As Solid as a Rock

The afternoon schedule consisted of a physics class, a history class, and a major Kendo class.

The major Kendo class occupied two periods. Similar to physical education in his previous life, its importance far exceeded that of P.E., and there was no possibility of it being usurped by academic subjects.

If the youth are strong, the country is strong.

The reason why cultivation flourished in this world, to the point of being nearly universal, was not merely because it granted transcendent power, but more importantly, because it tempered the heart and will.

It cultivated characters of stability, bravery, fearlessness, and integrity.

Even a mere brush with it provided a tremendous upward boost to a young person's growth.

Thus, the state invested great effort in this area.

As for the results, they were naturally significant; one could say each generation was stronger than the last!

In the gymnasium locker room, Zhao Cheng changed into a loose white training uniform.

The mirror reflected a refined youth—neither handsome nor ugly, the kind of person who would be difficult to pick out in a crowd.

However, if one looked closely, one would find his eyes were remarkably calm, radiating a sense of steadfastness.

Over the past six months, Zhao Cheng's appearance had not changed much, save for his frame becoming slightly broader, but his inner self had undergone a massive transformation.

From scattered and fragile, he had gradually become firm, much like loose sand being tempered by flame until it turned into stone.

Of course, the time had been short, and this stone might not yet be solid enough, but as long as he persisted without faltering, one day, the pebbles would gather into hills, or even transform into the earth itself, as stable and heavy as the ground beneath.

As immovable as the earth.

These were words from a Buddhist sutra used to describe a Bodhisattva.

Yet in reality, there were truly strong individuals whose hearts could reach such heights.

As for Zhao Cheng, he was only just beginning.

After changing, Zhao Cheng walked out of the locker room with his classmates, and what met his eyes was a vast, bright, and enormous venue.

The gymnasium before him was a massive dome structure, supported by silver-white steel beams and covered in high-transparency, high-strength glass. One could take in the entire sky at a glance; it was a display of luxury hidden within simplicity.

Zhao Cheng attended Qingyuan Middle School in Xiangnan City. Xiangnan was merely a third-tier small city; logically, its educational resources could not compare to those of middle schools in first or second-tier cities.

And in the past, that had indeed been the case.

The reason the school had produced a famous celebrity alumna was simply that her hometown was Xiangnan, and she had attended the junior high division of Xiangnan Third Middle School before becoming famous, thus keeping her name registered there through high school.

This had caused the unremarkable Qingyuan Middle School to suddenly become a hit.

But that was all.

The internet has no memory; after the hype faded, Qingyuan Middle School returned to its original state.

However, four years ago, things suddenly changed. At that time, the school was still called Xiangnan Third Middle School.

According to local Xiangnan lore, a high-ranking figure with ties to the city had provided some assistance. Immediately, a massive influx of resources arrived, allowing Qingyuan Middle School to leap forward in both teaching environment and faculty quality, reaching a level in some areas that rivaled first-tier cities.

Under these circumstances, Qingyuan Middle School, which had once been at the bottom of Xiangnan City, suddenly became the best in the region.

With a stronger school, the threshold for enrollment naturally rose as well.

Fortunately, Qingyuan only recruited students entering junior high, with enrollment lasting six years.

Zhao Cheng, who was in his first year of junior high at the time, had caught that wave of opportunity.

Zhao Cheng remembered that the recruitment process had caused quite a stir in Xiangnan.

Many voices online claimed it was unfair to other students in Xiangnan, especially those taking the middle school entrance exams.

Qingyuan's response at the time was that they would not abandon any of their students.

Of course, they also provided a batch of school-choice quotas, effectively expanding enrollment.

The gymnasium was built during that period. The construction took three months, and according to rumors, it cost nearly a billion, making it the most expensive building at Qingyuan.

As for the faculty, leaving aside academic subjects, take the Kendo classes: in the past, Qingyuan held one every two weeks. It wasn't that they didn't want to offer more, but the faculty was limited, and they could only meet the minimum standards set by the state.

Now, there were two major classes a week, and the teachers' standards were several tiers higher than before—they were all true Swordsman.

The Swordsman level was the second realm of cultivation. In ancient times, this meant one had entered the hall and ascended to the chamber, enough to uphold the reputation of a lineage.

In ancient times, one might not find such a person among a hundred thousand.

With the modern popularization of cultivation, it was still one in a hundred thousand; one could be found among ten thousand.

Xiangnan City had a population of several hundred thousand, meaning there were only a few dozen such individuals.

With a population of several hundred thousand and nearly ten middle schools in Xiangnan alone, plus the fact that talent always flows toward major cities, such individuals were incredibly rare.

If a Swordsman were to work as a private tutor, their hourly rate would be in the thousands for one-on-one instruction; if the group were larger, the price would only increase.

The energy expended to guide one person versus a group was vastly different.

Two major Kendo classes a week per school might not seem like much, but when one considers the number of classes and students in the school, the cost of the school's investment becomes clear.

Moreover, Qingyuan's tuition fees were the same as other middle schools.

The tuition paid by students was not even enough to cover the expenses of the major Kendo classes for a single semester.

As for the teachers who used to teach Kendo at Qingyuan, their level of skill was not necessarily better than Zhao Cheng's current level; they were simply stronger in terms of experience.

Of course, in their prime, they were certainly more formidable than Zhao Cheng is now, but as age takes its toll, most people experience a decline in both vitality and spirit.

It is not that there are no "monsters" who grow fiercer with age, but clearly, such monsters would not be found in a school like this.

This covers the faculty; as for the teaching environment, the facility before them is already a testament to its quality.

"Close your eyes, but leave a sliver of light within; this captures the essence of the dawn breaking."

"At the fleeting moment when the break of dawn ends, the sun leaps into the sky, transforming the yin and yang."

"Though the transformation of yin and yang is distant, that essence is not; if you grasp it well, you can cultivate your spirit!"

"At the same time, the form of a sword must persist in your heart. Essence can only be truly harnessed once it has taken root, and the sword form in your heart is the root of that essence!"

"Remember this well: without the sword form, everything is merely duckweed without roots, unable to withstand the wind and rain."

"Now, inhale!"

A gentle yet resonant voice echoed through the quiet room, and everyone present, including Zhao Cheng, followed the instructions.

A single sentence of true transmission is worth ten thousand books of false teaching.

The content within this voice was, without a doubt, a true transmission.