2: Chapter 1: Aspirational Class, Summer Job_2 2: Chapter 1: Aspirational Class, Summer Job_2 It’s not even as good as the gym we’re working at.
At least the coaches here are really skilled.
I heard that Coach Luo has developed his life force to nineteen points, almost reaching twenty.
Qin Shi glanced at him:
The gym charges a lot too.
Coach Luo charges you three thousand bucks for a two-hour session.
Zhou Ning bared his teeth as if it hurt him:
Expensive things often come with a reason!
Qin Shi noticed his buddy’s eagerness:
You’re thinking about buying a class?
Have you talked to your dad?
Silver Horse Gym is top-notch in the Tai’an Metropolitan Area, with many gold medal coaches, all having a life force of at least fifteen points.
Moreover, securing a prime spot on the commercial street itself shows their strength.
At least you don’t have to worry about the owner running off with the money.
Looking around the bright and spacious first-floor hall, Zhou Ning scratched his head:
I am indeed thinking about it.
Last time I met Coach Luo, he said I have a good physique.
If I work out hard, I might increase my life force by one or two points.
With more effort, I might be able to pass the rank exam!
According to Dongxia Martial Arts Association regulations, life force is divided into nine ranks from low to high.
It is further split into “Amateur” and “Specialized” levels.
Each rank represents a corresponding advancement in life force development.
Then, after passing the association’s assessment, you get a certificate.
If you reach Specialized Ninth Rank, you can be titled as a Martial Artist.
Becoming a member of the Martial Arts Association is almost like getting a semi-official position.
Coach Luo really told you that?
I remember our teacher saying that normal people have a foundational life force between 3-7 points, and the passing line for Amateur Ninth Rank is between 9-12 points.
During the physical test, I scored 8 points, and you were at 7.5 points.
Trying to improve within just a month and a half won’t be easy.
For high school seniors like Qin Shi and Zhou Ning, the life force development rank exam is of utmost importance.
In the Great Cosmos Era, college entrance exams heavily emphasize evaluating physical potential and life force.
Any career position requires considering this aspect.
Especially top universities like the Four National Universities, which glitter like jewels, have long listed this as a fundamental entry requirement.
Failing to enhance life force equates to being prematurely disqualified by society.
Let’s give it a shot.
Only top universities offer life force development courses.
The workout methods taught in our senior year are progressing too slowly.
Zhou Ning understood the difficulty, looking helpless:
Students like Xu Mo and Zhao Yunzhu in the Elite Class have good family conditions, can afford private tutors, and spend weekends in advanced places like Cultivation Halls receiving Specialized Level guidance.
For us impoverished students in the Special Project Class, if we don’t find a way, we’ll end up working in factories right after exams.
Qin Shi nodded in agreement, what Zhou Ning said made sense.
The invisible boundary between different social classes doesn’t just appear when we enter society.
It has accompanied us from birth.
For example, the Special Project Class they are in is part of Dongxia’s aid program.
The Education Commission mandates every school must enroll a group of moderately achieving, poor students, exempting tuition so they can complete compulsory education.
They were born in the Old Town District outside the Urban Circle, and attended schools for workers’ children from a young age.
If it weren’t for the aid program, just three years of tuition at a top-tier school like New First High School, which ranks in the top three in the Tai’an Metropolitan Area, would drain their family funds.
Will your family agree?
Qin Shi was a bit surprised.
He never thought carefree Zhou Ning would also think about future prospects.
I didn’t do well in the last exam, so my dad talked to me.
With my grades, getting into Heng University or Science University is out of the question.
The cutoff scores for those top universities are all upwards of seven or eight hundred.
My base scores are low, and my exam performance isn’t good, so my total score won’t break five hundred.
Unless I can immediately jump to Amateur Seventh Rank, maybe then I’d have a chance to get in with the extra points.
I’m as good at climbing in games as I am at normal exam performance, and that’s a miracle itself.
As a fallback, my dad thought out a path for me: go to a decent technical school and choose a major that’s good for finding jobs.
Qin Shi instantly understood:
You’re planning to take the Martial Examination?
With an Amateur Ninth Rank plus your basic cultural scores, you’d have enough points for a technical school’s martial program…
He didn’t finish the latter half of his sentence.
The faculty at a technical school is far from the level of Heng University or Science University.
No matter how hard you work, it’s tough to break through the Amateur Fifth Rank threshold in four years of college.
The job options during the subsequent internship period are limited.
Mostly it’s neighborhood security, construction labor, auxiliary police, and urban management routes.
Don’t worry, my dad’s a head of a department, and my mom’s a section officer.
When the time comes, I can get into Chief Nie’s factory as a section cadre easily with their help…
Zhou Ning’s optimism was remarkable.
His dad runs a billiard hall in the Old Factory Street in Dangyang District.
His mom manages a small convenience store.
As for the so-called “section cadre,” it’s probably just the security section.
Alright, just remember to save me a gatekeeper position.
No problem, Old Qin, I’ll make sure to keep that gatekeeper job for you.
But what exactly are you thinking?
No matter how much of a burden our families face, we can’t drop out!
Even if we end up doing space-based construction work, they require life force development too!
Zhou Ning looked at Qin Shi with concern.
Compared to himself, Qin Shi’s grades were slightly better.
His base scores and regular exams were decent, middle of the class.
If he pushed himself, breaking the 600 mark wasn’t out of reach.
If he completed the rank exam, getting into a second or third-tier university was almost guaranteed.
The only worry was that Qin Shi’s family conditions were too poor and might not be able to afford it.