High-Level Martial Era - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 29: The Shocked Xu Bo
 

“`

Seeing the middle-aged man in Tang attire dismiss him and speak directly to Xu Bo, the expressions of several vice-principals changed slightly.

They couldn’t help but turn to look at Xu Bo.

Previously, although the vice-principals had heard many rumors, they had never witnessed Xu Bo’s abilities firsthand, so they still harbored some doubts about him.

Now? There were no more doubts.

Only Principal Tan Zhenlong remained composed, as he was the one most aware of Xu Bo’s background, which was why he had specifically called Xu Bo to meet at the school entrance.

And the outcome had been exactly as he expected.

“Tie Ta, your hand, I’ve heard…” The middle-aged man in Tang attire glanced at Xu Bo’s silver mechanical right arm.

“Old Wan, that’s all in the past.”

Xu Bo waved his hand with a smile, “Today you’re here for the first inspection of your tenure at our school, let’s talk business first.”

“This is Principal Tan.”

Xu Bo took the initiative to introduce him.

“Principal Tan.” Lord Wan smiled slightly.

“Lord Wan, hello, I have long heard of Lord Wan’s prestige in the Star Realm.” Principal Tan slightly bowed and extended his hand.

Principal Tan lowered his posture.

As the Hall Master of Starfire Martial Hall in the Guan Mountain District, Lord Wan held an extremely high status.

This status stemmed not just from the power of the Martial Hall, but also from Lord Wan’s own strength.

“Principal Tan, let’s enter the school,” Lord Wan said with a smile. “I’ve just come back from the Star Realm, and am not familiar with many things, so let’s do everything according to standard procedure, starting with a look at the students from the three elite classes.”

“Sure.”

“This way, please, Lord Wan, the students from the three elite classes are all waiting in the martial arts classroom,” Principal Tan said with a smile.

A crowd surrounded them as they entered the school.

…

Two hours later, a group of people emerged from the elite building, surrounded by Lord Wan, Principal Tan, and Xu Bo.

“Principal Tan and all the teachers, excellent teaching,”

Lord Wan said with a smile, “The students from the elite classes are all outstanding, especially the seniors in the third year. I see many of them have the hope of being admitted to the top five prestigious schools.”

“I believe that in a few years, our Guan Mountain District will see a surge of entry-rank martial artists,” Lord Wan praised.

“Lord Wan flatters us,” Principal Tan said with a laugh. “But I wonder, have you taken a liking to any of the students?”

The vice-principals and teachers all looked towards Lord Wan with anticipation.

Why do Martial Halls conduct inspections?

Essentially, they invite the decision-makers of the Martial Halls to see if any students qualify for early recruitment.

For the school, being specially recruited by the Martial Arts Hall would be the best outcome, but such opportunities are scarce.

If the students could sign early contracts with the Martial Hall and receive its training, their chances of being admitted to the top five prestigious schools would greatly increase, which would also be a significant accomplishment for the school’s leaders.

In fact, why are there only the Starry Sky and Starfire Martial Halls within Xia Country, and why do these two halls hold so much power?

In a sense, even though these two Martial Halls seem independent, they both possess some official character.

“These students are all excellent, but some decisions aren’t mine to make alone,” Lord Wan said with a smile. “When I get back, I’ll have the Martial Hall conduct a comprehensive assessment of these students. I believe there will be favorable results.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in the eyes of the school leaders.

Clearly, Lord Wan had not taken a particular liking to any student, at least not at first sight.

“Lord Wan, would you like to take another look at the students from the regular classes?” Principal Tan’s smile remained unchanged. “Among the regular class students, there are some who are exceptional too.”

Lord Wan smiled without answering.

“Principal Tan, the Hall Master has limited time today, and it’s getting late,” a man in black clothes whispered. “What do you say?”

“Oh, alright, sure, we’ll wait for another opportunity,” Principal Tan said, nodding repeatedly.

This was the norm. The regular class had too many students, and their chances of becoming martial artists were low… Whether it was Starfire or Starry Sky Martial Hall inspecting, they rarely visited the regular classes.

You see, inspecting school students is only a small part of a Martial Hall’s duties.

And just in the Guan Mountain District, there were dozens of middle and high schools combined, so there wasn’t enough time to visit each one, and most assessments were done by directly reviewing martial path results.

“Old Wan.”

Xu Bo, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, “I’ve selected a few good seeds from the regular class, do you want to stay a bit longer?”

Everyone turned to look at Xu Bo.

“Xu…” Principal Tan was just about to speak.

“Are these the ones Tie Ta takes an interest in?” Lord Wan revealed a hint of curiosity, smiling, “Selected from the regular class? If Tie Ta you have noticed them, they must have some potential. Alright, I will take a look.”

Lord Wan was willing, first because he wanted to give face to Xu Bo.

Secondly, he truly wanted to achieve something noteworthy as the new Hall Master, but none of the students from the three elite classes he saw today had satisfied him.

