Zuo Xiaoduo said gratefully, "I understand. Thank you, Ms. Hu."
Zuo Xiaoduo respected Ms. Hu from the bottom of his heart. Over six years, he had cost her so much in performance bonuses, yet she had never treated him differently. All he had received was endless patience and care.
With her, Zuo Xiaoduo simply could not let loose any of the mischief filling his belly or the rebellion running through his whole body.
Now that he was finally free, and had freed Hu Ruoyun of her shackles, Zuo Xiaoduo felt light all over too.
Hu Ruoyun took Zuo Xiaoduo back to class, then hurried straight to the principal's office.
"Zuo Xiaoduo broke through? That Zuo Xiaoduo who repeated the grade for five years?!"
Principal Li's eye sockets could barely hold his eyeballs; they nearly shot right out.
"He really did! And he made a huge leap forward! The star power in his dantian is dense, and starfire is surging back to temper his bones. It's almost finished tempering his right leg."
Hu Ruoyun beamed. "That child has finally made it through!"
Principal Li Changjiang looked at Hu Ruoyun and sighed as well. "You've finally made it through too."
Hu Ruoyun's eyes reddened. "I'm very happy that this child can amount to something, that he managed to pull through."
Li Changjiang sighed softly, looking at his wife. "You've had to put up with a lot too."
With Zuo Xiaoduo unable to break through all this time, any other teacher would certainly have resented having him in their class. Principal Li could only put this straggler in his own wife's class.
In any case, the academy was so large that few people knew they were married. At most, they would silently curse the principal for being unfair, but who would dare say it aloud?
"What do you intend to do?" Li Changjiang asked.
"Arrange for him to enter a Martial Warrior class immediately!"
Hu Ruoyun said firmly, "That child doesn't have much time left. If we delay any longer, I'm worried he'll follow the same old path I did."
Guilt surfaced on Li Changjiang's face. "All right. I'll arrange for him to enter the Star Soul Tower this afternoon, get his records filed and connected to the Heaven and Earth Network first, then immediately arrange for him to enter a Martial Warrior class."
He sighed softly. "Don't worry. I've been looking for a way all along. Old Liao in the capital said he already has news of that thing."
Hu Ruoyun said lightly, "Mm, it doesn't matter anymore. Let's take our time. After all these years, I've grown used to it. All I want now is to see these children grow up smoothly."
She turned to leave, urging him, "Hurry and connect to the Heaven and Earth Network."
The Heaven and Earth Network.
Everyone who broke through to the Martial Warrior level would enter the Star Soul Tower for the first time, then undergo trials inside to test their perseverance, temperament, and various other qualities. They would also receive an assessment, and their records would be archived in the Heaven and Earth Network for the first time.
They would be evaluated again upon becoming a Martial Master, again at Innate, and again at Embryonic Breathing.
Upon reaching the Dan Origin Realm, they would undergo their final evaluation, and the results would enter the Heaven and Earth Network's inner network. That inner network was also called the "Grandmaster Hall." This step was called "ascending the hall and entering the inner chamber."
It also proved that their cultivation had truly reached a height beyond the reach of ordinary people.
At that point, based on the evaluation results and their personality traits, they would be assigned work, truly putting every resource to its fullest use and every person's talents to their fullest potential.
As for anything beyond that... it was unknown.
This entire process was called "Three Touches, Five Evaluations." The first three sounded out their foundations, the fourth was a detailed evaluation, and the fifth delivered the assessment directly. Hence the saying, "Three Touches, Five Evaluations; ascend the hall and enter the inner chamber."
"All right." Hu Ruoyun nodded. "I believe Xiaoduo can earn a top-grade evaluation!"
She was full of confidence in Zuo Xiaoduo. With his temperament and perseverance, she felt that passing the first stage of the Three Touches, Five Evaluations would be a piece of cake.
Zuo Xiaoduo was surrounded by a crowd of little girls and boys, their eyes red and tears streaming down their faces.
"Big Brother Xiaoduo, don't go..." A little girl sniffled through her tears.
"Class Monitor Xiaoduo, don't go..." A little boy clung to Zuo Xiaoduo's thigh.
"Big Brother Xiaoduo, don't leave us..." All the little girls and boys sniffled and wept together, utterly unwilling to part with him.
"..." Zuo Xiaoduo was filled with emotion, his heart surging.
I'm really not a bad person. I never gave the little ones any special care, but to think they'd be so reluctant to let me go. Looks like my character really is pretty good.
Those five years of repeating the grade weren't wasted after all.
"Big Brother Xiaoduo, don't go... If you leave, I'll be the one at the bottom! Waaah..." A little boy burst into heartbroken sobs, tears and snot streaming down together.
"Big Brother Xiaoduo, don't go... If you leave, whenever my dad says I'm still a Martial Disciple at nine, I won't be able to say there's a seventeen-year-old Zuo Xiaoduo in our class! Waaah... My dad will beat me."
A nine-year-old boy cried so hard that his whole body convulsed, utterly beside himself. "I'll be beaten to death! Boohoo... Don't go..."
"Big Brother Xiaoduo, don't go... If you leave, we won't have any sense of superiority anymore... Boohoo..." All the little ones burst into loud sobs together.
Zuo Xiaoduo: "..."
Chapter 7: What Kind of Turn Was This?
Zuo Xiaoduo's face darkened.
The veins on his forehead throbbed.
A vicious light blazed from his eyes!
All of a sudden, an urge to kill welled up inside him!
Motherfuckers!
You little bastards! So that's why you won't let me leave!
It wasn't because you'd miss me at all!
Zuo Xiaoduo exploded!
He swung his left leg, kicking away the little boy clinging to it, then raised his right leg and shoved away the little girl hugging it with his foot. Seething, Zuo Xiaoduo snapped, "Get away, get away! Keep hugging me and I'll curse you to repeat the grade for five years too!"
Whoosh!
The little ones scattered all at once.
That curse was far too vicious!
They had all seen how miserable Zuo Xiaoduo had been during his time at school. Who would dare go through that themselves? They would be laughed to death!
Zuo Xiaoduo strode out with his head high and chest out, and immediately felt his heart open wide. Turning back, he said fiercely, "You little brats had better never fall into my hands! Otherwise, I'll show you the consequences of mocking me! Hmph, hmph..."