Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Score Increase
The morning’s combat practice quiz caused quite a stir, instantly becoming the hottest topic in Class Six, Year Three of Nanliang High School in Jinshui District, Jianghuai City, Yanhua Country, on the planet Cyan Blue.
During the lunch break, Yang Shen was surrounded by a group of people, all still chattering on about what had happened in the gymnasium.
"Yang Shen, what did Liu Yuankui say to you? Is he going to give you special training too?"
"You’ve got to be scoring over 100 on this combat quiz, right? Zhao Mengmeng got a 95 last time, so you must be higher than her."
Yang Shen was getting tired of dealing with them, but he perked up at the mention of his score.
"I don’t know, we’ll see how the teacher grades it... Hehe."
On his last monthly exam, his combat score was only a 62, and that was with a bit of an "encouragement bonus." The school’s monthly exams got stricter as the year went on; the first one was always a little lenient to give students the illusion that ’I can still be saved.’
If he jumped to 100 points, plus the special bonus for "Fist Intent," that would be an increase of 48 points.
Of course, that was still a far cry from the full 150 points for combat. He had defeated Zhao Mengmeng, not Xu Bamboo.
In reality, the college entrance exam scores tended to follow a normal distribution; extremely low and extremely high scores were rare. His teacher had said that for the entrance exam, as long as you made it into the combat testing grounds, you could get 20 points even if you pooped your pants on the spot.
And the more outstanding your performance, the more cautiously the points were awarded.
Even Xu Bamboo only scored in the 130s.
A perfect score? Yang Shen figured you’d probably have to beat the examiner to a pulp to have a chance. Only one or two freaks like that appeared in the entire Yanhua Country each year.
The commotion died down as quickly as it had started. After the bell rang, everyone returned to their seats, cherishing the precious time for their academic classes.
As the teacher was tidying the lectern and wiping the blackboard, his deskmate Xu Bamboo, who had been silent until now, whispered, "Congratulations. Did you awaken your Fist Intent?"
Yang Shen was surprised. "You could tell?"
"Just a guess... Liu Yuankui just mentioned it to me yesterday. He said I’m suited for the sword, and if I stick with it, I might have a chance to comprehend my own ’Sword Intent’ before I’m 30."
Thirty seemed far away, but in truth, most people only grasped such things after fully maturing and developing their own Martial Dao Will. For young people, lack of strength was one thing, but an unsettled mind was the real key.
Of course, Fist Intent and Sword Intent were bonus skills. In the eyes of High Realm Martial Artists, they were just another brick on a skyscraper. Good weapons, unique Cultivation Techniques, more resources... all of it was important.
Yang Shen had expected Xu Bamboo to be a little disappointed, but he had underestimated his deskmate. Xu Bamboo was already analyzing the situation. "Your score on the last monthly exam was 342..."
Yang Shen: "Why do I remember it being 343?"
Xu Bamboo said with certainty, "No, you’re remembering it wrong."
’How do you remember it better than I do...’ Yang Shen thought.
"You’ll have two bonuses this time, so your total score should reach around 390. That solves your most pressing problem. To be honest, if you could afford the tuition, you could already get into a private Martial Arts College."
Yang Shen: "Do I look like I can afford it..."
Xu Bamboo snapped his long fingers. "Yes, you’ve found the blind spot."
"Oh, thank you so much."
What kind of blind spot was that? It was the most glaring "bright spot" on him.
Private Martial Arts Colleges, in the eyes of serious students, were purely places to spend money and coast. The tuition was higher, you learned nothing, the Yanhua Country didn’t even provide Martial Artist subsidies for them, and society didn’t necessarily recognize their Martial Certificates.
After all, a high school graduate could still be considered a blank slate, but going to a private college would just get you "polluted."
Their "appointment" rate was higher than their class attendance rate.
Unless a family was being stubborn and simply wanted to get a Martial Certificate for the sake of it, no one was willing to go. The poor couldn’t afford it, and the rich looked down on it.
The entire Jianghuai Yang Family, with all its might, couldn’t afford it, so Yang Shen naturally couldn’t accept that option.
Xu Bamboo: "So, it looks like you’ve made a huge improvement, but if you stop here, your situation won’t really change... The key is still to raise your Martial Arts Realm."
