I'm a state scholar? Although Luo Yunyang's cultivation base had increased immensely and his senses were really acute, Xu Zhong's words still gave him a big shock.
He had been working hard to become a martial grandmaster, yet after a few days of cultivating, he had become a state scholar. Xu Zhong had actually called him a state scholar. Was this a dream?
Perhaps Xu Zhong was running a fever and his brain was fried.
"I don't have a fever!" Xu Zhong chuckled. He was used to Luo Yunyang putting a hand to his forehead and slapping it hard.
Xu Zhong tried to dodge the moment Luo Yunyang raised his hand, but he realized that his head, which was supposed to be dodging, had pushed itself into Luo Yunyang's palm instead.
The resounding smack that followed was very loud.
"You perverted fellow! If you have the guts, then why don't you beat me up? Come on! Come on, if you dare!" Xu Zhong hooted outrageously as he stared at Luo Yunyang.
This wasn't the first time Xu Zhong was asking for a beating. Luo Yunyang was on good terms with him, so he naturally was willing to share some of his benefits with his instructor.
He used the Youthful Emperor's Secret Art Of Longevity and gave Xu Zhong a direct punch that sent him flying away.
"Awesome!" Although Xu Zhong's clothes were all wrinkled up, he seemed completely awake. He looked as if he had just eaten a ginseng replenishment pill.
"Ha ha ha! Damn, that was pleasing!" Xu Zhong roared with laughter. "We are brothers, right? If you are my true brother, then aim a punch over here. He he... If I frown, I'll change my name to something other than Xu Zhong!"
Luo Yunyang punched him again. This time, he didn't use the Youthful Emperor's Secret Art Of Longevity, so Xu Zhong was sent flying without any side benefits.
"Give me a punch, Big Brother!" Xu Zhong was like a slave tugging away at Luo Yunyang.
"Enough, Xu Zhong! Stop causing trouble!" Chief Instructor Lu strolled over slowly and glanced at Luo Yunyang. "Come on, Yunyang. Hit me. Let me see how much progress you have made in the past two months."
Although Luo Yunyang had always respected Chief Instructor Lu greatly, he gathered the tremendous vital energy in his source core and sent a powerful hit at Chief Instructor Lu without hesitation.
Chief Instructor Lu was a martial grandmaster, so even though Luo Yunyang's punch was very powerful, he didn't sway one bit when he was hit.
"Didn't you eat today? Is that all your strength? Is this the best you've got after two months of cultivation?" Chief Instructor Lu said icily.
Luo Yunyang flexed his arms and met his stern gaze. "You asked for it, sir. Don't accuse me of being rude afterwards."
As he spoke, Luo Yunyang pulled his arm back once again. This time, he used one 10th of the strength he had used before.
"You sly imp! Can't you just make an old man happy?" Chief Instructor Lu shook his head as he felt the vitality contained in the strike.
"Sir, I always thought that you were a respectable man, but now I realize that I was wrong. If you want to cheat a pure, honest young man, then you can't be human at all!"
Xu Zhong shook his head. He now knew what trick Chief Instructor Lu was trying to pull. "I should be the one using such a good trick!" he couldn't help but exclaim.
"Xu Zhong must have told you that you've become a state scholar. These are your state scholar credentials and badge. You are one of the youngest state scholars to ever exist in the Da Alliance's 13 Eastern Cities."
Chief Instructor Lu handed Luo Yunyang a very exquisite box rather casually.
Alright. As Luo Yunyang took the box, he was already complaining inside. Shouldn't there be a more dignified ceremony for state scholars? Shouldn't there be…
"Why are you giving me this?" Luo Yunyang didn't open the box immediately. Although he didn't believe that Chief Instructor Lu would deceive him, he still wanted to clear the doubts in his heart.
"Because you are heading to a fight." Chief Instructor Lu paused before he added, "No, you are actually heading to an exchange."
Fight? Exchange?
Luo Yunyang didn't understand much. He was a Rising Dragon Army Elite. Could he be going to the Sky High Military for an exchange?
"After the apocalypse, a total of 37 cities were left in the East and the West. These 37 cities are humanity's last bases." Chief Instructor Lu's tone was serious as he spoke.
Luo Yunyang's knowledge about post-apocalyptic historical events was based only on what he had read in books. When he heard Chief Instructor Lu bring this up, he immediately became solemn.
"Back when the entire Da Alliance was being established, total unity was its foundation." Chief Instructor Lu chuckled faintly before he continued. "However, wherever there are people, there is always fighting."
"According to historical records, some of the dynasties were still fighting endlessly before the apocalypse, even though they were on the verge of being destroyed."
Luo Yunyang recalled all this as he looked at Chief Instructor Lu solemnly. "Does this exchange involve any fighting?"
"That's right. After the Da Alliance was established, all its resources were supposed to be consolidated. However, it was decided that they would be evenly distributed between the 37 cities, so there would be no conflicting views on their allocation."
Chief Instructor Lu sighed deeply before he said, "You might not know this, but back when the Da Alliance was first established, there was a time when resource allocation nearly caused the entire Da Alliance to collapse."
"In the end, Martial God Luo Kai suggested to divide all resources into 100 portions. Each of the 37 cities would get two portions, and the remaining 26 portions would be allocated based on the results of a combat exchange between the younger generation."
"Although this solution didn't really solve any fundamental problems, it allowed the crumbling Da Alliance to experience stability once again," Chief Instructor Lu added.
"This exchange, which happens once every five years, is happening again this year."
Luo Yunyang stroked his state scholar credentials. He understood that he would be a member of the exchange team, but he had already been given a state scholar title before the exchange had even started. Wasn't this a little too generous?
"The 13 Eastern didn't do that well at the last exchange, so the top brass of the 13 cities have high expectations for this exchange."
"Your goal is to get 30% of the 100 portions!"
As Luo Yunyang listened to Chief Instructor Lu's words, he felt an itch to get on with this. He believed that, back when he had lived in Donglu Town, the fact that life had been so tough might have had something to do with the allocation of those resources.
As a result, he now felt the impulse to fight for the people who had led similar lives with his family back then.
"Don't worry, sir. I definitely won't let you down!"
Chief Instructor Lu gave a slightly awkward laugh. "You don't have to worry too much about fighting. Your main objective is to protect yourself and the Youthful Emperor's Secret Art Of Longevity."
"You must remember that you are part of a team now. Do you even know what a team is? A team of people must cooperate well! A safflower might be really pretty, but if it wasn't for the green leaves that serve as foil, it would never be as beautiful!"