A Gamble, A Review, and the Prodigies

"Principal, even if we provide additional subsidies, it would be for five students at most. At 200 yuan a day, that's only 60,000 for two months."

"But what if one of those five students manages to score 10 points higher because of it and breaks into a provincial key martial arts university?"

Zheng Huai advised the principal, "Last year, our school's provincial key admission rate for martial arts students was 5.7%, ranking fourth from the bottom in the city. If we can't improve this year and drop to third, the Education Bureau might reduce our resource allocation next year."

Once these words were spoken, the office fell silent.

Only the chirping of a few sparrows in the plane tree outside the window remained.

Zhou Zhengming was silent for a moment, then took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose: "Fine, Teacher Zheng, what you said does make some sense."

He put his glasses back on and looked at Zheng Huai: "But this has to wait until the final list is confirmed. Besides, this proposal must be brought up at the school affairs meeting; it has to go through the proper procedures."

"I understand."

Hearing this, Zheng Huai felt a surge of joy.

"Also," Zhou Zhengming paused, "I'll say the ugly part first. The results haven't been announced yet, and I haven't seen his final scores. If he isn't judged to be in the top five, this proposal is void. The school cannot open this policy for him alone."

"I know."

"Furthermore, the school is betting heavily on these five spots. My only hope is that at least one of these five can become a candidate capable of getting into a provincial key martial arts university, otherwise, I won't be able to answer to my superiors."

"If your idea leads to more than one student getting into a provincial key university, I will nominate you for an outstanding teacher award next year; if not a single one gets in, prepare to face the consequences."

Hearing this, Zheng Huai took a deep breath. He knew he had no way out, so he nodded decisively.

"Alright, you may go."

Seeing this, Zhou Zhengming waved his hand, signaling for Zheng Huai to leave. When he walked out of the principal's office, he leaned against the railing and let out a long breath.

He knew he was gambling.

Gambling that Lin Ye was worth these resources, and gambling that the boy's resilience could carry this expectation.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Martial Arts Hall.

After leaving Zheng Huai's office, Lin Ye did not go home to rest, but instead walked into the exclusive martial arts room for Class (5).

The afternoon sun slanted in, cutting the room into distinct sections of light and shadow.

He walked to his usual spot by the window, sat cross-legged, and recalled every detail of the qualifying tournament.

In the first round, his opponent was at the proficiency level of fist techniques, and he won easily.

But there was actually a detail: the opponent's footwork was decent. When the opponent tried to create distance during the third move, he had anticipated it and blocked it in advance. However, if the opponent's footwork had been slightly better, and he had actually managed to create that distance, he might have fallen into a passive position.

In the second round, the boy with the saber had mediocre technique and lacked real combat experience, but he had clearly practiced his footwork. If he hadn't closed the distance immediately to engage in close-quarters combat, the result would have been hard to predict once the opponent created space, relying solely on his Great Success level Rolling Stone Fist. Furthermore, even in close combat, his fists grazed the opponent's clothes several times, missing vital points by a hair's breadth; while he dodged or blocked the opponent's long saber, the pressure from that distance was significant, making the fight very uncomfortable for him.

As for the third round... well, there was nothing to say.

One straight thrust, one horizontal sweep, one piercing strike, and the final spear strike took him out. They were simply not on the same level.

Reviewing this, Lin Ye opened his eyes, sweat having already seeped out onto his forehead.

It wasn't because of nervousness, but because of that sense of powerlessness. He could clearly see the moves and knew how to respond, but his body couldn't keep up. His strength wasn't enough, his speed wasn't enough, and his martial arts... were also not enough.

His Rolling Stone Fist was at Great Success, and the moves came naturally, which was good, but he only had one fist technique. He hadn't felt it during the first two days of the trials, but when he reached the third day of combat, he realized his repertoire was too thin.

He could handle an opponent with a saber because the attack range was short. But against an opponent with a spear, he was completely suppressed. The distance advantage of the long weapon, combined with exquisite footwork, meant he couldn't get close at all, failing to utilize his fist techniques.

In fact, if the opponent in the second round had performed slightly better and kept him at bay, he might have lost in the second round.

"I need a footwork technique."

Lin Ye suddenly realized that if he had a footwork technique, even if it were only at the proficiency level, he could have countered the opponent's sudden change of direction in the second round and ended the match even faster.

In the third round, although the opponent's spear technique was fast, if his footwork had been flexible enough, he could have at least lasted a few more moves.

