When Su Bai returned home, he quickly freshened up. His parents hadn't come back from work yet. They were probably working overtime to save money for him; otherwise, they would have been home by now. This thought left Su Bai feeling both touched and a bit sad.

  Seeing that the light in his sister's room was already off, the exhausted Su Bai couldn't resist his sleepiness. After tossing his clothes into the washing machine, he went straight to bed and fell asleep immediately.

  ***

  When Su Bai woke up, he felt refreshed, the fatigue of the previous night completely gone. After tidying himself up, he headed straight to school.

  Su Bai had crossed over to this world after the cultural subjects of the college entrance examination had already concluded.

  In this era, students didn't have it easy. They had to stay in school to learn about the Myriad Races. Once the cultural subject scores were released, those who met the requirements could choose between the Martial Academy or the Academy of Arts.

  If a martial artist's physical fitness and scores didn't meet the standards of the Martial Academy, they would be eliminated. They would either have to enter the workforce or repeat their senior year to try again next year.

  For superpowered individuals, with the new policy exempting them from cultural scores, as long as they passed the political review, it was almost like a guaranteed admission to the Martial Academy, regardless of their power level. After all, superpowered individuals were still quite rare and highly sought after by the Martial Academy.

  The Academy of Arts mainly handled logistics, with higher score requirements. The advantage was that students didn't have to go to the Myriad Races Battlefield, allowing for a relatively stable development without life-threatening risks. The downside was the lack of real power and social status.

  Just as Su Bai sat down at his desk, the bell for class rang. His timing was impeccable.

  The head teacher walked into the classroom holding a stack of papers. "Class, after three years of hard work, the results of this college entrance examination are quite satisfactory. Except for a few students who didn't pass, everyone else has met the first-round score requirements for the Martial Academy and the Academy of Arts."

  As the head teacher announced the exam results, Lin Yanran nudged Su Bai with her elbow. "Su Bai, are you planning to apply to the Martial Academy or the Academy of Arts? I think going to the battlefield with the Martial Academy is too dangerous."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "The Academy of Arts is much safer. After studying there for three years, you can still contribute to humanity from behind the scenes with a skill.

  If you want to apply to the Academy of Arts, don't worry about your scores. I'll help you sort it out. Once we're there, I'll look out for you!"

  However, Su Bai wasn't listening to Lin Yanran; he was lost in thoughts of how to grow stronger once he entered the Martial Academy. After she finished speaking, he casually replied, "I want to apply to the Martial Academy."

  Hearing Su Bai's response, Lin Yanran froze on the spot. Her plan was to apply to the Academy of Arts, use her family's influence to get Su Bai in as well, so they could continue being desk mates. But despite her clear intentions, why did Su Bai still want to apply to the Martial Academy?

  The Martial Academy was so dangerous; students were sent to the Myriad Races Battlefield. In such chaos, how could I protect you, Su Bai?

  Lin Yanran opened her mouth but couldn't say anything, so she just stared at Su Bai's determined profile, feeling conflicted and saddened.

  After the teacher finished announcing the first-round exam results, he continued, "Class monitor, please gather the application intentions of your classmates today. Tomorrow, the recruitment officers from the Martial Academy will come to our school to organize your physical exams or power tests. Those wanting to apply to the Academy of Arts will have their second-round cultural exams in three days."

  After class, the class monitor went around with a notebook, collecting each student's application intentions. Most students chose to apply to the Academy of Arts, even though they knew the second-round cultural exam would be difficult, and many might fail.

  To apply to the Martial Academy, one had to be a martial artist or a superpowered individual. Yushan County was just a small county, and most families couldn't afford the resources needed for martial artist training.

  Out of over sixty students in the class, only ten chose to apply to the Martial Academy.

  When the class monitor reached Lin Yanran and Su Bai, he ignored Su Bai and looked at Lin Yanran's beautiful face, feeling a bit nervous. "Lin Yanran, are you applying to the Martial Academy or the Academy of Arts?"

  "I... I'll think about it," Lin Yanran replied absentmindedly. Su Bai's choice was the opposite of hers, leaving her feeling very low and unsure of what to decide.

  The day passed in a blur.

  On her way home, Lin Yanran held her phone tightly, picking it up and putting it down, her face full of indecision. The setting sun cast a soft glow on her, giving her a bit of courage.

  Finally, Lin Yanran picked up the phone and dialed a number she hadn't contacted in a long time. "Dad, it's me. I want to apply to the Martial Academy. Can you help me?"

  On the other end, a middle-aged man with a determined face was overjoyed to hear his daughter's words. "Hahaha, that's great! Yanran, you've finally come around. Don't worry, I'll arrange everything for you! I'll send the resources for martial artist training to your home!"

  "Oh, and also for our classmate Su Bai, please help him too!"

  After speaking, Lin Yanran hung up, her face flushed red. She had essentially just told her father that she had a story with Su Bai.

  Su Bai's cultural scores were poor, and if he didn't pass, he wouldn't even have a chance to take the second-round exam for the Martial Academy. Lin Yanran didn't know yet that Su Bai had already become a superpowered individual.

  On the other end, Father Lin, dressed in military uniform, paused for a moment, ignoring the surprised look from his lieutenant, with one question on his mind.

  Who is Su Bai?

  Why does my daughter care so much about him?

  Investigate! I must thoroughly investigate this Su Bai!

  ***

  After handling these matters, Lin Yanran felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and she breathed a long sigh of relief, her worries swept away.

  Looking at the countless Myriad Races Battlefields in the sky, she had thought she would never have to deal with them in her lifetime, but now she found herself making decisions she had never considered because of him.

  Even if it's the Martial Academy, I'll go with you!

  Even if it's the Myriad Races Battlefield, I'll stay by your side!

  Lin Yanran clenched her small, pink fist to her chest and silently cheered herself on: Lin Yanran, you can do it!