Chapter 17: I Deserve to Die

Chapter 17 I Truly Deserve to Die

Qimingxing, Seventh Junior High School, Principal’s Office.

Inside the spacious office, the atmosphere was grave and solemn.

Principal Zhao Zhenhua sat behind a wide mahogany desk; before him stood a neat row of people—all thirty-seven homeroom teachers of the third-year classes.

Today was the day when the high school entrance exam results were finalized, and also the moment for internal commendation and reward within the school.

In front of Zhao Zhenhua lay an exquisite metal combination lockbox.

Everyone knew that inside the box was a cashier’s check for two hundred thousand Imperial Credits, along with a “Golden Candle Award” medal representing the highest teaching honor at Seventh Junior High.

This award was given each year to only one third-year homeroom teacher, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to cultivating top-tier students.

Li Weiguo stood at the end of the line, hands naturally at his sides, his expression calm, but deep in his eyes lurked a barely concealed disappointment.

He knew that this year’s honor would most likely elude him.

The sole criterion for the “Golden Candle Award” was which class’s students achieved the most outstanding results in the high school entrance exam.

In previous years, the honor had usually been contested between him and Wang Jianjun, the homeroom teacher of Class One, Third Year.

Wang Jianjun was rigorous in his teaching and tough in his methods; his Class One was the school’s acknowledged key class, consistently sending several promising seedlings to key martial arts high schools each year.

Li Weiguo, on the other hand, relied on his keen insight and ability to teach according to each student’s aptitude, often unearthing one or two dark horses from ordinary classes to rival Wang Jianjun.

But this year, the situation was different.

Li Weiguo’s greatest trump card, Zhou Heyuan, had his final Vitality Index pegged at 0.96—though excellent, it fell just short of the 1.0 threshold.

And according to the news he had received, Wang Jianjun’s top seed, a student named Sun Hao, had performed steadily in this exam, achieving a Vitality Index of 1.02.

0.96 versus 1.02—a step away, yet worlds apart.

The latter was a true quasi-first-rank martial artist, a top-tier talent that could catch the eye of key martial arts high school admissions offices.

Thus, Li Weiguo had almost resigned himself to the fact that this year’s “Golden Candle Award” would be Wang Jianjun’s for the taking.

Principal Zhao Zhenhua cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over every teacher present.

“Teachers, you have all worked hard.”

His voice was loud and forceful. “In this year’s high school entrance exam, the overall performance of Seventh Junior High has improved steadily; the admission rate to ordinary martial arts high schools has risen by three percentage points compared to last year. This would not have been possible without the hard work of every one of you here.”

He paused, then shifted his tone.

“Of course, we must look not only at the overall picture but also at the pinnacle. A school’s height is ultimately determined by its most outstanding students. This year, our school has also produced a batch of exceptionally fine seedlings.”

He turned his gaze to Wang Jianjun, who stood at the very front of the line, and a smile of approval appeared on his face.

“Teacher Wang Jianjun, your student Sun Hao achieved a Vitality Index of 1.02, ranking second in the entire school. He has already been preemptively locked in by ‘Qimingxing No. 3 Key Martial Arts High School.’ Well done.”

Wang Jianjun puffed out his chest, a restrained yet proud smile spreading across his face.

The surrounding teachers also cast envious and congratulatory glances his way.

Li Weiguo, at the back of the line, let out a soft sigh.

Just as expected.

However, Principal Zhao Zhenhua’s next words stunned everyone present.

“However,”

Zhao Zhenhua’s gaze passed over Wang Jianjun and landed on Li Weiguo at the end of the line. “If we’re talking about the biggest surprise this year, it has to be Teacher Li Weiguo’s class.”

Li Weiguo was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

Zhao Zhenhua picked up the metal lockbox, personally stepped down from the podium, walked through the crowd, and came straight to Li Weiguo.

“Teacher Li.”

Zhao Zhenhua’s face was radiant with an unprecedented, almost exaggeratedly bright smile. “Congratulations! This year’s ‘Golden Candle Award’ and the two hundred thousand credit bonus belong to you!”

Under the shocked, bewildered, and puzzled gazes of all the teachers present, Zhao Zhenhua snapped open the lockbox with a click.

A thick stack of Imperial Credit checks, exuding the scent of ink, and a medal of pure gold engraved with the pattern of a burning candle lay quietly on the red velvet lining.

“Principal, this… is there some mistake?”

