4: Li Tianyang's Advice

“You know me?” Li Tianyang frowned, looking at the newcomer.

Chen Qing originally had no desire to go up and chat, but since he had already been discovered, there was no reason to escape.

“Of course! The school uses your portrait as an example for us to observe every day. I couldn’t forget your face even if I wanted to!”

Li Tianyang chuckled, shaking his head: “The principal and the others really… I told them a long time ago that I’ve always been low-key and detest being in the spotlight. It’s been a year, and it’s still hanging there?”

Chen Qing nodded helplessly.

Li Tianyang was the best role model their school had established over the years. The principal probably wrote more about him than about his own wife.

“I’ll go back to school later and have them take it down. It’s quite annoying to have it hanging there all the time. I’ll just say that every time I come back now, I feel like a lot of people are watching me.”

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at a lounge area in the martial arts hall and sat on the sofa, chatting.

Chen Qing intentionally wanted to chat with him to see if he could get any useful information, as he would most likely be choosing a university soon.

Moreover, the Cultivation Technique he was still using was the most basic Blue Star Federation 169th set of broadcast gymnastics. This thing was common and suitable for ordinary people to strengthen their bodies, but it was no longer of much use to him.

“You’re a martial arts student this year? Struggling with which university to choose?”

Li Tianyang was also a smart person and immediately saw Chen Qing’s purpose.

He had contacted many universities when he enrolled last year and had learned a lot more over the past year, so asking him was definitely better than asking a middle school teacher.

Chen Qing was not surprised and asked:

“I haven’t started choosing universities yet, and I don’t know what my options are with my current conditions.”

Li Tianyang nodded, his gaze casually sweeping over the teapot on the table.

Chen Qing immediately understood and quickly got up to help pour tea.

Hmm, this junior, he’s on the ball! He’ll definitely be a pillar of society in the future!

Gently picking up the teacup and taking a sip of tea, Li Tianyang asked: “Let’s not talk about universities for now. Tell me about your situation first.”

Chen Qing nodded and replied: “My current vitality strength is around 0.68, which should barely pass the mark. However, my ability is special; it’s an S-Rank Bone-Winged Dragon King.”

“Pfft!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the tea Li Tianyang had just sipped immediately sprayed out.

“W-what? I choked on my tea and didn’t hear clearly.”

Chen Qing suppressed a laugh and repeated it.

This time, Li Tianyang couldn’t stay calm. He shot up from the sofa, pointed at Chen Qing, and was speechless for a moment.

“You, you said you awakened an S-Rank ability?”

“Yes.”

Li Tianyang paced back and forth a couple of times, composed himself, and sat down again.

“This tea must be leftover from yesterday; it’s really choking. Have someone change it later.”

“Right, I generally understand your situation. Let me first briefly tell you about the enrollment situation of top universities. You know about Jiangnan Martial Arts University, where I am, right?”

“I’ve also read this year’s enrollment prospectus. The minimum admission line for vitality strength is 0.75. Mental Energy doesn’t need to be focused on in the early stages, so it’s not a concern. Additionally, the ability requirement is generally D-Rank or above.”

D-Rank is the threshold for Cultivation. Generally, if the ability Rank is lower than D-Rank, such as E-Rank or F-Rank, the accompanying Cultivation talent is usually extremely poor.

E-Rank might still be able to achieve regular improvement through effort and medication, but F-Rank is truly difficult to progress.

Starting from D-Rank abilities, one can basically begin basic Cultivation. Some people work hard, put in double the effort, and take some gene optimization agents, and their Cultivation is not much worse than some B or C-Rank ability users.

There are many universities, and those who can awaken B-Rank or higher abilities each year are rare, so the vast majority of new students are basically C or D-Rank. The enrollment standards for new students at various universities prioritize vitality strength, with ability Rank being secondary.

As for vitality strength, this is the standard for a Martial Artist’s advancement. When vitality strength reaches 1, one officially becomes a Martial Artist, which is the lowest First-Rank Martial Artist.

Breaking through 3 in vitality promotes one to Second-Rank, breaking through 10 to Third-Rank, 30 to Fourth-Rank, 100 to Fifth-Rank, and so on.

The higher the Rank one advances, the more vitality strength is needed for each Breakthrough.

