Gao Wu: I have a dimensional gate

In city 032, the sun was setting in the west, around five o'clock.

032 After school at No. 1 High School, students walked in twos and threes on the road.

After the Great Cataclysm, evening self-study sessions were canceled in all schools, and even in a rear city like 032, it was not safe at night.

Lu Qiu was among them, checking his system as he walked.

Name: Lu Qiu

Qi and blood: 8.6

Muscle: 8.4

Skeleton: 7.7

Skill: Mastery of the Eighth Set of National Basic Training Methods for Primary and Secondary School Students

Gate of Realms

His three indicators are only considered above average in the martial arts class. Without the help of suitable medicine, his bones are still too difficult to train.

He happened to have some free time tonight, so he planned to open the portal to the boundary and explore inside to find some potions.

A week ago, his system and past life memories awakened. He was unprepared and only managed to obtain three Blood Orchids in the Gate of Realms, which increased his Qi and Blood by 0.6.

"Lu Qiu, are you coming to the barbecue later?"

Wang Hao came over; he was one of Lu Qiu's few friends.

"No training today?" Lu Qiu asked, putting away the system.

Regular students finish school in the afternoon, but martial arts students train after school to avoid taking up time from academic classes. The training sessions are of varying lengths, but usually end before the sun sets completely.

"The teacher had a meeting tonight, so the training was canceled. Didn't you know?"

Lu Qiu then remembered that during training last night, the instructor had indeed mentioned, "Not going."

"You won't even go when Xu Wen treats you? I'm not trying to be mean, but Lu Qiu, you didn't participate in a single one of our martial arts class's activities during our three years of high school."

Xu Wen, a student in the martial arts class, ranks first in the class in terms of comprehensive indicators of Qi and blood, muscles and bones, and is the student who receives the most praise from the teachers.

Lu Qiu still remembers that during training, Xu Wen would tie her ponytail into a bun, and after training, she would pull off the elastic band, shake her head a couple of times, and the ponytail would neatly hang down to her lower back.

It's safe to say that no boy in the martial arts class disliked Xu Wen.

Wang Hao complained for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "Don't you like Xu Wen? This dinner might be the last time our martial arts class gets together."

Martial arts classes have a long tradition of never seeing each other again after graduation.

Since its establishment, the Martial Arts Class has had only one purpose—to provide outstanding talents for the Martial Arts University.

Students who are admitted to martial arts universities will enter university training camps before the summer vacation even begins. Those who stay in the city are those who did not pass the exam, and naturally have no intention of having a get-together.

Later on, as they went their separate ways, a thick barrier grew between them.

It's fair to say that after graduation, we'll never see each other again.

Wang Hao waved to the teaching building, and Lu Qiu followed his gaze.

Xu Wen stood in the fourth-floor corridor, her blue and white school uniform reflecting the sunlight in a way that was somewhat dazzling.

The girl took a hair tie, gathered her hair back, and with one hand, twisted and coiled it, turning her waist-length ponytail into a neat and tidy bun.

Xu Wen nodded to them, her hair swaying as it fell to her temples.

Lu Qiu simply nodded in response, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and continued walking away.

Wang Hao caught up and asked again, "Xu Wen is treating, are you really not going?"

Lu Qiu shook his head and replied calmly, "We're not on the same path."

Xu Wen's parents are minor leaders in the resource department, barely making it into the upper class in the entire 032 city. Xu Wen's three indicators average over 9.0.

The students in the other martial arts classes were mostly from wealthy or influential families; even Wang Hao's parents worked in the transportation department.

Lu Qiu comes from an ordinary working-class family. Both his parents work at the agricultural department. He is not only not on the same level as Xu Wen, but also not on the same level as Wang Hao and the other students in the martial arts class.

He knew very well that Wang Hao used body-tempering potions every week to assist in his cultivation. Each bottle of body-tempering liquid cost more than a thousand yuan, which would cost fifty thousand yuan a year, equivalent to half a year's income for an average family in the resource city.

Apart from Lu Qiu, Wang Hao was the only one in the class who used the fewest and cheapest resources for cultivation.

Not to mention Xu Wen and her classmates who are even wealthier.

Lu Qiu has no background whatsoever; he can only rely on himself.

"How can we not be on the same path?" Wang Hao asked anxiously. They were classmates for three years in high school, three years in junior high school, and even went to elementary school together.

Lu Qiu always had this cold and aloof personality; anyone else would have turned against him long ago.

"Even if you can't reach Xu Wen's level, you can definitely pass the martial arts exam. As long as your academic scores are above the undergraduate admission line, you can choose any martial arts university you want."

Not to mention that martial arts universities have expanded their enrollment this year; once you get into a martial arts university, becoming a martial artist is a sure thing. Aren't Xu Wen's parents minor leaders? Last time a martial arts university student came back to visit relatives, the leader of City University No. 032 personally drove them there!

