After the lecture ended.
The students dispersed, heading to their respective classes for the second lesson.
Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang walked down the hallway.
But.
The crowd in the hallway automatically made way for him—not out of respect, but because they didn't want to catch the bad luck of being around a Martialist.
As someone passed him, they deliberately spoke loudly:
"See that? That's the Martialist. Su Muyun actually spoke up for him. She must be blind."
"I wonder what kind of love potion he fed Su Muyun."
"Who knows? Maybe he's got his own tricks."
"Could he be taking advantage of Su Muyun's sympathy?"
"Su Muyun must be kindhearted because she's beautiful. That's why she helped him."
"I bet he's feeling pretty smug. Su Muyun spoke up for him and even stood up for him. He's probably already fantasizing about a toad eating swan meat!"
Then came a burst of knowing laughter.
Ye Xiao kept walking, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
The second class that morning was combat.
The Genius Class, Elite Class, and Ordinary Class had their lessons separately.
The Elite Class had a dedicated training hall and instructor. The Ordinary Class could only use the old combat hall in the South District.
As for the Genius Class?
They could head straight to Jiang City Martial Arts University's landmark: Glory Plaza!
Glory Plaza lay at the very center of the school. It covered a hundred acres and was paved entirely with bluestone.
Hundreds of stone pillars stood in the middle of the plaza, each three zhang tall and carved with names—the names of the celebrated heroes who had died fighting for humanity over the years!
But Ye Xiao and most of the other freshmen still weren't qualified to attend class at Glory Plaza.
When Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang arrived outside the combat hall,
they saw that the Combat Building before them was only three stories tall. The paint on its exterior walls had begun to peel, exposing the mottled red bricks underneath.
Each floor housed four Ordinary Class groups in combat classrooms.
Since Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang were in Ordinary Class 9,
they needed to go to the third floor of the Combat Building.
They had to get to the Ordinary Class 9 classroom.
By the time Ye Xiao entered the combat hall, it was already bustling.
The first floor was the training area for Ordinary Classes 1 through 4.
Eight training platforms stood in two rows, surrounded by weathered wooden bleachers.
A faded slogan hung on the wall: "Fists and feet have no eyes. You're responsible for your own life and death."
The air was thick with sweat and the rubbery smell of cheap protective mats.
Hundreds of freshmen from the Ordinary Classes were warming up. Some stretched, some sat meditating, and others practiced their punches on sandbags.
When Ye Xiao walked in, every eye turned toward him.
Although Ye Xiao couldn't hear what they were whispering about,
he didn't need to guess.
They were surely going on about the same old things.
Gossiping like this
was terribly boring.
Ye Xiao would rather focus on improving his strength.
Soon,
Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang reached the third floor of the Combat Building.
Inside the Ordinary Class 9 classroom,
Ye Xiao saw a familiar face.
It was Zhou Ming, the homeroom teacher he had met the day before.
Just then,
Fatty Wang whispered,
"I heard Teacher Zhou used to be a really capable teacher. His cultivation was pretty advanced, and he taught the Genius Class."
"But he was seriously injured on a mission later. His cultivation fell, and they reassigned him to teach the Ordinary Class."
Listening to Fatty Wang, Ye Xiao hadn't expected that this homeroom teacher, who looked so young,
would have such a rich past.
Just then,
Zhou Ming glanced at Ye Xiao, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on Ye Xiao's faded T-shirt.
"Ye Xiao, Wang Hou, right?"
"Yes."
They answered in unison.
"Go change. Class is about to start."
There were no extra words, no mockery, and no sympathy.
Just a basic reminder from a teacher.
Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang went to the changing room and changed into the training uniforms issued by the school.
They were drab gray T-shirts and shorts, the sleeve edges already fraying.
The Ordinary Class really didn't get much.
When they came out, the other students had gathered into a semicircle in front of Zhou Ming.
Holding a class roster, Zhou Ming began calling the roll:
"Wang Lei."
"Here!" A burly boy answered. He was broad and stocky, clearly built for body cultivation.
His awakened profession was the C-rank Hercules, but in the Ordinary Class, he already counted as a "strong fighter."
"Zhang Qiang."
"Here!" A tall, thin boy with dyed yellow hair answered. He had a sharp look and had awakened the C-rank Thunderlight Sword.
In reality, it could only gather a faint trace of sword energy, making it no better than a real blade.
When Zhou Ming called Zhang Qiang's name,
Ye Xiao let his gaze linger on him for a little longer.
Because this person
was the yellow-haired roommate he shared with Fatty Wang.
As for the other roommate, the gloomy guy with glasses,
his name was Gao Yao, and he had awakened the C-rank Long-range Shot.
His ability let him see farther, and shoot arrows faster, more accurately, and with greater force than other people.
"Li Fang."
"Here!"
A short-haired girl answered. She looked capable and had awakened the C-rank Flame Fireball.
However, her fireballs were only fist-sized, and she had to chant for five seconds to cast one.
"Wang Hou."
"Here."
"Ye Xiao."
"Here."
After finishing the roll call,
Zhou Ming closed the roster and looked over the class:
"Everyone, today is your first combat class."
"I know you're all winners of the college entrance exams, which is how you got into our school!"
"But before class officially begins, I need to assess your abilities!"
"So today's rules are simple: everyone will take turns fighting on the training platform. Stop once a clear winner is decided."
"The loser steps down, and the winner stays on the platform to defend their position until someone knocks them off."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ye Xiao, seemingly by chance:
"In this world, strength is what counts."
"Whoever's stronger gets to speak. Understood?"
The students answered together.
"Understood!"
"Now draw lots." Zhou Ming took out a handful of wooden lots marked with numbers.
Ye Xiao drew number one.
Number two went to the burly boy named Wang Lei.
When he saw that he'd been paired with Ye Xiao, he froze for a moment, then grinned.
Ye Xiao knew that kind of smile well—the smile of a hunter when his prey had come right to him.
Wang Lei walked up to Ye Xiao and looked down at him. He was half a head taller than Ye Xiao, with shoulders a full size broader.
"You're that Martialist?"
Ye Xiao said nothing.
Wang Lei turned to the others and said:
"Do you know what a Martialist is? Someone with no spiritual power, no spells, who can only throw punches with brute strength. A worthless loser."
Someone laughed.
Wang Lei continued:
"But at least people in the Ordinary Class can still cultivate. Martialists can't even cultivate. He's only here to make up the numbers. After graduation, he'll go dig in a mine and never amount to anything."
The class roared with laughter.
Homeroom teacher Zhou Ming said nothing. He simply watched Ye Xiao's every move in silence.
Ye Xiao looked at Wang Lei and still didn't speak.
Wang Lei reached out and patted Ye Xiao on the shoulder.
It was a light touch, but an extremely insulting one.
"When we get on the platform, I'll go easy on you. Don't cry, okay?"
Someone nearby egged him on:
"Brother Lei, don't go too hard. If you cripple him, you'll have to pay compensation!"
"What's there to worry about? Martialists are worthless. Even if he gets crippled, the school might not do a thing!"
Ye Xiao finally spoke.
He looked at Wang Lei, his tone as calm as if they were just chatting:
"Are you done patting me?"
Wang Lei froze, his hand suspended in midair.
Ye Xiao continued:
"If you're done, get on the platform. I'm in a hurry."
Before you continue