Chapter 298: Get in the Car Quickly! The Car Door is About to Be Welded Shut (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 298: Hurry Aboard! The Doors Are Almost Welded Shut (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"The artifact-crafting department... what right do they have to cut enrollment?"

Zhang Yu never imagined that after entering the university, he would face a predicament so similar to that of his high school martial arts teacher, Lei Jun.

Only, Lei Jun had encountered a reduction in the quotas for Foundation Establishment certification, whereas he was facing a contraction in graduate admissions.

Spending some time searching, Zhang Yu found that he could discover no explanation for the enrollment cuts on the spiritual realm network.

However, back in the dormitory after classes that day, as he was taking his medicine, Zhang Pianpian listened to his doubts and offered some insight.

"It is said that several grandmasters of artifact creation at the Deity Transformation stage led the protest," Zhang Pianpian began, her voice steady. "They claim that the current educational resources within the artifact-crafting departments across various universities are insufficient and cannot properly match the student intake."

As her fingertips grazed lightly across her talisman book, boundless streams of information flickered within the depths of her eyes.

"Furthermore," she continued, "they believe the current caliber of applicants falls short, and that the standards should be raised even higher..."

Zhang Yu cursed silently in his heart. Damn it, they’ve climbed aboard and now the first thing they do is weld the doors shut, isn't it?

Zhang Pianpian shook her head. "Those are merely the superficial pretexts thrown out to the public."

"The true reason..."

Her fingertip traced an arcane rune across the talisman book, one that Zhang Yu could not decipher. In the next instant, a vast torrent of data from the deepest recesses of the spiritual realm flashed across her eyes.

With a faint smile, she said, "The true reason, I suspect, is that the top ten universities have aligned to restrict the number of artifact-crafting students across all institutions, thereby consolidating their own dominance."

"Zhang Yu, if you still intend to take the graduate entrance exam for the artifact-crafting department, the difficulty will likely be far greater now."

She let out a soft sigh. "I reviewed the admission standards from recent years. They have risen almost annually."

"To transfer departments, the prerequisites have grown even more stringent. Fundamentally, they require a ranking within the top fifty of the entire department."

"If you are in Civil Engineering, it demands a ranking within the top twenty."

Zhang Yu was struck with dismay. "Such high requirements? That’s absurd."

"Top twenty of the whole department? I would have to rank among the top twenty in Civil Engineering, regardless of class year, just to transfer to Artifact Crafting? Who set these standards?"

"That is merely the benchmark to qualify for the transfer examination," Zhang Pianpian replied calmly.

"According to the guidelines for the incoming cohort, if you wish to compete against other students, you must also vie for bonus points."

"For instance, possessing prior mastery in immortal arts like artifact creation, alchemy, medicine-brewing, or array formation yields extra credit, granting priority admission."

Zhang Yu’s brow furrowed even deeper at her words. Those bonus-point skills sounded more expensive than the last. This was not a screening for talent; it was quite clearly a screening for wealth.

"Zhang Yu, if you still intend to walk the path of an artifact crafter, you will have to exert yourself even more," Zhang Pianpian continued.

"After all, by the time your cohort reaches that stage, the admissions criteria will likely be more unforgiving still."

She shook her head, her voice tinged with a philosophical resignation. "But there is no helping it. The reduction of enrollment in popular disciplines is the broader trend of our time."

"It is not isolated to the artifact-crafting department; the three crown-jewel faculties of Myriad Dharma University are all cutting back."

"The entry requirements for the Finance Department, for example, soared into the heavens long ago."

"At the end of the day, the dining table is only so large. If one more person sits down, everyone else gets a smaller portion."

"As time flows onward, climbing higher in Kunxu will only become increasingly difficult."

"The entry trials for the Ten Great Sects... a few more years from now, they might cease recruitment altogether."

Hearing the initial changes regarding graduate quotas and the artifact-crafting department, Zhang Yu had knit his brows repeatedly but maintained his composure, resolving simply to work harder henceforth.

Yet upon hearing her final utterance, his eyes widened in sudden shock. "Sister... Senior! What did you say?"

"The Ten Great Sects might stop recruiting in a few years?"

In that instant, a familiar chill, one that had not surfaced for a long time amidst his relentless daily studies and cultivation, seemed to creep back into his consciousness—the lingering dread of the ritual power.

Zhang Yu, who had thought he could briefly breathe a sigh of relief after gaining admission to a top-ten university according to the path of his wish, grew taut with tension once more.

He remembered with absolute clarity the exact path he had designated to fulfill his vow.

Gain admission to a university, enter a sect, and ultimately rely on the sect’s stipend to achieve his desire of purchasing antiques...

"Damn it, if the Ten Great Sects stop accepting disciples, won't I fail to fulfill the ritual wish? Then upon graduation... will I be consumed by the backlash of the ritual and die?"

"Fuji! Did you hear that? Is there really no way for you to halt this wretched ritual?"

Fuji let out an embarrassed, hollow laugh. "Ah, I never anticipated things would become this fiercely competitive nowadays."

As a tempest rages within Zhang Yu's mind, Zhang Pianpian cast a peculiar glance at the shifting expressions on his face before replying evenly, "Only after arriving up here does one realize that many circumstances differ from what we once imagined. Since the establishment of the high exam and university systems, peerless geniuses who climbed their way up have been recruited into the Ten Great Sects from the top ten universities almost every single year."

