High School Student with Immortal Race System

At the crack of dawn, the park was already filling up with elderly folks doing their morning exercises and dancing.

There were ordinary people simply clapping their hands as they walked, as well as retired Martial Artists who refused to give up on strengthening their bodies.

A white-haired old man in his seventies, his body rippling with muscle, was dancing so hard he nearly sent his elderly partner flying.

Yang Shen was reminded of a joke he’d once heard.

Why do people practice Martial Arts?

If you don’t, you’ll be stuck in a wheelchair at home while other men are out there swinging your wife around.

Low Realm Martial Artists didn’t inherently have longer lifespans, but their ability to resist the erosion of time created a difference. Most in the Marrow Refining Realm could live to ninety in good health, not to mention their quality of life was on a whole other level.

For a Cultivation master who didn’t need to sleep, spending a night outdoors was hardly tiring. Yang Shen had simply continued his Cultivation until dawn.

Afterward, he bought breakfast from a street vendor and headed to school with his overnight gains.

Because his schedule had changed today, he was one of the first to arrive in class. Yang Shen sat down calmly at his desk and took out a liberal arts practice exam to work on.

The liberal arts portion of the college entrance exam was worth 210 points, and he was consistently scoring above 200, but he couldn’t afford to get complacent.

Just like with Martial Arts, if you didn’t practice for a while, you’d become rusty with certain types of problems. A third-year high school student had to constantly grind to stay at their peak.

Whether it was liberal arts or martial arts, Yang Shen cherished every single point.

’After all, killing two people only gets you ten points... Earning points is so damn hard...’

As for the Hook Jade, Yang Shen had bought a long red cord from a gift shop on his way to school.

The Hook Jade itself had no hole, so it couldn’t be strung. However, with the help of the gift shop owner, Yang Shen wrapped the red cord around the jade, coil by coil, leaving no gaps. He then tied a knot and hung it around his neck.

It could be considered a "pendant," he supposed, though it looked like a simple woven ball of thread, revealing none of the jade’s color.

More and more students filed into the classroom. Yang Shen focused on his practice exam, but when he got to the math and physics problems, he paid closer attention to the geometric structures than usual.

The upper limits of Black Engraving’s potential depended on a foundation of basic knowledge. When he started translating textbook knowledge into solutions for real-world problems, everything became much more interesting.

As a Martial Artist who already possessed formidable physical strength, he didn’t need to use Black Engraving to construct crude, powerful limbs like that weirdo had.

At least, not most of the time.

It was debatable how much power it would add, but it would seriously hinder his maneuverability in a real fight.

What he needed was to construct special structures, like weapons, or defenses, or... a key!

That’s right. Yang Shen realized that with Black Engraving, most mechanical locks were essentially useless against him!

’This ability is just too damn useful!’

Yang Shen even started using a ruler to hand-draw some structures he imagined, trying to commit them to memory for quick use later.

He didn’t look up until he heard someone call his name.

It was his homeroom and literature teacher.

"Yang Shen, go to Principal Liang’s office."

Yang Shen felt his left brain elbow his right brain.

’...Huh?’

’Who?’

——————

Yang Shen headed for the office on the sixth floor and noticed the sign on the door had already been changed to "Vice Principal’s Office."

He was stunned for a few seconds.

’How long has it been?’

’Is Director Liang just that awesome, or is Director Liu that powerful?’

’Speaking of which, the principal of Nanliang High School is getting old and doesn’t seem to manage things much anymore... Does this count as, ’With the principal ailing, it falls to the director to strive for greatness?’’

Yang Shen composed himself and knocked on the door.

"Principal... Liang, it’s Yang Shen."

"Come in."

Yang Shen had been to this sixth-floor office many times, and his mindset was different on each occasion.

At first, he thought it was the office of a Martial Arts master.

Later, he discovered it was a loan manager’s office...

And now he understood... the two weren’t mutually exclusive.

Just like how Chen Beiwang could be both Innate and trash.

Or how Huang Gang could be both the king of oaths and the king of eating shit.

And he himself could be both a "Late Bloomer" and "broke as hell."

Even though he had earned tens of thousands from Lin Yuebai, Yang Shen still couldn’t figure out which was greater: his entire family’s net worth or Xu Bamboo’s monthly allowance...

