Chapter 40: A Storm Was Stirring On The Forum

So this kid was the user Your Grandpa all along?!

The two bigwigs of Red Flag High School looked at each other, feeling as if they were dreaming.

"I thought I was already overestimating him, but I never expected..." Grandpa Qin murmured like he was stuck in a dream.

Chen Fei jumped three feet into the air in excitement. "Haha, I told you, didn't I?! I told you this kid was something special! Hahahaha, I've really struck gold this time!"

Both of them felt like they had found a lottery ticket in a trash heap and accidentally won a billion dollars. It was unreal.

"We're going to make it big this year," Grandpa Qin began to dream aloud. "If we're lucky, we can compete for the city league championship in solo combat mode. The Education Department's reward would be a godsend for our high school."

The amount of funding, resources, and influence a school could receive from the Education Department was determined by the students' achievements in various competitions. But the most prestigious achievements were undoubtedly in the War God League.

Chen Fei pumped his fist as he tried to contain his excitement. "This kid is a rough gem, but it might be a little premature to say he can compete for the solo combat mode championship. After all, the ranking for the War God League has only been open for three hours, and the geniuses from various prestigious schools have yet to truly exert their strength... We need to stay calm."

"Calm my foot!" Grandpa Qin gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Old Chen, we should go all out this time."

Chen Fei was taken aback for a moment. Then his eyes also burned with intense fire.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

Grandpa Qin nodded solemnly. "We can't delay any longer."

Chen Fei asked, "So... we really go all out?"

"We have no choice. You've been running around for years, enduring scorn and humiliation, bowing and scraping just to secure some resources. You've almost exhausted all the goodwill from the past," Grandpa Qin replied. "We've endured so much for so long that many people have forgotten what a formidable person you were back then, Chen Fei... Even still, the resources we could secure are still limited."

He added, "Besides, Yan Chiyu will be going to university next year. Bai Longfei, Ren Dong, Fang Buyi, Zhuge Long, and Bai Qiqi who just enrolled half a year ago, are the most talented students we've managed to recruit. If we add Li Xiaofei to the mix... Old Chen, this might be our last chance."

The more Grandpa Qin spoke, the more excited he became.

Chen Fei remained silent for a while, and then murmured, "Yes, our last chance. If we don't go all out now, we'll grow old, and no one will remember the old days... Let's do it then. Let's put all our resources into this High School War God League and bet everything on it."

***

Li Xiaofei went home. He sought out his aunt for a massage, ate dinner, and cultivated. He also checked in on the daily activities of the Cloudy Sky Gang.

The next day, he went back to school. As soon as he reached the school gate, he was stopped by Grandpa Qin, who was on duty as the gatekeeper.

"Here," Grandpa Qin said, shoving a special green metal card into Li Xiaofei's hand. It was a special hunting pass for leaving the city.

"So soon?" Li Xiaofei was surprised. "Is this fake?"

Insulted, Grandpa Qin snapped angrily at him, "If you don't want it, give it back."

"Hehe, just kidding, just kidding." Li Xiaofei carefully tucked the pass away. He gave Grandpa Qin a thumbs up and said, "My big brother Qin from Red Flag High School has many connections and tricks up his sleeves."

"Show some respect," Grandpa Qin scolded before adding, "Principal Chen has something to discuss with you. Come with me."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

***

A moment later, in the principal's office.

"That's right, it's me. I am the user named Your Grandpa,'" Li Xiaofei admitted straightforwardly. "Is there a problem?"

The last bit of doubt in Principal Chen Fei and the split-personality teacher's minds vanished completely.

"Does anyone else know about your identity?" Chen Fei asked.

Li Xiaofei shook his head and said, "I haven't had the chance to tell anyone."

"Good," Chen Fei cautioned, "Remember, from now on, if anyone asks, you must keep this matter absolutely confidential."

Li Xiaofei paused, then realized something and asked, "Should I keep a low profile?"

After all, a tall tree catches the wind.

