High Martial Arts: Liver Becomes the Master of the Universe

Chapter 17 I really deserve to die

Qimingxing, Seventh Junior High School, Principal's Office.

The atmosphere in the spacious office was serious and solemn.

Principal Zhao Zhenhua sat behind his large mahogany desk, with a row of people standing neatly in front of him—the homeroom teachers of all thirty-seven classes in the third year of junior high school.

Today marks the day when the results of the high school entrance examination are finalized, and it's also the time for schools to reward and honor those who have made contributions.

In front of Zhao Zhenhua was an exquisite metal combination lock box.

Everyone knew that the box contained a cash check for 200,000 Imperial Coins, as well as a "Golden Candle Award" medal, representing the highest teaching honor at the Seventh Middle School.

This award is given to only one homeroom teacher of the ninth grade each year in recognition of their outstanding contributions to cultivating top students.

Li Weiguo stood at the end of the line, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his expression calm, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of disappointment that was hard to hide.

He knew that he would most likely not receive this honor this year.

The sole criterion for selecting the "Golden Candle Award" is which class achieved the highest score in the high school entrance examination.

In previous years, this honor was usually awarded between him and Wang Jianjun, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Grade 9.

Wang Jianjun is rigorous in his scholarship and has a strong approach. His class (Class 1) is recognized as a key class in the school, and it consistently sends several promising students to the prestigious Wugao High School every year.

Li Weiguo, with his keen eye and ability to teach according to students' aptitude, often manages to discover one or two dark horses from ordinary classes, who can rival Wang Jianjun.

But this year, the situation is different.

Zhou Heyuan, Li Weiguo's biggest trump card, had his vitality index settling at 0.96. Although the result was excellent, it was still just a step away from the threshold of 1.0.

According to the information he received, the top seed in Wang Jianjun's class, a student named Sun Hao, performed steadily in the middle school entrance examination, reaching a vitality index of 1.02.

0.96 and 1.02, a small difference, yet worlds apart.

The latter are true near-first-level martial artists, top talents who can catch the eye of the admissions offices of key martial arts high schools.

Therefore, Li Weiguo has almost tacitly agreed that this year's "Golden Candle Award" will be Wang Jianjun's.

Principal Zhao Zhenhua cleared his throat and glanced at every teacher present.

"Thank you for your hard work, teachers."

His voice was loud and clear: "In this year's high school entrance examination, the overall performance of our No. 7 Middle School has been stable and improved. The pass rate for ordinary high schools has increased by three percentage points compared with last year. This is inseparable from the hard work of everyone present."

He paused and changed the subject.

"Of course, we should not only look at the overall picture, but also at the top. The height of a school is ultimately determined by its best students. This year, our school has also produced a group of very outstanding young talents."

He looked at Wang Jianjun, who was standing at the front of the line, and smiled approvingly.

"Teacher Wang Jianjun, Sun Hao from your class has a vitality index of 1.02, ranking second in the whole school. He has already been secured a spot at 'Qimingxing Third Key Wugao High School'. He has done a very good job."

Wang Jianjun straightened his chest, a reserved yet proud smile on his face.

The teachers around him also cast envious and congratulatory glances at him.

Li Weiguo, standing at the back of the group, sighed softly.

Sure enough.

However, Principal Zhao Zhenhua's next words stunned everyone present.

"but,"

Zhao Zhenhua's gaze passed over Wang Jianjun and landed on Li Weiguo at the end of the line. "If we're talking about the biggest surprise this year, it has to be Teacher Li Weiguo and your class."

Li Weiguo was startled, thinking he had misheard.

Zhao Zhenhua picked up the metal briefcase, walked down the steps, through the crowd, and went straight to Li Weiguo.

"Teacher Li."

Zhao Zhenhua's face beamed with an unprecedented, radiant, even exaggerated smile. "Congratulations! This year's 'Golden Candle Award' and the 200,000 yuan prize are yours!"

Amidst the shocked, bewildered, and puzzled gazes of all the teachers present, Zhao Zhenhua snapped open the combination lock box.

A thick stack of Imperial currency checks, still smelling of ink, and a pure gold medal engraved with a burning candle design, lay quietly on a red velvet lining.

"Principal, isn't this...is there a mistake?"

