"Principal, even if we increase the subsidy, we can only cover five students at most. At 200 yuan a day, that comes to 60,000 yuan over two months."
"But what if one of those five students scores ten points higher because of it and gets into a provincial key Martial University?"
Zheng Huai urged the Principal, "Last year, our school's acceptance rate into provincial key schools through the Martial Arts Stream was 5.7%, fourth from the bottom in the city. If we don't improve this year—and drop to third from the bottom—the Bureau of Education may reduce the resources allocated to us next year."
The moment he said this, the office fell silent.
Outside the window, a few sparrows chirped among the plane trees.
Zhou Zhengming was silent for a moment, then removed his glasses and rubbed his brow. "All right. Teacher Zheng, you do have a point."
He put his glasses back on and looked at Zheng Huai. "But we'll have to wait until the final list is confirmed. And this proposal needs to be raised at a faculty meeting and go through the proper channels."
"I understand."
At this, Zheng Huai's heart leapt.
"Also," Zhou Zhengming paused, "I'll be blunt. The results haven't been released yet, and I haven't seen his final score. If he doesn't rank in the top five overall, this proposal is off the table. The school can't open this policy for him alone."
"I know."
"Besides, the school is putting a lot on the line for these five spots. My one hope is that at least one of them will be a promising student who can get into a provincial key Martial University. Otherwise, I won't be able to answer to my superiors."
"If your idea gets more than one student into a provincial key school, I'll put you forward for an Outstanding Teacher award next year. If not a single one gets in, you'd better be ready to take the blame."
At this, Zheng Huai took a deep breath. He knew he had no way out now, so he nodded firmly.
"All right. You can go."
Zhou Zhengming waved Zheng Huai away. Once he had left the Principal's office, Zhou Zhengming leaned against the railing and let out a long breath.
He knew he was making a bet.
He was betting that Lin Ye was worth those resources, betting that the boy had the grit to shoulder those expectations.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.
After leaving Zheng Huai's office, Lin Ye didn't go home to rest. Instead, he walked into the empty Martial Arts Hall reserved for Class 5.
The afternoon sunlight slanted in, dividing the room into two sharply contrasting halves of light and shadow.
He went to his usual spot by the window and sat cross-legged, recalling every detail of the Ranking Tournament.
In the first round, his opponent had Mastery Grade fist techniques, and Lin Ye had won easily.
But there had been one detail: his opponent had good footwork. On the third move, he tried to open up some distance, but Lin Ye saw it coming and cut him off. If his opponent's footwork had been a little better, though, and he'd managed to put some distance between them, Lin Ye might have been forced onto the defensive.
In the second round, the boy with the saber had only average saber skills and lacked real combat experience, but he'd clearly trained his footwork. If Lin Ye hadn't closed in right at the start and engaged him at close range, the outcome might have been very different once the boy opened up some distance. Relying solely on his Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist, Lin Ye couldn't say he'd have won. And even in close combat, his fists had skimmed past the boy's clothes several times, missing vital points by a hair. The long saber had been dodged or blocked, but the pressure of its reach was unmistakable, making the fight deeply uncomfortable.
As for the third round... well, there wasn't much to say.
One thrust, one sweep, one more thrust—and the final spear strike had taken him out. They weren't even on the same level.
As he finished reviewing the match, Lin Ye opened his eyes. At some point, sweat had beaded on his forehead.
It wasn't from nerves, but from the helplessness he'd felt. He could clearly see the moves. He knew how he should respond. But his body couldn't keep up. He didn't have enough strength or speed, and his martial arts... weren't enough either.
Having reached Great Success with Rolling Stone Fist meant the moves came naturally to him. That was good. But he only had one fist technique. He hadn't thought much of it during the challenges on the second day, but in the third day's bouts, he'd realized just how shallow his arsenal was.
He could handle a saber because its range was relatively short. But against a spear, he'd been completely suppressed. The reach of a long weapon, combined with refined footwork, meant he couldn't get close at all and couldn't use his fists to his advantage.
Even in the second round, if his opponent had performed a little better and kept Lin Ye from closing in, he might have lost right there.
"I need a footwork technique."
Lin Ye suddenly understood. If he'd had a footwork technique, even one at Mastery Grade, he could have countered his opponent's sudden change of direction and advance in the second round—and might even have ended the match sooner.
In the third round, his opponent's spear techniques had been fast. With nimble enough footwork, Lin Ye might at least have lasted a few more moves.
