Chapter 229 - 226: Special Recruit Ding Yi

Chapter 229: Chapter 226: Special Recruit Ding Yi

"What are you spacing out for? Get up here!"

Hearing Mo Qingxue urging them from ahead, the three children scrambled up with excited faces and chased after her.

"Sister Mo, did you just draw your sword and slice a fly?"

"Sister Mo, you’re so amazing!"

"Sister Mo, are we going to learn this stuff? Is Brother Mo as amazing as you are?"

Their chattering enthusiasm was on a completely different level than before.

* * *

On the second floor, by the grandmaster chair, Elder Mo couldn’t hold back any longer after watching Mo Qingxue leave with the children.

"Shaoge, don’t you think making those kids get up before dawn to practice martial arts is a bit too harsh?"

Mo Shaoge knew his grandfather would ask this.

"Grandpa, wouldn’t you say that my and Qingxue’s martial arts have been improving at an incredible rate?"

Elder Mo dropped the pretense.

"Incredible rate? It’s far beyond that! This old man has some idea of the limits of martial arts, but you two right now... If you told me you stumbled upon some kind of heavenly treasure while you were running wild out there, I’d believe you!"

"Hehe..."

Mo Shaoge gave a mysterious smile.

"Grandpa, you’re actually about half right."

He leaned in close to his grandfather and whispered.

"Grandpa, your old understanding isn’t wrong, but in this world... some things are just beyond common sense. Qingxue and I, we’ve met a true hidden master!"

Elder Mo’s voice unconsciously dropped to a whisper as well, his tone hushed. "A true hidden master? What kind?"

"I can’t tell you what kind, Grandpa. Just know that Qingxue and I had a fortunate encounter. Our sudden change in personality is related to this, too."

In terms his grandfather could understand, Mo Shaoge described the impending global crisis as a true cataclysm. He explained that he and his sister were preparing for precisely that.

Elder Mo was a rather superstitious man. But even with the tangible proof of Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue’s progress right before his eyes, a "great cataclysm" sounded too exaggerated. Still, he agreed they shouldn’t speak of it carelessly. If it was true, they couldn’t risk causing a panic. If it was false, they’d be dismissed as lunatics.

* * *

By now, the consultations and commotion outside had died down considerably. The news that children had to be at least thirteen years old had made parents of younger kids give up. Then, the rumor that students might have to practice at the school before dawn drove away another large batch of parents. If an assistant instructor hadn’t explained that this was optional, probably no one would have been interested.

In the evening, when Ding Yi and his colleagues arrived at the gym to work out, they found that more than half the coaches were missing.

Coincidentally, Coach Wang, who had instructed them before, was still there. They went over to ask and found out the reason.

It turned out that the twenty-odd coaches had all gone upstairs in batches to register. Each official registration took a fair amount of time communicating with the assistant instructors, which was why it seemed so empty downstairs.

The three of them started their usual warm-up run, but they kept glancing back at the entrance to the floor above.

"Oh, look. More parents are here with their kids."

In their line of sight, two families arrived together. Two boys who looked to be in junior high came, each accompanied by their father.

Unexpectedly for Mo Shaoge and the others, while the school’s harsh entry requirements deterred some, it also piqued the curiosity of a great many others. Quite a few people had come to sign up.

This was already the eighth family Ding Yi had seen.

"No way. I thought I heard that you have to be at the school before sunrise to practice."

"That’s optional, isn’t it? You can go after school, too."

"That’s true."

The three chatted for a bit before calling for a coach. A moment later, a beaming Coach Wang came over.

"Hey, Coach Wang, you look happy. Did you manage to register?"

"Hahaha, yeah! We coaches from downstairs get preferential treatment. Basically, everyone who went up got in!"

The three had always been curious about the school upstairs. Having gotten somewhat familiar with Coach Wang over the past few days, they took the opportunity to ask him about it now that he was registered.

As he explained in detail, they learned that the assessment questions upstairs were all sorts of strange. They even asked about somewhat sensitive topics like family situation and social connections. In some cases, they would show specially selected videos. Furthermore, when different coaches went to sign up, they weren’t all asked the same questions.

The fees were also strange. It was one term per month. The coaches from downstairs paid 600 yuan per person per term. As for the families enrolling their children and the few adult workers and white-collar professionals who signed up, the fee was also mostly 600 per term.

Room and board required an additional fee, bringing the total to 1,000 yuan. However, rooms were limited, and once they were full, that was it. Not that anyone wanted to live there yet.

