Chapter 1: Li Yuan

September 2042, Seven Stars Calendar, Xia Nation, Jiangbei Province, Jiangcheng.

Known as the "Furnace City," it is mostly winter and summer, and early September is the height of the sweltering heat.

Guanshan District No. 1 High School.

On the back blackboard of every classroom in the senior year building, similar banners hung: "No struggle, no fight, senior year is a waste," "Fight for one year of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, struggle for a lifetime without regrets," "If you aren't ruthless in senior year, how can you stand firm?"...

In a classroom on the east side of the first floor, which occupied an exceptionally large space of nearly 1,000 square meters, it was different from ordinary classrooms. There were no desks or chairs; on one side, a large number of cold weapons such as sabers, spears, swords, and staves were displayed, while the other side held numerous special instruments and a special track paved with dark red metal.

This was the Martial Arts Class classroom.

At this moment, over a hundred students in the classroom were practicing stance training, performing various movements.

Some resembled apes, some like flying birds, others shaped like fierce tigers... Their spirit and energy were excellent.

"The root is in the feet, starting from the legs, governed by the waist, combining the strength of a hundred bones to manifest in the fingertips..." A burly, middle-aged man wearing a black martial arts uniform walked among the ranks.

His face was cold, his height nearly two meters, his voice like a booming bell, and his eyes stared at every student like a fierce tiger.

The most eye-catching feature was his right arm, which was a silver metal prosthetic, yet it connected perfectly with the severed limb, moving with agility and ease.

"Logically, this is the basic cultivation essential you should have mastered in your second year. Yet here you are in your third year, and your stance training is still loose and sloppy." The burly man scolded angrily, and as he walked, a casual slap from his metal arm would knock a sweating student to the ground: "If the stance is not stable, the center of gravity is hard to shift. Basic cultivation methods are the foundation of martial arts!"

"Practice for a day, gain for a day; stop for a day, and a hundred days are wasted. I reckon you all spent the half-month summer break completely relaxed, not practicing at home."

"You're already in your senior year, and you still want to relax? You are all students in the ordinary class, and you haven't awakened your spirituality. If you don't work hard, how will you get into a martial arts university?"

"Even if you don't plan to take the martial arts university entrance exam and choose the cultural route, martial arts scores still account for 30%..." The burly man continued to scold.

The group of students didn't even dare to breathe loudly, practicing with increasing diligence.

"Report."

"Report." More than ten voices suddenly sounded at the classroom door, and a group of students wearing martial arts uniforms appeared.

"The second group back from the spirituality test?" The burly man glanced toward the door.

Immediately, the burly man's sharp gaze landed on one of the students.

This student was nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a crew cut. At first glance, there was nothing unusual, but if one observed carefully, one would find his head held high, his body upright, and his spine straight. Just standing there gave one a sense of being unshakable.

Clearly, this student had already integrated the basic cultivation method's "top of the head must be light and suspended, the tailbone must be heavy and drooping" into his daily walking, standing, and sitting.

Truly achieving movement following the heart, and spirit transmitted through intent.

This level of martial arts realm already surpassed all the students practicing stance training in the classroom.

"Li Yuan, how did it go?" The burly man looked at him.

The nearly one hundred students practicing stance training couldn't help but secretly glance at the student named Li Yuan.

"Teacher Xu, I failed to awaken." The student named Li Yuan shook his head calmly, showing no signs of disappointment.

The burly man frowned upon hearing this.

Li Yuan was the student in the class he led with the most hope of awakening martial arts spirituality.

"Even Li Yuan couldn't do it?"

"In the second-year final exam, his martial arts score reached the top thirty in the grade. His physical fitness was already at level 6 back then, and it must be even stronger now. How could he still not have awakened martial arts spirituality?"

"Awakening martial arts spirituality is truly difficult!" The nearly one hundred students practicing stance training couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

Nowadays, throughout the entire Xia Nation and even the entire Blue Star, there are two paths for selecting talent—cultural courses and martial arts cultivation.

And all students, starting from junior high, are taught basic cultivation methods by the state to practice martial arts.

