Chapter 55: The Golden Elixir Principal
Chapter 55: The Golden Elixir Principal
"What a long night..."
Standing by the window of his home, Fang Xing gazed out at the bustling neighborhood and the dawn's light, heaving a sigh.
All he wanted was to develop his powers in peace, yet he always seemed to stumble upon trouble.
'Ding!'
Just then, Jing Xia sent him a message with an attached file marked 'Destroy after reading.'
It was clear that this was a one-time document meant to be destroyed immediately after reading.
'Even the most superficial information is treated with such confidentiality?'
Fang Xing nodded and was about to open the file when he received a second message from Jing Xia: "Guo Pepe was silenced during transfer!"
"Silenced?"
Fang Xing's pupils contracted slightly as he unconsciously echoed Jing Xia's catchphrase: "Are the people at the Prevention Bureau all useless? How could they let this happen? Or is there corruption within?"
He fell silent for a moment before finally opening the file she had sent:
"The Astrology Society, worshippers of the extradimensional evil god 'Star Devourer·Kegetuレム'. Damn, there are still followers of a dead Dominator?"
Fang Xing was speechless as he continued reading: "They believe that the great Kegetuレム did not perish but is merely sleeping in a unique form, and they seek to 'awaken' him through various means..."
"The Stellar Assembly, suspected to be a branch of the Astrology Society, whose followers often pose as astronomy enthusiasts..."
"The Blood Descent School, experts in blood magic, human modification, and biochemical viruses... They believe that blood is the source of life and worship an evil god known as 'Infinite Blood Sea', deeming it the origin of all life..."
"The Chaos Association, followers of an evil god named 'Entropy Lord', believing that order is temporary and chaos eternal. They take pleasure in creating disorder..."
"The Gate School, worshippers of an evil god associated with the concept of 'doors', codenamed 'Void Gate'. Its members are elusive and prefer to recruit followers among cyborgs... They propagate that the 'Void Gate' possesses myriad faces and forms, and research suggests that two other evil gods, 'Primordial Yin Gate' and 'Lord of the Void', are possibly part of the same trinity..."
...
Jing Xia's message was brief but included information on dozens of evil god organizations, each shrouded in mystery.
"There are even more hidden ones that the Federation can't seem to get a grip on..."
"Among these extradimensional evil gods, I wonder which one triggered the sudden outbreak of human awakening of superpowers... Or perhaps it wasn't them but another unknown entity... Or maybe it's just a natural cosmic phenomenon?"
After some silent musing, Fang Xing made himself breakfast and calmly ate before preparing for school.
Even after razing an heretical sect the night before, he was still a high school student who had to attend classes.
Moreover, the situation had become tense lately, and there was no need to return to Qinglin Fang City for now.
The prerequisite for being a curious bystander was to ensure that the blood didn't splatter onto yourself!
Chaos was bound to reign in Fang City for a while, and there would undoubtedly be those who wanted to find him, the one who had killed Chen Yi, to see what he had gained from it.
Thus, Fang Xing decided to lay low once more. After all, before going on the run, he had already stocked up on supplies sufficient for his cultivation needs.
This time, as he walked along the river embankment, Fang Xing did not encounter Jing Xia.
After such a nasty incident of a prisoner being silenced, the dog-walking beauty was probably busy.
However, at the school gate, Fang Xing ran into Liu Wei: "Liu Wei... You're here for class?"
He greeted him politely.
"Yeah, your neighborhood was pretty chaotic last night..." Liu Wei remarked casually.
"Yeah, we caught a heretic..." Fang Xing nodded, and the two of them entered the school together.
As soon as they stepped inside, Xia Long approached them: "You two are just in time! The principal wants to see you!"
"Oh?"
Fang Xing's eyes lit up: "Could it be that the scholarship is finally here?"
"That's right! This time, it's not just the two of you but also Gu Yun and Bailian Yi from Grade 10. Come with me."
Xia Long waved his hand and walked ahead of them.
Following Xia Long, Fang Xing made his way to the principal's office, a place he had never entered in his two years as a student.
'In my previous life, they said that the teachers you meet in university are basically the highest echelon of society... Seems they weren't wrong.'
'In this world, even high school principals are extraordinary figures...'
As he walked, Fang Xing couldn't help but think and recall the information he had about the principal.
Hunyin Planet was education-oriented, and the principals of its high schools formed the highest joint council, leading the planet's policies and direction.
And the principal of Yuchai High School, 'Lu Guangming', was a sixth-realm expert in martial arts, a 'Golden Elixir' level powerhouse!
Lu Guangming looked like an ordinary middle-aged man with a receding hairline. Upon seeing Xia Long and Fang Xing, he offered a slight smile: "Teacher Xia Long, please wait outside. I'd like to get to know our school's top students better... Come in, Liu and Fang, please take a seat."
