The Agreement, A Challenge Issued

"Alright, it's settled."

Ma Mingyu immediately decided to push this plan through and sent Xu Ziming's personal account details to the principal.

The grant would be deposited directly into Xu Ziming's personal account; all he had to do was collect it.

Leaving the principal's office, Ma Mingyu immediately sent a message to Xu Ziming: "Come to my office as soon as you arrive at school."

Xu Ziming had just finished breakfast and was preparing to head to school when he saw the message from Ma Mingyu and immediately set off.

Inside Ma Mingyu's office.

"Knock, knock!"

Xu Ziming politely knocked twice on the door.

"A-Ming? Come in."

After Xu Ziming had called him Master yesterday, Ma Mingyu's form of address had changed instantly, becoming much more intimate.

Xu Ziming pushed the door open at the invitation and saw Ma Mingyu holding a document, looking as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Teacher, is there anything I can help you with?"

Xu Ziming instinctively assumed the teacher had a task for him; he certainly wouldn't be so tactless as to ask, "Why did you call me here?"

"No, no. Remember how I told you yesterday I'd apply for a grant for you? I went to see the principal about it this morning."

At this, he smiled and placed the document he was holding in front of Xu Ziming.

"Take a look for yourself."

His tone was relaxed, and the contents of the document appeared before Xu Ziming's eyes.

[Pengcheng No. 3 High School Second-Class Grant Contract]

Upon signing this contract, you will receive a monthly reward of 10,000 yuan from the school.

...

Conditions for signing: Must meet the requirements upon inspection; requirements will change as the college entrance examination approaches.

"10,000 yuan?"

This was the first time Xu Ziming had seen so much money. His family background was average; otherwise, he wouldn't have been torturing himself by practicing the cheapest Iron Cloth Shirt.

"A mere ten thousand yuan—you could earn that just by killing one alien on the front lines. Don't be so surprised. Do you want to aim for a first-class grant instead?"

Ma Mingyu laughed and scolded him for his lack of ambition.

"A first-class grant?"

"That's right. You'd receive 30,000 yuan every month, and you could choose between five E-grade Blood Qi Potion vials or one D-grade Blood Qi Potion."

Xu Ziming was silent for two seconds. "Of course I want it, but what are the conditions?"

He wasn't stupid; there was no way he could receive such benefits without paying a price.

"The condition isn't difficult. You just have to defeat him."

With that, Ma Mingyu pulled out a file containing information on Zhao Yong, the threshold for the first-class grant with a Life Energy Level of 3.8.

"Life Energy Level 3.8. He excels in fist techniques and has reached the realm of Fist Intent. He has also practiced the Golden Bell Cover, an ancient martial art, giving him formidable defensive capabilities."

Xu Ziming frowned as he looked over the information. The stats alone were luxurious; this person was definitely no pushover.

But as for whether he could defeat him—in four days, his Basic Body Forging Method would reach the minor completion stage, and his Iron Cloth Shirt would reach the Iron Skin realm. Not to mention, he had an empty equipment slot to equip a new trait.

His own panel was clearly infinitely more magnificent. "Of course, I will do it." His eyes were filled with confidence.

"Hahaha, as expected of my disciple. How long do you think you'll need?"

"Four days. Give me four days, and I can defeat him."

Ma Mingyu glanced at Xu Ziming. He didn't ask why it had to be four days, but a strange, unusual smile played on his lips.

"You brat, you really know how to pick your timing. Four days from now is exactly when the class reshuffling happens."

Before Xu Ziming could say another word, he shooed him out. "I'll contact his current homeroom teacher. In four days, prove your talent in front of all the top students in the school."

"Oh, right. If you truly manage to win in four days, I will give you a new sword technique—one I created myself."

Xu Ziming stumbled out of the room, his heart warming instantly at his teacher's parting words.

E-grade Blood Qi Potion, Battle Net, grants, self-created techniques.

Teacher Ma had helped him too many times already; he certainly wouldn't let him down.

And to prove himself, he had to win—a hearty, resounding victory!

Before that, he had to hurry up and cultivate.

On the other side, Zhao Yong's homeroom teacher also received the message from Ma Mingyu.

"A student with a Life Energy Level of 3.1 dares to challenge mine? Does he really think that just because he has a military background, his students are automatically superior?"

He had disliked Ma Mingyu for a long time. They had joined the school in the same batch, and his own students were objectively stronger.

Yet, the school leadership acted as if they were blind; every time there was an award or a promotion, it went to this man surnamed Ma, who even had his own private office!

Jealousy was like a spark buried deep in his heart; this time, he would make his own student crush Xu Ziming to prove his own worth.

At the thought of this, a lecherous grin couldn't help but spread across his face.

He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was still in the office.

"Teacher Li, is something the matter?"

Other teachers nearby asked out of curiosity, finally pulling him out of his fantasies.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. The results are out, and Zhao Yong from my class performed quite well again this time."

"That is truly a cause for congratulations."

"I think I'll go find my student."

With that, he walked out of the office and arrived at the classroom door, where Zhao Yong was currently reviewing his academic subjects.

Of all his grades, only his academic score was lacking; everything else was superior to Xu Ziming.

"Zhao Yong, come out for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

Hearing his homeroom teacher calling from the doorway, Zhao Yong did not hesitate and immediately stepped out of the classroom.

"Teacher, why are you looking for me?"

"A student named Xu Ziming says he wants to challenge you and take your spot for the first-class scholarship. It's happening in four days."

His tone was casual, yet he deliberately framed Zhao Yong as the victim of bullying.

"A mere clown, a Life Energy Level of only 3.1."

Zhao Yong barely glanced at the slip before looking away. He turned his head and said, "Don't worry, Teacher. I'll crush him in four days."

"A-Ming, the academic results are out! You scored 201 points! Your total score has reached 507, which means you'll definitely be able to get into the Sprint Class!"

As soon as he entered the classroom, Dai Fei crowded around him and loudly announced his results to Xu Ziming.

"Improving by over a hundred points in just a month and a half, that's truly amazing!"

"I always see him hanging around the homeroom teacher; could he have pulled some strings?"

Upon hearing Dai Fei's voice, the reactions in the classroom were mixed—some were filled with admiration, others with jealousy, and of course, some were busy spreading rumors.

"What are you saying? Were you not there when A-Ming defeated the virtual entity?"

Before Xu Ziming could say anything, Dai Fei snapped back at them.

That person was immediately rendered speechless. However, being a high schooler, he clearly didn't want to lose face and was just about to retort when he saw Xu Ziming's gaze locked onto him.