Senior year passed very, very quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a whole semester had gone by.
But for Jiang Ye, a lot had happened during that semester.
From September to November, several more students went missing at school. It was obviously the work of the "Hidden Spirit Organization."
The Hidden Spirit Organization had wreaked havoc in Ancheng for months, causing no fewer than a hundred disappearances.
It wasn't that Ancheng's police were incompetent.
After all, Ancheng was just a remote little city with scant Martial Arts resources. They were somewhat overwhelmed trying to deal with a mysterious, sprawling underground organization like this.
December.
A group of well-trained officers came from the provincial capital, Yuncheng. Together with the Ancheng Shadow Hunter Bureau, they spent a month hunting down the organization.
At last, before the New Year, they uprooted the Hidden Spirit Organization's hideout in Ancheng.
Jiang Ye remembered that night. The outskirts of Ancheng had suddenly blazed with light, bright as day, and then a deafening boom had rung out.
The next day, the news brought good tidings: the police had cracked down on a major criminal gang in Ancheng.
But a handful of "criminals" had escaped. Residents were reminded to stay safe and call the police promptly if they encountered danger.
The matter seemed to have come to an end. Xia Qing, however, never appeared again.
Late December, 2325.
In Class Nine's Martial Arts classroom.
Chen Zilu wore a snow-white dress, her gaze roaming the room.
The students were all diligently practicing.
When her eyes fell on one of the boys, they shifted slightly.
"Jiang Ye, is your Cultivation Method almost complete?" Chen Zilu asked.
Jiang Ye stopped practicing and nodded to her. "Probably in the next few days."
Hiss~
The students stared at Jiang Ye in shock.
There were still six months until the college entrance exams, and he was already about to complete his Cultivation Method?
He was aiming for the Twenty-Five School Alliance.
Most students in the Ordinary Class couldn't even get into an ordinary Martial Arts University, let alone one of the Twenty-Five Schools.
A smile appeared on Chen Zilu's face. Then she said, "Come to the office after class."
"Okay." Jiang Ye nodded.
Then he checked his own panel.
[Cultivation Method] Star Martial Cultivation Method: Great Accomplishment (99%) Eight Divisions Thunder Sound Fist: Beginner (85%) --
Great Accomplishment, 99%. I'm one bottleneck away from completion, but I should break through soon.
The Eight Divisions Thunder Sound Fist is almost at Minor Accomplishment, too, Jiang Ye thought.
He had spent most of the semester working on the Star Martial Cultivation Method.
If not for that, his Eight Divisions Thunder Sound Fist might have reached Minor Accomplishment long ago.
"There are still six months until the college entrance exams. Can I reach First Break?"
Jiang Ye's goal had always been the Twenty-Five School Alliance.
Only if he reached First Break before the college entrance exams would he have a shot at getting into one of the Twenty-Five Schools.
Whether he could manage it all depended on the upcoming Starry Sky Refinement.
As Jiang Ye pondered, the bell rang.
He looked up, saw that Chen Zilu had already left, and immediately got up and went out.
The office.
When Jiang Ye arrived, he was surprised to find Zhang Jianwu there as well.
"You're here."
Chen Zilu's smile was especially radiant today. Though she often smiled at Jiang Ye, she was usually cool and aloof.
"Teacher, Director." Jiang Ye cupped his hands to them.
Zhang Jianwu smiled at him. "Xiao Chen told me your Cultivation Method is nearly complete?"
Jiang Ye nodded.
Zhang Jianwu said, "Starting today, you don't need to stay in Class Nine. Go take classes in Class One."
Jiang Ye paused, then said, "Director, I'm still a little short of completion. I don't meet the requirements for the Key Class."
Zhang Jianwu waved a hand and chuckled. "You're close enough. You'll be moving up sooner or later, so we might as well make the arrangements today. Besides, Xiao Chen is leaving the school today, too."
At that, Jiang Ye looked at Chen Zilu in surprise.
Leaving the school?
Did she mean she was leaving for a while, or...
Chen Zilu explained, "I've already resigned. Another teacher will take over Class Nine."
"Are you leaving today?"
"Mm."
