly sharpened, like a radar coming online!

With a reaction time of just a fraction of a second, his gaze locked squarely onto the entrance, where a pretty older woman had just walked in wearing a pink sports bra and tight yoga pants.

She had a graceful figure, and she completely ignored Zhou Ning, the conspicuous mascot bear, as she smiled at Qin Shi.

"Little Qin, is Coach Luo here today?"

Qin Shi quickly put on a shy smile.

"Coach Luo usually doesn't arrive until after three, Miss Lin. As one of our honored VIP members, you can relax in the lounge for now. Just let us know if you'd like coffee, a light meal, or some snacks."

The pretty older woman leaned forward slightly, placing both hands on the counter.

"The lounge is empty. It's so boring in there. Little Qin, will you keep me company?"

Qin Shi remained shy.

"Company policy doesn't allow employees to leave their posts during work hours."

The pretty older woman's eyes curved into crescent moons as she teased him.

"So, once you're off work, you can keep me company?"

Qin Shi lowered his head awkwardly, as if he didn't know what to do.

His bashful manner, combined with his youthful, delicate features, made him all the more pleasing to look at.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll renew my membership for another year in a bit."

The little exchange had come out of nowhere, and ended just as quickly.

After watching the pretty older woman, with her graceful curves, head into the lounge, Qin Shi quietly dropped his professional smile.

Zhou Ning, who'd been standing off to the side like an invisible extra, was green with envy. He gritted his teeth.

"Old Qin! You sold your looks for a summer job at the front desk? Have you no shame?"

Qin Shi shrugged helplessly.

"A man's gotta eat. Manager Wang promised me a cut for every quality customer who renews their membership.

All you have to do is wear that hot, heavy mascot suit while handing out flyers. But I have more to think about at the front desk, like dealing with workplace harassment."

Zhou Ning was both envious and contemptuous.

"Then let's switch!"

Qin Shi shook his head.

"This job's complicated. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to handle it, Classmate Xiao Zhou."

The two joked around and slacked off until lunchtime finally arrived.

"Processed food again. I'm about to start hating it, I've eaten so much of it at school."

Zhou Ning picked up his work meal, opened it, and immediately pulled a long face.

"There's nothing wrong with processed food. It's cheap, filling, and provides the nutrients the body needs. Be grateful.

No matter what, it's still better than the ready-made meals and gutter oil from the Old Era."

Qin Shi buried his head in his meal, savoring the monotonous flavor of the synthetic beef as he chewed slowly.

To be fair, processed food wasn't lacking in nutritional value. It was just rather bland.

It was like eating instant noodles in his previous life: one packet wasn't enough, but two would get tiresome.

The only side effect of eating it long-term was that the smell made him feel sick every time.

"Even if it's healthy, you can't expect people to eat it every day! I really miss the little fly-by-night restaurants on Old Factory Street..."

Zhou Ning muttered under his breath.

[17535th energy replenishment]

[Growth Value +1]

"Other than reminding me how many times I've eaten and how many steps I've taken, it doesn't do a thing.

With features this basic, it's not even as good as one of those cheap smart wristbands you can get online for 9.9 yuan with free shipping..."

Qin Shi had gotten used to ignoring the glowing, square text that suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

And this thing had the nerve to come with him when he transmigrated?

It could at least let him level up and grow stronger, or give him an auto-grind button!

"By the way, Qin Shi, are you still going to the Youth Palace later?"

Zhou Ning had complained, but he hadn't wasted a single bite; he'd cleaned his plate.

"Yeah. I can make 1,200 yuan for a month's work here. At the Youth Palace, I go once a week and get paid 300 yuan a day. That's not bad."

Qin Shi wolfed down the rest of his lunch, got up, and tossed the takeout box—with not a scrap of food left—into the trash.

"What good is that? You work part-time at the Youth Palace, right? How much do they charge for ten classes at their Martial Arts Class?"

Zhou Ning slumped, sounding dejected.

"I think each class is two hours, and they charge 500 yuan."

Qin Shi thought it over carefully.

"See? We can work our butts off all summer and still not earn enough to pay for the Martial Arts Class."

Zhou Ning had already taken off his hot, stuffy mascot costume. He studied the beautifully printed flyer in his hands.

"Besides, the martial arts classes at the Youth Palace only teach basic techniques. They can't develop your Life Force at all.

The gym where we work is better. At least the gold-medal coaches here are pretty good.

I heard Coach Luo has developed his Life Force to nineteen points, almost twenty."

Qin Shi glanced at him.

"The gym charges a lot, too. Coach Luo charges you 3,000 yuan for a two-hour class."

Zhou Ning bared his teeth, as if the thought pained him.

"There's always a reason for a high price!"

Qin Shi sensed his friend itching to give it a try.

"Are you thinking of buying lessons? Have you talked to your dad?"

Silver Horse Gym was one of the best gyms in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, with gold-medal coaches whose Life Force Development was at least fifteen points.

Besides, being able to secure a prime location in the commercial district was a sign of its strength in itself.

