Sports Academy, Building a Foundation

Old Factory Street covered a vast area.

To the east lay large swaths of abandoned, dilapidated factory buildings; to the west was a bustling residential district.

Further south, markets for vehicle repairs and goods clustered together, a chaotic mix of all sorts, with the most disorder.

Qin Shi turned left when he stepped out and went to the neighboring Xin Xin Convenience Store to buy two packs of cigarettes, stuffing them into his pocket.

Then he headed north.

Along the narrow road, the signs for restaurants, card rooms, inns, and barbershops were gaudily red and green. Every so often, a few vehicles known as "little electric donkeys" zipped past at high speed.

"No wonder everyone wants to test into the Metropolitan Area. Old Factory Street doesn't even have many decent schools. What will happen to the workers' children in the future?"

Qin Shi stood beneath the shade of a tree beside the dusty road.

Before him stood a gate that could hardly be called grand or imposing, with a simple school sign hanging above it.

Its gold paint was peeling, steeped in the wear of time.

Just like the former glory this Old City District had long since lost, all of it had been carried away by the years.

"In a few more years, even the Cadre School sign might be abolished."

He rubbed his youthful face and put on the obedient, pleasant smile he usually wore at work before approaching the guard booth.

"Sir, I used to be a student at No. 11 Middle School. I'm looking for Teacher Liang."

The storytelling program on the radio in the guard booth came to an abrupt stop, and the old man in reading glasses raised his head.

The boy was unfamiliar.

But he looked like a good, obedient kid!

"No. 11 Middle School? This is No. 9 Vocational Middle School."

The old man found it strange.

No. 11 Middle School admitted junior high students, while No. 9 Vocational Middle School admitted high school students.

Both bore the Cadre School name so that local workers' children could complete their compulsory education.

But their campuses were not in the same place.

Qin Shi smiled shyly.

"Teacher Liang taught me for a while before. Since it's summer vacation, I thought I'd come visit him. Has his problem with stiff legs whenever it rains gotten any better?"

He had specifically asked Uncle Zhou about that detail.

"Him? Same as ever. He likes to take a drink after work. When it acts up, he slaps on a medicated patch and calls it done. He refuses to visit a big hospital, so how could it ever fully heal?"

Hearing that, the guard finally let go of his remaining wariness, replacing it with approval.

"It's rare to see a student who knows gratitude these days. In recent years, no one who left the Cadre School has been willing to come back, much less visit a teacher.

"Kid, the school isn't open to outsiders during summer vacation. Some teachers use the grounds to run tutoring classes, so don't cause a disturbance..."

Qin Shi nodded and casually took a pack of hard-case Liming Cigarettes from his right pocket.

"Sorry to trouble you, sir."

"Ah, no need to be so polite! You don't smoke, do you? At your age, you can't touch that stuff!"

The old man accepted the cigarettes while still reminding him.

"I don't smoke. The teachers at New No. 1 Middle School are very strict about it. Besides, smoking as a minor affects Life Force Development."

Qin Shi waved his hands repeatedly, playing the part of a model student to perfection.

After bidding the old man farewell, he strode ahead and carefully surveyed No. 9 Vocational Middle School.

Perhaps because it was summer vacation, the place was silent except for the piercing chirp of cicadas.

The doors and windows of the red-brick, black-tiled school building were tightly shut. Only when he reached the playground in the back did he hear some activity.

"Train properly!"

"Stand steady! Don't sway!"

"Starting the clock now—hold it for twenty minutes! If anyone does it wrong, everyone trains an extra five minutes..."

A rough, booming voice echoed across the empty playground.

Qin Shi looked inside and saw around seven or eight bare-chested high school students, drenched in sweat as they performed Physical Training.

They were practicing basic fighting movements: guards, punches, and stepping advances.

Then a middle-aged man in a military-green short-sleeved shirt led them one by one into position, making them hold a Standing Post without moving.

"Over thirty degrees, and they're baking under the sun like this. They'll be skinned alive."

As Qin Shi thought that, he suddenly sensed someone staring at him.

He tilted his head and met the gaze.

Hiss!

Qin Shi abruptly sucked in a breath. Every hair on his arms stood on end, as if he had been jolted by static electricity!

"Hey, which class are you from?"

The middle-aged man frowned and called out.

"Teacher Liang, I'm from Baogong Street on West Second Road. I used to attend No. 11 Middle School. Uncle Zhou introduced me."

Qin Shi jogged over and quickly introduced himself, afraid that he would be beaten half to death by a Sun-Character Punch.

Teacher Liang did not look particularly big. He was of average build, nowhere near as burly or imposing as the trainers at Silver Horse Gym.

Yet the pressure he exuded was no weaker, perhaps even more intense.

"Your older sister is called Qin Xiao, right? She studied at No. 9 Vocational Middle School for a year. I remember her."

Only after approaching did Qin Shi realize that this physical education teacher surnamed Liang was not the ferocious demon people claimed he was. He actually looked entirely ordinary.

His close-cropped hair had scattered strands of white, his skin was bronze, and his unshaven face was covered in stubble. He was not much for appearances.

You could throw ten bricks on Old Factory Street and hit seven or eight men like him.

"A master who kept his skills hidden."

Qin Shi did not dare underestimate him.

At Silver Horse Gym, where he worked part-time, the best gold-medal trainers had Life Force Development levels of around fifteen to nineteen points.

Roughly Amateur Eighth Rank.

If Teacher Liang had truly competed in the Stellar Cup and gone from the Tai'an Education Commission to a proper staff position, then even at the very least, his life force should be above thirty-five points.