Director Liang showed no sign of being affected by his involvement in the recent special incident, nor did he show a trace of delight over his promotion to vice principal. He was as calm and composed as ever.

"Yang, please, have a seat. You can still call me Director Liang. The official appointment hasn’t come down yet, after all."

Yang Shen said, "...But I saw the sign was already changed, and my literature teacher specifically told me to find Vice Principal Liang."

Liang Shen sighed helplessly. "Sigh... They’re truly making this principal’s life difficult..."

Yang Shen suddenly had a feeling: ’Nanliang High School is full of characters...’

’I hope college is a little better.’

After sitting down, he expected the director to talk about the Jinkang Pharmacy incident, but instead, Liang Shen took a contract out of his drawer and placed it in front of him.

Yang Shen instantly held up a hand. "I’m not taking out any loans."

He was comrades-in-arms with Director Liang now, so he felt a bit bolder.

Liang Shen smiled faintly. "This isn’t a loan agreement. It’s an endorsement deal."

Yang Shen: ???

’What is this new update?’

He picked it up and saw that it was a contract from Jinkang Pharmacy.

An invitation to be Jinkang Pharmacy’s campus spokesperson?

Yang Shen blinked. "Does Jinkang Pharmacy really have the time to worry about this right now?"

Liang Shen certainly wasn’t going to admit that the reason he was at Jinkang Pharmacy before was to collect his kickback... ahem... his finder’s fee. He just said coolly:

"They expressed this interest before the incident. Among the high schools in Jinshui District, your grades aren’t the strongest yet. Even though your combat skills are good, your foundational score is still shallow. And in the context of the entire Jianghuai City... at least, that was the general perception a few days ago."

"But your rate of improvement is one of a kind. You went from Skin Refining to Marrow Refining in just one month..."

"Fist Intent is the main reason, but that’s not something other students can imitate... However... if we attribute your success to something else, it could have a very positive motivational effect."

Yang Shen said, "Like... from taking Jinkang Pharmacy’s drugs?"

Liang Shen wore an expression that said, ’A teachable student.’

In reality, every year in Yanhua Country, the "Athletics Champion Scholars" make a killing. For instance, their Cultivation Technique combinations, study notes, Source Supplement recipes...

These can all be monetized as "paid knowledge"!

The Champion Scholars themselves might not have mature business channels, but the educational institutions and pharmaceutical companies that sign them do, and their systems are very well-developed.

Did you really think these "secret manuals" are prepared long in advance? That they can be launched and sold nationwide on the very day the college entrance exam results are announced?

*One Hundred Days from Slacker to Champion Scholar*

*The Champion Scholar’s One-on-One Oral Guide to Eating*

*One Hundred Body-Building Tips from the Champion Scholar and His Female Teacher*

Every student with a shot at becoming Champion Scholar might have something like this prepared in advance. The winner shoots the videos, and the loser eats dust.

Even if there’s an upset, companies in this line of business will immediately come knocking.

If it’s the child of a wealthy family, they won’t turn down more money, and what’s more, it’s a chance to become famous. The more high-profile, the better.

And if it’s the child of a poor family...

A poor kid became the Champion Scholar? That must be the spirits of his eighteen generations of family loans manifesting!

Shouldn’t he hurry up and earn money to pay them back?

This is already a mature commercial ecosystem. Especially after the power of money infiltrated the education system, relying on studying to make money isn’t just about "scholarships" anymore.

Yang Shen was still a long way from becoming the college entrance exam’s Champion Scholar, but the sheer speed of his soaring grades was a hot topic.

Furthermore, the recent Jinkang Pharmacy incident had made him a minor celebrity and put him in the news.

Currently, the Jianghuai Yang Family’s reputation had reached 137. Although it lacked a proper metric, so it was hard to say what level that was, it was undeniably a huge leap forward.

And this was just a small portion of Yang Shen’s personal reputation as a "young hero" feeding back into the family. If you looked at his personal number, it would be even more exaggerated.

It’s like how every year, some "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" suddenly becomes famous. But even if the public is familiar with them and their story resonates, not many people will form the concept of a "Doe Family" in their minds.

In other words, family reputation is inherently far more valuable and precious than personal reputation.

In short, Yang Shen’s current fame was far greater than the family reputation displayed by the system. And in the current bizarre climate of Yanhua...

He was indeed qualified to land an endorsement contract and turn his fame into fortune!

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