Chapter 22: Stepping into Martial High

CHAPTER 22: ENTERING THE MARTIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of departure, at the Central Maglev Train Station of Qiming Star.

Beneath the colossal dome, streamlined intercity trains, like silver beasts, glided silently into and out of their preset tracks.

In the air lingered the faint, characteristic scent of ozone from the energy engines.

Qin Feng, carrying a simple backpack, stood before the train door.

Across from him were his father, Qin Dahai, and his uncle, Wang Ming.

"Once you're settled at school, give us a video call."

Qin Dahai's voice remained steady, but in his usually calm eyes, a trace of parting sorrow now flickered, barely perceptible.

"Xiao Feng, when you're out there, keep your wits about you. Get along with your classmates—don't be afraid of trouble, but don't go looking for it either."

Wang Ming added, his eyes slightly reddened. "If you run short on money, just tell us."

"Dad, Uncle, I understand."

Qin Feng nodded. "Take care of yourselves, too."

[Train T-001 bound for 'Qiming Core Zone' is about to depart. Passengers, please board immediately.]

The station's broadcast sounded.

"Go on."

Qin Dahai extended his single arm and gave his son's shoulder a firm pat.

Qin Feng said no more. He turned and stepped onto the train.

The doors slid shut slowly, cutting off the two pairs of anxious eyes on the platform.

The train started, accelerating smoothly and swiftly. Outside the window, the scenery receded rapidly. Soon, the two figures standing amidst the crowd vanished beyond the horizon.

The train sped along an elevated track hundreds of meters above the ground, passing through bustling industrial zones and crowded residential areas, until it finally entered the most central and dazzling region of the entire planet—the Qiming Core Zone.

Here, the architecture was no longer the purely utilitarian style of the outer districts.

Every skyscraper seemed like a meticulously crafted work of art, its exterior clad in expensive memory metal and photosensitive materials, shifting with magnificent light and shadow under the artificial sky.

Countless small private anti-gravity shuttles, like colorful schools of fish, wove through the orderly aerial lanes with perfect precision.

Half an hour later, the train arrived.

Qin Feng exited the station and, following the instructions on his admission letter, transferred to a driverless bus heading to the "First Academy District."

When the bus slowly pulled into the terminal, a complex of buildings so majestic it defied description came into view.

That was the Qiming First Martial Arts Senior High School.

It didn't look like a school; it looked more like a steel fortress standing at the heart of the city.

The school gate, hundreds of meters high, was forged from an unknown black alloy, shaped like a giant sword thrusting into the sky. At the hilt, six ancient bold characters were engraved: "Qiming First Martial High."

Beyond the gate stretched a vast, boundless campus.

Sky-piercing teaching towers, training halls with domes like starry skies, an open-air martial arts arena covering tens of thousands of square meters… Countless futuristic buildings were scattered tastefully across the campus, interspersed with meticulously designed gardens and artificial lakes.

An invisible, massive energy shield, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloped the entire school.

Outside the shield was the city's clamor; inside, a serene and solemn sanctuary, belonging solely to the strong.

Now, beneath the giant sword gate, the crowd was immense.

Countless young faces, all carrying backpacks like Qin Feng, had gathered here.

They were the top elite among the tens of millions of examinees from across Qiming Star.

Qin Feng blended into the crowd, heading toward the freshman registration area.

He could clearly sense the powerful, surging life force fluctuations permeating the air around him.

A youth passing by him was not tall, but his steps were steady, and his eyes gleamed with sharp light when they opened and closed. His life force was far more condensed than any student Qin Feng had ever seen at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.

Not far away, a tall girl was leaning against a pillar, resting with her eyes closed. She did nothing, yet the air around her seemed to ripple with extremely subtle energy tides, synchronized with her breathing.

Qin Feng even spotted a few individuals who felt as monstrous as beasts.

They stood casually, but the life force pressure naturally emanating from deep within them was almost tangible, causing the surrounding examinees to instinctively keep their distance.

Qin Feng could sense that the life force indices of those few were likely infinitely close to, or even had reached, 10 points.

Through his observations while waiting in line to register, Qin Feng formed a clear self-assessment: among the 2781st batch of freshmen at Qiming First Martial High, his ranking of over 67,000 in the high school entrance exam placed him near the bottom.

This result was expected.

He had only just recovered from a serious illness and, at most, had only undergone a month of extreme training.

To have caught up this far was already a miracle.

Compared to the true geniuses who had received top-tier training since childhood and never strayed from the path, the gap was only natural.

The line moved slowly forward.

When it was Qin Feng's turn, he handed his electronic admission letter and identification to a senior student with a stern face at the reception desk.

The senior took them, quickly operated on a data pad.

"Qin Feng, total ranking 67,321. Confirmed."

The senior's voice was emotionless. "Sign the [D-level Student Resource Contract] here."

An electronic contract was projected before Qin Feng.

Qin Feng skimmed through it quickly, confirmed the content matched the one on his admission letter, and signed his name.

"Done."

The senior handed him a black metal card. "This is your student card—your pass and ID for all campus facilities. You're assigned to Class 3, Grade 1. The teaching building is in Zone C, Building 7. Dormitory area is Zone F, your dorm is Building 18, Room 402. Go ahead."

Qin Feng took the card, thanked him, and turned to merge into the stream of students heading toward the teaching area. …

The classroom for Class 3, Grade 1, was on the top floor of Building 7, Zone C.

When Qin Feng pushed open the door, he found it wasn't the traditional classroom he had imagined, but a massive martial arts room spanning over two thousand square meters, fully equipped.

The floor was covered with high-strength sound-absorbing material. One side featured floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of most of the campus.

