Elite Students

Hearing the assessment announcement, Chen Lie neither rejoiced nor despaired like the other students. He simply walked off the martial arts platform expressionlessly.

"Excellent comprehension—what a genius!"

"With a vitality score of over 6 points, he only now came to take the elite student assessment. He really knows how to keep a low profile."

"By the way, didn't anyone notice? That was a perfect score of 150!"

Amid the students' discussions below the stage, one of the instructors in front of the platform watched Chen Lie's departing back and remarked, "This student is interesting. He passed the elite assessment, yet he doesn't look happy at all. He's remarkably unruffled by favor or disgrace."

The assessment instructor beside him said, "Look at his vitality score—it's nearly 7. If he works a little harder, it won't be impossible for him to break 10 points in another two or three months. With vitality this high, he was obviously certain of passing the elite assessment. Naturally, there wouldn't be much surprise in obtaining something he was sure to get.

"It's just a pity that he's a senior-year student. If he were a second-year martial arts student, he would be worth the school's vigorous cultivation."

Chen Lie went straight downstairs and waited in the waiting area of the first-floor lobby.

Nearby, many students who had failed the elite student assessment were being comforted and encouraged by their parents. Before long, they gradually left as well.

Since Chen Lie had been among the last students to undergo the elite assessment, the entire assessment concluded shortly after he arrived.

"Students who have passed the elite student assessment, please collect your elite student certificates from Counter Two in the first-floor lobby."

At that moment, the announcement sounded through the first floor, repeating three times in succession.

Seeing that there were not many people, Chen Lie went to queue at the counter as well.

When he reached the counter, Chen Lie was surprised to discover that only five people had come to collect their elite student certificates.

In other words, fourteen people had taken the elite student assessment, but only five had passed. Of those who passed, he was the only senior-year martial arts student.

Chen Lie was the last to receive his elite student certificate. As the staff member handed it to him, they said, "Report to the new student registration office in the elite district before five this afternoon. Your classes will be assigned then."

Chen Lie nodded, accepted the elite student certificate, and turned to leave the elite student assessment area.

When he arrived at the elite district, Chen Lie checked the time and found that it was not even three o'clock. At the entrance, he presented his elite student certificate before being allowed inside.

School rules prohibited non-elite-class students from entering the elite district. Although elite students and ordinary martial arts students attended the same school, they rarely interacted in daily life. They were practically people from two separate worlds.

When facing ordinary martial arts students, elite students usually had an overwhelming sense of superiority. Contempt might be too strong a word, but they certainly looked down on them.

Chen Lie had experienced this deeply in his previous life.

The elite district was vast and spacious. As soon as Chen Lie entered, he began searching for the new student registration office. Only after noticing a map of the elite district on a roadside notice board did he realize he had gone in the opposite direction. He turned around and headed back.

Chen Lie was walking at an unhurried pace along the paths of the district when he suddenly saw two fresh and ethereal-looking girls approaching him.

One of them, a pretty girl with a high ponytail, looked familiar to Chen Lie.

Wasn't she Lu Qingchan, whom he had eaten with just a few days ago?

Lu Qingchan was an elite student, so it was not strange for her to appear in the elite district.

Chen Lie continued forward at the same leisurely pace until the two sides met face-to-face.

Lu Qingchan looked at Chen Lie with surprise in her bright eyes, seemingly wondering why he had appeared in the elite district.

Lu Qingchan thought that their families could be considered old friends, and it would seem rude to meet without exchanging a word. So she greeted Chen Lie, "How are Uncle Chen and Aunt Feng?"

"They're doing well."

Chen Lie replied casually.

Lu Qingchan gave an "Mm," wondering whether her words had been too dry and whether she should say a little more. But then she saw Chen Lie walk past without even looking back, leaving her standing there in a daze.

"Qingchan, is that your friend?"

The girl beside Lu Qingchan asked curiously.

"No. My father and his father were comrades-in-arms. Our families often get together for meals." Lu Qingchan shook her head.

"He left before you could even finish a sentence. Looks like he's not buying what the great campus belle Lu is selling!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Lu Qingchan shot the girl beside her an annoyed glare.

She found it rather strange too. In the past, whenever Chen Lie saw her, he had been exceptionally attentive, always following after her. In front of her, he was always full of eagerness to show off. He wanted to speak, yet did not dare say too much—or perhaps he simply did not know what to say.

But ever since their last meal together, she could clearly tell that Chen Lie's attitude toward her had changed. He had become distant and cold, as though she were merely a somewhat familiar stranger, someone he only nodded to in passing.

"Fine, I won't say it anymore."

The girl shook her head in promise, then added, "Qingchan, can you spare half a day sometime in the next couple of days?"

"What is it?" Lu Qingchan asked.

"It's my younger sister. You know, she's been learning combat techniques recently and asked me to guide her, but I didn't have time then, so I told her I'd teach her in a few days.

"But she seems to be angry with me these past couple of days. Even her attitude toward me has changed. The day before yesterday, I took the initiative and said I would teach her combat techniques, but she didn't seem all that interested in learning anymore.

