Chapter 10: Genius Contracts and the Four Great Academies

Jiang Qin and Zhang Le left the Military Department in the principal's car, driving along the roads of Tianyun Shi.

The evening glow on the horizon was being nibbled away bit by bit by the darkness; once the last trace of lingering light was consumed, the darkness would arrive.

When Principal Wang learned that Li Wei had given Jiang Qin a B-grade Movement Martial Technique, he was not surprised.

Although he was only the principal of Tianyun No. 3 Middle School, he had once been to Modu and Dijing to witness the competition between geniuses; movement martial techniques were extremely important in evenly matched battles, and the key to victory often lay in a single split second.

"Jiang Qin, I have looked into your family background; with your natural talent, you will certainly choose one of the Four Great Academies."

"I will not interfere with your choice, but there is one thing you must keep in mind..."

Principal Wang, who was driving, suddenly turned very serious and explained:

"Once your fame grows in the future, I expect many companies and factions will come to recruit you. They will ask you to sign a so-called contract; as long as you sign, they will guarantee your cultivation resources, and what you must pay in return is to slave away for these factions for 30 years after graduation."

The Genius Contract is a very popular type of contract in cities where the Martial Dao is prosperous.

It is often used to lure geniuses from remote areas who have not seen much of the world, for example, by giving you 1 million per month until you graduate.

And what you need to pay is to serve this faction for 30 years after graduation.

At first glance, it seems reasonable, after all, there are many students in this world from poor families.

But in reality, this is a trap.

The state will not miss any student with natural talent; as long as you have the ability, you can obtain corresponding cultivation resources through various means.

"Remember, no matter who asks you to sign a so-called contract, do not agree!"

The principal's tone was incomparably earnest; he was truly thinking of Jiang Qin's future.

Jiang Qin nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Principal, I understand."

Although this reminder was of no use, it was, after all, the principal's good intention.

Let alone serving for 30 years, Jiang Qin would not accept even 1 year of service; he believed that with his natural talent, as long as the state's top leadership was not foolish, they would arrange resources for him.

Furthermore, even if he encountered the worst-case scenario, he still had his cheap parents in Dijing.

"Hey Principal, you're too biased, why only remind Brother Qin and not remind me?"

"Am I not your cute student anymore!"

Zhang Le shouted with dissatisfaction, feeling he had been treated differently.

However, Principal Wang only rolled his eyes at him, as if to say:

Do you not have any idea how you got that third place?

Only someone with a broken brain would spend resources to sign a contract with a slacker like you.

Besides, the Zhang family's influence is not small; at least before the Divine Image Realm, Zhang Le does not need to worry about resource issues and only needs to cultivate step by step.

…

Returning to the Third Middle School, Zhang Le's father was already waiting at the school gate.

Jiang Qin got out of the car with him.

After the principal left.

Zhang Kuotian called out to him and invited him with a smile:

"Student Jiang, I know all about the practical assessment; I have to thank you for looking after my Lele, otherwise, based on this brat's strength, I'm afraid he would have brought me back another last-place finish."

He pointed to the car parked nearby:

"In terms of both reason and sentiment, your uncle must treat you to a meal to express my gratitude. After we finish eating, I will have the driver take you straight back, how about it?"

Before Jiang Qin could speak, Zhang Le impatiently pulled him toward the car.

"Oh, hurry up and get in the car, Brother Qin, it's a free meal, might as well eat it! We'll sleep together tonight, anyway we don't have to go to school tomorrow, let's play games all night!"

"……Sleeping together is unnecessary, I have a cleanliness obsession."

"……"

The Night in Tianyun Shi is a paradise that belongs exclusively to the wealthy.

People of all walks of life emerged from the streets and alleys; women dressed in revealing clothes stood under utility poles soliciting customers, occasionally exposing their fair skin on purpose to attract passersby.

They arrived at the Tianyun Hotel.

Because the private room and dishes had been booked before they arrived, by the time the three of them reached the hotel and had sat in the room for only a short while, the kitchen had already started serving the food.

Plate after plate of meat dishes with an appetizing aroma were brought to the table; truly, not a single vegetable was to be seen.

"Little Jiang, don't be polite, taste it and see how it is."

Jiang Qin picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and chewed it in his mouth; the meat was tender and soft, and it seemed... it even added a trace of strength?

Although it was imperceptible, it had indeed increased.

Zhang Kuotian then smiled: "The meat at this hotel is all cooked using Fierce Beasts; ordinary people can occasionally eat it to strengthen their bodies, and this meat also has an effect on low-level Martial Artists."

"Uncle Zhang is generous, then I won't be polite."

"Haha, don't worry, there's more if you don't have enough."

The atmosphere between the three was very harmonious, and the plates on the table were visibly decreasing.

The stronger a Martial Artist's realm, the harder it is for ordinary meat to satisfy the body's needs, so Fierce Beast meat is very popular in the Martial Artist circle, and the price is naturally not cheap; after all, one cannot catch a Fierce Beast anytime and anywhere.

After sweeping through the dishes on the table, Jiang Qin let out a satisfied burp.

Zhang Le, on the other hand, could no longer eat and was leaning back in his chair, clutching his big belly.

After all, he was only in the Mortal Embryo Realm, and the energy he could absorb was limited.

"Student Jiang, I wonder if you know much about the Four Great Academies?" Zhang Kuotian suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Jiang Qin shook his head: "I would like to hear Uncle Zhang's explanation."

A smile appeared on Zhang Kuotian's face, and he immediately began to explain the respective advantages of the Four Great Academies to Jiang Qin.

"Let's start with the number one ranked, Modu Academy."

"Modu Academy has the most resources of the Four Great Academies; most of the students who graduate from there become powerful Martial Artists who hold down a region."

"Dijing Academy's resources are slightly inferior to Modu Academy, but it has the richest variety of martial techniques; however, most who join are heirs of major factions, and students with backgrounds are a dime a dozen, making it very difficult for ordinary students to stand out."

"Bianse Academy, as the name implies, is established at the Frontier, where beast tides are constant; the students there take killing Fierce Beasts as their duty, earning Contribution Points to exchange for cultivation methods to improve themselves, though conditions are relatively harsh."

"Finally, there is Zhenling Academy, which specifically supplies talent to the Zhenling Bureau; if Bianse Academy maintains stability at the Frontier, then Zhenling Academy maintains stability in the cities, and wanting to enforce the law impartially offends many factions, resulting in very few students willing to join."

In reality, the situation at Zhenling Academy was far more serious than what Zhang Kuotian described.

There have even been rumors over the past two years that Zhenling Academy no longer deserves to be ranked among the top-tier academies, as the number of students it recruits is less than half that of the other three major academies.

Zhang Le said with a chuckle: "If you ask me, Qin-ge, your best choice is definitely Modu Academy; you wouldn't have to face Fierce Beasts directly, you could cultivate safely and steadily, and then just slaughter everyone upon graduation!"

However, Jiang Qin already had an answer in his heart, and he shook his head, saying:

"No, if I really had to choose, I would join..."