Chapter 86

Feeling that Senior Cui was eyeing him with a predatory gaze, Li Pu didn’t pay much attention. After a while, Instructor Lin Jie walked in and began the roll call, saying, "We have a new student today. Please introduce yourself to everyone."

This was the standard procedure for new students. Under the curious gazes of the other students, Li Pu stood up and gave a brief introduction of himself. Below, a somewhat gossipy girl whispered to the young man next to her, "Sure enough, it’s Li Pu. I didn’t recognize him wrong! Wasn’t he the contestant who withdrew from the Global Idol competition? I said when I watched his performance that his vocal techniques were definitely trained in breath control, and his level was very high. Now he’s actually come to our school. I saw with my own eyes that he easily beat Xiao Yan during the entrance test yesterday. Fang Gan, it looks like your ranking might not be secure anymore."

The young man was Fang Gan. He had a well-proportioned build, wore a white shirt, and exuded a scholarly air. If he weren’t in the Physical Education Department, he would look like a top humanities student who could pull out a Borges book at any moment and read it with a serene smile in the sunlight. Hearing the girl’s words, he glanced at Li Pu without showing any emotion. Yesterday, he had heard that a new student had easily crushed Xiao Yan, who was only one rank below him. Logically, this new student should have no problem defeating him either.

Why are there so many freaks in this batch! Cui Qinglang is older, so that’s understandable. Ji Wangyue can be attributed to his family’s deep academic roots, which his own family can’t match. But now this mysterious new student has appeared... Fang Gan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Before coming to the school, he was an extremely proud prodigy in the province, the top elite with a high opinion of himself. He thought he would always be the best, but now he might not even be able to secure third place.

After Li Pu finished his introduction, the class began. Although it was the Physical Education Department, it wasn’t just about combat training; cultural studies still took up a quarter of the curriculum. However, the cultural studies in the Physical Education Department were not like the literary readings or exegesis papers in regular high schools or universities. Instead, the instructor would propose a topic, and students would freely discuss and ask questions, making the interaction very strong.

These topics were related to philosophical ideas, religious thoughts, mythological or historical figures, and dialectical discussions. Li Pu had never taken such a course before and found it very interesting. He quickly understood why these subjects were taught—they were very helpful for personal cultivation and refinement. To reach a profound and subtle level in martial arts, one needed a certain level of thought and insight.

At least, the Ming Wang borrowing form of the Little Fist Saint required reading Buddhist scriptures, not just random ideas. Baseless and superficial things were hard to cultivate into true intent.

Instructor Lin Jie was very good at this, explaining all topics in a smooth and engaging manner. Xiao Yan secretly whispered to Li Pu, "Instructor Lin Jie is amazing, right? He’s incredibly strong and knowledgeable. Even Brother Gao can’t match him in this. Do you know, apart from the three seats in the front row, all the other girls and some of the boys are from other departments who come specifically to listen to Instructor Lin’s lectures. Otherwise, do you think our department would have so many people?"

Li Pu took a special look and indeed, the number of girls was close to one-third, all of them staring intently at Lin Jie on the podium...

After the morning cultural class, they had a few practical team tactics simulation classes and military weapons training. After lunch and a nap, it was time for the special training with weighted backpacks. Most students chose Level 1 or Level 2. Xiao Yan and Fang Gan chose Level 3.

Only Cui Qinglang walked up to Instructor Gao Shan and said in a deep voice, "Give me Level 7."

Level 7 was a 350-kilogram weighted backpack. Most people would struggle with 20-30 kilograms. 350 kilograms was enough to crush an adult to death, let alone carrying it for a 10,000-meter cross-country run on rough terrain.

"Really Level 7?" Lin Jie frowned slightly. Cui Qinglang usually maintained Level 5. This was a two-level jump.

"Yes," Cui Qinglang glanced provocatively at Li Pu, "Dare you follow?"

Li Pu chuckled, turned to Lin Jie, and said politely, "Instructor, give me a Level 3 weighted backpack. Thank you." Then he said to Xiao Yan, "Choose the same weight as you. After we finish, let’s practice together."

Xiao Yan looked at Cui Qinglang with some concern. She didn’t understand why Li Pu, on his first day, had provoked this fierce senior. She leaned in and whispered, "What happened between you and Senior Cui? Is there a problem?"

"Nothing, just shook hands with Senior Cui yesterday," Li Pu turned to Cui Qinglang and smiled, "Senior Cui, we’ll go first. Wow, twice as heavy as us, that’s impressive! Will you have the energy to do anything else after the training?"

