Fang Yu understood.
Contracts like the Elite Contract and Earth Contract were granted automatically once a student's overall score ranking reached a certain threshold, and their numbers were relatively fixed. But the Sky-Patrol Contract was different.
One had to be a so-called "Tier-3 Star Seed" to qualify for a Sky-Patrol Contract. And if there was none? The university would rather go without than settle for less. In his senior class, for instance, there was not a single recipient.
Across the entire Huguang Martial University, there were currently only four.
"Fang Yu, take a look at the contract first," Associate Professor Tang prompted. "If there is anything you don't understand, feel free to ask now."
"Alright." Fang Yu nodded and quickly began flipping through the pages.
The first page mainly confirmed the legal identities of both parties, the contract duration, breach-of-contract penalties, and similar stipulations. It was largely the same as the Elite Contract.
The second page covered basic entitlements, such as upgrading his residence to a luxury villa with a far superior living environment, complimentary access to higher-tier combat sparring robots, and so forth.
The third page detailed the cultivation funding package.
*Twenty million in cultivation funds per year, totaling forty million across two years? And retroactive disbursement for the previous two years?* Fang Yu thought to himself. When signing an Elite Contract, after all, the missed funds from all three prior years were made up in full.
"Vice President Qing, shouldn't the cultivation funds be retroactively paid for three years?" Fang Yu asked directly.
With the contract still unsigned, raising questions now would draw no objections; voicing dissatisfaction after signing would be inappropriate.
"Fang Yu, the Alliance has regulations," Tang Jianxin explained from the side. "Whether for students at New Moon Martial University or regular undergraduates like ours, the maximum cultivation funding granted during one's undergraduate tenure is capped at eighty million Star Coins. Therefore, you will only receive retroactive funding for two years. Furthermore, that retroactive sum will deduct the four million Star Coins you've already received."
"In fact, under a standard Earth Contract, the cultivation funding is five million a year, which falls far short of the ceiling," Tang Jianxin added.
Fang Yu had an epiphany.
So the Blue Moon Alliance capped undergraduate cultivation funding at eighty million.
"Then why not simply state sixteen million a year?" Fang Yu could not resist remarking. "That way, five years would add up to eighty million, wouldn't it?"
"Because the university provides subsidies in other areas," Tang Jianxin answered with a smile. "Read further down. During your time at the university, you will have a total allowance of twenty million in complimentary treasure-purchasing credits. This can be used to acquire foundational cultivation supplies like Cell Vitality Factor and Star Force Nourishing Pills, or to buy advanced saber techniques and movement manuals."
Fang Yu understood.
Eighty million in direct funds, plus twenty million in purchasing credits, brought the overall cultivation budget to one hundred million Star Coins—twenty million per year...
Even though he had known the terms of a Sky-Patrol Contract would far exceed those of an Earth Contract, Fang Yu still felt light-headed.
One hundred million!
Many Advanced Martial Artists struggled for decades without ever amassing such wealth. After all, martial artists routinely faced astronomical cultivation expenses.
"Wait," Fang Yu asked, puzzled. "Why does this complimentary purchasing credit only last until January of New Calendar Year 62?"
It was currently September of New Calendar Year 60, meaning the credit line did not extend all the way to graduation.
"Because graduate exam scores come out every year in January, and students head off to their new schools in February," Tang Jianxin replied with a slight smile. "As a Sky-Patrol Contract student, gaining admission into New Moon Martial University's graduate school is extraordinarily difficult... but failing to get into even one of the New Moon Top Ten graduate programs would be a massive disappointment."
Fang Yu nodded. So that was why.
Martial arts universities on Blue Star did not train graduate students, and the overall graduate quota was extremely small, making graduate admissions fiercely competitive. Yet no matter how tough it was, a Sky-Patrol Contract student should theoretically have little trouble getting into a graduate program at one of the New Moon Top Ten.
Fang Yu continued reading.
The fourth page covered access to specialized facilities, such as the star force chamber.
"The gravity chamber—ninety hours of use per month?" Fang Yu found it hard to believe. He had personally experienced the chamber's effects; two hours inside equaled several days of ordinary cultivation.
Yet a Tier-1 Civilization Warrior normally received only two hours of access per month.
"That's right," Tang Jianxin said with a chuckle. "Earth Contract students get twenty hours a month, while Sky-Patrol Contract students get ninety hours. In practice, you won't even use it all—it's practically unlimited. After all, spending an hour or two in a gravity chamber every day is already plenty."
Fang Yu nodded. It appeared capped on paper, but was effectively unlimited.
"There's even a dedicated Earth Martial Artist as an instructor?" Fang Yu pointed to another clause.
"Regular martial artists attend mass lectures, mostly taught by Level 39 lecturers," Tang Jianxin explained. "Earth Contract students are assigned an Earth Martial Artist for a dedicated lecture once a week. Sky-Patrol Contract students, on the other hand, receive private, one-on-one lessons every two days. If your progress is truly rapid, the president will personally instruct you. For instance, the president frequently tutors Yan Tianheng in person. The president is a peak Level 49 Earth Martial Artist whose mastery of martial technique long ago surpassed the Inner Vista."
"In fact," Tang Jianxin added, pointing to an unassuming line, "the most precious perk among these specialized training resources is actually this one: the Sky Eye Apparatus. This is reserved exclusively for Sky-Patrol Contract students; Earth Contract students don't even know it exists."
"The Sky Eye Apparatus?" Fang Yu was intrigued.
