I became a martial arts saint while playing games.

The dean of the Weaponry Academy? I don't think I've ever had any dealings with the Weaponry Academy before?

Gu Yan rested his chin on his hand.

Could it be... because of the previous assessment?

As far as he knew, a mere civil service exam to become a military officer shouldn't warrant the dean's attention. But as the saying goes, gold shines wherever it is, and if it were too dazzling, it might attract extra attention.

Sure enough, this is what happens when someone is too outstanding.

So Gu Yan paused the game, replied to the class monitor, and then rushed to the teaching building.

As instructed by the class monitor, upon arriving at the teaching building, Gu Yan first went to find the counselor.

The counselor immediately stood up from behind her desk when he entered: "You must be Gu Yan?"

Gu Yan said, "Yes."

"We've been waiting for you. This way, please." The counselor led him upstairs. "Dean Li and Professor Zhong Ding from the Weaponry Academy are waiting for you."

The counselor pressed the elevator button for him. While waiting for the elevator, the counselor said, "That's great. I heard you've made rapid progress this semester, even the dean of the Weaponry Academy has taken notice. If you achieve great things in the future, don't forget your alma mater!"

Gu Yan replied politely, "Of course."

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but his counselor, who usually had a stern face and seemed to owe everyone a huge debt, seemed to have become kind and approachable today.

The counselor led him upstairs, knocked on the door of a meeting room, and said, "Dean Li, Professor Zhong, I've brought my student."

The person inside responded. The counselor pushed open the door, and Gu Yan saw an elderly man with a deep scar at the corner of his eye and a middle-aged man with a refined appearance.

It must be Dean Li and Professor Zhong.

The counselor said, "Then you two talk, I'll go first."

Dean Li nodded in acknowledgment. The counselor then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Zhong Ding said, "Don't be so formal, please sit down."

An empty chair had already been placed in the room, and Gu Yan sat down as instructed.

"You may have guessed some of the situation. Gu Yan, you performed exceptionally well in the recent civil service to military service assessment. Therefore, our Weapon Academy has decided to approve your passing the assessment ahead of schedule and has prepared a 'Top Talent Program' for you as a key training program."

What do you think?

Gu Yan: "The Elite Talent Program?"

"Simply put, the academy will allocate extra resources to some geniuses who need special training," Zhong Ding said. "After signing the contract, in addition to enjoying the same benefits as regular martial arts students, such as academy equipment, special training rooms, and medicine, you will also receive an additional 100 million in scholarships every year."

One million!

This amount was a huge sum for Gu Yan's family, both in his past life and this one. He knew his parents had saved every penny for years, but even now, their total savings might not amount to this much.

Dean Li laughed and said, "Professor Zhong always only speaks halfway. What he just mentioned is only the initial contract for the elite program. Those who are evaluated and qualified for a Grade B contract will receive an additional one million in subsidies every year on top of the one million."

Gu Yan's heart stirred.

He knew that if he couldn't get the contract, the other party wouldn't have said this to him. Even if he didn't have it for now, he should have a chance to upgrade to a B-level contract, which was why the dean was making empty promises to encourage him to keep trying.

If he has no chance of getting a B-level contract, then there's no point in saying this.

So Gu Yan asked, "May I ask, Dean, what is my contract...?"

Dean Li and Zhong Ding exchanged a glance and both smiled.

"Grade A!" Dean Li pushed a prepared document across the table. "In addition to the basic annual scholarship of one million, there is an additional subsidy of 288 million."

Gu Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

That means 3.88 million per year.

Even if he doesn't pursue martial arts, he can just enjoy this subsidy for a few years and then go back to Tongshui County to grow flowers and raise fish to live a retired life, which would be enough to make him financially free... Of course, that's impossible.

This is a government subsidy for martial arts professionals, not income from labor. Having received the subsidy, one must give back.

Dean Li said, "I know your situation. Actually, according to convention, although you have performed excellently, your aptitude is low, so it would be difficult for you to get an A-level contract. But Professor Zhong personally thinks highly of you and used his own points to exchange for this contract."

Gu Yan was somewhat surprised. He didn't know this Professor Zhong Ding, but he still got up to thank him.

"That's not necessary."

Zhong Ding waved his hand and said to Dean Li.

"Dean, would you mind if I spoke to him alone for a few minutes?"

Dean Li said, "Okay."

Zhong Ding took Gu Yan out the door, then turned around and smiled, "It seems you don't remember me... Well, you were too young back then. I visited your house when you were in elementary school, but we haven't kept in touch much over the years."

Gu Yan had a guess: "Professor Zhong, you... know my father?"

"We were high school classmates. Old Gu took good care of me back then, and we made a promise to take the martial arts exam together. It's a pity..." Zhong Ding sighed, "Old Gu is actually very smart and hardworking. I've never seen anyone work so hard back then."

"What a pity, fate is unfair. He should have gone further on the path of martial arts than I have."

Gu Yan finally understood. No wonder a simple exam for transitioning from a civil to a military background had attracted the attention of the bigwigs at the Weaponry Academy. It turned out his father had put in a good word for him.

This also shows that Gu Mingshan's statement that he would fully support his martial arts career was not just a casual remark.

Gu Mingshan had previously mentioned buying medicine and martial arts classes, but Gu Yan refused. So Gu Mingshan turned to his personal connections and contacted his old high school classmate, asking him to take care of his son.

Gu Yan knew that his father had never liked asking for favors and rarely owed anyone a favor. For his father to now contact an old classmate he hadn't contacted in years was extremely rare for him.

"But you don't need to overthink it. Although I promised Old Gu to take care of you, my original plan was just to help you if your assessment score was close to meeting the standard, and give you a spot in the martial arts exam. If your score is far below the standard, then there's nothing I can do."

Zhong Ding said.

"But to be honest, your performance far exceeded my expectations. Old Gu is really low-key; I only heard about his amazingly talented son today."

As Zhong Ding spoke, he looked at Gu Yan with the same appreciative gaze one would give a rough gem.

"So you don't need to feel any pressure. Although the A-level contract was obtained by exchanging my resources, you also won it yourself," Zhong Ding said seriously. "But don't rush to thank me, I need to make things clear."

A-level contracts are different from those below B-level. Contract slots are limited; even our Weaponry Academy only offers one per year. Therefore, to secure a contract, additional assessments are required. However, if you lack confidence, you can skip the assessment, but your contract will be downgraded to B-level.

Gu Yan asked, "May I ask about the assessment content?"

"sure."

Zhong Ding thought for a moment and then said.

"You should know what 'traces' are, right?"