Chapter 128 - 127: The Evil Clique
By now, an immense crowd had gathered at the school gate.
Amidst the clamoring crowd, Yuan Rui stared in shock, finally tearing his eyes away from the top of the rankings.
He was so stunned that he hadn’t even thought to look for his own name.
’There’s no comparison. Absolutely no comparison...’
’It didn’t even matter if I was number one anymore. The truth lay in the absolute difference in scores.’
’Over seven hundred points... Doesn’t that mean he’ll get into Jiangti?’
As for himself, just as he’d predicted, he’d been knocked down to third in the grade with a total score of 688, a full 25 points behind the two tied for first.
’Huh? Wait a second...’
’If Master Yang and Xu Bamboo are tied for first, shouldn’t I be second?’
His eyes darted back up the list, only to land on the name "Cao Wei."
’A total score of 689. Just one point higher than me...’
’What was going on?’
’Even though they were both in the top ten, Cao Wei had only placed fifth last time, still a noticeable distance behind him...’
’But today, she’d actually surpassed him. Did she just perform well...?’
’Or did Cao Wei go see Master Yang privately... for some *in-depth* guidance?’
Although Cao Wei’s family was much wealthier than his own, her speed at Strengthening Qi and Blood Value couldn’t compare to his—that was a fact plain for all to see.
Yuan Rui was actually quite satisfied with his own results. His absolute score had jumped by more than ten points from a month ago, and at least half of that improvement was thanks to Master Yang’s coaching.
But seeing Cao Wei’s progress left him feeling a little vexed.
’Sigh... My heartfelt devotion to Master Yang must not be deep enough...’
’Cao Wei, on the other hand, thinks of nothing but Master Yang. She probably wishes she could attend to him at his bedside. As a man, I’m at a disadvantage in that department.’
’In that case, I’ll just have to suck up even harder!’
’The college entrance exam is in 19 days... No, improving my strength isn’t just a high school thing.’
’This is for life.’
’After the exam, should I start studying university courses early? When the semester starts, do I need to work hard? After graduation, do I need to test for a Martial Arts graduate program?’
’And eventually, do I have to get a job? Once I have a job, will I want a promotion? And to get a promotion, don’t you have to suck up to your boss?!’
’If the boss isn’t happy, how can I be happy?’
’So... it’s all different paths to the same destination.’
Yuan Rui, the ultimate pragmatist, came to a single conclusion:
’Sticking close to Master Yang now, sucking up to him for all I’m worth, is laying the foundation for my entire life.’
’It improves my strength and hones my sycophancy skills!’
’The benefits will last a lifetime.’
Having figured out this crucial point, Yuan Rui began to scan the area, searching for Master Yang. Unfortunately, the crowd was so massive it was dizzying.
"Tian Zihan, you’re tall. The second you see Master Yang, tell me. I need to run over and greet him."
Tian Zihan, who was grinning like an idiot at his own ninth-place ranking, replied, "You got it! I need to thank Master Yang, too..."
His rank was secondary; his absolute score had increased by 20 points!
That was the same number as the square footage of his family’s rental apartment!
The "Master Yang" he uttered was sweeter than ever, though coming from a guy his size, the sound was enough to make your hair stand on end.
The other disciples had also made gains. Yang Shen hadn’t treated them as mere tools to complete his mission.
He had taught them real skills.
Besides the points from the "Sixth Set" grading itself, the profundity of this Body Refining Technique had also spurred an advancement in their overall strength.
Although the tie for first place meant there were now eleven people on the top ten list.
If you counted heads, the list had become the exclusive domain of Yang Shen, Xu Bamboo, and his disciples.
As far as the eye could see, it was all the Yang Family Army!!
This also made the eight "great" disciples even more united... Cohesion, as it’s called, is often forged through successive victories.
By sharing common "traits" and "progress," the great disciples naturally strengthened their sense of belonging and formed a shared psychological identity.
They rallied tightly around the small clique with Master Yang at its core!
After more than ten minutes, the watchtower-like Tian Zihan finally spotted his beloved teacher and pointed from afar. "Master Yang is here!"
The eight disciples immediately pushed through the crowd, drawing the attention of many onlookers.
Yang Shen clutched half a bottle of a murky, brownish-black liquid, his face twisted into a grimace. This was the reason he was late.
He had almost thrown up several times on the way over...
Drinking six bottles a day was comparable to being tortured six times a day.
If it weren’t for the undeniable increase in his Qi and Blood Value, he would have seriously suspected Jinkang Pharmacy was giving him the same treatment they gave Huang Gang.
The great Source Supplement plan was going smoothly, but his tongue was suffering for it.
So was his brain.
His eight disciples swarmed him. Yuan Rui was the fastest; in a single lunge, he dropped to one knee, leaving a two-meter-long skid mark on the ground.
With the physique of someone in the Marrow Refining Realm, it was impossible for it to hurt. It was, however, rough on his pants.
"Good morning, Master Yang! Your disciple pays his respects!"
Yang Shen gave a dry laugh. "Morning..."
’Scared the hell out of me. For a second there, I thought I’d time-traveled to ancient China.’
Seeing that Yuan Rui had beaten her to the punch, and unwilling to let him hog the spotlight, Cao Wei immediately changed her approach.
"Master, you’ve worked so hard, and you still have to drink water by yourself."
As she spoke, she took Yang Shen’s brown potion, about to help him drink it.
