Jim's Past

Jim's expression wasn't as relaxed as usual.

"The situation at J City High School this year is extremely serious. It's said that some people have awakened even before Awakening Day."

As soon as this news was revealed, the students in the entire classroom grew noisy. Most of them had planned to awaken on Awakening Day since official equipment and assistance would be provided then. However, a few exceptional individuals could awaken on their own before that, which was a sign of true genius.

J City First High School was touted as the number one high school in the city. Yet, up to now, there hadn't been any Awakened students in this year's class. Of course, some people couldn't awaken on Awakening Day and gradually awakened afterward by accumulating original force. However, in most cases, this exceeded the optimal age for Awakening, and potential was constrained.

This was a rule that had been summed up over many years. However, those who could awaken on their own before Awakening Day were a rare occurrence in the history of J City First High School.

"The school is also under a lot of pressure. Therefore, they're offering a very substantial reward. Any student who awakens on their own before Awakening Day will receive a cash prize of one million US dollars!"

One million US dollars! Many students were starting to get excited. The parents of most of them were ordinary working-class individuals with monthly incomes around a few thousand dollars. One million dollars was almost an astronomical figure for them.

With this sum of money, they could consider moving to safer cities or purchasing resources for cultivation. This amount was of significant importance to them. The gazes of many students became both envious and anxious.

"I'm afraid I don't have any hope. Charles, Louisa, you two should go for it. Whoever wins can treat the whole class to a meal."Arnold complained, expressing what many people were thinking.

Louisa absentmindedly twirled her pen, seemingly unconcerned. Beside her, Charles still sat upright, emitting an aura that was difficult to approach. However, from the rise and fall of his chest, it was evident that his breathing had become hurried.

"One million US dollars." Duke also felt a pang of envy, but he didn't dwell on it. His last test had yielded an original force value of just over 70, and Awakening seemed out of his reach. At the moment, he was only hoping that this test would increase his original force value somewhat and allow him to gain admission to a decent academy.

"Alright, we've received the notice. It's our class's turn for testing."

The hallway was bustling with noise. As graduation approached, the students were growing anxious. On the field, various classes were assembling, preparing for the original force value test.

At this point, a large crowd had gathered. Each class had a testing teacher. Jim led the students to their testing positions. These positions were simply marked out on the field in a grid pattern.

"Congratulations, Teacher Dennis! Your class has three geniuses!"

Laughter resounded, and a middle-aged man from Class 3-3, who looked a bit slick, nodded and bowed to a dark-skinned director of instruction with a show of respect. 

"Oh, come on, I'm just joking. It's all thanks to your leadership, Director." 

Although he said this, the middle-aged man's face couldn't conceal his overflowing sense of pride.

There were a total of twelve classes in the grade. On average, having two students with original force values above 90 in a class was already considered quite good. However, up to now, only two classes had three or more students who had reached this level. This middle-aged man's class happened to be one of those.

"Hmph, these people are truly hypocritical sycophants." Jim led his students to the side, grumbling discontentedly to himself.

Dennis, the teacher, seemed to sense this. He turned his head to look at Jim, a disdainful smile tugging at his lips. He didn't greet Jim and instead walked to the side to chat with the other homeroom teachers.

"Jim and Dennis's conflict is still ongoing, huh." Duke stood among his classmates, quietly listening to their discussions.

"It's not looking good at all. Initially, Jim should have received the title of an Advanced Teacher at the city level. He was the most deserving in terms of qualifications and achievements. But you all know Jim's personality..."

"Too inflexible!"

"Indeed, even though he was qualified for it, usually he need to give gifts to the leaders. But Jim refused to do that. He felt entitled to what he deserved, and giving gifts would make him look like he's begging."

"And then what happened?"

"Then someone else took his place. Dennis gave gifts; I heard it was quite a bit. As a result, Jim didn't receive the recognition."

Arnold said this triumphantly. As the class's notorious gossip spreader, students often heard various tidbits from him.

"Didn't get the recognition and even complained to the city. He really crossed the line. After that, he didn't have much opportunity for recognition anymore."

Arnold's voice carried a hint of helplessness.Hearing this, many students who were previously unaware felt indignant.

Jim stood at the front with thinning hair, wearing a slightly outdated shirt that was being blown into his eyes by the wind. On the other side, Dennis and some other teachers were engrossed in their conversation. This scene evoked sympathy from the students.

Jim seemed to notice that someone was talking about him. He turned around to admonish, "Alright, stop chattering and line up properly for the test. Arnold, if you speak again, I'll have you copy an essay. I still want you to memorize a textbook before graduation. Be careful, I might just inform your parents."

"Teacher, it wasn't me, it was Kenny who said that!" Arnold feigned innocence, which only garnered disdain from others.

Duke silently watched Jim. He hadn't heard about these things before. Hearing this, he felt a bit sorry for Jim. After all, Jim was a good person; he had secretly covered Duke's tuition fees. Besides, Duke also understood that Jim wasn't well-off.

"Class 3-2, stop making a ruckus. Get ready and come over for the test."

In this scene, hundreds of students had gathered on the field. Each class had about fifty to sixty students. Occasional shouts of surprise could be heard from nearby classes, indicating that some people's test results had exceeded expectations.

The testing equipment was quite simple – just a square box. Participants would extend their arms into the box, and after about ten seconds of probing, the test results would be revealed.

Numerous classes were simultaneously undergoing testing. Whenever someone's original force value reached above 90, they were called over individually to register.

"Tsk tsk, I'm really envious. Look at that group of people over there." Arnold pointed to a dozen students standing not far away and said to Duke. Their demeanor was distinctly different from the other students; they exuded confidence and an air of vitality.

"These are the candidates for the special training class. Our class's Louisa and Charles will definitely get in too. Being personally taught by Awakened individuals – that's an opportunity many people dream of."

Arnold said with emotion, continuously chattering. Louisa gave him a glare.

"You're really pathetic. So what if it's the special training class? Most people can't awakening. You should muster up some courage. Who knows, you might make remarkable progress after graduation. Such examples aren't that rare." Louisa tried to encourage Arnold, but he still sighed.

Although the Awakening ritual required sufficient original force, instances of sudden awakenings later on weren't nonexistent – they were just extremely rare.

"Angus, your original force value was 69 last time, and it's 72 this time. Next."

The students looked serious; the testing for their class had officially begun.