Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 22: The List

After making a phone call, Chen Chuan headed straight home. As soon as he entered the front yard, he heard the noisy voices of his younger cousins. Upon entering the living room, a small rubber ball came bouncing towards him. With just a flick of his foot, he juggled the ball a couple of times before stopping it dead on his foot, not even swaying a bit.

"Wow!" exclaimed his younger cousin, Nian Lu, clapping her hands vigorously.

His cousin, Nian Mo, also raised his hands high, "Yay, do it again! Do it again!"

Chen Chuan gently kicked the ball towards the two kids.

Yu Wan was sitting on a chair knitting a sweater. Knowing that Chen Chuan would be leaving for Wuyi University[-] the next day, she had been waiting for him since early that day. She smiled and said, "Chan'er, you're back?"

Chen Chuan nodded, "Yes, Auntie. I have to register tomorrow, so I came back early today."

Yu Wan stood up and noticed the dust on the coat he was carrying, "You kid, rolling in the dust? Give it to me, I'll clean it up. It's a nice piece of clothing, don't ruin it."

She took the coat, muttered a few words, and went out to beat the dust off it.

Chen Chuan felt a breeze behind him, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, and tilted his head to dodge a ball thrown at him.

"Wow! Brother is so cool!"

"Throw it back, throw it back!"

Chen Chuan tossed the ball back and casually played with the kids for a while. Yu Wan returned, handed him the cleaned coat, and said, "Take it."

Chen Chuan took the coat and headed to his room, with Yu Wan following him. He knew she had something to say. When they reached the door of his room, Yu Wan asked with concern, "Chan'er, do you have enough money?"

Chen Chuan replied, "Auntie, you gave me a lot last time, I still have some left."

Yu Wan said, "If it's not enough, ask me for more. You shouldn't skimp on your studies."

Chen Chuan hummed in agreement.

Yu Wan continued, "Your uncle wants you to move out in two months. Now that you have a place, I think you shouldn't rush to move your things. Wait until you're settled in the school dormitory. If you don't want to stay there after the semester starts, you can come back. There's always a place for you at home, and we won't let you go hungry, right?"Chen Chuan said, "Auntie, is it Uncle's idea?"

Yu Wan said, "What, can't I make the decision? It's more important for you to learn well at school than anything else."

Chen Chuan was not pretentious about it, as he could move anytime, so he said, "Alright, Auntie, let's leave it at that for now."

Seeing that he took her words to heart, Yu Wan was very happy. Since her second sister and brother-in-law passed away, she had treated Chen Chuan as her own son. She was also a bit reluctant to see him move out.

After Yu Wan left, Chen Chuan returned to his room. He closed the door, hung his clothes on the hook, walked to the desk, opened the drawer, and took out the remaining money to count it.

Originally, Yu Wan had given him a total of six hundred Jianzhi coins. He had spent one hundred on registration, and due to the expenses on food, training, equipment damage at The House of Fists, and some other costs, he had spent a little over three hundred in two months, averaging one hundred and fifty per month.

From next month until the re-examination, it was clear that he would still need Yu Gang's guidance. Even without overestimating, it should cost about the same.

Once Wuyi University[-] officially started, food and accommodation would be free for internal students. If he could pass the re-examination, most of the tuition fees would also be waived. But it was obvious that it wouldn't mean no expenses at all, and possibly even more, so he needed to strive for a school scholarship as much as possible.

At the same time, inside Wuyi University[-].

Bian Feng, the lecturer who admitted Chen Chuan, and Yue Hong, another teacher mainly responsible for admissions, were walking together in the corridor of the school building.

Yue Hong patted the list in his hand and said, "In the ten years of expansion, the number of students applying each year has been increasing. This year, even more students have been admitted, with Yangzhi City and the surrounding six counties reaching an unprecedented two thousand people. It seems that the higher-ups have increased their efforts."

Bian Feng said in a deep voice, "Is that a lot? Yangzhi City has a population of over six million, and including the surrounding towns and counties, even without counting the mountainous areas, there are over ten million people. Yet, only so few people enroll each year, and this is the result of ten years of expansion."

Yue Hong smiled and said, "Be content. In our time, who wasn't taught by teachers hand in hand before enrollment? Who didn't start practicing from a young age? Many students now have the opportunity to enroll after training at a boxing gym for one or two years, or even just half a year. The opportunities are countless times more than we had back then."Bian Feng shook his head and said, "These students may have enrolled, but only about one-tenth of them will pass the re-examination."

Yue Hong nodded in agreement. Although both are considered students of Wuda[-], there is a world of difference between those who pass the re-examination and those who don't. The former are the talents the academy truly invests in cultivating, while the latter are merely additions.

In the ten years of expansion, the real changes within Wuda[-] haven't been significant. The overall number of elite students hasn't fluctuated much each year, for a simple reason: resources are always limited and can only be allocated to those deemed worthy of cultivation.

In fact, a larger reason is that most resources are taken by students from influential families, with only a small portion left for students from ordinary backgrounds. Although the upper echelons of the academy have become aware of this issue in recent years and have been trying to adjust, the results have been limited.

He couldn't help but lament, "How could anyone willingly spit out the meat they've already eaten?"

As the two were talking, they arrived outside the office of the academy's admissions director. Just as they approached, they heard a robust voice from inside:

"I say, is there really a need for the scholarships the academy has set up? Every year, those who receive scholarships are the ones pushed by students from influential families, and after graduation, they all go to serve the powerful. The opportunities intended for ordinary students have been encroached upon, so what's the point of the expansion?

After all this, the strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker, even worse than ten years ago. I think we can completely cut them off, or at least reduce them!"

Bian Feng and Yue Hong both have sharp ears. Even through a wall, in the quiet corridor, they could clearly hear the voice from the other end of the phone:

"We still need to give some hope. Ordinary students can't compete with those from influential families, but there will always be top students who emerge. Even if only one or two come out, it's good. Our approach is effective, and if the scholarships are canceled, there will be no hope at all."

"You're the school director, you have the final say in this matter. But if this year is the same as before, next time you'll have to find someone else to handle this."

With a click, the phone was put down, and then the voice said, "What are you two waiting for outside? To laugh at me? Come in."

Bian Feng and Yue Hong quickly pushed the door open and walked in. Sitting in the office was a middle-aged man in his fifties with thick hair. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a burly build, a serious face, and was wearing a deep black imported suit with cuffs and collars buttoned meticulously, looking like a very meticulous person.He sat there, occupying almost half of the room. The two feet behind the desk were like pillars on the ground, almost making the chair he was sitting on invisible. Both Bian Feng and Yue Hong slightly bowed and said, "Master Gao."

Master Gao asked, "Is the list of students responsible for the assessment ready?"

Yue Hong replied, "It's ready, and I've brought it with me." As he spoke, he handed over the list, "Please take a look, Master Gao."

Master Gao waved his hand, "Don't show it to me. Take it to the school council. At least half will be deleted. The committee will definitely add their preferred students."

Bian Feng raised his head and said, "Then at least half will remain."

"Is it useful?"

Master Gao shook his head, "There are so many people this year, it's because the higher-ups are exerting pressure. But the greater the pressure, the greater the rebound. There are already a lot of troubles, and now this comes up, what's the point of all this hassle... Forget it," he seemed to change his mind halfway through, grabbed the list from Yue Hong's hand, frowned, and said, "Let's take a look. We should at least do our part, even if it's not very useful."

......

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

......