Guanshan District No. 1 High School has over two thousand students in the senior year, totaling twenty classes.

But there is only one elite martial arts class; the others are ordinary classes.

The elite martial arts class has over sixty students, all of whom have awakened martial arts spirituality, and the top fifty martial arts scores in the grade are often held by them.

For Li Yuan to be able to break into the top thirty in the grade's martial arts scores from an ordinary class is very surprising.

"What about the others? Did anyone awaken spirituality?" The burly man's gaze swept over the others.

Silence.

"Everyone come in first." The burly man was not surprised.

In fact, if one could awaken martial arts spirituality, most succeeded in their first year of high school or even junior high.

Wanting to awaken in the senior year? The hope is very slim!

The burly man had originally only held hope for Li Yuan. He waved his hand and said: "Group three, go to the Martial Arts Building for the spirituality test."

Boom~

A row of students practicing stance training, whose legs had long been sore and feet painful, hurriedly got up upon hearing this and rushed out of the classroom.

As for Li Yuan and his group, they returned to their positions and began stance training again.

"Brother Yuan, Teacher Xu seems a bit disappointed." A classmate next to Li Yuan with a short mustache and a mature appearance muttered: "But Brother Yuan, the spirituality test results just came out, and you aren't even a little bit disappointed?"

"Stop talking."

"Continue practicing. Four hours of basic cultivation a day is the basic skill." Li Yuan said indifferently. He had guessed the result early on, so naturally, he wouldn't be disappointed.

"Four hours?" The mature-looking boy muttered: "As expected of our class's second 'roll king'."

Li Yuan smiled upon hearing this and ignored him. He closed his eyes slightly, stood in his position, bent his legs slightly, and his momentum changed, resembling a rock, the unshakable aura about him becoming even stronger.

"Rock Cultivation Method." Li Yuan visualized the numerous movements of this cultivation method in his heart.

He had practiced these movements thousands of times and knew them by heart.

In this era, martial arts are prevalent.

The seven basic cultivation methods made public by the Seven Stars Alliance to all citizens of the seven planets have no distinction of high or low, only suitability.

Whether they are wealthy nobles or commoners, as long as they practice martial arts, they all start from basic cultivation methods.

"Rock Cultivation Method" was the cultivation method Li Yuan chose.

He had been practicing it for over five years now.

Every basic cultivation method can greatly stimulate human potential, causing physical fitness to continuously improve, and even completely awaken spirituality.

Not to mention that Li Yuan's physical fitness was not yet level 7.

Even martial artists who had reached the Entry Rank with physical fitness exceeding level 9 would continuously practice basic cultivation methods.

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

Every basic cultivation method has thirty-six practice movements, along with an exclusive breathing method to match.

Li Yuan's breathing was sometimes rapid, sometimes long, coordinating with the movements of his limbs, causing faint sounds to emerge from within his body.

Tendons and bones ringing together!

"So comfortable." Li Yuan was immersed in this cultivation.

He could feel his tendons, bones, and muscles being continuously stimulated, becoming even stronger.

This is the evolution of life.

Humans in this era, even ordinary teenagers, have the hope of breaking the world sprint record from a century ago.

They rely on cultivation methods.

"It's a pity that I didn't make it into the top twenty in the grade in the last final exam. Otherwise, besides the 5,000-yuan scholarship, I could have received some blood-nourishing liquid this semester." Li Yuan's thoughts drifted: "With more blood-nourishing liquid, my physical fitness would improve faster, and I could also ease some of my uncle and aunt's financial pressure."

Li Yuan is an orphan, raised by his uncle and aunt.

His uncle is a state-owned enterprise employee, and his aunt is a junior high school teacher.

Logically, such a family, while not wealthy, should be well-off.

But Li Yuan was sickly since childhood, and his uncle and aunt spent a lot of money to treat his illness.

Later, following the doctor's advice, starting from junior high, his uncle and aunt invested a lot of money in Li Yuan's martial arts cultivation, even exceeding the expenses for their own children.

Fortunately.

Li Yuan had good talent and practiced diligently. He got into Guanshan District No. 1 High School after the high school entrance exam, and his grades continuously improved after entering high school. He entered the top hundred in the grade in his second year, and by the final exam of his second year, he broke into the top thirty.