“Alright, Teacher Xu, lead the way,” Principal Tan said, seizing the moment to reply with a smile.

“This way,” Xu Bo said, walking ahead of everyone else.

…

“Today, Teacher Xu asked me to come here and specifically instructed me not to go anywhere else, but why?” Li Yuan wondered inwardly as his gaze swept over the other three students.

Two were second-year seniors, one was a first-year senior, and none of them were acquainted with each other.

“`

With Li Yuan included, there were only four people in the martial arts classroom.

Suddenly.

“Hmm?” Li Yuan’s ears twitched as he heard the noisy sounds coming from the end of the hallway.

It was the voice of Teacher Xu.

“Hall Master Wan?” Li Yuan heard a title in the voices.

Before he could ponder further.

Very soon.

Teacher Xu, Hall Master Wan, Principal Tan, and a group of people walked into the martial arts classroom.

Faced with this scene.

The other three students all showed nervousness, while only Li Yuan, who was prepared, remained the most composed.

“Hall Master Wan, is it the Hall Master of the Starry Sky Martial Hall or the Starfire Martial Hall?” Li Yuan’s peripheral vision fell involuntarily on the middle-aged man in traditional attire, and a series of text messages appeared in his field of view.

[Target individual, Life Level exceeding sensory limit (current Life Level sensory limit is 16.9).]

The man stood at the front, dressed most distinctively, clearly with the highest status.

Moreover, just one glance at this middle-aged man in traditional attire gave Li Yuan an intense sense of danger, especially those calm eyes that seemed like knife edges, making one involuntarily want to look away.

“What a powerful martial artist, he might even be stronger than Teacher Xu,” Li Yuan thought in shock.

Every use of his Divine Palace panel required mental energy, after many uses he would feel fatigued, as if having gone through numerous virtual battles, so Li Yuan seldom used it in daily life.

“A Martial Hall’s Hall Master? Accompanied by the principal and Teacher Xu? What are they here for?” Li Yuan’s thoughts raced through his mind.

At the same time.

Li Yuan and the other three students were already calling out, “Principal, Teacher Xu.”

“Teacher Xu.”

Several vice-principals? Li Yuan and the others only recognized them by face, knowing they were school leaders, but had no idea what their surnames were, so naturally, they did not address them by name.

“Alright.”

“Listen, all of you. Today is a very important opportunity for you. Later on, show us all your Physical Quality and Martial Arts Skills,” Teacher Xu said solemnly, “Xiong Yifan, you come first for the triple test.”

The triple test referred to the Life Vitality Detection, Fist Strength test, and Burst Speed test.

Immediately.

The high first-year student stepped into the range of the Life Vitality Detector…

Lord Wan didn’t pay much attention to this high first-year student. He seemed to have noticed something, his gaze involuntarily falling on Li Yuan as he quietly asked, “Tie Ta, what’s this student’s name?”

Teacher Xu took notice of Lord Wan’s gaze and said, “His name is Li Yuan, Old Wan, do you find him impressive?”

“Li Yuan?” Hall Master Wan’s eyes flickered as if remembering something, and he said with a smile, “Let’s take a look first, no rush.”

“Hmm,” Teacher Xu nodded.

Soon after.

The three students from the first and second year of high school had completed their tests, and their Physical Quality data, when compared within their respective Elite Classes, ranked in the upper middle range.

Only, that was it, not enough to change Lord Wan’s mind.

Finally, everyone’s gaze settled on Li Yuan.

“Is he Li Yuan?”

“I’ve heard of him.”

“Seems to have quite the Martial Arts Skills.”

“However, having not awakened his Martial Spirit upon entering his third year, the chances for early signing don’t look very good,” a few school leaders whispered among themselves. They didn’t know that Li Yuan had entered the Blue Star youth ranking, but they had all heard of Li Yuan’s name.

After defeating Lin Lanyue in virtual combat, Li Yuan had become somewhat of a minor celebrity at the school.

“Li Yuan, go,” said Teacher Xu in a deep voice. “Be serious, and bring out all your strength.”

Out of the four students selected from the regular class, Teacher Xu valued Li Yuan the most.

Or perhaps, in his eyes, Li Yuan was the one with the most promising chance of signing early with a Martial Hall.

“Yes.”

Li Yuan nodded and directly stepped onto the silver circular floor in the center of the martial arts classroom. This circular area served both as the skill-testing ground and the Life Vitality Detector’s sensing range.

Whoosh!

A beam of red light shot over, enveloping Li Yuan’s entire body.

Three seconds later.

On the screen at the back of the classroom, data appeared – “Li Yuan (Student), Physical Quality: 6.9 (last measured at 6.5).”

“Historical data: September 5th: 6.5.”

“Historical data: June 25th, 6.0.”

…

“6.9? It improved by 0.4 since a little over a month ago?” Teacher Xu’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise as he looked at Li Yuan, quite astonished.

“Interesting,” Lord Wan showed a smile.