The High Martial Era

"Now, let's talk about something more practical." Mr. Hughes looked at Parker. "Even though you haven't awakened your Martial Essence yet, your physical attributes and Martial Arts Skills are quite solid. Considering your family situation…I will submit a request to the school to grant you a Third-Class Scholarship."

"A Third-Class Scholarship?" Parker's eyes lit up.

Martial cultivation consumed a massive amount of resources.

That was why, starting from their first year of high school, students with exceptional Martial Cultivation scores could receive various scholarships and subsidies from the state.

As a key provincial school, Northridge First High received significantly more state funding than ordinary schools.

For every major standardized test, students ranking in the top 100 in Martial Cultivation received additional rewards:

Top 50: 2,000 Blue Earth Credits

Top 30: 5,000 Blue Earth Credits

Top 20: In addition to the Top 30 rewards, two extra portions of Basic Vitality Elixir

Top 10: On top of the Top 20 rewards, an exclusive Martial Training Room

Those were exam-based rewards.

Scholarships, on the other hand, were even rarer. They required a combination of outstanding grades, financial need, and a teacher's recommendation.

Very few students ever qualified for them.

"You've made good progress, but ultimately, your Martial Cultivation rank is only in the top 30 of your grade," Mr. Hughes said. "If you were aiming for a Second-Class Scholarship or higher, the requirements would be much stricter."

"But there's still hope for a Third-Class Scholarship. Of course, even if it gets approved, the amount isn't much—just 20,000 credits. Don't think it's too little."

"Thank you, Teacher." Parker felt immense gratitude.

Twenty thousand credits? That was nearly two months of his aunt's salary.

The total amount of scholarship money he had received since entering high school didn't even add up to 20,000.

"Do I need to do anything for this?" Parker asked.

"No, just focus on training and getting good scores." Mr. Hughes waved his hand. "Go eat. Once the application is approved, I'll let you know."

"Yes." Parker nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Watching Parker leave, Mr. Hughes chuckled and shook his head.

"Does this kid think I expect something in return?"

Suddenly, his brows furrowed.

The man, as sturdy as a tower, revealed a brief expression of pain.

"Time for another dose?" Mr. Hughes gritted his teeth and headed toward the therapy room.

—

Stepping out of the office building—

"Yes!" Parker clenched his fists, his heart surging with uncontrollable excitement.

Before entering the office, he had guessed there would be good news.

But he hadn't expected it to be this good.

"Mr. Hughes never mentioned this before because my grades were decent, but he thought they weren't outstanding enough?" Parker mused to himself. "Did my performance today finally make the cut?"

Parker had read many books.

In some stories, experienced mentors often chose to nurture their juniors—

But only if the juniors were worth nurturing.

"If I don't work hard enough, if I'm not exceptional enough, then even when opportunities come, I'll miss them," Parker silently reminded himself.

"Should I send a message to the family group chat?" The thought surfaced in his mind but was immediately suppressed.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept past, bringing clarity to his mind.

"No rush."

"Mr. Hughes is a top-tier teacher, but he's not part of the school administration. Even if it gets approved, it'll take time." Parker contemplated. "And if it doesn't go through, it'd just be a false celebration."

"Better to wait until the scholarship is actually granted before telling Uncle and Aunt."

"Yeah, and I shouldn't mention this to my classmates either." Parker had already thought things through. "Mr. Hughes called me in alone and sent Knox away first—he clearly didn't want others to know."

"If the school wants to announce it, they'll do so later."

His past experiences, along with the books he had read, made Parker understand one principle well—secrecy leads to success, while loose lips bring failure.

Things that hadn't been set in stone shouldn't be spread around.

"Let's eat first." Parker steadied his emotions and headed toward the cafeteria.

…

Northridge First High had over six thousand students, so its cafeteria was massive.

The moment Parker stepped through the entrance—

"Parker, over here!" Logan was already waving from afar, sitting with Knox, Gavin, and over ten other boys, occupying two large tables while eating.

Seeing this, Parker grinned and walked over.

The boys in their class liked eating together in groups.

"Parker, here are your two nutrition meals." Logan spoke while eating, pushing two specially prepared meal trays in front of him.

"Whose card was used? Gavin's?" Parker asked with a chuckle as he sat down and started eating.

"I already told you, I'll cover it," Gavin replied with a smile.

"I've only brought you breakfast a few times—just some hot dry noodles, eggs, and soy milk. Altogether, it's not even fifty bucks," Parker shook his head. "But these two nutrition meals alone cost one-fifty."

Among the group, the price of their meals varied significantly.

Most went for the standard two-meat-two-vegetable or three-meat-two-vegetable combos, each meal costing less than twenty.

That's what Logan, Gavin, and the others were having.

Since they had cultural studies classes in the evening and wouldn't be doing any intense physical training, their energy consumption was low.

But for Parker, who would undergo high-intensity martial training at night, regular meals weren't enough. Over time, insufficient nutrition would lead to vitality depletion.

He had to eat the specially formulated nutrition meals from the cafeteria—which were significantly more expensive.

One meal cost seventy-five, and Parker needed two.

In fact, Parker's normal daily meals alone cost nearly three hundred per day—at least eight thousand Blue Earth credits per month.

And even that wasn't enough to sustain his training. Occasionally, he needed additional vitality elixirs and supplements, which were even more expensive.

Including physiotherapy, his monthly expenses were astronomical.

Fortunately, as a student, Parker could train in the school's martial training room, which provided free access to cold weapons, sandbags, and gun training facilities.

While the effectiveness wasn't as good as a dedicated Martial Training Room, the school's facilities were free.

If he had to train at a professional martial arts dojo outside, rental fees were charged by the hour—something an average family simply couldn't afford.

Martial cultivation was a bottomless pit that devoured money. That was no exaggeration.

This was why Parker was determined to get into one of the Five Elite Martial Schools.

Because at this rate, his uncle and aunt could no longer afford to support his martial path much longer.

…

Leaving the cafeteria.

"Parker, we're heading to the culture building. See you tomorrow." Logan Pierce and Gavin Ford called out to Jordan Parker.

"Alright." Parker nodded.

In this era, students began their mornings with cultural studies from their first year of high school, while their afternoons were dedicated to martial cultivation.

And at night? That was up to them—each student chose their own path.

Across the entire Solara, there were only twenty-nine Martial Arts Universities.

In contrast, there were over a thousand cultural universities nationwide.

For those aiming for a Martial Arts Universities, cultural subject scores were converted into a weighted total, accounting for 10% of the final score.

For students taking the cultural route, their martial cultivation scores were converted instead, making up 30% of their total.

Although the final decision between the martial or cultural path was made when filling out university applications, most students had already leaned toward one or the other by their first year.