Chapter 56: The Quota

Inside the observation team’s hotel room.

"Why?!"

Chen Fan shot to his feet, his face filled with resentment.

"Xu Wuyi took first place in the joint exam! He was the one who defeated Su Yueling head-on! And he was the one who manifested a True Intention of Martial Arts! That special admission slot should be his, by all rights!"

"Hadn’t Councillor Lin already agreed? How could he go back on his word?"

Chen Fan just couldn’t understand.

After they reported the situation, Councillor Xiao Lin had quickly decided to give the slot to Xu Wuyi.

According to him, Su Yueling was the disciple of that great personage. She would get into Black Stone Academy no matter what, so it made no difference whether she took their slot.

If the other candidates were nowhere near Su Yueling’s level, then giving her the slot would be justifiable. But now, it could absolutely go to Xu Wuyi.

The news had the observation team ecstatic. Yet, just one day later, the situation completely reversed.

Councillor Lin’s slot was given to Su Yueling. What’s more, they weren’t notified at all. They only found out after the invitation had already been sent!

Yan Zhishan, the team leader, sat in a chair by the window. He gazed out at the Red River City skyline, his expression tranquil.

He gently swirled the teacup in his hand, the billowing steam blurring his expression.

"Chen Fan, sit down." Yan Zhishan’s voice was soft, yet tinged with fatigue.

Chen Fan’s chest heaved. He finally sat back down, resentful, but the displeasure on his face didn’t fade in the slightest.

"I know you admire Xu Wuyi," Yan Zhishan began slowly. "To be honest, I do too. His Energy Level was below 9.0 just a few months ago. To have come this far and comprehended the True Intention of Martial Arts is incredibly rare."

He looked up at Chen Fan. "But this was the Lin Family’s decision. Even Councillor Lin was powerless to stop it. The Lin Family has been established in Dongjiang Province for many years. Their considerations go beyond a single student’s potential."

"With the Star Realm rifts reappearing, the safety of this region—all six cities—relies entirely on Grandmaster Ren’s presence. The Lin Family has to consider his feelings."

"Trading a special admission slot for Grandmaster Ren’s goodwill is a worthy exchange in the eyes of the Lin Family."

"But is that fair to Xu Wuyi?" Chen Fan shot back, his voice rising. "Should his hard work and talent be dismissed just for a deal like this? Isn’t the entire point of our observation team to discover true geniuses?"

"Is there any such thing as absolute fairness in this world?"

Yan Zhishan shook his head. "We can only do our best to be fair within the scope of our authority. I’ve already submitted Xu Wuyi’s file and all his data to the Provincial Martial Arts Association headquarters."

"As long as he’s outstanding enough, the doors to the ’Three Greats’ will still be wide open for him after the college entrance exams."

"Also, Councillor Lin will make a private donation of five hundred thousand Federation Credits to Honghe First Middle School, to be passed on to Xu Wuyi as compensation."

Chen Fan opened his mouth to speak, but closed it with a helpless sigh.

He knew his leader was right. The slot was ultimately the Lin Family’s to give, and besides, given Su Yueling’s talent, it wasn’t against the rules for her to receive it.

And while Xu Wuyi didn’t get the slot, he did get a financial subsidy. Perhaps this was the best possible outcome.

But he still felt a lingering sense of injustice. "Xu Wuyi is a genius too. Aren’t the Lin Family worried that he’ll become incredibly powerful one day and hold this against them?"

If the special admission slot had never been on the table, Xu Wuyi might have even been grateful for the Lin Family’s donation.

But this whole thing was semi-public even before the joint exam. Snatching someone’s prize and then tossing them some cash as ’compensation’... anyone would hold a grudge over that.

Yan Zhishan just chuckled and shook his head. "Xiao Chen, you’re overthinking it. How many geniuses do you think there are in the Federation? Three thousand Martial Artists get into the Three Greats every year, and that’s not even counting the powerhouses who rise up outside of them."

"But of all those people, a good number might become Martial Artists. Reaching the Innate realm is already a one-in-a-hundred feat, and the number who reach the rank of Grandmaster is smaller still."

"Xu Wuyi comes from the lower class. Comprehending the True Intention of Martial Arts at his age will be a massive help for him to become a Martial Artist, but going any further than that is still as difficult as climbing to the heavens."

"The Lin Family’s own Grandmaster may be old and frail, but the family itself remains a behemoth."

...

The Villa.

Su Yueling stared at the invitation in her hand, a little dazed.

"This... shouldn’t this go to Xu Wuyi?"

She knew full well that the Provincial Martial Arts Association observation team’s primary goal at the joint exam was that single special admission slot.

The principals of the three schools had been informed of this long ago, which was why they had all sent their best students. They had even put up their own resources to encourage everyone to perform well.

She didn’t actually need it herself. If it were a prize for the victor, she’d have no reason to refuse. But that clearly wasn’t the case here.

Ren Bai said coolly, "The Lin Family sent it. The gesture is nothing more than an attempt to curry favor. They believe your background and potential are a better investment."

His tone was level, but it carried a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of mockery.

Having reached the rank of Grandmaster, Ren Bai certainly wasn’t ignorant of worldly affairs, but that didn’t stop him from looking down on the Lin Family’s behavior.

"This..."

Su Yueling clutched the invitation, her fingertips pressing into the paper.

She didn’t like getting it this way, but she also understood that this was reality. Resources and connections were a part of one’s strength, too.

"Take it," Ren Bai said, closing his eyes again. "It’ll be good for you to experience the special admission exam anyway."

A slot that others had to compete for in a joint exam across three schools was, for Su Yueling, merely a chance to gain some experience.

...

For two days after the joint exam ended, Xu Wuyi stayed at home.

The sword wound on his left shoulder still needed time to mend. With modern medical technology, the flesh wound had already healed, but the bone injury required another two days of rest.

He decided to set aside his Spear Technique and Battle Network training, pouring all his energy into practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique.

Over these two days, the rhythm of Xu Wuyi’s life slowed down considerably.

Having him at home for such a rare, extended period made Father Xu and Mrs. Xu both happy and concerned.

News that their son had taken first place in the joint exam had already spread, and the compliments from their neighbors brought them a great deal of pride.

But seeing the bandages wrapped around Wuyi’s shoulder, their joy was tinged with worry.

"Wuyi, is your injury really okay? Should we go back to the hospital to have it looked at?" his mother fretted at the dinner table, her eyes repeatedly glancing at his left shoulder.

"Mom, it’s really just a surface wound," Xu Wuyi said, putting down his bowl and chopsticks to reassure her. "It’s normal for Martial Artists to get a little banged up when they spar. The joint exam had top-notch medical staff on site. They treated it well, and it’ll be fine after another two days of rest."

"Teacher Wang also said I should come back to school in a couple of days once my injury has healed. The college entrance exams are less than four months away, so I can’t fall behind."

"That’s good, that’s good." Father Xu sighed in relief, a smile returning to his face as he raised his glass. "Come on! A toast to you for taking first in the joint exam and bringing honor to the Xu Family! Let’s drink to that!"

"Two hundred thousand Federation Credits! Your mother and I haven’t seen that much money in half our lives!"

Even though they knew the money was a grant that could only be used for their son’s Martial Arts training and couldn’t be spent freely, it didn’t stop Father Xu and Mrs. Xu from being overjoyed.

After all, even if they’d had that much money themselves, wouldn’t they have given it all to their son anyway?