Eight Block Street.
Wang Zhan walked slowly, followed by Lin Qiang and Deng Chaofan. Lin Qiang was still full of envy: "Boss, twenty thousand! That's enough to move to District D. Essence Pills, and two bottles at that. If I had them, I am confident I could become a Martial Student!"
"Haha, you're dreaming," Deng Chaofan mercilessly struck back.
Wang Zhan smiled indifferently: "What's this? Boss Wang doesn't care. If I want something, I'll go take it from beasts. A mere twenty thousand plus two bottles of Essence Pills to make me risk my life? Then my life would be too cheap."
He opened the cumbersome heavy iron door. Wang Zhan didn't grumble as he usually would. The poor have their own survival ways. Tough as they live.
The house was cold and cheerless. Wang Zhan returned early; his mother Yang Cui hadn't come back yet.
He simply made some dinner. Outside came the sound of the door opening; Yang Cui walked in, looking weary. She looked at Wang Zhan: "You're back early, you brat. Why didn't you go out and fool around?"
Wang Zhan laughed and said: "Mom, isn't it because I've grown up? Your son is sensible now."
"Sensible? Then find a wife for me, I don't care if you cheat, lie, or use sweet words. Get married quickly, have a grandson, continue the Wang family's bloodline, that's the real deal."
"Mom, why say such things?" Wang Zhan was uncharacteristically shy, his mind filled with the image of Yao Yao. Hmm, apart from Yao Yao's deliberately coquettish behavior being a bit hard to accept, everything else seems great. Most importantly, she's unwaveringly loyal to him.
"For you!" Wang Zhan took out a card. He had knocked this off from Zhao Xu. After buying Essence Pills and the cultivation guide, about forty thousand remained.
Wang Zhan continued: "Here are forty thousand dollars, Mom, take it. It's from my sister. You don't have to work so hard anymore."
Yang Cui was startled, turned her head to the side angrily: "That damned girl, actually gave it to you and not me. I don't want it. Given to you, you keep it. The exam is starting soon. You're grown up now; you manage this money yourself. Your old mother ain't old yet; I can still wield a knife! Stop chattering, hurry up and eat!"
"Oh!" Wang Zhan replied honestly, with his head down.
Yang Cui ate quickly. This was a long-standing habit. People at the bottom can't eat so gracefully and slowly. Time might be worthless to the rich, but at the bottom, another hour could mean another hour of income.
Finished eating! Yang Cui began to clean up the dishes, not caring that Wang Zhan was still eating. Looking at Yang Cui's back, Wang Zhan was a bit lost, how come his mom's back looks somewhat hunched.
"Xiao Zhan, I think studying at a technical school or getting into a liberal arts university isn't bad." From the kitchen door, Yang Cui spoke unheadedly, her voice gradually becoming murmured and subdued: "I can't manage so many things. I just want you safe and healthy."
...
July 1st
This was an incredibly important date before the Federation Era, back in the Peace Era. After this, this date became the day for the Federal Martial Arts Examinations.
On this day, the entire Federation was extremely grand, with fifty Giant Cities, including some affiliated satellite cities all set into motion.
The martial arts venue in Chu State City, this time was placed in Chu State No.1 Middle School.
Early in the morning, people from No. 33 Middle School gathered at their school. Principal Cao led the team, Li Cheng showed up, naturally, Chen Ping came too. Zhao Xu repeated a year, and the so-called Hidden Dragon Class naturally became a joke. Wang Zhan, now with the status of a ninth-level Martial Student, became the absolute C-position in No. 33 Middle School. Besides this, Lin Qiang, Deng Chaofan, and Yao Yao also came.
"Haha, Cao Fugui. So this is your martial arts exam lineup for No. 33 Middle School this year? Quite a number of people." A voice rose.
Only now did Wang Zhan and the others realize that Principal Cao's name was Fugui.
"Boss, do you think Principal Cao specifically ordered at school not to reveal his name?" Lin Qiang covered his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter, speaking softly.
Principal Cao greeted him, laughing: "Jiang Town! Haven't seen you for months, your mouth is still so foul. Not as good as you guys from No. 27 Middle School, looking at your lineup, it seems to have grown quite a bit. Over a hundred people, right?"
"Haha! It's alright. Mainly because some talents emerged. The resources given from above increased too. The sources have improved a lot." Jiang Town laughed heartily, looking proud.
During this conversation, other buses gradually came in. The people gathered around Principal Cao became numerous. These were all principals from various middle schools.
A bald man spoke: "You all are impressive. Our No.7 Middle School doesn't quite measure up. This year's sources aren't great. We have less than two hundred people registered for the martial arts exam this time."
"Principal Zhou! You're bragging. Less than two hundred people. We at No. 33 Middle School only have fifty or so," responded Principal Cao, a bit speechless.
Someone nearby said: "Boss Blade! Your bragging is somewhat bad. Too refreshingly out of place. However, expanding this year, your No.7 Middle School with fewer than two hundred candidates indeed seems a bit few."
Birds of a feather flock together.