Li Weiguo was completely dumbfounded. He instinctively stepped back half a pace, waving his hands. “The best student in my class, Zhou Heyuan, only had a Vitality Index of 0.96. There’s no comparison with Teacher Wang’s Sun Hao.”

“Zhou Heyuan?”

Zhao Zhenhua paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. “Teacher Li, Teacher Li, you’re still playing dumb with me!”

He clapped Li Weiguo heavily on the shoulder, his voice booming as he announced to the entire room:

“Everyone may not yet know! The student Qin Feng from Teacher Li Weiguo’s class achieved an astonishing Vitality Index of 1.23 in this year’s high school entrance exam! Ranked sixty-seven thousand three hundred and twenty-first in all of Qimingxing!”

“This result is not only the highest record in the history of Seventh Junior High since its founding! It has also directly broken the highest record in our educational district over the past decade!”

Boom!

The principal’s words exploded like a bombshell in the office.

All the teachers, including Wang Jianjun who had just been brimming with pride, stood dumbfounded, staring at Li Weiguo as if he were an alien.

1.23?!

Over sixty-seven thousand?!

What… what did that mean?!

This was no longer a matter of key martial arts high schools; this was a solid step through the threshold of the top seven high schools!

“Teacher Li, you’ve been hiding it deep!” “My god, 1.23, our school actually produced a genius of this level!”

“Old Li, you’re something else! Usually quiet, but when you strike, it’s a king hit!”

Waves of flattery and admiration surged around him.

But Li Weiguo stood there, his mind a complete blank.

Qin Feng?

1.23?

He felt his thoughts had completely crashed.

“Alright, Teacher Li, don’t be modest.”

Zhao Zhenhua personally stuffed the heavy lockbox into Li Weiguo’s hands. “You deserve this. The school has already filed Qin Feng’s student record as the first file in Seventh Junior High’s ‘Hall of Fame,’ to be preserved permanently. You are the great hero of our school!”

Li Weiguo mechanically, numbly took the box.

He didn’t know how he walked out of the principal’s office.

He only felt that the path under his feet was like treading on cotton, and the congratulations from all the teachers around him became distant and unreal.

In a daze, he returned to his empty office, slammed the door shut with a bang.

He tossed the lockbox worth two hundred thousand credits carelessly onto the table, then collapsed into his chair as if all his strength had been drained.

He panted heavily, yanked open his tie, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

A few seconds later, as if remembering something, he lunged toward his desk and lit up his personal terminal.

His trembling fingers typed in his homeroom teacher password, pulling up the final grade files for all students in Class 5, Grade 9.

His eyes skipped over Zhou Heyuan, who topped the list, and his fingers scrolled swiftly, landing directly on the name he had placed at the very bottom.

[Name: Qin Feng]

[Vitality Index: 1.23]

[Venus General Ranking: 67,321]

The scarlet numbers, like a red-hot branding iron, seared themselves into his retinas.

It was true.

Everything was true.

At that moment, countless overlooked details flooded his mind like a film reel on fast-forward.

A month ago, at the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, the punch-force tester had displayed a staggering "502 KG"—a result he had mistakenly attributed to Zhou Heyuan.

That solitary figure on the training ground, day after day, buried in relentless, almost maniacal practice.

That calm, unwavering gaze, even when no one believed in him.

And on the day of the school return, when that youth stepped onto the podium, his demeanor was as steady and weighty as a mountain—utterly different from a month ago.

He understood it all.

He understood everything.

He had misjudged.

From the very beginning, he had been completely, utterly blind.

He had thought Zhou Heyuan was a rough jade, a bright pearl, pouring all his effort into polishing and shining him.

Little did he know, in a corner of his own classroom, lay a true, peerless divine jade—one that could shake the entire Venus!

And he, this homeroom teacher who prided himself on his keen eye, had mistaken that divine jade for a common stone.

Worse, he had nearly, with his own hands, cast that divine jade into the mire of a "vocational technical school," condemning it to eternal obscurity.

"I..."

Li Weiguo opened his mouth, a dry, discordant syllable scraping from his throat.

He slowly raised his hands, staring at the very hands that had written countless lesson plans and graded endless assignments.

At that moment, he felt those hands were so foolish, so utterly blind.

If only...

If only he hadn't been so utilitarian, so presumptuous back then.

But still, at least the ending was good.

"I really deserve to die!"

Li Weiguo cursed himself.

He looked at the 200,000 imperial coins on the table, pondered for a long time, and finally decided on their purpose.

(End of chapter)