Xicheng No. 17 High School.It was formerly known as Xicun Middle School, a rural-town high school mainly serving the vast farming communities on the western outskirts of the old city.
Later, during an educational reform in Xicheng, the school was reclassified as an urban institution and renamed Xicheng No. 17 High School. However, the name change brought little substantive improvement.
Creaaak—A military green jeep came to a stop in front of the school's main gate.The group disembarked, one after another.
"What kind of school is this? So rundown!" Su Xiaoxiao took off her sunglasses and glanced around, unable to hold back her comment.
"Did anyone ask you?"Li Ling snapped back. She could criticize her alma mater, but she wouldn't let others do it.
The school gate was rusted and flaking, and large patches of paint had peeled off the outer wall—like scars.The ground was cement, cracked in many places, with weeds stubbornly sprouting through the gaps.
The school wasn't large—just one main teaching building. The rest were single-story tile-roofed structures. Surprisingly, though, they all appeared well-maintained and safe, not like collapsing hazards.
According to Li Ling, there were only three senior-year classes now: two academic classes and one combat class. Enrollment was poor, mostly children left behind by parents who had gone off to work in distant cities.
What surprised Gu Ning, however, was that the student behavior was rather decent. No dyed hair, no flashy accessories, no cigarettes dangling from lips. Most students were walking briskly, some clutching books in their arms.
No one came over to disturb them—at most, a few students turned back to glance curiously as they passed.
The principal was an elderly man with a full head of silver hair but an energetic presence. Li Ling greeted him respectfully. Apparently, he had worked at Xicheng No. 17 for over twenty years—he was already the principal when Li Ling was in high school.
After Li Ling explained their purpose, the principal agreed readily and even joked,"Li Ling, you're the golden phoenix that flew out of this shabby little place. Never thought ten years later, you'd be bringing in another phoenix!"
Li Ling looked around, visibly moved. "Principal, I didn't realize things had gotten this tough here. I haven't been back in years—I haven't helped much either."
"Now, don't say that," the principal replied warmly. "You've done a lot. Without your donation, we wouldn't have been able to renovate the teaching building. Students would still be in dangerous classrooms. I know you've got your own struggles..."
As he spoke, the old principal revealed some of Li Ling's background.
She had grown up in a rural village. Her parents worked in the Jiangnan base city. As a student in the school's combat class, she had been a classic "left-behind" child.Through relentless effort, she got into a military academy, awakened two years later, and eventually rose to hold important positions in both the Datang Group and the Divine Strategy Army. In Jiangnan District, she had earned a respectable name for herself—a true story of turning her life around.
Of course, the cost was becoming a professional soldier, unlike many Awakeners who still enjoyed personal freedom.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at the cracked cement underfoot and said, "Maybe I can submit a request to my organization—donate some money to level the ground and repaint the walls?"
The old principal chuckled. "Donations are welcome, but forget the pavement and the walls. Use it to improve meals for the combat class kids. These rural students are hardworking, just malnourished. If they had access to nutritious mutated beast meat, we might produce another Li Ling or two."
Su Xiaoxiao fell silent. Mutated beast meat wasn't cheap—it came from Awakeners hunting in the wild zones. And improving meals was an ongoing cost, not something a one-time donation could cover.
"At least fix the front entrance…" Li Ling muttered. "If new students see this, their morale will plummet before they even start."
"You might not know this," the principal sighed. "Our school is set to be closed. According to the education bureau's five-year plan, Xicheng No. 17 High is on the list for closure and merger. No point putting up a nice façade for no one."
"What?!" x3
Gu Ning had taken a liking to this principal and asked, "Is it because of low college admission rates?"
"Not really," the principal said. "Our academic class does well—no top eight universities, but quite a few get into solid colleges.The problem is the combat class. Its admission rate keeps falling short of the quota."
Li Ling absorbed the news and couldn't help asking, "If the school is shut down, where will the students go?"
"The plan is to merge with Xicheng No. 9 High," the principal replied.
"Ninth High? That school isn't much better—and it's pretty far," Su Xiaoxiao added.
"Fifteen kilometers," said Li Ling. "If students don't live on campus, commuting back and forth takes about two hours by bike. That's why I didn't pick No. 9 High myself back then."
As they talked, the group arrived at the principal's office.
Gu Ning was surprised again—it was a makeshift structure made of sheet metal. These were usually used for bike sheds. Freezing in winter, scorching in summer—definitely not a comfortable workplace.
The principal took the school registration file Li Ling had brought and personally completed Gu Ning's enrollment. He even skipped the academic test.
His reasoning: "Academic tests are for standard-track students. Gu Ning will be taking the Awakener version of the exam—his status as an Awakener is all the qualification he needs."
He assigned Gu Ning to Class 3 of Senior Year— the school's only combat class.
The homeroom teacher, Ren Zhenghua, was initially surprised but quickly thrilled upon learning of Gu Ning's Awakener status. He immediately gave Gu Ning a desk beside the class's top student, hoping they could learn from each other.
Gu Ning politely declined. He wouldn't be spending much time in school over the next two months—no need to occupy a prime seat. A desk in the back row would do just fine.
Mr. Ren even gifted Gu Ning his personal set of high school textbooks, covered in notes and highlights from years of teaching. After two decades in the field, he knew the key points by heart and didn't need the books anymore.
Once the enrollment was completed and Gu Ning officially qualified for the college entrance exam, the group got back into the military jeep and left.
Looking back at the weathered wall of Xicheng No. 17, Gu Ning felt a deep respect for the place.Despite its rundown appearance and weak student base, there was an undeniable spirit of ambition and purpose in the air.
From the principal to the students, everyone seemed to know exactly what they were here to do and what their responsibilities were.
"It's a shame… a school like this being shut down," Gu Ning said softly.
"Not much you can do," Su Xiaoxiao replied. "It's all about Awakeners now. If the combat class doesn't meet performance quotas, the school's considered unqualified by the education authorities."
Combat-track students who got into college didn't always become Awakeners, but with their strength and stamina, they were still more employable than untrained civilians.
So the education system cared more about the combat class admission rates than the academic ones.
Li Ling joked, "Hey, if you end up beating tens of thousands of candidates and become this year's top scorer, maybe the school won't be shut down."
Gu Ning just smiled modestly, saying nothing.He sat in the back seat, flipping through the textbooks Mr. Ren had given him.
"You're flipping way too fast!" Su Xiaoxiao couldn't help leaning over to comment.
Gu Ning smiled, "I've studied most of these on my own before. I'm just reviewing to see how much I still remember."
"For the Awakener track, the academic portion isn't too hard," Li Ling said. "The real difference comes from the mock combat and spirit realm exploration sections. Those are the true tests of power."
Gu Ning soon finished one entire textbook. After closing it, he asked,"I get it. Can you tell me… what kind of level was last year's top scorer at?"
"I know!" Su Xiaoxiao answered. "Last year's national champion was Wan Zhen—his class was Hero, profession: Wings of the Sky!"