"Sent the wrong file?" Ryan Ling smiled, pointing downward with his fingertip. Principal Luke frowned, unsure what Ling was up to. What was so special about a student's transcript with a Life Strength of 5.1? Yet, he continued to look down the list.
"Life Strength is pretty average, and the academic scores aren't high...""Hm?" Luke suddenly noticed something, his voice unintentionally rising. "Martial Skill at Beginner Level 89%?" Then he sharply turned his head, locking his gaze on the 3D projection of Ling. "Are you sure this student isn't cheating? His Life Strength is only 5.1."
Martial Skill doesn't directly depend on Life Strength, but generally the stronger one's Life Strength, the stronger their Martial Skill. Improving Martial Skill requires more than talent—it needs many kinds of support: sparring partners, expert guidance, self-exploration, countless practical battles, theoretical deductions, personal fundamentals, and so forth. All of these require time to accumulate. Usually, someone with higher Life Strength has more experience, thus stronger Martial Skill.
Take the two Advanced Level students in the Hongzhi Class for example—they come from wealthy families with Life Strength above level 7. Their conditions are far better than Ethan Chen's.
"No mistake. I saw it with my own eyes on site, didn't blink once. It's a solid Advanced Level Beginner."
Luke fell silent for a few seconds. The transcript showed second place. Ling's move was clear:
"A genius. Truly a genius. He has a very real chance to reach Mastery Level or even Limit Level before the college entrance exam!""I understand your wish to get him into the Hongzhi Class.""Even though his other scores aren't outstanding, his exceptional Martial Skill more than compensates.""But here's the problem—each Hongzhi Class student has their own private Martial Arts Room.""Our school only has thirty private Martial Arts Rooms total, and none are available now."
Seeing Luke scratching his head in the projection, Ling smiled slightly:"No problem, I'll lend him my Martial Arts Room for four months."
Hearing this, Luke paused, lightly tapped the table with his finger, and said softly,"Ryan Ling... we once fought side by side."After a pause, he spoke earnestly,"You used to be a prodigy yourself. Despite hidden injuries inside, you still had a chance to raise your Life Strength to level 20.""What you're doing now will only lower your already slim odds!"
Ling was unfazed,"Since the day I decided to be a teacher, I've had only one goal: not to let any piece of gold be buried under dust."His eyes held a trace of melancholy:"Even if I reach level 20, what then?""It just means a longer life. But what our High Martial Civilization really needs are countless backbone forces and top-tier talents.""I reviewed Ethan Chen's records from elementary through high school and even called his family.""He's not poor, but his family can't offer much support, which is why he remained unnoticed.""If he had a better family, he would have already shined."
Ling was convinced. After mentoring many students, even though this was his first time meeting Ethan Chen, he could tell he was a rough gem.
Luke said nothing, resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought. After a moment, he said,"Alright, I know what to do.""Thanks, I'll provide his resources. Just four months."
Ling sent the test results immediately. He knew this move was a strain on the principal—Ethan Chen wasn't first place, and this violated rules since no extra resources were available. But Ling couldn't stand to see such a talent wasted. Though data showed Ethan was below many in Hongzhi Class, those were all bought with money; fundamentally ordinary.
Having been on battlefields, Ling understood exactly what High Martial Civilization needed!
Luke hung up, leaned down, and took out a blue folder from his drawer containing personal data of all Liang City No. 1 High School teachers. He flipped to a page with a photo of a bald man, and a data line read:College Entrance Martial Skill Score: Advanced Level 93%
"Ethan Chen's martial talent might even surpass Ling's. Both come from ordinary families—no wonder you want to help him..."
Fingers danced over the keyboard as the printer hummed, spitting out an A4 sheet approving Han Yiming and Ethan Chen's transfer to Senior Year Class 1, with Ethan assigned Martial Arts Room 001.
Luke spun his chair 180°, watching sparrows on a tree outside the window:"If Ryan Ling's Life Strength reaches 20, he could be selected as a Special-Level Teacher. So, for these four months, you can use my Martial Arts Room..."
...
To save money and for training, Ethan jogged home. His parents were still at work, and his younger brother Colin Chen hadn't finished school yet. Ethan didn't have classes this afternoon due to testing. Checking the time—4:33 PM—he usually would be doing basic training by now. But after close combat with the Educational Training Robot, he felt inspired and eager for a real sparring match.
But where to find a sparring partner with his family's conditions? And school forbids sparring with classmates—not to protect their market but for safety reasons. Sparring partners must be far stronger to ensure absolute safety and optimal improvement. Classmate sparring risks injuries and offers little benefit.
No worries, if not in reality, then online!
Ethan entered his room, spotted some dusty equipment, filled a basin with water, cleaned it, and connected it to power. Every high school student receives a "Virtual Pod" from school. Just lying inside allows entering a virtual world to battle others. Due to Crystal Space, Ethan hardly used his, so it gathered dust.
Lying down and closing his eyes, he immediately entered a blank room resembling the Spirit Room from Dragon Ball. To simulate reality maximally, everyone's avatars match real height, weight, and appearance—except their heads. Ethan didn't change his head or face but picked a pig head with sunglasses as a headgear. The sunglasses were just decoration and didn't block vision.
He glanced at his virtual info:ID: SprayBearAge: 17Rank: Bronze 0 Victory PointsRecord: 0 wins, 2 losses (Win Rate: 0%)
This info was public except the name, which could be hidden. Both losses were from when he first got the Virtual Pod. After that, he trained fiercely in Crystal Space and real life, never entering again.
Ranks are: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, and Supreme King. Among high schoolers, Ethan had never heard anyone reach Gold.
Virtual battles only test Martial Skill, and Life Strength is equal among players of the same rank. Bronze players have Life Strength fixed at level 8 by the system.
After a long absence, Ethan warmed up for 20 minutes to get familiar with his strength and speed. Pressing search, the first opponent info popped up:
ID: WildLeaf ChuAge: 36Rank: Bronze 40 Victory PointsRecord: 500 wins, 500 losses (Win Rate: 50%)