Chen Zilu nodded.
"Actually, I'm still in college." She shook her head. "I only came here to teach because of certain circumstances."
Jiang Ye looked regretful.
With Chen Zilu leaving, wouldn't that thirty percent boost to his comprehension go to waste?
Beside them, Zhang Jianwu smiled. "Xiao Chen, it seems Jiang Ye will miss you."
"I'm sorry, too. My mentor asked me to return right away," Chen Zilu said with a soft sigh. "Jiang Ye, I'm not a professional teacher."
"But I'm very happy you thought so highly of me." She smiled warmly.
Zhang Jianwu shook his head. "You're a student at White Dragon University. With your ability, you'd be more than qualified to teach even our school's Key Class."
"White Dragon University?"
Jiang Ye was slightly startled.
White Dragon Martial Arts University was one of the Top Ten Elite Schools.
And it ranked high among the ten, too.
But when he thought of Chen Zilu's Dao Bone Talent, it didn't seem so surprising.
She had Dao Bone Talent and an Upper Class A Mystic Body. It was only natural she'd get into one of the Top Ten Elite Schools.
"Director, you flatter me. I'm only a sophomore. What teaching experience could I have?"
Chen Zilu shook her head, then turned to Jiang Ye and smiled. "Keep that watch. If you have any questions in the future, you can still come to me."
"Okay."
Jiang Ye didn't stand on ceremony and nodded at once.
Though she had said that, she was no longer a teacher at the school, so he couldn't keep asking her for help every day.
Otherwise, even the goodwill she had for him would eventually run out.
Unless something important came up, it would be hard for them to stay in touch.
"Jiang Ye, go back to the classroom and pack your things. I'll take you to your new class shortly," Zhang Jianwu said with a smile.
"Okay."
Jiang Ye turned and left.
Inside the office.
Chen Zilu suddenly asked, "Director, do you think Jiang Ye can get into the Twenty-Five School Alliance?"
"It'll be difficult."
Zhang Jianwu shook his head slightly. "He's made astonishingly fast progress toward completing his Cultivation Method. It's taken him only half a year."
"Only that Zhao Qingli girl at this school has surpassed him in that regard."
"But for Jiang Ye, the upcoming Starry Sky Refinement will be a hurdle he can't overcome." Zhang Jianwu shook his head.
Primitive Talent meant poor Star Energy absorption.
That was common knowledge.
Chen Zilu gave a small nod and sighed. "What a shame. If Jiang Ye had Nascent Talent, his future would be very different."
Zhang Jianwu smiled. "It really is a shame. If he had Nascent Talent, he might even have a chance of getting into your university."
Chen Zilu was taken aback, then smiled without saying a word.
Nascent Talent alone was enough to get into White Dragon University?
Zhang Jianwu was clearly oversimplifying things.
To get into White Dragon Martial Arts University, reaching First Break by the second year of high school was the bare minimum.
Before the college entrance exams, one had to break through to Second Break to have any real certainty of getting in.
That was the caliber of White Dragon University.
But Chen Zilu didn't correct him. After all, Zhang Jianwu was only the director of a third-rate high school in a small city. It was only natural his knowledge would be limited.
Ancheng Third Middle School wasn't even guaranteed to produce one student bound for a top school each year.
And even when it did, that student could only scrape in at the very bottom of the Top Ten.
As for White Dragon Martial Arts University? No such student had ever come out of Ancheng Third Middle School since it was founded.
Even Zhang Jianwu might not understand just how far beyond the reach of ordinary people White Dragon Martial Arts University was.
Only true prodigies could step through its gates!
"Jiang Ye? I probably won't see him again."
Chen Zilu shook her head slightly. She really had been deeply impressed by this student.
His talent was clearly terrible, yet he trained with all his might. That stubborn determination to do what he knew he couldn't reminded her a little of herself.
Of course, the most important thing was that Jiang Ye's progress was plain to see.
Hardworking people were common enough, but those whose efforts were rewarded in equal measure were always lucky.
Hardworking, lucky, similar in temperament, and handsome, too.
All those things together were what made Jiang Ye so special to her.
But sadly, they were ultimately from different worlds.
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