"Not on the recommendation list, and not on the combat assessment list either?" For a moment Fang Yu's mind was in disorder.
Missing the recommendation list alone he could just about accept — there were only ten places, and he was short the Void Star Aspect score, an inborn disadvantage.
But not even making the combat assessment? That was not normal.
"Wang Mo made the list?"
"That second-generation rich kid got in? Money and martial arts, all right — up he goes, step by step. And that Fang Yu beside him didn't even make the combat assessment? Has he fallen that far?"
"He's never awakened a Void Star Aspect, I think. Missing out is normal. Slightly better skill isn't much of an advantage at our stage."
"True enough."
"Zhang Tao's really something, though — surging all the way to first." The candidates chattered among themselves, and the one drawing most of the attention was naturally Zhang Tao, ranked first on the recommendation list.
Ranked first meant his assessment score was first as well.
At that point.
"Quiet." The female teacher in the loose martial uniform stepped forward, and her gaze swept the hall like a torch and had everyone silent in moments. "The list is out. It will be posted for two days. If you doubt your own results you may apply for a review on the official site before midnight tomorrow."
"The seventy students taking the combat assessment will continue training at school as normal and prepare. The detailed requirements will be sent to your personal mailboxes. Assemble on the 14th of September."
"The ten recommended students, come upstairs with me now to sign the documents." The teacher paused there, and her eyes settled on Fang Yu. "Fang Yu. You have been given a direct-entry place. It does not occupy a recommendation place. Come with me as well — I'll take you to meet the teachers from Huguang Martial Arts University afterwards."
A stir went through the room.
An outright uproar.
In an instant almost every student's eyes were on Fang Yu, and in nearly all of them there was shock and disbelief.
"A direct-entry place? Bloody hell, Old Fang, you've been hiding it," Wang Mo said, thrilled.
Fang Yu felt a little dizzy himself.
A direct-entry place? It was entirely beyond anything he had expected.
There were in fact three routes from a martial junior college to a university. One was recommendation, one was selection through the combat assessment; those were the two common ones.
Fixed times, fixed assessment items, fixed intake numbers.
And there was a third route: direct entry.
No limit of time or age... So long as you displayed martial talent enough while at the junior college, you could apply to be assessed directly, and passing put you into a martial arts university — in theory you could go up in your first year.
Only, it was far too rare.
And "talent enough" had never had a defined standard.
In three years of junior college, at the very least, Fang Yu had never once heard of a direct-entry student appearing at the school; and over time every student had come to assume such a thing did not exist.
Today.
He had been given a direct-entry place?
"Direct entry?" Even Zhang Tao, first on the recommendation list, could not help looking over at Fang Yu, as though he wanted to know what had earned it.
"Right."
"Fang Yu, the eleven of you come with me. Everyone else is dismissed." The teacher turned and started up the stairs, and Fang Yu and the ten recommended students followed.
By some unspoken agreement, all ten of them fell in behind Fang Yu.
They left him at the front.
"Old Fang, you absolute beast. You've out-beasted Wu Ya — you're the real first this time," Wang Mo said under his breath. "Come on, out with it: did you awaken a Void Star Aspect? A Middle Aspect? Have you been sitting on it?"
Zhang Tao and the other recommended students could not help pricking up their ears either, thoroughly curious.
How could they not be?
It was the first time any of them had seen a martial junior-college student go directly to a university.
"No." Fang Yu shook his head. He already had a faint idea, and it was most likely his blade work.
***
In the second-floor office.
Dozens of teachers were already waiting.
The moment Fang Yu and Wang Mo came in they saw their form tutor, Yan Fu; and before they could greet him the female teacher had already begun the introductions. "Vice-Principal Guo, this is Fang Yu, and these are the other ten recommended students."
"Students, this is Vice-Principal Guo." The teacher half-turned to introduce him.
"Good day, Principal," Fang Yu said first.
"Good day, Principal," the others echoed.
"Ha, no need to stand on ceremony." Vice-Principal Guo was slightly plump and thoroughly genial. "Today is the day you graduate, and a fine day to be entering a university. On behalf of the school, I congratulate you all."
"To fight your way out of an intake of five thousand and take a recommendation place shows that every one of you is an outstanding junior-college student."
"Fang Yu especially." Vice-Principal Guo looked at him. "A direct-entry student. Our school produces one every three to five years. It is a rare thing."
Fang Yu put on a properly modest face.
