Chapter 439: Remember Not to Spread It Around; News Spreads Like Wildfire

Chapter 439: Keep this to yourself, rumors spread like wildfire

Staring at the message from Su Yanyang and recalling their previous conversation, an incredible suspicion stirred within Ma Xuan’s heart.

He replied: Didn’t Ping Han secure the military certification?

Su Yanyang: [Public List of Military Certification Recipients]

Upon seeing the name on the list, Ma Xuan gasped: Zhang Yu?

Ma Xuan: How could it be Zhang Yu?

Ma Xuan: How is it even possible that it’s Zhang Yu?

Ma Xuan knew all too well what that military certification signified.

He muttered to himself, “A student holding this credential has a path paved with gold—postgraduate studies, the Golden Core qualification exam... it’s all smooth sailing. Compared to an ordinary undergraduate, they are already half a step into the realm of a Master’s degree.”

Thinking of this, Ma Xuan felt a mix of jealousy and envy. He asked: Didn’t you say he performed miserably, that he couldn’t even stand up when the exam ended?

Su Yanyang: [Crying] I have no idea either!

Su Yanyang: I can’t make sense of it!

Ma Xuan: Could there be some dark dealings behind the scenes?

Ma Xuan: If there’s something shady going on, we should hurry and mend our relationship with Zhang Yu.

Reading Ma Xuan’s message, Su Yanyang found himself in complete agreement.

Ma Xuan: And how are we supposed to fight the next round?

Su Yanyang: Wait a moment, I’ll ask my teacher for the inside scoop.

Su Yanyang sent a message to his mentor, True Monarch Lingyue, hoping to inquire about the circumstances of this year’s military certification exam.

However, the message vanished like a stone cast into the sea; Su Yanyang waited over an hour without receiving a response.

Su Yanyang wasn’t particularly surprised; as the old saying goes, the older one gets, the busier one becomes.

As this old director of the Civil Engineering Department neared the end of his lifespan, he was perpetually swamped, leaving students like Su Yanyang mostly to their own devices, often leaving messages unread or replying only days later.

After a moment’s thought, Su Yanyang messaged fellow examinees Ping Han and Xiao Yunjie, asking if they knew any details.

Su Yanyang: Have you seen the military certification results?

...

That evening, Ping Han checked his message bar and glanced at Mo Shangjin as usual, only to see that the other party still hadn’t sent a word.

“Hmph, even if Mo Shangjin doesn’t want me back, Director Gao will surely invite me back for the sake of the competition rankings.”

Then, Ping Han received the message from Su Yanyang. He rubbed his hands together and hurriedly opened the link to the published military certification results.

Seeing the file for the new list of recipients, Ping Han clicked to download it with a heart full of anticipation.

“It’s here! Finally!”

When he opened the file and looked at the name within, he froze.

Ping Han deleted the file, downloaded it again, and opened it once more.

After repeating this several times, he muttered, “Impossible.”

“This is absolutely impossible!”

“I have spent ten years in bitter university study, breaking and rebuilding my foundation nine times over—how could I lose to someone who has only been in university for two and a half years?”

Ping Han messaged Director Gao directly: Why is it Zhang Yu?

Director Gao: His performance was superior to yours.

Ping Han: Nonsense! How could that be?

Director Gao: [Military Certification Exam Data]

Director Gao: His kill count was higher than yours.

Ping Han: What does a civil engineering exam have to do with kill counts?

Ping Han: Look at this data! My construction volume was far higher than his!

Ping Han: Isn’t that what civil engineering should be judged on? Working hard and getting the job done—isn’t that what you always taught us?

Director Gao: This was a joint decision by the judges and the Heavenly Court; I was merely a guest.

Ping Han: I don’t accept this.

Ping Han: I’m going to file a report!

Director Gao: Ping Han, calm down.

Ping Han: This is my final year of university! My military certification has been sabotaged; how do you expect me to be calm?

Ping Han: I am your disciple, too!

Ping Han: Why didn’t you lend me money when I was at my lowest point?

Ping Han: Why didn’t you help me when I finally clawed my way back up, when I was fighting for my last chance in university?

Director Gao: Ping Han, you must understand, in an exam environment, I cannot speak for my own disciples.

Ping Han: This will not end here.

...

Xiao Yunjie looked at the message from Su Yanyang, stunned for a moment, before rushing to log on to the website and download the public file.

Staring at Zhang Yu’s name... Xiao Yunjie felt utterly bewildered.

