Final Selected Personnel, Zhao Qiang's Congratulations

After dealing with the congratulations from his classmates, most of the ten-minute break had already passed.

Lin Ye walked to the railing at the classroom entrance and gazed into the distance, trying to calm his excited heart, but a wave of discussion drifted into his ears.

"Old Class just said that Chu Tiange from Class One actually made it to the seventh stage; thinking about it now, it still feels terrifying."

A boy nearby lowered his voice, but the amazement in his tone couldn't be hidden. "The seventh stage, and he held on for over two minutes before being defeated. He's a total monster."

"Who's saying otherwise? Su Xiao from Class Four is also a monster; she reached the sixth stage, tying the highest record from the past few years. These two should be the pride of our Linjiang District Third High School right now."

"That's our school, but are there any ruthless characters from other schools?"

"Of course there are. The ones from other schools are even scarier. That Mad Blade Zhao Hu from First High—it's said his virtual combat score is even higher than Chu Tiange's. He almost cleared the stage."

"Holy crap, is he that scary? Isn't the NPC guarding the stage at the peak of Body Tempering with mastery-level Rolling Stone Fist? And he almost cleared it?"

"Exactly. They say if it weren't for the fact that the second day's challenge only allowed the use of Rolling Stone Fist and footwork techniques, he might have already cleared it."

"There's also a girl in Fourth High named Han Qingyue who supposedly reached the seventh stage, and she even ranked third in the entire district during the third-day ranking tournament, placing higher than that Zhao Hu from First High."

"Lei Meng, the Thunderbolt Blade from Second High, is even more terrifying. He's the district champion this time, and his Thunderbolt Blade left all his opponents trembling."

"Hiss..."

Hearing this, the boy nearby gasped, feeling that these martial arts geniuses in the district were just too exaggerated.

"So, are there any dark horses this year? How come I heard there was a master who used a spear during the ranking tournament? His spear technique was ridiculously fast; he took down several opponents by himself during the chaotic melee."

"I've heard of that too. I think he's a top student from Second High or one of the other schools."

A spear?!

Hearing this, Lin Ye's fingers tightened slightly. These words reminded him of the third round of the ranking tournament—that cold, long spear that defeated him in three moves and then pierced his heart.

Was it that person?

He wasn't sure. In the virtual space, he couldn't see the other person's face, only their codename and weapon. The spear technique was fast and accurate, truly enough to make one tremble.

"Lin Ye."

At this moment, a voice sounded beside him. "What are you thinking about?"

Lin Ye came back to his senses and saw that the person was Zhang Zhen. He replied truthfully, "I'm pondering over that spear-wielding master from the third round of the ranking tournament."

On the night after the ranking tournament ended, he and Zhang Zhen had reviewed the opponents they encountered, so Zhang Zhen was well aware of who he had faced.

"That spear user..." Zhang Zhen said, "I managed to get some information. The person you encountered should be Luo Han, a top student from First High. He placed second in this ranking tournament. His Cold Star Spear took down countless people, and he even reached the top eight in the city-wide high school martial arts tournament back in his sophomore year. Your blood-energy value is just over 200; being able to hold on for four moves against him is already quite impressive."

"Luo Han, is it?"

Lin Ye nodded, memorizing the name in his heart.

"So you don't need to take it to heart."

Zhang Zhen continued, "The matching mechanism of the ranking tournament has an element of luck. If you had been matched against a sword user or a blade user in the third round, you might have passed."

"Luck is also a part of strength."

Lin Ye said calmly.

Zhang Zhen: "..."

During the lunch break, Lin Ye pushed open the door to Zheng Huai's office right on time.

As he walked in, Zheng Huai was sitting behind his desk reading a document. Seeing Lin Ye appear, he put down the file and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit."

Zheng Huai didn't speak immediately, but instead pulled a sheet of paper from a rack on the desk and pushed it toward Lin Ye.

On the paper was a printed list titled "Final Selection List for the Linjiang District Third High School Senior Year Key Cultivation Program."

Lin Ye glanced at it and discovered that besides himself, Chen Mo's name was also on it.

"The list was decided this morning."

Zheng Huai's voice sounded. "The school's review committee comprehensively considered four dimensions: exam results, rate of progress, combat potential, and family background. Among the five people, you have the highest rate of progress, the lowest blood-energy value, and the most ordinary family background. However, precisely because of this, the review committee unanimously agreed that your potential for growth is the greatest based on your exam results."

Lin Ye looked at the list in silence. There was no Chu Tiange, no Li Weiwei, and no Zhang Zhen, because their families were well-off and they didn't fall into the "ordinary family background" screening criteria.

Martial arts is an activity that consumes an extreme amount of resources.

"The resources should start being calculated from tomorrow."

