Second-Class Scholarship

Before today, he had never even dared to imagine that he might receive a scholarship.

Now, thanks to his astonishing performance in the Martial Arts Assessment, where he fought his way into the top thirty, he had not only proven himself but also earned this lifesaving sum of money.

Second-Class Scholarship! Ten thousand Huaxia Coins!

"Teacher Wang! Thank you so much!" Li Wen bowed deeply to Wang Hu with a Warrior's salute. "I'm truly grateful to you and Principal Huang!"

"I can hardly take credit for that." Wang Hu smiled as he helped him up, waved a hand, and said earnestly,

"You earned this through your blood, sweat, and strength! Principal Huang made a special exception because he recognizes your potential. He even wanted to apply for a first-class scholarship for you."

Wang Hu explained, "But there really wasn't enough time. First-class scholarships have to be submitted to the education bureau, and the review process is complicated. Today's the last day of the semester, so we couldn't make the deadline. Otherwise, you'd deserve even more."

"That's enough, Teacher Wang! A second-class scholarship is already wonderful!" Li Wen hurriedly replied, his voice full of gratitude and contentment.

He did believe he wouldn't be short of money in the future, whether through the generous subsidies from Flying Star Class or the various resources he could obtain on the path to becoming a powerhouse. A hundred thousand—or even a million—might one day be nothing out of the ordinary.

But that was the future, not the present.

Right now, he was just a boy crushed beneath the weight of reality, struggling to catch his breath.

The ten thousand Huaxia Coins Wang Hu had brought him were truly a lifesaver in his hour of need, a timely rain that would greatly ease his immediate troubles.

With this money, he could move up his plans to buy Qi-Blood Potions and raise his Flesh Rank by a great deal. His odds of reaching the 7.0 Flesh Rank threshold for Flying Star Class would soar, and the pressure on his father would ease a little, too.

"Come on. Let's take care of the paperwork first." Wang Hu led Li Wen away from the still-bustling plaza, and the two headed straight for the administration building.

At the finance office window beside the principal's office, a fairly amiable staff member handed Li Wen a Qingshi No.3 High School Scholarship Application Form.

With Wang Hu's guidance, Li Wen quickly and neatly filled in his name, class, student number, and other information. In the box for the scholarship level he was applying for, he carefully wrote "Second-Class."

He also added, "Special approval based on ranking in this semester's final Martial Arts Assessment (pending final results)." Then Wang Hu led him to knock on the door of the principal's office next door.

"Principal, Li Wen is here to sign the form." Principal Huang Yuanting, seated behind his broad desk, looked up at Li Wen as he entered. The elder had helmed No.3 High School for more than a decade.

His normally stern face softened into a rare, approving smile, and he nodded at Li Wen.

"Young people these days are impressive. I watched your performance in the assessment just now. To hold your own against an opponent simulating Minor Accomplishment for so long while you're still at the peak of Initiation—that's no small feat! Your resilience and combat awareness were excellent!"

The principal's words were full of encouragement and approval, and Li Wen was deeply heartened. "Thank you for your praise, Principal Huang!"

Huang Yuanting picked up the application form Li Wen had just filled out and scanned it to make sure everything was in order. Then he picked up the elegant principal's seal from his desk.

He dipped it in the red ink pad and stamped the approval section of the application form with a clear "Approved for Disbursement" and the red seal of Huang Yuanting. The thump of the seal landing sounded sweeter than anything to Li Wen.

"Take this form home and wait for the school finance office to notify you of the disbursement date." Huang Yuanting handed Li Wen the stamped application form and offered a few earnest words of advice.

"Li Wen, advancement in realm is the foundation of the martial path. You've already shown outstanding skill in your techniques, which is good! But don't forget that the body is the foundation that supports everything. Make good use of this scholarship and raise your Flesh Rank as soon as possible. Try to..."

He paused. "Bring your skill realm up to speed as soon as you can and reach Unity Realm. That's when you'll truly have crossed the threshold."

"Thank you for your guidance, Principal Huang! I'll remember!" Li Wen accepted the weighty sheet of paper with both hands, as if he were receiving a cornerstone that could change his fate.

He respectfully gave Principal Huang Yuanting a proper martial artist's cupped-fist salute. "I'll keep working hard!"

When he stepped back outside and returned to the plaza, the third batch of students was in the thick of their virtual assessments, and battle scenes kept refreshing on the giant screen.

The assessment was still underway, and students continued to gasp or sigh over their own performances.

But Li Wen's thoughts had already flown far away.

He clutched the application form, its bright red principal's seal stamped across it, and no longer paid any attention to the assessment.

When would the scholarship be paid out? "Three to five days"? "By the end of the year at the latest, before the books are closed"?

He kept turning over the key information he'd asked about at the principal's office window, rapidly working out his plans for when the money arrived:

Qi-Blood Potions—should he buy at least two at a time? Or three? He'd have to budget carefully...

Training time. Winter break was a crucial period for making progress.

Rank 7.0! Flying Star Class! The key ticket that could change everything.

The noise in the plaza seemed far away. Classmates kept coming over to talk, asking about the scholarship or the details of his fight, but Li Wen responded only briefly and politely.

After sitting for a while, he found the noisy surroundings were wasting his time.

He turned to the class monitor. "Monitor, I'm going to the restroom."

With that, he stood up and left the post-assessment celebration without the slightest reluctance.

Rather than waste precious time here basking in useless praise, he might as well grind for experience.

With his goal clear, the boy hurried back to the quiet classroom of Class 21, Grade 12.

The classroom was empty, and only the warm sunlight fell across the desks through the windows.

Li Wen sat down at his desk. Without hesitation, he pulled his math textbook and notebook from his bag, and quickly immersed himself in reviewing and studying.

Time slipped by as he focused on reading, organizing his notes, and working through calculations. Then the system's pleasant notification rang out in the depths of his mind:

``` [Ding! You studied diligently for an hour. Scholar EXP +6]

[Occupation: Scholar Lv. 3 (256/400 → 262/400)]

Li Wen put down his pen and let out a long breath.

He'd been busy with his final cultural exams these past two days, and at night he still had to push himself to the limit training in Fracture Edge Gold Sha Method. He really hadn't had much time to quietly accumulate Scholar experience.

Over the past two days, his experience bar had only gone up a little more than twenty points. He was still a long way from the target of 400.

Still, he wasn't too worried.

It wouldn't be long. Once the results for all his final cultural exams were released over the next day or two—especially his scores in the subjects he'd completed while in Absolute Focus—his experience was bound to come pouring in.

For now, all he had to do was wait patiently—wait for the scholarship to be paid, and wait for his results to be announced.

Everything was moving toward a brighter future.

He packed up his books and left the classroom, his heart full of anticipation.

The future was within reach, through steady hard work.