The principals were exchanging and boasting. These individuals, who undertook educational work, were almost all retired from the battlefield for various reasons, either due to lack of talent or injury. For instance, Principal Zhou of No. 7 Middle School was bald, with numerous scars on his head as complications from being burned. Now, they could no longer boast about battlefield achievements, so all that was left to show off was their students.
The teachers also gathered in groups, discussing this year's seed candidates, top scorer candidates, and the impact of the Federation's recent reforms on martial arts strength.
As for the students, they mostly gathered by class. Wang Zhan's group was like this, with No. 33 Middle School's candidates clearly divided into two groups, with the Hidden Dragon Class on one side and Wang Zhan and the others on the other.
"No. 1 Middle School is really huge," Lin Qiang said with some admiration, his eyes filled with envy. "This campus must cover thousands of acres, and the training equipment is so advanced."
Yao Yao was not as abrasive as she usually was, appearing very serene. Her beautiful features made Wang Zhan take notice and become a little dazed. This was a side of Yao Yao he had never seen before.
"This is indeed the place where Chu State's elite gather. It's the best-resourced school in all of Chu State!" Yao Yao said calmly.
...
At 9 a.m., a few hover cars skimmed over and landed steadily on the playground of No. 1 Middle School. The stylish car bodies and the black exterior created an immensely shocking feeling.
The car door opened upward, and a dignified man was the first to step out. Someone in the crowd immediately exclaimed, "King Xing! Even King Xing came over."
At this moment, Wang Zhan was also shocked. For a mere Federal Martial Arts Examination to attract such a significant figure was likely unprecedented.
The hierarchy of martial artists starts from Martial Student and goes up to Martial Artist, Warrior, Martial Master, Martial General, Grandmaster, and then to Martial King and Martial Emperor.
One could say that Xing Zhenbang stood at the pinnacle of human martial artists. Wang Zhan's eyes also showed longing and determination. This was his goal.
With the arrival of King Xing, the high-level officials of Chu State City also appeared one after another. And the various schools began to become solemn. The teachers returned to their posts, and the gathered principals also came back.
Cao Fugui also returned with a serious face. "King Xing has always been on the front line of the battlefield. This time he actually returned to attend the martial arts examination. This is your honor, but also a pressure. Wang Zhan!"
Wang Zhan immediately stepped forward. Cao Fugui took a gratifying look and said, "Next, we need you to lead the charge on our side. Show the style and appearance of our No. 33 Middle School."
Wang Zhan nodded and said, "Okay!"
Cao Fugui hesitated for a moment and added, "Don't hold back, go all out. Don't be afraid of anything. Your strength is quite good. You have a hope of vying for the top scholar of Chu State. But, it's just hope. Let me be direct with you. Tan Junjie and Chu Shengtian from No. 1 Middle School are very powerful. It's said they both have the strength of ninth-level Martial Students, or even Martial Artists. Don't think you're so amazing."
...
Originally, everyone was already prepared to listen to King Xing's speech. But for some reason, it didn't happen. It seemed King Xing was just there to observe.
Next, candidates from the entire Chu State jurisdiction began the examinations. Just like the previous simulation tests, the content was simple, testing comprehensive combat power. However, an endurance test had now been added, and endurance was also integrated into the comprehensive combat power.
This change in detail was both pleasing and troubling. Some people were weak in strength and slow, but excelled in endurance, which was an advantage. For those with explosive power and great strength but no endurance, it was a disadvantage.
Wang Zhan's expression didn't change. Comprehensive combat power is just about the three main attributes. For him, balanced development meant not considering changes, with no impact at all. Moreover, this should be the most reasonable assessment. Of two people with the same strength and speed, the one with more endurance is sure to laugh last.
There were a total of one thousand testing sites. Each person had about ten minutes. This year's martial arts examination had a total of 68,739 participants from all over Chu State. Essentially, it could be completely finished in twelve hours. You could imagine what this figure means. Currently, Chu State has, at the very least, a population of over 30 million. The fresh graduates are at least one million, but only this small number can participate in the martial arts examination. Martial arts is tough, and not everyone can participate. This is the reality.
No. 33 Middle School!
Wang Zhan, has Wang Zhan arrived yet?
With a loud shout, it was finally No. 33 Middle School's turn. Wang Zhan had already walked over by this time. At the entrance, an invigilating teacher carefully checked Wang Zhan's identity, political review qualification letter, admission ticket, and so on before Wang Zhan walked into the closed testing area.
A male teacher, about forty years old, with a deep scar on his face, walked over looking particularly fierce but not intimidating.
After looking at Wang Zhan's data, the man appeared surprised and then gestured, "Start! Sit in that position and follow the operation prompts to enter the Virtual Battlefield! How long you can hold on will depend on yourself."
Virtual Battlefield!
This surprised Wang Zhan. He had heard of virtual reality technology, but it was mostly used for flight training and other aspects. A virtual technology that could fully reflect the human body's strength had never existed. He didn't expect it to be used in the martial arts examination now.