51: Chapter 51 Reputation and New Life

The next day, February 15th.

The early morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the bulletin boards in front of the central plaza and several main teaching buildings of Qingshi No. 3 Middle School were already crowded with people.

A huge list with gold characters on a red background was posted high up, particularly eye-catching in the morning light—"Final Selection List for the Grade 12 Flying Star Class."

First Place: Huang Hao (Grade 12, Class 1)

Second Place: Li Wen (Grade 12, Class 21)

Third Place: Zhao Feng (Grade 12, Class 3)

...

This list was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the entire school.

Every name on the list represented the sixty strongest seniors in Third Middle School, the hope for breaking into first-rate martial arts universities.

However, the top three names, with their massive lead in points, instantly attracted the most attention.

"Senior Huang Hao is indeed first! Over two thousand points, that's terrifying!"

"Senior Zhao Feng is also amazing, third place is well-deserved!"

"Who is this Senior Li Wen? Why haven't I heard of him before? He's ranked even higher than Senior Zhao Feng?"

To the Grade 12 students, the name Li Wen had transformed from yesterday's shock into today's staggering legend, but to the juniors in Grade 10 and 11, it was full of freshness and intense curiosity.

"I know, I know!" a Grade 11 girl immediately chimed in, her eyes sparkling with the light of gossip.

"The seniors in Grade 12 are all talking about it! This Senior Li Wen used to be unremarkable even in the ordinary classes; it even took him a long time just to achieve Minor Achievement in Advanced Technique."

"Right, right!" another Grade 10 boy squeezed over and added excitedly.

"But he's incredibly hardworking! They say that in Grade 12, Class 21, the person who arrives earliest and leaves latest every day is definitely him! He's practically a cultivation maniac!"

"I heard his family background isn't very good, and he spent all his winter and summer breaks practicing in the free martial arts rooms on the lowest floor of the Kindling Hall..."

"Yeah, yeah! Everyone says he's a late bloomer who had a sudden Epiphany, which is how he got his current strength of Top-tier Saber Technique Major Achievement! It's so inspiring!"

"So cool! So what if his Physical Body Rank is a bit low? He forced his way into second place purely through technique! From now on, I'm taking Senior Li Wen as my role model! I want to be as hardworking as him and aim for Top-tier Technique Major Achievement!"

Such discussions rose and fell in every corner.

The names Huang Hao and Zhao Feng came with their own halos and were already campus celebrities, but Li Wen, who had charged out like a dark horse with the lowest Physical Body Rank yet shocking skills, was ranked second.

His story of "ordinary talent + extreme effort + rising from adversity" quickly became the focus of conversation among all students at Qingshi No. 3 Middle School, providing immense inspiration and expectation to countless ordinary students.

Overnight, Li Wen's name completely resounded throughout the entire Qingshi No. 3 Middle School campus.

Meanwhile, the sixty members of the Flying Star Class had already received notice to gather in a brand-new classroom with a plaque reading "Flying Star Class," located on the top floor of the Hongyi Building, the best facility in the center of the campus.

The classroom was spacious and bright, with complete facilities.

Li Wen habitually chose a seat in the back row by the window.

Outside the window were sycamore trees just beginning to sprout and a corner of the distant playground, but he didn't spare the scenery a second glance after sitting down.

Instead, he directly pulled a book titled "advanced grammar of galactic common language" from his bulging backpack, spread it out on the desk, and began reading with focused attention.

[You have studied galactic common tongue for ten minutes, scholar experience +1]

The prompt on the panel surfaced silently; Li Wen was immersed in it, blocking out the noise in the classroom.

Around him were new faces, and the atmosphere was heated. These top students of Third Middle School were in a state of excitement and trepidation, and their topics of discussion were mostly centered on a few points.

Their aspirations for the future, their desire for resources, and their endless speculation about the mysterious martial arts class teacher who was about to arrive.

"Guess what level of Super Martial Artist our martial arts teacher will be? To have the school set aside the best classroom and resources just for us, they must be a top expert!"

"I'm guessing at least an Intermediate Super Martial Artist at the level of a Kindling Hall instructor? Otherwise, how could they keep things under control? Huang Hao and Zhao Feng are both at Top-tier Technique Major Achievement, plus that monster Li Wen... a regular Super Martial Artist wouldn't be enough, right?"

"Right, right! It's definitely the kind of tough guy who's eight feet tall with an eight-foot waist, muscles bulging all over, standing there like a wall!" Deng Yuefei, who had barely made it into the Flying Star Class, gestured excitedly.

"His voice must be like a booming bell, and his gaze could scare off demons!" another classmate chimed in.

"Maybe he's even covered in scars, looking like he's been through a hundred battles..."

Everyone chimed in, sketching out an image of a majestic, domineering, and power-filled mentor in their imaginations.

Just as they were discussing heatedly, the sound of light footsteps came from the classroom door.

The sound was very ordinary, neither loud nor soft, but it instantly caused all the chatter to stop.

A figure walked in.

The expected overwhelming pressure did not appear.

The person who entered was an extremely ordinary, even somewhat "unremarkable" middle-aged man.

He wore a simple grey casual suit, no tie, and a plain-colored shirt underneath.

He was on the lean side and of medium height; standing at the front of the classroom, he didn't provide any visual sense of oppression.

On the bridge of his nose rested a pair of somewhat old-fashioned silver-rimmed glasses, and the gaze behind the lenses was very gentle, even carrying a scholarly air, like a middle school academic teacher or a gentle neighbor uncle.

His smile was faint and carried a bit of easygoingness, completely failing to match the image of a majestic martial arts powerhouse the students had imagined.

The classroom instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Sixty pairs of eyes focused in unison on this refined middle-aged man; the intense sense of contrast left everyone a bit dazed.

Even the faces of Xue Jun and the others still held the excited flush from discussing the tough-guy mentor, but now they were all frozen.

Li Wen was also drawn by this eerie silence and temporarily looked up from his book, his gaze also falling on the person in front of the podium with a look of scrutiny.

The refined middle-aged man looked around, seeing the young faces filled with astonishment, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl into a tiny arc.

He picked up a piece of chalk, turned around, and wrote three words on the blackboard that were vigorous and powerful yet not lacking in elegance:

Fang Chengwu

The writing was deeply etched, and chalk dust fell softly.

He didn't speak, he just wrote his name.

But these three words, and the natural, fluid, and steady aura he displayed while writing—as if he were one with the chalk and the blackboard—caused the atmosphere in the classroom to shift quietly.

That refined sense of weakness from before seemed to be slowly fading, replaced by an indescribable peace and restraint.

After finishing the name, Fang Chengwu put down the chalk, patted the dust off his hands, and then faced everyone. His voice was neither high nor low, carrying a gentle smile as it clearly reached everyone's ears:

"My name is Fang Chengwu, an Advanced Super Martial Artist. For the next few months, I will be your Flying Star Class teacher and the guide for your martial arts cultivation."