Chapter 38: Much Discussion

Chapter 38: A Buzz of Discussion

On the podium, Wu Shangfeng's holographic projection stood solemnly, his sharp gaze sweeping across every student's face in the room.

In the classroom, the uproar and murmurs sparked by Qin Feng's astonishing grade point average quickly subsided under his watchful eyes, restoring the proper silence.

"Your scores and GPAs have been released. This marks the official end of your first month at Wu High."

Wu Shangfeng's voice echoed through the amplification system in the spacious martial arts hall, clear and forceful.

"Some have improved, some have stagnated, and some have regressed. The numbers on the leaderboard are the most truthful and objective feedback on your efforts over the past month. I hope each of you will carefully analyze your report cards, identify your strengths, and recognize your weaknesses."

He paused for a moment, allowing the students time to reflect.

"Starting today, a new self-study month officially begins. The school's resources will always lean toward the most diligent and outstanding students. The rules for the next monthly exam remain unchanged. I hope to see more names from Class Three on the leaderboard, and I also hope you can deliver even more impressive performances."

"Remember, at Qiyi High, on the path of martial arts, if you don't advance, you fall behind."

"Dismissed."

With those words, Wu Shangfeng's holographic projection lingered not a moment longer. His form rippled like water, then vanished from the podium into thin air.

The homeroom teacher's crisp exit seemed to flip a switch, instantly releasing the tense atmosphere in the martial arts hall.

"Phew... finally over."

"Let's go, let's go eat. I'm starving."

"How did you all do? I moved up over three hundred places this time and got three effort points. Not bad, not bad."

Students gathered in small groups, packing their belongings and chatting in low voices as they headed out of the martial arts hall.

Most faces bore varying degrees of fatigue, but their eyes burned with a new flame.

A single monthly exam, a single release of GPAs—like a potent catalyst—had deeply etched the brutal and realistic competitive rules of Qiyi High into the hearts of these freshmen.

"Let's go, to the cafeteria."

Shi Potian slung his combat blade over his back and looked at Qin Feng and Qian Duoduo.

"Alright! Today, we're definitely getting extra food! Celebrating our dorm's total victory!"

Qian Duoduo was full of energy, patting his slightly protruding belly with undisguised delight on his face.

Qin Feng nodded, and the three of them joined the flow of students leaving Building 7 in Zone C.

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall broadleaf trees on campus, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

On the way to the cafeteria, students streamed endlessly.

Walking among them, the trio could clearly hear the barely suppressed discussions coming from all directions.

The focus of every conversation, without exception, revolved around the just-concluded first monthly exam.

"Did you see the overall leaderboard? That top student from Class One, Grade Ten—the one called Si Kongyao—is terrifying! He's nearly twenty points ahead of the second place!"

"What's so surprising about that? He entered as the top scholar, with a vitality index of 8.9. I heard his family is a famous martial arts clan in Qiming City, with endless resources. His comprehensive martial arts score was 480—inhuman."

"But Shi Potian is also fierce. This year's batch at our school is truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

"Yeah, the top hundred are basically those geniuses who were already famous when they enrolled. Their foundations are too solid."

These discussions reached the ears of the three in Dorm 402. Qian Duoduo and Shi Potian remained expressionless; they were long accustomed to being the center of attention.

But soon, the conversation shifted to a more bizarre and controversial topic.

"Tell me, those with high total scores we can still understand. But that Qin Feng, who got first in the combat simulation—what's his background? Did you see his score?"

"Saw it! How could I not see it! Full marks! 500 points! I was dumbfounded, thought my terminal was glitching!"

"I saw it too, absolutely insane! I specifically checked the second-place score—it was another powerhouse from Class One, a guy named Lei Che, who specializes in the 'Thunder Sword.' His combat score was only 220! Not even half of Qin Feng's!"

"What? That big a gap? That's... a tier-break lead!"

"Exactly! I heard the school's virtual duels are against teachers, and the scoring standards are extremely strict. Our class's top student barely lasted twenty moves against the sparring teacher and only got 140 points. For Qin Feng to get full marks means his performance against the teacher was flawless! How is that possible?"

"The weirdest thing is his comprehensive martial arts score—only 160 points, ranked over eleven thousand. Someone with such a low vitality index can have such a high level of killing technique? That defies logic!"

"I know, I know! I have a classmate in Class Three. He said the teacher who sparred with Qin Feng yesterday was Professor Gu Yue! That spear master!"

"What?! Professor Gu personally stepped in?"

This news was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, instantly causing an even greater uproar around them.

"Damn, really? No wonder he got full marks—he got lucky."

"You can't call it luck, can you? Professor Gu agreeing to spar personally means Qin Feng's spear skills have reached a certain level. That's respect earned through real ability!"

"I asked a classmate from Class Three—that Qin Feng's spear skills are terrifyingly strong."

"'A month for the staff, a year for the saber, a lifetime for the spear.' This guy's comprehension is frightening."

"Comprehension... that's too abstract. But anyway, this Qin Feng is definitely the biggest dark horse to emerge from this exam! I just wonder what he looks like—so mysterious."

The discussions rose and fell, filled with amazement, doubt, and curiosity.

At the center of all this talk, Qin Feng, along with Shi Potian and Qian Duoduo, walked calmly through the crowd.

Because he had kept such a low profile upon enrollment and, over the past month, had only moved between classes, the dorm, and the martial arts hall, almost no one in the entire freshman year—except for his classmates in Class Three—recognized his face.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

Amid countless whispers, the three of them made their way safely into the school's first cafeteria.

The interior of the cafeteria was vast, capable of seating ten thousand people at once.

There were no manual service windows; instead, rows of automated meal dispensers with a metallic sheen lined the walls.

Students simply selected their desired meal on the screens in front of the machines, swiped their student terminals, and a perfectly balanced, steaming hot energy meal would be delivered precisely to them via conveyor belts from the central kitchen behind the machines.

The three each got their meals and found a corner seat by the window.

(End of Chapter)