High School Student with Immortal Race System

An hour later, Fan Jing and the others returned with a beef-less lunch.

Yang Shen and Director Liang ate for a bit without discussing business. Only after they had finished did Yang Shen solemnly broach the topic.

"You mentioned before that all Champion Scholars need to be ’packaged,’ is that right?"

Fan Jing nodded. "You could put it that way. Of course, we prefer to call it ’artistic embellishment.’"

He spoke with ease. "Take Zhou Chi, for example—the Yanjing Martial Arts Champion Scholar who was a big sensation a few years ago. In his autobiography, he claimed to have refused performance-enhancing drugs, relying entirely on his own comprehension and hard work. He also presented himself as the descendant of a fallen Martial Arts Clan, stating that he had dedicated his life to Martial Arts and remained single, which won him a massive female fanbase."

"In reality... he’s from an ordinary family. For the sake of the college entrance exam, he practically drove his parents, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s parents like slaves. Furthermore, he only became the Champion Scholar thanks to his innate resistance to performance enhancers."

This was all insider knowledge.

But he worried Yang Shen might take it as a veiled jab, since, in his view, Yang Shen was surely a "loan warrior" himself. He quickly added,

"Of course, the specific direction for the ’artistic embellishment’ is ultimately for you to decide, Yang. We’re just here to offer suggestions."

Yang Shen didn’t feel offended. After all, he hadn’t taken out any loans.

’Whoever takes out those loans is a clown.’

He just said calmly, "That’s exactly what I wanted to discuss. I hope this ’artistic embellishment’ can help my family make a name for itself."

Fan Jing: "A family? I thought you came from... an ordinary household?"

"Yes and no. I hope to use this opportunity to introduce the concept of ’the Yang Family.’"

In autobiographical books, embellishing the protagonist’s background and journey was a common practice.

Were there risks?

You bet there were. Absolutely.

Anything fabricated is ultimately false. Just like a carefully crafted "persona," it’s bound to collapse over time.

But Yang Shen wasn’t trying to build a persona. He wanted to sketch an outline—the outline of the "Jianghuai Yang Family."

In this world, martial prowess was king. Any family that had produced a few powerful figures could be considered a Martial Arts Clan, and history was filled with tens of thousands of such powerful figures.

The most ancient of these could be traced back over a thousand years, but their descendants weren’t necessarily prominent, and there was no way to verify their lineage. Many were so poor they had holes in their underwear.

At the end of the day, strength was all that mattered.

But by taking this chance to brand the "Jianghuai Yang Family" and introduce the concept now, he could give the world a plausible explanation. The details could be filled in slowly later on.

As long as the "substance" of the Yang Family continued to grow, one day its "name" would live up to the reality.

This was a chance to plant an idea in the public consciousness, and it would also serve as a layer of protection for the future. When he and the other members of the Yang Family grew more and more brilliant, it would give people a reason to think, ’Ah, so that’s why.’

Instead of: ’That poor kid struck it rich overnight. He must have some secret. Let’s go shake him down!’

He was already famous enough. If he really did become the Champion Scholar, he would be even more so.

But a pitifully small amount of that fame would translate into "family prestige." This was a golden opportunity.

After hearing Yang Shen’s request, Fan Jing was surprised but agreed it was no problem.

’Branding, huh? Perfectly normal. This is actually quite low-key.’

He’d once met a Champion Scholar who claimed that heavenly portents appeared at his birth and that he’d emerged from the womb clutching a sword...

’Why not just say you performed your own C-section and crawled out?’

In the end, Yang Shen and Qilin Media signed a "preliminary agreement." The gist of it was that if Yang Shen won the title of Champion Scholar, Qilin Media would have the first right of refusal for his commercial development, under the terms they had agreed upon that day.

It seemed like a huge deal, but in reality, not a single penny had changed hands. At most, he’d gotten a free lunch out of it.

’And it didn’t even have beef!’

Still, it was a step in the right direction. Yang Shen treated it like buying a lottery ticket.

If he won, he’d be set for the high life. If he didn’t... he could still follow his original plan and earn an "ancestral home" for the Yang Family.

Oh... and he’d also swiped a magazine.

After the people from Qilin Media left, Yang Shen curiously opened the Qilin Chronicles. After flipping through it for a while, he had to admit... for something that sold for 800 yuan a copy, it really had some substance.

It was mainly aimed at young Martial Artists between the ages of 18 and 30, so it wasn’t particularly useful for high school students. However, it was filled with scholarly analyses of Martial Arts and interviews with renowned masters, and you could genuinely learn a few things just by reading it.

For example, the article he was currently reading was about "Innate Rebirth" and featured an interview with a young prodigy from "Yan Wu."

From now on, Yang Shen would get a free copy every month, so he could definitely flip through it regularly.

As for the Qilin List, he hadn’t looked at it closely earlier. Now he could study it properly...

