The Martial Entrance Exam

Old Star, Jiang Hai City No. 1 High School, Class Eight of the senior year.

In the classroom, Jiang Yuan twirled a pen in his hand, staring dazedly at the pale blue screen before him.

[Binding martial heroes achievement system...]

At the podium, a tall, powerfully built male teacher spoke in a deep, resonant voice. "Students, the martial entrance exam is almost here. It's time to buckle down."

"The admission requirements for martial universities are a strength of 300 kilograms and a speed of 15 m/s."

"And those are only the minimum requirements to apply. Top martial universities set the bar even higher."

"Without the strength of a First-Order Martial Artist, you won't even be able to submit your application."

The classroom was silent, and everyone listened intently. Only Jiang Yuan's eyelids kept twitching.

Three hundred kilograms of strength?

A speed of fifteen meters per second?

Are you sure this is a wuxia world?

Even the protagonists in Jin Yong's novels weren't this badass.

Jiang Yuan couldn't stop grumbling inwardly.

Could the system have made a mistake?

"There are only three months left until the martial entrance exam. I know some students have given up because they think they have no chance of getting into a martial university."

"But remember this..."

"On the martial path, never give up!"

The teacher's voice grew increasingly impassioned as he declared with gusto, "As long as you put in the effort, anything is possible!"

"It's never too late to start working hard. The doors of martial universities will always be open to you."

"If your talent is outstanding enough and your commitment to the martial path is firm, you'll have a very good chance of earning a ticket to New Star!"

"New Star!"

Everyone's eyes lit up at those words.

Five hundred years ago, human technology had undergone an explosive boom. After searching the entire star system, humanity had discovered nine habitable planets, officially ushering human civilization into the interstellar age.

As the wave of migration continued to swell, scientists, engineers, merchants, and technical specialists who could contribute to human civilization had chosen to emigrate early on.

Most of those left on Old Star were ordinary people who could neither afford the expensive passage nor offer anything of value.

Martial cultivation depended first on talent, second on comprehension, third on cultivation resources, and fourth on guidance from accomplished teachers.

As for changing your destiny through hard work alone, that was nothing but a comforting lie.

And when two ordinary people had a child, the odds of a genetic mutation were less than one in ten thousand.

Without accomplished teachers or cultivation resources, even so-called geniuses would fade into mediocrity.

Of course, Old Star had billions of people. No matter how poor the conditions were, sheer numbers alone ensured that a few geniuses would emerge.

Those geniuses had revealed their martial talent at a very young age and earned the opportunity to travel to New Star.

As for those still on Old Star in their final year of high school, they had already been screened several times. Without sufficient talent, their chances of reaching New Star were slim.

Thus, among the tens of millions of graduating students at the hundreds of elite high schools across Old Star, only three to five made it to New Star each year.

In the worst year, not a single graduating student had gained admission to New Star Martial University.

Jiang Yuan's martial talent could only be considered average. Although he had gotten into an elite high school, he ranked somewhere in the middle of his year.

Barring any surprises, he should have no trouble getting into an ordinary martial university if he performed normally on the entrance exam.

After graduation, he would find a respectable job, marry, have children, and live a peaceful, stable life.

Perhaps that would be the entirety of his life.

But he couldn't accept that!

As someone who had transmigrated, a mundane life whose ending he could already see was not what he wanted.

This world had mighty martial artists who could shatter stars with a flick of their fingers. The thought filled him with longing.

Since he had transmigrated here, he would take a gamble.

Even if he died, he would die pursuing power!

Ring, ring!

The bell rang. The teacher dismissed the class and hurried out of the classroom.

He didn't dare keep them even a moment past the bell, because their next class was martial arts.

In this world, academic classes were electives. Only martial arts classes were compulsory.

As the saying went, if you couldn't understand words, then luckily, he knew a thing or two about using his fists.

Martial arts were the true foundation of a person's standing in life.

"Jiang Yuan, what are you thinking about?"

Just then, a chubby hand landed on Jiang Yuan's shoulder.

Jiang Yuan turned to find his childhood friend, Guo Hongtao.

With his round figure and harmless appearance, Guo Hongtao made it easy for people to let their guard down.

But could you believe that this guileless little fatty could reach a speed of 21 m/s, utterly outclassing his peers?

His overall strength also consistently placed him among the school's top ten, leaving Jiang Yuan far behind.

They really weren't wrong when they said every fatty had hidden potential.

That was what Jiang Yuan thought, but he wasn't discouraged.

Luckily, he had a cheat.

It was just that his cheat didn't seem particularly useful.

No matter how hard Jiang Yuan racked his brains, he couldn't understand what use a martial heroes achievement system would be in a world of high-powered martial arts.

Still, he couldn't ask for too much. Having a cheat was better than having none.

"Jiang Yuan, did you not sleep well last night? Why don't you ask for leave and go home to rest?"

Seeing Jiang Yuan staring blankly into space, Guo Hongtao asked with some concern.

Jiang Yuan came back to his senses and shook his head. "I'm fine."

Noticing that Jiang Yuan seemed a little off, Guo Hongtao tactfully changed the subject.

"Pick me as your partner for the practice sparring later."

"Better not. I don't want to hold you back."

Jiang Yuan shook his head, politely declining his friend's kindness.

Martial arts had always emphasized actual combat, so much of the school's martial arts classes involved pairing students up for practice sparring.

During these sessions, most students chose partners close to their own level, allowing both sides to benefit from exchanging blows.

But Guo Hongtao was far stronger than him. Sparring with him would essentially give Jiang Yuan a personal training partner, letting him go all out and improve rapidly.

That would come at the expense of Guo Hongtao's time.

Jiang Yuan didn't want to take advantage of him.

"Let's go."

Jiang Yuan patted Guo Hongtao on the shoulder, stopping him before he could say anything more.

Just then, a pale blue panel appeared before his eyes.

[Martial heroes achievement system successfully bound!]

[Warning! Warning!]

[Host's strength has exceeded the plane's limits. Reassessing rank...]

Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded by what he saw.

He was just a rookie who hadn't even become a martial artist. How could his strength possibly exceed the plane's limits?

Could it be...

A possibility occurred to Jiang Yuan.

Could the system have mistaken this place for a wuxia world?

That would explain everything.

Although his strength was only 350 kilograms and his speed only 16 m/s, if he ended up in a wuxia world, he would absolutely steamroll everyone.

Before long, the system notification sounded again.

[Assessment complete. The host is a true dragon prodigy seen only once in ten thousand years!]

[Reward: one Creation Pill!]

[Creation Pill: greatly improves the user's talent, aptitude, comprehension, and innate constitution.]

Jiang Yuan's mouth slowly fell open, disbelief spreading across his face.