"But whether it's Fang Yu or any of the rest of you, I want you to remember one thing. That you have come up from a junior college to become university students proves that your rate of progress over these three years has been greater than a good many university students'." Vice-Principal Guo went on, "By way of encouragement, each of you will receive a reward of one million Star Coins from the school."
"I hope that once you enter a higher institution you will keep working, and go further on the martial path."
"And I hope that before long your old school will be proud of you," Vice-Principal Guo said gravely.
At once.
Fang Yu, Zhang Tao and the rest applauded from the heart, Wang Mo included... A reward of a million Star Coins was enough to put fire into everyone in the room.
Soon enough.
Vice-Principal Guo left, and Fang Yu, Wang Mo and the others received their graduation certificates; the bonus would follow shortly, paid straight to their bank cards.
The form tutors drew their own students aside.
"Teacher Yan." Fang Yu and Wang Mo both came over to Yan Fu.
"Ha."
"The pair of you have done me proud — Fang Yu especially, taking a direct-entry place." Yan Fu's eyes crinkled; he was enormously pleased.
He had settled it in his own mind long ago that Fang Yu was first in this assessment.
But he had never imagined a direct-entry place... The students did not understand, but he knew perfectly well why direct entry had no defined standard.
Because.
It required a martial arts university's consent... The assessment authority lay with the university, and since it was an intake outside the plan, the universities naturally preferred not to publish a standard.
"It's the teaching. Without your close guidance these last years I wouldn't have come on this fast," Fang Yu said.
It was flattery, and it was also true.
Over three years Yan Fu had given him no special assistance, but he had discharged a teacher's duty and had never held anything back that ought to be taught or pointed out.
"Ha, no need to build me up. Blade work at Subtlety isn't something I could teach," Yan Fu said, laughing.
"Blade work at Subtlety?" Wang Mo's eyes went wide. "Old Fang, your blade work's at Subtlety and you didn't tell me? No wonder you got direct entry."
"I told you. Great Completion in Subtlety." Fang Yu spread his hands.
"Bloody hell, bodily Great Completion in Subtlety and blade work at Subtlety are not the same concept," Wang Mo said, shaking his head. "Old Fang, you're not being straight with me."
"You reached Lesser Completion of Subtlety and didn't tell me either," Fang Yu said, smiling.
"You knew?" Wang Mo was taken aback; he had been keeping that to himself.
"The recommendation list. You're third... If your martial skill hadn't broken through in any real way, on a Level 20 Life Tier alone you'd be somewhere between sixth and eighth," Fang Yu said, eyes crinkling.
Wang Mo gave him a thumbs-up on the spot.
"Wang Mo, you've come on a long way too. I'll be calling your father again." Yan Fu turned to him, smiling. "And remember to invite me to the celebration dinner."
"Don't worry, Teacher. You come, you get the head of the table," Wang Mo said, thumping his chest.
"Good."
"Now, business." Yan Fu's smile drew in a little. "Besides the school's million... over lunch just now I entered your assessment results into the basic information on your campus accounts and ran them against the school's various scholarship requirements again. Fang Yu, I should be able to get you another eight hundred thousand Star Coins. Wang Mo, a bit over two hundred thousand for you. Don't turn your noses up at it."
"Teacher Yan, haven't we graduated? Can we still apply?" Wang Mo asked, puzzled.
Every martial arts university and junior college, on top of the state's scholarships, had all sorts of private scholarships with the strangest requirements, mostly endowed by companies, groups or individuals.
Fang Yu's and Wang Mo's assessment results had risen sharply.
They were certain to pick up more.
"You have indeed graduated, but the system updates tomorrow — which is to say that today you are still members of this school," Yan Fu said, eyes crinkling. "I'll finish running the application forms through today. It's only a few more stamps."
"If it moves quickly it'll come through with the school bonus."
"Then thank you, Teacher Yan," Fang Yu said.
It would not be nearly as easy as Yan Fu made it sound; ordinarily the man had no need to do it at all, since the two of them had in fact graduated... He was making a gesture of goodwill.
Eight hundred thousand Star Coins.
For Fang Yu, that was a very large sum.
"Only doing my job." Yan Fu looked at Fang Yu again. "Fang Yu, since the Huguang teachers have picked you as a direct-entry student, you should be entitled to sign an exclusive contract."
"My guess is that they may require you to take part in real combat on the Primordial Star... Real combat and a combat assessment are two different concepts!"
"Don't sign lightly when it comes. Think it through first."