High-Level Martial Era

Li Yuan's heart raced as he listened.

To break into the top ten, one hundred thousand Blue Star Coins for a First Rank scholarship?

Top five, five hundred thousand Blue Star Coins for a Special Scholarship?

It was Blue Star Coins!

Li Yuan remembered correctly, his aunt, a middle school teacher, made about one hundred thousand Blue Star Coins a year.

Like his uncle, if he chose not to be stationed in some dangerous places, he'd make a few hundred thousand Blue Star Coins a year.

"Teacher, really?" Li Yuan asked subconsciously.

It wasn't strange for Li Yuan to react this way.

Even though he was mature and had a good temperament,

he was still only a seventeen year old boy. To him, one hundred thousand Blue Star Coins was already a significant fortune.

"Would I lie to you?"

Xu Bo's voice was still cold, "The rewards are certainly real, but forget about the top five in the grade, can your Martial Path results break into the top ten in the January mock exams?"

Li Yuan calmed down as well.

Yes, no matter how good the rewards were, it had to be in his hands to count.

If it was the top twenty in the grade, Li Yuan still saw some hope, but the top ten? The chances were indeed very slim.

The most important reason was Martial Spirit... Students who had awakened their Spiritual Nature enjoyed a 10% bonus to their Martial Path scores, a significant advantage.

If Li Yuan scored 900, a student from the Elite Class only needed 820 raw points to surpass him.

"Getting into the top ten is indeed difficult, but you still have some hope."

"Besides, I've also worked hard with the principal on your behalf. Even if you can't make the top ten, as long as your raw score is second in the grade," Xu Bo looked at Li Yuan, "we will still give you some aid, it's just that, of course, it won't be as good as the scholarship."

"Raw score, second in the grade?" Hope flared up in Li Yuan's heart again.

Last semester, his raw score was already sixth in the grade.

The second in raw score? The chances were actually greater than being in the top ten in total score.

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"Thank you, teacher." Li Yuan expressed his gratitude sincerely, feeling that teacher Xu Bo, though seemingly cold, was actually warmhearted on the inside and treated him very well.

"It's late, go home and rest."

"When you come to school tomorrow, you will have access to the Independent Martial Arts Room. I'll send you the specific room number tomorrow," Xu Bo waved his hand.

"Yes," Li Yuan nodded and left the office.

And closed the door behind him.

Listening to the faint footsteps of Li Yuan as he walked away, a smile cracked on Xu Bo's cold face, "He who strives for the utmost reaches the middle, he who strives for the middle reaches the bottom, and he who strives for the bottom achieves nothing."

"Kid, don't blame me when you find out the truth."

Having observed Li Yuan for a long time, Xu Bo knew he was steady in temperament and worked hard in his cultivation.

But Xu Bo knew human nature even better, that a certain amount of pressure and temptation was needed to bring out even greater motivation.

Simply put— dangling a carrot!

The carrot just couldn't be hung too high, or else it would lead to discouragement if unreachable. Therefore, Xu Bo set another goal for Li Yuan, 'second in raw score'.

"Three goals."

"Kid, as long as you reach the medium goal, you'll be effectively reaching the high one," Xu Bo thought silently, "I hope you don't disappoint me."

Out of the two thousand students in this cohort, Li Yuan was the second one to catch his eye.

...

Muhua Platinum Mansion, Building Two.

"Muhua, we need to spend twenty thousand Blue Star Coins this month?" Li Yuan was in his room.

He felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Although Aunt Chen Hui had avoided Li Yuan earlier and quietly talked with his younger brother Li Muhua in the master bedroom, deliberately trying not to let him overhear... Li Yuan's hearing was too good now.

Standing in the living room, he still overheard a little.

"I need at least thirty thousand a month, Muhua also needs about the same, and Qian Qian will need nearly twenty thousand. Add up the daily expenses..." Li Yuan had counted this sum countless times in his heart.

The household expenses amounted to at least ninety thousand Blue Star Coins a month.

In reality, the three children could have been supported without practicing the Martial Path, based on the condition of his aunt and uncle... but the expense of purchasing various supplements and potions to assist Martial Path cultivation was staggeringly high.

"Moreover, Qian Qian and Muhua aren't like me."