It would have been reasonable for Ping Han, with his ten years of accumulation and the momentum of a Divine Transformation expert, to take the certification.

It would have been understandable if she, Xiao Yunjie, who had poured years of wealth into the project, even going so far as to transplant deformed Dharma bones and abandon her human form, had won.

But what was the deal with Zhang Yu? Wasn’t he severely wounded and brought down by the Yellow Turban Warriors?

A trace of resentment rose in Xiao Yunjie’s heart, especially when she thought of how much she had sacrificed for this exam, only to lose to him. This dissatisfaction gradually curdled into bitterness.

She immediately asked her teacher, Director Lin, for the reason.

A moment later, Director Lin replied: Do not talk nonsense.

Director Lin: The exam was presided over by True Monarch Qiyun, True Monarch Tianxiang, and fifth-rank Orthodox Deities; where would there be room for dark dealings?

Xiao Yunjie: But Zhang Yu has only been enrolled for two and a half years, and he was in such a state after the exam.

Xiao Yunjie: How on earth did he win?

Director Lin had originally not wanted to bolster the morale of the War Faction or dampen the spirits of the Peace Faction, especially since he looked down on Zhang Yu’s method of winning.

However, he did not want his student spreading rumors of corruption that might eventually incur the Principal’s displeasure.

After considering for a moment, he replied: What I am about to tell you, keep to yourself; do not spread it around.

Director Lin: Ping Han’s performance was indeed excellent.

Director Lin: His construction scale was the highest in the entire field.

Xiao Yunjie: Then why is Zhang Yu the winner?

Director Lin: Because Zhang Yu wiped out every single Yellow Turban Warrior in the exam hall with a significantly lower volume of construction.

Director Lin: [Military Certification Exam Data]

"Wiped them all out?" Xiao Yunjie felt a jolt in her heart as she opened the file sent by Director Lin.

Staring at the top-ranked kill count belonging to Zhang Yu, she drew a sharp, ragged breath: "He actually... annihilated the entire force of Yellow Turban Warriors?"

She recalled the final wave of warriors surging like a tide in the exam hall, unable to fathom how Zhang Yu had achieved such a feat.

Driven by her confusion, she posed the question directly to Director Lin.

Director Lin replied: What else can those laborers from the War Faction rely on? They just smash their way through with their own bare fists, don't they? Why else would he be so severely wounded?

Xiao Yunjie trembled at the words: "You mean... Zhang Yu achieved this through his own martial arts?"

"If I recall correctly, other than his ocular relics, he doesn't have any other dharma relics equipped, does he?" "So he... wiped out the entire field of Yellow Turban Warriors using pure martial arts?"

Before the exam, if someone had told Xiao Yunjie they intended to earn a military certificate equipped only with ocular relics, she would have dismissed them as insane.

But now, hearing that someone had actually done it, she realized that this "insane" person was, in fact, terrifyingly formidable.

At the same time, the lingering sense of defiance in her heart began to fade.

Su Yanyang: Any news?

Looking at Su Yanyang's message, Xiao Yunjie pondered for a moment before replying: Whatever I tell you next, do not spread it around.

Xiao Yunjie: Zhang Yu eliminated all the Yellow Turban Warriors with his martial arts, which is how he secured the military certificate.

Su Yanyang: How is that possible?

Xiao Yunjie: [Military Certification Exam Data]

Xiao Yunjie: Look at his kill count. Is he not ranked first?

...

Su Yanyang stared in shock at the file Xiao Yunjie had sent, repeatedly comparing the data of every candidate.

"Zhang Yu... really wiped them all out? His kill count is even higher than Ping Han's?"

"Why has his strength improved so rapidly?"

"Could it be that he purchased more nectar coins than Ping Han?"

Su Yanyang was a pragmatic man, and one whose mindset shifted quickly. Once presented with concrete evidence, he accepted the reality before him within seconds.

"The capable are masters, and the wealthy are seniors," Su Yanyang mused to himself. "Zhang Yu can now be considered my senior."

Just then, Ma Xuan sent a message: How is it?

Su Yanyang: Sigh, the next round is unwinnable.

Ma Xuan: Why? What exactly is going on?

Su Yanyang: I'll show you something.

Su Yanyang: Remember not to spread this around.

Su Yanyang: [Military Certification Exam Data]

Su Yanyang: Zhang Yu wiped out all the Yellow Turban Warriors using pure martial arts.

Su Yanyang: My guess is that through nectar coins, he might have earned even more than Ping Han.

...

Ma Xuan stared in shock at the message from Su Yanyang and asked: Doesn't that make him stronger than Ping Han?

