"BEEP—"
"Verification successful."
Following the crisp electronic tone, the cafeteria's facial scanner displayed the student's information. A unique, floral-patterned border framed a few short, powerful lines of text.
[Student Name: Jiang Qiu]
[Grade Level: Grade 12, Class 8, Excellent Student]
[Support Scope: Free access to all meat and vegetable dishes below the level of Demon Beast Meat, free access to milk tea and other beverages...]
Glancing at the text on the screen, the corners of Jiang Qiu's mouth turned up unconsciously. He picked up a large tray of food from the counter and ambled over to an empty table.
A large bowl of rice was piled high into a small hill. Four or five large shrimp were arranged over a pork chop, and a large, crispy, golden-brown chicken leg rested on the side, its fragrant aroma wafting out. Stir-fried greens and bean sprouts were mixed in, topped with a slice of braised pork. In a small bowl of seaweed soup in the corner, the egg whites looked like clumps of creamy fluff.
A single sniff was a gluttonous feast for the taste buds.
GULP. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva. With a satisfying RIP, he tore off the chicken leg's crispy skin, the tender white meat yielding between his teeth.
"So good." Jiang Qiu's appetite flared. He dug in like a starving wolf devouring venison, his bright eyes filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
The last time he'd eaten a chicken leg was three years ago, before his parents died. That chicken leg had been dry and tough. There wasn't enough oil, it wasn't fully cooked, and there were still traces of blood in the meat. The sour, acrid smell had stung his nose...
But things were different now.
'Now that I have the status of an Excellent Student, I can already eat this well. If I become a Martial Artist, I wonder what Demon Beast Meat tastes like?'
Jiang Qiu's cheeks bulged as he chewed, a clear, distinct glint reflecting in his dark, limpid eyes.
'Only by fighting for more resources and a higher status can I eat better, and even live better. Just because I was born in the Shantytown, does that mean I can't eat the same things as students from the commoner districts?'
'Even if it's Demon Beast Meat, I'll get to taste it in the future!'
"BEEP!"
The tabletop vibrated slightly. Jiang Qiu, still chewing on his chicken, glanced happily at the phone by his elbow as a message popped up.
[Class 8 Homeroom Teacher Wu Shan: @All, I have reflected on my errors in Martial Arts instruction over the past few years. I will be voluntarily resigning from my position as a Martial Arts Instructor at Eighth Middle School after this year's college entrance exams and will no longer participate in any teaching work hereafter.]
"Hm?" The upward curve of Jiang Qiu's lips screeched to a halt. His right eyebrow twitched. 'Resigning... In the Outer City of Gao Yuan City, if you're not a teacher, you'll probably end up on the city walls.'
[Class 8 Homeroom Teacher Wu Shan: So, you all are the last class I'll ever teach. You're terrible, but I must fulfill my duties as a Martial Arts Instructor. Before I officially step down from my duties for Class 8, I will be explaining the essentials of the first eight forms of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique in the training hall for seven days!]
The moment this message appeared, the quiet group chat exploded like a depth charge, sending out massive waves.
[Qian Cheng (Admin): Sir, is there still a chance to receive a spearhead...?]
[Zhang Shan: For real, Sir? When are you going to teach the essentials of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique?]
[Li Si: Sir, Sir, this time will we be able to hear the complete lecture on the Ancient Martial Spear Technique?]
[...]
It was the most active Jiang Qiu had ever seen the class notification group. It was as if sunflowers, lurking in the dark of night, had suddenly whipped their heads around to grasp the first rays of dawn.
He shook his head and chuckled softly, then silently enabled [Do Not Disturb Mode] for all his class and student group chats. He shoveled large mouthfuls of rice and meat into his mouth, following it with a searing gulp of seaweed and egg soup that sent a wave of heat down into his core.
Unbeknownst to him, the mute-all setting in the private student group chat had been lifted, and it was also erupting with activity.
[Li Si: What on earth happened? Why did Wu Shan suddenly admit his mistakes and resign?]