"…You!" Cui Qinglang was furious but had already chosen Level 7 in front of everyone. He had no choice but to carry it silently. The admiration in the students’ eyes around him made his mood slightly better. He was about to mock Li Pu as a coward, but Li Pu had already run out with Xiao Yan, chatting and laughing. He instinctively wanted to chase after them, but with twice the weight, he couldn’t catch up...

"Did you have a conflict with Senior Cui on your first day?" Xiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh after running a hundred meters with Li Pu, "His father is a big shot in the military, and his older brother is the captain of the second team of the Qianlong Unit. Everyone in the school is afraid of him except for Ji Wangyue. You might be in for some trouble."

"So dark?" Li Pu smiled. He didn’t care much. His main goal in coming to this school was to see Xiao Xian. The trivial matters of the Qianlong Unit had nothing to do with him. As for the trouble, Cui Qinglang had come to class alone and had deliberately challenged him. Despite his bad temper, he was probably a straightforward guy.

As Li Pu and Xiao Yan ran into the mountains, a specially reinforced and extended silver bulletproof car drove into the Yingyu Academy and stopped at the entrance to "Chixianju." The car door opened, and a tall, handsome white man in a well-tailored soft suit with a timeless charm stepped out. He bent slightly and extended his hand very gentlemanly, clearly wanting to help a lady out of the car.

With his looks, charm, money, and power, this gesture would have made 99.9% of women swoon. But his hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment. The woman he was trying to help completely ignored his gesture and got out of the car herself.

The man, Di Tiannia, could only smile bitterly and casually retract his hand. He had been trying tirelessly for years, but the broken relationship showed no signs of mending.

Tianxin Chen, wearing a summer hunting outfit, had not changed at all in appearance over the years. She got out of the car with her daughter, Xiao Xian. Over the years, mother and daughter had become more like sisters. One was a charming beauty with a lazy, pure Chinese style, and the other was a stunningly beautiful girl who had inherited the best traits from both parents.

Xiao Xian, with her lavender eyes full of curiosity and anticipation, looked around.

—Apu, you should have registered already, right?

On the other side of the car, a few more people got out, including Brad, the temporary driver, and a middle-aged white man in a red suit with a pleased expression. He had gray-green eyes, a mustache like Lu Xiaofeng, and a face with many wrinkles but exuding a sexy and flamboyant charm, much like Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr.

"Whew, is this the best school in China?" The flamboyant middle-aged man, Frank Moriarty, a core executive in the technical development of the Wisdom of the Serpent, nicknamed Little Moriarty, whistled, "It looks a bit poor."

"You’re mistaken. The best schools in China are Capital University and Minghua University," a young soldier with an exceptionally elegant and beautiful appearance, wearing a deep green military uniform, explained without being overly humble or arrogant, "This is just a school with a special nature."

"Oh, no. Capital University and Minghua University? Of course, I know. But MIT and Cambridge are just a bit less thoroughly rotten SHIT to me," Little Moriarty raised an eyebrow and smiled, "This school is slightly more interesting to me."

"..." The young soldier, Ji Wangyue, could only remain silent. The somewhat unorthodox middle-aged white man and his technical team were dominant in the development of certain practical technologies, and he had the right to say such things. If he were willing to serve a country, those high-and-mighty academicians would welcome him with open arms and drown him in various challenges.

Di Tiannia looked around and smiled, "Is this Mr. Huayang’s teaching base? Brad, prepare the check. I’ll sign a donation of 100 million dollars to show my respect."

"OK." Brad took out a checkbook from his pocket and handed it to his boss. Di Tiannia signed it as promised and then smiled and handed it to Ji Wangyue.

"I can’t accept it. There are rules," Ji Wangyue frowned slightly. He knew very well that 100 million dollars was no joke. The man in front of him, the successor Duke of the Wisdom of the Serpent, Gar Phoenix, had financial authority that could rival the GDP of some medium-sized countries.

Actually, he and his grandfather, Ji Huayang, didn’t have much money. Most of his grandfather’s money was invested in the school’s expenses. The annual funding from the state was less than 100 million RMB. Some students came from wealthy families, but the school’s finances were not directly related to the students’ wealth.

"Take it. It’s just a gesture of goodwill," the wealthy Di Tiannia, clearly understanding Chinese social norms, persuaded, "Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with what we’re going to discuss later, and there are no strings attached. It’s just my personal support for Mr. Huayang’s cause."

"Mr. Phoenix, you are very generous. If you want to give, you’ll meet my grandfather soon. You can give it to him directly," Ji Wangyue, who was responsible for the reception, continued to refuse politely, "Please follow me."

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