If he got into one of the five elite martial arts schools, he alone would count for ten places.
When that happened, not only would Lu Yi escape punishment and avoid being kicked out of the school, but he would also receive commendations. Both the school and even the city would award him bonuses.
Seeing Jiang Fan remain silent, Qi Huai assumed he had nothing to say, and the mockery on his face deepened.
"Jiang Fan, let me tell you, Tong Shuyao is already an early-stage martial apprentice. There are still three months before the martial entrance exam. If she works hard, it's not impossible for her to get into a martial arts school. Even taking ten thousand steps back, if she doesn't get in this year, she can repeat a year, and her chances of getting in next year will still be very high. A poor student like you needs to stay away from her!"
Jiang Fan looked at Qi Huai without a ripple of emotion. "I already told Tong Shuyao just now that we're no longer engaged. If you really care about your student, please tell her to stop bothering me at every turn and disrupting my studies."
"You-" Qi Huai's eyes widened into circles, his eyeballs nearly popping out.
He had truly thought Jiang Fan would say something like that.
"Hmph! I don't care whether you're deliberately saying this out of spite or you've really cut ties with Tong Shuyao. Don't let me catch you pestering her again, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Lu Yi, who had been standing to the side, could no longer hold back and roared, "Qi Huai, watch your words! This is an office! You're a teacher, and he's a student. Aren't you impressive, threatening a student like that! What? Do you want to lay hands on Jiang Fan? Beat him up?"
Qi Huai did indeed have that thought. Against a weakling like Jiang Fan, who had only 19 N, he wouldn't even need to find anyone else. He could beat him up himself.
But this was the school office, after all. Naturally, he wouldn't admit to something like that.
"There's no need to shout at me, and I don't need you teaching me how to do things. In three months, the school will fire you, and then you'll be nothing. Tch!"
Qi Huai spat at Lu Yi, then turned and left the office with a look of utter contempt.
Lu Yi was so furious that his face alternated between green and purple. Just then, Jiang Fan spoke. "Mr. Lu, don't worry. The school won't fire you."
To Lu Yi, Jiang Fan's words sounded like nothing more than an attempt to comfort him.
The truth was just as Qi Huai had said. The five-year deadline had arrived, and he couldn't possibly meet the assessment requirements, so he had long since prepared to leave his job.
"Ah, you-head back first. There are still a few more exams. Don't let what just happened affect you."
"Okay." Jiang Fan answered and left the office.
After the remaining exams ended, Jiang Fan, who was on cleaning duty, cleaned the classroom, then carried a garbage bag toward the campus garbage collection station.
He had just arrived when he saw Wei Qi leaning against a tree with his arms folded, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. Three classmates stood beside him.
"Jiang Fan, after offending me, did you think you'd get to go home in one piece today?"
As Wei Qi finished speaking, the three boys obligingly closed in around Jiang Fan, blocking every route of escape.
Jiang Fan glanced to either side. Faced with his classmates rubbing their fists and flexing their hands with ill intent, he remained completely unmoved.
"You're going to attack me?"
"I won't. I'm taking the martial entrance exam, after all. But they aren't. Besides, there's nobody else here, and no surveillance cameras. Even if I did attack you, you wouldn't have any evidence to report me." Wei Qi spoke without a shred of fear, his attitude as arrogant as could be.
Zhou Qiang said, "Wei Qi, you don't need to do anything. Against a weakling like Jiang Fan, any one of us three could beat him until he kneels and begs for mercy, kowtowing to you and admitting his mistake."
Li Chengyu said, "Zhou Qiang is right. Sure, there aren't any cameras or witnesses here, but if you can avoid getting splattered with filth, don't touch it. You're going to a martial arts university. In the future, you'll stand in the upper class, a man above other men. You can't throw away your future over one Jiang Fan."
Wei Qi nodded in agreement with the two of them.
"I know all that. I won't do anything. Let's stop wasting words. Hurry up and do it now before any extra branches grow out of this."
"Got it!"
The three cracked their knuckles and advanced on Jiang Fan step by step in an encircling formation, vicious, sinister grins stretching across their faces.
"Jiang Fan, don't blame us. Blame yourself. Of all the people you could've offended, you just had to be blind enough to offend Wei Qi."
"Actually, you should count yourself lucky, because we're the ones beating you up. If Wei Qi could conveniently do it himself, with his strength as a middle-stage martial apprentice, one punch would make your face blossom."
Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, a dangerous dark gleam shining in their depths.
At the same time, several drink cans flew out of the garbage bin.
The instant Zhou Qiang and the other two attacked, the cans shot toward them with a series of whooshes, striking all three squarely in the face.
Their faces deformed, twisted, and caved in as though struck by iron hammers. Finally, the tremendous impact sent them flying a considerable distance before they hit the ground.
"Aaargh!"
The three froze, clutching their faces. When they opened their mouths, all they spat out was blood mixed with teeth.
Even their back molars came out.
Wei Qi's mouth hung open the whole time, his jaw practically dropping to the ground. For a long while, he couldn't close it.
"Th-this-oh, no! The principal must be nearby!"
As far as they were concerned, the principal must have been the one who attacked, because there was only one martial artist in all of No. 9 Middle School: its principal.
This was also standard for an ordinary high school. No matter how bad a high school was, it had to have one martial artist.
The principal must have been hiding nearby and hurled those cans at them.
Zhou Qiang and the other two were so frightened that they forgot all about their caved-in cheeks. They scrambled up and stammered, "The p-principal is nearby? Then why-why isn't he showing himself?"
"Obviously! It's because of Wei Qi. After all, Wei Qi is No. 9 Middle School's martial arts genius. Getting into a martial arts school is already nailed to the board for him. With some effort, he might even get into Donglang Martial Arts School. If this blows up, it'll be No. 9 Middle School's loss."
"That makes sense."
Listening to their conversation, Jiang Fan wore a satisfied expression.
That consideration was also why he had made his move earlier.
He had struck unexpectedly, catching them off guard and making them think a martial artist was attacking from the shadows.
As for whether they might connect this to him being a spirit master? The probability was so low as to be almost nonexistent.
"What rotten luck!" Wei Qi spat, then glared at Jiang Fan. "Consider yourself lucky. But this isn't over unless you obediently apologize to me and promise never to pester Tong Shuyao again. Otherwise, the moment I catch an opportunity, I'll teach you a harsh lesson."