Chapter 45 0047: The Star Class

During Chu Yun’s midday rest, a teacher from the academy came by and knocked on the door, saying, “Chu Yun, you need to report to the Star Class in a bit.”

Lying on his bed, adjusting his breathing, Chu Yun only responded with a nasal sound. The teacher then said to Chen Fei, “If he doesn’t know the way, take him there.”

After the teacher left, Chen Fei bounded over from his bunk.

“Wow, the Star Class!” His eyes gleamed. “Are you going to participate in this year’s Martial Tournament?”

Chu Yun opened his eyes in surprise. “What Martial Tournament?”

“It’s the annual academy martial arts event co-hosted by all the major territories on the Hope Continent. It’s the biggest annual gathering and the best stage to see which young geniuses have emerged each year! The first round is an intra-city competition between academies, with three academy spots per city. Our Guanshan Territory has six cities, so eighteen academy teams will advance, but only six can qualify for the finals. Each territory can only send six teams to compete for a place in the grand finals.”

Talking about the Martial Tournament, Chen Fei’s words came pouring out. “Even just the city battles attract a huge audience—think about our Watchful City, with a population of millions. If we make it into the top three, then go on to fight for the six spots in Guanshan, the attention jumps to tens of millions. And if we make the finals, the entire continent tunes in—billions of people will be watching. Whoever stands out becomes a star among stars. How could I not be excited?”

Chu Yun frowned. “Can I refuse?”

Chen Fei’s eyes widened. “You’d turn down something this good? Do you know how many people in the academy want to get into the Star Class? Do you have any idea how much Lan Feng Academy spends every year to recruit strong students from other cities just to build a competitive team? The scholarships alone for Star Class students are a fortune, and you want to say no?”

Then, as if remembering something, Chen Fei asked, “Wait, did you take the scholarship?”

Chu Yun nodded. “I did.”

Chen Fei clapped his hands. “Then it’s settled. Accepting the scholarship means you’ve agreed to participate. The academy would never leave a trump card like you out.”

Chu Yun frowned. “Feels like I’ve been had.”

“Ah, enough talking. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the Star Class—I know where it is.” Chen Fei dragged Chu Yun out of the dormitory.

Following Chen Fei, Chu Yun wound his way to a secluded rear mountain area at the back of the academy. The environment was beautiful; a pavilion bore the inscription “Star Class.” Staff members had set up barriers to keep others out.

“Stop.”

Chen Fei turned to the staff. “We’re here to report. This is Chu Yun, a Star Class student. I’m bringing him to check in.”

He handed over Chu Yun’s student ID, which the staff scanned on a virtual terminal before waving them through. “Go on in.”

Chen Fei, excited, pulled Chu Yun into the rear mountains.

On a patch of grass beneath a waterfall, eight students were warming up.

One student, stretching his ligaments, grumbled, “I hear we’ve got a newcomer today. Who knows what their background is. Last year we didn’t even snag one of the three spots. I hope we’re not bringing in useless dead weight again.”

“Zhang Yang, stop with the veiled insults,” another student snapped. “Last year we lost out because of a single mistake. Are you going to hold that over me forever?”

“What’s wrong with pointing it out? During the one-on-one, if you hadn’t insisted on proving yourself, would we have lost points?” Zhang Yang snorted. “Wang Biao, you should know your own limits.”

“Captain Zhang, let it go,” the other six quickly stepped in to separate them.

Zhang Yang was the team captain, having received the highest scholarship when recruited by the academy. The scholarships were awarded based on strength, so they’d become a benchmark among the students. Zhang Yang, receiving the most, was also the strongest, and the others deferred to him.

Among these students, the youngest was twenty-two, the oldest twenty-four. In their previous martial academies, none had qualified for the Star Class. They’d come here to earn scholarships and bring honor to second- or third-tier schools in the tournament.

When Chu Yun and Chen Fei entered, the atmosphere turned tense.

Still fuming, Zhang Yang frowned when he saw Chu Yun. “Why is it a kid?” He took in Chu Yun’s youthful face—he looked even younger than the rest. None of them, all from different cities in Guanshan, recognized him. It only made Zhang Yang angrier, convinced the academy wasn’t taking the tournament seriously.

“We’re screwed,” one student said, throwing up his hands in defeat.

“Has the academy given up? Every other school is strengthening their lineup, and we’re the only ones dragging behind.” Wang Biao called out to Chu Yun, “How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” Chu Yun replied. “Is that a problem?”

“We’re done!” Hearing his age, all eight students immediately took off their training jackets. Zhang Yang threw his to the ground. “What’s the point? Let’s all go have some fun instead.”

“Principal Fang must be out of his mind. Everyone knows that a one-on-one match for anyone under eighteen can’t win points off the First Martial Academy. Who in Watchful City could score against Duanmu Ci? They should have gotten an older expert in for the round robin!” Zhao Hu spat.

“And you? What are you here for?” Zhang Yang asked Chen Fei impatiently.

“I—I just brought him here to report in,” Chen Fei stammered, a bit intimidated.

“Then take him back where you found him.” Zhang Yang waved dismissively, unwilling to waste another thought on the newcomer.

Chen Fei gave a wry smile and whispered to Chu Yun, “Don’t mind them. The academy brought them in to get better results, but it’s been three years and they’ve never even made the top three. For three years they’ve just been sparring partners, collecting hefty scholarships. The pressure is huge.”

Chu Yun nodded and asked curiously, “Surely one of the three places should go to Lan Feng? The other academies in Watchful City aren’t that strong, right?”

Chen Fei gave another bitter smile. “That’s the problem. The First Martial Academy is overflowing with talent. They’ve even formed B and C teams, and even though those aren’t the main squads, they still crush us every year. So all three spots always go to the First Martial Academy.”

Seeing how dispirited everyone was, Chu Yun thought he had no interest in joining either. “Looks like they’ve given up. Let’s go.”

He was about to leave when the teacher in charge of the Star Class blew a whistle. “Gather up!”

“Whether we’re dismissed or not is up to the teacher. Go on—I’ll be waiting for good news.” Chen Fei gave Chu Yun a push and left.

Chu Yun had no choice but to head over and join the Star Class students as they assembled.

(There’ll be a third chapter tonight. If you can’t wait, just go to sleep.)