"I have awakened the Mind Spirit Divine Palace, the 'Great Sun Starry Sky Scripture' provides relaxation and healing effects on the body, which can probably match the effects of high-level therapy that costs tens of thousands of Blue Star Coins a month," Li Yuan was very clear about this, "While for Qian Qian and especially Muhua,"

"if they want to achieve great success in the Martial Path, the resources currently invested are not enough."

"This scholarship comes with a hundred thousand Blue Star Coins."

"By the weekend, I must surge to five hundred points in the Gold Stage, then grab another fifty thousand Blue Star Coins," Li Yuan resolved quietly.

As for the three promises made by the teacher Xu Bo?

On the electric train ride home, Li Yuan calmed down and had thoroughly thought it through.

"Five hundred thousand Blue Star Coins!"

"If I could get them, the financial pressure on my family would be relieved by a large extent at once."

"But, top five in my grade?" Li Yuan thought about it and his heart sank to the bottom.

On the way home.

Using his smart wristband, Li Yuan reviewed the final exam rankings of the second year once again.

His overall Martial Spirit score was 802 points, ranked sixth in the grade by raw score and twenty-ninth by total score.

The students in the top five of the grade were all from the Elite Class. Their raw scores alone were over 800 points, and with additional points... the total score of the top one even reached an astonishing 962.5 points!

"The top one in the grade is too strong; there's no hope for me."

"Without an awakened Martial Spirit, my raw score is my total score."

"To break into the top five of the grade, my raw score must at least reach 860 points to have a sliver of hope," Li Yuan thought to himself, "Even for the top ten, a raw score of around 840 points is nearly necessary."

A raw score of 840 points.

In the final exams of the second year, that would have already been the second-highest raw score in the grade.

"Work hard."

"By the January mock exams, strive to get over 410 points in Physical Quality, strive to get over 375 points in Martial Arts Skills, and strive to get over 75 points in academics," Li Yuan set three individual subject goals for himself.

All of them must be met.

Only then would there be a faint hope of reaching the top five in the grade.

...

In the master bedroom, Chen Hui was having a video call with Li Changzhou.

"Wife, did you receive the money?" Li Changzhou's face looked even darker.

"Mhm."

"Don't worry, I'll plan everything at home," Aunt Chen Hui nodded, "With these five hundred thousand, plus what we had before, it should be enough until next year around February or March."

"Mm-hmm," Li Changzhou smiled and said, "Wife, don't worry too much. There will be a subsidy from the company at the end of the year, and there's my salary... life will be easier after Xiaoyuan's college entrance exams."

Chen Hui nodded and tried to smile lightly to appear relaxed.

Suddenly.

"Buzz~" The other end of the video call shook violently; Li Changzhou, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up.

"Clang~" In the video, a door that was ajar got knocked open, and faint yet massive explosion sounds could be heard from outside.

"Manager Li, hurry! Quick!" A worker clad in a uniform smeared with dirt rushed in frantically and said urgently, "The higher-ups told our team to end our break and go up immediately."

"Alright."

Li Changzhou nodded repeatedly and turned to Chen Hui on this end of the video, saying, "Wife, I need to work overtime. I'll call you back later."

Buzz——The video call ended.

"Old Li." Chen Hui's face showed a trace of worry, immediately shutting off the smart wristband.

Closing her eyes.

When she reopened them, Chen Hui's face had regained its relaxed expression, and she stepped out of the master bedroom, "Qian Qian, Xiaohua, you two should go to sleep."

"Xiaoyuan, don't stay up too late either."

"Okay, mom!"

"Got it, aunt."

...

The following day at noon.

In the school cafeteria, students were eating their lunch, occasionally glancing up at the news on the large electronic screen.

"...Last night, the 'Second Level Star Realm Rob Sea' in the Northern Border Province erupted in intense conflict once more, our national defense forces, and the alliance support armies were fearless and brave…" the news kept playing.

"It's always fighting."

"There hasn't been any let-up recently, I've heard that many people have died; some Star Realm Creatures even broke through the defense lines."

"I hope they can hold on." The students spoke quietly among themselves while eating.

Li Yuan sat next to Zhou Qi, silent, only glancing occasionally at the news, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes.