Chapter 236: Congratulating Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on Successfully Obtaining the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate

Chapter 236: Congratulations to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on Successfully Obtaining Their Foundation Establishment Qualification

After leaving the examination hall, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen boarded the return train directly.

Fuji, having been awakened, learned that the two had both passed the Foundation Establishment exam and laughed heartily. "Good, good! I knew I wasn't wrong about you two. Now, all you need to do is complete Foundation Establishment before entering university."

"Once you do, you'll be able to enroll in the Foundation Establishment class right away, which means you're halfway to guaranteed graduate school admission."

At this thought, Fuji felt a surge of excitement. What use was just attending university? Could you find a good job without going to graduate school?

Zhang Yu, however, frowned and said quietly, "Complete Foundation Establishment before university? You make it sound as easy as buying a potion at the school gate."

Zhang Yu knew that Foundation Establishment required coordinating with one's own spiritual root, planting it into the dantian, and making it a complete part of the body. This meant he would need to purchase a spiritual root.

And given his status as the strongest high school student in the First Layer of Kunxu, he would at least need a Heavenly Spiritual Root for Foundation Establishment, right?

But the price of a Heavenly Spiritual Root was tens of millions. How many lessons would he have to teach at the Dark Learning Association, how many extra shifts would he have to work at the Red Tower, to save up enough money before entering university?

"As for A-Zhen..."

Seeing Zhang Yu's gaze, Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes and said, "No way. I have to save up money too."

Zhang Yu understood what she meant. Although she had her own spiritual root for Foundation Establishment, she didn't want anyone to know she was born with one.

So if Bai Zhenzhen wanted to conceal her innate spiritual root, she would also have to save up money to buy a Heavenly Spiritual Root to cover up the fact that she possessed one.

Fuji, however, smiled and continued in their minds, "Indeed, the higher the grade of the spiritual root during Foundation Establishment, the better the effect. Zhang Yu, you'll definitely need to use a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

"But the price of a Heavenly Spiritual Root is something you can't afford right now."

"When did I ever say you had to afford it yourselves?"

"Didn't many university representatives come to watch your Foundation Establishment exam this time?"

"Universities also care about enrollment performance. Good universities need to recruit good students to maintain their competitiveness and ratings, while weaker universities need good students to strive for higher ratings."

"Given your performance in this Foundation Establishment exam, those university representatives won't remain indifferent. They'll definitely send people to contact you."

"Although they can't come down easily themselves, they'll probably reach out through some companies."

"Anyway, as long as you get their support, take advantage of the generous conditions they offer, and work hard to earn money yourselves, it's not impossible to complete Foundation Establishment before university."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, recalling that Deng Bingding had said something similar before—they would face early recruitment by universities.

Just then, Fuji reminded them, "The first thing you need to do now is get off at some small city, digest the gains from this Foundation Establishment exam, and boost your strength."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Not going straight back to Songyang? Is it to make those representatives wait? Let them sense each other's presence and drive up the price?"

Fuji smiled faintly. "That's only one aspect."

Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened. "Is it because of the Zhou family?"

Bai Zhenzhen also caught on. "Since some of the Zhou family's higher-ups guessed we were taking the Foundation Establishment exam, once they find out that many university representatives are sending people to contact us, they might deduce that we passed the exam."

"They could react in two ways: either try to further ease relations with us."

"Or... strike directly."

Having experienced the gang wars in the dark tutoring world time and again, Bai Zhenzhen knew all too well how brutal struggles for survival and profit could be. Even if the chance of encountering a fight or a firefight was low, extreme caution was necessary.

Zhang Yu added, "Especially since they might know our identities."

Although Zhang Yu didn't say the words "evil god," Bai Zhenzhen understood what he meant.

As Fuji had analyzed before, the Zhou family's higher-ups likely knew they were followers of an evil god.

Considering that, the other side might resort to even more drastic measures.

After all, in conflicts between evil god followers, neither side dared to alert the true gods.

Zhang Yu said, "So you're worried they might act desperately?"

Fuji replied, "I can't say for sure, but we have to be on guard. It won't cost you anything to be cautious."

"Besides, you can take these few days outside to digest your gains and improve your strength."

