Chapter 1: Li Yuan
"September 2042, China, Jiangbei Province, Jiangcheng."
A city known as the 'city of stoves,' where winter lasts more than a year, and early September is the hottest time.
"Guanshan District No. 1 High School"
On the back blackboard of every classroom in the senior three teaching building, there hangs a similar banner: 'Without striving, there is no gain. Senior three is a tough battle, fight throughout the year without regrets.' 'If senior three isn't tough, how can we stand firm?'..."
However, on the east side of the first floor, there is a particularly large classroom, covering nearly a thousand square meters. Unlike regular classrooms, there are no desks or chairs here. One side is filled with a large number of cold weapons such as knives, guns, swords, and sticks. On the other side, there are many special instruments and a special track paved with dark red metal.
This is the classroom for martial arts classes.
At this moment, there are over a hundred students practicing standing exercises in the classroom, performing various movements.
Some resemble monkeys, some like flying birds, and some appear similar to tigers... Their spirit and energy are all excellent.
"The root is in the feet, initiated by the legs, controlled by the waist, and the combined strength of the whole body manifests in the fingertips..." A burly middle-aged man in a black martial arts uniform walks among the group.
His face is stern, he stands nearly two meters tall, his voice is booming like a bell, and his gaze is as fierce as that of a tiger, staring at each student.
The most striking thing about him is his right arm, which is a silver metal prosthetic, seamlessly integrated with the remaining limb, and agile in movement.
"By rights, these are the foundational techniques you should have mastered in your sophomore year. Yet, here we are in senior year, and each of you is still struggling with basic standing exercises." The burly man berated angrily as he walked, casually patting a sweating student down with his metallic arm, "If your stance is unstable, your balance is difficult to maintain. Fundamental techniques are the foundation of martial arts!"
"Practice your fist techniques every day to improve daily. If you skip a day, you'll be behind for a hundred days. I can tell that some of you took half a month off during summer vacation and completely relaxed without practicing at home."
"You're all in your senior year and still want to relax? You're just ordinary class students without awakened spirituality. If you don't work harder, how will you get into a martial arts university?"
"Even if you're not preparing to apply for a martial arts university and choose the acadamic path, martial arts achievements still count for 30%..." The burly man continued to angrily reprimand.
These students dare not even take a breath, becoming increasingly serious in their training.
"Report."
"Report." Immediately, more than ten voices echoed in succession at the classroom door, where a group of students dressed in martial arts uniforms appeared.
"The second group that participated in the spirituality test is back?" The burly man glanced towards the door.
Immediately, the burly man's sharp gaze fell upon one of the students.
This student stands nearly six feet tall with a buzz cut, appearing unremarkable at first glance. However, upon closer observation, one would notice his upright posture, with his spine straight and an aura of unshakable stability when standing casually.
Clearly, this student has integrated the basic training methods such as "lifting the head top and sinking the tailbone" into their daily movements and sitting postures.
Truly achieving harmony of heart and movement, where intention guides spirit.
This martial arts mastery has already surpassed all students practicing standing exercises in the classroom.
"Li Yuan, how are you?" The burly man looked towards the person
The nearly hundred students practicing standing exercises couldn't help but sneak glances at a student named Li Yuan.
"Teacher Xu, I didn't awaken," said the student named Li Yuan calmly, shaking his head without showing any disappointment.
Upon hearing this, the burly man furrowed his brow.
Li Yuan is the student in his class with the most potential to awaken martial arts spirituality.
"Li Yuan couldn't make it?"
"At the end of sophomore year exams, his martial arts performance ranked in the top thirty of the year. His physical fitness had reached level 6 at that time, and now it's surely stronger. Yet he still hasn't awakened his martial arts spirituality? "
"Awakening martial arts spirituality is really difficult!" The nearly hundred students practicing standing exercises couldn't help but feel secretly amazed.
Nowadays, throughout Xia Country and even the entire Blue Star, talent selection has two paths: academic courses and martial arts practice.
And all students, starting from middle school, will be taught the basic training methods of martial arts by the state, practicing martial arts.
Guanshan District First High School has over 2,000 students in the senior three grade, divided into a total of twenty classes.
However, there is only one martial arts elite class; the rest are regular classes.
