Chapter 1

"Qin Peng, stand up!"

In the quiet classroom, Gu Li, a middle-aged woman in a black business suit, fixed her gaze on a boy in the back row, her eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

Hearing this voice, a thin boy from the last row of seats stood up, somewhat panic-stricken.

Most of the students in the classroom looked at him with disdain, but Qin Peng remained expressionless, a self-mocking smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"Qin Peng, answer me, what does our Yingcai Academy represent?" The middle-aged woman on the podium spoke calmly, as if she were discussing a trivial matter.

Qin Peng swallowed hard and slowly said, "Yingcai means elite, and Yingcai High School represents that we only cultivate elite students!"

"Then, Qin Peng, do you think you deserve the title of 'elite'?" Gu Li's voice was flat, but her words stabbed into the boy's heart like a sharp knife.

Qin Peng pursed his lips and said nothing, only clenching his fists tightly.

"Qin Peng, you have been in school for six years. From the beginning, your grades have been the lowest in the class. I've also heard that during the tenfold gravity training, you fainted before the course was even over. You really bring shame to our class. Currently, you are the worst student in the entire grade!"

Qin Peng's fists remained tightly clenched, his teeth biting into his lower lip so hard that a faint taste of blood tinged his mouth.

Seeing Qin Peng's expression, the disdain in Gu Li's eyes deepened. "To this day, your combat value has barely reached 0.4. Do you know what this means? If your combat value does not exceed 0.5 by the end of this semester, you will be expelled from the school. Class 19 does not need trash like you!"

This is the school's rule!

Expulsion!

Qin Peng's nails suddenly pierced into his flesh, but the excruciating pain seemed unknown to him. His mind was filled with only two words.

Expulsion?

These two words weighed heavily on Qin Peng's heart like two mountains, and he couldn't help but swallow hard, a growing fear expanding in his chest.

It was already the year 2245. In the past two hundred years, human technology had made tremendous progress, and humanity had entered the Great Interstellar Era, developing and exploiting various planets.

The planet where Qin Peng lived was no longer Earth but a planet called Terra.

Despite the rapid advancement of technology, ancient cultivation practices had not declined but had become even more prosperous.

In the past two hundred years, humans had developed weapons capable of easily destroying a planet, but they had also produced world-class experts capable of easily destroying planets.

The power of technology and the power of human natural evolution, which was stronger, had yet to be definitively determined. However, the world government had made physical training a mandatory course, and more military weapons were designed based on the strength of the human body.

Everyone had to undergo ancient martial arts training.

However, after two hundred years of development, society had become even more polarized in terms of wealth.

The rich could obtain more resources and become stronger through cultivation, thus accumulating more wealth.

The poor could also practice martial arts and cultivate, but they were already at a disadvantage from the start, lacking resources and masters, making it impossible for them to become stronger.

It was undeniable that there was still a high degree of social mobility, but the gap was so wide that most people had lost the opportunity to rise.

The poor found it increasingly difficult to produce outstanding individuals!

"Heh, 0.4 is really embarrassing!"

"The school sets a 0.5 standard, but who in our class has a combat value of only 0.5? The lowest is 0.6. Qin Peng is just dragging us down!"

"Hmph, a commoner is still a commoner. Even if he climbs to the top, he's still a commoner!"

Hearing the ridicule from his classmates, Qin Peng's self-mocking smile became more painful. An indescribable pain spread from his heart, and he couldn't find the words to describe his feelings.

It was indescribable, perhaps he and they were destined to be from two completely different worlds?

Qin Peng came from a relatively well-off family, but it was only just enough to support him. Yingcai Academy was not a school that an average family could afford.

However, in Yingcai Academy, it was easy to receive various elite training, which could make one stronger. Qin Peng's parents had gritted their teeth and sent him to this elite school.

While studying various courses, he also had to undergo extremely strict elite training.

His parents' expectations were simple but strict; they hoped that Qin Peng could stand out and change his fate.

There were many parents like Qin Peng's.

Qin Peng knew he wasn't the first to be expelled from the school, nor would he be the last.

Elite schools had their own rules, and the weak did not deserve to stay.

In the six years he had been in school, Qin Peng had seen many people expelled for poor grades, and most of them came from backgrounds similar to his. This fear was also the driving force that pushed him forward.

He was afraid, he was terrified. If he were expelled, how could he face his parents?

However, Qin Peng knew that this was almost inevitable. He wasn't lazy, and he wasn't a natural failure.

He was poor!

To send him to an elite school, his parents had used all their savings. The children of the rich could enjoy abundant resources, eat various nourishing foods, and make rapid progress in cultivation, but he couldn't.

Even if Qin Peng could train to the point of exhaustion, his body would still collapse.

Cultivation required resources. The stories of people obtaining supreme martial arts manuals and cultivating high-level inner strength out of thin air were pure nonsense.

There were many families like Qin Peng's. Both parents scrimped and saved to send their children to elite schools, but the most likely outcome was that their families would go bankrupt. This was not an exaggeration; the monthly expenses of elite schools, especially Yingcai Academy, were astronomical.

However, even so, people still sent their children to elite schools, hoping for that one in ten thousand chance that their child could stand out, with a combat value exceeding 1, becoming an Awakened, and perhaps changing their fate.

Awakened individuals could continue to teach at Yingcai Academy, earning a substantial income each year, or join large companies for high salaries, making it possible for one person to succeed and the whole family to benefit.

Qin Peng looked up, and Gu Li's mouth was still moving, spouting various sarcastic and cruel remarks. He no longer knew what she was saying; she had said these things before and would say them again.

Qin Peng didn't know how to face Gu Li now.

The first time he heard it, he was angry; the second time, he felt frustrated; now, he was numb.

After a while, Gu Li found it meaningless and simply tidied up her materials, saying, "Qin Peng, there's only one month until the final exam. You better take care of yourself. Class dismissed!"

Watching Gu Li leave, Qin Peng let out a light breath and sat down in his chair, feeling somewhat powerless.

The students around him chatted and laughed, not paying any attention to Qin Peng. To them, he was just a dispensable character, completely from a different world. The so-called camaraderie would never exist between them; they were destined to be from two different worlds.

Looking out the window at the vast campus that could accommodate ten thousand students, Qin Peng's heart trembled. Was he about to be expelled?

"Qin Peng!" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Qin Peng turned his head and saw his best friend, Guo Hao. Guo Hao's family background was very similar to Qin Peng's, both coming from poor families. Initially, there were over ten students, but after six years, only Guo Hao and Qin Peng remained.

Because of this, their relationship was very close.

However, Guo Hao's family was slightly better off, and his current combat value had reached 0.7.

"Old Guo!" Qin Peng retracted his thoughts and smiled at Guo Hao, saying, "It might not be long before you're the only one left in the school!"

Guo Hao just smiled and said, "Don't worry, there's still a month until the final exam. Maybe you can break through to 0.5!"

"I hope so!" Qin Peng's face showed a bitter smile. He knew very well that with only a month left and no resources, breaking through to 0.5 was impossible.

Guo Hao also noticed Qin Peng's poor mood and just shook his head. He couldn't help with this matter.

"Hey, you two good friends, chatting so warmly? Are you worried that after Qin Peng leaves, you'll be the only trash left?" At that moment, a mocking voice echoed in their ears.

Qin Peng and Guo Hao turned around and saw a boy with a mocking smile standing in front of them.

Du Chen, it's you!

Qin Peng recognized the boy and couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Du Chen, the class president of Class 19, with a combat value of 0.87. (New book uploaded, sci-fi and action, brothers and sisters, let's go!)

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