Chapter 135 - 88: Entering the Tomb
"Students, as the new semester begins, welcome back to our big Yang City No. 1 High School family!"
Chen Zhenguo’s voice was steady and powerful.
It announced the start of the opening ceremony.
It was pretty much the same old speech.
He spoke of his hopes for the new semester, emphasizing the importance of discipline, studies, and physical fitness...
The opening ceremony was held twice a year.
Everyone was used to it.
However...
At the end of his speech,
Chen Zhenguo dropped a bombshell:
"Today, I have some major good news to announce from the Department of Education!"
"In response to the nation’s ’All-People Martial Dao Cultivation Plan,’ and to meet the challenges and opportunities of this new era, the Department of Education has decided that starting this year, all of Huaxia’s major Martial Arts Universities and colleges will be conducting an unprecedented, large-scale enrollment expansion! The number of new students admitted will be double that of previous years!"
"What?!"
"Double the enrollment?!"
"For real?!"
Chen Zhenguo’s words caused the entire auditorium to erupt!
The senior section, in particular, was in an uproar!
"Oh my god! Double the enrollment! Doesn’t this mean..."
"A chance! We have a much better chance now!"
"This is great! I won’t have to deliver food! I can get into a university too!"
Excited chatter erupted from all corners.
Many of the seniors were so excited their faces turned red, and they clenched their fists.
Double the enrollment!
For those students with lower scores, this was nothing short of a godsend.
Those who had only dared to dream of an ordinary Martial Arts University could now perhaps aim for one of the top-tier schools!
Those who felt they were only good enough for a Martial Dao technical college now had hope of getting into a full university!
The All-People Martial Dao Cultivation Plan, the university expansion—this was one of the benefits of the new era!
Of course...
This news wasn’t particularly useful to Lin Yi.
He’d get in even without the expansion, anyway.
Once the students’ excitement had calmed down a bit,
Chen Zhenguo raised his hand for silence:
"Next, please join me in welcoming the pride of Yang City No. 1 High School, our only currently enrolled Martial Artist, Lin Yi from Class 1 of the senior year, to the stage as our student representative!"
Applause rang out once again.
Under everyone’s gaze, Lin Yi walked calmly onto the stage.
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. The distinct creases showed it had been hastily prepared—
it was the very same one he had copied and pasted from the internet yesterday, with only minor edits.
He came to a stop, cleared his throat, and unfolded the paper. His eyes fell to the page, and then, in a clear but flat voice, he began to read with meticulous care:
"Distinguished leaders, teachers, and dear fellow students. At the start of this hopeful new semester, I am honored to stand here and speak. A new semester means a new beginning. We must cherish our time... and shoulder the great responsibilities that this era has placed upon us..."
The content of the speech was safe and unremarkable.
It was full of platitudes.
He read it with exceptional earnestness,
as if he were completing a mandatory task.
In the audience, some students’ attention began to drift as they listened.
Only the few who truly knew what had happened on New Year’s Eve watched the boy on stage calmly reading his speech, their eyes filled with a deeper understanding and reverence.
What astonishing power lay hidden beneath that calm exterior.
Unfazed by honor or disgrace!
Lin Yi finished with a "Thank you, everyone," and gave a slight bow, earning a round of polite applause from the audience.
He folded up his paper, walked calmly off the stage, and returned to his seat.
Just then,
Chen Zhenguo returned to the microphone, his face beaming with pride:
"Students, next, let us give our most enthusiastic round of applause to welcome an outstanding alumnus of Yang City No. 1 High School! The genius of Demon City Martial Arts University’s Archaeology Department, your senior, Wang Yiming, is here to give a speech!"
He had barely finished speaking
when applause erupted like a tsunami!
Some students were so excited they even stood up, clapping frantically, their screams and cheers instantly drowning out everything else!
"Wang Yiming! It’s really Senior Wang Yiming!"
"The genius from Demon City Martial Arts University! The top student of the Archaeology Department!"
"I heard he’s super strong! He’s famous even in Demon City!"
Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd,
a figure emerged calmly from a backstage corridor and ascended the stage.
Sitting in the audience,
Lin Yi’s gaze also instantly focused on Wang Yiming.
Wang Yiming was tall and trim, with an upright posture. He wore a simple, crisp, dark blue Martial Arts Uniform that gave him an air of competence.
He had a handsome face with a high-bridged nose. His eyes were deep and sharp, as if they could pierce a person’s soul, yet a trace of unconcealable exhaustion lingered in their depths.
Though his expression was weary, his gait was steady and his back was ramrod straight. He exuded the sharp aura of a top Martial Arts University student, mingled with the quiet intensity of an archaeological explorer.
This blend of contradictory qualities created his unique presence.
Lin Yi watched him, a thought stirring in his mind:
’So this is the genius, trapped by a corporate contract and desperate to find a Pre-Qin tomb to use as a bargaining chip?’
Wang Yiming stood on the stage, facing thousands of pairs of excited, adoring, and curious eyes. He took a shallow breath and began his speech.
At that moment, he was the sole focus of the entire auditorium.
...
Wang Yiming’s speech ended amidst the thunderous applause of the auditorium.
And with that, the opening ceremony came to a close.
"This concludes the opening ceremony. Please exit in an orderly fashion by class and return to your respective classrooms!"
The emcee’s voice boomed from the loudspeakers, reaching every corner of the hall.
Instantly,
the students poured out of the auditorium like a tide.
Excited chatter rose and fell in waves.
The topics of conversation were invariably the Star Gate, the Star Realm, the enrollment expansion, and the awe-inspiring senior, Wang Yiming.