Martial Artists! Martial Arts Support Fund!

I traveled between two worlds every day.

Once while holding a stance.

The other time, also while holding a stance.

When I returned from the Great Jing Dynasty world, it was already past six in the morning. The biting cold wind slipped through the cracks in the window and struck Jiang Shu directly.

"Qi and Blood Circulation even saves me the cost of a down jacket. Rounded up, that means I've earned several thousand yuan."

"Today, one senior brother at Hungry Tiger Martial Hall broke through to the Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation, but because he was too old, he couldn't become a formal disciple. He could only leave the martial hall, accept recruitment from a wealthy household, and become a high-ranking guard."

"It seems Martial Dao cultivation must absolutely be pursued as early as possible. Once you're too late, you'll lose the path upward, become a wealthy household's guard, and spend your whole life trapped in some tiny county town."

"A world where classes have solidified and resources are allocated by the upper class. For ordinary people without talent, there's truly not even the slightest path to rise up. Luckily, I have a golden finger."

"Teacher Yan said there'd be a major Martial Dao lecture today. I wonder what new information the higher-ups will reveal."

After casually loosening up his muscles and bones and glancing at the Panel, Jiang Shu lightly leaped down from the bed. Wearing only his underwear, he pulled on his school uniform and pushed open the door.

Mystic Star Calendar, March 1st, 2027. Monday.

The morning sunlight shone upon every patch of land in Jicheng.

Jicheng Fifth High School.

It was exactly eight when Jiang Shu arrived. Soothing music played over the campus broadcast, followed by the voice of a school leader instructing homeroom teachers to organize their students and lead them to the athletic field in an orderly fashion.

"Whew, it'd be great if there were lectures like this every day. They go on for an hour or two—like today, we get to skip math and English altogether."

"Young man, you're still too young. You don't know that every gift bestowed by fate has already had its price secretly marked. Skip math today, skip English tomorrow. When the College Entrance Examination comes, you'll miss your ideal university by one or two points."

"Get lost. You shake so hard on the bunk above me at night, then act all high and mighty during the day. Gifts of fate, ideal university—what university could you even get into? I think that X Academy of Sciences people rate on Moupu suits you pretty well. The gates of X University face west; it produces no phoenixes, only light."

"Huh, there's such a good academy? Great, I'll put this one down on my application!"

"???"

Outside the classrooms on every floor of the teaching building, the students had already formed lines. Jiang Shu walked to the back door of his classroom, naturally took his place at the very end, and followed the crowd downstairs toward the athletic field.

Before long, students from all three high school grades had gathered on the field.

After the flag-raising ceremony concluded as usual, a school leader stepped onto the platform, patted the microphone, and said solemnly:

"Teachers, students, good morning! After an entire winter break of rest, and several days of readjusting to school life, I trust everyone is full of energy and in an even better state to devote yourselves to studying. Here, I wish all of you that, having climbed a hundred-foot pole, you will rise another step higher."

"Since ancient times, our Xia Kingdom has said: with the brush, one can bring peace to the realm; on horseback, one can settle heaven and earth. It has now been over three months since Xia Kingdom began promoting the Martial Dao Horse Stance. Our school has specially invited Mr. Zheng from Shengjing to explain to us the true mysteries of Martial Dao."

"Now, let us welcome Mr. Zheng with the warmest applause!"

Applause surged across the athletic field like a tide.

A middle-aged man in a black jacket walked onto the flag-raising platform under the gaze of several thousand students.

"Hello, students. My name is Zheng Yanbo. Today, it is my honor to come to Jicheng Fifth High School and speak to you about the Martial Dao of Xia Kingdom. Those students with well-informed sources probably already know that today, it isn't just Jicheng Fifth High School—several other high schools have also organized major Martial Dao lectures."

"Last November, Xia Kingdom officially incorporated Martial Dao into the College Entrance Examination system. Horse Stance at minor accomplishment, Qi and Blood Sensing: admission to an undergraduate university without examination! Horse Stance at major accomplishment, Qi and Blood Circulation: admission to a Key University without examination! As for Horse Stance at perfection, Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation: direct entry into an Academy! This alone is enough to show how much importance Xia Kingdom places on Martial Dao."

"I know that many students are still hesitating, still wondering: if they enter university through Martial Dao, what majors can they choose? After graduation, will society recognize their degrees? In this age of internet information, in this age of Hot Weapons, what significance does Martial Dao even have?"

"Then today, I'll tell you."

Zheng Yanbo paused and swept his gaze across the crowd.

Just as he had expected, there actually weren't many students on the field who were truly listening seriously.

With his eyesight, he could clearly see the state of every student below.

Some looked around and chatted with one another; some lowered or raised their heads in a daze. There were even several people in the front rows with their eyes closed, resting.

Perhaps only many years later would they suddenly realize that, on this seemingly ordinary morning, the gears of fate had already begun to turn.

"Martial Dao will surpass every major in university! Martial Dao is completely different from every academic discipline. Right now, graduates from ordinary universities are already scrambling desperately to submit résumés and look for work, hoping to earn several thousand yuan a month at some nine-to-five job and live a life whose end can seemingly be seen at a glance."

"The humanities, sciences, and engineering can all scarcely change their fate. Only Martial Dao! A fish leaping into a dragon! True beyond doubt!"

"Qi and Blood Sensing: the strength of three hundred jin. Qi and Blood Circulation: the strength of six hundred jin. Whole Body Qi and Blood Great Circulation: the strength of nine hundred jin. Beyond the Great Circulation lies a true martial artist. Inner force bursts forth in abundance; a punch explodes the air, and a single strength lifts a thousand jin!"

"Manifested Force! Hidden Force! Transforming Force!"

"These are the three Martial Dao realms newly announced by Xia Kingdom. You don't need to know the differences between these three realms. You only need to know that even a Manifested Force Martial Artist of the first realm will hold a status above that of an ordinary civil servant! Whether traveling by high-speed rail or airplane, everything will be free! Every tourist attraction may be entered and exited at will!"

"As for work, as long as they wish to work, they need only apply to any high school within Xia Kingdom, and they will certainly become Martial Arts teachers!"

Zheng Yanbo did not speak quickly. These pieces of news had not actually been made public yet.

Thus, the moment he said them, an uproar erupted below.

The students were one thing. They had yet to enter society, so they did not feel that becoming an officially employed teacher was particularly difficult. What astonished them was mostly the status and benefits—free travel and tourism, which perfectly struck their restless hearts.

The teachers, however, thought much further. Martial Dao had been incorporated into the College Entrance Examination; martial artists held a status above civil servants; they could freely enter any high school as Martial Arts teachers; and now there was this grand and vigorous promotion of Martial Dao.

Every last part of it showed that the importance Xia Kingdom's higher-ups placed on Martial Dao far exceeded their imagination!

Martial Dao was absolutely not something the higher-ups had promoted on a whim!

When one leaf falls, one knows autumn has come to all under heaven.

Yan Dehou adjusted his glasses and involuntarily looked toward Jiang Shu, standing at the very end of the line.

At that moment, Zheng Yanbo's voice on the flag-raising platform did not stop. He enunciated each word.

His final piece of news was like a bomb detonating violently upon the water's surface:

"But this! Is still far from enough! Far from enough to prove the importance Xia Kingdom places on Martial Dao!"

"From this moment onward, Manifested Force Martial Artists will officially receive the national Martial Arts Support Fund."

"No work required—ten thousand yuan a month!"