The martial arts elite class has over sixty students, each of whom has awakened martial arts spirituality. They often dominate the top fifty rankings in martial arts performance for their grade.
Li Yuan's ability to rank in the top thirty in martial arts performance among regular classes is truly impressive.
"What about the others? Anyone else awakened?" The burly man's gaze swept over the others.
A silence fell over the group.
"Everyone, come in." The burly man showed no surprise.
In reality, most people who awaken martial arts spirituality do so in their freshman or even middle school years.
Awakening in senior year? The hope is very slim!
The burly man originally only had hope for Li Yuan. He waved his hand and said, "Group Three, go to the martial arts building for spiritual testing."
"Boom~"
Upon hearing that, some of the students practicing standing exercises, already feeling their legs sore and feet painful, quickly stood up and rushed out of the classroom.
Meanwhile, Li Yuan and his group returned to their positions and resumed their standing exercises.
"Brother Yuan, it seems like Teacher Xu's class is a bit disappointed," muttered a mature-looking student with a square face and a short beard next to Li Yuan. "But you, Brother Yuan, just got the results of the spirituality test. Aren't you feeling even a bit disappointed?"
"Don't say anymore."
"Let's continue training. Practicing the basic techniques for four hours every day is fundamental," Li Yuan said calmly. He had anticipated the outcome early on and wasn't disappointed.
"Four hours?" muttered the mature-looking student. "No wonder he's the second best in our class."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuan smiled and ignored the other person. He gently closed his eyes, stood in his position with slightly bent legs, and his demeanor transformed instantly. He exuded a strong presence, akin to a solid rock, emanating an unshakable aura.
"The Rock Formation Technique." Li Yuan recalled various movements associated with this practice method in his mind.
He had practiced these movements thousands of times and knew them by heart.
In this era, martial arts thrive.
The Seven Basic Training Methods of the Seven Star Alliance, open to all citizens of the seven major planets, are not ranked by superiority but by suitability.
Whether wealthy and powerful or common citizens, everyone starts with the basic training methods if they practice martial arts.
"The Rock Formation Technique" is precisely the practice method chosen by Li Yuan.
He has been practicing it for more than five years now.
Each basic training method can greatly stimulate human potential, continuously enhance physical fitness, and even lead to the complete awakening of spiritual abilities.
Not to mention, Li Yuan's physical fitness is not yet at level 7.
Even martial artists with physical fitness surpassing level 9 continue to practice basic training methods regularly.
"Hoo!"
"Hoo!"
Each basic training method consists of thirty-six practice movements and also includes a dedicated breathing technique to complement it.
Li Yuan's breathing alternated between rapid and slow, synchronized with his limb movements, causing faint sounds to emanate from his body.
The muscles and bones resonate together!
"Feels really comfortable," Li Yuan immersed himself in this practice.
He could feel his muscles and bones throughout his body being continuously stimulated, becoming stronger and more robust.
This is the evolution of life.
In this era, ordinary young people have the potential to break the sprint world record set a century ago.
What they rely on is the practice of martial arts.
"Unfortunately, I didn't break into the top twenty in the last midterm assessment. Otherwise, besides the five thousand yuan scholarship, I could have received more Qi and blood medicine this semester," Li Yuan thought to himself. "With more Qi and blood medicine, my physical fitness would improve faster, and it could also ease some financial pressure on Uncle and Aunt."
Li Yuan is an orphan raised by his uncle and aunt.
Li Yuan's uncle is a state-owned enterprise employee, while his aunt is a teacher at a junior high school.
In theory, such a family should be considered comfortable if not affluent, sufficient for a decent standard of living.
But since Li Yuan was weak and sickly from a young age, his aunt spent a lot of money on his treatment.
Later, following the doctor's advice, starting from middle school, Li Yuan's uncle and aunt invested a considerable amount of money in his martial arts training, even surpassing what they spent on their own children.
Fortunately.
Li Yuan has a good talent and is diligent in his practice. He passed the entrance exam and enrolled in Guanshan District First High School. His grades improved continuously in high school, entering the top hundred in his sophomore year and breaking into the top thirty by the end of his sophomore year exams.
This brought great joy to his uncle and aunt.
