The Future is Bright

Chen Yan, the homeroom teacher of Class Five, is an anomaly at Fifth Middle School.

She does not bully students, refuses gifts from parents, and never pushes inferior medicine from small pharmaceutical companies.

She treats every student in her class with genuine care, teaching with diligence and responsibility, pouring her entire heart into education.

Yet, this sincerity is not understood by everyone; because she refuses to sell medicine for those small companies, many students who cannot afford cheaper alternatives have used connections to transfer out.

Today, more than half of the students in Class Five have left, leaving only fifteen behind.

As Gao Teng packed his bag and reached the floor where Class Five was located, Chen Yan was already waiting in the corridor. She wore a grey suit skirt, rimless glasses perched on her nose, and her hair was tied back meticulously, giving her an air of competence.

"Teacher Chen."

Gao Teng greeted her first and walked over quickly.

Chen Yan revealed a gentle smile: "You must be Gao Teng, right? Welcome to Class Five."

"Thank you, Teacher."

Gao Teng replied politely.

Chen Yan said: "The principal told me you had a small conflict with Teacher Zhao. That man is indeed detestable; I have been dissatisfied with him for a long time myself."

Gao Teng felt a slight stir in his heart. Chen Yan's words made him feel a sense of warmth, and the unfamiliarity of being a newcomer dissipated instantly.

Chen Yan continued: "I heard from the principal that your martial arts grades aren't very good, and you were always at the bottom of Class Eight.

But it doesn't matter. There are still two months until the college entrance exam; as long as you work hard, you will definitely be able to get into a vocational college."

Gao Teng's expression turned solemn: "Teacher, I will work hard."

Chen Yan nodded lightly: "Come with me and introduce yourself to the class."

"Alright."

Following Chen Yan into the classroom, Gao Teng stood before the podium and introduced himself briefly.

After the students expressed a modicum of goodwill, they returned to their cultivation.

With only sixty days left until the college entrance exam, they had to race against time; wasting time was equivalent to ruining their own lives!

Gao Teng sat down in the last row. Although his desk-mate looked a bit ugly, his attitude was very friendly.

"My name is Liu Ming. If you have any questions about cultivation techniques or martial arts skills in the future, you can ask me—though I don't really understand them either."

Gao Teng: "..."

"Hehehe..."

Liu Ming couldn't help but chuckle.

Gao Teng shook his head; although his desk-mate looked a bit ugly, he was quite cheerful.

Liu Ming coughed lightly and said seriously: "I was just joking with you. Actually, I've practiced the four basic cultivation and martial arts categories—Internal, External, Heart, and Martial—to Level 9. If you have any doubts, you really can ask me."

"Oh?"

Gao Teng was a bit surprised. Although his desk-mate looked a bit ugly, his martial arts talent was not to be underestimated.

He asked curiously: "Why are you helping me?"

Liu Ming was stunned for a moment, looking completely bewildered: "Isn't helping a classmate what one should do?"

Gao Teng was deeply moved; although his desk-mate looked a bit ugly, he possessed a kind heart and a willingness to help others.

"Alright, I won't talk to you anymore." Liu Ming sat cross-legged on his chair, "We'll chat later; I need to cultivate."

After finishing his sentence, he closed his eyes and began to circulate the Basic Breathing Technique, refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Gao Teng took a deep look at his desk-mate. The atmosphere in Class Five was indeed different; the students were far, far friendlier.

He scanned the room and, seeing that all the students were silently cultivating, he followed the crowd and threw himself into his own practice.

Having worked hard at school for the entire day, Gao Teng walked out of Fifth Middle School under the fiery red sunset.

Except for lunch, he had been cultivating the whole time, yet he had only gained a few points of cultivation. His talent was so terrible it was simply appalling.

If not for his ability to steal cultivation, he likely would never have had a chance to turn his life around!

"Fortunately, the heavens are looking out for me."

Gao Teng let out a long sigh, feeling incredibly lucky.

Just as he was about to get on his bicycle to head home, someone suddenly draped an arm over his shoulder.

Gao Teng turned his head to look. The person had a decent appearance and was wearing a black tracksuit—it was Zhou Xing.

"I heard from the teacher that you transferred the 20% discount to me. Thank you."

"Oh, that." Gao Teng waved his hand, "I have no use for that discount. With my grades, even getting into a vocational college is a problem.

You're different. If you work hard for these last two months, you'll definitely be able to get into a key university."

Hearing this, Zhou Xing's mood grew heavy.

His cultivation was dropping every day. At this rate, let alone a key university, he probably wouldn't even be able to secure a spot at an ordinary one.

Zhou Xing gritted his teeth; to stabilize his cultivation, he had no choice but to pile more medicine onto himself.

"Gao Teng, do you have any money on you? Lend me some."

Gao Teng rolled his eyes. "Big Brother, I've still got a mountain of online loans to pay off. Where would I get money from?"

Zhou Xing's face darkened instantly. "Do you think I'm asking for your opinion? Give me all the money you have!"

"I really don't have any."

Gao Teng turned his pockets inside out; aside from a beat-up phone with a shattered screen, he didn't even have a single coin on him.

Zhou Xing furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with disgust. "You shouldn't have spent money on medicine in the first place. With your talent, what kind of results could you possibly achieve? It's just a waste of money!

I'll give you one week to scrape together a thousand yuan for me. Did you hear me?"

"I... I heard you."

Gao Teng replied timidly, his voice trembling.

In a week, he would be much stronger, and it wouldn't be too late to turn the tables then. For now, he would let Zhou Xing have his moment of arrogance.

"Very good."

Zhou Xing smiled with satisfaction.

Even though Gao Teng had gotten stronger recently, he still had to behave himself in front of him.

He patted Gao Teng on the shoulder and said in a gentle tone, "Don't feel aggrieved. Once I get into a top-tier university and secure a bright future, I promise I won't forget those who supported me.

You're helping me today, and I will surely repay you a hundredfold in the future. I'm a person who clearly distinguishes between kindness and grudges; I remember those who are good to me for a lifetime."

Gao Teng sneered inwardly. Believing such nonsense would be like believing a beautiful girl would fall from the sky to gift him money, a car, and a house.

He exchanged a few polite words with Zhou Xing and watched him leave, full of self-satisfaction, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

A week from now, Zhou Xing would be even weaker, and he would collect the debt for today's humiliation with interest!

Gao Teng silently withdrew his gaze as his phone suddenly vibrated.

He unlocked the screen to take a look; it was another collection notice from an online lending platform.

Gao Teng twitched his lips and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

He had become accustomed to these collection texts; having arrived in this world a week ago, he received dozens of them every single day.

His predecessor had lived off loans to pay other loans, racking up over three hundred thousand in debt, eventually suffering cardiac arrest from an overdose of medicine. Now, all that debt had fallen onto his shoulders.

But it didn't matter. He didn't need cultivation resources to make his strength soar, so paying off this debt wouldn't be difficult.

"The future is looking bright!"

In a great mood, Gao Teng hopped on his bicycle and pedaled toward the urban village.