Looking at Lin Ye, Zheng Huai continued, "Specifically, this includes: one F-grade nutrient solution every day, two special training sessions in the gravity room per week, one medicinal bath for body tempering, unlimited use of the virtual combat room, and borrowing privileges for one D-grade martial arts technique—" He paused and added: "Additionally, there are two luxury-tier paid meals provided for free every day."

"I've already spoken to the cafeteria. For the luxury-tier beast meat set meals, you just need to swipe your student ID, and the costs will be covered by the school's special funds."

Lin Ye looked up, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

The school had really considered everything.

"Cultivate well; this is something I fought for with the principal." Zheng Huai looked at him. "Your previous diet was too poor. The basic-tier meals couldn't keep up with your consumption, and no matter how well you practice your Stake Training, it's hard to make rapid progress."

"Thank you, Teacher Zheng!"

Lin Ye was somewhat shocked. He hadn't expected that the meal benefits were something Teacher Zheng had fought for on his behalf, and he felt quite moved.

"Don't thank me. Like I said, this is a result you earned yourself."

Zheng Huai waved his hand, joking, "Work hard and aim for a provincial key university, otherwise, your teacher here is going to be the one taking the heat."

"Understood, Teacher. I will give it my all."

"Good, go on then."

Zheng Huai picked up his documents again. "I will officially announce the list during the Martial Arts Hall class this afternoon. Don't practice martial arts tonight; go home and talk to your parents. I believe they are waiting for this news just as much as you are."

"Yes!"

During the afternoon Martial Arts Hall class.

Zheng Huai first publicly praised Lin Ye and several other students who had made significant progress. He focused especially on Lin Ye, sharing small anecdotes about him, such as his extra practice during lunch breaks and late at night. Combined with his eye-catching transformation from a "middle-to-lower tier" student to a "seed candidate," the inspirational effect was immediate. It ignited the fighting spirit of many students in the class, who resolved to follow his example and push themselves during the final two months.

This caused Lin Ye to feel a certain amount of moral pressure.

He actually wanted to say that it wasn't about how hard he worked, but rather that he had a cheat code, and hard work was secondary. However, he obviously couldn't say that out loud. He could only silently endure the admiring gazes of others, feeling a mix of happiness and torment.

Immediately after, Zheng Huai announced the list of students selected for key training.

Lin Ye's name was prominently on the list.

A low stir of commotion instantly broke out in the Martial Arts Hall.

"I knew our class's Lin Ye would definitely make it..."

"Indeed, it would be a miracle if Old Ye didn't get in. His progress has been truly massive."

"Chen Mo from Class 6 is on the list too. That guy is the school's recognized 'grind king,' so he made it as well."

"His family background is ordinary, so it's only right that he made it through sheer grinding."

"And Chen Yuqing from Class 3. I heard she's a girl who gives it her all, too."

"Ahem!"

Zheng Huai coughed a few times, and the scene quieted down. "Starting tomorrow, these five students will receive key training from the school. The resources will be plentiful, but the requirements will also be higher. I hope everyone here can take them as an example and push yourselves during these last two months."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room. "The Martial Arts College Entrance Exam is like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge. How far you can go depends entirely on yourselves."

"Additionally, starting this month, we will no longer conduct systematic Vitality Testing. If you want to test your vitality, use the Vitality Testing Machine yourself. As long as you know your own numbers, that's enough. I won't be putting any more pressure on you all."

"From here on out, it's up to you."

"Next, continue with the stance training!"

Zheng Huai's warm words left many students feeling a touch of sadness, but the immediate command to continue the stance training brought everyone in the Martial Arts Hall back to reality. A chorus of groans erupted from many students, instantly dispersing the lingering, melancholy atmosphere of impending separation.

Lin Ye stood in his stance with ease, watching his proficiency increase bit by bit.

[Primordial Stance: Proficient, 400/500]

Before he knew it, the proficiency of his Primordial Stance had reached 400 points, leaving him only 100 points away from Mastery.

An hour later, the stance training ended.

During the break, Zhou Qian sidled up to Lin Ye and whispered, "Lin Ye, congratulations on being selected. Don't forget to look out for me once you've made it big."

Lin Ye smiled without responding, his gaze occasionally drifting to her neckline, thinking that she probably didn't need him to look out for her at all.

At this moment, Zhao Qiang also walked over from nearby. He looked at Lin Ye with a complex expression, but in the end, he simply blurted out, "Congratulations."

Lin Ye was somewhat surprised, but he still nodded and replied calmly.

A moment later, the break ended. During the fist technique class, he continued to practice the Rolling Stone Fist, preparing to push it toward the Perfection realm.

And just like that, the afternoon passed by peacefully.