Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Twenty-Two: Shocking the Entire Arena

“Hiss…” As Zhao Qiang announced the amount of the subsidy, the surrounding martial arts students couldn’t help but draw sharp breaths. What a generous offer! It was as if meat pies were falling from the sky. Even Wang Jue found himself looking forward to it. He was currently at the third level of Body Tempering, which meant he’d be eligible for sixty thousand!

He knew that his family’s noodle shop, after a year of hard work and deducting costs, barely made a little over twenty thousand, not even thirty. Yet now, as long as he passed the review, he could receive this sum immediately. Admittedly, it wasn’t enough to buy martial techniques or skills, but it would certainly lighten the family’s financial burden.

To be honest, the subsidy was both high and not high. For those below the third level of Body Tempering, it was a significant amount, especially for families like Wang Jue’s, who weren’t well-off. But for people like Luo Shui, who had reached level six, they’d get two hundred and ten thousand at once. For a martial artist, that may not seem much, but for an ordinary family, earning two hundred thousand could take years.

If this money were spent on martial cultivation resources, it might be a bit insufficient. But if used for household expenses, it would be enough for a family to live comfortably for several years. The students around him were all visibly excited—who wouldn’t want free money, after all?

Compared to his classmates’ enthusiasm, Wang Jue was rather calm, even falling into deep thought with a frown. He sensed there was more to this than met the eye. The Safe Zone in Jiangnan City must have experienced something major; otherwise, why would they suddenly give money to martial arts students for no reason?

Wang Jue, being the one lagging behind, could get sixty thousand, while everyone else would get at least a hundred thousand—some as much as a hundred and fifty thousand, or even over two hundred thousand. On average, each person would get more than a hundred thousand. There were thousands of middle schools in a single peaceful town, each with about a thousand students. That meant the town would have to spend tens of billions, even hundreds of billions.

And there were tens of thousands of towns like this in Jiangnan City. This generation alone, just the review and subsidy distribution, would add up to a staggering sum. If it were just a few billion or even tens of billions, it would be manageable, but for all the towns under Jiangnan’s jurisdiction, the total would be astronomical, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

Even if the Safe Zone wanted to support martial artists, would they really go to such lengths and pay such a price? Not to mention, in addition to subsidies, there were also special admissions for high school and university—enough to provoke suspicion.

While Wang Jue pondered, his martial arts classmates couldn’t hold back and started voicing their questions. Zhao Qiang patiently answered each one, even though most were similar, either about extra points in the policy or details of the subsidy.

As a soldier, he dutifully carried out his responsibilities, his face betraying no sign of impatience. As the person in charge, he knew exactly when the subsidies would be issued, so he told everyone that the payments would be made quickly—usually by the next day. The extra points would be added in the exams a month later.

Some inquired about the military academies, clearly showing interest in them. On that subject, Zhao Qiang merely said that their profiles would be submitted to the academies, and the better their grades, the greater the opportunity.

As Zhao Qiang answered the students' questions, Wang Jue, unable to figure out what was truly going on, simply gave up. In his mind, if this were ancient times on Earth, the situation would be no different from “conscription.”

Normally, such situations only occurred when the front lines suffered defeat, or all the soldiers had died, forcing the state to draft men into the army. Wang Jue therefore made a bold guess—was Jiangnan City about to face a great war? Were they planning to start training them now to build up strength for a future conflict? Or was there already a war happening somewhere unknown to them, with the front lines desperately short of people?

Or perhaps the Safe Zone simply wanted to select certain individuals from among them—prodigies with exceptional talent? Wang Jue even wondered if the subsidy policy wasn’t just for their grade, but that first and second-year students also had their own martial artist benefits.

If Wang Jue, like his classmates, were just an ordinary sixteen-year-old who’d never left the “ivory tower,” he would certainly be thrilled. Unfortunately, while his body was sixteen, his soul was not. Having struggled in society for years, working his way up from the bottom rung of a company to department manager, he knew very well that without scheming and rivalry, such a rise would have been impossible.

Wang Jue knew that for such a new policy to appear so suddenly, something unknown must have happened. As for why Zhao Qiang hadn’t said anything, that was obvious.

Two words: Not strong enough!

