It was none other than Wan Xiao, the only other student in the class besides Li Yuan with martial arts scores ranking in the top 100 for their grade.
"Li Yuan." Wan Xiao, who was visibly excited, seemed to notice Li Yuan's gaze, glanced at him, and offered a smile.
Li Yuan smiled back as well.
In martial arts performance, Li Yuan surpassed Wan Xiao.
In terms of family background, Wan Xiao was far superior.
As the two top-performing students in the class, it appeared they often competed for scholarships, but their relationship remained solid.
Friendships among classmates were often pure and untainted.
"Damn it! Brother Yuan, you didn't awaken, but that Wan Bear managed to? Talk about dumb luck." The mature-looking boy standing next to Li Yuan couldn't help but mutter, "With this, his martial arts scores, boosted by the Spiritual Nature bonus, will almost catch up to yours."
Wan Xiao's nickname was "Bear."
Li Yuan chuckled quietly and said, "Old Zhou, are you jealous?"
The boy, named Zhou Qi, was nicknamed "Old Zhou" due to his thick hair and mature appearance.
He had been Li Yuan's classmate since middle school. They had both been admitted to Guan Mountain High, ending up in the same class.
After five or six years of company, they were practically brothers.
"Jealous, my ass." Zhou Qi muttered in a low voice, "My academic grades are good enough for a top university. As for martial arts, I mainly take it to stay fit. I can't always stay as skinny as a rail, right? Otherwise, even Lingling will leave me in the dust… I'm just upset on your behalf."
Li Yuan laughed.
Zhou Qi's physical qualities were average, barely reaching Level 4, but his academic performance was exceptional, ranking in the top 50 for their grade.
Given the country's limited resources, the number of students admitted to Martial Arts University was always a minority.
For most students, it ultimately came down to academic scores determining which university they attended.
"Wan Xiao's physical qualities are strong; awakening his Martial Spirit is pretty normal," Li Yuan said with a smile. "Besides, the college entrance exam is a competition among all senior students in the province and even the country, not just between me and Wan Xiao."
Wan Xiao's awakening of Martial Spirit only made Li Yuan happy for him.
In their school's senior year, over sixty students had awakened their Martial Spirits. Across the province, across the nation… there were far too many to count.
*Rather than worrying about others, it was better to focus on improving oneself. This was a lesson Li Yuan had understood since childhood.*
...
Wan Xiao's successful awakening deeply stimulated the rest of the students; even those yet to be tested began harboring slight expectations.
The fourth group, the fifth group… failed, failed.
In the end, among all the students tested in Senior Year Class Two, only Wan Xiao succeeded in awakening his Martial Spirit.
After all the students returned to the classroom,
Teacher Xu, a burly man, swept his gaze across the class and said in a low voice, "Alright, today's basic cultivation ends here. Stop."
Crash~
Crash~ Immediately, all the students stopped. Many of them had legs that were already numb and trembling.
However, under Teacher Xu's stern demeanor, no one dared to collapse onto the floor.
Basic Cultivation Method was highly physically demanding.
Even though most senior students had physical qualities of Level 4, practicing for two continuous hours was taxing for many.
"It's a good thing for someone to awaken their Martial Spirit. Those who didn't succeed, don't be discouraged."
"There will be another Spiritual Aptitude Test during the monthly exam in January and the unified exam in April."
"Before the college entrance exam, there will also be a national unified Spiritual Aptitude Test."
"As long as you awaken your Spiritual Nature before the college entrance exam, your martial arts scores will get a bonus," Teacher Xu said in a low tone. "But remember, your test scores are the foundation. A high foundation score is necessary for the bonus to be of any value."
"Even in the Elite Class, not everyone can make it into Martial Arts University."
"How do you achieve good scores? Through hard work!"
"Take Li Yuan as an example. Without the Spiritual Nature bonus, his martial arts scores can still surpass 800 points, exceeding more than half of the students in the Elite Class," Teacher Xu reprimanded. "And his level of diligence? I shouldn't even need to explain."
Most of the classmates couldn't help but look at Li Yuan, their eyes brimming with admiration.
*Li Yuan's dedication to cultivation was well-known across the entire senior grade.*
"Brother Yuan, Teacher Xu just made you public enemy number one again," Zhou Qi muttered softly.
Li Yuan responded with a helpless smile.
Ever since his martial arts score broke into the top 100 for the grade, he had grown accustomed to being the "model child" others compared themselves to.
Teacher Xu, full name Xu Bo, was their Martial Arts homeroom teacher, one of only two special-grade martial arts teachers at Guan Mountain High.