At the very least, there was no need to worry about the owner running off with the money.

Looking around the bright, spacious lobby on the first floor, Zhou Ning scratched his head.

"I have, actually. I ran into Coach Luo last time, and he said my physique was decent. If I start training hard now, I might be able to raise my Life Force by one or two points. If I keep pushing, I might even pass the Rank-Placement Exam!"

Qin Shi blinked.

According to the regulations of the Eastern Xia Martial Arts Association, Life Force was divided into nine ranks, from low to high.

These were further divided into two levels: [Amateur] and [Professional].

Each rank represented a corresponding increase in Life Force Development.

Afterward, you had to pass an evaluation by the Martial Arts Association and obtain a certificate.

If you reached Professional Ninth Rank, you could be awarded the title of "Martial Artist."

You'd become a member of the Martial Arts Association, which was practically half a government job.

"That's what Coach Luo told you? I remember our schoolteacher saying that a normal person's base Life Force was between three and seven points, while the passing range for Amateur Ninth Rank was nine to twelve.

I got eight points at the last Physical Test, and you got seven and a half. Raising it enough in a month and a half won't be easy."

For high school seniors like Qin Shi and Zhou Ning, the Rank-Placement Exam for Life Force Development was of the utmost importance.

In the Great Universe Era, the College Entrance Examination placed great importance on Life Force, a measure of one's physical potential.

Every career required people to take that into account.

Top schools like the Four Great National Universities, as dazzling as brilliant pearls, had long since made it a basic admission requirement.

Anyone who couldn't increase their Life Force was as good as being eliminated from society in advance.

"It's worth a try. Only a first-class university might offer Life Force Development courses, and the exercise methods we learn in senior year are way too slow."

Zhou Ning understood how difficult it would be, and looked helpless.

"Students in the Elite Class like Xu Mo and Zhao Yunzhu have well-off families. They can afford private coaches and spend weekends at high-end training halls, getting Professional-Level instruction.

If poor students like us in the Hongzhi Class don't figure something out, we'll go straight to the factory and work like beasts after the College Entrance Examination."

Qin Shi nodded. Zhou Ning had a point.

Reality was often harsh. The seemingly invisible dividing line between social classes didn't just appear when people entered the workforce.

It was there from the moment they were born.

For example, the Hongzhi Class that Qin Shi and Zhou Ning attended was a financial aid program in Eastern Xia.

The Education Commission required every school to admit a group of students from poor families whose grades were above average, waiving their tuition so they could complete compulsory education.

They had been born in the Old City District outside the Metropolitan Area, and had gone to schools for workers' children since they were little.

For a prestigious school like New No. 1 Middle School, one of the top three in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, three years of tuition alone would have been enough to drain their families' savings if not for its Hongzhi Class financial aid program.

"Would your family agree?"

Qin Shi was a little surprised. He hadn't expected easygoing Zhou Ning to think about what he was going to do with his future.

"I didn't do well on my last exam, so my dad sat me down for a talk. With my grades, there's no chance I'll get into Hengzhou University or the University of Science and Technology.

The admission thresholds for those first-class universities are all around 700 or 800 points. My usual scores aren't high, and I'm even worse on exams. There's no way my total score will break 500.

Unless I manage to reach Amateur Seventh Rank in one go, I might be able to get in with the extra points."

Zhou Ning sighed.

"I can rank up in games as easily as drinking water, but I'd be grateful just to do as well as usual on an exam.

As a fallback, my dad's been thinking of another route for me: attending a decent technical college and choosing a major that'll make it easy to find a job."

Qin Shi immediately understood.

"Are you planning to take the Martial Arts Track? If you reach Amateur Ninth Rank, your basic cultural-subject scores should be enough for a technical college's Martial Arts Track..."

He left the rest unsaid.

The faculty at technical colleges was nowhere near as good as that at first-class universities like Hengzhou University or the University of Science and Technology.

Even with a lot of effort, it'd be difficult to get past Amateur Fifth Rank during four years of college.

After that, his job options during the internship period wouldn't be very broad.

He'd probably end up as an apartment-complex security guard, a construction laborer, or a local police assistant or urban management officer.

"Don't worry. My dad's a department-level official, and my mom's a bureau-level official. When the time comes, I can use their connections to get a section-chief post at Old Man Nie's factory without breaking a sweat..."

Zhou Ning was optimistic.

His dad ran a Billiard Hall around Old Factory Street in Dangyang District.

His mom was in charge of a convenience store.

As for his supposed "section-chief" position, it was probably just in the security section.

"Sure. Remember to leave me a spot at the gatehouse."

Qin Shi chuckled.

"Of course, of course. I'll save you a spot at the gatehouse, Old Qin.

But what about you? No matter how heavy the burden on your family is, we can't drop out of school!

Even if we become space-age workhorses and help build the frontier, they'll still require us to develop our Life Force!"

Zhou Ning gave him a concerned look.

Compared with Zhou Ning, his friend Qin Shi had slightly better grades. His base score and usual exam results were both decent, putting him around the middle of the class.