Ma Xuan: What should we do in the next round? Just surrender?

Su Yanyang: It's what *you* should do.

Ma Xuan was momentarily stunned, and in the next instant, he received a notification that Su Yanyang had left the competition group and the competition team.

Ma Xuan: You're not participating in the competition anymore?

Su Yanyang: I'm going to find a team that can make the top ten without having to fight Zhang Yu.

Su Yanyang: Besides your team and Zhang Yu's, there are eighteen others. I refuse to believe I can't find one that will help me boost my comprehensive score.

Watching Su Yanyang's response, Ma Xuan sighed, his mind in a state of utter chaos.

"What's the point of fighting this?"

"I need to find a way out..."

Just then, Ji Yuanxu asked: Senior Ma Xuan, why did Senior Su Yanyang leave?

Seeing Ji Yuanxu, Ma Xuan's eyes flickered, and he said: You know that for the next round against Zhang Yu, Su Yanyang has a foolproof plan and a method for certain victory; he is the key to our team.

Ma Xuan: So he's raising his price at the last minute; we need to pay him.

Ma Xuan: But don't worry, I'll talk him back into it in a moment.

Ma Xuan: By the way, you take over as captain of this competition team.

Ji Yuanxu: Huh? I'm the captain?

Ignoring Ji Yuanxu's bewilderment, Ma Xuan forcibly transferred the captaincy to him and urged him to accept.

Shortly after Ji Yuanxu agreed, he was shocked to discover that Ma Xuan had also left the team.

"What is going on?!"

"Does convincing Su Yanyang to return require leaving the team?"

Ji Yuanxu sent message after message to Ma Xuan, but never received a response.

During this time, he watched as the other members left one by one, until he was left standing alone as the captain.

Ji Yuanxu: Senior? Why did you all leave?

After a long silence, Ma Xuan finally replied: Zhang Yu obtained the military certificate.

Ji Yuanxu: How could he possibly beat Ping Han?

Ma Xuan: [Military Certification Exam Data]

Ma Xuan: I'm sending this data to you alone; do not spread it around.

After reading Ma Xuan's message several times, Ji Yuanxu finally confirmed he hadn't misread it and wasn't hallucinating.

"Zhang Yu has already passed the military certification?" Ji Yuanxu gritted his teeth, his heart heavy. "Has he already put one foot into a Master's degree?"

"And he's only a junior... Doesn't that mean once he collects the Seven Absolutes, he can use the Heaven Kunlun mountain-moving power to make money? His income will skyrocket, perhaps ten times mine."

At the thought of this, Ji Yuanxu felt the seven credit cards in his mind grow increasingly heavy.

In the end, Ji Yuanxu replied: I paid money to join this team!

Ma Xuan: That's why I made you captain.

Looking at Ma Xuan's message, Ji Yuanxu raged: "Damn it... at least let me quit first!"

Staring at the competition team where he was the only one left, Ji Yuanxu pondered what to do.

After a long period of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he sent a message to Bu Ziran, a former teammate from whom he had parted ways after a quarrel last term.

Ji Yuan-shu: Senior Bu, there is a vacancy in my competition team; would you like to transfer over?

Bu Zi-ran: [Military Certification Exam Data]

Bu Zi-ran: [Terror] You want me to go up against Zhang Yu?

Bu Zi-ran: Are you trying to bankrupt me?

Ji Yuan-shu then turned to ask Cong Na, another teammate from the previous year.

Cong Na: [Wiping sweat]

Cong Na: Junior, that’s a bit unkind of you, isn't it?

Cong Na: [Military Certification Public List]

Staring at the file sent by the other party, a bitter shadow flickered across Ji Yuan-shu’s face as he cursed inwardly: "How does everyone already know? Why does news travel so fast?"

With a sudden shift in thought, Ji Yuan-shu decided to scout some lowerclassmen.

He messaged Li Xiao directly, asking if he would like to join the team.

He recalled how Li Xiao had been begging everywhere to be a substitute, yet couldn't afford a single spot; perhaps if he didn't charge him, he could recruit him immediately.

But upon seeing the reply, Ji Yuan-shu couldn't help but ask: How do you know Zhang Yu obtained the military certification too?

Li Xiao: Zhang Yu posted it on his own Moments.

Li Xiao: Didn't you see it?

Ji Yuan-shu hurriedly jumped to Zhang Yu’s Moments, only to discover that he had already pinned the public list of the military certification, with the space below flooded by comments and likes.

(End of this chapter)