"I have always remembered President Zhao's kindness; although we belong to different institutes, I am still a part of Kunlun Martial University. When I get to the school, I will definitely pay him a visit,"
"Haha, alright," Wan Qinghe chuckled. "Don't worry, I will explain everything to President Zhao; he won't blame you."
Wan Qinghe knew how to dispel any dissatisfaction that his 'Ninth Senior Brother' might have towards Li Yuan.
... "Ninth Senior Brother."
"Li Yuan said he volunteered to join the Sixth Institute, but I feel his words were hesitant, as if there might be something else going on," Wan Qinghe sighed: "Before, Li Yuan often mentioned he was grateful to you, and he said many times that he would pay a visit to you once he was enrolled at Kunlun Martial University."
"You also know that."
"No matter how talented he is, he's still just a teenager, how can he withstand so much pressure?" Wan Qinghe sighed: "If anyone is to blame, it's me. I should have clarified things with him sooner; he doesn't know your attitude."
"This matter, it's my fault," Wan Qinghe said with a look of regret.
"It's not related to you and even less Li Yuan's fault," the figure of President Zhao appeared on the light screen, imposing and slightly angry: "It must be Li Yang who's behind this."
President Li's real name was Li Yang.
"What about Li Yuan?" Wan Qinghe asked at the right moment.
"Let him focus on his cultivation, tell him that it's all the same whether he is in the Sixth Institute or Eighth Institute," President Zhao said: "When he arrives at Kunlun Martial University, if he has time, he can also attend my lectures."
"Brother, your magnanimity exceeds that of President Li by far, as you don't fixate on institute affiliations," Wan Qinghe praised.
In Martial Arts Universities, each province had only one.
The top elite schools in the country numbered only five, thus the national and provincial cutoffs were very clear.
For the Martial Path, the top 10,600 were the provincial cutoff.
The top 520 were the national cutoff.
It had always been this way.
Cultural universities, on the other hand, had much more complex admissions processes.
Therefore, until June 20th, the admissions for all universities in Xia Country were only concluded.
On June 22nd, Class 3 (2) held a graduation dinner, but less than sixty students were able to attend.
"The day we checked the results, I cried, and my mom hugged me and we cried together; high school was finally over,"
"I cried too, but it was from getting a beating from my parents,"
"Brother Yuan is amazing."
"Kunlun Martial Arts University, and he was even selected for the special training program! Way too awesome."
"Brother Yuan, I toast to you."
"Brother Yuan." Li Yuan was almost the center of attention among his classmates.
This group of students who had just graduated from high school was awkwardly learning the etiquette of adult social interaction.
"Li Yuan, thank you," Li Tianyou poured a glass of beer.
His eyes slightly red, he said earnestly to Li Yuan, "If it weren't for you, I might not have been able to make it in the end."
Li Tianyou had narrowly made it into Jiangbei Martial Arts University, ranking just over 9900 in the province's Martial Path.
"It has nothing to do with me,"
"This is all the result of your own efforts," Li Yuan said with a smile, trying to ease the other's emotions.
"Don't worry, I will find a way to pay you back the money I owe as soon as possible," Li Tianyou said in a low voice.
"Alright, I trust your character," Li Yuan said with a smile: "But there is no hurry, once you are in university, cultivation should still take priority."
Li Yuan never said 'the money is a gift to you.'
Li Yuan understood that insisting on repaying the money was an act of dignity that Li Tianyou was making every effort to maintain.
"Brother Yuan, let me drink another with you," Zhou Qi came over with his glass.
This time in the college entrance examination, his performance was not bad; he got into a C9 university.
Time passed, and many students gradually became tipsy.
Li Yuan was very sober, looking at many classmates who, just half a month ago seemed so familiar, now already appeared somewhat strangers.
He understood that aside from a few good friends like Zhou Qi and Li Tianyou, he might never see many of these classmates again.
His adolescent years were completely over.
Without a sound, Li Yuan settled the bill and left.
June, not too hot yet.
After the class reunion.
