「The next day, February 15th.」
The morning mist hadn’t yet completely dissipated, but crowds had already ford in the central plaza of Bluestone Third Middle School and around the bulletin boards in front of the main academic buildings.
A massive, red-and-gold banner was posted high on the boards, exceptionally eye-catching in the morning light: "Final Selection List for the Third-Year Flying Star Class."
First Place: Huang Hao (Third Year, Class 1)
Second Place: Li Wen (Third Year, Class 21)
Third Place: Zhao Feng (Third Year, Class 3)
...
The list was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly sending ripples throughout the entire school.
Every na on the list represented one of the sixty strongest third-years at Third Middle School—the school’s best hope for getting into a first-rate martial arts university.
However, the nas in the top three, with their staggering lead in points, imdiately drew the most attention.
"Senior Huang Hao is first, of course! Over two thousand points—that’s insane!"
"Senior Zhao Feng is amazing, too. He totally deserves third place!"
"Who’s this Senior Li Wen? How co I’ve never heard of him before? He’s ranked even higher than Senior Zhao Feng?"
For the third-years, the na Li Wen had transford from yesterday’s shock into today’s stunning legend. But for the first and second-year underclassn, it was novel and sparked intense curiosity.
"I know! I know!" a second-year girl imdiately chid in, her eyes sparkling with a love for gossip.
"All the third-year seniors are talking about it! Apparently, this Senior Li Wen used to be totally unremarkable in a regular class. It even took him forever just to reach Minor Achievent in a High-Tier technique."
"Yeah, yeah!" another first-year boy added excitedly, squeezing his way into the conversation.
"But he’s incredibly hardworking! They say he’s always the first to arrive and the last to leave Class 21 every single day! The guy’s a total training fiend!"
"I heard his family isn’t well-off, so he spent his entire winter and sumr breaks training in the free Martial Arts Rooms on the lowest level of the Fire Hall..."
"Exactly! Everyone’s saying all his hard work finally paid off. He had a sudden breakthrough, and now he’s achieved mastery in a top-tier blade technique! It’s so inspirational!"
"So cool! Who cares if his physical stats are low? He fought his way into second place on pure skill! From now on, Senior Li Wen is my role model! I’m going to work as hard as him and aim for mastery in a top-tier technique too!"
Similar conversations were erupting in every corner of the campus.
While the nas Huang Hao and Zhao Feng carried their own prestige, making them campus celebrities long ago, it was Li Wen—the dark horse who had charged into second place with the lowest physical stats but an astonishing level of skill—who truly captured everyone’s imagination.
His story of "ordinary talent extre effort rising from adversity" quickly beca the talk of the school, giving countless average students imnse inspiration and hope.
Overnight, Li Wen’s na had beco famous throughout the entire Bluestone Third Middle School campus.
anwhile, the sixty mbers of the Flying Star Class had been notified to assemble on the top floor of Hongyi Building. Located in the center of campus, it housed the school’s best facilities, and their brand-new classroom was marked with a plaque that read "Flying Star Class."
The classroom was spacious, bright, and fully equipped.
Out of habit, Li Wen chose a seat in the back row by the window.
Outside, plane trees were just beginning to bud, and a corner of the distant athletic field was visible, but he didn’t spare the scenery a single glance after sitting down.
Instead, he pulled a copy of *High-Tier Galactic Common Tongue Grammar* from his overstuffed bag, laid it on the desk, and began to read with intense focus.
[You have studied the Galactic Common Tongue for ten minutes. Scholar EXP 1.]
The notification materialized silently on his panel. Li Wen imrsed himself in his studies, tuning out the classroom’s din.
He was surrounded by new faces, and the atmosphere was electric. These top students of Third Middle School were a mix of excited and anxious, and their discussions revolved around a few key topics: their hopes for the future, their desire for resources, and endless speculation about their mysterious new Martial Dao instructor.
"What level of Super Martial Artist do you think our instructor is? The school set aside the best classroom and resources just for us, so he’s gotta be a top-tier expert!"
"I’m guessing a mid-tier Super Martial Artist, at least, maybe an instructor from the Fire Hall? Otherwise, how could he command our respect? Huang Hao and Zhao Feng have both mastered top-tier techniques, and then there’s that monster, Li Wen... A regular Super Martial Artist wouldn’t be nearly enough."
"Yeah! He’s gotta be one of those tough guys—eight feet tall and eight feet wide, bulging with muscles, the kind who looks like a solid wall just standing there!" Deng Yuefei, who had just scraped by to get into the Flying Star Class, gestured enthusiastically.
"And he’d have a booming voice and a glare that could scare off demons!" another student agreed.
"Probably covered in scars, too. The look of a battle-hardened veteran..."
As everyone chattered away, they painted a picture of a majestic, domineering instructor brimming with power.
Just as their discussion reached a fever pitch, the sound of light footsteps ca from the classroom door.
The sound was unremarkable—not too loud, not too soft—yet it brought all conversation to an abrupt halt.
A figure walked in.
The overwhelming aura of pressure they had anticipated never ca.
The person who entered was an extrely ordinary, even plain-looking, middle-aged man.
He was wearing a simple gray casual blazer with no tie, over a plain, solid-colored shirt.
He was rather slim and of average height; standing at the front of the room, he gave off no sense of visual pressure whatsoever.
A pair of slightly old-fashioned, silver-rimd glasses rested on his nose. His eyes behind the lenses were gentle, even carrying a hint of a scholarly air. He looked more like a humanities teacher or a kind neighborhood uncle.
His smile was faint and easygoing, completely at odds with the students’ image of an awe-inspiring Martial Dao expert.
The classroom instantly fell into a strange silence.
Sixty pairs of eyes focused on the mild-mannered man, and the stark contrast left everyone a little stunned.
The excited flush was still on the faces of Xue Jun and the others from their discussion about a "tough-guy" instructor, but now their expressions were frozen solid.
The bizarre silence drew Li Wen’s attention as well. He looked up from his book, his gaze falling upon the man at the front of the room with a cautious expression.
The mild-mannered man scanned the room. Seeing the young faces filled with astonishnt, the corners of his mouth seed to curl into the slightest smile.
He picked up a piece of chalk and turned to the blackboard, writing two words that were at once forceful and elegant:
Fang Chengwu
The characters seed etched into the board, and chalk dust fell like snow.
He didn’t speak; he just wrote his na.
But those two words, along with the natural, fluid grace he displayed while writing—as if he, the chalk, and the blackboard had beco one—subtly changed the atmosphere in the room.
The initial impression of scholarly weakness slowly faded, replaced by an indescribable sense of peace and restraint.
After writing his na, Fang Chengwu put down the chalk, dusted off his hands, and faced the students. His voice, neither high nor low and tinged with a gentle smile, reached every ear in the room:
"My na is Fang Chengwu. I am a High-Tier Super Martial Artist. For the next few months, I will be your instructor for the Flying Star Class, as well as your guide on the path of the Martial Dao."
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