Chapter 8

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“There are only three places in our class.”

These words finally piqued the interest of some people, and the three martial artists and Zhou Yang glanced sharply at one another.

The rest of the class, who had a chance to advance and become martial artists, was also cheering secretly.

Of course, this matter had nothing to do with Lin Yao and Zhang Heng, who were a pair of close buddies that shared weals and woes. Although Zhang Heng was very envious when he heard about the rewards from the instructor, he knew he would not be able to clinch the top three places.

“Sigh… After they get these resources, the gap between us will widen even further.”

As he said that, Zhang Heng felt even more envious, though he did not feel much resentment.

Focusing the resources on the geniuses was necessary in this world. After all, this was not a stable and peaceful place, and humans could barely protect themselves by building cities. Outside the city were many vast barren territories entrenched with beasts and terrifying beings.

Those beings attacked the cities from time to time. The reason Lin Yao had made up his mind to leave the city the day before was because he had heard that a city 500 kilometers away had been invaded and 500,000 people had died. He had sensed the urgency and taken the risk.

This was a very dangerous world, and the spirit energy enabled individuals to gain and master powerful abilities. Therefore, human beings could only focus their resources on the strongest ones among them and cultivate them into top-notch powerhouses to support mankind.

At the same time, the powerhouses who accepted the resources had to also take on certain responsibilities. They would do so for two reasons. First, mankind had been educated into being responsible. Second, a military threat consisting of an army of 70 million soldiers was enforcing this.

During the crisis of an invasion, the entire city would be under military control. Ordinary martial artists, women, and children who had not received resources could retreat into a refuge, but these geniuses would have to step up. Those who pulled away from their duties would be severely punished. The more resources one had received, the more severe the punishment would be.

Though they benefited from accepting the resources, they also had to fight at the forefront during a crisis. The army of 70 million martial artists was an assurance that these super-geniuses would step up.

“There aren’t many geniuses in the military, but the killings are intensive. Such killings can easily produce powerhouses. Unfortunately, the fatality rate is too high. Because of the high death rate, this is the home court of the civilians.”

The hot-blooded army of 70 million was the pillar of the civilian population. Civilians who lacked talent but yearned to excel would join the army in the killings. They might face countless deaths and injuries but would eventually learn and grow to become powerhouses. Because these powerhouses were once civilians, they would protect the other civilians from being oppressed by other powerhouses.

It was because of this 70-million army that this place could be peaceful. They would kill all the martial artists who wanted to overpower the rest.

Of course, there were privileges to becoming a martial artist. After all, martial arts powerhouses were welcomed everywhere. Some cities even offered sky-high relocation allowances for martial artists to live there. The rich people in some cities would also raise funds for the city to recruit martial artists. Ordinary folks would also chip in money and effort.

Of course, there was a reason for this.

First of all, although China had a unified government, there were beasts and terrifying beings everywhere in the wilderness. Therefore, the government was unable to render immediate support and help other areas. The invasion that had occurred a few days ago was a good example of this. Although the Chinese army had eventually arrived and killed all the beasts that had invaded the city, the losses and casualties had been irreparable.

Human reinforcements were very important when beasts invaded the city. Nevertheless, the garrisoned troops and the powerhouses were also very important. The defenders in the city had to be able to persist until reinforcements arrived.

In order to hold the fort, the local army was important, but the powerhouses were even more critical. After all, this was a world where one martial arts powerhouse could be as strong as an entire army.

In the city, ordinary people with lower statuses hoped that the neighborhood they lived in could be protected by powerhouses. This concerned the lives and safety of both them and their families.

The same applied to some high-status individuals. When a bird’s nest was overturned, no eggs remained intact. Once the city was invaded, these people would also face a deadly crisis. Even if they escaped death, they would have to go to military court. Even though this was no fault of theirs, their powers and titles would be removed.

Therefore, in the city, both powerful and ordinary people welcomed the powerhouses. The more powerhouses there were, the better.

This resulted in martial artists having special privileges. However, because of the deterrence achieved by the 70-million army, the privileges were not excessive and a balance had been reached.

At the same time, those in power were not stupid. They were giving high relocation fees to the powerhouses. Thus, besides some top-tier cities, all the other cities were less attractive places to move to.

As a result, a peculiar situation had come about. The city’s high-level officials were all trying to get super-geniuses from their hometowns.

In Lin Yao’s previous life, moving to other places had been extremely easy and relocation had been very common. However, in this world, it was very difficult for humans to leave their city and move to another place. Thus, every family was emotionally rooted in the place they lived in. At the same time, the parents, family members, classmates, and good friends of the super-geniuses remained in the city because it was inconvenient to relocate. This also made it difficult for the geniuses to leave their hometowns.