As far as Li Yuan knew, Teacher Xu's physical quality had exceeded Level 15. Among Entry Rank Warriors, this was an impressive feat. He had once served as a military martial artist and only retired to teach at Guan Mountain High after suffering injuries.
It should be noted that surpassing Level 9 in physical quality marked one as an Entry Rank Warrior—a social status of considerable prestige.
Ordinary adults typically had physical qualities ranging from Level 5 to Level 6.
"You are at the stage when your physical qualities improve dramatically. Senior year is the year that determines your fate," Teacher Xu continued his lecture. "There can be no slacking."
"Now, take a thirty-minute break, then I will proceed with skill assessments one by one," Teacher Xu finished his speech and turned to leave.
"Huh?"
"Skill assessments?"
"Time for Teacher Xu to crush us again. I bet you won't last three moves."
"Can you even last three moves against Teacher Xu?" The students whispered to each other, clearly excited.
In Li Yuan's eyes, a glimmer of unexplainable light flickered.
Blue Star, along with the Seven Great Planets, had always been under the threat of war. Powerful martial artists played an indispensable role.
Thus, nationwide Martial Path training had become a shared consensus.
In human society, the status of top-tier martial arts experts was extraordinarily high.
*For students like Li Yuan and his peers, martial arts experts were figures of utmost reverence.*
Xu Bo was already one of the most elite martial arts figures they could personally interact with in real life.
"Brother Yuan, skill assessments are your forte," Zhou Qi said excitedly.
"Why don't you worry about yourself first? I've noticed no improvement in your stance practice compared to last semester," Li Yuan said with a grin. "Later, don't let Teacher Xu knock you flat with just one strike. That would be embarrassing in front of Lingling."
Peng Lingling was Zhou Qi's unrequited crush.
Zhou Qi's face stiffened as he awkwardly replied, "I'm not planning on applying to Martial Arts University. Lingling wouldn't care."
...
Inside the classroom, every student retrieved their weapon from the weapon rack located behind the classroom's armory cabinet.
They also donned their protective gear.
In this era, the government provided every high school student with one or two blunt weapons, mainly knives, spears, and shields, with a few choosing axes, halberds, or swords.
As for hammers, poleaxes, hooks, forks, whips, and maces? Almost no students opted for these.
When it came to practicing with cold weapons, knives and spears were the mainstay.
Martial arts college entrance exam scores consisted of 1,000 base points, divided into physical quality (50%), martial arts skills (40%), and academic scores (10%).
Awakening Spiritual Nature provided an additional bonus.
As a result, skill assessments were extremely important and were the focal point of daily training.
If one only had good physical qualities, they still couldn't get into Martial Arts University.
Whoosh!
Li Yuan also retrieved his weapon from his personal armory cabinet—a black spear nearly three meters long and weighing about five kilograms.
Though referred to as a spear, its tip was purely ornamental, making it more akin to a staff. Since it was provided by the state, it was meant for training rather than actual combat.
"Whoosh!"
Li Yuan gripped the shaft of the spear and casually thrust it forward.
Swish! As the spear tip pierced the air, it emitted a faint tearing sound that caused the expressions of nearby classmates to shift slightly.
Given Li Yuan's strength, even a blunt spear delivered astounding power with just a casual thrust.
"This kind of spear? Only Li Yuan in our class can handle it."
"When Li Yuan takes up his spear, I almost feel like we're about to face Teacher Xu." The group of students quietly chatted, their expressions a mix of envy and admiration.
Several classmates trained in spear techniques, but most of them were reluctant to use a spear of this length.
In martial arts, the motto "the longer, the stronger" often held true.
But the longer the spear, the harder it was to control.
*A weapon is meant to be honed and cultivated over a lifetime. What's suitable for oneself is always the best choice.*
"First in skill! Brother Yuan scored 356 in his martial arts skill assessment during the end-of-term exam last year—the only student in the entire grade to surpass 350 points," Zhou Qi said with a cheeky smile. "Even Teacher Xu said Brother Yuan's spear technique is rock-solid."
Many classmates nodded in agreement.
Without a Spiritual Nature bonus and without the absolute best physical qualities, what allowed Li Yuan's martial arts score to break into the top 30 for their grade?
It was his spear techniques, which were far above the level of his peers.
In the martial arts skill assessment, Li Yuan was recognized as the undisputed best in their grade.
Soon.
The broad-shouldered Xu Bo casually entered the classroom, holding a long staff.
His gaze lingered on Li Yuan for a moment.
"For this test, I will follow the college entrance exam standards."
"Take it seriously. Treat every test as if it were the college entrance exam, so that when the real thing comes, it's just another routine assessment." Xu Bo's low voice carried authority as he wielded the long staff with a stern expression.
"We'll go in reverse order by student number."
"Number 112, Zhou Qi."