Li Weiguo was completely dumbfounded. He subconsciously took half a step back and waved his hand, "Zhou Heyuan, who has the best grades in our class, only has a vitality index of 0.96. He can't compare to Sun Hao in Teacher Wang's class."

"Zhou Heyuan?"

Zhao Zhenhua was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Teacher Li, Teacher Li, you're still pretending to be confused with me!"

He patted Li Weiguo heavily on the shoulder and announced to the entire audience in a loud voice:
"You might not know this yet! Qin Feng, a student in Mr. Li Weiguo's class, achieved an amazing score of 1.23 in the Vitality Index in this year's high school entrance examination! He ranked 67,321st in the overall ranking of all the top students!"

"This achievement is not only the highest record in the history of our No. 7 Middle School since its establishment, but it has also directly broken the highest record in this educational district in the past ten years!"

boom!
The principal's words were like a bombshell, exploding throughout the office.

All the teachers, including Wang Jianjun who had just been looking proud, were dumbfounded, staring at Li Weiguo with the eyes of someone looking at an alien.

1.23? !
More than 67,000?!
What... what does this even mean?!

This is no longer just a matter of being a key martial arts expert; this is a solid step into the threshold of the top seven martial arts schools!
"Teacher Li, you've been keeping this a secret for a long time!" "My God, 1.23! Our school actually has a genius of this caliber!"

"Old Li, you're something else! You're usually so quiet, but when you do, you unleash a bombshell!"

A flood of compliments and praises came from all around.

Li Weiguo, however, stood there, his mind blank.

Qin Feng?

1.23?

He felt his mind completely shut down.

"Alright, Teacher Li, don't be modest."

Zhao Zhenhua personally handed the heavy briefcase to Li Weiguo, saying, "This is what you deserve. The school has permanently sealed Qin Feng's file as the number one file in our Seventh Middle School's 'Hall of Fame.' You are a great contributor to our school!"

Li Weiguo mechanically and numbly accepted the box.

He didn't know how he got out of the principal's office.

He felt as if he were walking on cotton, and the congratulations from all the teachers around him seemed distant and unreal.

He returned to his empty office in a daze and slammed the door shut.

He casually tossed the briefcase, worth 200,000 yuan, onto the table, then slumped into a chair as if all his strength had been drained.

He was breathing heavily, and he ripped off his tie, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

A few seconds later, as if he remembered something, he suddenly rushed to his desk and turned on his personal terminal.

With trembling hands, he entered his homeroom teacher access password and retrieved the final grade records of all students in Class 5 of the third year of junior high school.

He immediately skipped over Zhou Heyuan, who was at the very top of the list, and swiped his finger quickly to find the name that was at the very end.

Name: Qin Feng

Vitality Index: 1.23

[Morning Star Overall Ranking: 67321]

The scarlet numbers, like a red-hot branding iron, were fiercely burned onto his retina.

it is true.

Everything is true.

At that moment, countless details he had overlooked flooded his mind like a movie replay.

A month ago, at the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, the punching power testing machine showed him an astonishing figure of "502KG," which he mistakenly believed to be Zhou Heyuan's punch.

That solitary figure on the training field, day after day, burying himself in arduous training like a madman.

That calm and determined look in his eyes, even when everyone was pessimistic.

Furthermore, on the day he returned to school, when that boy stepped onto the podium, he exuded a completely different, calm and composed demeanor compared to a month earlier.

He understood it all.

He understood everything.

He misjudged the situation.

From the very beginning, they completely misjudged the situation.

He thought Zhou Heyuan was a rough gem, a bright pearl, and poured all his heart and soul into carving and polishing him.

Little did they know that in a corner of their classroom, there was a real, peerless divine jade that was enough to shake the entire Morning Star!
But he, the homeroom teacher who prided himself on his discerning eye, treated this divine jade as a worthless rock.

He almost personally threw this divine jade into the quagmire of a "vocational technical school," ensuring it would never rise again.

"I……"

Li Weiguo opened his mouth and let out a dry, off-key syllable.

He slowly raised his hand, looking at the hands that had once written countless lesson plans and graded countless assignments.

At that moment, he felt that these hands were so foolish, so blind.

in case……

If only he hadn't been so calculating and presumptuous back then.

Thankfully, everything turned out well.

"I'm so damn damned!"

Li Weiguo cursed himself.

He looked at the 200,000 Imperial Coins on the table, pondered for a long time, and decided on how to use them.

(End of this chapter)