"While you're away, the people coming to Songyang High School to find you will be waiting there. The more people waiting for you, the more the Zhou family will hesitate to act, and they certainly won't dare to make a move against you."

"You and A-Zhen should even turn off your phones. No need to rush to contact them."

Yet Zhang Yu's mind was still occupied with the Zhou family.

The thought of an existence that might know they were evil god followers felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Fuji said, "To completely resolve the Zhou family issue, in the end, you'll have to rely on your own strength."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Just in time, he could use this period to first cultivate a technique rewarded by the Foundation Establishment exam, and with the interest-free loan of three million, buy another technique to cultivate.

That way, he could complete the final layer of the Martial Saint Embryo.

...

While Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were hiding out to cultivate,

Inside Ziyun High School.

Le Mulan looked at the test report in her hands and exclaimed in surprise, "This is Zhang Yu's sweat?"

Le Jingchen corrected, "It's sweat from both you and Zhang Yu. Unfortunately, your sweat contaminated his, otherwise the purity would have been higher."

Le Mulan was somewhat taken aback. "He's that impressive?"

Le Jingchen sighed, "It must be some new technology from a certain company. This kid is being used as a test subject."

"After all, he's the kind of guy who sells competition qualifications. Probably doesn't plan on getting into a good university."

Recalling the recent incident involving the Zhou family, especially the appearance of a Sixth-Rank God, Le Jingchen speculated, "Maybe he's walking the path of the gods? Perhaps he'll become a vessel for some great deity."

Le Mulan lowered her gaze. For some reason, thinking that someone with Zhang Yu's talent, due to his background, had no chance of getting into the top ten universities and could only end up on the path of the gods, becoming material for a great god's descent, she felt a sense of pity.

"Before I graduate from high school, I'll ask him to train me a few more times."

Just then, Le Jingchen's phone rang. He answered and paused for a moment. "Yeah... I entered it into the database."

"Yes, that test subject from another company is named Zhang Yu."

"Contact him?"

Hanging up, Le Jingchen looked up with some confusion. "Ziyun Pharmaceutical... a call from the headquarters in Xiandu. They want me to contact Zhang Yu. They said someone from the main company has something to say to him."

Hearing it was a call from headquarters, Le Mulan's eyes also flickered with doubt. She knew that the Xiandu headquarters rarely contacted them without a major reason, especially directly reaching Le Jingchen at Ziyun High School.

Le Mulan thought to herself, "Could it be that Zhang Yu's situation is really a test by a competitor of Ziyun Pharmaceutical? Are the higher-ups at Ziyun planning to do something to Zhang Yu?"

At Le Jingchen's signal, Le Mulan called Zhang Yu, but the line was dead.

"No wonder they came to me. They couldn't get through either?"

Le Jingchen thought for a moment and said, "Go to Songyang High School. Find him and then contact me."

...

Inside Songyang High School.

Zhou Chechen was radiating freezing air, cultivating his family's technique.

Looking back over the past few months, he felt his own powerlessness time and again.

"I'm still too weak. Just like Zhang Yu, I'm nothing but a pawn swept along by the tide, manipulated by others, unable to make my own choices."

Thinking of this, a flicker of coldness flashed in Zhou Chechen's eyes: "But I'm different from Zhang Yu."

"From the fact that he gave up his competition qualification, he abandoned his chance to get into the Top Ten—was it because the deity behind him forbade it?"

"He's already destined to be a pawn for life, but I still have a chance."

"In the remaining time of senior year, I'll fight even harder. I must get into the Top Ten."

"I refuse to be such a pawn any longer."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the training ground, Lan Ling was also training with fierce determination. Whether he too had been spurred on by the same stimulus, he was making a final sprint, hoping to secure a place in the remaining competitions of senior year and earn more opportunities to enter the Top Ten.

Just then, a roar echoed from the sky.

Zhou Chechen looked out the window in confusion, only to see a flying boat hovering above Songyang High School, from which several people leaped down.

But this seemed only the beginning. Shortly after the flying boat appeared, a streak of sword light cut through the sky and landed within the campus.

After another while, someone arrived at the school gate in a luxury car.