So, with speculations swirling in his mind, Wang Jue chose to remain silent. He knew clearly that if he voiced his suspicions, he’d either be brushed off or ignored. Zhao Qiang would never answer.

Again, not strong enough!

The less trouble, the better. Without strength, it was best not to bring trouble upon himself. At times like these, it was better to mind his own business. After all, if the sky fell, there were taller people to hold it up—no need for a rookie at the third level of Body Tempering to worry.

In truth, Wang Jue knew his own capabilities well. He was only at the third level, not even average among the martial students present, let alone a genius!

As the students’ questions died down, the meeting concluded. The martial students of each class followed their teachers in groups of ten into the staff building, each class entering a room cleared of desks and equipped with several punching machines.

Testing strength was simple. Each student just had to punch the machine with all their might. The first level of Body Tempering meant one hundred kilograms of force, the second two hundred, and so on.

Wang Jue, as usual, was at the end of the line. Watching his thirteen classmates take their turns, he saw six or seven score between four hundred and four hundred sixty kilograms, and three or four more reached five hundred to five hundred fifty.

But it was Luo Shui, the “She-Dragon,” who stole the show. Among the students in Class Six of the third year, none could match her. In the entire Peaceful Tenth Middle School, fewer than ten could surpass her.

Her punch registered an astonishing six hundred ninety-five kilograms—just five short of the seven hundred needed for the seventh level of Body Tempering. Even the officers overseeing the testing and recording were shocked.

At that moment, Wang Jue couldn’t help but envy Luo Shui’s talent.

Finally, it was Wang Jue’s turn. After his midday bout with Luo Shui, he knew that his strength was already above his current level, though by how much, he wasn’t sure.

Originally, he’d wanted to test his full strength, but seeing so many people watching, he immediately gave up the idea. After all, with his golden finger, he just wanted to grow quietly and securely, not draw attention or invite unnecessary trouble.

Standing before the punching machine, Wang Jue took a deep breath. Though he appeared to use all his strength, in reality, he only used half.

Even so, the machine registered three hundred seventy-eight kilograms. It was still a bit below the third level’s maximum, but not by much. Before the system, his strength barely exceeded one hundred kilograms. But after two rounds of body refining—one to boost his talent and one from cultivating martial techniques—his strength had soared to over two hundred, nearly three hundred kilograms. That was enough.

And that was only half his strength. If he went all out, Wang Jue guessed that his raw power would be at the seventh level of Body Tempering.

After the strength test, Wang Jue and the others registered their information and chose whether to receive the subsidy in cash or have it deposited into their personal accounts. Without hesitation, Wang Jue chose cash—he had just become a martial artist and hadn’t had time to open an account yet.

When the tests for Class Six were over, Wang Jue and the others didn’t leave. Instead, they quietly waited and watched the other classes. The officers didn’t mind as long as they weren’t a disturbance.

Not everyone chose to stay, however. Apart from Wang Jue and Luo Shui, most of their classmates left after watching a few more classes, finding it dull.

By the time all the martial students in the third year had finished, it was already past eight in the evening. Wang Jue and Luo Shui left together, taking the bus home.

Because the bus didn’t pass directly by their homes, they had to get off at a stop still about ten minutes’ walk away and then walk the rest. It wasn’t far.

“So, Little Jue, aren’t I amazing?” Luo Shui walked with her head held high, full of pride. “I thought someone would surpass me in the strength test, but not a single one did.”

Wang Jue didn’t want to admit it, but he had to. At their age, reaching the peak of the sixth level and being on the verge of the seventh was truly rare.

He didn’t know about other schools, but in Peaceful Tenth Middle School alone, there were nearly a hundred at the sixth level, and only three at the seventh. Among the sixth-level students, none could compare to the She-Dragon, nearly seven hundred kilograms of force—enough to astonish everyone.

In this school, as long as she stayed clear of the three at the seventh level, Luo Shui could walk the halls unchallenged.

If it were just about talent, Luo Shui’s was surely higher than those three. Their breakthrough to the seventh level was mainly thanks to wealthy families and endless cultivation resources—enough to turn even a pig into a genius. Their talent might not match Luo Shui’s, but in the entire school, they could still rank in the top ten.