This made his uncle and aunt quite happy.

However, martial arts cultivation values talent, but even more so, money.

Especially after his physical fitness reached level 6, the food from the Star Realm, blood-nourishing drugs, medicinal meals, special equipment, etc., required for physical fitness improvement were all money pits.

Compared to other students in the top thirty of the grade, Li Yuan's external conditions were very average, even considered poor.

However, Li Yuan understood in his heart that his uncle and aunt had done their best to provide for him.

There were still younger siblings at home, so he couldn't ask for more.

"But, this is the sixth time."

"Starting from the first year of junior high, once a year for the spirituality test, I have failed every time." Li Yuan pondered: "If the spirituality hidden in my body could awaken, and I got a 10% bonus on my exam score, I could completely break into the top ten in the grade."

"If I awakened martial arts spirituality, I could also get a state subsidy."

Whether one awakens martial arts spirituality.

Looking at the entire Blue Star and even the seven planets, it is the most important indicator for evaluating a person's martial arts talent, bar none.

Yet, Li Yuan had never been able to awaken martial arts spirituality.

"Over the years, the number of students from our school who got into the top five prestigious universities has not exceeded five." Li Yuan pondered silently: "With my current grades, getting into an ordinary martial arts university is not a problem."

"But wanting to get into the top five prestigious universities, if I don't awaken spirituality, the hope is very slim."

Xia Nation has a population of nearly two billion and twenty-four provinces. Each province has a martial arts university that only recruits within the province. This is the goal of most students aspiring to martial arts.

And the top five prestigious universities are the five top martial arts universities established by Xia Nation that recruit nationwide.

In ordinary martial arts universities, although students receive plenty of training resources, they still rely more on themselves.

And for students in the top five prestigious martial arts universities, the state pours massive resources into every single one.

"Only by receiving state resource cultivation can my martial arts path go further, and in the future, I can become an Entry Rank martial artist like Teacher Xu, or even stronger than Teacher Xu." Li Yuan recited silently in his heart.

His goal for the college entrance exam was the top five prestigious universities.

However, the top five prestigious martial arts universities also have extremely high score requirements.

"One step at a time, there are still nine months until the college entrance exam." Li Yuan practiced quietly, his distracting thoughts becoming fewer.

Not long after, a burst of noise came from outside the classroom. More than ten students from group three returned to the classroom door, their faces showing a little excitement.

"Teacher Xu, Wan Xiao awakened spirituality."

"Teacher Xu..." Before the burly man could ask, many students couldn't help but shout.

The classroom suddenly exploded.

"Wan Xiao, he awakened martial arts spirituality?"

"He's going to the elite class?"

"Students in the elite class are said to be able to practice high-stage cultivation methods in advance." Most classmates couldn't help but show envious gazes.

Only by awakening martial arts spirituality can one enter the elite class.

Otherwise, like Li Yuan, even if he broke into the top thirty in the grade, he would still have to stay in the ordinary class.

"Wan Xiao?" Li Yuan opened his eyes and couldn't help but look at the burly figure at the classroom door with a slight flush on his face.

He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, extremely sturdy, resembling a bear, with astonishingly thick arms, only his face looked slightly immature.

It was exactly Wan Xiao, the only other student in the class besides Li Yuan whose martial arts score was in the top hundred in the grade.

"Li Yuan." The excited Wan Xiao seemed to notice Li Yuan's gaze, couldn't help but glance at Li Yuan, and revealed a smile.

Li Yuan smiled as well.

In terms of martial arts scores, Li Yuan was superior to Wan Xiao.

In terms of family background, Wan Xiao was much better off.

As the two students with the best grades in the class, Li Yuan and Wan Xiao often competed for scholarships, but their relationship was quite good.

Friendship between classmates is often very pure.

"Damn! Brother Yuan, you didn't awaken, but this 'Bear Wan' actually did. It's simply pure luck." The mature-looking boy standing next to Li Yuan couldn't help but mutter: "Calculating it this way, with his spirituality bonus, his martial arts score is almost catching up to yours, Brother Yuan."