However, martial arts training not only requires talent but also financial investment.
Especially after his physical fitness reached level 6, the costs for supplements from the Star Realm, such as food, medicinal herbs for Qi and blood, medicinal meals, and special equipment, all amounted to a significant sum of money.
Compared to the other students in the top thirty of his grade, Li Yuan's external conditions are quite average, or even considered below average.
However, Li Yuan understands in his heart that his uncle and aunt have done their utmost to support him.
There are younger siblings at home, so he cannot ask for more.
"But this is the sixth time."
"Since the beginning of junior high, I've failed the spiritual testing every year," Li Yuan pondered. "If the latent spirituality in my body could awaken, and I could get a 10% bonus on exams, I could easily break into the top ten of my grade."
"Upon awakening martial arts spirituality, I can also receive a government subsidy."
Whether to awaken martial arts spirituality or not.
Across the entire Blue Star and even the seven major planets, it is one of the most important indicators for evaluating a person's martial arts talent.
Unfortunately, Li Yuan has never managed to awaken his martial arts spirituality.
"Over the years, fewer than five students from our school have been admitted to the top five prestigious universities," Li Yuan silently contemplated. "With my current grades, getting into an ordinary martial arts university shouldn't be a problem."
"But to aspire to the top five prestigious universities, without awakening spirituality, the hope is very slim."
The population of China is nearly 2 billion, with 24 administrative provinces. Each province has a martial arts university that recruits students only within the province. This is the goal for most aspiring martial arts students.
The top five prestigious universities are established by China and admit students nationwide.
In ordinary martial arts universities, students receive a fair amount of training resources, but much more depends on their own efforts and abilities.
Students at the top five martial arts universities receive substantial resources from the government, with each student benefiting from significant national investment.
"Receiving national resources for training is crucial for my martial arts journey to advance further, aiming to become an advanced warrior like Teacher Xu, or even surpassing Teacher Xu," Li Yuan silently thought to himself.
His goal for the college entrance examination (高考) is to enter one of the top five martial arts universities.
However, the top five martial arts universities have extremely high score requirements.
"Let's take it step by step; there are nine months left until the college entrance examination (高考)," Li Yuan practiced quietly, his mind becoming less cluttered with distractions.
....
"Not long after, bursts of noise could be heard outside the classroom. Over ten students from Group Three returned to the classroom door, their faces showing signs of excitement."
"Teacher Xu, Wan Xiao has awakened his spiritual consciousness."
"Teacher Xu,....." before the burly man could ask, many students couldn't help but shout out.
The classroom instantly erupted into chaos.
"Wan Xiao, he awakened his martial spirit?"
"Is he going to the elite class?"
"The students in the elite class are said to be able to practice higher-level cultivation techniques in advance." Most of the students couldn't help but show envy in their eyes.
"Awakening martial spirit is the requirement to enter the elite class."
Otherwise, even if someone like Li Yuan ranks in the top thirty of the grade, they still have to stay in the regular class.
"Wan Xiao?" Li Yuan opened his eyes and couldn't help but look towards the burly figure at the classroom door, whose face was slightly flushed.
He stood nearly two meters tall, with an extremely robust and bear-like physique, his arms impressively thick. Only his face appeared somewhat youthful.
He was none other than Wan Xiao, the only student in the class, aside from Li Yuan, who ranked among the top hundred in martial arts achievements in the grade.
"Li Yuan." Wan Xiao, still excited, seemed to notice Li Yuan's gaze and glanced back at him, smiling.
Li Yuan smiled back in return.
In terms of martial arts achievements, Li Yuan surpasses Wan Xiao.
In terms of family background, Wan Xiao is much better off.
As the top two students in the class, Li Yuan and Wan Xiao may seem to compete for scholarships, but their relationship is actually quite good.
The friendships among classmates are often very pure.
"Dang! Yuan ge, you didn't awaken, yet this Wan bear actually did. He's just plain lucky." The mature-looking guy standing next to Li Yuan couldn't help muttering, "By the looks of it, with the martial spirit bonus, his martial arts achievements are catching up to yours, Yuan ge."
Wan Xiao's nickname is "Bear."