After all, even the minimum registration threshold for the Stellar Cup was Amateur Seventh Rank.

"Old Zhou? The one from the Billiard Hall? He and I are drinking buddies, more or less."

Teacher Liang thought for a moment and barely recalled him. His attitude softened somewhat.

"Are you still in school?"

"I haven't dropped out. I tested into New No. 1 Middle School."

Teacher Liang's eyes flickered, and his expression turned odd.

"You got into a good school in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, so why run all the way to No. 9 Vocational Middle School on Old Factory Street? Do you know this school is almost unable to stay open? These days, there are fewer students, and fewer people willing to study.

"The Education Commission and the school administration have already reached an understanding. They plan to convert it into a Sports Academy."

That was not exactly a secret.

Qin Shi had heard about it long ago.

He put on a sincere expression.

"Uncle Zhou said you were very capable. I want to build a foundation under Teacher Liang."

Teacher Liang suddenly sneered.

"You want to improve your life force for the Rank-Placement Exam, right? There are cultivation centers and gyms everywhere in the Metropolitan Area. Why go out of your way to come here?"

Qin Shi remained sincere.

"My family can't afford that."

Teacher Liang carefully examined the boy before him: his washed-out short-sleeved shirt and trousers, along with his obviously cheap, off-brand running shoes.

Setting aside his clean and fresh appearance, he was indeed dressed like an ordinary student from Old Factory Street.

"My fees aren't cheap. Besides, you aren't a student at No. 9 Vocational Middle School..."

Teacher Liang paused, then took the initiative to walk into the shade. Raising a hand, he pointed at the high school students baking beneath the blazing sun.

"Do you know why they attend my tutoring class?"

Qin Shi shook his head. It was summer vacation, and the vast majority of workers' children from Old Factory Street chose to go out and work.

Things like summer camps, outdoor trips, or specialty training classes were activities reserved for wealthy families in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area.

"These students don't plan to continue studying. Their life force is between six and seven points. If they train with me and raise it to ten points, they can work in the mining district."

Teacher Liang's tone was stiff, his face taut.

"The Life Force Development taught in high school textbooks emphasizes gradual progress. It's beneficial and harmless, but the results come slowly.

"What I teach digs out potential by damaging the body, so it produces results quickly.

"You can endure it when you're young, but once you pass forty, you age rapidly and become prone to injuries and illness."

Qin Shi fell silent. He usually enjoyed reading and knew Eastern Xia's history fairly well.

Against the backdrop of the Great Pioneer Movement, every newly incorporated administrative star underwent several vigorous waves of development after being added to the territory.

Among them, mining had the greatest demand for jobs.

In the early years, due to lax management and rampant extraction,

there were no requirements for becoming a miner. Even women, children, and the elderly were accepted.

Because of the terrible conditions underground, along with dangers such as intense heat radiation and mutated viruses,

those with life force below ten points could last at most three to five years. It was difficult for them to survive.

This situation did not improve until the fifth millennium, at the beginning of the Eastern Xia New Calendar.

The Mining Bureau was reorganized and clear laws were issued, forbidding Eastern Xia citizens with life force below ten points or without nine years of compulsory education from working as miners.

However, on administrative stars located at the frontier, recruiting child laborers and school-aged minors who had dropped out remained a common sight.

"Go home. Since you were able to get into New No. 1 Middle School in the Metropolitan Area, your grades must be decent.

"Most of my students lost their parents and were raised by elderly relatives. They can't keep studying, so they can only take this path to earn a living."

Teacher Liang sighed.

"You don't need to ruin your body for the few extra points on the Rank-Placement Exam. Life force raised through such extreme methods is like gambling debt—you'll have to repay it in the end."

Qin Shi raised his head and looked steadily at the physical education teacher from No. 9 Vocational Middle School.

"I still want to try, Teacher Liang."

Did this brat not understand a word of good advice?

Teacher Liang froze, then frowned at him.

Qin Shi did not avert his eyes. His gaze was calm and resolute.

Wasn't he also left with no other path?

In his previous life, he had braved gunfire to force his way into Northern Myanmar. Now he faced the grim prospect of unemployment upon graduation, possibly becoming nothing more than expendable labor.

If he did not struggle upward, how could he ever escape that rotten mire?

The workers' children of Old Factory Street fought even for the high-risk jobs down in the mines.

If I drain my family's savings to attend some second- or third-rate school, will things really be any better after graduation?

No connections, no talent—wouldn't I have no choice but to fight with everything I had?

Qin Shi clenched his fists. Before summer vacation ended, he had to raise his life force and complete the Rank-Placement Exam.

Only then would his life have other options!

"Why put yourself through this?"

Teacher Liang was helpless. Seeing Qin Shi standing ramrod straight without the slightest intention of backing down, he said irritably,

"Fine, for Old Zhou's sake. If you want to learn, I'll take you.

"Did you bring money? Let me make this clear first: the tutoring class costs four thousand a month. No credit!"

Qin Shi nodded.

"Wait a moment, Teacher Liang. I need to use the restroom."

Hm?

Where the hell had this kid hidden the money?

A vein on Teacher Liang's forehead twitched faintly.

A moment later, Qin Shi returned with both hands holding a bundle of brand-new banknotes, which he respectfully offered up.

"Forget it. Pay two hundred first. Train with us for two days, and we'll see whether you can endure it.

"Also, if I decide you're not cut out for it, you leave whenever I say so!"

Teacher Liang turned his face away, not taking the stack of hundred-yuan bills—an enormous sum for most families on Old Factory Street.