Chapter 23: The Ingenious Use of GPA

Chapter 23: The Subtle Use of Grade Points

On the podium, Wu Shangfeng closed the data board in his hand.

“The tally is complete.”

His voice echoed through the silent martial arts hall. “I’ve finished explaining all the rules that need to be covered.”

Wu Shangfeng glanced at the electronic clock on the wall.

“It’s now ten in the morning. There are four hours until the first class at two in the afternoon. During this time, you may arrange yourselves as you see fit.”

“Go get familiar with your dormitories, meet your comrades for the next few years, or take a stroll around this school you fought so hard to get into. Assemble here promptly at two in the afternoon. Dismissed.”

With that, Wu Shangfeng turned and walked out of the classroom, without any hesitation.

In the classroom, the oppressive atmosphere was instantly shattered.

Students rose in twos and threes; some excitedly discussed future courses, while others eagerly paired up and headed toward the dormitory area.

Qin Feng nodded slightly and called up the campus map on his terminal.

A three-dimensional panoramic view of the campus projected into the air before him.

He quickly located Building 18 in Zone F, plotted the most convenient route, then stood up and left the classroom.

The dormitory area was on the east side of the campus, quiet and serene, with modern dormitory buildings nestled among green trees and artificial lakes.

Following the map’s guidance, Qin Feng soon found Building 18.

He took an anti-gravity elevator to the fourth floor and arrived at the door of Room 402.

He gently swiped his student card on the access control system.

[Identity verified. Welcome home, student Qin Feng.]

A soft electronic voice sounded, and the alloy door slid silently inward.

Qin Feng stepped into the dormitory, and the sight before him caught him slightly off guard.

It was not the cramped, communal dorm he had imagined, but a rather spacious apartment.

A common living room of about fifty square meters was furnished with comfortable sofas and a coffee table. One entire wall was a massive floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of the tranquil lake outside the dormitory area.

Around the living room were four closed doors, each marked with the letters A, B, C, and D.

At that moment, two people were already seated on the sofa.

One of them was a chubby young man.

He appeared to be about the same age as Qin Feng, with a round face framed by black-rimmed glasses, wearing a loose tracksuit, and engrossed in a data board.

He was completely sunk into the soft sofa, looking endearingly naive.

The other person made Qin Feng’s gaze sharpen slightly.

It was Shi Potian.

The one who had ranked in the top hundred of the entire Qiming Star during the middle school entrance exam, with a vitality index close to 10 before enrollment—the undisputed strongest in the class.

He wore a spotless white training suit, sitting cross-legged on the other side of the sofa, meditating with closed eyes.

His posture was upright, his aura restrained, and even at rest, he exuded a sharp, aloof pride that kept others at a distance.

Hearing the door open, both of them looked up.

The chubby young man stood up first, a warm and cheerful smile spreading across his face.

“Hey! New roommate? Hello, hello! I’m Qian Duoduo, assigned to Room C. And you?”

“Qin Feng, Room D.”

Qin Feng replied.

“Qin Feng?”

Qian Duoduo scratched his head, as if recalling the class roster. “Oh, oh, I remember now! Welcome, welcome!”

He patted the sofa beside him with a familiar air. “Sit down, sit down, make yourself at home.”

On the other side, Shi Potian also opened his eyes.

His gaze lingered on Qin Feng for a moment, then he gave a faint nod as a greeting, before closing his eyes again and resuming his meditation.

His pride was evident, but he showed no hostility or disdain—only the natural reserve of a top-tier genius.

Qin Feng walked to the door of Room D and swiped his student card to open it.

The room was small, about twenty square meters, but well laid out.

A bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a private bathroom.

Small as a sparrow, yet complete with all essentials.

He set down his simple luggage and came back out.

“Hey? No one in Room B?”

Qian Duoduo asked curiously, seeing only Qin Feng.

“The senior said our dormitory only has three people for now.”

Qin Feng replied.

“Three people?”

Qian Duoduo paused, then his eyes lit up as he slapped his thigh excitedly. “That’s great! An empty room—we can use it as a storage space for odds and ends. How comfortable!”

Once his chatterbox opened, it was hard to close.

“To be honest, the living conditions under a D-level contract are much better than I expected. Single room with a private bathroom—not bad. I thought it would be bunk beds.”

He smacked his lips, a look of longing on his face.

“But it can’t compare to a C-level contract. My cousin told me that once you upgrade to a C-level contract, you can immediately apply to move to a better dormitory building. Over there, not only do you get a private single apartment, but each floor also has a shared, multi-functional martial arts training room, fully equipped with gravity devices, reaction testers, psychic sensors, and the like—open twenty-four hours, and no grade points needed!”

“If you can upgrade to a B-level contract,”

Qian Duoduo lowered his voice, a hint of mystery in it, “that’s even more impressive. They assign you a standalone villa with a private martial arts room! Plus, you get one one-on-one session with a designated master instructor every month! Those are the real powerhouses of the school!”

He spoke with animated enthusiasm, while Shi Potian beside him remained in meditation, as if the world around him didn’t exist.

Qin Feng listened quietly, noting down all the useful information.

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask.”

Qian Duoduo turned to Qin Feng. “Bro, how did you do on the entrance exam? What was your rank?” Before Qin Feng could answer, he turned to Shi Potian.

“Bro Shi, you don’t even need to say it—the whole school knows, top hundred big shot. I’ll call you Bro Shi, no objections?”

Shi Potian slowly opened his eyes, glanced at him, and gave a faint “Mm” in acknowledgment.

