"Sect Master Zhang, for the martial Dao academy's first assessment, who do you favor?"
Seated in the guest section, Zhang Tianlu asked with a smile.
By now, practically everyone who knew about Tianyang Martial Dao Academy had figured out its teaching model and knew it was not a traditional sect.
Very few remained unfamiliar with it, especially in these cities of Yu Province. Newspapers spread the word every day, all to introduce new concepts to the local martial world and jianghu.
The aim was to make them quickly forget the Tianyang Sect and remember the martial Dao academy instead.
It was like the transition from private tutoring halls to schools. They needed to understand what the academy taught and how it differed from traditional sects.
So far, although progress had been a little slow, the results were clear.
In Zhang Qingyuan's previous life, introducing a new concept would have been far simpler and faster.
In the internet age, with television broadcasts and two days of trending searches, you would understand what "involution" meant, who the "workhorses" were, and why nude-photo scandals had a "-gate" tacked onto them.
Relying solely on newspapers now certainly could not compare to being on Earth.
This was an age of breaking new ground. They would take it slowly.
Beside him, Zhang Qingyuan introduced the students to Zhang Tianlu with a smile. "We have ten classes. Over the first three months, through the teachers' careful observation and dedicated instruction, many exceptionally gifted students have emerged in every class.
"In Class One, Liu Sidao, assigned to Martial Arena Three, is currently our academy's top student."
"Top student?"
This did not mean head disciple, but the student with the best academic performance.
The others understood as well and began discussing Liu Sidao.
"Class Two's Ma Shou-his father was once Yu Province's greatest genius, Ma Ke, who reached the Fourth Rank at fifteen-is currently assigned to Martial Arena Seven."
Everyone nodded again. A tiger father indeed had no dog of a son.
Zhang Qingyuan introduced over a dozen seeded contestants one by one, drawing repeated exclamations of admiration.
But in Zhang Tianlu's eyes, this was nothing special.
The Brocade Guard's training was even stricter than theirs.
Compared with ordinary sects and other forces, however, their progress was indeed relatively fast.
After all, sects were nowhere near as strict as Tianyang Martial Dao Academy when training outer disciples during their first three months.
Sects trained disciples with long-term development in mind.
First, disciples did not merely have to study martial arts and strengthen their bodies.
The sect also had to foster the disciples' attachment to it, temper them gradually, and discover their talents. That stretched the process out considerably.
Tianyang Martial Dao Academy, on the other hand, was a vocational school, and vocational schools taught specialized skills.
Fostering attachments and gradual tempering did not exist here.
Some students might graduate in just a year. What time was there for tempering?
Outer disciples in sects generally only faced elimination after three to five years.
They had time for tempering and developing every aspect of their abilities.
Tianyang Martial Dao Academy compressed two or three years of those sects' teaching into a single year.
It was like attending junior high, senior high, and then a junior college, spending nine years to learn a specialized skill in the end.
Whereas I went to vocational school before even finishing my second year of junior high and learned specialized skills too.
That compressed the time spent studying general subjects in the final year of junior high and all of senior high into those three or four years of vocational school.
This was a vocational school. Speed was the whole point!
Still, this vocational school, Tianyang Martial Dao Academy, was fundamentally different from the vocational schools of Zhang Qingyuan's previous life. They could not be spoken of in the same breath.
All ten martial arenas were put into use, with a group-based advancement format.
The hundred contestants were divided into ten groups, with the top fifty advancing. Those fifty would then be divided into five groups of ten for the second round of advancement matches.
The top twenty-five would advance. Since twenty-five was an odd number, one lucky boy would get to advance directly without drawing lots.
The remaining twenty-four would be divided into four groups of six for another round of advancement matches.
Once they reached the top thirteen, they would need to hold ranking matches.
After hearing Zhang Qingyuan's explanation, the guests headed to the various martial arenas to watch the contestants they favored.
Among the crowd was a lackey in the Fifth-Grade Realm, whose illustrious name was Liu Sandao!
Logically speaking, as a Fifth-Grade Realm martial artist, the city's leading constable, and the strongest fighter among the county yamen's constables, Liu Sandao ought to have enjoyed considerable standing.
Unfortunately, both the Six Doors' chief constable for Yu Province and a Brocade Guard thousand-household commander were here. What was he if not a lackey?
Not only did he lack standing, he also had to curry favor with his superiors.
Now that he could finally move around freely, Liu Sandao still had to ponder whether to stay beside the Brocade Guard thousand-household commander and attend to him or watch his own son compete.
After thinking it over, he decided his son was more important.
He had no intention of joining the Six Doors or becoming a Brocade Guard anyway. Observing the outward courtesies was enough.
When he arrived at Martial Arena Three, several familiar wealthy merchants were nearby.