"I have to say, for a martial arts master, the principal doesn't exude the slightest bit of a powerful aura. Instead, he resembles more of an educator."
Seated on the sofa in the office were two other individuals, none other than Gu Yun and Bailian Yi!
Fang Xing and Liu Wei expressed their gratitude and took their seats beside the pair.
"Our school is truly suffering... I'm afraid this year's senior class will suffer a complete defeat, with not a single student making it into university... All our hopes now rest on your shoulders."
Lu Guangming looked at the four of them with sincerity in his eyes. "This time, the school will be awarding you with special scholarships, amounting to one million star dollars per semester. We hope that you will continue to excel and bring glory to our school..."
'A million per semester? That's not even enough to buy a black-market laser gun...'
Fang Xing scoffed inwardly, though he knew it was still a substantial sum.
At the very least, it would barely be enough to purchase a house in the Happy Garden neighborhood.
'But the enrollment rate at Yuchai High School is pretty dismal... Wait a minute, Gu Yun was a recruited top student, so she doesn't count. Now, in the entire second-year class, there are only three university-bound students, and they're all concentrated in Class 2? That's a bit too conspicuous, isn't it?'
Fang Xing contemplated a possible scenario, his heart skipping a beat.
As he lifted his head, his eyes met with Lu Guangming's gentle gaze.
The principal offered him a slight smile, appearing amiable and approachable.
But Fang Xing's heart stirred: 'Is this an inspection? A direct inspection by a Golden Elixir level martial arts master?'
However, as he had never been a follower of the evil gods, he had nothing to fear or hide.
"Alright, if you ever have any issues with your studies or daily life, feel free to come to me..."
After chatting amicably with the four students, Lu Guangming politely ushered them out.
Fang Xing and the others bid their farewells and closed the office door behind them.
Only then did Lu Guangming sit back in his leather chair, holding a thermos cup infused with goji berries: "Ah, the trials of aging... Seeing these young people makes me feel another year older. Time flies, and youth fades... Oh, right, I can live to be five hundred, so never mind..."
A semi-transparent projection of a fashionable and beautiful woman appeared on the desk. "Lu Guangming... What are the results of your inspection?"
When it came to serious matters, Lu Guangming's expression turned solemn.
He put down his thermos cup and pondered for a moment before replying in a low voice, "Gu Yun is a student I specially recruited, so there's definitely no issue there... As for the other three in Class 2, they also seem to be fine..."
"Seem?"
The woman was displeased with Lu Guangming's tone.
"Sigh, I'm just a small fry Golden Elixir martial artist, not a Martial Saint or Martial God... How can I guarantee that my judgment is flawless?"
Lu Guangming heaved a sigh. "If I had to say, Liu Wei might be the biggest suspect... After all, you and I both know that the idea of natural evolution of abilities is nonsense. The emergence of ability users is undoubtedly linked to one of those extradimensional evil gods!"
"But we have to abide by the federal laws," the woman said. "We can't just arrest people because they've awakened their abilities. That would only demoralize our own people."
"So, I'll keep an eye on them..." Lu Guangming continued, "And isn't your Prevention Bureau also monitoring them? With you guys on the job, I, Lu, can afford to slack off once in a while..."
...
"I never expected that it would be a special scholarship this time," Bailian Yi said as they walked out of the office.
"Yeah, it takes care of our living expenses for the next semester, and maybe even nutrition expenses," Fang Xing replied, putting on a happy front despite his inner curses at the frugality of the federal government.
"Yeah... I was so broke that I almost had to take up underground boxing," Liu Wei added.
The breakthrough to the martial artist realm was indeed much faster than that of a cultivator.
Even for a Qi Refining cultivator, it was common to spend years of arduous cultivation to advance a single layer in their foundational cultivation technique.
They might even be stuck at the early or middle stages of Qi Refining, or face a major bottleneck in the later stages for years, decades, or even longer...
In comparison, the progress of martial artists was much quicker.
At least half of the students at Yuchai High School would break through to the second realm of martial arts by the time they graduated!
And if they managed to get into university, their chances of becoming certified occupational warriors upon graduation were almost guaranteed!
With sufficient resources, their progress would be swift and smooth.
Hearing Liu Wei's comment about being broke, Fang Xing glanced sideways at his former playmate.
"If you're really short on cash, why don't you come be my sparring partner?" Gu Yun suggested, a hint of battle intent flashing in her eyes as she looked at Liu Wei.
She never expected that the two random targets she had chosen back then would turn out to be such talented students.
Well, Liu Wei could be considered lucky, having awakened his abilities and soared to new heights.
But Fang Xing, who had self-taught himself the Ghost God's Blade, was the true genius.
With these thoughts, she turned to Fang Xing, her eyes shining with anticipation. "I have to go to class now... Oh, and remember to practice!"
(End of Chapter)
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