[Zhang Shan: Yeah, this is insane! Wu Shan is actually going to give us seven more days on the essentials of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique. That's crazier than the sun sinking into the sea! I wasn't there; what happened at the proficiency test this morning?]
[Li Xueming: It's mainly because when Director Zhao brought an inspection team to supervise Wu Shan's proficiency test, Jiang Qiu publicly challenged the first name on the list, Wang Guanjia, and won a decisive victory. Wu Shan's rigging of the list was completely exposed...]
[Zhang Shan: What? Jiang Qiu challenged Wang Guanjia?!]
[Zhang Shan: Who's Jiang Qiu?]
[Li Si: He's that loner who always has a slightly sour smell on him. But how could Jiang Qiu beat Wang Guanjia? I thought he was from the Shantytown?]
[Liu Zili: What's wrong with being from the Shantytown? Jiang Qiu has already mastered the Mingjin of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique to the level of Spearpoint Armor-Piercing. He deserved to win!]
[Li Xueming: Mm, that's right. Jiang Qiu's Martial Arts Talent is very high; he's been hiding his true strength. This morning, he received Director Zhao's approval and has a good chance of getting into Northwest Martial University.]
[Zhang Shan: Holy crap, that's awesome! If Director Zhao said that, then it's almost a sure thing. He's about to turn his life around!]
[Li Si: He's also from the Shantytown, so how did he hide his strength so well? Damn, I totally misjudged him!]
...
「In the blink of an eye, it was two in the afternoon.」
At the entrance of the Class 8 training hall, the four students who had distinguished themselves as "Excellent" gathered, each standing silently and clenching their fists.
'We're about to receive our spearheads, the first real weapons of our lives!'
Jiang Qiu's eyes shone, his thoughts soaring.
Beyond the honor that receiving a spearhead represented, the most enticing thing was the value of the weapon itself.
In Gao Yuan City, a place dependent on transported supplies, the ultra-ancient spearheads were expensive due to their extremely complex manufacturing process. Forget families from the Shantytown, who could never afford one even with a lifetime of savings; even most families in the commoner districts wouldn't dare to take on such an expense. After all, that one small spearhead was valuable enough to bankrupt an entire family of five.
But it was worth the price. For anyone below the rank of Martial Artist, it was a weapon that could last a lifetime and be passed down through generations.
Even for a Martial Artist, its edge would not dull for a very long time.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...
Heavy footsteps echoed on the concrete floor as Wu Shan's sturdy figure once again came into view. "All of you, follow me to get your spearheads."
The turbid light in his single right eye swiveled and locked onto Jiang Qiu like a dropped anchor, then was abruptly pulled back. He turned and walked off in another direction.
The four students followed closely behind him. Though their expressions were a mix of complex emotions, their eyes were all filled with anticipation.
"You're all Excellent Students now. From now on, you'll practice in the Excellent Students' training hall, which is where we're going to get the spearheads," Wu Shan's face was not visible from behind, but his voice was heavy and blunt like a crushing mountain. "Once you get those spearheads, they're your lifelines. Don't lose them even if you die. It makes them easier to recover.
"Even just within the school, you'll have to fight for your share of resources with those spearheads. Only the one with the best Spear Technique, the one whose body is the most refined, will get the most Martial Arts Resources."
"Once you get to the Excellent Students' training hall, you'll be in training ground number eight. You'll learn the rest of the Ancient Martial Spear Technique from me, along with the matching Body Refining Heart Method." Wu Shan paused, his voice turning cold. "I could have spent more time teaching you, but Director Zhao is making me teach the complete Ancient Martial Spear Technique to the regular students of Class 8. Therefore, I will only give you seven days to learn at the start. That's right when it'll be time for resource allocation.
"I'll distribute the resources among all the Excellent Students under my name according to your individual strength. After that, I have to go to the regular training hall to continue teaching that bunch of ordinary students. Understand?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Qiu's pupils contracted. It was as if a dark, menacing eye would emerge from the back of Wu Shan's head with its sharp, short haircut and stare right at him. A chill shot through his heart.
'Those words were meant for me.'