Chapter 142: Farewell Zhang Pianpian, Registration Begins (Thanks to 'Lin Jiang's Dolphin' for Alliance Leader)

Listening to various instructions from Zhang Pianpian on the other end of the phone.

Zhang Yu nodded from time to time, uttering "Mm-hmm" in acknowledgment.

"The Ten Great Sects have set an iron rule: to maintain order and the business environment on each level, free travel between the layers of Kunxu is not allowed."

"If you want to come back, either you end up like Sparkfire True Person—greatly diminished in cultivation, with your assets shrunk, and after much hardship you slink down in disgrace."

"Or you get a specially assigned mission or job, like Director Songyang of Xianyun Group, who was sent down to this level to cool his heels."

"But both of these are just the results of being eliminated on the climb upward... I won't accept that."

"Little brother, I want to climb higher, to reach the upper levels of Kunxu and see the scenery above."

"So my gaze will only look upward; I won't look back."

"If we meet again in the future, it can only be up there, never on Kunxu's first layer."

Zhang Yu clenched his fist and said into the phone to Zhang Pianpian, "Sis, I will definitely catch up with you!"

Zhang Pianpian laughed and said, "Then I'll wait for you at Wanfa University."

Zhang Yu asked again, "Traveling up and down is so hard, Sis, do you have anything you don't need anymore that you can leave me?"

Zhang Pianpian said, "I still have more than twenty million in debt..."

"Forget that." Zhang Yu said righteously, "Such a personal thing, you'd better keep it close."

"I mean, do you have anything you can't take up? Like a house, a car, or something valuable?"

Pfft! Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help laughing on the side, feeling like she was listening to a good grandson asking his grandma who was about to ascend to heaven for an inheritance.

Zhang Pianpian said, "I've left you three talismans."

Zhang Yu looked at the three images she sent, each a screenshot of a talisman, but because the content was too complex, he couldn't really tell what kind of talismans they were.

And a doubt rose in his heart: "Can screenshots even be used?"

Zhang Pianpian said, "These three talismans are: one Freeze Talisman, which can freeze someone's bank account, but the higher the target's faith level, the shorter the freeze time."

"Another is a Thunderclap Talisman, which can thunder an alarm, summoning the armed force of the patrol team to enforce the law within one minute. But remember, using this alarm costs at least ten thousand per call, so make sure you have money in your account before you use it."

"And the last one is a Divine Speed Talisman, which can summon a minor earth deity to drive you, instantly fleeing far away, with a maximum distance of 10 kilometers. But remember, this one charges 3,000 per kilometer, deducted directly from your account. Calculate your funds before using it."

Zhang Yu's eyes lit up as he listened; he felt these three talismans were truly useful.

Zhang Pianpian said flatly, "I'll also send you the phone number of the captain of the Songyang City Patrol Team. I've deposited the talismans with her."

"After you add her as a friend, whenever you need to use one of these three talismans, send her a message, and she will activate it for you."

"Also, if you encounter a problem you can't solve on your own, you can go to her for help."

At this point, Zhang Pianpian paused, as if considering something, and finally said, "If you need a higher identity within the Divine Department as cover, she can help promote you. You can discuss the specifics with her."

"But if she wants to promote you, remember that the highest you can go is Special Appointed Assistant."

"Also, never go to meet her alone at night."

"And, continue to work as an outsourced employee; never sign a formal contract."

"Also, don't worry about the loan; just repay it slowly according to the contract."

"Use the money to improve yourself as soon as possible. It's okay to owe a bit more; often, the amount of debt you carry is also a reflection of your strength."

"Also, for the Foundation Establishment exam registration, you have to open the registration website only when you reach Xian Du City. I've never taken it, so you'll have to adapt to the situation on the spot..."

And so, Zhang Pianpian patiently explained one thing after another to Zhang Yu, who listened very attentively.

Until finally, she said slowly, "We have no foundation on Kunxu's first layer. Remember, never use my name or my reputation to cause trouble everywhere."

"After I leave, endure as much as you can. If you pass the Foundation Establishment qualification exam, then even more so, don't show off."

Zhang Yu felt a drop of sweat on his forehead. His sister really... Did she think he was the kind of person who bullies others and causes trouble under her name?

"Don't worry, Sis. Just wait for me at Wanfa University. I'll come find you in two years."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yu suddenly felt a bit empty, as if the elder who had always protected him was ascending to heaven, and he would have to face the world alone from now on.

"Ah, I'd better prepare for the Foundation Establishment exam registration first."

Zhang Yu picked up the phone and directly called his homeroom teacher Su Haifeng: "Hey, Old Su, Bai Zhenzhen and I need to take two days off."

"This is something Senior Sister Zhang Pianpian wanted me and Bai Zhenzhen to help her with before she left."

"You won't even approve this leave?"

"Then I'll have to tell her that Senior Sister Zhang Pianpian will ascend to the Ascension Platform with regrets."

"Hmm, thanks, Old Su."

……

Time flew by to the day before registration for the Foundation Establishment exam.

And today was also the day Zhang Pianpian would step onto the Ascension Platform and officially depart.

Night.

Songyang City, Intercity Train Station.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were sitting together in the waiting room, waiting for the high-speed train to Tiantai City.