If they encountered someone with exceptional aptitude, rumor had it they could become a special-intake student and not have to pay any fees.

As for what qualified as "special intake," that was completely up to the school’s discretion; there were no clear standards.

However, the three of them didn’t buy it. When you’re running a business, how can you not charge money? Unless it’s for someone with connections.

Among the applicants, just under a third were rejected. They were really turning down perfectly good money.

The most interesting part was the term system. At the end of the first term, not everyone who wanted to could continue to the second.

An assistant instructor had made it clear: if an instructor deemed someone unfit to proceed to the second term after the first one ended, that was it for them. OVER. They couldn’t even re-register for the first term to start over with a new batch of students.

This model, which they thought would have trouble attracting students, had surprisingly already enrolled over thirty people before the first day was even over—though twenty-two of them were the gym coaches from downstairs.

"By the way, do you three want to go up and register? They’re only taking a hundred people per term at most. Eventually, only special-intake students will be able to get in."

"Haha, 600 a month to practice martial arts... that’s about the same as our gym membership."

"Yeah, yeah..."

After the small talk, the three of them went back to their workout.

However, after finishing his workout and saying goodbye to his two colleagues, Ding Yi headed upstairs toward the gym.

He went for two reasons. First, he wanted to see what it was really like up there. Second, he was drawn by the offer of lodging.

Besides, he had a strange gut feeling that compelled him to go upstairs.

’1,000 yuan a month... That’s much cheaper than the single room I’m currently renting in a two-bedroom apartment, which costs me two thousand a month.’

’Of course, it’s just a thought.’ The hassle of moving was one thing, but the school itself might not be stable. With terms lasting only a month, his fate next month would depend on some instructor’s whim.

* * *

He had never been up before. The moment he arrived, his eyes were met with an antique charm completely different from the modern gym downstairs.

There was a raised wooden platform at the entrance with lounge couches beside it. Several reception rooms blended seamlessly into the scenery, interspersed with artfully arranged plants. On the platform sat a sandalwood incense burner.

Wisps of faint, fragrant smoke drifted about. A massive screen blocked the view of the main hall behind it, creating an even greater sense of mystery.

No wonder people kept coming despite the harsh enrollment conditions. The decor alone gave it an air of prestige. Even Ding Yi, who was mostly just curious about the rent, felt his interest piqued.

"Sir, are you here to inquire about enrollment? Is it for yourself or for a child in your family? If it’s for a child, they must be present to undergo the assessment!"

The front desk was clearly less busy now. A female assistant instructor saw him come up and immediately came over to greet him.

"Oh, uh, I was wondering, if I sign up, can I get lodging here?"

The assistant instructor was taken aback. It was rare for someone’s first question to be about that.

"Oh! Yes, as long as you pass the assessment, you just need to apply to an instructor. It’s usually approved."

’Well, since I’m already here, I might as well take the assessment. Judging by the decor, the living conditions can’t be too bad. I’ll go check it out. At the very least, I’ll have something to brag about to my colleagues when the holiday is over.’

In a small reception room, what felt more like a casual chat with a friend lasted for about ten minutes. The so-called assessment ended as strangely as it had begun.

Just as Ding Yi was wondering if there was some kind of scoring system, another assistant instructor opened the door and walked in, a delighted expression appearing on her face when she saw him.

"Instructor Shaoge says this gentleman can be admitted as a special-intake student."

"Huh?"

Ding Yi was stunned. ’I’m a special-intake student?’ He had only come to check things out. Even if he passed, he could just choose not to enroll.

’But special-intake students... they get everything for free, right? Including room and board!’

Although he hesitated, he felt it would be too much of a waste to pass up the opportunity. So, he followed the assistant instructor to meet the instructors. ’Worst case, I’ll just turn them down to their face,’ he thought. ’It’ll be a little embarrassing, but oh well.’

Following the assistant instructor past the screen, his view suddenly opened up. The spacious training hall, with its complete set of furnishings and equipment, offered an experience utterly different from any conventional training center.

Twenty-some new students were sitting cross-legged on cattail hassocks. He guessed that aside from the coaches still working downstairs, all the new students were here.

"Very good. A promising talent!"

Elder Mo stroked his long beard from his grandmaster chair at the front. ’Since he’s the special-intake student my grandson chose, his aptitude must be excellent.’

PS: Chapter two for Monday.

Author’s Note: A shout-out to reader Ding Yi for the cameo! Ding Yi makes his appearance, with a slightly altered backstory, haha!