"Really? Then I have to go take a look. What if I get lucky and win a scholarship?"
"Your grades really are pretty good, and everyone in the top thirty gets a scholarship. Hurry up and eat. We'll go look once we're done."
Jiang Fan was also curious about how well he had done on the exams after becoming a junior psychic.
After quickly shoveling down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, Jiang Fan went to the noticeboard by the school gates.
By the time he arrived, quite a few students had already gathered there.
"Shengxue, wait here. I'll squeeze in and take a look. Otherwise, some pervert's bound to cop a feel," Yi Hong said.
Lan Shengxue nodded and stayed where she was.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Lan Shengxue spotted Jiang Fan standing at the back of the crowd.
Remembering what had happened yesterday, she knitted her brows in displeasure before looking away.
Yi Hong had already squeezed inside. Out of habit, she looked at the first spot in the top row, where the best score would be.
Every time the results were posted, Lan Shengxue was always first. Ever since their first year of high school, there had not been a single exception.
This time, however, she did not find Lan Shengxue's name in the first spot of the top row.
Lan Shengxue's name had been pushed into second place in the top row.
And occupying Lan Shengxue's original spot were the two large, eye-catching characters spelling out "Jiang Fan."
Jiang Fan?!!
How could it be Jiang Fan?
Jiang Fan squeezed in just then, too. When he saw his name, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
Spirit Masters really were badass.
Yi Hong stared blankly at Jiang Fan beside her, her red lips parting wider and wider.
Just then, cries of disbelief erupted from the crowd.
"Jiang Fan came first! This Jiang Fan can't be that trash from Class 8 with only 19 N of vitality, can he?"
"There's only one Jiang Fan in our senior year. If it isn't him, who else could it be?"
"But his grades have always been around twentieth in our year. How did he suddenly shoot up to first?"
Naturally, these remarks reached Lan Shengxue's ears.
She glanced toward Jiang Fan, faint ripples stirring in her calm, beautiful eyes.
"Tch! This is an age that values martial prowess over academics. What's the point of having good academic grades? The people at the top will always be martial artists." Wei Qi's disdainful voice rang out. His words were meant for Jiang Fan, and also for Tong Shuyao beside him.
Tong Shuyao had felt somewhat unsettled by Jiang Fan taking first place in the academic exams, but hearing Wei Qi say this immediately put her much more at ease.
Just then, Jiang Fan slowly turned his head and looked at Wei Qi, his face expressionless.
"Yes, coming first in the academic exams really isn't anything impressive. So, Wei Qi, is scoring no more than fifty points across all your subjects combined supposed to be impressive?"
At these words, Wei Qi's face cycled through red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple like a revolving lantern. It was quite a spectacle.
Wei Qi felt the gazes around him, some contemptuous, some mocking. He wanted to smash Jiang Fan's mouth to pieces with a punch, yet also wanted to punch a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
Suddenly, a broadcast sounded overhead.
The girl making the announcement spoke in a voice like an oriole's song. "Attention, students. Attention, students. Those wishing to apply for the martial track, please report to the student council president at around two tomorrow afternoon. Those who pass will enter the special training class. I repeat, those wishing to apply for the martial track, please report to the student council president at around two tomorrow afternoon..."
Yi Hong poked Lan Shengxue beside her. "You're going to be one busy student council president tomorrow. Want me to help?"
Lan Shengxue shook her head. "You're not on the student council, and you're not a martial apprentice either. There isn't much you could help with."
Hearing the announcement, Wei Qi recovered his pride and said to Jiang Fan, "See that? This is what really matters in life. After noon tomorrow, I'll be entering the special training class. You and I won't belong to the same world anymore."
Jiang Fan sneered. "If I remember correctly, even if you enter the special training class, you still have to take the academic exams. With your total of fifty points, even if you pass the martial exam, I'm afraid you won't pass the academic ones, will you?"
"Uh..." Wei Qi's expression stiffened.
Jiang Fan's words had undoubtedly struck Wei Qi's weak spot. Just as Jiang Fan said, getting into a martial arts school required not only martial exam results, but academic grades that were not too terrible either.
There was only one exception: breaking through to become a martial artist before the college entrance exams. In that case, academic grades would not need to be considered at all.
But he was only a middle-stage martial apprentice now, with just 113 N of vitality. He was still 17 N short of becoming a late-stage martial apprentice, let alone a martial artist.
The minimum threshold for a first-grade martial artist was 200 N. That was simply impossible!
Never mind him-it was rare for even the entire graduating class each year to produce a martial artist.
If a candidate became a martial artist before the college entrance exams, they would inevitably cause a sensation and become a household name.
Watching Jiang Fan walk away, Yi Hong shook her head and clicked her tongue, her voice regretful. "He's so handsome. If he could cultivate, I'd definitely pursue him. Never mind being unable to cultivate-even if his vitality were just like a normal person's, instead of being a sickly weakling with only 19 N, I'd still pursue him."
Lan Shengxue turned her head slightly to glance at Yi Hong but said nothing.
At that moment, she made up her mind that she would still take first place in the next academic exams.
When Jiang Fan returned home after school, he saw Wang Shuqin standing at the door, looking out anxiously.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"I..." Wang Shuqin looked as though she wanted to say something but held back.
Jiang Fan looked inside, but there was no sign of Tang Fugui.
"Where's Dad? Isn't he usually home by now?"
Wang Shuqin's brows furrowed even more deeply, and her eyes kept shifting away.
Noticing this, Jiang Fan guessed that Wang Shuqin was hiding something from him.
He gradually recalled some of Tang Fugui's unusual reactions yesterday. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his eyes flew wide open.
"Dad went to the Jiang Family?"
Wang Shuqin's expression froze before she hurried to conceal it.
"No, no, don't go imagining things. Your dad probably got held up on the way. Go inside first. You've had a tiring day, so get some rest. Dinner will be ready soon."
As she spoke, Wang Shuqin took Jiang Fan's arm, but the very next second, he pulled free.
"I'm going to find Dad."
"Xiao Fan!" Wang Shuqin shouted after him.
Jiang Fan waved. "Mom, don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm going to the Jiang Family to bring Dad back."
Watching Jiang Fan leave, Wang Shuqin's eyes reddened.
Just then, Tang Guo took Wang Shuqin's hand.
"Mom, trust Brother Xiao Fan. He'll definitely bring Dad back. Don't forget, Brother Xiao Fan is an early-stage martial apprentice now."
Perhaps it was hearing that Jiang Fan was an early-stage martial apprentice that finally made Wang Shuqin's tightly knotted brows gradually relax.