Introductory Meeting
Two days later, all the fresh faced, chubby cheeked, pre-enrolled cadets were lined up in Lingxiu Academy's great hall.
They were a couple of well known seniors in attendance and the kids were all quivering from excitement although they tried their hardest not to show it.
The principal slowly walked up to the podium and everyone held their breaths. His aura was too strong! What a master!
It was no secret that Lingxiu Academy's principal was an ex general with three stars and a Spirit master at the Obsidian phase. It was also rumoured that he had a foot in the pseudo Crystallized god level zone but no one knew how true that was.
They all looked up to him as the next Xie Zhang Wei even though he was much older.
Wen Yu sighed in admiration. He was a true Spirit master and a Mecha overlord, what domineering presence!
The principal, who was in his early hundreds but looked forty five, calmly stood in the centre of the podium and stared down on every young seedling in the hall.
He cleared his throat and the walls reverberated from the sheer power that wafted off of him naturally. With a light breath, he used his spirit energy to project his voice.
"Good day all aspiring cadets. The very fact that you are all lined up in this hall, whether you came in through the preliminaries or by invitation, goes to prove that you have been found to have the potential to become a cadet of this great academy. So henceforth, your every action is representative of this academy."
"You are no longer in your homes, where you could be pampered without end. This is not a breeding ground for whiny babies. So you must all ensure you work hard if you want to make the cut."
"You must have also noticed that although various tests were carried out, the spiritual potential test wasn't, which is a way to ensure that from this moment onward and for the one year of training and continuous assessment, each and every one of you are equal and would be treated with equal level of acknowledgement."
"BAH! What equal level of acknowledgement?"
Someone whispered in spite and Wen Yu looked over. Immediately their eyes met, Qi San humphed and looked the other way.
Wen Yu frowned. What was he giving him attitude for? But he was right, the equality talk was just bullsh**t. Just look at the living conditions of the kids who came in through the preliminaries.
Another fact was that even though no one took the SP test yet, the potentials of certain kids from influential families were already well known and people would naturally treat them better.
It was like using band aid on a bone deep wound. It was useless and could barely cover anything!
The principal went on and on with his speech and after firing up the blood of the kids with his talk of success and greatness, he calmly walked off the podium amidst a thunderous applause.
The next person to go on stage was a senior in his final year, the current valedictorian of his set and one of the more famous participants in the ongoing Future Cadets Competition.
The kids were super excited and their screams filled the air. Even though the principal was more powerful, the kids felt a closer connection to this powerful senior and it was easier to set him as a goal.
The handsome valedictorian waved and smiled charmingly at all of them. He was currently in a competition but had set out time to give them a speech which only made the kids admire him even more.
He went on to explain the rules of the examination they would surely encounter a year from now.
Wen Yu listened closely, this was the part he was most interested in. Basically, the pre-enrollment process was divided into three quarters with an assessment carried out every four months.
The aspirants were taught the basics and assigned to seniors who would aid them on their assimilation process. If after one year, the kids failed to achieve the Green phase, they were kicked out.
'....' Wen Yu was stunned. Green phase? He had C rank potential! He could never go past the Yellow phase in this lifetime! He swallowed and looked around.
The other kids didn't seem to be disturbed by this news. They must have really good potential.
Surely they wouldn't go that hard on him right? He wasn't even studying to become a Mecha operator, he was here for Mecha engineering!
The valedictorian's next words burst his bubble.
"I know some of you who are here to study to become logisticians might think achieving a high phase is unnecessary. I assure you it isn't. You're all here because your goal is the army. During a mishap, protective gear might not always be available and what would you do then?"
The kids hummed in realization, while Wen Yu deflated completely. His throat felt clogged, he was having difficulty breathing. He popped a pill in his mouth.
Why was life so unfair? He really must have used up all his luck in order to reincarnate into a wealthy family in his last life because what was this?
He looked around as the kids all clenched their fists in anticipation. His eyes finally met Wen Lin's across the hall.
She pouted her lips in worry and stared at him sadly. He managed to offer her a wry smile but his lips couldn't hold on for long, They fell.
There must be a way... right? For the combination of both of his lives, he had never been interested in anything as he was in Mechas. What was he supposed to do with his life in this world?
Become a hedonistic young master as he was in his former world and die a pitiful death? He didn't want that anymore.
The heavens gave him a second chance, whether by mistake or not, and he didn't want to f**k this life up too.
Wen Fei Fei's face flashed across his mind. He remembered her look of determination as she carried him to escape from the Xie family when he was a baby.
He didn't want to end up as cannon fodder because he was a weakling. Although the technological advancements in this era was eons ahead of his former world, conditions here were much harsher.
At least in his former world, if you had money, even if you were weak, people would still fawn over you. It didn't matter whether they were sincere or not.
But in this world, money was basically a mere necessity. The poverty rate was almost nonexistent as anyone and everyone could easily earn enough to live comfortable lives.
What differentiated the weak from the strong, the high class from the lower class, the commoners from the elites was:
Power. Strength. Heroic exploits.
If he remained weak, what would he do when his father's enemies find out he was still alive? When the Xie family realizes they buried a fake?
He was basically a sitting duck waiting for death because sooner or later, they would all find out. Nothing could be hidden forever.
He mindlessly followed after the other kids when the introductory meeting ended as they all went to the task hall to meet the seniors assigned to them.