On the other side, various auxiliary training devices were neatly arranged.

The back half of the martial arts room was the students' seating area.

Each seat was equipped with an independent holographic projector and data ports.

By now, most of the students had already arrived.

They gathered in small groups, chatting in low voices, each exuding the confidence and pride befitting a genius.

Qin Feng didn't approach anyone. He walked straight to the last row, found a seat by the window, and sat down.

Fragments of his classmates' discussions drifted over intermittently.

"Did you hear? There's a real powerhouse in our class this time. Ranked in the top hundred of the entire Qiming Star in the high school entrance exam!"

"Top hundred? No way! Who is it?"

"That guy, sitting in the front row, wearing the white training uniform—his name is 'Shi Potian.' They say his life force index was already close to 10 before he enrolled, one foot through the threshold of a second-rank martial artist. Several top-tier martial high schools were fighting over him, and in the end, he chose our 'Qiyi High.'"

"Oh my god... So we're in the same class as him? That's way too much pressure."

"It's not just Shi Potian. I just looked at the class roster—in our class, there are six students ranked in the top thousand of the high school entrance exam. Nearly twenty are in the top ten thousand. The rest are basically within the top fifty thousand."

"Our class only has fifty-eight students total. The proportion of top students is way too high..."

Qin Feng listened quietly, committing all this information to memory.

Fifty-eight students in one class, and nearly half were in the top ten thousand.

With his rank of over sixty-seven thousand, he was indeed among the lowest in the class.

Just then, the classroom door swung open.

A tall, middle-aged man with a face as sharp and resolute as if carved by a knife strode in.

He wore a tight black combat suit, his muscles clearly defined, and as he walked, he exuded an aura of iron-blooded ruthlessness.

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, sweeping across the room, and the entire noisy classroom fell silent in an instant.

He walked to the podium, placed both hands on the desk, and leaned forward slightly.

"My name is Wu Shangfeng. From today on, I am your homeroom teacher for Class Three, Grade One."

His voice was low and forceful, each word like a steel ball striking the ground.

"Welcome to Qiming No.1 Martial High School."

He scanned the room and continued, "First, let me explain the most basic rules of the school."

"First, 'Qiyi High' does not follow the traditional academic year system—it operates on a rank-based system."

"All students whose life force index has not reached 10 and who have not broken through the threshold of a second-rank martial artist belong to 'Grade One.' When your strength breaks through and you become a second-rank martial artist, you will automatically advance to 'Grade Two.' And so on. When your strength reaches the fourth-rank martial artist level, you may apply for graduation. After graduation, whether you choose to apply to Starry Sky University or enlist directly in the military, the school will provide you with the highest level of recommendation letters based on your performance during your time here."

"Remember, you cannot graduate until you reach the fourth-rank martial artist level."

Wu Shangfeng's words stirred a suppressed commotion in the classroom.

"I've heard about this! There was a monster senior from last year, Lin Xuan, who got an S-level contract half a year after enrollment, broke through to fourth-rank martial artist in less than a year, and graduated directly to Starry Sky Martial University!"

"Yeah, but there are also those who are still stuck in Grade One in their second year, unable to break through."

Qin Feng listened to the murmurs around him, deeply intrigued by this promotion system based solely on strength.

To rapidly improve strength and keep progressing, one had to compete for higher-level resource contracts.

"Quiet."

Wu Shangfeng's voice wasn't loud, but it easily suppressed all the chatter.

"Second, regarding the upgrade of resource contracts. Each of you currently holds a D-level contract. To upgrade, you need to earn 'merit points.' Merit points are the sole standard for measuring all your value during your time at school. Rankings in final exams, completing tasks issued by the school, winning in-school challenge matches, representing the school in interstellar competitions, reaching high ranks in the subspace network arena—all of these can earn you merit points."

"The higher your merit points, the more resources you can exchange, and the faster your contract level will rise."

Wu Shangfeng paused and pulled up the class schedule.

"Third, regarding your courses. The school's instruction is mainly divided into three parts: cultural courses, martial arts courses, and practical combat courses."

"Cultural courses primarily cover 'Comprehensive History of the Empire,' 'Advanced Xenolinguistics,' 'Theory of Interstellar Warfare,' and so on. Do not think cultural courses are unimportant—ignorance is the most common cause of a strong person's downfall."

"Martial arts courses will systematically teach intermediate and advanced body-tempering methods, as well as various basic 'meditation techniques' and 'cold weapon killing techniques.' What you learned in middle school was just the surface. Here, you will learn how to truly fight."

"As for practical combat courses, it's simple."

A cold, hard smile curled at the corner of Wu Shangfeng's mouth. "You will form squads and, through the subspace network, take on some low-intensity missions officially released by the Empire. For example, clearing out space pirates in an abandoned mining area, or hunting low-level mutated beasts. In actual combat, people die, so be mentally prepared."

Qin Feng committed all of this to memory, filled with hope for the next three years of campus life.

This was his first step toward the sea of stars—the beginning of becoming a strong person!

Wu Shangfeng's gaze swept over every student present.

"Finally, one more thing. Those who already have a 'Subspace Network Pass,' raise your hands."

As his words fell, including Shi Potian, the twenty-some students in the front rows raised their hands in unison.

Qin Feng, at the back, calmly raised his hand as well.

Wu Shangfeng's gaze lingered on him for a moment but didn't ask further.

"Very good."

He nodded. "For those without a pass, don't worry. The school can provide you with an interest-free 'student loan' to help you obtain one. This money, you can repay the school when you have the ability in the future. Now, those without one, come to me to register."

(End of chapter)