High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: School Begins

On the Battle Network, atop a simulated Cloud Sea Peak, three ancient stone chairs materialized out of thin air.

Amid flashes of light, three blurry virtual projections coalesced into solid forms.

Besides He Yifeng, the other two were:

Ling Jue, Dean of the West Courtyard, a stern-faced, middle-aged man dressed in a tight-fitting black uniform.

And Chen Shouzhuo, Dean of the North Courtyard, an elderly man in a white researcher’s lab coat. He had a gentle demeanor and even wore a pair of glasses.

The physique of a Martial Artist far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Especially after their Life Energy Level exceeded Level 20, the very essence of their life would change, making something like nearsightedness fundamentally impossible.

The glasses on Dean Chen’s face were more for decoration than function.

”Old Ghost He, what’s so urgent that you had to call us?” Ling Jue spoke first, his voice as hard and cold as his appearance. ”I’m in the middle of overseeing special training for a few kids. My time is tight.”

Chen Shouzhuo pushed up his glasses and said with a warm smile, ”It’s rare for Dean He to call a meeting. I imagine it must be for some happy news?”

He Yifeng laughed heartily and waved his hand in a deliberately casual manner. ”Oh, it’s nothing major. I just saw a piece of news that put me in a good mood and thought I’d share it with my two old friends.”

The more he acted this way, the more curious Ling Jue and Chen Shouzhuo became.

Ling Jue frowned. ”Stop being so mysterious.”

He Yifeng stopped beating around the bush. With a tap of his finger, a light screen unfolded between the three of them.

On it was Xu Wuyi’s record of clearing the eighth floor. He had specifically highlighted the words ”Dongjiang Province” under place of origin with Energy, making them particularly conspicuous.

”Here. A new student from our East Courtyard. Got lucky and just cleared the new student challenge.”

He Yifeng’s tone was light, as if he were talking about something trivial, but he couldn’t hide the triumphant look in his eyes.

’The eighth floor... hmm, so those Feathered People aren’t all that special after all!’

’And the Alien Races aren’t necessarily stronger than Star Beasts!’

Ling Jue’s and Chen Shouzhuo’s eyes instantly fell on the light screen. After seeing the information on it, both of their expressions changed slightly.

Ling Jue’s brow twitched, and a flash of surprise crossed his stern face.

Chen Shouzhuo, however, let out a soft ”Oh?” A deep interest shone in his eyes from behind his lenses. ”This kid is interesting. No new student has managed to clear the challenge since the Feathered People were added, have they?”

The new student challenge was set before the start of the school year precisely to test the students’ original foundations, not their growth after entering the university.

It was equivalent to a placement exam.

”That’s right,” He Yifeng chimed in with a grin, turning his gaze to Ling Jue. ”Old Ling, your top scholar from Central Province this year... didn’t he get stuck on the sixth floor? Such a pity. He was so close.”

Central Province had always been the West Courtyard’s largest source of students, and this year, they had even recruited its top scholar.

Ling Jue grunted, his expression souring.

’Qin Rui is indeed a good prospect; I knew that already. But he trains in his family’s traditional Martial Arts and focuses more of his energy on honing his Secret Techniques. In terms of combat, however, he’s a bit green and lacks experience. Otherwise, with his strength, clearing the seventh floor’s Shadow Fang shouldn’t have been a problem for him. It’s just that the other students from Central Province this year were of a lower caliber, so they couldn’t put any pressure on Qin Rui during the college entrance exams. If he’d had a rival, perhaps his progress would have been faster. Now that an even more monstrous talent has suddenly appeared in the East Courtyard... it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’

But no matter what he thought, Ling Jue wouldn’t admit defeat verbally. He replied stiffly:

”Clearing the challenge quickly doesn’t mean everything. The path of a Martial Artist is long; what matters is future potential.”

”Of course,” He Yifeng readily agreed, but the smile on his face grew even wider.

”But, a strong start is always a good thing. It shows a solid foundation, which naturally means greater potential. Wouldn’t you agree, Old Chen?”

