"Top one ten-thousandth on the Blue Star Youth Ranking?" Ethan Chen was so shocked he nearly shouted out loud. He had seen this list in books before — it was a ranking specially for college entrance exam candidates, hailed as the genius leaderboard. Although Ethan studied at a key high school, he knew well he was far from a genius. Not to mention ordinary class students like him, even few in the prestigious Hongzhi Class dared to call themselves geniuses.
Liang City was a small-to-medium sized city, with about 1,000 students taking the college entrance exam each year. Above the city was the district level; Liang City was under the jurisdiction of Ziyun District. Each district governed about 100 cities, with roughly 100,000 college exam candidates per district. Above the district was the domain level; Ziyun District belonged to Bear Domain. One domain consisted of ten districts, roughly 1,000 cities. Each domain had about 1 million exam candidates annually. An ecosystem consisted of seven domains, equal to about 7,000 cities. In other words, the seventh ecosystem had around 7 million candidates taking the college entrance exam each year. There were nine such ecosystems in total. Thus, the total number of candidates in the human high-martial civilization each year was about 63 million!
Ethan's ranking at one ten-thousandth, even if he was last in that tier, would still mean ranking 6,300th overall! Although this was just a martial skill ranking, it was enough to be proud.
Clicking into more detailed breakdowns, Ethan found:
Blue Star Youth Ranking: 6,219th
Seventh Ecosystem Youth Ranking: 654th
Bear Domain Youth Ranking: 55th
Ziyun District Youth Ranking: 7th
Liang City Youth Ranking: 1st
This was a ranking specifically for martial skill among college candidates. Previously, since Ethan had fewer than ten matches, it didn't show. Unexpectedly, after mastering Azure Dragon's Sting, he had slipped into the top one ten-thousandth of the entire civilization's candidates! Even as a modest youth, Ethan's face flushed with excitement — it felt like he had finally earned some recognition.
At exactly 7 p.m., after dinner with his family of four, Ethan was washing dishes in the kitchen. His father, Jack Chen, quietly walked in and lit a cigarette.
"Dad?" Ethan was surprised; he knew his father rarely smoked and asked curiously.
"Ethan…" Jack exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking serious, "Do you think your old man is getting old?"
"Dad! What are you talking about? You're only 43!" Ethan quickly replied, confused.
"Is that so?" Jack took a deep drag, then continued, "Then why would you so easily give up on your future just for some Vitality Milk money?"
"This afternoon your teacher Ryan Ling called to ask about the family situation, and only then did I find out your martial skill had already reached 89% at Beginner Level One!"
Jack's voice trembled slightly with emotion. "I'm no illiterate — I took the college exam myself and even attended Martial Arts University. I know what this means. This is a good thing. Why have you been hiding it from your mother and me?"
"Is it because of financial concerns? Or for your little brother?"
His tone grew firm, eyes flickering with subtle sadness. "Ethan, you don't have to be so sensible… The Chen family's backbone, Jack Chen, can still hold on!"
"Dad, I…" Ethan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He hadn't told his family about the Hongzhi Class exam. Last semester his final martial skill score was 55% at Beginner Level One. That was when he switched from one pack of Vitality Milk a day to two. But Ethan knew that was the family limit; he didn't want to add more burden to his parents' shoulders. He had the Crystal Space; even without money or external boosts, he believed he could rise — just a matter of time. If he got into Hongzhi Class and received resources, he would tell his family. But never expected Ryan Ling to call home for info.
Jack said no more. Ethan's maturity touched him. He knew his son's personality was like his own: willing to endure hardship so family could live better.
Jack silently took out a card and slipped it into Ethan's shirt pocket. He patted Ethan's chest reassuringly, "Last four months — sprint with all your might!"
Watching Jack leave, Ethan's eyes reddened. Clenching his fist, his thousand words boiled down to one: "Okay!"
At Liang City No. 1 High School, Principal Luke finished signing the last document, set down his pen, stretched lazily, and sipped from his now-cold tea, preparing to go home.
"Master, Mayor Wang requests 3D communication." Just as Luke stood and tidied his clothes, ready to leave, his smart bracelet beeped with an incoming 3D call.
"Mayor Wang?" Luke's expression instantly turned serious. He ruffled his hair and clothes, trying to look busy at work. Then he skillfully opened the first drawer on his desk, took out a small heating pack the size of a fingernail, and tossed it into the cold tea. One second later, steam rose. Luke tapped the accept button on his bracelet.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mayor. I was just brewing some hot tea and was about to work overtime on urgent matters."
"Haha, Principal Luke, you're really dedicated! If all high school principals were as responsible as you, I'd be much more at ease!" Mayor Wang praised Luke's work ethic and gave a thumbs up.
"First, congratulations! Your school has produced a remarkable talent — making the top one ten-thousandth on the Blue Star Youth Ranking!"
Mayor Wang happily said, "Not only number one in our Liang City Youth Ranking, but also seventh in the Ziyun District Youth Ranking!"
"A truly extraordinary martial talent!"
Hearing this, Luke smiled politely but thought to himself: Top one ten-thousandth? Seventh in Ziyun District? Number one in Liang City? But isn't Liu Bo from City No. 2 the martial skill king? That student was prevented from entering City No. 1 due to specialization weaknesses and went to City No. 2. His martial skills were so strong he steadily outperformed the two Advanced Beginner Level students in Hongzhi Class at City No. 1.
Was Mayor Wang mistaken? Luke was puzzled but kept smiling: "Not at all, Mayor, it's thanks to your leadership. We're just following the goals you set."
Mayor Wang seemed used to such flattery and didn't question.
"Anyway, I won't say more — the Hundred Cities Championship starts next month."
"Tomorrow, bring Ethan Chen, Liu Bo, and Moret to my office."
"Understood! No problem!" Luke quickly agreed.
After disconnecting, Luke was a little dazed.
Liu Bo was the strongest martial skill student at City No. 2; Moret was the top student in City No. 1's Hongzhi Class. But Ethan Chen — who was he? Wait…
"Ethan Chen… Ethan Chen… sounds so familiar, like I just heard that name."
Slapping the table, Luke exclaimed, "Isn't Ethan Chen the student Ryan Ling recommended into Hongzhi Class?"