Jin Keming paid off his debts quite efficiently, befitting of his position as a Rank-3 martial artist and one of the most powerful people in Auspicious Sun City to boot.

　　2 million was not too big an amount to him, although it was one that should not be looked down upon, either.

　　He had not the slightest intent to repudiate the debt, though, especially considering Fang Ping’s status as a peak aspiring martial artist and Wang Jinyang, the young martial artist ranked alongside himself.

　　So he paid off the debt immediately after the announcement of the results.

　　A huge grin blossomed on Fang Ping’s face as soon as he saw the message informing him of the transfer. He bade goodbye to Tan Zhenping happily.

　　He had earned lots during the exam!

　　Fang Ping had been emptying his savings since splitting his first bucket of gold with Wang Jinyang.

　　His Wealth had dropped to about 2 million from the initial 3.37 million.

　　Now his Wealth reached a new peak.

　　Wealth: 4895000

　　Vitality: 149cal

　　Mentality: 172Hz

　　Fang Ping had not been cultivating much, what with his rooming with three other people. The most he could do was practice his stance.

　　His Vitality was replenishing faster due to the Vitality Pill he had taken previously. The Vitality he had been expending was resupplied by the pill, so he did not use up much of his Wealth.

　　Now his Wealth was approaching 5 million!

　　His fortune was not limited to his Wealth. Fang Ping did some calculations in his mind, which led him to a realization: he was quite rich, actually.

　　His current fortune consisted of 18 Blood and Qi-replenishing pills, 8 normal Vitality pills, 5 Rank-1 Vitality pills, 1 Bone-cleansing Pill, and 1 Viscera-shielding Pill.

　　Also, 2.39 million in cash and a duplex in Scenic View Gardens.

　　If he went with the market value, he possessed a fortune of over 7 million!

　　“Martial artists really are rich…”

　　Fang Ping exclaimed again. The main sources of his Wealth were Huang Bin and Jin Keming.

　　One of them was at Rank-2, while the other was at Rank-3.

　　He had not taken from them the entirety of their fortunes either. Huang Bin was a special case; 2 million was probably nothing to Jin Keming.

　　Those people could easily fork out millions.

　　“Martial artist… I’m close…”

　　Fang Ping lamented. If not for the presence of Wu Zhihao and the others, which hindered his practice of the Methods of Honing, his Vitality could have reached 150cal, he thought.

　　If his Vitality was already at 150cal, that meant that his becoming a martial artist was a surety. The remaining question was the number of attempts he would have to make to breakthrough.

　　‘Would Old Wang be blown away by the results of my Vitality assessment?’

　　That thought materialized in Fang Ping’s mind. He was quite curious about Old Wang’s reaction when the older man had heard of his results.

　　Every martial arts university paid close attention to the results. The man might have known, maybe.

　　…

　　Nanjiang Martial Arts University.

　　In the past, all universities would definitely pay close attention to the results of the physical assessment.

　　As the student association that held the most sway over the students, the martial arts society would also view this as a matter of importance, naturally.

　　Fang Ping guessed that Wang Jinyang already knew of his results.

　　This was a given in the past, but now… Wang Jinyang really did not have it in him to pay attention to that in the current climate.

　　In a conference room in the martial arts society building, the society was holding a meeting – a serious, nerve-wracking meeting – amid the results announcement.

　　It was not the president of the society or Wang Jinyang chairing the meeting, but a demure-looking man in his forties.

　　He looked quite thin, but his limbs were slender and long.

　　He gave the room a cursory glance. There were not many in attendance.

　　The man waited for a while before speaking. “Except for Zhou Zhou and Fang Wenhui, who are absent due to their missions, everyone’s here.”

　　After that, he eyed a jovial, good looking man sitting below the stage with a small smile on his face. “Shen Quan, you’re graduating next month, so you won’t need to participate.”

　　Shen Quan shook his head lightly with a bright smile. “Mr. Zhang, I’m the president of the society!