Tian Zihan immediately took it one step further. "Master is drinking, and this disciple was unable to assist. It is truly a sin! When you need to relieve yourself later, Master, you must tell me! This disciple is willing to hold the Dragon for you, freeing up your hands!"
Yang Shen was stunned. "Are you asking to die? A grown man offering to help me with that."
Cao Wei’s eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "In that case, Master, how about you let me..."
"You shut up, too!"
Yang Shen cut her off, signaling for them all to stop clowning around. His disciples were truly a piece of work.
Initially, he’d only taken them on to complete a mission.
But now, it felt like he couldn’t get rid of these clingy barnacles.
Herded by his entourage to the front of the rankings, Yang Shen, who now had a habit of reading lists from the top down, immediately saw his name and Xu Bamboo’s.
Their names had become Nanliang’s most brilliant twin stars.
’Tied for first, huh...’
The corners of Yang Shen’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. An unexpected result.
For the last monthly exam, it was certainly an interesting conclusion.
The timid, hesitant person he once was had finally made a powerful statement on the rankings.
After countless times looking up at Xu Bamboo’s name on the list, he was finally her equal.
His student ID number placed him underneath her on the list, but he didn’t mind being on the bottom.
Relaxing.
As far as his high school life was concerned, Yang Shen had no regrets.
Comparing their score breakdowns, he still had the advantage in liberal arts; after all, that was all he could focus on grinding before.
As for the martial subjects, Xu Bamboo still led in the purely numerical categories, whereas he was stronger in Subject Four, where he’d gotten a perfect score.
Unfortunately, in the Subject Five combat portion—which should have been another area for him to pull ahead—he had only matched Xu Bamboo’s score, having been held back by the examiner.
Then, 10 Fist Intent Points and 5 points from a Grade 9 rating on his Body Forging fist technique pushed Yang Shen’s score right back up to tie with Xu Bamboo’s.
To be fair, though, his score should have been a tiny bit higher than Xu Bamboo’s.
Besides not getting to show off his true abilities in the combat exam, he also had ten bonus points for "acting heroically for a just cause."
He had already contacted Director Liu yesterday, who said that thanks to his strong push, the application had been approved. As long as it was announced before the college entrance exam scores were finalized, those 10 points were in the bag.
’Sorry, 750 might be the limit for the college entrance exam, but it’s not my limit.’
Of course, Yang Shen didn’t think 713 was Xu Bamboo’s limit, either. The "Queen of the Grind" certainly had her own final sprint planned for this last stretch of time...
Although he wanted to admire his ranking for a little longer, the area around the list was too crowded. Everyone wanted to approach him and curry favor, while his eight disciples acted as security, pushing back anyone who got too close.
Tian Zihan demanded, "What’s your score?"
A boy answered awkwardly, "478..."
Tian Zihan snorted. "How is a 478 worthy of breathing the same air as my Master Yang? Keep your distance!"
Yuan Rui was even more direct, announcing loudly, "Don’t crowd around! Don’t cross the line! Let the number one student in the grade have a look first!"
Yang Shen didn’t see Xu Bamboo, so he didn’t linger and started walking into the school.
His eight disciples continued to follow, fanning out on either side behind him.
Yuan Rui said respectfully, "Master Yang, the college entrance exam is in 20 days."
He was actually reminding Yang Shen: time is short, and teaching his disciples must not be delayed.
Yang Shen thought for a moment... For him, the remaining 20 days were purely for Source Supplement. His scores in Subject Four and Subject Five were already near-perfect, so there was no need for a "pre-exam sprint."
He just needed to down all those disgusting Supplements; he actually had plenty of time.
He felt that among this group, there were a few, like Yuan Rui, who had decent character.
They were the type of people who were completely pathological, but in a way that was beneficial to him. Perhaps he could continue this master-disciple relationship and they could become external resources for his family’s growth.
Take Yuan Rui, for example. The guy seemed to have a knack for brainwashing... ah, no, for *management*!
So he said, "You all must have your own sprint plans. Tally up your schedules, and we can extend my lessons a bit."
Yuan Rui’s eyes lit up!
This was exactly what he had been waiting for Master Yang to say!
For "grind kings" like them, having reached the final stretch, it was impossible to grind any higher without some external factor.
Why didn’t you work harder earlier?
And Master Yang was that external factor!
As long as Master Yang was here, he might be able to squeeze out a few more points on the college entrance exam!
He immediately said, "Thank you, esteemed Master! We’re taking up your precious time. Is there anything we disciples can do to be of service?"
Yang Shen instinctively wanted to shake his head. He had taught his disciples before to complete a mission; now, it was an investment in relationships.
And for the record, he had no interest in the 4,000-yuan hourly tutoring fee. This was purely out of paternal affection!
But then he glanced at the bottle of brownish-black liquid in his hand, and an idea sparked.
He handed it to Yuan Rui. "These are my Supplements. You wanna try some?"
Yuan Rui was confused, but he took it immediately. "Thank you, Master."
When Master gives you something, you drink it without hesitation. To delay even a second would be a lapse in devotion!
"PFFT!!!"
With the immense Power of the Marrow Refining Realm, Yuan Rui spat the liquid out with the force of a pressure washer.
It hit Tian Zihan, who was standing in front of him, square in the back of the head.
"*Cough, cough*... Esteemed Master... this medicine..."
’Did the pharmacist who mixed this fall in and die...?’
’Did he use his own body to Refine the medicine?’