Thus, people entered Songyang High School one after another.

Soon, Zhou Chechen heard news that all the arrivals were reportedly from major corporations.

Xianyun Group, Tianwu Group, Xinchuang Medical, Wanshou Animal Husbandry, Wanli Group... Not only were they from various big companies, but they were all from the headquarters in Xiandu.

Hearing this, Zhou Chechen was startled and uncertain: "Why are so many people from big companies coming to Songyang High School?"

He simply couldn't fathom how this small Songyang High School could attract such attention from major corporations in Xiandu.

"Could someone have awakened a spiritual root?"

"It can't be that someone owes debts to all these big companies, can it?"

Zhou Chechen quickly sent students to investigate, only to learn that the representatives of these companies had been welcomed into the conference room, where the principal and several school leaders were currently hosting them.

Just as Zhou Chechen was filled with doubt, the principal sent for him, asking him to attend the reception of the company representatives in his capacity as student council president.

Entering the conference room, facing over a dozen company representatives, and thinking of the many big companies behind them, Zhou Chechen felt as if he had shrunk three inches in their presence.

Especially because he could sense that these representatives were no ordinary employees—the aura of wealth about them was overwhelming, and their condescending attitude was exactly like the legendary lords of Xiandu.

One woman among them looked at him with a smile and said, "So you're the student council president? Hello, I'm Zhang Bi from Tianwu Group. Do you happen to know where Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have gone?"

"Zhang Yu? Bai Zhenzhen?" Zhou Chechen was slightly taken aback. "Are you here for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen?"

Zhang Bi smiled and replied, "Yes, we have some matters to discuss with them, but we just can't seem to get in touch."

As she spoke, she shot a glare toward the crowd: "Some people couldn't contain themselves and came straight to the school, forcing all of us to make this trip, only to find that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen are on leave."

"You're the student council president—do you know where they've gone? Or which students are close to them and can get in touch?"

Hearing her question, even with Zhou Chechen's rich life experience, he stood frozen on the spot, momentarily at a loss for words.

The principal beside him asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, what exactly is your business with Zhang Yu? Perhaps we can help as well."

The company representatives smiled silently, none of them speaking.

They couldn't possibly tell them that they had all been dispatched by orders from higher-level companies.

Even less could they reveal that those higher-level companies had been instructed by universities above them.

They also refrained from mentioning the Foundation Establishment Exam—this had long been an unspoken rule among the top powers of Kunxu's first layer.

Though these representatives were company employees, they all hailed from the wealthy clans of Xiandu, and no one would rashly break this tacit understanding.

In their view, they should have quietly met with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, exchanged words, and reached an agreement.

But they had no idea which company's reckless fool had barged into Songyang High School first.

On the other side, the dean of students said, "I know Zhang Yu is outstanding, but if you're looking for excellent students, our school has others besides Zhang Yu who are also exceptional—like this student council president, Zhou Chechen..."

Just as the dean was about to promote his own students, a snicker rang out from among the company representatives.

No one knew who had laughed, but it set off a chorus of laughter from all the representatives.

The people from Songyang High School looked on in bewilderment at the laughing representatives, unsure what they had said wrong, and could only force awkward smiles.

Zhou Chechen felt like a clown at that moment, scrutinized and mocked under the gaze of these corporate giants, powerless to do anything.

The woman who had spoken earlier said again, "We're only looking for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen—no one else. If you don't know where they are, please call over some students who are familiar with them."

Just then, another commotion arose, and a strange sound came from the sky.

Those familiar with the sound of flying swords recognized it as the noise of at least several hundred swords darting through the air.

"Is this a war?" someone exclaimed. "Is this also a battlefield for corporate warfare?"

Some leaped out the window, others flickered into the hallway—everyone showed their skills.

Then, including the company representatives and Zhou Chechen and the other students, they saw hundreds of flying swords streak across the sky, their blades gleaming, forming a line of characters in the air:

"Wang, President of Oasis Group, congratulates Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on successfully obtaining their Foundation Establishment qualification! May your future be vast as the sky and sea, soaring to the heavens!"

Seeing this line of characters, the company representatives knew that some old unspoken rules were about to be thoroughly broken.

Please vote for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)