Chapter 177 - 176: Major Selection
New students applying to Jiangti must first choose one of the "Five Main Schools" as their primary school.
The "N" in the "5+N" system refers to the "Subordinate Schools," established to enrich the knowledge of Martial Artists, which students can choose freely after enrolling.
These covered a vast range of subjects, from basic sciences like physics and chemistry to soft sciences like finance and humanities.
Each "Subordinate School" was small in scale, with some subjects having only a handful of teachers.
Most students paired them based on their personal interests and their main school. For example, students from the "Precision School" would also study physics, while those planning to become civil servants would take some humanities and social sciences.
There was no limit on the number of courses one could take, as long as they could be scheduled.
However, there was one exception: students from the "Qiangwu Academy" rarely wasted time on "Subordinate Schools."
After all, in a Martial Arts Society where strength came first, they were all victors of a grueling rat race. Even in university, the competition was ten times fiercer than in high school.
Furthermore, the university taught time-consuming skills like weapons and Martial Arts. With that kind of time, they’d rather spend it training.
Studying cultural subjects would only slow down their progress.
As a new student, Yang Shen needed to decide on one of the Five Main Schools. He was currently torn between the Qiangwu Academy and the School of Life Sciences.
The former was the obvious choice. On Cyan Blue, strength reigned supreme. It might seem like a brutish path, but it was the true path to success in this society. This was especially true for him, a Patriarch who didn’t need to worry about future employment.
As for the School of Life Sciences... that was a long-term strategic consideration. He still vividly remembered how Chen Beiwang had earned hundreds of millions from a small business, and Chen Beiwang had graduated from the School of Life Sciences.
But schools like that didn’t particularly focus on individual strength... Chen Beiwang was only at the Late-stage Innate realm by the time he graduated, and he had been a student who enjoyed top-tier resources.
After hearing Yang Shen’s thoughts, Fan Jing thought for a moment before saying, "Many high school graduates, especially the high-achieving ones, tend to have certain biases when choosing their major."
"They think that because the Qiangwu Academy is the most common and most populous school, it’s not special or unique enough... But living on Cyan Blue, you must always remember these three words: ’strength reigns supreme.’"
Fan Jing handed him a drink.
Source Energy Forest.
Yang Shen took it but didn’t open it. He was simply sick of it after the past few days... As its spokesperson, he saw it everywhere.
Fan Jing said, "It depends on what path you want to take. If you just want to study quietly, Yang, I’d recommend the School of Life Sciences. It’s more convenient for both ’employment’ and ’entrepreneurship’ after graduation."
"But if you want to walk the path of ’unrivaled supremacy,’ if you want to strive for the peak of Martial Arts, then the most populous school, the Qiangwu Academy, is your best choice. You’re different from other ordinary students, after all. You’re the Champion Scholar. Your talent and starting point give you the right to think this way."
From the way Yang Shen had "embellished" his autobiography with the "Jianghuai Yang Family," it wasn’t hard for Fan Jing to guess the path Yang Shen wanted to take.
"As long as you are strong enough, dazzling enough... a group of people will naturally gather around you. They will come from various schools, masters of all sorts of skills and technologies. You don’t need to do everything yourself. You just need to ensure you always have the talent you need by your side..."
Yang Shen was lost in thought... He suddenly thought of someone.
Chen Beiwang...
Was Chen Beiwang one of the "talents" that had gathered around Xu Zhusheng back then?
’That’s right... My primary goal is to develop the clan, not to handle every single detail myself. As the first to rise, I need to focus on one thing.’
And on Cyan Blue, there was one and only one answer: personal strength.
Fan Jing recalled something and said with a smile, "You know, Jiangti is a very special school, the leader among all Martial Arts Universities in the nation. It comes with many privileges."
"Starting in the second year, outstanding students get the chance to participate in Exotic Realm expeditions. This is an incredibly valuable experience and honor..."
Yang Shen frowned slightly. ’University students can go to the Exotic Realm?’
’In terms of strength... they probably aren’t up to the task, but it would certainly be an eye-opening experience.’
Fan Jing held up a finger. "And the expedition teams formed by Jianghuai students are always centered around a powerhouse from the Qiangwu Academy. Only the most outstanding students in the Qiangwu Academy earn the right to form a team."
