“Because this fierce beast is hard to catch, the price is a bit high, over a hundred thousand, but that’s just them doubting me... If they want to verify the authenticity with a beast, that’s their business...”

Everything was ready, just waiting for someone to come and challenge the claim.

Chapter 12: The Inch Land Technique

“William Carter.”

At City No. 1 High School, a crisp voice sounded behind him.

William Carter glanced back—it was Lily Martinez, dressed in an orange gauze dress, with a faintly ethereal aura about her.

This was a sign of having achieved minor success in Qi Refining.

Lily Martinez...

She’s cultivated true qi?

“I heard from Henry Cooper about your situation. Even though you didn’t apply to a cultivation academy and instead chose to practice martial arts, you shouldn’t give up on yourself. Compared to now, when you barely attend classes, I’d much rather see the William Carter who, when he first enrolled, declared with great ambition that he would secure a place in a cultivation academy.”

Lily Martinez said.

“Class...”

William Carter knew what Lily Martinez was referring to.

He had attended less than half of his martial arts classes this past month.

On one hand, he had to devote time and energy to cultivating the Great Sun Golden Body. On the other hand...

“It’s not that I don’t want to attend class, but my progress in martial arts has already surpassed my peers. I’ve already mastered the body refining techniques and basic swordsmanship the instructor teaches. Attending class doesn’t mean much to me.”

“I know your body refining grades are excellent, but your swordsmanship is just average.”

Lily Martinez said, kindly advising, “I hope you won’t become discouraged just because you didn’t get into a cultivation academy. The future of martial arts may not be as bright as the path of a sword immortal, but if you achieve something, you can still stand out.”

William Carter was a bit surprised, and also a bit moved.

He hadn’t expected that his deskmate, who was absent for most of the year, still paid attention to his grades.

“I...”

He was about to speak, when he saw a figure in white, looking like a leading man straight out of a TV drama, walk over from the side and say with a smile, “Junior Lily, you’re here? Ms. Clark’s class is about to start. This lesson covers the key points for the entrance exams of the top ten academies, and will also touch on some examples from the nine great immortal sects’ exams. It’s very important—we can’t miss it.”

After speaking, he glanced at William Carter: “He’s not in our class, is he?”

“No, he’s a classmate from my previous class. He hasn’t been attending classes lately, so I was asked to come and talk to him.”

Seeing the young man, Lily Martinez also showed a sweet smile: “I’ve delivered the message. Let’s go.”

“Mm.”

The young man responded, not sparing another glance at William Carter, and left with Lily Martinez, chatting and laughing.

What William Carter wanted to say had to be swallowed back.

That young man was called Sarah King.

Together with Daniel Thompson, Lily Martinez, and Ethan Brooks, he was known as one of the prodigies with one foot already in a cultivation academy.

Among them, Sarah King was the foremost. Over a month ago, when the classes were divided, he had already cultivated true qi. His sights were set not just on cultivation academies, but on the country’s top ten academies, and even the nine great immortal sects.

Teachers and the principal all had high hopes for him. If he could make another breakthrough within half a year, advancing from postnatal to innate...

Then No. 1 High School in Minghua City might see, since its founding, its sixth student admitted to one of the nine great immortal sects.

Cultivating immortality and practicing martial arts are destined to be two different worlds.

“So, young man, you have to make something of yourself. I believe in you.”

William Carter smiled and said.

...

William Carter returned to the Martial Hall, only to find many people gathered together, whispering about something.

“We probably have to go, right? Otherwise, we just can’t keep up.”

“But it’s so expensive—four hundred per big class. If you take twenty extra classes a month, that’s at least eight thousand!”

“If we don’t go, we might not even get into a decent martial arts academy. There’s no hope for a cultivation academy, and now we have to give up on our martial arts dreams too?”

Hearing this, William Carter spotted a familiar classmate and walked over: “Michael Bolton, what’s going on?”

“You don’t attend class anyway, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Michael Bolton glanced at him sideways and replied.

After a moment, his urge to complain made him add, “I used to think James Martinez was something special. He used to say the future is in our own hands, whether we study or not, whether we put in the effort, it’s all up to us. Now I finally understand what he meant. In school, he just goes through the motions and completes his tasks, but secretly he’s running a tutoring class. You really want to achieve something in martial arts? Really want to study hard? Sure, pay up, and I’ll tutor you! No money? If you don’t have money, what’s the point of practicing martial arts!”

William Carter thought back, and no wonder he found James Martinez’s teaching dull and tasteless. Although, according to him, the basics are the foundation of martial arts, but now it seemed...

“Four hundred per class, several thousand in total, tens of thousands a year. If I had that kind of money, I’d have finished my foundation and be preparing for the cultivation academy already. Why would I be in the martial arts class?”

Michael Bolton said.

“Sigh, Michael Bolton, are you going to sign up?”

A student came over and asked in a low voice.

“I... I’ll go home and talk to my parents. What if he makes things hard for us if we don’t...”

Michael Bolton replied hesitantly.

William Carter heard this and didn’t even need to think about it.

Four hundred per class?