“Heh heh.”

Qian Duoduo rubbed his hands together. “As for me, my results were average, mid-tier, ranked over thirty thousand. But my vitality index is okay, 4.8—just lacking in combat skills. What about you, Qin Feng?”

“4.8 and over thirty thousand?”

Qin Feng was surprised, then answered truthfully: “My vitality index during the entrance exam was 1.23, ranked sixty-seven thousand.”

Upon hearing this ranking, a flicker of surprise crossed Qian Duoduo's face.

"Over sixty-seven thousand..."

Shi Potian, who had remained silent all along, opened his eyes again upon hearing Qin Feng's result.

"I noticed your body has a spontaneous absorption of spiritual energy, and your pores are all normal. It shouldn't be that you only had 1.23 during the high school entrance exam."

Shi Potian murmured with curiosity, "Did you have some problem with your body before?"

"Yeah, I just recovered from a serious illness."

Qin Feng nodded.

"I see."

Shi Potian nodded in understanding.

"If there's anything you don't understand about cultivation in the future, you can come ask me."

He spoke, but the meaning in his words was clear, "We're in the same dorm, we're brothers."

Shi Potian seemed aloof, but after all, he was only fifteen or sixteen.

"Right, right, right!"

Qian Duoduo nodded vigorously beside him, "Brother Shi is right! From now on, we're comrades in the same trench! Qin Feng, don't worry, with Brother Shi and me looking out for you, cultivation will definitely be no problem. You'll catch up slowly!"

The atmosphere in the dorm was much better than Qin Feng had expected.

One was warm, outgoing, well-informed, and a natural people-person.

The other was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, a top-tier genius with a sense of responsibility.

"Let's go, let's go, it's almost mealtime. Let's head out, get familiar with the surroundings, and then grab a meal at the cafeteria."

Qian Duoduo bounced up from the sofa and, without waiting for a reply, dragged Qin Feng and Shi Potian out the door.

Shi Potian, though expressionless, did not refuse.

The three of them walked out of the dormitory building together, strolling along the wide main campus road.

"Look, this is our school's style."

Qian Duoduo pointed a chubby finger at the surrounding buildings, "Simple, direct, efficient. You won't find any ornamental gardens without practical use. All the roads are straight and wide, facilitating the rapid movement of personnel and supplies. All the buildings are cubes made of the strongest alloys and composite materials—massive, sturdy, and full of a sense of power. Everything here is designed for one purpose—to enhance martial arts strength."

Qin Feng followed his gaze.

Indeed, as he said, the entire campus layout exuded an extreme pragmatism and militaristic style.

On both sides of the road were several massive buildings crouching like black beasts.

"That big black cube up ahead is the school's central cultivation hall."

Qian Duoduo introduced, "Inside, it's divided into thousands of independent training rooms. Gravity rooms, reaction rooms, spiritual energy sensing rooms, virtual combat rooms... you name it. I heard the top-tier gravity rooms can even simulate gravity environments over a hundred times stronger."

He smacked his lips, "But those good places, us D-level contract students aren't qualified to use for free. We can only use the most basic public training grounds. If we want to enter those independent training rooms, we have to spend merit points to rent them."

They continued walking, passing a building bustling with people, where a giant electronic screen constantly scrolled with mission information.

"That's the mission hall."

Qian Duoduo pointed, "That's where we'll mainly earn merit points in the future. From assisting in school labs to clearing out space pirates in the subspace network... there are all kinds of missions. But we can't take them; only teachers can. So when you do take a mission, you have to seize the opportunity—the merit points are generous."

Qin Feng committed all this to memory.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria.

The architectural style of the cafeteria was identical to that of the cultivation hall—another massive, unadorned alloy cube, devoid of any superfluous decoration, only cold metal and huge glass curtain walls.

"See, what did I tell you?"

Qian Duoduo smiled and spread his hands, "Our school's designer must be a cube fanatic. Come on, let's go in and eat."

The three entered the cafeteria, where the interior space was enormous, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people dining at once.

Rows of long stainless-steel tables and chairs were neatly arranged, exuding a solemn, barracks-like atmosphere.

Using their student cards, each collected a standard D-level nutritional meal.

On the trays were high-protein synthetic meat, energy rice, and some vitamin-rich vegetables—a balanced combination with generous portions.

They found a seat by the window and began to eat.

"Oh, by the way, about merit points."

Qian Duoduo spoke while eating in large mouthfuls, his words somewhat garbled, "My cousin told me there are actually many ways to get them."

He swallowed a mouthful of rice, raised a finger, and listed them one by one.

"The most conventional way is exams—merit points based on rankings. Then there are the missions I just mentioned—that's the big one. Also, winning in school challenge matches can earn you merit points."

"Besides that, there are other ways. For example, if you climb high in the Imperial Arena on the subspace network, the school will reward you. Representing the school in some interstellar league and placing well—merit points will come pouring in. Even if you accidentally unlock some hidden achievement of the school or break a long-standing school record, you'll get a windfall."

"In short,"

Qian Duoduo concluded, "If you want to earn merit points, starting tomorrow, for the next three years, you'll be so busy every day that your feet won't touch the ground, and you won't even have time to sleep."

Listening to his account, Qin Feng gained a clearer understanding of the upcoming high school life.

Having a well-informed roommate like Qian Duoduo indeed saved him a lot of time that he would have spent figuring things out on his own.

After finishing their meal, seeing that it was about time, the three didn't linger any longer. They stood up together and headed toward the teaching building in Zone C, Building 7.

(End of this chapter)