Wan Xiao, nickname "Bear."

Li Yuan smiled softly: "Old Zhou, are you envious?"

The boy speaking was named Zhou Qi. Because of his thick hair and mature appearance, his nickname was "Old Zhou."

He was Li Yuan's junior high classmate, they got into Guanshan No. 1 High School together, and were assigned to the same class.

After five or six years, they could be called good brothers.

"I'm envious of a ghost." Zhou Qi whispered: "My cultural course grades are enough to get into a key university. Taking martial arts class is mainly to exercise my body. I can't be a 'thin dog' forever, and I won't be able to catch up to Lingling in the future... I'm just feeling indignant for you."

Li Yuan smiled.

Zhou Qi's physical fitness was average, not even level 4 yet, but his cultural grades were very good, ranking in the top fifty in the grade.

State resources are limited, and students recruited by martial arts universities are ultimately a minority.

Most students ultimately enter different universities based on their cultural scores.

"Wan Xiao has good physical fitness, it's very normal for him to awaken martial arts spirituality." Li Yuan smiled: "Besides, the college entrance exam is a competition among senior students across the province and even the country, not just a competition with Wan Xiao."

Wan Xiao awakening martial arts spirituality, Li Yuan would only be happy for him.

There were over sixty students in the senior year of the school who awakened martial arts spirituality. Looking at the whole province, the whole country... there were too many.

Rather than worrying about others, it's better to improve oneself. This is a truth Li Yuan understood from a young age.

Wan Xiao's successful awakening gave the other students a great stimulus, and those who hadn't been tested yet felt a little expectation.

Group four, group five... failed, failed.

In the end, all students in Senior Year (2) were tested, and only Wan Xiao awakened martial arts spirituality.

After all the students returned to the classroom.

The burly Teacher Xu swept his gaze and said in a low voice: "Good, today's basic cultivation ends here. Stop."

Clatter~

Clatter~ Immediately, all the students stopped. Many students' legs were already sore and weak.

It was just that due to Teacher Xu's severity, no one dared to lie on the ground.

Basic cultivation methods consume a lot of physical strength.

Even though senior students' physical fitness generally reached level 4, after two hours of practice, most felt exhausted.

"It's a good thing that some students can awaken martial arts spirituality, and those who didn't succeed shouldn't be disappointed."

"In the January adjustment exam and the April unified exam, the school will organize another spirituality test."

"Before the college entrance exam, there is also a national unified spirituality test."

"As long as you awaken spirituality before the college entrance exam, your martial arts scores will have a bonus." Teacher Xu said in a low voice: "But remember, exam scores are the foundation. Only if the base score is high enough will the bonus be useful."

"Even in the elite class, not everyone can get into a martial arts university."

"How do you get grades? Hard work!"

"Like Li Yuan, without a spirituality bonus, his martial arts score can still exceed eight hundred points, surpassing most students in the elite class." Teacher Xu scolded: "And his level of diligence, I don't need to say much."

Most students couldn't help but look at Li Yuan, their eyes mostly filled with admiration.

Li Yuan's diligence in cultivation was quite famous throughout the entire senior year.

"Brother Yuan, Teacher Xu is making enemies for you again." Zhou Qi whispered from the side.

Li Yuan smiled helplessly.

Ever since his martial arts score broke into the top hundred in the grade, he had become accustomed to being the "child of someone else."

Teacher Xu, whose real name is Xu Bo, is the martial arts homeroom teacher of their class and one of the only two special-grade martial arts teachers at Guanshan District No. 1 High School.

As far as Li Yuan knew, Teacher Xu's physical fitness had already exceeded level 15, which was an impressive existence among Entry Rank martial artists. He was originally a martial artist in the military and came to teach at Guanshan High School after retiring due to injury.

Physical fitness exceeding level 9 falls into the category of Entry Rank martial artists, and their status in society is extremely high.

Ordinary adults generally have a physical fitness of level 5-6.

"You are at the stage where your physical fitness is rapidly improving, and senior year is the year that determines your fate." Teacher Xu continued to lecture: "You must not slack off."