What was that?
"I'll keep you in suspense for now. Once you arrive at the university and try it for yourself, you'll understand its value," Tang Jianxin said with a smile. "It's better than both the gravity chamber and the star force chamber."
"Fang Yu, the university once ran the numbers," Professor Xu finally spoke up from the side. "The cultivation value of an Earth Contract is around sixty million Star Coins. But when everything is factored in, a Sky-Patrol Contract is worth at least two hundred million or more!"
Fang Yu took a deep breath.
This Sky-Patrol Contract was indeed astonishingly generous. The money was secondary... The crux was that many of these specialized resources were monopolized by the university and simply unavailable in wider society.
Take the gravity chamber: he had talked about it with Wang Mo. Such treasures were nowhere to be found on open markets; even with the Wang family's wealth, they could not purchase one. Many treasures simply could not be bought with money alone.
Two hundred million? Professor Xu was likely giving a conservative estimate.
"Hm?" Fang Yu turned to the final page of the contract and paused in surprise. This page no longer listed standard benefits, but rather "Additional Rewards."
"1. If Party B reaches Life Level 39 before January of New Calendar Year 62, a bonus of 5,000,000 Star Coins will be awarded."
"2. If Party B reaches the Great Accomplishment of Inner Vista in physical technique before January of New Calendar Year 62, a bonus of 20,000,000 Star Coins will be awarded."
"3. If Party B becomes a Tier-4 Civilization Warrior before January of New Calendar Year 62, a bonus of 100,000,000 Star Coins will be awarded."
"4. If Party B reaches Life Level 40 before January of New Calendar Year 62, a bonus of 100,000,000 Star Coins will be awarded."
"5. If Party B advances into the Pinnacle Battles of the Blue Moon Collegiate Martial Arts Tournament before January of New Calendar Year 62, regardless of their final ranking in the Pinnacle Battles, a bonus of 200,000,000 Star Coins will be awarded directly."
There were only five clauses in total.
Yet apart from the first, the rewards for the remaining four were staggering, casually offering bonuses in the hundreds of millions, as though Star Coins were merely play money printed by the underworld bank.
*Reaching Life Level 39 only awards five million?* Fang Yu was inwardly startled.
Even that first condition was already extraordinarily difficult.
Yet the reward amounts made it clear that fulfilling any of the subsequent four clauses was dozens of times harder than the first... At that moment, Fang Yu could not help recalling the banner he had seen when first logging into Huguang Martial University's campus network: "Congratulations to Earth Academy student Yan Tianheng for slaying an alien powerhouse, accumulating civilization points to become a Tier-4 Civilization Warrior, and receiving the university's Special-Grade Scholarship of 100,000,000 Star Coins."
Looking back now, while Yan Tianheng was an Earth Academy student on the surface, he had in fact signed a Sky-Patrol Contract and met the requirement of the third clause.
"Are you satisfied?" Vice President Qing asked with a warm smile.
"Very satisfied," Fang Yu nodded firmly.
With cultivation terms this generous, what could there possibly be to be dissatisfied about?
"Fang Yu," Vice President Qing said slowly, "the funds and resources consumed by every single Sky-Patrol Contract are hundreds or thousands of times greater than those allocated to an ordinary undergraduate... These resources are provided by the Alliance and originate from the contributions of countless ordinary citizens throughout our civilization. The purpose is to help the most talented students reach Level 39 as quickly as possible and advance their martial technique to the utmost, enabling them to swiftly become Earth Martial Artists... and laying the sturdiest foundation for becoming Sky-Patrolling Martial Artists. After all, a martial artist's prime cultivation years are before age thirty. The earlier one becomes an Earth Martial Artist, the greater the hope of becoming a Sky-Patroller."
Vice President Qing added solemnly, "I hope that after receiving these contract resources, you will continue to strive relentlessly. Do not disappoint the expectations of the university, nor those of our civilization. Our civilization needs powerful martial artists."
After imparting these words of encouragement and confirming that Fang Yu had no objections, the contract was signed. Vice President Qing and Professor Xu departed first, leaving only Fang Yu and Tang Jianxin in the office.
"Associate Professor Tang, thank you," Fang Yu said respectfully.
"Just call me Teacher Tang from now on," Tang Jianxin replied with a gentle smile. "Once you return to campus, your dedicated martial arts mentor will be me... After all, I am the director of the senior class, and you are the only Sky-Patrol Contract student in the fourth year. For the time being, instructing you is well within my abilities."
"Teacher Tang," Fang Yu adjusted his address.
"Mm."
"As for those five additional reward clauses in the Sky-Patrol Contract, there's no need to dwell on them for now. Don't let your ambitions outpace your grasp," Tang Jianxin said. "The reason they are listed as additional rewards is that they are difficult even for Sky-Patrol Contract students to achieve. Even someone like Yan Tianheng, a Tier-2 Star Seed who would be considered outstanding even at New Moon Martial University, can likely only claim the bonuses for the first four conditions at best. As for you, strive to achieve the first two before graduation—reaching Level 39 as a martial artist and attaining the Great Accomplishment of Inner Vista in technique."
Tang Jianxin sighed softly with emotion. "If you manage that, you will already have done exceptionally well. Of course, that's not to say you aren't talented. At twenty-one, having your physical technique reach the Inner Vista puts you at an intermediate level even at New Moon Martial University. It makes offending Xia Kaishan on your behalf well worth it."
Chapter 84