"Under this mechanism, the ranks of the Ten Great Sects have expanded annually, giving rise to an endless succession of extraordinary talents."

"Each of these geniuses among geniuses is a figure of towering talent and brilliant intellect."

"With so many individuals entering the sects, ascending toward the apex of the immortal path... do you not think the heights would become increasingly crowded?"

"To the Ten Great Sects, talent for the immortal path may very well have reached a point of surplus."

"And as the carriage grows ever more crowded, it is only natural to elevate the standards for climbing aboard."

Zhang Pianpian sighed. "Based on the data I have currently gathered, looking at the trends of recent years, there may no longer be any mortals remaining within the Ten Great Sects. The birth rate there has likely dwindled to zero for a considerable duration now. Not a single person who ascends there for work is permitted to retain their residency permit; after working for a set period, they are invariably sent back down..."

"I foresee... a few more years, and we will closely approach that critical tipping point."

"When that time comes, the Ten Great Sects may never recruit disciples again, and the sect grotto-heavens above the tenth layer may never open downward again."

"Above the sects, and below the sects, will completely become two distinct worlds."

Listening to her discourse, Zhang Yu’s mind erupted in a flurry of silent curses. Why does it have to catch me precisely at a time like this?

If I had been born twenty or forty years earlier, wouldn't the difficulty of testing into university and entering a sect have been several grades lower?

It is bad enough that the difficulty is immense now, but they might even shut the gates entirely?

Observing the dark and uncertain shifts in his countenance, Zhang Pianpian inquired with doubt, "Zhang Yu, do you desire so intensely to enter the Ten Great Sects?"

Zhang Yu nodded. "Do you think there is still hope for me?"

Consulting the data, Zhang Pianpian stated, "Last year, the number of artifact-crafting students recruited by the sects was... five."

Zhang Yu's expression stirred at the words. "Recruited by the Myriad Dharma Sect?"

She shook her head. "Across all universities, from among all doctoral graduates in artifact-crafting, the Ten Great Sects recruited a total of five individuals. Four were at the Nascent Soul stage, and one was at the Golden Core stage."

"If you wish to enter the Ten Great Sects, I fear you must at least attain a doctoral degree."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu felt his heart turn cold.

Then, remembering the Civil Engineering graduate department with its expanded enrollment, he asked with a faint glimmer of anticipation, "What about Civil Engineering? Were the recruitments for Civil Engineering exceptionally large..."

"Zero," Zhang Pianpian said flatly. "Last year... the Ten Great Sects did not recruit a single disciple from Civil Engineering."

"It is now tacitly understood that the Ten Great Sects have likely halted recruitment for Civil Engineering entirely."

"I have looked into it. If you truly wish to enter the Ten Great Sects, the probability through the artifact-crafting department is already relatively high. Other departments are either lower than artifact-crafting or roughly the same..."

Zhang Yu asked, "Then... how many years do you think remain before the Ten Great Sects completely cease recruitment?"

"Five years? Ten years? Twenty years?" Zhang Pianpian shook her head, letting out a sigh. "It is difficult to say. You must know that to immortals, ten or thirty years are scarcely any different."

Zhang Yu pressed further, "Have you never thought of entering the Ten Great Sects?"

Zhang Pianpian offered a faint, detached smile. "The Righteous Deities of the Eight Ministries are my ultimate destination."

Saying this, she let out a gentle sigh of lament. "Only after entering the university did I increasingly feel... that we were, in the end, born a little too late."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but clench his fist, thinking to himself, "This won't do. If things go on like this, it's too dangerous."

Seeing Zhang Yu's furrowed brow, Zhang Pianpian said, "If you really want to seize the last opportunity, you'll have to complete your credits ahead of schedule and apply for graduation."

"But that means... you'll have to finish your cultivation in a shorter time, then compete with those elites who have been cultivating for ten years for a spot in the master's program, and then complete your master's degree in an even shorter time before competing for a doctoral position..."

At this thought, Zhang Pianpian couldn't help but shake her head. "Focus on the present first."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Graduate early?"

Zhang Pianpian reminded him again, "Remember, don't rush."

"As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Don't lose your composure and expose yourself."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly, trying to calm his emotions.

Since entering university, Zhang Yu, relying on his solid foundation from the past, had been like a fish in water. Whether it was his cultivation, strength, grades, or ranking, everything had been steadily improving.

Not long ago, after joining the construction site, even his spirit coins showed a clear upward trend.

Originally, he thought he could just follow this steady path, slowly improving, advancing through school and exams, and eventually joining one of the ten great sects.

But he never imagined that the situation in Kunxu was far worse than he had thought.

However, Zhang Yu had no power to influence the policies of the ten great sects. The only thing he could do now was to work harder, push himself more, and cultivate more diligently, all in the hope of increasing his chances of success by even a little.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu quickly pondered in his mind, "To achieve this without exposing my special talent, I need to earn more money."

Zhang Yu understood that the more money he earned, the faster he could improve. At the same time, it would serve as a good cover for his rapid progress, masking his extraordinary talent.

"Fortunately, I now have a job at the construction site, so I don't have to worry about spending more than I earn."

With this in mind, Zhang Yu had already made up his mind. "Next... I'll spend money to improve my strength, using it as a basis for increasing my efficiency at the construction site. Then I'll earn more spirit coins and spend even more to improve my strength..."

A moment later, various products and services flashed through Zhang Yu's mind. He had already started selecting what he would purchase next.

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(End of Chapter)