　　“Even if I’m not, I’m a citizen of the Tiannan district. This won’t change after I leave school.

　　“I have to participate in this mission.

　　“Maybe I can break through to Rank-4 after I return from the mission, and graduate as a middle-ranked martial artist.”

　　Zhang Qingnan – the demure-looking man – nodded. He did not persist with the advice.

　　After a while, the smile disappeared from Zhang Qingnan’s face. He said, with a heavy heart, “There are 4600 students in Nanjiang Martial Arts University!

　　“16 of them have reached Rank-3!

　　“Except for Zhou Zhou and Fang Wenhui, and several year 4 students who have left school, all the remaining 11 students are here!

　　“All of you must understand the danger of sending all of you out at once…”

　　Wang Jinyang chuckled from his corner of the room. “Mentor, just tell us the mission already. We’re not kids anymore, but Rank-3 martial artists. All of us should know what to prioritize.”

　　Zhang Qingnan glanced at him and smiled, despite himself. “You’re right. I’ll cut to the chase, then.

　　“Strange occurrences have been going on in the Catacombs of Tiannan district. The garrison stationed there has suffered from countless cases of death and injury.

　　“The Tiannan district army, Tiannan Martial Arts University, and Chuanshu Martial Arts University have assembled a party of elite warriors to take care of it, but the situation is still extremely bad. Tiannan has to ask for assistance from all places.

　　“You should know that everyone in the team that was sent was extremely capable.

　　“The province having to send for reinforcements despite that indicates the difficulty of the mission.

　　“Here in Nanjiang, we have accepted the mission too. Governor Zhang will lead the team heading to Tiannan personally.

　　“I will lead a team of teachers and students from Nanjiang Martial Arts University to assist them in Tiannan too.

　　“I initially intended that only the teachers go, but you’re already Rank-3 martial artists, and thus no longer children, according to the principal.

　　“You should shoulder the responsibilities that are rightfully yours!

　　“That’s why all of you will participate in this rescue mission too. Of course, this is not an obligation…

　　“As per the norm, anyone who participates in the mission will receive a reward befitting of their contributions.

　　“Those who won’t be participating, you can leave now after signing a confidentiality agreement.”

　　None of the 11 people downstage moved.

　　Wang Jinyang spoke again, “A martial artist should fight. This is dangerous, yes, but it’s an advantageous chance too!

　　“Mentor, all of us have come despite the risk. Don’t you add to the suspense. Who among us would give up?

　　“Also…”

　　Wang Jinyang laughed. “Also, if we don’t join in… Governor Zhang is going to lead the team personally. If we don’t join, how can we show our faces in Nanjiang in the future?”

　　Zhang Qingnan broke into a reluctant smile. He said, having no idea what to do with his disciple, “Talkative, you are!

　　“But this is indeed an opportunity for all of you, seeing as Governor Zhang will be leading the team himself.

　　“If no one is going to quit, prepare for departure. Stock your pills and weapons. If you’re short on either, apply for more later.

　　“We’re short on time. We’ll depart this afternoon.

　　“Everyone, the more capable you are, the bigger the responsibility!

　　“Your sacrifice is made for peace in society and the prosperity of the country!

　　“You’ve benefited from your status. You have special privileges that elevate you from the average crowd. They have benefited your family and friends as well.

　　“Nothing was just handed to you on a plate. If you and I don’t contribute, we’ll be nowhere near where we are now.

　　“These are all words you’ve heard a thousand times. I don’t want to say any more on the subject. I only want to tell you that the country will compensate your family well in the case of your demise.”

　　“Teacher Zhang, can you say something more auspicious?” someone laughed in the crowd. “We’re starting to feel bad after those words.

　　“We know that this is not forced on us.

　　“We don’t need to if we don’t want to get more resources or become stronger.

　　“Wanting to enjoy the privileges without putting in any work… There isn’t anything as simple as that!

　　“Besides that, we’ll definitely be safe with you there…”

　　Zhang Qingnan chuckled. “Of course. I’ll do my best to ensure that all of you will come back safely with me!”