"Many from the Clan’s Direct Lineage or those self-made powerhouses build their core teams during this process... recruiting many other geniuses."
Fan Jing spread his hands.
"I believe that even before the school year has started, your name has already appeared on the lists of many ’mid-tier Martial Arts Clans’ or ’ordinary wealthy families looking to advance.’"
"They’re probably already thinking about whether to recruit you, befriend you, or even arrange a marriage with you."
In Fan Jing’s experience, many Champion Scholars ended up with a member of the opposite sex from a Martial Arts Clan of the same generation. Marriage alliances were a common way to bind interests, and it was also beneficial for optimizing the family’s genetics.
Although Martial Arts talent wasn’t strictly "hereditary," everyone liked to chase after the slim probabilities of pseudoscience.
You couldn’t say that a child born with a Champion Scholar would be worse than one born with a nobody, right?
Champion Scholars with a clean background, or even those deep in debt, were especially high-value investment targets. Pairing them in marriage with a junior member of the clan was a surefire investment.
A luxury car pulls up to the school gate. A beautiful woman or a handsome man steps out, fawning all over you...
How many could resist that?
’Your original partner? Is your original partner worth hundreds of millions?’
Of course, a Champion Scholar who was so easily captured often didn’t have a very high ceiling. Fan Jing’s words seemed like a joke, but he was actually giving Yang Shen a reminder.
Yang Shen was lost in thought...
’Once I and the clan reach a new stage, the environment I’ll face will be far more complex than the simple world of a high school student.’
’A mature Patriarch should also be capable of handling the clan’s development affairs.’
"I’ve learned my lesson. I think I’ve made my decision."
"That’s good."
After finishing the day’s filming, Yang Shen used a borrowed laptop in his hotel room to submit his university application.
Qiangwu Academy.
No need to be a nonconformist. In the end, might makes right!
And many people were waiting for his choice.
Unbeknownst to him, Yang Shen’s choice now affected many people, like Xu Bamboo, Yuan Rui, and Cao Wei.
When Yang Shen chose the "Qiangwu Academy," Xu Bamboo got the news and quickly made his choice as well. Zhuzi’s first choice had actually been Qiangwu all along; he was just worried Yang Shen had other plans.
As for Yuan Rui, Cao Wei, and Tian Zihan, the three disciples who planned to apply to Jiangti, their admission wasn’t a sure thing yet. It would still depend on this year’s cutoff scores.
But they all, without prior agreement, chose the Qiangwu Academy as well.
...
And so, Yang Shen spent the rest of June in a whirlwind of high-intensity filming... It was so busy that even his Cultivation couldn’t be done at full capacity every day.
But the results were gratifying. The "commercialization of his exam success" was going better than he had imagined. This was likely because he had defeated an "Innate-level examinee," a rarity that appeared only once every few years, effectively boosting his own fame by stepping on his opponent’s face.
In addition to the initial fixed endorsements, a stream of new ones kept popping up. Combined with his diligence, his total estimated earnings would exceed 15 million.
This was basically the peak outcome for the commercialization of a Champion Scholar. After all, a Champion Scholar was a "seasonal celebrity"; from the day the scores were released, their commercial value depreciated daily.
Of course, if you compared this number to the price of Cangwu Garden, there was still a significant gap. And compared to a real celebrity, it was merely what they would earn from a single endorsement.
Yang Shen sometimes thought about just giving up on Cangwu Garden. The money could be used for many things, enough to ensure the Yang Family’s stable development for several more years.
But then he would think of the "Qi Storage Pavilion" and the "Spiritual Liquid" underground—things that could benefit them for decades... and he just couldn’t let it go.
At the end of June, when his various filming jobs came to a close, Yang Shen received some good news.
Cao Wei called.
"Master, about ’Cangwu Garden’... Wang Yisheng over there wants to schedule a meeting with you."
Yang Shen was a little confused. He had been waiting to build up more capital before negotiating. He hadn’t actually contacted the other party during this time, so they might not even know he wanted to buy it.
"Did you contact them?"
On the other end of the line, it wasn’t just one person, but the entire Yang Family Army gathered together.
Cao Wei’s gaze swept across her fellow disciples.
"No, it’s the result of the Yang Family Army’s collective efforts!"
——