Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!-Chapter 63, A Week Later

A week had passed since the final battle shook Jianghe Hunter Academy. The noise had faded and the cheers had quieted. But the name still lingered.

Lin Yi.

Champion.

Even now, students spoke of the finals, replaying the moment he shattered Chen Feng’s final strike, the moment the so-called storm collapsed before something far greater.

....

Inside the dormitory room, sunlight streamed through the half-open window, casting a calm glow across the wooden floor. The air was quiet, almost too quiet compared to the chaos that had defined the past weeks. Lin Yi sat by the edge of his bed with a cup of water in his hand, as if nothing had happened. But that wasn’t entirely true.

A few weeks from now, the semester would end. And with it, a door would open. The Regional Academy Entrance Exam. Lin Yi’s gaze shifted to the academy badge resting on the table beside him. Jianghe Hunter Academy. A starting point. Nothing more.

In this era, city academies like Jianghe were only the foundation, training beginners, filtering talent, and preparing them for something greater. Beyond them stood the Regional Academies, institutions that gathered the most talented hunters from multiple frontier cities and shaped them into forces capable of surviving the true dangers of the wilderness. Jianghe City itself was only a frontier city, its population of roughly six million large by ordinary standards but insignificant in the broader scale. Because above it stood Celestial City, a regional capital of fifteen million, a city that didn’t just survive alongside dimensional rifts but dominated them. Jianghe was not alone under its administration. There were seven other frontier cities, eight in total, all feeding their best talents upward into Celestial City. And within Celestial City, five Regional Academies stood at the peak, each one a gate, each one difficult to enter, each one capable of changing a hunter’s entire future.

Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly. Heavenly Phoenix Hunter Academy. One of the five. The one that had extended him a recommendation.

He placed the cup down quietly. After the tournament, rewards had been distributed. Rare equipment, city armory gear, credits, resources. To most students, they were treasures. To Lin Yi, they were irrelevant.

At Level 42 with a Mythical-grade weapon in his possession, most of what Jianghe could offer had already lost its value. Only one reward mattered. The recommendation. With it, he didn’t need to fight for the top 1% in the Regional Entrance Exam like everyone else. He only needed to place within the top 50%. The recommendation served as a guaranteed path. A safety net. An opportunity many would kill for.

Lin Yi’s gaze grew colder. "...Top 50%?" He let out a faint breath. "...What’s the point."

A path already secured held no meaning. If he entered, he would enter at the top. Anything less was meaningless.

Then, the door suddenly opened.

"Brother Lin!" Wang Hao stepped in, his usual energy filling the quiet room instantly. "You’re just sitting here again?" He shook his head. "Do you ever get tired of being this calm?"

"...No."

Wang Hao laughed and dropped himself onto the chair opposite him. "I swear, if it were me, I’d still be out there celebrating. Champion of Jianghe Academy..." He whistled. "That’s not something people forget easily."

Lin Yi remained silent.

Wang Hao leaned forward slightly, his tone shifting. "...But that’s not why I came."

That caught Lin Yi’s attention. "What is it?"

"The Regional Academy Entrance Exam." Wang Hao’s expression grew more serious. "I’ve been thinking about it." He scratched his head slightly. "You already have a recommendation to Heavenly Phoenix, so your path is basically set. But for the rest of us..." He exhaled. "...it’s different."

Lin Yi didn’t interrupt, as Wang Hao continued. "Celestial City controls eight frontier cities, including Jianghe. Every single academy sends their students to compete in that exam. That’s not just hundreds of people. That’s thousands." His tone grew heavier. "And only the top 1% get in."

A brief silence settled between them. Then Wang Hao laughed lightly, though there was tension behind it. "...Sounds impossible, right?"

"Not impossible."

Wang Hao blinked. "...Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I’m not aiming for Heavenly Phoenix or anything," he admitted. "That place is full of monsters. I heard ninety-five percent of their students are S-Rank." He shook his head. "That’s not a place for people like me."

Lin Yi’s gaze shifted slightly. "Then where?"

"There are other academies under Celestial City," Wang Hao said. "Not all of them are as insane as Heavenly Phoenix. Some focus on balanced development, others on survival training..." He smiled slightly. "I just need to get into one. That’s enough for me."

Wang Hao laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." But then he leaned forward, his expression turning more focused. "...What about you?"

"You already have your recommendation. You could take it easy, pass the exam safely, and still enter Heavenly Phoenix." A pause. "...But you’re not going to do that, are you?"

"No."

Wang Hao smiled. "I figured." He leaned back again. "So what’s your goal?"

Lin Yi stood up slowly and walked toward the window. Outside, the academy grounds stretched out under the morning light, students moving between training grounds, talking, preparing for what lay ahead.

His voice was quiet but clear. "...First place."

Wang Hao froze. "...Among all eight cities?"

"Yes."

A beat passed. Then Wang Hao laughed, genuinely and without mockery, shaking his head slowly.

"...Of course. I should’ve known." He stood and stretched. "Well," he said, his tone lighter again, "if you’re aiming for first place... then I’ll aim to not embarrass myself."

And with that, the sunlight shifted as time passed, casting longer shadows across the room. Outside, the world was moving forward. Beyond Jianghe, beyond the academy, beyond everything they had known so far. The next stage was waiting. And this time, the competition would not be limited to a single academy. It would be eight cities, thousands of hunters, five gates, and one path upward.