"Without a higher Martial Arts Realm, your scores in other subjects won’t go up. Most of them are based on pure numerical ratings... If you can reach Bone Training, combined with your combat advantage and bonus points, you’ll have a shot at a third-tier private university. Only if you reach the mid-stage or even late-stage of Bone Training can you consider a public university."
Yang Shen suddenly asked, "By the way, what university are you aiming for?"
He had never been qualified to even think about such things before, nor had he researched them, but he was sure Xu Bamboo had a goal.
Xu Bamboo let out a breath and said slowly, "Jianghuai Sports Academy."
Yang Shen was shocked. "For real?"
Jianghuai Sports Academy!
One of the two great Martial Arts Universities in Yanhua Country, with the second-highest admission score in the nation!
It was a gathering place for famous masters, produced countless talented individuals, had a powerful faculty, and was even ranked among the best globally.
The last time someone from Nanliang High School got into Jianghuai Sports Academy, the students in their class were still liquid!
"The initial-stage of Marrow Refining... isn’t that going to be tough?"
Xu Bamboo nodded. "Yeah, that’s why I have to work hard... In the last three months, I hope to reach the mid-stage of Marrow Refining. My chances will be much higher then."
Yang Shen instinctively wanted to encourage Xu Bamboo, but then he suddenly remembered Xu Bamboo’s Life Chart.
A shadow crossed his face.
’If his "Early Death" Life Chart isn’t broken, what difference does it make which university he goes to?’
Xu Bamboo just had his seventeenth birthday, so theoretically he still had a year... But not living to adulthood didn’t mean disaster would strike on his 18th birthday. It could easily happen sooner.
’I still have to complete the system’s missions... The side quest hasn’t triggered again after being completed once. It’s intermittent, probably because my "social circle" is so narrow.’
’The achievement reward was a bottle of Peiyuan Pills. I haven’t taken them yet. I’ll try them tonight.’
’As for the main quest... sigh.’
Xu Bamboo nudged Yang Shen with his elbow. "What are you thinking about? Does me aiming for Jianghuai Sports Academy put that much pressure on you? Your face has gone pale."
Yang Shen rested his chin in his hand. "I was just thinking... about how to increase the population of my family."
Xu Bamboo: ???
Yang Shen frowned, seriously pondering the matter... ’Getting married and having kids is out of the question. The only convenient way is... to take on a disciple!’
Others might not be convinced by him, including that freeloader Huang Gang, but Zhao Mengmeng... she should be.
Of course, he couldn’t just casually teach the Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique to an outsider. It would just be a Martial Arts Master and Disciple relationship... ’I wonder if there’s a chance.’
Xu Bamboo followed Yang Shen’s gaze forward and saw him staring intently at Zhao Mengmeng. Humiliated from her defeat, Zhao Mengmeng was lying with her head on her desk, revealing a pleasant curve from the side.
Xu Bamboo’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning to one of speechlessness. He huffed, pulled a bottle of Initial Realm Passage Essence Liquid from his desk drawer, stuck a straw in it, and shoved it directly into Yang Shen’s mouth.
He was surprisingly strong, and it hurt Yang Shen’s front teeth. "What the hell... What are you doing?"
"Just drink it."
’Why is he so pissed off all of a sudden...’ Yang Shen wondered.
The language teacher suddenly turned around. "No whispering! Is language class not a class? You want to throw away the 70 points on the college entrance exam?"
The two of them quickly lowered their heads.
....
The class ended quickly. Academic classes were precious, and the language teacher, like someone on the last day of their gym membership, rushed to cram in every possible bit of knowledge.
From time to time, he would glance at the classroom door like a thief, terrified that Liu Yuankui would suddenly appear and ask, "Are you feeling sick?"
He didn’t know if his ancestral tomb was emitting smoke today or what, but he’d actually managed to get through the entire ninety-minute block class peacefully. It really scratched an itch. He glanced at his watch and decided to let the class run a little longer.
Just then, however, an unexpected figure appeared at the door, waving with a smile. "Teacher Li, class isn’t over yet?"
The language teacher snapped to attention. "If you need the room, sir, I can end it right now!"
"That’s not it. I’m just looking for a student from your class. Is Yang Shen here?"
Yang Shen looked up, and after recognizing the person, he froze.
The Dean of Students!
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