Chapter 13: University Education Considerations

Among the individuals resting in the gym lobby were three acquaintances of Tang Mu. One was the cute Hu Ning in a pink tracksuit, another a relatively muscled and tall girl named Gong Qing, and the last a burly boy with a crew cut called Huang An.

Just like him, they were all orphans and recent high school graduates staying in the hostel. They were also trying to change their fate by doing their best to pass the upcoming Psionic Society's assessment with flying colors.

"Big brother Tang Mu!" As usual, Ning'er was the first to call out as Tang Mu approached the lobby. Her luminescent brown eyes lit up as she smiled. "Did you just come out of the strength-testing room? How's your fitness?"

"I just tested, but my fitness is only so-so," Tang Mu answered. He bumped fists with his three friends before settling on one of the benches. He fished a water bottle out of his gym bag before chugging down a few mouthfuls of the liquid.

Huang An, the muscular boy with a crew cut, raised his brow while looking at Tang Mu inquisitively. "Stickman! What do you mean by your fitness being so-so? Are you trying to say that your fist strength and leg power have not yet achieved the 500 kg and 800 kg marks, respectively?"

Tang Mu swallowed down some more water and sighed. "Dumb Orangutan! My fist force is already above 500 kg, and my leg power is already above 800 kg. But the problem lies in the fact that I'm far from reaching the threshold of pseudo-rank-one. I have not sensed my base chakra even after meditating with the war arms military technique for years."

All Tang Mu's acquaintances looked at him with strange expressions on hearing his response.

Gong Qing, the relatively muscled girl with short hair painted blue, shook her head. "You know what, Tang Mu! You're a real piece of work. You're already beyond the 500 kg of fist strength and 800 kg of leg power thresholds, yet you're still complaining. What about the students who are yet to meet the requirements set by the teacher? What are they to do?"

Tang Mu sighed again, "As far as I know, most of those students are from relatively able families. They don't have to strive hard since their parents can support their university education through the private sponsorship scheme."

"But for us orphans, we are different. We won't manage to finance our university education and meet the costs to become true-blue psionics unless we successfully secure those few spots under the government sponsorship scheme. And remember, the only surefire way of obtaining a scholarship spot is by becoming a pseudo-rank-one psionic before the Psionic Society's assessment."

There were two kinds of university admission schemes for high school graduates in the new intergalactic era.

The first was admission under the Earth Federation government sponsorship scheme targeted towards exceptional performers or top students of the Psionic Society's assessment. Under such a scheme, the government would meet all the costs for the outstanding students as they underwent advanced education and psionic training throughout the university study period.

The second was the standard admission under the private sponsorship scheme for the regular performing students. Under such a scheme, the parents or other private entities behind the students would 'privately' finance their university education, including tuition, psionic training resources, and regular allowances.

"Stickman!" Huang An said after a while. "You don't need to worry yourself too much. I remember the teachers assured us that everyone who could exert a fist force of 500 kg and leg power of 800 kg during the Psionic Society's assessment would have an almost sure chance of joining a reputable university under the government sponsorship scheme."

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"Brother Huang An is right," Hu Ning chipped in. "There are twelve military universities in Asia Metropolitan region. Each admits over 2000 high school graduates annually under the government sponsorship scheme, making a total of 24,000 students from the Asia Metropolitan region. With your marks from the theoretical exam and your fitness, you'll easily get a government admission spot to one of the universities. There's no need to worry yourself."

Tang Mu sighed and nodded. He glanced at Hu Ning and asked, "How is your fitness so far? Any improvements"

The corners of Hu Ning's lips lifted. "I finally touched the threshold of pseudo-rank-one while training yesterday. I should be able to stabilize my realm after meditating for a few more days."

"Are you for real?" Gong Qing exclaimed and looked at the small girl with surprise. "How did you manage to sense your chakra all of a sudden? Did you use a genetic activation elixir to push your physique toward the threshold?"

The other two, including Tang Mu, also looked at Hu Ning with shock.

"Of course, I didn't use a genetic activation elixir," Hu Ning said proudly. "I seemed to achieve some epiphany, which, in turn, allowed me to sense my base chakra while training yesterday night. From there on, the experience was like the teacher said."

"My body started madly absorbing psionic force from a mysterious dimension after I connected my mind to the ethereal base chakra. I could also feel my muscles and bones rapidly strengthening as they absorbed the mysterious force. But unfortunately, the experience only lasted a few dozen seconds. The connection with the mysterious chakra ended soon, and I could no longer sense it no matter how hard I tried after that."

Tang Mu looked at Ning'er with a bit of awe. He was surprised by how the girl could reach pseudo-one-rank while training with the shitty war-at-arms military technique that was always provided to all high school students at no cost. "How is your fitness at the moment? Have you tested it?"

Ning'er nodded with a cute smile. "I can unleash a fist force of 800 kg and a kick with power close to 1235 kg if I give it my all."

Tang Mu whistled and gave the small Hu Ning a once over. "Can that small body of yours really unleash such power?"

"Do you want to try me?" Ning'er glared at Tang Mu and clenched her fists. It was as if she was preparing to rush forward and beat him up.

"Don't mind my words... I'm only joking," Tang Mu hurriedly raised his arms in surrender. "I guess congratulations are in order. You have officially joined the ranks of monstrous geniuses. I can't match you."

Hu Ning's adorable face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, Brother Tang Mu! But we should still get time and exchange some pointers. It will be good for your training."

The corners of Tang Mu's lips twitched ever so slightly. How could he allow himself to get beaten by a small girl? Shaking his head, he concentrated on chugging down his water and ignored the little devil.

In the meantime, the others followed suit and congratulated the small girl. They then continued asking questions about how she touched the threshold of pseudo-rank-one before saying their goodbyes and leaving the gym.

Tang Mu was the last to walk out of the gym with Hu Ning. As they ascended the stairs to the first floor, he suddenly said to the girl, "Many universities will be fighting over you since you have already achieved the threshold of pseudo-rank-one. Which one do you plan on joining?"

"Not yet sure," Hu Ning said. "There are still many universities and training institutions to choose from. The Hong Kong University of Psionic Arts, the Axel School of Intergalactic Exploration in Europe, and even those training bases on other colonized celestial bodies are all options as long as they can supply me with ample training resources. I'll have to discuss this with my aunt before deciding."

"You're even considering joining training bases on other planets!" Tang Mu glanced at the small girl with surprise. "From what I have heard, the danger on such planets is very high due to the constant harassment from the Vegroid remnants. Not even official psionics can be sure about their safety."

Hu Ning's expression turned solemn. "I understand the danger. However, I might still have to take the risk in order to obtain ample training resources. I can't stay on Mother Earth, hoping to grow into a powerhouse without experiencing dangers."

"True!" Tang Mu nodded and shook his head. "Opportunities and risks are two sides of the same coin. Just don't rush into anything before carefully assessing all your options."

"I know," Ning'er said.

Tang Mu nodded and fell silent. He had finally settled his fatigue after enjoying a relaxing and fulfilling day. The next step was to return to his room and shower. After that, he would eat an early dinner before settling down and trying out meditation with the Star God Celestial Diagram.