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Meanwhile, in the specialized regular class, Li Jing jogged into the classroom.

Her ear-length short hair bounced as she ran, making her look playfully cute and immediately drawing the attention of several boys in the class.

Li Jing ignored their stares and rushed over to sit beside Guo Rui's desk.

She grabbed Guo Rui's water bottle and took a huge gulp before finally catching her breath.

Guo Rui put down her pen and asked in confusion, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Li Jing said, "Guo Rui, something huge happened."

Guo Rui asked, "Huh? What huge thing? Haven't our enrollment procedures already been completed?"

Li Jing made an exaggerated gesture. "Something enormous! Yang Sheng injured Wang Meng."

Guo Rui had no real impression of that, but the moment she heard Yang Sheng's name, her heart tightened.

"Yang Sheng injured someone? Is it serious? Does he need to pay compensation? Oh no, why is he so reckless?"

Li Jing reached out and grabbed Guo Rui by the shoulders.

"That's not the important part."

Guo Rui froze. "Then what is?"

"The important part is that they said Yang Sheng hadn't even reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force not long ago. He only transferred into the High-Aspiration Class a few days ago, yet he's already at Lesser Completion of Bright Force. And he even defeated Wang Meng, who's been at Lesser Completion of Bright Force for over a year, in a single move."

Guo Rui understood what her best friend meant as well.

"You mean Yang Sheng has gotten stronger now?"

She still remembered when she and her mother had visited Yang Sheng's home.

She had even asked Yang Sheng about his current cultivation.

But Yang Sheng had said then that he was still some distance from Lesser Completion of Bright Force.

Could he have lied to her?

Li Jing said from the side, "More than that. They're all speculating that Yang Sheng's current strength might be more than just newly entering Lesser Completion of Bright Force."

"Yang Sheng was originally assigned to fight Li Ya in the school's confirmed test matchups. The outcome had seemed settled, but because Yang Sheng defeated Wang Meng, everything has been thrown back into question."

Guo Rui asked, "How strong is that Li Ya?"

Li Jing said, "I heard he's nearly at Great Completion of Bright Force, just one step away."

The moment Guo Rui heard that, she calmed down.

She actually understood the gap between such realms better than most.

"The gap between Lesser Completion of Bright Force and Great Completion of Bright Force is actually very large."

The implication was clear: she was already certain that Yang Sheng would lose.

Li Jing said, "So what if the gap is large? I think Yang Sheng might still win. Nothing in this world is one hundred percent certain."

Guo Rui shook her head. "Xiao Jing, you don't understand. Ah, stop worrying about all this messy stuff. We should be focusing entirely on the Martial Arts Entrance Exam right now. Although those of us in the specialized track can't apply for the martial arts programs at Martial Arts University, we still need to make the most of this time to study. Getting into a specialized program will help us find work in the future too."

Li Jing gave an "oh" and dejectedly returned to her seat.

Still, after receiving this news, Guo Rui found some time to inform her mother.

Aunt Chen was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone.

Then she said, "Do you know what the restrictions are for this Bay City Martial Arts High School test?"

Guo Rui said, "I heard that survival isn't guaranteed."

Aunt Chen sighed. "It looks like a fair test, but I received word earlier that the strength gaps between the contestants are all enormous. Almost no one believes any Lower Registry student can pass this test."

"This is the first time I've heard what you just told me. If that's the case, Yang Sheng does have some talent after all. He was chosen by Jiang Tian, after all. If he can survive this test, we can speak with him afterward."

Guo Rui nodded. "I understand. I'll keep watching closely."

At the headquarters of Bay City's Liu Group.

A thick stack of documents lay on Liu Jianming's desk.

They were all files on students from Bay City Martial Arts High School.

Yang Sheng's file had been singled out and placed to one side.

Liu Jianming rubbed his temples, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

"Old Huang, what do you think of this Yang Sheng?"

Old Huang, who had been standing inconspicuously in the corner, slightly lowered his head.

"Boss, I met Yang Sheng once before. I can say with certainty that his talent is the strongest I've ever seen."

Liu Jianming smiled. "With talent that strong, how could he have been willing to serve as someone else's sparring partner for three years? Did he suddenly come to his senses one month before the Martial Arts Entrance Exam?"

Old Huang said, "Boss, you know me. I never judge people solely by data. I can sense that Yang Sheng possesses a special kind of temperament."

Liu Jianming asked, "Oh? What kind of special temperament?"

Old Huang said, "A resolve that surpasses his own strength."

Liu Jianming sighed. "Resolve alone isn't enough. You need real strength. Li Yan of the Li Family has risen too quickly. If Wang Chao fails to emerge from seclusion successfully, we'll need to find someone else to support."

"Yu Yun from the Rocket Class is the school's third Dark Force expert, and others are backing him as well. It'll be difficult to get him to accept our terms."

"But this Yang Sheng... I wonder whether he's worth investing in."

Old Huang said, "If we need to act, I believe now is the right time. If we wait until after the test and Yang Sheng really passes it, then he won't be someone we can simply support whenever we please."

Liu Jianming squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

"Let me think about it. Let me think."

Inside Skysea Boxing Gym, two groups of people were arguing fiercely.

"We believe Yang Sheng has what it takes to defeat Li Ya! We support him!"

"I admit Yang Sheng is talented, but talent can't fill your stomach. The test is in three days. Yang Sheng will definitely lose, mark my words!"

"Yang Sheng will definitely win, because my name is Yang Ying—Yang Must-Win!"

"Yang Must-Win!"

"Yang Must-Win!"

"Li Ya is the next generation's prodigy of Bay City Martial Arts High School. What does Yang Sheng have to win with?"

"As far as I know, Li Ya has actually reached Great Completion of Bright Force already. Yang Sheng is only at Lesser Completion of Bright Force. There's no comparison."

The owner of Skysea watched the two groups quarrel without getting upset.

Yang Sheng's instant enlightenment of Iron Mountain Lean had drawn in a large crowd back then.

The more those people learned about Yang Sheng afterward, the more they admired him.

The story of a Lower Registry student striving to study and constantly improving through his own efforts was extremely compelling.

As a marketing genius, the Skysea owner had tightly seized onto Yang Sheng, this cash cow, and ruthlessly harvested membership fees from a huge number of people.

Skysea Boxing Gym had now made a name for itself throughout Bay City. With its low threshold and cheap membership fees, it had become a must-visit check-in spot for young people.

On top of that, the Skysea owner had livestreamed Yang Sheng's matches in the Stellar Martial Arts Match System. His steady, grounded style and gradual climb had won him another wave of fans.

So Yang Sheng himself had no idea that the Skysea owner's promotion had inadvertently gained him a great many fans.

Just as the two sides argued without end.

The Skysea owner brought over a table and wrote "Win" on the left and "Lose" on the right.

"Place your bets!"