High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices-Chapter 64: The Origin of the Battle Network

"A loan?"

Xu Wuyi was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Teacher Wang to suggest this.

In his mind, loans were always associated with insurmountable interest, a last resort for those with no other options.

"That’s right, a loan." Wang Wenhai nodded affirmatively, his expression unchanged. He was clearly used to this. "Don’t think of loans as some kind of monster."

"For Martial Artists, especially a promising one like you, it’s a very common financial tool."

"On the Star Martial Battle Network, there’s a ’Student Assistance Program’," Wang Wenhai said. "In essence, it’s a type of short-term, low-interest loan specifically for students."

"Usually, you have to be in university to meet the application requirements, but with your strength, you might even qualify while you’re still in high school."

Xu Wuyi thought for a moment before asking, "Are the requirements based on Life Energy Level?"

"It’s based on Rank," Wang Wenhai replied. "You can apply for this type of loan starting from the Third Rank on the Battle Network. That’s the best measure of your actual strength."

Xu Wuyi nodded. He was, of course, well aware of how difficult Rank Battles were.

He just hadn’t realized how comprehensive the Star Martial Battle Network’s features were. It was a one-stop service, from combat practice to resource exchange, and it even offered loans when you ran out of money.

Wang Wenhai didn’t notice his reaction and simply continued, lost in his own thoughts, "People of my generation really came along at a good time."

"When I was in university, I relied on a student loan from the Battle Network to break into the ranks of Martial Artists during my sophomore year. Only then could I get some part-time jobs off-campus to earn money for future resources."

"Without that money, one slow step leads to all steps being slow. My overall progress would have been delayed by at least two years..."

"Teacher, before the Battle Network existed, was there just no way for people to manage?"

Xu Wuyi had studied history, but he knew nothing about the inner workings of the major powers in the contemporary Federation.

"That’s right." Wang Wenhai sighed. "A little over fifty years ago, the top ten, or even the top twenty, spots in each province’s college entrance exams were almost completely monopolized by the children of powerful and wealthy families."

"The first generation of virtual machines had already appeared back then, but they were too expensive. Galaxy Company controlled the distribution channels and only sold them to a handful of the most elite and exclusive schools."

"Later, the Federation reformed the college entrance exam system. Combined with the emergence of new-generation virtual machine technology, which drastically reduced costs, the old chancellor of Star Martial University was able to overcome all objections and launch the Star Martial Battle Network."

"The Battle Network was founded with the initial goal of giving students from the lower class a chance to succeed, to at least provide a basic level of fairness during their student years."

Xu Wuyi fell silent. He finally realized that the college entrance exam, which he had still seen as not entirely fair, was actually the result of several generations of effort.

At his current pace, he had a high chance of getting into one of the "Three Greats." Originally, he didn’t have a strong preference for which specific university to attend.

But after learning the origin of the Star Martial Battle Network, his favorable impression of Star Martial University couldn’t help but grow significantly.

Besides, if it was just a matter of owing money, he was confident he could pay it back in the future.

"Teacher Wang, what are the specific requirements for this loan?" Xu Wuyi asked the most crucial question.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. The Battle Network’s loan was bound to have its own prerequisites.

Wang Wenhai was clearly prepared, saying directly, "The Battle Network’s loans are divided into several tiers for users of different ages and strengths. The requirements for high school students like you are the most lenient, as it’s considered an encouragement policy."

"The most basic one is that you first need to reach the Third Rank in ’Rank Battles’."

Third Rank!

Xu Wuyi had previously reached around 50 points in the Second Rank, meaning he was still 150 points away from the Third Rank. And for every 50-point interval, the opponents’ strength increased noticeably.

His strength had improved significantly since then, but he still wasn’t sure if he could make it to the Third Rank.

"As long as you reach the Third Rank, you’ll be eligible to apply for an initial credit limit of around 700,000 to one million Federation Coins. If you want to increase the limit later, you’ll need a higher Rank or have to demonstrate even greater potential."

Seven hundred thousand to one million!

Xu Wuyi’s heart stirred.

This amount of money was enough to cover his Potion consumption for the next several months, solving his most pressing problem.

Even if he really reached the point of using one Qi Blood Potion every two days, he would only be over budget by 250,000 a month, unless he needed to use some other precious resources later on.

"I understand, Teacher Wang." Xu Wuyi took a deep breath, his eyes firming with resolve. "Once I’ve raised my Life Energy Level a bit more, I’ll participate in Rank Battles and get to the Third Rank as soon as possible."

Xu Wuyi knew very well that Rank represented strength. Winning earned you points, while losing deducted them.

If his strength wasn’t sufficient, it would be difficult to raise his Rank, no matter how many matches he played.

On the other hand, if he improved his strength first before trying to climb the Ranks, he could easily go on a winning streak. It was a case of sharpening the axe before chopping the wood.

...

In the pure white initial space, Xu Wuyi called up the system menu and swiped his fingers quickly across the light screen.

Sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner under the "Personal Services" category, he found a dark gold icon: [Student Assistance Program].

Below it was a line of small text:

This program is reviewed, approved, and supported by the Federation Ministry of Martial Arts Education.

This was equivalent to an official endorsement. Xu Wuyi breathed an even deeper sigh of relief and opened it with a thought.

The light screen before him expanded instantly, displaying numerous terms and conditions in densely packed text.

Xu Wuyi read it carefully, word by word and sentence by sentence. Teacher Wang Wenhai had been right; this was indeed a special loan channel for currently enrolled students.

The terms were presented one by one:

Rank Requirement: The applicant’s current Rank in the Battle Network’s Rank Battles must be Third Rank or higher.

Identity Requirement: Limited to students currently enrolled in a full-time Federation high school or Martial Arts Academy. Student status verification and binding are required.

Potential Assessment: A preliminary assessment via the Battle Network’s built-in "Potential Model" is required. This is triggered upon application and completed automatically by the Intelligent Brain System.

Loan Amount: Determined based on a comprehensive review of the potential assessment results, with a maximum limit of 1,000,000 Federation Coins. For first-time applicants, the initial disbursement is typically 70%-100% of the assessed maximum limit.

Loan Term and Interest Rate...

Xu Wuyi noticed that the first year of the loan was an interest-free period. Interest would begin to accrue from the second year, but the rate was much lower than a normal bank loan. Furthermore, the final repayment deadline was five years later.

In other words, if a university student took out the loan, the due date would be at least one year after graduation, by which time they would be fully capable of repaying it.

Judging by these terms alone, the loan program on the Battle Network was definitely an ethical one, truly worthy of the name "Student Assistance."

In addition, there was a supplementary clause:

Loan funds may only be used for legitimate expenses related to Martial Arts training, such as purchasing Potions, training resources, paying for Martial Arts inheritances, training fees, etc. The Battle Network will conduct limited compliance spot checks on the flow of funds.

Monitoring the funds was to be expected, so Xu Wuyi naturally wasn’t worried about it.

However, besides not having a high enough Rank, Xu Wuyi faced another difficulty—

As a minor, he was not personally eligible to take out a loan; his parents would have to apply on his behalf.

As it happened, Xu Wuyi wanted to discuss this matter with his parents anyway.