Star Martial Calendar, 3070, June 8.
Tianlan Star, Jinzhou City.
12:10 p.m.
Inside the classroom of Senior Year Class 9 at Third Martial Arts High School.
The students held their breath, staring intently at the Communicators on their right arms.
When the morning's college entrance exam results were announced, the classroom instantly erupted into commotion.
"I—I got in! 603 points! I got in!"
"I got in too. 610 points."
With a combined score of over 600 in cultural and martial arts subjects, students could enter a Martial Arts University, where they might one day join the Martial Politics Alliance and become Interstellar Martial Politician Soldiers.
For ordinary people in this era, it was the fastest shortcut to changing their fate.
Those who had passed could barely contain their joy, cheering excitedly!
Those who hadn't passed lowered their heads in silence, their faces full of disappointment.
There were 28 senior-year classes at the school, with 1,543 students in total.
Every year, fewer than one in ten students scored above the admission cutoff.
Those who made it either had someone in their family involved in politics or had the support of a Martial Expert.
Only a handful of students from ordinary families managed to stand out.
"Lu Feng! Have your results come out yet?"
In a corner by the window in the fourth row, a round-faced boy with eyes narrowed to slits leaned toward his deskmate.
"Yeah, I got in. 625 points."
Lu Feng was happy too, but he wasn't as excited as the others.
"I knew you could do it! Don't forget to treat me to a feast!"
The round-faced boy was named Shen Yu. He didn't seem the least bit surprised that his good friend had passed.
"What about you? How many points did you get?"
"Just over 400. No chance for me." Shen Yu shrugged, though he didn't sound very surprised.
Just then, a man in his thirties walked into the classroom.
He was He Qing, the homeroom teacher of Senior Year Class 9, as well as a Three Realm Martial Artist.
"Everyone, settle down for a moment."
Standing at the front of the classroom, he spoke in a steady voice. "The college entrance exam results are out, and I'm sure you've all seen how you did. I'd like to congratulate everyone who got into a Martial University. Once you get home, please fill out your applications for the Martial Universities you want to attend within ten days."
"Of course, those who didn't get in are probably feeling both upset and lost right now. I understand how disappointing that can be. But you should know that the college entrance exam has never been the 'end of the road' in life. The Martial World demands hard work, determination, and a refusal to give up. As long as you're willing to keep moving forward with that same drive, you'll find a path of your own..."
He Qing spoke for over half an hour. It was also the last lesson he would teach this year's students.
Once the lesson ended, everyone would leave Jinzhou Third High School and embark on a new chapter in their lives.
As the students said their goodbyes to their teacher and filed out of the classroom, He Qing suddenly called out to Lu Feng.
"Lu Feng, stay a moment."
When only the two of them remained in the classroom, He Qing took a dagger from his person and held it out to him.
"You're the only student in our class from an ordinary family who got into a Martial University. I'm truly happy for you. This is a Blue Dai Alloy Dagger. I've had it for nearly ten years, and now I'm giving it to you."
Blue Dai Alloy was an artificial metal, five times harder than diamond. It could easily cut through the tough hides of Alien Monster Beasts.
Lu Feng quickly tried to refuse. "Teacher, this is far too valuable. I can't accept it."
He knew very well that the dagger was worth at least tens of thousands of Star Martial Coins.
"Take it. Think of it as a graduation gift from your teacher."
As a student from an ordinary family, only Lu Feng knew how much hardship it had taken to get into a Martial University.
The cultural subjects weren't the hardest part of getting into a Martial Arts University. With the help of intelligent learning systems, most people could get high marks.
The real challenge was the martial arts courses.
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The first realm of martial arts was the "Copper Skin Realm." It required training the skin and muscles until the body's strength and power far exceeded those of ordinary people.
Only by breaking through all ten levels of the Copper Skin Realm during three years of martial arts classes and reaching a punch strength of ten thousand jin could one barely meet the admission requirements for a Martial University.
For three years, without any resources to support him, Lu Feng had trained his body with all his might.
He had endured pain beyond what most people could imagine, and his skin and muscles were almost never free of injuries.
He had worked several times harder than anyone else.
Hardly any high school student could bear the suffering of this kind of body tempering.
But Lu Feng had endured it.
He had done it not only for himself, but also for his family.
His parents were ordinary workers who had scrimped and saved to pay for his three years at Martial High School.
Only by getting into a Martial University could he truly change their lives.
In all his years of teaching, Lu Feng was the most determined student He Qing had ever met. That was why he admired him so much.
"Thank you, Teacher! I'll repay you someday."
Unable to refuse any longer, Lu Feng finally accepted the Alloy Dagger.
"All right, head home for now. Remember to submit your applications online within ten days, and choose the Martial University you want to attend."
"Got it!" Lu Feng nodded solemnly, then turned and left the classroom.
As soon as he reached the bottom of the teaching building, he saw Shen Yu waiting for him.
"You're finally out! What did the homeroom teacher want?"
"Nothing much. He just recommended a few Martial Universities. Why haven't you gone home yet?"
"Home? Weren't you going to treat me?"
"Fine, fine, all you ever think about is food. I'll treat you to a purple rice roll today."
"Again?" Shen Yu looked disgusted.
"What's wrong with that? The experts say it fills you up and even improves your constitution a little."
"What experts? I bet you just like it because it's cheap!"
The two boys chatted and laughed as they headed toward the school gate.
Elsewhere, after seeing off all the students, He Qing returned to his office to pack his things and prepare to leave as well.
With the term over, he could finally set aside his busy schedule for a while and spend two months focusing on improving his strength.
Just then, the Communicator on his wrist suddenly rang.
He tapped the screen, and a Holographic Projection appeared. It showed a burly, middle-aged man.
The man was Zhao Chang, the principal of Jinzhou Third High School.
"Principal, is something the matter?"
"Teacher He, there's something I need your help with."
"Go ahead."
"I hear someone from an ordinary family in your class got into a Martial University this year. Please change his name to Zheng Tong."
"Change it to Zheng Tong? Why? Zheng Tong only scored a little over 300 points!"
"You should know who Zheng Tong is, right? He's the grandson of the Vice City Lord of Jinzhou City."
"I know, but doing that would take Lu Feng's place at the Martial University!"
"What difference does it make whether a child from an ordinary family gets into a Martial University or not?"
He Qing immediately understood. The Zheng Family was pressuring the school. They wanted a place for their own child, so they were demanding one from the school.
And Lu Feng, who came from an ordinary family, had become the unlucky one.
But why should he accept that?
He Qing knew better than anyone how hard Lu Feng had worked and how much he had suffered over the past three years to get into a Martial University!
Did being the Vice City Lord's grandson mean Zheng Tong could simply take someone else's place?
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