Deducing Godhood from the Fetal Stage

Chapter 19 Martial Arts Elective Course

Jiangcheng University.

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air of the principal's office, mingling with the tranquil aroma of old-fashioned solid wood furniture. An elderly man in a dark gray Zhongshan suit rose slowly and deliberately from behind his mahogany desk.

The entry above his head made Jiang Yun hold her breath—

【？ ？ ？】【？ ？】【？ ？ 】

Three question marks, a dark gray halo like solidified fog, completely obscure the information.

Like Wei Yun, she was at the fifth-tier level, which he couldn't fathom.

Even the principal of a small town... is at least a fifth-level being?

"Lin Jiu, please sit down."

The principal's voice was gentle, carrying the refined tone characteristic of older intellectuals. He pushed a cup of tea in front of Ling Jiu; the celadon cup made a slight clinking sound as it touched the wooden tabletop.

Then he handed the red-covered booklet with the star emblem back to him.

"The procedures are complete." The principal picked up his teacup, looking at Ling Jiu through the rising steam. "I've also verified your abilities. Your academic performance is excellent, your artistic skills are profound, and your martial arts have reached the Blood Refining Realm. Your Dao Root is solid, which certainly meets the standard for keeping up with your studies. These are your teaching materials—"

He pointed to a dozen or so thick textbooks piled up on the other side of his desk, the gold lettering on their spines reflecting slightly in the morning light streaming in from the window.

"Furthermore, shouldn't the school address those less-than-friendly discussions on the school forum and in grade-level groups?"

Ling Jiu took the "Certificate for Children of Peacekeeping Soldiers from Outer Space," carefully placed the booklet into the inner pocket of her canvas backpack, and then looked up:

"No need, Principal. They're right. There are some things I want to try to face on my own."

Her voice was initially soft, but it became clear and firm as she spoke the last few words.

The principal looked at her, his gray eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly. He picked up another cup of tea, seemingly intending to place it in the empty seat next to Ling Jiu.

But the teacup stopped three inches from the seat.

It was as if I had bumped into an invisible wall. The surface of the tea rippled slightly, but not a single drop spilled.

Then, Wei Yun's voice came from the air.

"I don't like tea, and the principal doesn't need to worry about it. As long as there's no personal attack, verbal questioning and scrutinizing glances are just life lessons that we young ladies need to face."

Then, she paused, her tone carrying an indescribable weight:

"Anyway, public scrutiny won't affect us..."

She didn't continue.

But the principal steadily withdrew his teacup, a knowing look on his face.

"I understand, I understand."

……

Although Ling Jiu is from an art academy, she took an intermediate martial arts course, since it's always good to have more self-defense skills.

And this was also the first class on her schedule.

The classroom was on the east side of the third floor of the martial arts academy. When Ling Jiu walked to the door carrying a stack of new textbooks, she subconsciously stopped.

There was a huge crowd outside the classroom, and although there were still more than ten minutes before class started, all the seats inside were occupied, with not a single empty seat.

That wasn't all; her gaze swept quickly across the area and she noticed something strange.

There were so many girls.

Martial arts elective courses, due to their high demands on physical fitness and combat skills, have historically had a significant gender imbalance. Normally, having one-fifth of the students is considered good. But in this lecture hall, girls make up a full two-thirds of the class.

Moreover, many of them didn't have textbooks in front of them. They huddled together in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones, their eyes glancing towards the podium from time to time, their eyes shining with anticipation.

Ling Jiu channeled a wisp of her vital energy to the meridians in her ears. The suppressed, excited voices instantly became clear:

"Ugh, the semester's almost over, and I finally managed to snag a seat! Classes taught by Senior Jiang as a teaching assistant are harder to get than concert tickets!"

"Absolutely! He's the only all-rounder in the whole school, excelling in literature, martial arts, science, and art. While others work hard to master one subject to the Hidden Spirit Realm, he pushed all four subjects to the second level of perfection before entering the Hidden Spirit Realm... The Hidden Spirit Realm, and he's only a junior. That's about the level of a manager, small company manager, or entrepreneur in the real world... But to be honest, that's not why I came here."

"Then what are you rushing for?"

"I'm superficial, I came here impulsively. Hehe."

"cut--"

"Hey, hey, that girl by the door... the one carrying textbooks, is she a regular student for this class? She's looking this way... Hopefully she's not going to be that unlucky!"

The whispers subsided.

Almost everyone in the classroom, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was focused on the stack of textbooks that Ling Jiu was holding at the door, a symbol of her status as a "course enroller".

According to Jiangcheng University's regulations, anyone can audit elective courses, but students must give up their seats to enrolled students.

At this moment, all the students who were occupying seats lowered their heads, either pretending to organize their notes or scrolling through their screens, hoping that the girl holding the textbook at the door wouldn't look at them.

Ling Jiu stood still, her fingertips unconsciously digging into the hard cover of the textbook.

What she feared most was the feeling of having to find someone to "harm" in such a crowded situation.

She wanted to run away again, just like before, without saying a word.

It was instinct, but she thought of her grandmother's support, her promise, the baby in her belly, and all the past events.

Ling Jiu took a deep breath, which sank into her dantian, carrying the warmth unique to the Qi and Blood Realm, as if injecting a trace of power into her cold fingertips.

Don't be afraid.

You are a regular student enrolled in the course, so it's only right that they give up their seats for you.

She said it to herself, then stepped into the classroom.

Her gaze swept quickly across the room. The real regular students would clearly place their textbooks on their desks, both as a declaration of their status and to make it easier for the professors to take attendance.

Soon, she found her target.

In the middle of the first row, a girl wearing a stylish hoodie is excitedly chatting with her best friend, her head tilted to the side. The table in front of her is empty.

Ling Jiu walked over and stopped in the aisle next to the girl, gently placing the heavy textbooks she was carrying on the table.

"Hello," she said. "I'm enrolled in this 'Intermediate Martial Arts Combat' class. Could you please give me a seat?"

The conversation abruptly stopped.

The girl turned her head, her face still flushed with excitement, but now it was tinged with obvious reluctance.

"All right……"

But that's the rule, so she could only slowly start tidying up her water glass and screen on the table, her face full of 'Why did they have to pick me?'

At the same time, some students in the back row seemed to start whispering to each other again.

"It's Lin Jiu... I think so... Didn't they say she dropped out of school?"

"What do you know? I heard she has a close relationship with some young master in the starry sky... It's all about interests..."

Listening to their words, Ling Jiu felt immense pressure. She wanted to explain that she wasn't trying to bribe them or anything, but she had no room for argument in the face of this "collective" malice.

"etc!"

The girl who offered her seat to the girl's best friend suddenly reached out, grabbed the girl's arm, and forcefully pushed her back into her seat.

Immediately afterwards, her best friend stood up. She was short, with short hair and glasses, and exuded a strong sense of stubbornness and justice.

The entry above her head reads: [Second Stage of Public Service: Taking the Prosecutor Exam] [Late Stage of the Strong Memorization Realm (Second Stage of Literary Path)]

"Don't let her!"

She questioned, "Even if you're a registered student, I know clearly that only 30 people signed up for the course, and now all 30 seats are filled, and you, the 31st person... even if you're a 'registered student' recognized by the school, your qualifications aren't legitimate, so you shouldn't be so self-righteous, right?"