The reason they booked a train to Tiantai City instead of a direct train to the Immortal Capital was simply because they didn't want to reveal their true destination.

At that moment, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were continuing to seize every moment for breathing exercises. Over the past few days, Zhang Yu's various stats had seen further improvement, with his mana reaching 61.4 and his physical strength reaching level 6.08.

But his money had also decreased significantly.

Especially during the college entrance exam period, various controls throughout Songyang City had become increasingly strict, and patrols could often be seen on the streets near every high school.

Not only were all high schools closed to outsiders, but even the Shadow Study Gang had suspended their tutoring sessions, costing Zhang Yu a substantial source of income.

Zhang Yu could only sigh—the college entrance exam was tied to university, tied to the quotas for ascending to the Second Layer, and tied to the futures of countless individuals and families. It was indeed a matter of utmost importance, putting all of Songyang City on high alert.

And his savings had dwindled to 50,000 over these past few days.

"I still need to find a way to make money. After I come back from registering this time... maybe I can expand my business in the dark tutoring world?"

Just over an hour later, Zhang Yu's phone vibrated slightly, receiving a message from Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Pianpian: I'm going first.

Then her profile picture went gray. Zhang Yu knew that from now on, except for some special communication methods, he would not be able to contact his sister again until he ascended to the Second Layer of Kunxu.

In a single glance,

Thinking of this, a trace of disappointment welled up in Zhang Yu's heart once again.

"Next time we meet, it'll probably be two years from now."

"At least I still have Azhen."

He turned to look at Bai Zhenzhen, who was eating a bucket of synthetic food with big bites, and said, "Azhen? Why did you eat my portion too?"

Bai Zhenzhen said, "You were staring off into space after looking at your phone; I thought you weren't going to eat it."

Zhang Yu: "You motherf——"

Not long after, after getting off at Tiantai City station, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen boarded a train to another city.

Time flew to over ten hours later.

……

The speeding train raced across the land.

Zhang Yu looked at Azhen beside him and found her pressing against the window, exclaiming, "Yu Zi, look at that!"

In the distance, densely packed, from the sky to the ground, stretched an endless cityscape.

That was the Immortal Capital City, the destination of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's trip.

Above the Immortal Capital City, white and golden auspicious clouds spread out like continents and islands, upon which could be seen many immortal palaces and divine halls, countless skyscrapers towering among the clouds, resembling a city in the sky.

Below this aerial city was the ground, always shrouded in shadow, along with the densely packed buildings on the earth and the neon lights flickering constantly in the darkness.

A young man sat not far from Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, pointing at the sky city and saying, "Uncle, have you ever been to the Upper City?"

The old man sitting beside the young man had a face full of wrinkles. Seeing the scene of the Immortal Capital, he appeared unfazed and said calmly, "Yeah, I went up there to work when I was young. Back then, the Upper City only had a few floating islands, but it kept growing bigger, the clouds got thicker, and now the rich people call it the One and a Half Layer of Kunxu."

"The more prosperous the upper city becomes, the more overcast days there are in the lower city below... until it ended up like this—now it's night every single day."

The youth asked, "With no daytime at all, doesn't it feel terrible to stay here?"

The old man scoffed, "As long as you can make money, what difference does day or night make? Let me tell you, kid, even begging in the Immortal Capital is better than working in a factory in any other city."

As the train slowly pulled into the lower city station, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen stepped off and immediately felt a chill in the air.

When they looked up at the sky, all they could see was the rolling sea of clouds that belonged to the upper city.

But from the outside, the clouds looked like white-and-gold auspicious clouds; when viewed from below, however, they appeared pitch-black, like dark clouds churning back and forth.

"Is it because the underside of the clouds is completely blocked from sunlight by all the buildings and roads in the upper city?"

"How oppressive," Zhang Yu thought to himself. "If I had to stay here all the time, it wouldn't be convenient to cultivate my Grand Sun Qi Sea."

The two did not wander around. Instead, they stayed in the station, found a corner with no one around, and opened the registration website as Zhang Pianpian had instructed.

They had tried opening this website before, but every time it showed a blank page with no information.

Now, standing inside the Immortal Capital, the registration website finally displayed information—but it was just a countdown.

"It hasn't started yet?"

The two decided to stroll around the station for a while, looking at boxed lunches that cost over a hundred yuan each, bottles of water that cost ten yuan, and stockings valued at fifty million yuan, all while sighing about how expensive everything was.

Suddenly Bai Zhenzhen pointed at the white stockings that cost fifty million and said, "Yuzi, those are actually external spiritual roots."

Zhang Yu: "Mm."

Bai Zhenzhen: "If you wore those, you'd essentially have a spiritual root too."

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes and said, "If anyone's wearing them, it should be you—then you give me your real spiritual root."

Bai Zhenzhen said, "Fine, then remember to buy them for me later."

Zhang Yu didn't think he could ever afford such expensive external spiritual roots, so he casually said, "When I have money later, I'll buy you seven pairs—seven different colors, one for each day of the week, and you can wear a different pair every day..."

Right as they were wandering around, the countdown for registration finally ended.

The two looked at the instructions: "Find a space with no surveillance, no outsiders, and only yourself, then click confirm."