In most cases, the cities were more likely to successfully recruit geniuses from their hometowns. The number and strength of the fighters would affect the safety of the city and countless people, as well as the hats and heads of those in power.

Therefore, every city was very willing to invest in the training of geniuses.

It was impossible to allocate the same amount of resources to everyone. Therefore, they would invest more in those who could become powerhouses.

How did they distinguish super-geniuses and powerhouses? Writers might need to be lauded, but martial artists only needed to compete in fights.

Therefore, every year, each city would hold various competitions to discover the super-geniuses in it. The tournament held for third-year high school students was one of these competitions.

The country provided resources because everyone was part of the population.

The city provided resources because people wanted to retain the geniuses in their hometown and nurture them so there would be greater achievements.

There were also performance indicators when it came to school. As the base and cradle for cultivating talent, the school instructors and the principal would receive bonuses and political achievements if geniuses appeared or large numbers of students advanced and became martial artists. There would also be punishments for deteriorated performance. Therefore, school leaders would also find ways to attract investments and nurture students.

The class instructors had performance indicators too. This was why there were three places for each class.

The danger of this era had caused this world to have many hierarchical levels as well as distinct rewards and punishments. This was the only way mankind could resist the great crisis brought about by the Spirit Energy Revival.

Unfortunately, because of the Spirit Energy Revival, there were also greater physical differences between humans. One powerhouse was stronger than 100 ordinary people. Most of the benefits, even when they were cascaded down to the class, would eventually go to the geniuses. However, due to military deterrence, these super-geniuses would fight at the forefront during a crisis. Therefore, Lin Yao and the group were not jealous to the point of hate.

“The top three of the class will be rewarded. They will accumulate points for next year’s college entrance examination, but this has nothing to do with us. Let’s go.”

Shaking their heads, Lin Yao and Zhang Heng stepped aside to carry out their own training.

After a day of training, it was almost time for school dismissal.

When he left the school, Lin Yao felt strange upon seeing that the sky had not darkened.

“When it comes to work or school, this world tries its best to avoid the night. People get off work and school in the evening. Night hotels are frequently busted. There are abundant resources, and it is thus unnecessary to work overtime. Being a martial artist requires strong willpower. One can’t possibly be corrupted, right?”

“Well… this also has something to do with military boxing. Military boxing can only be exercised a few times a day. It’s pointless to remain at school.”

This was Lin Yao’s guess, but he had a feeling that the situation was not that simple. Still, these things had nothing to do with him so he did not think too much about them.

Although he felt that the tree-planting system was useless, Lin Yao had an idea in his mind. Therefore, he did not stop going to the orphanage.

However, this time, before going to the orphanage, he took out his wallet and retrieved all the red packets and pocket money that his predecessor had received in the past.

Lin Yao’s current family was very ordinary. They were neither rich nor poor. Therefore, they gave him very little pocket money and a small Lunar New Year red packet. Nevertheless, his predecessor had been a very thrifty person and had gradually accumulated a lot of savings over time. However, he had passed on before spending them and left behind 4,000 yuan of savings for Lin Yao, who had taken over his body.

‘This money really helps a lot.’

Holding the wallet, Lin Yao got busy shopping in the surrounding shops.

Soon, he bought a large number of toy cars, cloth dolls, and snacks.

He bought so many things that he was carrying a bag bigger than himself.

‘Fortunately, I have a very strong physique now. Otherwise, I’d have to take a cab.’

While carrying a big bag that was even taller than him, Lin Yao ran directly to the orphanage. To his surprise, Qin Xue and Yan Yan were also present. According to Zhang Heng, they only came to this place once a week.

His arrival attracted the attention of everyone in the orphanage, including the two ladies and the children.

He could not help it. The bag he was carrying was huge and thus eye-catching.

“Why are you here again?”

“It’s very normal for an idler like me to come, right? But why would a genius like you come again? Don’t you need to train?”

While talking, Lin Yao also greeted the surrounding children and opened the bag he was carrying.

As he opened it, a large number of toys and snacks greeted everyone’s eyes. The children cheered at the sight of this.

Then, Lin Yao sat beside his bag and distributed the toys and snacks to each of the children.

As she was watching Lin Yao distributing the toys, Yan Yan’s words were caught in her throat.

On the other hand, Qin Xue said happily, “Yanyan, I’ve told you that Lin Yao is not a bad guy.”

“Who knows? This may be a plot to make you lower your guard.”

