Before leaving in the morning, Chen Chu prepared breakfast for the newt avatar. However, just as they were about to head out, Zhang Xiaolan, who hadn't gone to work that day, stopped them.
At the gate of their old small courtyard, Zhang Xiaolan gently helped Chen Chu straighten his collar, her eyes filled with emotion as she looked at her eldest son, who was already as tall as her.
"Mom, is there anything else?" Chen Hu, standing beside them, seemed a bit puzzled.
Smiling slightly, Zhang Xiaolan replied, "It's nothing. I just want to remind both of you that school has just started, so don't put too much pressure on yourselves."
Chen Hu shrugged nonchalantly and said, "It's just junior high school. I can handle whatever they throw at me."
Zhang Xiaolan smiled wryly, not worried about her second son's abilities. Her concern lay with her eldest son, who had been frail since childhood and didn't seem like the type to practice martial arts. She feared that too much hope would lead to greater disappointment.
Chen Chu calmly reassured her, "Mom, don't worry. I understand."
Zhang Xiaolan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, deciding not to say more.
After bidding farewell to Zhang Xiaolan, the Chen brothers, Chen Chu and Chen Hu, made their way to school.
As they walked, they joined the stream of students in school uniforms heading to their respective schools. Some walked alone, some played with friends, and others rode bicycles.
Federal schools were district-based, so many students wore uniforms identical to Chen Chu and Chen Hu's.
In the classroom, the class monitor, Lin Xue, and the committee member, Yin Rui, arrived early, and many students gathered around them, engaged in lively conversation.
As soon as Chen Chu took his seat, Xia Youhui, sitting in front of him, leaned over and said in a secretive tone, "Ah Chu, I've already figured out why Lin Xue and the others were chosen as class leaders."
Chen Chu, somewhat surprised by the use of "Ah Chu," but still cooperatively curious, asked, "Why?"
"It's rumored that Lin Xue's parents are powerful practitioners. The class teacher probably wants to curry favor with her family," Xia Youhui explained.
"Well, both her parents are practitioners," Chen Chu noted.
Curious, he inquired, "What about the other one?"
Xia Youhui lowered his voice and shared, "Yin Rui is no ordinary student either. His family holds significant influence in the city. He might have sent a red envelope to the head teacher before the school year started to make a favorable impression."
Chen Chu understood that no matter the world, there were always politics involved in leadership positions. He reminded Xia Youhui, "Let's not spread rumors about this. It's not good to talk about teachers behind their backs."
"I know, I only told you. I didn't share it with anyone else," Xia Youhui assured him, blinking as if to say, "You can trust me."
At that moment, a math teacher entered the classroom, and the students fell silent.
The morning classes in this world's high school were not particularly challenging. Chen Chu found himself daydreaming during one class, his thoughts straying to controlling the newt clone at home to ensure it ate.
The morning passed quickly with three classes, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime.
After lunch, they had a short break.
All the first-year high school students assembled behind the school in an orderly fashion. The school comprised several high-rise buildings labeled with letters (A, B, C, D), all surrounding the practice area centered around the main gymnasium.
Chen Chu and his classmates, based on their class assignment, made their way to the practice room on the fifth floor of Building B.
In the 500-square-meter practice room, a stern middle-aged man in his thirties stood atop a raised platform. Behind him loomed a large screen, measuring five meters in height and eight meters in width.
Once all the students were in position, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes. The sharpness of his gaze sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
Hiss!
Many students were taken aback by the intensity of the teacher's gaze. They hadn't expected him to be so imposing just with his eyes.
The middle-aged man introduced himself in a deep voice, "I am Pang Long, your Zhenwu teacher for the first semester."
He pointed to a stack of concrete slabs on the stage and instructed, "Do you see those concrete slabs? Come and lift them."
Without hesitation, Yi Rui, the martial arts committee member, led the way, followed by several boys, including Xia Youhui.
The concrete slabs were massive, each about one meter in length and width, and ten centimeters thick. They likely weighed over 100 kilograms each. Even in pairs, it was a daunting task to lift them.
Despite the challenge, Yi Rui and the others managed to stand the slabs upright on the table, forming a row of concrete walls.
Pang Long, observing from the stage, explained, "What is real martial arts? Real martial arts turn fiction into reality."
"Decades ago, martial arts and cultivation were dismissed as folklore, considered mere performances with no real combat application."
"Even if you trained tirelessly for twenty years, you couldn't stop a bullet."
"But everything changed in the new era. Pioneers discovered that they could turn myths into reality, bringing legends to life."
"This is Zhenwu."
Boom!
With that declaration, a terrifying aura emanated from Pang Long, like a dormant beast suddenly awakening. The overwhelming aura felt real, compressing the air and creating a palpable pressure, forming twisted airwaves and gusts of wind around him, billowing his clothes.
Pang Long's movements were swift, and he appeared in front of the table, about three meters from where he had been standing, as if he had teleported. His clenched fist, charged with immense power, struck the table.
The force was so great that it generated transparent shockwaves ahead of his fist.
Boom!
The six concrete slabs that had been stacked together exploded with a deafening noise, enveloped in dust and smoke. The sheer force was astonishing.
Under this immense power, shards of concrete and dirt were sent flying like bullets, rattling against the wall over ten meters away, leaving behind small craters.
Thankfully, Pang Long's punch was directed downward. Otherwise, those high-speed projectiles could have caused severe harm to the students.
Chen Chu, like everyone else, was in awe. Though he had read about powerful practitioners sinking aircraft carriers and battling colossal creatures on the internet, witnessing such power in person was a whole different experience.
The concrete slabs were nearly a meter thick, and even anti-material sniper rifles might not penetrate them. Yet, Pang Long's punch had obliterated them. This incredible display of strength left Chen Chu eager for the training that lay ahead.
On the platform, Pang Long stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the students below. He was satisfied with the impact his demonstration had made.
Once the dust had settled, Pang Long spoke again, "Next, we begin the first step of cultivation."
"Each of you will meditate
according to the pattern displayed on the screen behind me. Practice for an hour, and after that, we'll have a class on casting techniques."
"By the way, who is the class monitor?"
"I am," Lin Xue stepped forward from the front row.
"You, full of energy, good," Pang Long nodded in approval. "Later, you'll explain to your classmates what foundational cultivation is. Come to me when someone meets the requirements for foundation building."
"As for the martial arts committee member in this class, you are responsible for maintaining order during our training sessions."
"Yes, teacher," Yi Rui responded confidently.
With that, Pang Long turned and left, much like Chen Qi, the head teacher on the first day. He left behind a group of bewildered students, wondering if the demonstration was the end of the day's events.
Had they seen all there was to see? Why were the teachers so busy here?