Chen Shouzhuo just smiled and shook his head, refusing to take the bait. Instead, he carefully examined Xu Wuyi’s completion data, especially the times for the last three floors.

”Only 37 seconds on the sixth floor... This kid has a real knack for dealing with the Double-Bladed Mantis. The fact that he could pass the eighth floor’s Feathered People shows his combat adaptability and explosive power are both outstanding. Old He, your East Courtyard has really found a treasure this time.”

Receiving the North Courtyard Dean’s acknowledgment made He Yifeng absolutely ecstatic.

”Luck, it was all luck,” he said with false modesty. ”It still depends on his future training. But the kid’s temperament is good, too. He’s not arrogant or impatient. He hasn’t been showing off after clearing the challenge; I bet he’s already gone back to bury his head in cultivation.”

The three deans chatted for a few more moments, with He Yifeng ”subtly” continuing to show off.

After the call ended, He Yifeng disconnected, completely satisfied. He felt utterly refreshed.

Meanwhile, after Ling Jue’s and Chen Shouzhuo’s virtual projections dissipated and they returned to reality, both of them, without consulting each other, pulled up Xu Wuyi’s detailed file and began to study it seriously.

A new student who could clear every single level of the new student challenge was worthy of their increased attention.

Star Martial University was composed of four co-equal courtyards, and competition was everywhere.

...

「September 1st.」

Star Martial University officially began its school year.

The university atmosphere was a stark contrast to the strict schedule management and constant nagging from homeroom teachers in high school; it was so relaxed that many new students found it difficult to adapt at first.

There were no fixed classrooms, no advisors constantly watching over them, and no one even forced them to attend classes.

All course scheduling, resource applications, information queries, and even life services were single-handedly managed by the ubiquitous campus auxiliary AI, ”Anna.”

Students had enormous autonomy, which also meant they needed extremely strong self-discipline.

Xu Wuyi woke up on time, early in the morning.

After finishing his practice of the Mountain Shifting Technique in the Meditation Room, he went to the living room, where the smart kitchen had already prepared breakfast according to his preset nutritional formula.

After breakfast, he set off for the new student reception center.

The Star Martial University campus was far more expansive than Red River City First Middle School. Along the way, there were not only teaching buildings and training halls of various styles, but also numerous small commercial streets, cafeterias, and recreational areas. It was like a fully functional city.

The people coming and going on the paths were not just new students, but also many upperclassmen whose auras felt more condensed.

More than half an hour later, Xu Wuyi arrived at the new student reception center.

Unlike the quiet emptiness of his last visit, the reception center was buzzing with activity today. Hundreds of new students were queuing in an orderly fashion under the guidance of smart robots, while light screens constantly refreshed with their processing status.

There were no staff members maintaining order and no teachers giving instructions on-site; everything proceeded in an orderly manner under Anna’s coordination.

”Student Xu Wuyi, welcome. You are here to complete the official matriculation procedures.” As soon as Xu Wuyi walked up to the exclusive channel, Anna’s electronic voice sounded and a blue guide light automatically lit up. ”Please follow the guide to complete your student registration activation.”

He followed the light to a terminal and, following the prompts, completed a secondary input of his iris and fingerprint scans. His student information immediately appeared on the terminal screen:

[Name: Xu Wuyi; Place of Origin: Dongjiang Province; Scholarship Level: S-class; Affiliated Courtyard: East Courtyard].

”Student registration activated successfully,” Anna’s voice announced. A black box popped out of a retrieval slot below the terminal. ”This contains your student ID, course terminal, identity medallion, and freshman handbook. All related functions have been synchronized with your communicator.”

Xu Wuyi opened the box. The items inside were arranged neatly.

The student ID was a thin metal card, similar in material to the acceptance letter, engraved with his basic information and the school crest.

The course terminal was a palm-sized silver device used for receiving class notifications and watching instructional videos. The identity medallion served as a pass for entering certain restricted areas on campus.