Choice

Ning Yue stepped onto the stage.

"There are twenty rewards here. Choose one. Also, this is the 100,000 yuan awarded to the top student in the school. Take it first."

Principal Chen Dao handed Ning Yue a card.

Ning Yue accepted it with both hands and thanked the principal.

"Principal, there are some things among these rewards that I can't identify. Do you have any suggestions?"

Ning Yue looked at the rewards on the table on the raised platform. There were pills, weapons, rare plants, secret manuals, and even several dishes, which were probably medicinal meals.

He was a little unsure what to choose.

Principal Chen Dao smiled. "In the interest of fairness and impartiality, I can't give you students any advice. Everything is up to your intuition."

"In this world full of lurking dangers, luck is also part of one's strength."

"However, while I can't advise you, your homeroom teacher can. You can hear what he thinks."

"Take your time choosing. There's still plenty of time."

With that, Principal Chen Dao returned to his place.

He was worried that if he kept standing there, he would put too much pressure on the student, causing him to pick something at random and affecting Ning Yue's future development.

The Ning Yue of today was different from before. In Chen Dao's eyes, he was a treasure of Xinyuan Martial Arts High School.

Nothing could be allowed to go wrong before the college entrance examination.

Before Ning Yue could speak, his homeroom teacher, Zuo Tianchang, came to his side.

"Well done."

Zuo Tianchang didn't say much. He merely patted Ning Yue's shoulder in admiration; everything else went without saying.

Ning Yue had given him such a surprise that Zuo Tianchang could hardly process it.

Now, he steadied himself and slowly said to Ning Yue, "Of the twenty items here, there are three weapons: a saber, a hammer, and an ax. Each one is suited for combat."

"By combat, I don't mean fighting our fellow humans, but fighting ferocious beasts. Every ferocious beast is enormous. To them, ordinary injuries are like a scratch."

"That's why swords are the least used weapons among humans, unless they're heavy swords or greatswords."

"There are also two martial techniques, five rare spiritual plants, and ten medicinal meals."

At this point, Zuo Tianchang paused and gave Ning Yue a profound look.

There were some things he couldn't spell out too clearly either.

Sometimes, the numbers said it all.

The more precious something was, the scarcer it tended to be.

"I haven't practiced either of the two martial techniques myself. I only know their names. One is Three Earth-Shaking Forms, a hammer technique. The other is a saber technique called Eighteen Cloak Slashes. Both are genuine martial techniques that can be used from the first through the third rank."

"As for the five rare spiritual plants, I haven't seen enough to name them all. This isn't my field."

At this, Zuo Tianchang felt a little helpless too.

It wasn't that he didn't want to explain; he truly didn't understand. How could flowers and grasses be more interesting than drawing blood with every slash?

He didn't go on to introduce the ten medicinal meals and stepped back.

The rest was up to Ning Yue.

Ning Yue thought it over. As for weapons, he had the Jade Blood Saber, which was enough for now.

For martial techniques, he had the Ninefold Thunder Saber and the Bitter Bamboo Scripture.

There was no need to discuss the Bitter Bamboo Scripture. It would unlock as his realm advanced.

The Ninefold Thunder Saber was enough for now too. Once he reached the first rank, he could try the Thunder Martial Arts Hall and see if he could obtain the later portions of the technique.

Rather than learning many martial techniques, it was better to specialize in one.

Unless they were different types, such as defensive or speed techniques.

He skipped them.

In the end, Ning Yue chose a spiritual bamboo plant. Perhaps it would be useful when he cultivated the Bitter Bamboo Scripture in the future.

The principal and the others were somewhat puzzled by Ning Yue's choice.

Old Zuo Tianchang wanted to stop him, but had no reason to.

He could only sigh anxiously.

After Ning Yue made his choice, Wang Xueqing, who had placed second, went onstage. She didn't choose a martial technique or a weapon either, picking a snow lotus instead.

Wang Xueqing had placed first for three consecutive years and already possessed these rewards.

As for the medicinal meals, they offered too little value for the cost, so she didn't choose them.

A spiritual plant was just right. She could trade it on the market for the cultivation resources she needed.

Although the martial techniques and weapons were worth more, both were difficult to sell. In essence, they were still rewards from the school.

Wen Xi, who had placed third, chose the martial technique Eighteen Cloak Slashes.

Zhao Hu, who had placed fourth, chose the martial technique Three Earth-Shaking Forms.

They were both scions of prominent families and had no shortage of weapons. Some families even specialized in forging them.

Martial techniques were different. They weren't limited to one person's cultivation and could also enrich a family's foundation.

After the school's top twenty students had collected their rewards, a school leader offered some words of encouragement.

"Students, this year is 3029, the 327th year since spiritual energy returned to Blue Star, and the 300th year since the founding of our Blue Star Empire."

"Over these past three centuries and more, the empire has weathered wind and rain, from the turbulent days when spiritual energy first returned and the world fell apart, with each region governing itself, to the later unification of the world and our confrontation with all kinds of crises."

"We humans of Blue Star dare to fight! We can fight! We do not fear battle!"

"Ferocious beasts regard us humans as meat. We humans of Blue Star built cities and slaughtered ferocious beasts, wiping out countless so-called royal and imperial clans and emperor-rank ferocious beasts."

"As spiritual energy returned, Blue Star doubled in size every ten years, so that Blue Star's current size changes once every decade."

"Is this a good thing? No. As Blue Star expands, a spatial rift forms, connecting it to another world of foreign races. Every one of those races is filled with ambition."

"Those who are not of our kind must harbor different intentions."

"Over the years, many foreign races have attempted to invade Blue Star. Our predecessors, our fallen heroes, drove them out, turning each spatial rift into a battlefield."

"Every inch of our land has been paid for in blood. Blue Star's peace was guarded by our fallen heroes with their own flesh and blood."

"Therefore, with the ten-year change approaching, new instructions have come from the imperial city."

"Reforms are to begin with this year's college entrance examination. Your homeroom teachers will explain the details to you."

"Students, strive with all your might and press boldly forward."

"Do your best. You are the future of our Blue Star."

"To stand with your backs to all living beings and hold sway through the ages-that is your future!"

When Principal Chen Dao finished speaking, he was met with a thunderous round of applause that continued for a long time.

With the mock examination over, everyone returned to their respective classes and homeroom teachers.

Back in Class Seven of the third year, Ning Yue and the others finally learned the details of the college entrance examination reforms from their homeroom teacher.

All third-year students were also given two choices.

First, remain at school and follow the school's instruction.

Second, apply to study independently. Whether they went to gain practical experience in various industries and plan for the future or trained at a martial arts hall was entirely up to the students.

After hearing this, Ning Yue couldn't make up his mind for the moment.

The first option offered safety. If he cultivated at school, his safety was largely assured. However, the school wouldn't provide too many qi and blood pills for free, so his cultivation wouldn't go as well as he wished.

The second option offered freedom. How much he gained would depend entirely on his own efforts and the support of his family.

For Ning Yue, both choices had their advantages and disadvantages.

Fortunately, his homeroom teacher gave them three days to choose.

Ning Yue didn't make a decision right away.