Open Class Required by the Provincial Bureau

Multimedia Conference Room.

The weekly meeting was always held here.

In the past, the weekly meeting was an internal school affair, much more casual.

Today, leaders from the Education Bureau were present, whether they came to observe or had matters to discuss.

As long as there were outsiders from the school participating, the atmosphere of this weekly meeting would be far more serious.

Li Yuan entered the conference room on time and sat down with Chen Yong in the sixth row.

Li Yuan no longer bothered to pick a spot anymore.

Ever since Mingzhu went to compete for the Youth Martial Tournament qualification, the leaders had been keeping an eye on him.

No matter which corner he sat in, he would still be noticed.

Li Yuan and Chen Yong sat down, their gazes sweeping left and right across the large conference room.

On the stage, the leader from the Education Bureau sat beside Principal Yin.

Li Yuan had seen this man before—he was the one who led the team during the last Open Class.

The Deputy Director of the Provincial Education Bureau, Zeng Chang.

At this moment, he sat beside Principal Yin, the two of them conversing politely.

"Birds of a feather flock together!" Chen Yong muttered beside him, somewhat disapproving.

Li Yuan quickly tugged at his arm. "Keep your voice down. This leader is actually fairly impartial."

It was his suggestion that earned Li Yuan an A+ in the last Open Class.

"Impartial?

Look how chummy he is with Principal Yin, all smiles and laughter.

Maybe he's here today just to find fault with you again." Chen Yong warned in a low voice.

Lately, there had been all kinds of rumors, with plenty of external units pointing fingers at Li Yuan.

At this critical juncture, what business did a leader from the Education Bureau have here?

Chen Yong's guess in that direction was understandable.

But Li Yuan thought it was too hasty.

Adult social interactions always carried a layer of decorum.

Even if Deputy Director Zeng Chang had a terrible relationship with Principal Yin, they would still put on a show in public.

A single glance wasn't enough to judge anything.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan looked toward the seat at the far left of the first row.

That figure was very familiar—the grandmaster's disciple, Gu Yu.

The outcome of that day's spar had already been decided, so why had he suddenly come back?

He had participated in that spar on behalf of Jin Fan.

Although losing was a blow to his pride, the person affected by this matter wasn't him.

As an outsider, Gu Yu had no right to attend an internal school meeting.

Seeing Gu Yu, Li Yuan couldn't help but form some guesses.

Was this another attempt to make an issue out of the competition qualification?

Soon, the large conference room was filled to capacity.

The teachers of No.1 High School naturally knew today's meeting was different.

With Deputy Director Zeng Chang from the Education Bureau present, everyone was much more restrained.

Once everyone had arrived, Principal Yin began the meeting.

During the meeting, he first summarized the teaching work of Lingshan No.1 High School.

Since that day's spar, Principal Yin had deliberately avoided mentioning Li Yuan or the Youth Martial Tournament.

Many people were guessing whether today's weekly meeting would bring up the Youth Martial Tournament.

Meanwhile, Principal Yin had already started on the main business.

The leaders from the Education Bureau had likely come for this matter as well.

"In late September, the Provincial Education Bureau will arrange a large-scale Open Class inspection.

They will conduct a centralized review of the education quality of middle schools in various cities across the Southeast Region, and Lingshan No.1 High School will be a key focus.

Starting today, all teachers should invest more effort into their teaching and improve their instructional quality."

Having said this, Principal Yin turned his gaze to Deputy Director Zeng Chang beside him.

Zeng Chang nodded in acknowledgment and then took over the conversation.

"Last month, the Municipal Bureau already came to No.1 High School for two days of Open Class observations."

Except for a very few standout teachers, the rest have been less than satisfactory.

If we greet the Provincial Bureau's inspection in this state, none of you will end up with acceptable results.

The deputy director of the Municipal Education Bureau wore an expression of utmost severity.

For them, this was a major matter.

The Municipal Bureau's responsibility was to manage education in Lingshan City, with educational quality being the core metric.

If Lingshan No.1 High School performed poorly, the Provincial Bureau wouldn't directly hold the school accountable.

But they would directly hold the Municipal Bureau accountable.

"In recent years, the young martial artists in our Southeast Region have fallen far behind those in Jiangbei Province and Hexi Province.

The gap among the truly outstanding young prodigies isn't that wide.

But the divergence starts with the mid-tier talents.

The Provincial Bureau's research concluded that it's a decline in overall teaching quality across the Southeast Region.

This decline is fully exposed among students with mid-range grades!"

What Zeng Chang was saying now was actually the reason behind the Provincial Bureau's inspection.

Why they were making such a big deal out of this year—the crux lay here.

A widespread drop in the strength of young martial artists was an extremely serious matter.

"The ratings the Provincial Bureau gives this time will serve as the most important reference standard for the end of term.

A rating of C Grade means the school will withhold personal bonuses.

And this time, there will absolutely be no leniency.

If the Provincial Bureau gives a low rating, then the end-of-term rating will have to be low as well."

For Deputy Director Zeng Chang to come in person and give such a warning was enough to show how serious this was.

In the meeting room, the teachers of No.1 High School all seemed a bit worried.

This Open Class inspection was far more stringent than any before.

"Bad luck—what if I get stuck with a course I'm not good at..."

Chen Yong, sitting next to Li Yuan, was also growing more anxious.

It wasn't just students who worried about exams; teachers were much the same.

"Relax. I'll help you review in advance when the time comes. Getting a B Grade will definitely be no problem."

With Li Yuan's words, Chen Yong finally felt at ease.

In previous Open Classes, Li Yuan had earned an A+ rating.

If Li Yuan was confident enough to say that, naturally there wasn't much to worry about.

Chen Yong's family was fairly well-off; he could coast through life easily even if he just lazed around.

But Chen Yong still had his pride. Many of his parents' friends' children had achieved quite a bit.

If he just settled for being a mediocre middle school teacher, it would be too embarrassing for his parents.

The meeting room buzzed with discussion for a few minutes.

Principal Yin took over the conversation, once again emphasizing the seriousness of the Provincial Bureau's inspection.

On this matter, Principal Yin, Deputy Director Zeng Chang, and all the teachers shared the same interests.

Everyone hoped the teachers would perform well—it would be even better if everyone got an A+.

But if a few more were rated C Grade by the Provincial Bureau and had their bonuses docked, then the school leadership would also have a hard time.

After this topic was covered, Principal Yin began to discuss some miscellaneous affairs.

Whether it was a side effect of sitting in a leadership position, people always seemed to become long-winded.

At any rate, this weekly meeting rarely ended within forty minutes.

Principal Yin alone could easily ramble on for half an hour.

Once the school's miscellaneous business was finished, Principal Yin's gaze once again fell on Li Yuan.

Since the sparring match last Saturday, Principal Yin hadn't called Li Yuan in for a talk, nor had he mentioned the Youth Martial Tournament.

It was as if he had completely ignored Li Yuan and the Youth Martial Tournament.

But today, it seemed he was going to bring it up again.

"Teacher Li Yuan, this weekend is the registration deadline for the Youth Martial Tournament.

The rankings of the Youth Martial Tournament are closely tied to the development of Lingshan City.

Teacher Jin Fan carries the hopes of the general public, striving for a high ranking for Lingshan City.

I'll ask one more time here: are you certain you want to occupy this competition spot?"

Principal Yin's expression was calm, as if he were speaking from a neutral position.