33: Chapter 33 Second-Class Scholarship

Before today, he hadn't even dared to imagine that he could receive a scholarship.

Now, relying on his astonishing performance of breaking into the top thirty during the martial arts technique assessment, he had not only proven himself but had also earned this life-saving money in a very real way.

second-class scholarship! Ten thousand huaxia coins!

“Teacher Wang! Thank you so much!” Li Wen gave Wang Hu a deep Martial Artist's salute. “I'm truly grateful to you and Principal Huang!”

“I don't deserve this thanks.” Wang Hu smiled as he helped him up, waving his hand and speaking seriously.

“You earned this with your blood, sweat, and strength! It was specially approved by Principal Huang because he values talent. Originally, Principal Huang wanted to apply for a first-class scholarship for you,”

Wang Hu explained, “But there really wasn't enough time. First-class scholarships need to be reported to the Education Bureau, and the review process is a hassle. Today is the last day of the semester, so it couldn't be done in time. Otherwise, you would have deserved more.”

“It's enough! Teacher Wang! A second-class scholarship is already very good!” Li Wen said hurriedly, his tone full of gratitude and satisfaction.

He did believe he wouldn't lack money in the future—whether it was the high subsidies of the Flying Star Class or the various resources acquired on the path of the strong, a hundred thousand or a million might truly become ordinary in the future.

But that was all in the future, not now.

Right now, he was just a youth being suffocated by reality.

The ten thousand yuan scholarship Wang Hu brought was truly a charcoal in the snow, a timely rain that would greatly alleviate his urgent needs.

With this money, the plan to buy qi and blood potions to increase his Physical Body Rank could be moved up significantly. His certainty of hitting the level 7.0 Physical Body threshold for the Flying Star Class increased sharply, and the pressure on his father's side could also be slightly relieved.

“Let's go, let's handle the paperwork first.” Wang Hu led Li Wen, and the two of them left the still noisy square, heading toward the administration building.

At the finance office window next to the principal's office, a fairly kind staff member handed Li Wen a 'Qingshi No. 3 Middle School School-Level Scholarship Application Form.'

Under Wang Hu's guidance, Li Wen quickly and neatly filled in his name, class, student ID, and other information. In the column for the applied award Rank, he seriously wrote 'Second-Class.'

He also noted, 'Specially approved based on the ranking of this term's martial arts technique assessment (awaiting final announcement).' Afterward, Wang Hu led him to knock on the door of the principal's office next door.

“Principal, Student Li Wen is here to sign the form.” Principal Huang Yuanting, who sat behind a large desk and had been at the helm of Third Middle School for over a decade, looked up at Li Wen as he walked in.

A rare appreciative smile appeared on his serious face, and he nodded at Li Wen.

“The youth are to be feared. I saw your performance in the assessment just now. To be able to maneuver for so long against an opponent with a simulated Minor Achievement realm while at the Top Tier Entry stage is truly commendable! That resilience and combat awareness are excellent!”

The principal's words were filled with encouragement and affirmation, making Li Wen feel greatly inspired. “Thank you for the affirmation, Principal Huang!”

Huang Yuanting picked up the application form Li Wen had just filled out. His gaze swept over it to confirm everything was correct, then he picked up the exquisite principal's seal on the desk.

He dipped it in ink and, with a 'thud,' stamped a clear red seal of 'Approved for Issuance' and 'Seal of Huang Yuanting' in the approval comments section of the form. The sound of the seal falling was incredibly pleasant to Li Wen's ears.

“Take this form and go back to wait for the school finance department's notification on the specific issuance time.” Huang Yuanting handed the stamped application form back to Li Wen and exhorted him earnestly,

“Li Wen, on the path of martial arts, the improvement of your Realm is fundamental. You have already shown outstanding performance in techniques, which is good! But don't forget, the Physical Body is the foundation that carries everything. Use this scholarship well and increase your Physical Body Rank as soon as possible. Strive to...”

He paused, “...have your technique Realm catch up with the pace soon. Reaching the Unity Realm is when you truly enter the inner sanctum.”

“Thank you for your teachings, Principal Huang! I will remember them!” Li Wen took the weighty application form with both hands, as if he were taking a cornerstone that would change his destiny.

He solemnly gave Principal Huang Yuanting a standard martial artist's fist-palm salute. “I will continue to work hard!”

Walking out of the office building again and returning to the square, the third batch of students' virtual assessment was in full swing, with the large screen constantly refreshing with battle footage.

The assessment was still ongoing, and students were still gasping or sighing over their respective performances.

But at this moment, Li Wen's mind had already flown far away.

He tightly gripped the application form with the principal's bright red seal in his hand, and his eyes no longer held any curiosity or concern for the assessment.

When would the scholarship be issued? 'Three to five days'? 'By the end of the year-end fiscal settlement at the latest'?

In his heart, he repeatedly mulled over the key information he had asked at the window earlier, his mind rapidly calculating his plans after getting the money:

qi and blood potions—buy at least two bottles at once? Or three? He had to budget carefully...

Cultivation time—winter break would be a crucial period for improvement.

Rank 7.0! Flying Star Class! This was the key ticket to changing everything.

The noise on the square seemed far away from him. Classmates constantly approached him to try to strike up a conversation, asking about the scholarship or details of the battle just now, but Li Wen only responded simply and politely.

After sitting for a while, he truly felt that the noisy environment was a waste of time.

He turned to the class monitor: “Monitor, I'm going to the restroom.”

After saying that, he stood up and left the post-assessment carnival gathering area without any lingering attachment.

Instead of wasting precious time here receiving useless praise, it was better to grind experience points.

The goal-oriented youth ran back to the quiet academic classroom of Grade 12, Class 21 with light and firm steps.

The classroom was empty, with only the warm sunlight spilling onto the desks through the windows.

Li Wen sat in his seat and, without any hesitation, pulled out his math book and notebook from his bag, quickly immersing himself in the summary and study of knowledge.

Time flowed quietly amidst focused reading, organizing, and calculating. Until the System's pleasant notification sound rang deep in his mind:

[Ding! You have studied seriously for one hour, scholar experience +6]

[Class: Scholar Lv3 (256/400 → 262/400)]

Li Wen put down his pen and let out a long sigh of relief.

These past two days he had been busy with the final academic exams, and at night he had to overdraw his limits to Cultivate the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method; he really couldn't squeeze out much time to quietly accumulate scholar experience.

Adding these two days together, the experience bar had only increased by twenty-odd points, still quite a way from the goal of 400.

However, he wasn't particularly anxious.

It was coming soon. As long as the results for these one or two days of final academic exams were all announced—especially when the grades for those subjects he completed under the Absolute Focus state came out—his experience points would surely see a massive harvest.

Now, he just needed to wait patiently—wait for the scholarship to be issued, and wait for the results to be announced.

Everything was moving in a bright direction.

He packed up his books and left the classroom with a heart full of anticipation.

The future was within reach through this solid effort.

...

(PS: Thanks to the big shots for the monthly tickets and for following along.)