　　“That’s fine, then.” Wang Jinyang stood up and moved to leave. He said as he walked out, “I’ll go back to prepare for departure. I don’t know how long it’ll take. I hope I can spend less time on that, or else I’m going to make everyone late.”

　　“Teacher, I’m leaving too…”

　　Everyone left gradually. Zhang Qingnan did not find it weird. When everyone had left, he whispered, “Rest assured that I’ll bring everyone back!”

　　…

　　Fang Ping knew nothing about the events going down in Nanjiang Martial Arts University.

　　Fang Ping was busying himself studying for the martial science exams. He did not have time to concern himself on a lot of matters.

　　In the afternoon, as Wang Jinyang and his group departed to Tiannan, Fang Ping was seeing Zhang Hao and the others off.

　　Compared to the calmness exuded by Wang Jinyang’s group of elite warriors, the students who failed in the exams showed more turbulent emotions.

　　There were sounds of people sobbing incessantly at the entrance of the hotel.

　　Zhang Hao did not cry, but his face was pale. Zhang Nan’s eyes were red and puffy as she hugged Liu Ruoqi, saying, “Ruoqi, you can definitely pass the tests!”

　　“Yang Jian, don’t slack off. If you perform well in the other tests, you can definitely enter a martial arts university!” Zhang Hao blessed Yang Jian.

　　They were in a different situation compared to Fang Ping and Wu Zhihao. The latter two had high Vitalities, Fang Ping especially. He would definitely be admitted by some schools even if he fell short in the cultural studies tests.

　　Yang Jian and Liu Ruoqi were teetering on the brink. They would find it difficult to be admitted unless they had done extremely well in the other tests.

　　Everyone said their goodbyes. Soon, the eliminated students got on the coaches and left.

　　The martial sciences exams were no longer of their concern.

　　As he saw them leave, Wu Zhihao said sadly, “I don’t feel good. Sometimes I really don’t understand why the criteria have to be so stringent.

　　“They just had to make the divide in status clear. If the disparity between statuses isn’t that huge, everyone won’t just dive into this without abandon…”

　　Fang Ping had nothing to say to that. There were some things that he did not know of.

　　…

　　“Ignorance is bliss. Those who leave now with tears might have lucked out.

　　“What’s so bad about living an uneventful life, getting married and having kids, all the while happy and at peace…

　　“They envy those with higher status. Little did they know that we envy them too, sometimes…”

　　At the same time, in the most lavish suite of a hotel in the Serenity District, Deputy Luo lamented, standing by the balcony.

　　Jin Keming stood behind him, back hunched. He dared not to continue the conversation.

　　Deputy Luo cast a sideways glance at him. He said lightly, “Count yourself lucky this time. There won’t be a next time.

　　“Civilians take less, so they give less.

　　“We’re different, especially governmental martial artists like us. The more we take, the more we need to give.

　　“If there isn’t any improvement in the education of martial arts in Auspicious Sun City… I’m sure that you know what will happen then.

　　“Also…”

　　Deputy Luo paused for a while before saying, “You have to watch out. Tremors are shaking the earth in Tiannan. Given that one of the entrances to the Catacombs is in the province, the tremors are already affecting the surface. It’s causing them a lot of trouble.

　　“Some bastards just like to muck things up further during these trying times!

　　“Rumors about the Apocalypse are being propagated without end despite restrictions set on the topic.

　　“Tiannan will be in serious trouble. Nanjiang’s quite far from the other province, but we still have to take precautions.

　　“Orders will be passed down from above. Although Auspicious Sun City has its own army and Department of Investigation Services, the Department of Education cannot let down its guard.

　　“You must prepare to go for the kill at any time. If this affects the lives of civilians and disrupts the social order… Either you or I can’t even think of shouldering the repercussions of it!”

　　Jin Keming paled. He said quickly, “I understand!”

　　Deputy Luo did not reply. He turned and left, as swift as lightning.