“Indeed, one should always guard oneself against people who might harm them,” said Lin Yao.

Upon hearing these words, Qin Xue stared at Lin Yao crossly again.

“Student Lin Yao, I’m putting in a good word for you.”

“That’s why I’m reminding you.”

The distribution of toys was always a happy occasion. It was especially happy now, as Lin Yao had asked the children about their interests and hobbies during his volunteering work yesterday. All the things he took out of his bag were their favorites. Therefore, the children in the orphanage felt very grateful for Lin Yao. Endless voices were now addressing him as Big Brother.

Instinctively, Lin Yao smiled when he heard the compliments of these obedient children. As they watched this heartwarming scene, Qin Xue and Yan Yan’s opinion about Lin Yao improved greatly.

“These things must have cost you a bomb. Are you sure you’re alright?” asked Yan Yan. She was very smart and had observed based on some details that Lin Yao was not a wealthy person.

Lin Yao just shrugged.

“I can afford this. Rest assured. I don’t do things beyond my means. I just didn’t expect that the famous Ice Snow Princess would care about other people.”

“It seems that I have a very bad reputation at school.”

“It’s certainly not good, but it’s not that bad either. Guys think of you as proud, cold, and arrogant. There are very few negative comments. After all, you’re very beautiful, and men always give preferential treatment to pretty girls.”

“Pretty? Have you switched targets from Qin Xue to me?”

“No. I don’t want to disgrace myself. I also don’t want any trouble.”

Beautiful ladies were femme fatales.

Lin Yao’s words were rather vague, but Yan Yan understood what he meant.

“Are you that cowardly?”

“Why is this cowardly? I’m just following my heart.”

Lin Yao felt no repulsion for beauty but he was a bit of a male chauvinist. He planned to become stronger first before he would consider romance.

As the two conversed, Qin Xue finished what she was doing and walked over to them.

“Student Lin, Xiaoqing, Xiaofeng, and the rest of the children are very happy. Thank you. I was right about you. You’re really a good person, but I’m very sorry. I really don’t want to be in a romantic relationship before the college entrance examination.”

“Uh…”

Lin Yao was at a loss for words when he heard Qin Xue’s words. He sensed that Qin Xue was sincerely praising him for being a good person but also felt helpless upon hearing her rejection.

Most importantly, Lin Yao had been labeled as a good man before he’d confessed his love. This also made him feel helpless.

While looking at the petite junior high school girl’s figure, which resembled that of his young sister, Lin Xiaodie, Lin Yao ruffled the hair on her small head.

“Stop thinking about romance and attributing everything I do to a boy pursuing a girl.”

This was his response to Qin Xue’s words. However, for some reason, Qin Xue was somewhat unhappy upon hearing this.

“Humph… You were clearly the one who wooed me first, but you’re chiding me now.”

Lin Yao was surprised by this response but could not retort. Although the confession had been made by his predecessor, he was the one occupying this body now.

“Poof…”

His helpless look made Yan Yan laugh, and Lin Yao was stunned by the scene of “blooming snow”.

While chatting and jesting, Lin Yao and the two ladies finished distributing the toys. Afterward, they busied themselves with other things for a while before going home.

On his way home, Lin Yao felt respect and admiration for the two ladies. He was well aware that he volunteered because he wanted to accumulate energy. This reason was very different from the two ladies’ reasons. The two of them volunteered out of kindness. Therefore, Lin Yao found himself liking them.

Well, this admiration came in the form of a platonic friendship. After all, typically, people would not dislike kind people and were also more willing to become friends with them.

The sky had already darkened when he got home. What Lin Yao had been concerned about had happened again. He discovered that nightlife was non-existent in this world. His previous world had had a bustling night scene. However, this world was nothing like that. Although the streets were not completely empty, there were very few vehicles and pedestrians. On the other hand, many guards in special uniforms were patrolling the streets.

In fact, Lin Yao had been questioned by them several times.

‘I always sense something amiss at night. Entertainment is non-existent… Forget it. These thoughts are useless. I better take care of myself. I hope what I did today was useful.’

After returning home, Lin Yao trained thrice and increased his body limit by 0.03%. He then took a bath and sat on a chair to revise his culture lessons. Because he had gotten home slightly late, Lin Yao only studied for an hour.

When he felt that it was almost time, he sat on the bed and looked inside himself at the energy points floating on the small sapling. Lin Yao heaved a sigh of relief after getting a clear glimpse at the numbers on the sapling.

‘As expected, my guess was correct. Besides sincerity, it also takes ability to get energy points.’

[Energy: 180 grams]