If he worked hard, he had a good chance of breaking 600.

As long as he passed the Rank-Placement Exam, getting into a second- or third-rate university would be a sure thing.

The only thing to worry about was that Qin Shi's family was too poor to afford it.

The cost of living in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area was ridiculously high for kids from the Old City District.

"I haven't thought that far ahead. Where there's a will, there's a way. Worst comes to worst, I'll enlist and throw myself into the Great Pioneer Movement, now entering its sixth millennium."

Qin Shi's gaze drifted to a black-bordered box that no one else could see.

It was like a translucent wall, stubbornly appearing in front of his eyes, sometimes displaying bits of seemingly meaningless text.

[Anchor: Qin Shi]

[Growth Stage: Awaiting Unlock]

[Progress: 99%]

[Monument Count: None]

The black-bordered box, visible only to Qin Shi, seemed to be branded onto his retina.

No matter where he looked, it remained.

On the other side of the panel was a gray, egg-shaped pixel-art object.

A scarlet aura churned inside it, like a kettle about to boil over.

It was hazy as mist, as if nurturing some kind of life.

This thing had been with Qin Shi through his second rebirth.

All he knew was that it was called [Monument].

"I wonder what happens when the progress bar fills up..."

As Qin Shi pondered, Zhou Ning kept chattering away:

"Enlisting isn't that easy. Your Life Force has to meet the requirements, or you can't get into military school!..."

Eastern Xia had lasted a full six millennia. Its Great Pioneer Movement, aimed at expanding the frontier and establishing more homes for humanity, was nearing its triumphant conclusion.

But that didn't mean a peaceful era—with weapons laid aside and horses sent to pasture—would arrive in the blink of an eye, like turning a page in a book.

Qin Shi could tell as much from the news he browsed every day.

Heading to some remote, far-flung administrative planet and becoming a tiny, fragile cog often meant having no guarantee of personal safety.

"My sister drives a big rig and earns every penny the hard way. Even second- or third-rate universities and technical colleges charge steep tuition.

She's supporting me and my little sister all on her own. It's exhausting."

A long time had passed since Qin Shi had transmigrated after a freak accident, and he'd long since gotten used to his new life.

Still, whenever he thought about the way it had begun, he couldn't help feeling bitter.

"A gambling-addict dad, a dead mom, a sister who dropped out, a little sister, and me, a broken mess... Still, it's a little better than the hellish difficulty of being born in a school bathroom to a bleached-haired delinquent and a troubled party girl."

Qin Shi couldn't help laughing, but he wasn't discouraged.

Compared to the miserable days in his previous life, when a distant relative had tricked him into a scam compound where he'd nearly lost a kidney, then forced him to make ends meet delivering contraband across the border, this life wasn't all that bad.

He looked up at the television playing in the gym lobby, where one hot news story after another flashed across the screen.

"Congratulations to Legend of the Martial God: Qilin for surpassing ten billion on its opening day, breaking the record set by its predecessor, Tan Lang! See how a humble young man roars with pride across the stars!"

"The five-school entrance exams are underway! Any citizen aged eighteen or older who has received Eastern Xia's compulsory education may take the preliminary exam!"

"Yu Li, champion of the 83rd Stellar Cup and the youngest professional ninth-dan Martial Artist in history, will attend the Tai'an tourism and culture grand opening on September 3 as a special guest!"

"Those with ambition march to the frontier; youth without regret gives itself to the military! Students from all schools are welcome to apply to Huohuo Ancient Star Military Academy. For enrollment inquiries..."

Zhou Ning cupped his chin in both hands, his voice full of envy:

"Old Qin, look at that. A Martial Artist who earned his professional rank before turning twenty got recruited straight into North China Imperial Capital, one of the Four Great National Universities.

We're both human. How can the difference be so huge?"

Qin Shi smiled.

"Being born into the right family is a skill, Classmate Xiao Zhou.

Never mind anything else—there are 108,000 Light-Years between being born on Old Factory Street and in the Imperial Capital."

Zhou Ning sighed.

"If only my dad had gone out and taken a chance back then, joined the New Star development, and secured residency in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area. Then I wouldn't have to struggle so much!"

Hengzhou, where they lived, was the thirty-fourth Administrative Region established by Eastern Xia.

Its full name was Hengzhou New Star.

As the biggest harbor city on Hengzhou New Star, the Tai'an Metropolitan Area had grown rapidly thanks to its geographical advantages.

Especially in recent years, free trade had surged, and countless nouveaux riches had sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Unfortunately, the Tai'an Metropolitan Area was like a nouveau riche who looked down on his poor relatives and couldn't be bothered to keep in touch.

"Remember the textbook's model answer? The region's advantage is its abundant, cheap labor. That's us."

Qin Shi patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder and slowly got to his feet.

"Worker's Children were born at the wrong time. Old Factory Street's glory is long gone. If we want to put down roots in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, we'll have to claw our way up ourselves.

It's time for me to go, Classmate Xiao Zhou. I'm leaving the important task of watching the front desk to you."