Chapter 133: Return to the Star Industry School for Employees' Children

As expected, before the light waves emitted by the "Realization" circle badge had faded, the "Teacher" circle badge also released... released... was that a piece of chalk?

It must have been; there was no other possibility!

I saw the "Teacher" circle badge tossing out chalk-like objects one after another, much like a slingshot firing at birds. Those pieces of chalk flew out with a "whoosh," carrying the strange sensation of a strict master’s discipline, striking the progress bars one by one.

The progress bars, as if sprinkled with miracle fertilizer, surged forward rapidly. With the blessing of just these two special states, they shot straight to the sixty-mark.

As the saying goes, things happen in threes. Since there were already two good things, then—of course, there had to be a third!

Stars appeared.

Still using that machine-gun-like special effect, great swarms of stars flew out from the right side of the vision, bombarding the long-suffering progress bars with a crackling intensity.

Shi Tiexin understood. In his dream training, the textbooks he studied all possessed the "integrated study and practice" attribute. When he finished researching all the secret manuals, he had also completed all the auxiliary practice records that came with them.

What was even more valuable was that the two supreme masters in his dreams had not only explained the manuals but had also detailed the integrated study and practice sections thoroughly. This was far more effective than struggling to practice them blindly on his own.

Sure enough, this was reflected in his vision by the exceptionally large number of stars flying out.

With a crackle and pop, both progress bars raced to their limits simultaneously. Amidst a shimmering radiance, two overlapping "Qualified" labels flew out one after another, smashing the "Unqualified" labels to pieces with a loud clatter. But the speeding stars did not stop there; a massive number of them continued to pour into the progress bars.

Watching the two wildly extending progress bars, Shi Tiexin almost laughed out loud. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh—having someone to point the way was indeed better than working in isolation. When he chose a college after the Minor Provincial Examination, he would have to pick one with superior faculty. He couldn't afford to play the "rise of a fallen sect" game.

After all, even if the renowned teachers at Fengming No. 1 High School were excellent, he might not necessarily get to attend their lectures again. And even if he could, given his limited level, he might not understand them, making it no different from not listening at all.

Moreover, Shi Tiexin had a premonition that the dividends from completing the first destiny mission of the Champion Stone were likely running out. He could feel the light point on the Champion Stone’s timeline slowly dimming, like a lightbulb running out of power.

The effect of the dream classroom was even better than "dream-assisted leveling," and it certainly had some fundamental differences. The reason was obvious: when doing "dream-assisted leveling," no matter how many lectures he listened to or how many exercises he did, the vision system’s level markers never appeared. But in the dream classroom, they did—as if it were reality.

However, this kind of dream classroom must consume more energy; the light connecting from the Champion Stone was already flickering, barely perceptible. It was likely that this would be the last surge, and after this, it probably wouldn't be able to provide much more assistance.

But this wave was truly incredibly lucrative!

The stars continued to explode in a crackling shower, showing no signs of fatigue. Like a veteran stock investor, Shi Tiexin shouted in his heart, "Rise! Rise! Rise!" And those two progress bars truly lived up to expectations, climbing steadily and firmly. He had originally thought that reaching "Qualified" would be good enough, but looking at the momentum, it seemed it would go beyond that.

*Swish! Swish!*

The two progress bars bloomed with light once more in succession. Giant "Good" labels jumped up, completely crushing the "Qualified" labels beneath them.

Just as Shi Tiexin was rejoicing, the inscription board popped out unexpectedly, sprouting a pair of curved, bushy eyebrows and deep eye bags, staring intently with large, piercing eyes. The look was incredibly refreshing: "Speaking of making progress, one must mention seeking immortality at Fangcun Mountain. Speaking of Fangcun Mountain, it reminds me of the collaboration between Mathematics and Rhetoric in the first half of this year... In short, both are blossoming!"

*Pfft—!*

Shi Tiexin almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Stimulated by this inscription board, Shi Tiexin leaped off the bed and walked to the narrow window with vigor. He opened it, letting the fresh air blow into his chest. As he calmed his nerves, a sense of comfort finally welled up. Though not intense, it was stable and lasting, causing a faint smile to appear on his face.

Finally, all the conditions were met.

Finally, after so much bitterness and so many hardships, he could go to the Minor Provincial Examination!

Shi Tiexin patted his face, cutting off those thoughts; now was not the time for sentimentality. He who travels a hundred miles covers ninety as half the journey; he must not let his guard down at the final moment. Only when the Minor Provincial Examination list was hung high in the sky, or better yet, when he held the official admission letter in his hands, could he truly find peace.

In his vision, the growth of the "blossoming" progress bars had stopped, both settling just a bit past the "Good" mark. The last bit of light and heat remained on the Champion Stone, struggling to provide a tiny bit more progress. Shi Tiexin estimated that having both reach "Excellent" would be the absolute limit.

Calculating it, if he went to take the exam, he would be equipped with two at the Limit level, two at the Perfect level, and two at the second-tier Excellent level. This configuration was not low, especially since the first four were at the top tier. However, the two at the second tier were not guaranteed; someone would surely be able to surpass him.

After all, some people were not short on money, and those with many auxiliary practice records could even tip their lackeys. If such a person didn't have a second-tier Excellent rating, it would be impossible to justify.

Moreover, this "someone" liked to engage in underhanded, outside-the-rules schemes.

"He Chong..."

Shi Tiexin stared at the artificial sun. The golden sunlight shone on his face, but it could not hide the coldness in his eyes.

It had been so long; it was time to return to school and settle the score!

Three days later.

Star Engineering Children's School.

The Star Engineering Children's School was a semi-private institution funded by the Star Engineering Union, primarily established to resolve the education issues for the children of the formal employees of the Star Engineering United Group. Note this—a key point: "formal employees." Who were the formal employees? Certainly not the ones slaving away in the powder-processing workshops.

Generally speaking, the administrative system—those who clocked in and out in suits—were formal employees, such as the recruiter Zhang Quan and the traitorous Deputy Director Tao Zhongming. The management and technical layers of the production system were also formal employees, a distinction visible in their factory uniforms; the uniforms of formal employees were whiter.

Especially those who wore white hard hats in the factory—if you saw them, you saluted, and you wouldn't be wrong.

Ordinary workers didn't have such good treatment. Only after working themselves to the bone and signing a long-term contract could they be considered formal employees. Only formal employees had various insurance premiums paid for them, including the medical insurance Shi Tiexin longed for. Having insurance was also a major characteristic of a formal employee.

These formal employees might not amount to much in the outside world, but within the Union, they were figures envied by all the ordinary workers. They weren't necessarily wealthy, as most earned only two or three thousand value points a month. But for the children of these families, there was no need to worry about survival.

And a significant portion of these children attended the Star Engineering Children's School.