"Chen Che, Lin Yi!"
They ran into a few more classmates on the way, and after a round of greetings, things livened up considerably.
Just like modern high schoolers, the students mostly chatted about things happening around them. The hottest topic today was, naturally, the hit sixty-episode historical Xianxia series that aired over the summer break:
Divine Sword Demon Suppression Record.
"Did you see the finale?"
"That final sword strike where Li Feiyu instantly killed Han the Demon was so awesome! He just waved his hand and a billion swords flew up. That scene was just... damn! If I learned that, I could totally dominate First Middle School!"
"That's a Magic only someone in the Nascent Soul Realm can learn. If you could learn it now, forget dominating First Middle School—you wouldn't even need to finish high school. You could go straight to one of the Four Great Daoist Schools, and Nascent Soul masters would get on their knees, begging you to become their Direct Disciple."
A classmate named Qi Fengzhu responded while pulling out a calculator and mashing the keys right in front of everyone: "6666..."
...
'The Four Great Daoist Schools...'
Chen Che walked off to the side, listening to his classmates chat.
In this world, the Immortal Sects had established 365 Daoist Schools, relying on the world's Spirit Veins. These schools were naturally divided into various tiers, and the sole criterion for admission was the college entrance exam score.
Of course, if someone's talent in a specific area was particularly outstanding, there was also a chance for exceptional admission, much like the special classes for gifted youths in his previous life.
But that was something most people could only dream of.
'At my current pace... I wonder if I have a shot at getting into a top-tier Daoist School?'
Chen Che thought to himself.
Every student who got into the Four Great Daoist Schools was a top-tier genius. The requirement of reaching Foundation Establishment before the college entrance exam alone was enough to leave the vast majority of students in the dust, to say nothing of the strict requirements for other subjects.
"Have you guys heard? Huang Zhongfei was in seclusion for the entire summer break. I heard he even hired a private tutor."
Just as he was thinking, Qi Fengzhu suddenly spoke up.
"With his family's money, that's totally normal!"
No one found it strange in the slightest.
Huang Zhongfei was the class monitor.
Although he only had a Middle Grade Spirit Root, his family was quite wealthy, and he was a Second Generation Immortal.
The test for a Spiritual Root was expensive, something an average family couldn't afford.
Therefore, the vast majority of students chose to get the free test from the Immortal Sects after finishing middle school. Huang Zhongfei, however, had his Spiritual Root identified long ago. There were even rumors that he had been soaking in medicinal baths since elementary school to clear his meridians and undergo a complete physical transformation.
That was how he started his first year of high school already at the Qi Refining Second Layer of Cultivation.
But the other students all had to start from scratch.
Thus, among the four great elements of Cultivation—Technique, Companion, Wealth, and Location—many people believed that 'Wealth' should actually be ranked first.
"What Realm is he at?"
Chen Che asked curiously.
"Not sure. Maybe Late-stage Fourth Layer by now!" Qi Fengzhu guessed.
Just as they were speaking, the group arrived in front of the classroom with the sign "Year 2, Class 1."
The classroom was enormous, covering over a thousand square meters.
Besides the desks, a large open space was reserved at the back.
All sorts of Weapons—sabers, spears, swords, halberds—were arranged along the back wall, emphasizing the vastness of the room. Most of the students had already arrived and were gathered in small groups, talking about what they did over the summer break.
Even though they were Cultivators, they still had the mindset of high school students.
As soon as Chen Che stepped into the classroom, he saw two classmates sparring in the open area.
The one with the upper hand looked a bit old for his age. He was hairy, built like a tank, and stood a full 1.9 meters tall. At first glance, he looked like a parent who had snuck in with the students. Facing his opponent's frantic attacks, he blocked with just one hand, and he was doing it with ease.
He even made sure to taunt his opponent every time he blocked an attack:
"Put some muscle into it! Did you skip breakfast or something?"
"Huang Zhongfei, it's the first day of school and you're already showing off. Don't you get tired of it?"
Lin Yi shouted as he threw his backpack onto a desk.
"Fuck! Lin Yi, I may not be able to beat Dad, but you think I can't take you? Come on, come on, I'll give you a two-hand handicap!"
After hearing this, the older-looking student pushed out with both hands. True Essence flowed from his palms, knocking back the classmate who was attacking again. While cursing back, he shot a glance at Chen Che.