During the subsequent vacation days, Li Yuan often spent his days accompanying his uncle fishing, helping his aunt plant flowers, and going shopping for clothes with them at the mall.
On weekends, the family of five would even go for outings to Beihu Moshan together.
Since junior high, Li Yuan had never felt as relaxed as he did this June.
In the evenings, he would focus solely on the Martial Path training.
"After the college entrance exams ended, I've been practicing the spear, and spent less time on the Martial Path," Li Yuan realized.
"But why has my Spear Technique improved even faster?" Li Yuan wondered about this.
This phenomenon made him reflect.
"For success in any endeavor, the energy and time invested are very important," Li Yuan thought to himself, "just as the ten-thousand-hour rule makes sense in any ordinary profession."
"once a certain level of proficiency is reached in something, blindly accumulating time may not be the best approach."
"These days, with a more relaxed state of mind, the free time during the day allowed me to think more, to see more of the world."
"These changes, the relaxation of the spirit,"
"actually made my practice of the Spear Technique more efficient, with fewer distractions, and even my spirit seemed purer, more peaceful," Li Yuan came to understand.
Practice, like life itself, sometimes the more you crave, the less you receive.
A moment of inspiration can be worth years of practice, but such inspiration cannot be gained solely through 'internal strife'.
"The cultivation of the spirit!"
"In the past, I've been blindly chasing time, longing for greater efficiency," Li Yuan suddenly smiled, "Just like uncle said, being too tense for too long, one must loosen up from time to time."
Li Yuan began to 'enjoy' spending time with his aunt and uncle even more.
June 29th, past ten in the evening.
"Clang! Clang!" Li Yuan was practicing with the long spear, swinging it to create dazzling arcs of light and aftershadows.
Li Yuan practiced with increasing ease, fully immersing himself in the spear technique, truly enjoying it.
"Bang~ Bang~" The heavy punching bag was continuously hammered with strikes.
"So comfortable," the images in Li Yuan's mind whirred rapidly, scenes flashing by, making the heavy punching bag in front of him seem like a formidable opponent.
His spear technique became faster,
and steadier; each explosive hit became almost instinctive.
All of a sudden, at one moment,
"Whoosh!" Li Yuan's mind and heart aligned, and with a fierce thrust of his long spear, his speed surged dramatically, the tip of the spear moving almost inconceivably fast.
It tore through the air with a roar.
"Bang~" The incredibly tough punching bag was unexpectedly burst open by the blunt-tip long spear.
Innumerable special sands inside scattered wildly, raining down chaos.
[Your Spear Technique Realm has progressed from Fourth Level 36% to Fourth Level 42%]
[Your Fist Technique Realm has progressed from Fourth Level 39% to Fourth Level 44%] Two notifications from the Divine Palace scrolled by.
Li Yuan stood still, letting the sand fall and bury up to his ankles.
"The third form of the Stellar Spear Technique, 'Dawn Piercing the Clouds', I can finally execute it fully," Li Yuan silently recited in his mind.
Li Yuan phoned the staff responsible at the Martial Hall.
People came to replace the punching bag and clean up everything.
The leisurely vacation had to come to an end at last.
July 2nd was the last day to report to Kunlun Martial University, and it was also the day Li Yuan would leave home.
"Xiaoyuan, when you get to the university, cultivate well and don't worry about home," Li Changzhou advised, "I'll take care of things here."
"Call home when you get to school," the aunt's primary concern was always Li Yuan's safety, even though Li Yuan was already an Entry Rank Martial Artist.
"Uncle, Auntie, it's windy, go back inside," Li Yuan, with his backpack on, waved with a smile.
A small flying vehicle hung motionless in the air.
Li Yuan leaped more than two meters high, catapulting straight into the cabin as the door closed.
The flying vehicle quickly ascended, heading towards Tianhe Airport to catch a connecting flight.
Li Changzhou and Chen Hui stood outside their villa, continuously waving goodbye, watching the flying vehicle disappear into the misty rain.
Officially embarked on his university journey.