Li Yuan chuckled softly and said, "Old Zhou, jealous much?"
The male student's name is Zhou Qi, nicknamed "Old Zhou" due to his thick hair and mature appearance.
He was Li Yuan's middle school classmate, admitted together to Guanshan No. 1 High School, and assigned to the same class again.
Over the past five or six years, they've become good brothers.
"I envy what, huh." Zhou Qi whispered, "My academic performance is enough to get into a top university. Taking martial arts classes is mainly for physical fitness. I can't always be a weak dog, and in the future, I won't even be able to keep up with you... I'm just feeling indignant on your behalf."
Li Yuan smiled.
Zhou Qi's physical fitness is average, he almost failed level 4, but his academic performance is very good, ranking in the top fifty of the grade.
National resources are limited, so the number of students recruited by martial arts universities is ultimately small.
Most students ultimately enter different universities based on their academic scores.
"Wan Xiao has good physical fitness, so it's normal for him to awaken his martial spirit," Li Yuan laughed. "Besides, the college entrance exam is a competition among all high school seniors in the province or even nationwide, not just a competition between me and Wan Xiao."
Li Yuan would only feel happy for Wan Xiao upon awakening his martial spirit.
In our school's senior class alone, there are more than sixty students who have awakened their martial spirit. If we look across the province or the whole country, there are too many to count.
Instead of worrying about others, it's better to improve oneself. This is a principle Li Yuan has understood since childhood.
.....
Wan Xiao's successful awakening has provided a significant boost to the morale of the other students, and those who haven't been tested yet are feeling a bit hopeful.
The fourth group, the fifth group... failed, failed.
In the end, all students in Class 3-2 of the senior year were tested, and only Wan Xiao awakened his martial spirit.
Once all students returned to the classroom.
With a sweeping gaze, Teacher Xu, who had a robust physique, spoke in a deep voice: "Alright, today's foundational training ends here. Stop."
~rustle~
"Rustle~" Immediately, all students stopped. Many students had already felt their legs becoming sore and weak.
Due to Teacher Xu's sternness, no one dared to lie down on the ground.
The basic training methods are very physically demanding.
Even though most senior students have a physical fitness level of around level 4, the two-hour-long practice still leaves many feeling exhausted.
"It's a good thing that some students have awakened their martial spirits. For those who haven't succeeded, don't be discouraged."
"In January, there will be a midterm exam, and in April, there will be a final exam. The school will organize another spiritual test."
"Before the college entrance examination, there will be a nationwide unified spiritual test."
"As long as you awaken your spiritual consciousness before the college entrance examination, your martial arts achievements will receive extra points," Teacher Xu said in a deep voice. "But remember, exam scores are the foundation. If your basic score is high enough, then the extra points will be useful."
"Even in the elite class, not everyone can get into martial arts universities."
"How do you achieve good grades? Through hard work!"
"Like Li Yuan, without any spiritual bonus, his martial arts score still exceeds 800 points, surpassing most of the elite class students," Teacher Xu scolded. "And his dedication, I don't need to elaborate."
Most students couldn't help but look at Li Yuan, their eyes filled with admiration.
Li Yuan's diligence in practice made him quite famous throughout the entire senior class.
"Yuan ge, Teacher Xu is drawing envy towards you again," murmured Zhou Qi quietly from the side.
Li Yuan smiled wryly.
Since his martial arts achievements surged into the top hundred of the grade, Li Yuan had become accustomed to being seen as "someone else's child."
Teacher Xu, whose real name is Xu Bo, is the martial arts class instructor for Li Yuan's class. He is one of only two special-grade martial arts teachers at Guanshan No. 1 High School in the Guanshan District.
From what Li Yuan knows, Teacher Xu's physical fitness level has exceeded level 15, which is impressive even among advanced martial artists. He originally served as a military martial artist and retired due to injury before coming to Guanshan High School to teach.
It should be noted that surpassing level 9 in physical fitness categorizes one as an advanced martial artist, which commands a very high status in society.
For ordinary adults, their physical fitness generally ranges around level 5 to 6.
"You are currently at a stage of rapid improvement in physical fitness. Senior year is a crucial year that will determine your destiny," Teacher Xu continued his admonition. "There must be no slacking off."