After exchanging greetings, they began showering him with compliments.
"Lord Liu, your son possesses outstanding talent. For Sect Master Zhang to praise him so highly, you truly have a worthy successor."
"Oh, hardly, hardly. That little rascal is doing all right for now, but who knows what he'll be like in the future?"
"You mustn't say that." Another man continued the flattery. "For Sect Master Zhang to single him out for praise, he must at least have the makings of someone in the Middle Three Ranks."
"Ahem, what if his internal power becomes blocked, or he can't cultivate his True Qi any further?"
He belittled his son aloud, but inwardly, he was delighted.
At the edge of the martial arena, Liu Sidao rolled his eyes when he heard his father talking about him behind his back.
Anyone who knew would understand he was being modest. Anyone who did not might think he was cursing him. Who talked about their own son like that?
Who knew who had invented this custom where parents had to belittle their children whenever someone praised them...
"Class One's Liu Sidao versus Class Four's Feng Xin!" a student serving as referee called out loudly.
The two walked onto the martial arena. Both were young boys.
Feng Xin drew a deep breath, rather nervous.
Brother Dao stuck his hands into his jacket pockets, looking badass! The Tianyang Sect's school uniforms had pockets.
"Begin!"
The two exchanged cupped-fist salutes. Feng Xin said, "Brother Dao, give me a little face."
Liu Sidao nodded. "Let's get started."
"All right!"
Feng Xin took a deep breath and seized the initiative with a straight punch.
Liu Sidao dodged sideways and parried with one hand.
Feng Xin followed through with a swing of his arm, and Liu Sidao blocked one-handed.
Feng Xin followed up with a whipping kick. Rather than retreat, Liu Sidao advanced, caught his leg, and threw him over.
"Brother Dao, I lost, I lost!"
Liu Sidao stood and brushed the dirt off himself, not forgetting to offer a pointer. "Next time you fight someone faster than you, don't make such big movements when you attack."
Feng Xin got up and said with a grin, "But that move looks so cool! A high whipping kick, if it lands..."
"What about technique? You haven't remembered a thing your homeroom teacher taught you. It looks cool if you hit someone. If you miss, you end up eating dirt."
"Hehe, thanks for the pointers, Brother Dao. I'm off."
The two left the martial arena. The loser was free to move around, while the winner needed to prepare for his next match.
There were ten groups, ten people per group, and five matches.
When the gap in strength was large, the opponent was generally defeated in a single move.
Liu Sidao could actually have beaten Feng Xin in just one move too.
But Feng Xin had asked him to give him some face, so he had made it look like an exchange of blows.
Ma Shou faced Xu Jielun, one of Class Ten's Eight Great Vajras, and finished him with a single side kick as he stepped forward. There was not much to watch.
But the escort agency businesses watching had already set their sights on him.
His father had once been Yu Province's top escort leader. Those who had ties with him were already pondering what terms they should offer his son when the time came.
Class Ten's Liu Che also swiftly defeated his opponent, his imposing presence looking down proudly upon all challengers!
Class Five's Sun Xiaohu likewise defeated his opponent quickly. Born with divine strength, he could overcome ten techniques with a single application of strength whenever no martial technique could suppress him. It worked every time.
Xiao Yan had not made the top hundred. He stood beside his Class One classmates, handling support duties.
"Brother Yan, hold my water flask for me."
"Brother Yan, a towel."
"Brother Yan, when my dad comes later, help show him the way."
"Sure thing!"
"All right."
"Okay..."
Xiao Yan greatly envied the classmates who could compete, his heart filled with complicated feelings.
His childhood sweetheart was already an inner disciple of the Northern Realm's Heavenly Mountain Sect, possessed of outstanding talent.
He had abandoned scholarly pursuits for martial arts entirely for her.
Yet now, he had not even made the academy's top hundred. It was hard not to feel a little dejected.
Especially since she had already become a Fifth Rank expert at fifteen, while he had not even entered the Eighth Rank.
He wore a cheerful smile and usually followed Liu Sidao around. Though he smiled every day, the bitterness could only churn within his heart.
"Xiao Brother Yan."
Murong Xue, who had successfully advanced to the next round, came over to Xiao Yan.
"Xue'er." Seeing Murong Xue brought a trace of warmth to Xiao Yan's heart. He gave a faint smile. "Did you advance?"
"Mm-hmm. I faced Class Eight's Yue Buqun and defeated him in ten moves."
"You're amazing, Xue'er."
Sensitive to others' feelings, Murong Xue immediately felt she might have said the wrong thing and hastily changed tack. "Don't worry, Xiao Brother Yan. You're building deep reserves for a powerful breakthrough. You'll definitely be the strongest in the future."
"Thank you, Xue'er."
Once again, warmth filled Xiao Yan's heart.