Chapter Twenty-Four: Sunward Academy

His father told him that today was the day for Tianyang Academy’s admissions, and introduced him to the academy. Then he described the situation over at Tianyang Academy, as well as some plot developments.

He rushed back to the Chen household, glancing nervously around before finally relaxing enough to step inside. That woman was far too formidable; if she caught him again, it would be certain death—and he suspected she’d even give him a posthumous beating for good measure.

What had just happened was not something he could ever tell anyone—especially the viewers from Earth. If he let it slip, he’d be headline news across every major outlet in the world.

For the next dozen days or so, Chen Bo didn’t dare venture into the northern district; he had a strong premonition that those two women were lying in wait for him there! At this point, Chen Bo was nearly developing a mild case of paranoia from the fright.

When he practiced his martial arts, he did so with his door tightly shut, which led to one unfortunate consequence: he broke his furniture. But furniture could be replaced. Over these days, Chen Bo had managed to train himself to the threshold of the first level of the Ninefold Killing Fist, and could barely manage to throw a punch twice as forceful as before.

But breaking through with this combat technique nearly killed him—the agony was reminiscent of swallowing a Meridians-Condensing Gu. The memory was a black mark on his mind.

Much had happened during this period, especially back on Earth. For example, Director Xie messaged him privately to say that the nation had finally succeeded in developing a version of the Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and had even mass-produced several dozen super soldiers. “Super soldier”—a name that was as old-fashioned as it gets.

Perhaps because Earth’s medicinal herbs lacked vital energy, the effect was only half as good as what Chen Bo himself had experienced, but even so, it was a miracle that would have been unthinkable for Earth.

Thanks to Chen Bo’s existence and his current allegiances, China was now courted by countless countries. Even the technological blockade from Western nations had been lifted. The Philippine troublemakers, who’d been making a fuss in the southern seas, had recently been disciplined by their “father” America.

One could say that China now stood, faintly, at the center of the world—just like the Celestial Empire of old. Soon, when a foreigner heard that their friend had studied in China, their gaze would no longer be one of disdain, but rather one of envy, jealousy, even resentment.

But that’s enough digression. Just now, Chen Bo had been summoned by his father—the urgency in the servant’s eyes suggested it was important.

Chen Bo came before his father, bowed, and asked, “Father, why have you called for me?”

“Bo’er, do you know what day is coming up soon?” Chen Zhenhai seemed in good spirits as he spoke.

“What day?” Chen Bo was momentarily stumped. Was it some festival? No, there weren’t any this month. “It can’t be your birthday, can it, Father?” he asked quietly.

Chen Zhenhai’s face darkened. He flicked his finger at Chen Bo’s forehead, making him clutch his head and yelp, “Ow! Why’d you hit me, Father?”

“I’m not even sixty yet—where would a birthday come from? Are you in such a hurry for your father to grow old?”

“In a few days, it will be the annual recruitment for Tianyang Academy. Our town of Yan has fought for six slots. As long as you get into Tianyang Academy, even if the Myriad Sword Sect is powerful, they wouldn’t dare act recklessly there!”

“And after graduating from Tianyang Academy, if your abilities stand out, you could even enter the Imperial Capital Academy. Your sister is there now, and she’s already a top student. In a few years, she’ll probably surpass me in strength!”

“Tianyang Academy? That name sounds so peculiar... for some reason it makes me think of ‘Longyang’,” Chen Bo thought to himself. Searching through his memories, he realized that there really was such an academy in Tianyang Province—a state-run institution, the otherworldly equivalent of a public school.

In all of Tianyang Province, Tianyang Academy was the most powerful force, its backing nothing less than the Empire itself! Who would dare provoke them? Never mind the Myriad Sword Sect—even a hundred Myriad Sword Sects would be crushed if they tried to move against Tianyang Academy. The Empire’s army would descend on them the very next day.

The academy was located in the provincial capital, right at the city’s heart, pushing the city lord’s mansion aside without the slightest complaint from the latter. It was almost godlike in its authority.

If this happened on Earth, it would be akin to a school principal booting out the city mayor, and the mayor actually leaving willingly. The sheer absurdity of it defied belief.

Entry into Tianyang Academy wasn’t a matter of having money—it was all about strength and talent.

Every year, the academy enrolled only 1,200 new students. Don’t be fooled into thinking that’s a small number—there were six grades, each with over a thousand students, not to mention a horde of repeaters. Altogether, the student body easily topped ten thousand.

How many lived in Tianyang Province? Several tens of millions, at the very least, and with all the unregistered residents, the number could well exceed a hundred million.

To select a little over a thousand from a hundred million—that ratio was truly staggering, one in a hundred thousand.

In other words, only one in every hundred thousand made it into Tianyang Academy. It was like the competition to get into Tsinghua or Peking University on Earth—a narrow bridge where only a few could pass.

“But, Father, with my current strength, I can’t possibly compete for a slot!” Chen Bo said helplessly.

“That’s fine, the important thing is to take part! If you can make a good impression on the academy’s tutors, maybe tomorrow they’ll make an exception and accept you,” Chen Zhenhai replied with a wave of his hand—far more fanciful than even Chen Bo himself.

On the road to Yan Town, the ground suddenly trembled powerfully. Several gigantic mammoth beasts thundered by, carrying people in uniform on their backs. On their collars, the words “Tianyang Academy” were faintly discernible.

“The principal must be joking—Yan Town is such a backwater; Chen Jingjing’s appearance was pure luck. Where are we supposed to find another prodigy this year? What a waste of six slots,” one instructor grumbled.

“Hush! Watch your mouth! The principal is all-seeing—he might already have heard you!” another interrupted, lowering his voice, “The principal is stingy as it is. If he hears you gossiping about him, don’t expect your pay this month.”

“Relax! We’re miles from the academy, the world’s our oyster! It’s getting harder and harder to be a tutor these days. The pay’s already low, and now we’ve got a principal who likes to dock our wages. Who’s more unlucky than us?”

“By the way, where’s that demoness gone? Haven’t seen her for over ten days.”

“She’s already in Yan Town, and brought her own prodigy student. Unlike you, dragging your feet—if it weren’t for you, I’d be there by now.”

“Well, who knew that inn was a scam? They put so much croton powder in one dish, I almost died on the toilet.”

“Seriously, you’re shameless enough to admit it?”

It’s been twelve or thirteen days since this novel began serialization. There are eighty bookmarks, but only a dozen or so recommendation votes.

I rarely promote this book, and have advertised fewer than ten times. There have been no giveaways, so the bookmarks and votes are genuine.

But the recommendation votes are really too few—please, I’d love a wave of recommendations.