"I was thinking—haven't you already trained your Cloud Smoke Step to the point where you can use it with ease? My younger sister also happens to be learning this martial art. Could you do me a favor and find time to guide her?" the girl said.

"Your younger sister? Is she the girl who always likes waiting for you outside the gates of the elite district?" Lu Qingchan asked.

"Yes. Her name is Li Xianyu, and she's in Class 1, the key martial arts class for first-years."

"I understand. The afternoon after tomorrow works. I happen to be free that day."

"Hehe, great!"

Elsewhere, Chen Lie arrived at the new student registration office and immediately spotted the service counter in the middle.

He walked over to the counter and said to the staff member inside, "Hello, I'm a new student who just passed the elite assessment. I'm here to register."

"Give me your elite student certificate," the staff member said.

Chen Lie nodded and handed it over.

The staff member took the elite student certificate and scanned it on a light computer before returning it to Chen Lie.

"Chen Lie, because you achieved a perfect score on the assessment, you may choose your elite class instructor yourself.

"Other than Elite Class 1, is there any instructor among the fifteen elite class instructors that you favor?"

Chen Lie said, "Anyone is fine. Just assign one to me at random."

"Are you sure?" The staff member sounded doubtful and patiently explained, "You should think this through. Each of the fifteen elite class instructors has their own field of expertise: fist techniques, footwork, leg techniques, vitality circulation, and so on. If you want to learn fist techniques, choose an instructor skilled in fist techniques. If you want to learn footwork, register with an instructor skilled in footwork. Otherwise, your cultivation will only yield twice the effort for half the result."

"It's fine. I'm sure. Assign one at random," Chen Lie said.

The martial arts insights from his previous life remained with him. Before breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, he did not need anyone's guidance. Moreover, in terms of martial arts insight alone, there might be people on Blue Star qualified to guide him, but there could not be many.

"Very well, then. You've been assigned to Elite Class 5. Your elite class instructor is Hong Chengshuo."

Seeing that Chen Lie insisted, the staff member could only assign him an instructor at random and hand him a sheet of paper.

"This is your elite class receipt. Give it to your ordinary class instructor. Remember to report to your elite class instructor tomorrow."

Chen Lie took the receipt and turned to leave the new student registration office.

After leaving the elite district, Chen Lie went directly to the office of his ordinary class instructor, Ren Hongguang.

Upon arriving outside Ren Hongguang's office, Chen Lie knocked on the door.

From inside the office came a voice saying, "Come in."

Only then did Chen Lie push open the office door and walk up to Ren Hongguang's desk.

"Teacher Ren, I passed the elite student assessment and was assigned to Elite Class 5. This is the receipt the new student registration office asked me to give you."

"Hm? You passed the assessment?"

Ren Hongguang looked up at Chen Lie in disbelief.

He knew very well how difficult it was for senior-year martial arts students to advance into the elite classes. Yet Chen Lie had passed the assessment in a single attempt, which meant he had concealed a great deal of his true strength.

"Not bad, not bad! You're the first student in our class to pass the elite student assessment. I'll use my communicator to notify the other students to return to the classroom, so everyone can celebrate for you."

"That won't be necessary, Teacher."

"Don't refuse so quickly. Letting your classmates know that you've advanced to an elite class can also motivate them. Don't worry, it won't take up too much of your time," Ren Hongguang said.

"All right, then." Chen Lie nodded.

"Sit."

Ren Hongguang pulled out a chair, gesturing for Chen Lie to sit, and poured him a glass of water.

"What has your vitality score reached?"

Chen Lie sat down and said, "A little over 6 points."

"You've broken 6? No wonder you passed the elite student assessment in one try. Have you done medicinal baths yet?" Ren Hongguang asked.

"Not yet."

"Not yet?"

Ren Hongguang was startled and immediately pressed, "Not even once? Or have you only done two or three of the ten medicinal baths?"

"I haven't done a single medicinal bath."

"Really?"

Ren Hongguang slammed his hand against the desk. "Then doesn't that mean you still have enormous room for improvement? After ten medicinal baths, your vitality score should at least break 8, right?"

"In theory, yes."

Chen Lie nodded. However, his cultivation method had long since transcended Blue Star's standard progression, so naturally it could not be measured by ordinary logic.

"Good! Work harder after entering the elite class. Strive to break 10 vitality points as soon as possible and enter the fast track of the vitality stage."

Faced with Ren Hongguang's encouragement, Chen Lie gave a few agreeing responses.

In his previous life, his aptitude had been mediocre, and he had never had the chance to enter an elite class. Ren Hongguang had therefore been his senior-year instructor for an entire year. By the latter half of that year, Chen Lie himself had become somewhat disheartened about martial arts, yet Ren Hongguang had never given up on him. Whenever Chen Lie missed an important lesson, he would call over the communicator to ask about him.

It could be said that Ren Hongguang had done everything he could for Chen Lie in his previous life. But in this life, the bond between teacher and student could only go this far.