As the ranking chart of an expensive, paid magazine, the Qilin List didn’t aim for popularity, but for authority.

Those ranked high weren’t necessarily famous, but they could definitely fight.

Number one on the Qilin List: Bright Moon Sword - Wei Shu, 29 years old. Primary Cultivation Method: Bright Moon Body Refining Technique. Realm: Late-stage Jade Viscera.

’It’s the same as Zhuzi’s Primary Cultivation Method? But there isn’t a long string of version numbers after it. I wonder if they omitted it, or if it’s a different version.’

’Still, a 29-year-old at number one will probably age off the list soon...’

Number two: Earth-Shattering Divine Fist - Deng Ke, 28 years old. Master of "Earth-Shattering Fist Intent." Realm: Late-stage Jade Viscera.

’Looks like they don’t list the Primary Cultivation Method for everyone, just their unique power signatures...’

’Earth-Shattering Fist Intent... That sounds insanely powerful!’

’A powerhouse like that must have mastered Fist Intent Infection. Does that mean he can shatter the earth with a single punch?’

’Every expert on the list has a "title." I wonder if the Qilin Chronicles gave it to them, or if it’s a publicly recognized moniker.’

Unlike celebrities, some of these Martial Artists at the apex of their generation weren’t famous... For instance, Earth-Shattering Divine Fist was in the military, so it was normal that ordinary people had never heard of him.

Yang Shen continued reading down the list, which had a total of 100 names.

The peak seemed to be the late-stage Jade Viscera Realm. Reaching that level before the age of 30 was truly terrifying.

Number 100 was also interesting: Sword Monk - Shi Haiwen, 24 years old. Primary Cultivation Method: Vajra Nine Yang Body Refining Technique. Realm: Early-stage True Gang...

’He’s from the Vajra Sect... And judging by his name, he’s from the same generation as that manager, Shi Haiyue.’

’I wonder if someone like him... could have possibly mastered the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique?’

After that whole fiasco, this miraculous and innovative Cultivation Technique had vanished without a trace.

To outsiders, it seemed the Vajra Sect had halted the project to protect its reputation, worried about being associated with Martial Arts Psychosis.

But Yang Shen felt... there was no way they would just give up on something so valuable, especially with a behemoth like the "Biological Domain" waiting in the wings to gobble it up for itself.

A list of 100 people was too long to read carefully, so Yang Shen just gave it a cursory glance. There was also a Qilin Global Chart, but the information there was much vaguer, listing only nationality and name.

Martial Arts were prevalent on Cyan Blue, but that was just what the Yanhu People called it.

In reality, every country and region had its own names for Martial Artists and Martial Arts, as well as its own realms and cultivation methods.

After closing the magazine, Yang Shen took his leave of Director Liang.

"I’ll be heading back, then. The college entrance exam just ended, and I still have a lot to take care of."

Director Liang nodded.

But just as Yang Shen was about to walk out the door, Director Liang suddenly spoke up.

"Yang."

"Yes?"

Liang Shen pushed his glasses up his nose. "Whether you become the Champion Scholar or not, you’re already an outstanding young man. Keep up the hard work after you leave Nanliang."

Yang Shen looked at Director Liang in surprise. It was a rare sight—a genuine touch of warmth in those eyes that were always so calm and calculating.

Yang Shen smiled. "Don’t worry. I have no intention of slowing down."

Liang Shen said, "If you do end up as the Champion Scholar, remember to come back to your alma mater often to share your experiences with the underclassmen."

Yang Shen replied, "Not a problem. I’ll even give you a five-percent discount."

They both laughed at that.

————————

Yang Shen checked the time as he left.

Three in the afternoon.

Without the immediate pressure of the college entrance exam and no longer bound by school courses and homework, Yang Shen suddenly felt like he had a little too much freedom.

It was said that many recent graduates couldn’t adapt to this sudden change during the summer vacation and ended up completely wasting the months away.

Yang Shen, however, had no such concerns. He had far too many things to do...

Just as he stepped out of the school gates and was about to head home, Yang Shen suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"Shenzi! Over here!"

The tall girl, radiant as a spring day, stood gracefully at the school gate.

Even after graduation, she was still waiting for her boy, just like always.

Xu Bamboo couldn’t suppress the smile on her face no matter how hard she tried.

Yang Shen walked up to her and leaned in to observe her face, making the girl’s heart pound in her chest.

"Nice... Your complexion is much better. You’ve got some color back."

The two hadn’t seen each other for more than ten days...

Ten days might not seem long, but having gone through the college entrance exam, it felt as if they had stepped into a new Chapter of their lives.

Yang Shen smiled. "I thought you wouldn’t be free to come back for another couple of days."

Xu Bamboo put her hands behind her back and said playfully, "As if I could make you wait until tomorrow!"

She hadn’t been able to contain how much she missed him.

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