Pressure (Please Bookmark, Vote, and Send Monthly Tickets!)

Jiang Jing looked at the five badges on the PPT, feeling a little excited. Every badge had been exquisitely designed. Calling them masterpieces of divine craftsmanship might have been an exaggeration, but it was enough to show how refined they were.

They would gleam brilliantly under the sunlight. Pin one to your shoulder, and it would be hard for anyone not to notice it.

Just imagine walking down the street with a badge on your shoulder—the number of heads you would turn would be off the charts.

Damn, Silver Rank Trainers are terrifyingly impressive. Anyone could tell your strength at a glance from your badge.

Badges were symbols of strength. Others could tell what level you were from the color of the badge you wore.

But badges were not something you could get just because you wanted them. They were incredibly difficult to earn.

Liu Bin, beside him, was practically bursting with excitement as he winked and gestured at him. He looked so thrilled that he could not wait to get a few badges and pin them on his shoulder.

Jiang Jing understood Liu Bin's feelings well. He felt more or less the same way.

Looking around the classroom, no one was ignoring the badges on the PPT. The longing bursting from everyone's eyes was unlike anything they showed when looking at other things.

Once someone set foot on the path of a Trainer, these five badges would practically accompany them throughout their entire career.

Lin Kai had clearly seen this reaction many times before. He said, "Seeing you all like this reminds me of when I was in high school. It was also the first time I learned about the ranks of Professional Trainers. When I saw the five badges, my expression was almost exactly the same as yours."

"I imagined that I would one day receive certification from the Pokémon League, maybe even earn a Diamond Badge."

"Later, I realized that I had been too young. Badges were not so easy to obtain."

"Becoming a Professional Trainer was not easy either. Only by obtaining a Black Iron Badge could you truly become a Professional Trainer." Lin Kai paused here.

The PPT switched again, displaying a long string of text and statistics as he continued:

"After most of you embark on the Trainer path, you may only be able to obtain a Black Iron Badge, or perhaps a Bronze Badge if you do a little better."

"But very few people earn a Black Iron Badge by the time they graduate from high school."

"Over these two years, many people will be unable to endure the pressure and choose to give up."

"I'll give you some data so you can get a feel for it."

"Every year, fewer than a hundred students in the graduating senior class manage to earn a Black Iron Badge before graduation."

"Last year, which had the best results, only forty-two people earned a Black Iron Badge."

"Out of more than five hundred students, fewer than fifty obtained a Black Iron Badge. That rate was not even ten percent."

"On average, that was fewer than three students per class. In other words, only around three of you will be able to obtain a Black Iron Badge."

As soon as Teacher Lin Kai finished speaking, many faces changed instantly. That was far too few. Out of a class of forty, fewer than three could earn one. Some students immediately panicked, and sweat began to roll down their faces.

The atmosphere in the classroom instantly became tense.

"And if you want to get into a first-tier university, a Black Iron Badge is a prerequisite. Without one, you simply cannot get into a first-tier university."

"So even fewer people get into first-tier universities. Last year, only twenty-three Spirit Studies students from our school got into one. Think about it—isn't that a lot of pressure?"

"Of course, most of you should not even think about first-tier universities. An undergraduate program should be your goal."

"But the undergraduate admission rate for our school's Spirit Studies department is only forty percent. That means more than half of our class will not get into an undergraduate program."

Once he sensed that the atmosphere had begun to grow oppressive, Lin Kai smiled. "The reason I'm telling you all this during the first class meeting of the school year is to make you take it seriously."

"Spirit Studies is not as easy as the arts or sciences. It will only be more exhausting. If you relax even a little, others will surpass you."

"Next, let's look at the requirements for Black Iron Badge certification." Teacher Lin Kai clicked the PPT again and changed the page.

He continued, "First, the certification requirements for every badge are different. The easiest one is the Black Iron Badge."

"As long as you have three Pokémon at Level 25 or above, you can go to any city's Pokémon League branch and pass the assessment to receive certification and obtain a Black Iron Badge."

"But levels alone are not enough. There is also a practical combat assessment, and it is extremely difficult. I won't go into detail about that now. You should first meet the prerequisite requirements."

Teacher Lin Kai then talked about many things to keep in mind during the second year of high school.

For Spirit Studies students, practical combat was extremely important. It accounted for sixty percent of the National College Entrance Examination score, while theory only accounted for forty percent.

Therefore, the strength of one's Pokémon was extremely important.

After class, the classroom immediately erupted into discussion.

Liu Bin said with excitement and nervousness, "Brother Jing, what do we do? The pressure is enormous."

"Old Lin is giving us this much pressure right at the start of the school year. I'm speechless."

Jiang Jing said calmly, "Pressure creates motivation. Otherwise, if every day were easy and relaxed, how could we improve?"

Cheng Cheng turned around and said worriedly, "Sigh, getting into a first-tier university is too hard. Out of more than five hundred people, only a little over twenty get in. Isn't that ridiculously difficult?"

Wang Yichang also turned around and said, "When has the National College Entrance Examination ever been easy?"

"We should first think about how to get a Black Iron Badge. I heard you get discounts when buying things after earning one."

Sun Le, sitting behind them, chimed in, "There are discounts. I heard you get five percent off when shopping at many supermarkets."

Liu Bin said, "That's pretty good. You can save a lot of money."

Liu Bin pointed at someone not far away and said to Jiang Jing, "Brother Jing, look. That Yao Yuan is in our class too."

Jiang Jing looked in the direction Liu Bin was pointing. Yao Yuan was sitting in the third row, chatting with a thin man with somewhat harsh features.

He was somewhat wary of being assigned to the same class as Yao Yuan. Someone like him could resort to tricks at any time to retaliate against others.

Jiang Jing said, "Ignore him. As long as he doesn't provoke us, we won't bother with him."

Liu Bin nodded. "Heh, that guy is no peaceful sort. Sooner or later, he'll stir up trouble."

"When that happens, Brother Jing, the two of us will teach him a good lesson."

Sun Le asked curiously from beside them, "Who is this Yao Yuan you're talking about? Do you have a grudge against him?"

Liu Bin said, "Let me tell you, it's best to stay away from that guy. He's rotten inside and especially likes bullying and mocking others."

Zhang Haocheng, sitting behind them, glanced at Yao Yuan before continuing to play on his phone.

After Yao Yuan finished chatting with his deskmate, he looked at Jiang Jing and Liu Bin in the corner and began thinking about how to cause trouble for them.

He was someone who always sought revenge for every slight. Anyone who offended him would be repaid in full.

Especially Jiang Jing. He was always stealing his spotlight. Of everyone in the class, Jiang Jing was the one he disliked the most.