"Now, rest for half an hour, and then I will conduct the skill assessment one by one." After Teacher Xu finished lecturing, he turned and left.

"Ah?"

"Skill assessment?"

"Going to be brutally abused by Teacher Xu again. I bet you won't last three moves."

"Could it be that you can last three moves against Teacher Xu?" Many students whispered, quite excited.

In Li Yuan's eyes, a strange light flashed as well.

Blue Star and even the seven planets have always faced the threat of war, and powerful martial artists play an important role.

Therefore, universal martial arts cultivation is a consensus.

In human society, the status of top martial arts experts is extremely high.

Students like Li Yuan admire martial arts experts even more.

Xu Bo is already one of the top martial arts experts that students like Li Yuan can come into contact with in reality.

"Brother Yuan, skill assessment is your specialty." Zhou Qi said excitedly.

"Think about yourself first. I observed your stance training just now, and there's no improvement compared to last semester." Li Yuan smiled: "Later, don't get knocked down by Teacher Xu with one staff strike, or you'll lose face in front of Peng Lingling."

Peng Lingling is Zhou Qi's unrequited love interest.

Zhou Qi's face stiffened, and he said sheepishly: "I don't plan to take the martial arts university entrance exam anyway, Lingling won't care."

In the classroom, every student took out their own weapon from the weapon cabinet behind the weapon rack.

Afterwards, they all put on protective gear.

In this era, every high school student is uniformly equipped by the state with one or two unsharpened cold weapons, mainly sabers, spears, and shields, with a few choosing axes, halberds, or swords.

As for weapons like hammers, yue, hooks, forks, whips, and jian? Almost no students choose them.

In the practice of cold weapons, sabers and spears are the mainstream.

Martial arts college entrance exam scores have a base score of 1,000 points, consisting of three parts: physical fitness, martial arts skills, and cultural scores, accounting for 50%, 40%, and 10% respectively.

If spirituality is awakened, there will be an additional bonus.

Therefore, skill assessment is very important and is the top priority of students' daily training.

If one only has good physical fitness, one cannot get into a martial arts university.

Hoo!

Li Yuan also took out his weapon from his exclusive weapon cabinet, a black spear, nearly three meters long and weighing about five kilograms.

It is called a spear, but the spearhead is just for decoration, more like a long staff. After all, it is issued by the state and is only used for practice, not for real combat.

"Hoo!"

Li Yuan gripped the spear shaft, swinging and thrusting it seemingly casually.

Swish! The spear tip thrust directly into the empty space, faintly forming a sense of tearing through the air, causing the faces of the classmates nearby to change slightly.

With Li Yuan's strength, a single swing and thrust, even without sharpening, is quite astonishing in power.

"This kind of spear, only Li Yuan in our class can handle it."

"Li Yuan holding a spear, why does it give me the feeling of facing Teacher Xu?" Many classmates whispered, revealing envious and admiring gazes.

There are many students in the class learning spear techniques, but most are unwilling to practice such a long spear.

One inch longer, one inch stronger.

But the longer the spear body, the harder it is to control.

Weapons are meant to be practiced for a lifetime; the one that suits you is the best.

"Skills first! Brother Yuan's martial arts skill assessment in the second-year final exam was 356 points, the only one in the grade to exceed 350 points." Zhou Qi laughed: "Even Teacher Xu said Brother Yuan's spear technique is very solid."

Many classmates couldn't help but nod.

Without a spirituality bonus, and physical fitness not being the top, why did Li Yuan's martial arts score break into the top thirty in the grade?

It is because his spear technique skills far exceed his peers.

In the single subject of martial arts skills, Li Yuan is the recognized number one in the grade.

Soon.

The burly Xu Bo, carrying a long staff very casually, walked back into the classroom.

His gaze lingered on Li Yuan for a while.

"For the test, I will follow the college entrance exam standards."

"Take it seriously, treat every test as the college entrance exam. When the real college entrance exam comes, it will just be another test." Xu Bo's voice was low, carrying the long staff, looking very serious.

"According to student number, come up one by one in reverse order."

"Number 112, Zhou Qi."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====