NOVEL NEXT C3
Chapter Three: Aspirations
“Am I really going to study here in the future?”
She felt a bit uneasy. No matter how she looked at it, what they were learning and practicing was completely different from her own experience. In this rebirth, aside from being able to see those strange spirits, she had no advantages… and there was the risk of being taken away by those fierce ghosts! And why was the college entrance exam prefixed with “Source Martial Arts”?
“Speaking of which, what grade am I in now?”
According to her previous life, she should be in her first year of high school this year, but looking at herself, with a youthful yet mature aura, her height likely exceeding 175 cm, and her long hair cascading down to her waist, she looked nothing like a first-year student.
“President?”
Just as Yuyin was feeling lost in front of the teaching building, a girl’s voice came from behind.
A girl with short blue-purple hair and glasses approached her. She looked somewhat serious but was very beautiful.
Yuyin recognized her; in the original world, she was the vice president of the student council, a senior named Lu Yingluo.
She just called me president? So the president of the student council is a guy I don’t remember.
“President, you look really… really beautiful.” The vice president, Yingluo, inexplicably turned her face away, adjusting her glasses, and said somewhat awkwardly.
“Where…”
Yuyin didn’t know how to respond to this kind of girl-to-girl conversation.
But Yingluo quickly regained her seriousness. “President, are you here for evening self-study too?”
“Um, I guess…” Yuyin replied noncommittally.
“Let’s go, I need to head to the classroom too.”
So the two of them walked up to the teaching building together, and it seemed she should be in the same class as Yingluo.
“President, have you decided on your aspirations?” Yingluo asked in the dimly lit but familiar corridor.
“Aspirations?” Yuyin was taken aback. The message from her mother in this world also urged her to get into a good university, so it seemed she should be in her third year now; things had really changed a lot.
“You should aim for at least 289, right? With your athleticism and cultural subjects, you should have no problem. What’s your source energy value now?” Yingluo asked in a rapid-fire manner as they climbed the stairs.
“Um, this…” Yuyin didn’t quite understand. What was 289? What was source energy? If it were about 211, she could still communicate with her.
They arrived at the classroom, Class 3 (1), which seemed to be an elite class. There were many students in the class, some studying quietly, while others were discussing aspirations and similar topics, creating a lively atmosphere that could be heard in the hallway.
“President!”
“Yuyin, senior…”
“President-sama!”
As soon as Yuyin entered, almost all the classmates gave her a “salute,” though some boys’ gazes fell inappropriately.
Yuyin had studied art before, and it was said that the chest is a visual focal point for a character; it seemed there was some truth to that.
Many classmates gathered around.
“President, have you decided on your aspirations?”
They all crowded around Yuyin, asking this question in a cacophony.
Yuyin had already prepared for this in her heart.
“What about you? Have you all decided?” Yuyin countered. She could name a few of these classmates; most were the high-achieving seniors she had looked up to in the past, elite students, or troublemakers…
“As for me, I’m definitely planning to apply to the Zero City Academy.” A tall, sun-kissed boy with dyed red hair said.
“Cut~~~!”
This drew a chorus of boos from the crowd.
“Just you? You think you can get into the Zero City Academy?”
“Xiao Huohuo, do you know what kind of place that is? The Zero City Academy! The pinnacle of 289! In the north, there’s the Tiandu Source Martial Arts, and in the south, there’s the Zero City Academy, the two top Source Martial Arts academies in Huaxia!”
This Xiao Huohuo was a member of the school volleyball team and was somewhat famous in the school.
“Although we are located in the center of Zero City, historically, only two people from the Twenty-First High School have ever been admitted to the Zero City Academy.” Yingluo took out her phone, seemingly having already found relevant information.
“Seriously, all the boys in our class should apply to the Source Martial Arts Academy, right? We can’t be like those sissies in other classes applying to ordinary universities, can we?” A dark-skinned boy said.
“My mom said the economy is bad now, and applying to ordinary universities makes it hard to find jobs afterward, plus there’s no future at all.” A boy with glasses, sporting a watermelon hairstyle, said while holding a large book titled “99 Days to Sprint for the Source Martial Arts Physical Test, No Refund!”
“Um… I’m a girl, so I think I’ll apply to medical school. You future Source Martial Artists might get injured, and I can help treat you.” A frail girl with two braids said, looking down.
“Help me with my injections~~, nurse!” Xiao Huohuo shouted deliberately, provoking a few boys to chase after him.
“What’s wrong with girls?” A short-haired girl with bronze skin, somewhat tomboyish and wearing athletic gear, said, “There are plenty of female Source Martial Artists, and their achievements are not inferior to yours! You should know that among the six top masters in the world, two are women, and one of them is from our Huaxia.”
Two of the six top masters in the world are women from Huaxia? Yuyin couldn’t help but be shocked, wondering how they compared to the Ghost King…
“Moreover, every academy has gender ratio quotas. Although girls are at a disadvantage in physical training, their source energy training is not inferior to that of boys. Plus, since fewer girls train, last year the admission ratio for girls applying to the 298 Source Martial Arts University was 36 to 1, making it easier for them to get into good universities than boys.” Yingluo flipped through the data, speaking seriously.
“36 people for one spot?” Yuyin was taken aback. Was this called “easy to get in?”
“Compared to boys, that’s much easier. The ratio for boys is over 100 to 1.”
Yingluo’s words made the atmosphere heavy.
“Not aiming for 289 Source Martial Arts is also fine; you can apply to second-tier Source Martial Arts or military academies, and joining the military directly is also good; the benefits afterward are great.” Someone said.
“I’m going to practice push-ups downstairs first; the Zero City Academy has physical requirements that are devilish!” Xiao Huohuo patted a classmate on the shoulder and then said to Yuyin, “President-sama, do you want to practice push-ups with me?”
“Bang!”
Yingluo’s reaction was incredibly fast; her expression was icy, and before Yuyin could speak, a folder flew into Xiao Huohuo’s face, causing him to run away laughing and cursing.
Everyone dispersed, and Yuyin asked Yingluo, “Is the Source Martial Arts Academy really that good?”
Yingluo pulled Yuyin to her seat, and they sat down close together. She took out her pad and showed Yuyin various data and information.
Unbeknownst to Yingluo, who was focused on explaining, Yuyin’s long, delicate legs brushed against another girl’s knee for the first time while studying, causing a slight warmth.
Vice President Yingluo was undoubtedly an expert in data statistics; she explained to Yuyin for over an hour. In her impression, Yuyin usually looked aloof and uninterested in these matters, so she spoke with great focus and detail.
After finishing, Yuyin felt enlightened.
The Source Martial Arts Academy indeed had enormous advantages.
Even for someone like Yuyin, who had just come into contact with this world, listening to it made her heart surge with excitement.