Then there was his blood qi value: 218 versus 300+. This was a hard gap that couldn't be fully compensated for by technique. When he clashed his fist against the spear tip, the feeling of being completely suppressed by that power felt like a mountain pressing on his chest. Even now, thinking back on it, he felt helpless.

"Perhaps I can ask the teacher where I can learn footwork techniques?"

Lin Ye pondered. The only person he could think of who might have access to graded martial arts was his teacher, Zheng Huai.

As for now, he took a deep breath, stood up again, walked to the center of the mat, and assumed the starting stance of the Primordial Stance.

All he could do now was train.

Three days later, in the morning, Class (5) of the senior year.

The morning sun spilled into the classroom, casting mottled light and shadows on the desks and the floor through the glass.

The classroom was unusually quiet. Fifty-two students sat upright, their eyes focused on the podium, and a suffocating tension filled the air.

The homeroom teacher, Chen Guo'an, stood by the projector, holding the newly printed grade summary sheet. He didn't announce the results immediately; instead, he pushed up his glasses and slowly scanned every youthful face below the podium.

"The results of this city-wide mock exam have all been compiled."

His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent classroom. "Before announcing the specific scores, I have a few things to say."

Instantly, everyone held their breath, and the atmosphere became much more oppressive.

"First, I must criticize some of you." Chen Guo'an's tone turned serious. "In this academic exam, the class average dropped by five points compared to last time. The average for Star Alliance History was only 72, there were heavy point losses on the calculation problems in Basic Physics, and the essays for Common Language generally lacked depth."

He paused. "There are only about two months left until the college entrance exam. If you stay in this state, forget about Martial Arts Universities; even ordinary liberal arts colleges will be out of reach."

Hearing this, many students under the podium lowered their heads, not daring to look the teacher in the eye.

"However—"

Chen Guo'an shifted his tone. "There are also areas worthy of praise. Especially in the martial arts test, our school's overall performance was excellent, and we even saw a result that broke historical records."

A wave of exaggerated discussion erupted in the classroom.

Broke the school's historical record?

Who?

Seeing the students whispering, Chen Guo'an didn't keep them in suspense and said loudly, "It is Chu Tiange from Class 1, Grade 12, who reached the seventh stage in the virtual combat challenge."

"The seventh stage?!"

"Damn... doesn't that mean facing a gatekeeper at the peak of Body Tempering with mastery-level Rolling Stone Fist?"

"That's right, my god, being able to reach the seventh stage is just too monstrous. It directly refreshed our school's historical record; it's too exaggerated."

"Wait, what was our school's previous record again? The sixth stage, right?"

"Exactly. It's said to have been set by a senior named Zhou Zheng a few years ago, and rumor has it he stopped at the late stage of the sixth level..."

"Quiet!"

Chen Guo'an tapped the podium and scanned the room, and the classroom instantly fell silent.

"Chu Tiange not only reached the seventh stage, but he also held out for two minutes and seventeen seconds before being defeated."

His tone carried clear approval. "This result has refreshed the virtual combat record of Third High School since its founding."

Below the podium, applause rang out spontaneously.

Although most people knew Chu Tiange wasn't in their class, they felt a sense of honor in such a record-breaking achievement, as if they had witnessed history.

Lin Ye also applauded, quite impressed by the other student, a feeling that the world's talents were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river rising within him.

It seems that even with his cheat, he cannot underestimate these martial arts prodigies.

Listening to the applause in the class, Chen Guo'an also wore a smile. Once the applause subsided, he continued, "There is also Su Xiao from Class 4, Grade 12. She also reached the sixth stage. Although she didn't pass, this result already ties the best record in the school's history."

Another round of applause broke out, accompanied by exclamations rising one after another.

Once the applause died down again, Chen Guo'an continued.

"Of course, while students in other classes are working hard, our class's performance is no less impressive. Especially in this martial arts test, our class performed excellently overall. Our average Qi and Blood value ranks third in the grade, and our average virtual combat score ranks third in the grade—an improvement of one place since last time. Very good."

Applause rang out again, and his gaze lingered for a moment on the faces of Lin Ye and a few other students. "These improvements didn't come out of thin air; they were earned by the students in our class training hard every day and giving up their rest time weekend after weekend to practice."

The atmosphere in the classroom immediately became a bit more heated.

"Alright, enough talk."

"I presume everyone is eager to see their scores at this moment."

"Now, I will announce the results."

Chen Guo'an clicked the projector, the massive screen lit up, and a detailed grade table slowly unfolded.