Therefore, while Martial Artists value ability Rank, vitality strength is also crucial.

0.75, huh?

“Hehe, well, it seems I don’t quite meet the standard yet!”

Li Tianyang interrupted: “This is the standard for ordinary people. As for someone like you, an S-Rank ability user, there are basically no standards. As long as you are willing, the doors of all universities will be open to you!”

He was very confident because, as an A-Rank ability user, he also received enrollment requests from all universities last year. His later choice was Jiangnan Martial Arts University. Although it wasn't among the top 5 universities, he had his reasons for choosing it.

Is that so?

Chen Qing nodded and then asked: “Then, Yang-ge, which university do you think I should choose?”

Chen Qing was always good at handling things. He was asking for advice, and calling him “ge” wouldn’t hurt, making things much smoother.

Li Tianyang was pleased and laughed: “Hehe, let me briefly introduce a few top universities. Currently, in the Chinese Region of the Federation, the best universities are Kyoto Martial Arts University, Moneng Martial Arts University, Shenlin Martial Arts University, and Jinling Martial Arts University.”

“Among them, Kyoto and Moneng are clearly the best two universities, with Shenlin and Jinling being slightly inferior. However, the former two martial arts universities, due to their long history and geographical location, have a stronger political and business atmosphere, and the competition between them is quite fierce. Entering them has both advantages and disadvantages for one’s Cultivation.”

“Additionally, Shenlin Martial Arts University and Jinling Martial Arts University have risen relatively recently, but that doesn’t mean they lack heritage! Especially Jinling Martial Arts University, it’s a newly rising university that has rapidly developed in recent decades. I was fortunate enough to observe it, and honestly, the Cultivation atmosphere among the students there is quite strong, not at all inferior to the former two universities.”

“However, I’ve also heard that Jinling Martial Arts University has had the most student and teacher participation in battles in recent decades! And the heaviest casualties! So, it also depends on your own choice.”

He didn’t introduce Shenlin Martial Arts University, partly because it was too far away, and partly because he didn’t know much about it. This school wasn’t very high-profile, but he heard that its participation in battles wasn’t very active, making it one of the least active among top universities. Honestly, as a practical Martial Artist, he didn’t think highly of such schools.

“Yang-ge, why didn’t you introduce Jiangnan Martial Arts University?”

Li Tianyang smiled and shook his head: “No need. I have my reasons for joining Jiangnan Martial Arts University; you don’t need to follow me. Jiangnan has suffered considerable losses over the years, and the resources you can get there might be limited. Compared to the previous universities, Jiangnan Martial Arts University’s foundation is still a bit shallow.”

Chen Qing nodded and then asked: “Then, if I enter these universities, will I receive any rewards?”

Li Tianyang waved his hand: “There will definitely be some, but don’t pay too much attention to them. Once you enter a university, you’ll find that the benefits they offer now are not worth swaying your choice.”

“Even if the prices offered by various universities differ, they won’t be by much. The small difference, once you enter the university and start doing missions, you’ll probably earn it back with any single mission.”

He spoke very fairly, seeing the pros and cons clearly, and had great foresight.

What Chen Qing didn’t know was that Li Tianyang had no idea about any of this last year, as no one had told him.

Last year, he was solely focused on the price Jiangnan Martial Arts University offered him, which was quite tempting. They promised to cover all his expenses for Cultivating the first three Ranks.

But damn it, only after he got in did he realize there was a time limit: one Rank per year. If he reached Third-Rank by his third year, all expenses would be covered by the school.

As it turned out, Li Tianyang, with his extraordinary talent, advanced to Second-Rank in just over half a year. When he went to the school to claim Cultivation resources for after Second-Rank, the school told him he couldn’t receive them until his second year.

How could he argue with that?

However, Li Tianyang’s teacher was good to him and covered some of the costs. He also had an attachment to the school, which is why he didn’t dwell on the school’s actions.

In fact, he knew perfectly well that the school hoped he wouldn’t just focus on Cultivation, but also engage in more combat experience, otherwise he would end up as mere window dressing, which would be a net loss.

But Li Tianyang knew perfectly well that he was a battle fanatic and certainly didn’t lack combat experience.

That’s why he was now kindly advising Chen Qing, hoping he wouldn’t follow in his footsteps and be misled by immediate benefits.