"Besides, if we fight again this semester, it's not so certain who'll win and who'll lose!"
A nearby classmate laughed.
"You dare taunt the class monitor? You're so dead. He spent the whole summer in seclusion Cultivating and just broke through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer!"
"Fifth Layer?"
Hearing that Huang Zhongfei's Cultivation had broken through, Lin Yi's expression changed. He quickly took a step back, pulling Chen Che in front of him for protection. "Bro, my bad!"
Qi Fengzhu silently pulled out his calculator: "666..."
"Dad, it's the first day of school. Let's have a match!"
Huang Zhongfei abandoned his previous sparring partner. He put one hand behind his back and raised the other slightly to the side. "Same as always, a father-son match. If you win, you move up another generation! If I win, we're even!"
With that said, he took a step forward and released his True Essence.
The dust that had accumulated on the floor for two months was instantly stirred up, forming a faint gray circle around him. His powerful aura made many of the students with lower Cultivation levels feel a bit breathless.
The school didn't forbid sparring.
In fact, practical combat was one of the components of the college entrance exam, and the school had even set up dedicated martial arts platforms for the students.
Clearly, the Immortal Sects didn't want to raise a bunch of bookworms who only knew how to do their Cultivation but couldn't fight.
'Pay-to-win Cultivation sure is fast. He's already at the Fifth Layer!'
Chen Che was also silently sizing up Huang Zhongfei.
The boy's aura was formidable and his energy was robust. It was clearly the result of a summer of hard training, not an empty shell built up with Pills.
Before Chen Che could speak, a soft, sweet voice cut in:
"Excuse me for interrupting."
Everyone turned to see a beautiful, youthful girl in a school uniform with her hair in a ponytail walk into the classroom.
Her long, black hair was tied up neatly, like a black silk ribbon. Even the plain, unremarkable school uniform seemed to become something special on her.
Ye Youwei, the class beauty.
Earth Spirit Root, Martial Cultivation Committee Member.
The rule at First Middle School was:
The one with the highest Realm served as the class monitor, and the one with the highest aptitude served as the Martial Cultivation Committee Member.
The one with the highest combat power was, naturally, Chen Che.
The moment she walked in, she immediately captured everyone's attention.
"Ye Youwei, you're not going to stop the duel between me and Chen Che, are you?"
Huang Zhongfei maintained his stance, saying with a deadpan expression, "This is a battle between men..."
Ye Youwei said, "Teacher Li is already here..."
Before anyone could react, a series of shouts came from outside the classroom:
"Old Li's here!"
"Quick, get back inside!"
Chen Che turned his head to look.
He saw a man in big shorts and flip-flops, carrying a thermos, walking unhurriedly past the window. Although he looked casual, to the students, he was like some great, unspoken terror, and they all scrambled back into the classroom.
Their homeroom teacher, Li Xiaoshuang.
Seeing this, Huang Zhongfei quickly scrambled back to his seat.
Just as Li Xiaoshuang's right foot stepped into the classroom, the bell for class rang right on time.
"All rise."
"Good morning, Teacher!"
"Class Monitor, Martial Cultivation Committee Member, hand out the textbooks first!"
Huang Zhongfei and Ye Youwei immediately stood up, and several students in the front rows also helped pass out the books.
While the books were being distributed, Li Xiaoshuang scanned the students sitting upright in the classroom and said with a blank expression:
"Very good. No one was late on the first day of school. I'm very pleased."
"What I'm not pleased about, however, is that some of you slacked off over the summer, and your Cultivation has barely improved at all. I won't name names here. In your second year, there will be monthly exams. The test scores will teach you a lesson."
"Aww~"
Instantly, a chorus of groans and wails filled the classroom.
Chen Che chuckled to himself.
It didn't matter if they were regular high schoolers or student Cultivators; the mere mention of an exam always got this reaction.
"In your first year, you majored in Cultivation Techniques, hand-to-hand combat, Weapons, and some basic Cultivation theory."
"The content for your second year will build upon that foundation and elevate it, and we will also be teaching some Magic."
"Now, turn to the last unit of Five Elements Techniques. Today, we're going to start Cultivating the Sword Control Technique ahead of schedule. This Magic is a difficult topic for the second year, and indeed for all of high school, so we're starting early to give everyone plenty of time to master it."
By the time he finished speaking, the books had all been handed out to every student.
RUSTLE!
Chen Che quickly opened his book.
...