Elite Class?
Xu Luo was momentarily stunned but soon realized that the top 50 students in the grade could enter the elite class. Being ranked first now, he naturally had a spot.
Give it up?
He'd have to be crazy to give it up! The school had invested heavily in establishing the elite class, which was definitely different from the regular classes. Otherwise, why would others be so eager to get in?
Although he knew the elite class had many benefits, like free access to some school facilities, Xu Luo wasn't sure about the specific advantages. So, he looked at his homeroom teacher for answers.
"Don't listen to him, you must join the elite class. This is your chance to change your destiny!" Zhang Jianming quickly explained in a low voice. "The homeroom teacher for Class 1 is the principal himself, who possesses mid-level divine power and can provide you with better guidance. Plus, the elite class receives special funding directly from the Ministry of Education, ensuring unique resource supplies that you wouldn't normally have access to, greatly benefiting your development."
"Oh, I see." Xu Luo nodded, finally understanding why families with some means in the regular classes would go to great lengths to improve their skills just to get into Class 1. It was for these Ministry of Education-provided resources.
Behind the Ministry of Education was the entire Human Alliance, whose resources were incomparable to any individual or wealthy consortium.
The elite class was similar to the advanced or experimental classes in his original world, but here it was linked to welfare and benefits. Getting in was harder and depended solely on one's development in the divine realm, not on connections.
This was unfair to students from ordinary backgrounds, but when had society ever been fair?
When humans first joined the interstellar community, the initial decades were spent enduring bullying. Although overt bullying had diminished over the past few centuries, covert oppression had intensified.
Competition in the divine realm was fiercely intense, with wars between deities erupting constantly. Recently, news had broken about the fall of a powerful human deity.
A powerful upper god was not only a high-ranking figure among humans but also a mainstay in any alien civilization.
The bankruptcy, restructuring, and liquidation of one of the three major human groups, the Galaxy Group, resulting in billions of people losing their jobs, was a direct consequence of a commercial invasion by more than a dozen surrounding civilizations.
This was the main cause of the massive unemployment wave currently plaguing human civilization.
To combat alien civilizations, human civilization had always adhered to elite education in the divine realm to cultivate a handful of powerful individuals.
A single upper god was more valuable than dozens of mid-level gods and thousands of lower gods with weaker divine power.
Human civilization lacked neither people nor deities in the divine realm; it only lacked powerful deities to hold their ground.
Without powerful entities, the bullying persisted.
After announcing the exam results, Zhao Yiming hurriedly left, feeling uncomfortable every time he saw Xu Luo, especially as Xu Luo became the center of attention.
With the teachers and senior staff gone, the students began to discuss freely, focusing solely on Xu Luo.
Crushing all the elite class students as an ordinary person brought a sense of pride to those from similar backgrounds.
"What good is being born with a silver spoon and having all kinds of resources? You still got beaten by someone from an ordinary background!"
At that moment, Xu Luo's name became legendary at Sixth Middle School.
"Go to the elite class, study hard, and make us ordinary folks proud!" Zhang Jianming patted Xu Luo's shoulder.
"Okay!" Xu Luo nodded.
Although it had only been a month, he could clearly sense the deepening class divide.
Especially after the fall of the Galaxy Group, the divide had grown more pronounced. Many lost their jobs and even their homes, while the wealthy continued to indulge in luxury. This contradiction was bound to intensify.
The human leadership wanted to change this situation, but it wasn't easy.
The wealthy controlled various aspects, and reforming was no simple task.
Zhang Jianming, the homeroom teacher, had left a good impression on Xu Luo. Despite his ordinary background, he treated all students equally, not favoring those with better grades or neglecting those who struggled.
He had even stood up to the director Zhao Yiming, arguing his points without fear, showing a sense of responsibility.
After the assessment ended, the classes left in an orderly manner. Just as Xu Luo was about to leave, a middle-aged man blocked his way.
"Hello, Xu Luo. I am the principal's secretary. Principal Zhong would like to talk to you."
"The principal wants to see me?"
Seeing the friendly middle-aged man, Xu Luo was momentarily stunned but quickly understood. Given his performance, it wasn't surprising that Zhong Tianyue had noticed him.
During this period, he had observed and heard others talk about Zhong Tianyue.
Zhong was a principal devoted to nurturing outstanding students. Regardless of his motives—be it fame, rewards from the Ministry of Education, or climbing higher—he genuinely put in efforts to make students stronger.
Guided by the principal's secretary, Xu Luo once again entered the principal's office.
After knocking and getting a response, they both entered.
Zhong Tianyue was engrossed in handling some documents.
"Xu Luo, we meet again. Have a seat and wait for me to finish up." He continued working.
Sixth Middle School had six grades. This year's freshman intake was smaller, as top students had been snatched by more prestigious schools, yet there were still over ten thousand students. As the principal, Zhong had many responsibilities.
Xu Luo sat down opposite Zhong Tianyue, quietly waiting.
Despite facing the principal, Xu Luo, having lived two lives and seen much of the world, didn't have the natural reverence an average student might feel towards a teacher or principal.