Lu Qiu stopped and said calmly, "Even if you're the top student in City 032, you wouldn't even rank highly in a frontline city. What's the use of barely getting into a third-rate martial arts university?"

"In terms of basic body tempering, combat skills, and cultivation resources, we're lacking in every aspect. How can we compare to the true geniuses in high-ranking cities?"

After speaking, Lu Qiu glanced back at the corridor of the teaching building. The girl was still standing in the empty corridor, silently watching the two of them.

"The martial arts classroom is closed today, what can you do?" Wang Hao shouted at his back.

"Go back and cultivate."

Wang Hao stood there, staring blankly as Lu Qiu disappeared at the school gate, until his phone vibrated in his pocket, bringing him back to his senses.

He opened his phone and saw a text message from Xu Wen.

Xu Wen: Isn't he going?

......

Lu Qiu boarded the bus, got off at a familiar place, entered the familiar residential area, and opened the familiar door.

"Mom and Dad, I'm home."

"You're back? Wash your hands and eat."

Lu's mother put down the magazine in her hand and began to serve the rice.

Lu's father had just come out of the bathroom; his hair was wet, and he looked like he had just taken a shower.

"Dad, you took another cold shower," Lu Qiu said, putting down his schoolbag.

"On such a hot day, a cold shower will cool you down," said Dad Lu with a smile.

Since the establishment of the People's Federation, various resources have been prioritized for supplying the front-line military industry, while the allocation of various mobile phones, computers, chemical products, and other resources to cities has become increasingly limited.

For an ordinary working-class family, the mobile phone they use is like a brick; it can only make calls and send text messages.

Not only industrial products, but even hydropower has become precious.

My parents often make sacrifices in their daily lives to save a little water and electricity.

Lu's mother placed the bowl and chopsticks on the table, looked at her son's expressionless face, and sighed softly: "Lu, it's not that I'm saying you're bad, it's just... you're too independent. When you go out into society, you'll need to interact with more people."

"A martial artist must be free of distractions. Those messy things like eating, drinking, and petty squabbles will only slow down my son's swordplay." Mr. Lu chuckled as he opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of beer.

"Drink less, you have to work overtime later. Lu Qiu, your dad and I have been busy with work lately, and the college entrance exam is coming up soon, so please take care of yourself."

Lu Qiu hummed in agreement and nodded.

My parents didn't work long hours in previous years, but this year, it's only the middle of the year and they've already been working overtime for several weeks. The agricultural department employees have a high workload, and I don't know if their bodies can handle it.

If I don't attend the martial arts class, I'll be assigned to a department in the resource city after graduating from high school, living the same life as my parents.

Nothing will change.

You still need to practice martial arts. Simply getting into a martial arts university isn't enough. Even among martial arts universities, there are differences between them.

In third-rate martial arts universities, most students become martial artists in their senior year, and many even become martial artists several years after graduation.

In the cities behind the border, the basic salary of parents and family members can increase by half.

Most students from second-rate martial arts universities become martial artists in their junior year or before graduation, and their parents and family members can be promoted from ordinary employees to department supervisors, no longer needing to work night shifts.

And top-tier martial arts universities—

Most students become martial artists in their second year, and during their third-year internships, they enter restricted areas or fight on the front lines. Each one is a valuable talent for the Human Alliance.

The agricultural department would directly assign my parents a minor leadership position. They only needed to clock in at the office every day, and they wouldn't have to do any work or work overtime.

They will also be allocated a large 140-square-meter apartment, which, although it cannot be bought or sold, is enough for them to live comfortably.

As for the top martial arts universities, Lu Qiu basically doesn't have any expectations, since their students are already martial artists before entering the martial arts universities!

Even though Lu Qiu himself has a boundary gate, he started too late, and his snowball effect is too slow to compare with those geniuses who have been immersed in body tempering fluid since childhood and have top-notch talent.

If I become a martial artist, my parents won't have to work in the agricultural department, they won't have to work overtime so often, and they won't have to suffer from a host of old-age ailments.

No need for the whole family to squeeze into a 50-square-meter allocated apartment, and no need to worry about overusing electricity one day.

His current skill level is only at the threshold of a third-rate martial arts university from last year.

After finishing his meal, Lu Qiu returned to his room and pretended to study until his parents left the neighborhood. Then, Lu Qiu pulled out two sharpened hollow steel pipes from under his bed.

Weapons are hard to find, especially in resource cities and other remote areas. You have to register to buy a fruit knife, and you need to show your martial arts certificate to buy swords and knives.

Not to mention crossbows, which, in the hands of a martial artist, can wipe out a whole group of enemies with a single shot.

Lu Qiu originally wanted to go to the construction site to find a couple of rebars, but during the on-site inspection, the two old cameras were practically sticking out of the material pile, so he had to settle for using steel pipes instead.