"Now, take a half-hour break. After that, I will conduct the skills assessment one by one," Teacher Xu finished his admonition and then turned away.
"Ah?"
"Skills assessment?"
"Going to get bloodied by Teacher Xu's assessment again. I bet you won't last three moves,"
"Can you endure three moves against Teacher Xu?" Many students whispered excitedly to each other.
In Li Yuan's eyes, there flickered an inexplicable gleam as well
Blue Star and even the seven major planets have always faced threats of war, where powerful martial artists play crucial roles.
Therefore, it is a consensus for the entire population to practice martial arts.
In human society, the status of top martial arts experts is extremely high.
Students like Li Yuan greatly admire martial arts experts.
Xu Bo is already one of the top martial arts experts that students like Li Yuan can come into contact with in real life.
"Yuan ge, skills assessment is your strong suit," Zhou Qi exclaimed excitedly.
"First, think about yourself. I noticed you didn't make much progress compared to last semester when you were standing still," Li Yuan chuckled. "Later, don't let Teacher Xu knock you down with a stick. It would be embarrassing in front of Peng Lingling."
Peng Lingling is the object of Zhou Qi's unrequited love.
Zhou Qi's expression stiffened, saying, "I'm not planning to apply to martial arts universities anyway. Lingling wouldn't mind."
....
In the classroom, each student retrieved their weapon from the weapon cabinet behind the classroom.
Shortly after, they each put on their protective gear.
In this era, every high school student is provided by the state with one or two unsharpened cold weapons, primarily knives, spears, shields, and a few choose axes, halberds, swords, and the like.
As for hammers, maces, hooks, forks, whips, and bronze weapons, almost no students choose them.
In the practice of cold weapons, knives and spears are the mainstream choices.
The martial arts college entrance examination has a base score of 1000 points, consisting of three parts: physical fitness, martial arts skills, and cultural knowledge, with respective weightings of 50%, 40%, and 10%.
If one awakens their spiritual abilities, there will be additional bonuses.
Therefore, the skills assessment is extremely important and is the top priority in students' daily training.
If one only has good physical fitness, they won't be able to get into a martial arts university.
~phew~
Li Yuan also took out his own weapon from the dedicated weapon cabinet: a black spear, nearly three meters long and weighing about five kilograms.
It's called a spear, but the spearhead is just for decoration, more like a long staff. After all, it's provided by the state for training purposes rather than actual combat.
"Phew!"
Li Yuan gripped the spear shaft and casually swung it as if to thrust.
"Whoa! The spear tip stabbed into the empty space, faintly creating a tearing sound, causing the faces of the nearby classmates to subtly change."
With Li Yuan's strength, a casual thrust, even without a sharp edge, carries tremendous force.
"This type of large spear, only Li Yuan in our class can handle it proficiently."
"Li Yuan holding the spear gives me the feeling of facing a whole army." Many classmates whispered and showed looks of admiration and envy.
There are quite a few students in the class who study spear techniques, but most are unwilling to practice with such a long spear.
"Each inch longer, each inch stronger."
However, the longer the spear, the harder it is to control.
Weapons require lifelong immersion and practice; what suits oneself best is ultimately the most ideal.
"Skills first! In Li Yuan's sophomore year martial arts assessment, he scored 356 points, the only student in the entire grade to surpass 350 points," Zhou Qi chuckled and said, "Even the students in other classes say that Li Yuan's spear technique is very solid."
Many classmates nodded in agreement.
Without extra spiritual bonus points and not having the highest physical fitness, how did Li Yuan manage to break into the top thirty of the grade in martial arts?
It's because his spear technique far surpasses others of his age.
In the field of martial arts skills, Li Yuan is recognized as the undisputed number one in the grade.
Very soon.
Xu Bo, with a strong and sturdy build, casually carried a long staff as he re-entered the classroom.
His gaze lingered on Li Yuan for a while.
"I'll conduct the test according to the standards of the college entrance examination."
"Take every test seriously, treat each one as if it's the college entrance exam. When the real exam comes, it'll just be another test." Xu Bo's voice was low and serious as he carried the long staff.
"According to student numbers, we'll go backwards one by one."
"Number 112, Zhou Qi."