And then there was Blood Qi Value: 218 against 300-plus. That was a hard gap, one technique alone couldn't fully bridge. When he'd met the spearhead with a hard punch at the end, the feeling of being utterly overpowered had crushed his chest like a great mountain. Even thinking back on it now made him feel helpless.
"Maybe I can ask the teacher where to learn a footwork technique?"
Lin Ye pondered. The only person he could think of who was likely to have access to Entry-Level Martial Arts was his teacher, Zheng Huai.
For now, he drew a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the center of the mat. He took the opening stance of the Primordial Stance.
All he could do now was train.
Three days later, in the morning, the Class 5 classroom.
The morning sun poured into the classroom, casting mottled shadows across the desks and floor through the glass.
The classroom was unusually quiet. Fifty-two students sat straight in their seats, their eyes all fixed on the lectern. The air was thick with a tension so stifling it was hard to breathe.
Class adviser Chen Guo'an stood beside the projector with the freshly printed score summary in his hand. He didn't announce the results right away. Instead, he pushed up his glasses and slowly swept his gaze over every young face below.
"The results of the citywide mock exams have all been compiled."
His voice wasn't loud, but it rang out clearly in the silent classroom. "Before I announce the scores, I have a few things to say."
Everyone held their breath, and the atmosphere grew even more oppressive.
"First, I need to criticize some of you." Chen Guo'an's tone turned stern. "Our class average in the cultural subjects dropped five points from last time. The average in History of the Star Alliance was only 72, and we lost a lot of points on the Basic Physics calculation problems. Most of the essays in Common Language lacked depth."
He paused. "There are only about two months left before the High School Entrance Exam. If you keep this up, forget Martial Arts University—even an ordinary liberal arts university will be a long shot."
At this, quite a few students below the lectern lowered their heads, afraid to meet their homeroom teacher's gaze.
"But—"
Chen Guo'an shifted gears. "There are things worth praising, too. In particular, our school did exceptionally well in the Martial Dao test. Someone even broke the school record."
The classroom immediately erupted in exaggerated chatter.
Broke the school record?
Who?
Seeing the students whispering, Chen Guo'an didn't keep them in suspense. He announced loudly, "It was Chu Tiange from Class 1. He reached the seventh level in the Virtual Combat challenge."
"The seventh level?!"
"Damn... doesn't that mean facing a Peak Body Forging Stage gatekeeper with Great Success Grade Rolling Stone Fist?"
"That's right. My god, reaching the seventh level is insane! He broke our school record outright. That's unbelievable."
"Wait, what was our previous record again? The sixth level, right?"
"Yeah. Apparently, it was set a few years ago by an older student named Zhou Zheng. Rumor had it he only made it to the latter part of the sixth level..."
"Quiet!"
Chen Guo'an tapped the lectern and scanned the room. The classroom fell silent at once.
"Chu Tiange didn't just reach the seventh level. He lasted a full two minutes and seventeen seconds there before he was defeated."
There was clear approval in his voice. "That result broke the Virtual Combat record since Third High School was founded."
Applause rose from below the lectern of its own accord.
Most of them knew Chu Tiange wasn't in their class, but a result that broke the school record made them feel proud all the same. They were witnessing history.
Lin Ye clapped too, impressed by him. A feeling sprang up in him that the world was teeming with gifted people, like carp crossing a river.
It seemed that even with a cheat of his own, he couldn't underestimate these Martial Dao prodigies.
Listening to the applause from his class, Chen Guo'an smiled. Once it died down, he continued, "There's also Su Xiao from Class 4. She reached the sixth level. She didn't manage to clear it, but her result matched the best record our school has achieved over the years."
Another round of applause broke out, accompanied by waves of astonished exclamations.
When the applause died down again, Chen Guo'an continued.
"Of course, students from the other classes have been working hard, but our class has been no less impressive. In this Martial Dao test, our class performed exceptionally well overall. Our average Blood Qi Value ranked third in the grade, and our average Virtual Combat score also ranked third—one place higher than last time. Very good."
Applause rose again. His gaze lingered for a moment on Lin Ye and several other students. "These improvements didn't come out of nowhere. They came from our classmates training hard every day and giving up their weekends again and again to practice."
The classroom grew more animated.
"All right, enough of that."
"I'm sure you're all eager to see your scores by now."
"I'll announce the results."
Chen Guo'an opened the presentation, and the huge screen lit up as a detailed score table slowly appeared.
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