"No need," Grandpa Qin said. "Be as arrogant as you like in the light-network virtual world. Don't hide your strength. But you must keep a low profile and be discreet in the real world. We'll be playing on a grand scale together."

"Got it," Li Xiaofei agreed readily. He understood the importance of the advice and knew it was for his own good.

"Go back to class," Chen Fei smiled at him.

Li Xiaofei bowed before leaving.

"He’s a good kid," Chen Fei said after the door closed behind Li Xiaofei.

"Yes, strong but not arrogant. He doesn’t let his talent make him rebellious. He doesn't have the bad habits that many geniuses have, like being unmanageable. He even knows to respect his teachers... Old Chen, is someone like this really our student? Feels like happiness came too suddenly, right? It feels unreal," Grandpa Qin replied.

"Yeah."

"Then let me pinch you."

"Ow, that hurts. Be gentle."

"Now you know that it's not a dream."

"Your Grandpa... Stop fooling around. Let's get ready to distribute the resources."

"Alright, let’s start the plan."

The two hadn't had such a carefree moment in a long time. It felt like they were back fighting side by side in their youth.

Very soon, all the students at Red Flag High School were swept into a frenzy. The usually stingy school had suddenly started distributing Starforce Reagents. This was a big deal. While it might not be much at the noble high schools, even the members of the school battle team had never enjoyed such benefits at the impoverished Red Flag High School.

This time, every single student received at least one vial of Starforce Reagent. Of course, the members of the school battle team received more. But no one felt it was unfair. Many students at Red Flag High School were just grateful for the opportunity to attend and learn martial arts. They were all happy and grateful for the resources.

"Long live the Principal!" Someone shouted in the courtyard as the joyous atmosphere spilled over.

Chen Fei watched them rejoice from the balcony of the office building, unable to contain his surging emotions.

What wonderful children they were. They could have had better educational opportunities.

Unfortunately, the aristocratic families monopolized martial techniques and combat skills, as well as cultivation resources. The best conditions were only enjoyed by a select few. This was completely contrary to the government's original intention of universal education and cultivation.

If it weren't for the government's immense expenditure and relentless efforts to establish public schools in every base city, providing compulsory education and maximizing the opportunity for school-age children to learn and cultivate, the country would have fallen into the hands of those aristocratic families long ago.

Those martial arts families had risen during special times and had once made significant contributions to protecting the country. But they were now a cancer that drained the nation's blood. If this continued, the future of the country and the hope of the nation would be doomed.

In the mainframe room, Li Xiaofei received four vials of the Life No. 1 brand third-generation pure Starforce Reagent. He didn't rush to use them. Instead, he was planning on using them after entering the Secret Time Pavilion.

Li Xiaofei lay down in the mainframe cockpit and entered the light-network virtual world. After reaching 500 ranking points, his interest in the virtual scene trials had somewhat waned. He wanted to experience combat while wearing power armor. However, his starforce level was still below the Limit Breaking Realm, so the system restricted him from unlocking this feature.

Li Xiaofei discovered that many functions in the light-network virtual world required spending money. Even the lowest-grade Worker Ant Gen 1 power armor had an experience fee of 1,000 star coins per hour, which was quite expensive.

Of course, one could also make money in the light-network virtual world. You could earn income through martial arts competitions, live streaming, teaching, selling products, and research and invention, among other ways. Since the virtual light-network felt so real, even some indescribable activities could be experienced and completed within it. This far surpassed the internet ecosystem from 500 years ago.

Since Li Xiaofei's account was a high school super account, it was not fully capable of civil conduct. So, many paid functions were age-restricted.

It seems I need to quickly grow stronger to fully experience the wonders of the light-network virtual world.

Li Xiaofei dismissed distractions and continued to work hard to gain more points. When he checked the high school ranking, he saw that more than twenty people had surpassed his score. The top ten contestants had already exceeded 1000 points.

Correspondingly, there were many strange posts on the leaderboard forum, all related to Your Grandpa. When Li Xiaofei saw them, he was completely stunned.