Chapter 241: Congrats to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on Passing Foundation Establishment Certification

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

When Fuji, who had been awakened, learned that both of them had passed the Foundation Establishment exam, she laughed heartily and said, "Great, great! I knew I wasn't wrong about you two. Now all you have to do is complete Foundation Establishment before entering university."

"That way, as soon as you start university, you'll be in the Foundation Establishment class, with one foot already in the guaranteed graduate program."

Thinking of this, Fuji felt a surge of excitement. What was the point of just going to university? Could you find a good job without taking the graduate entrance exam?

Zhang Yu, however, frowned and whispered, "Complete Foundation Establishment before university? You make it sound as easy as buying medicine from a street vendor."

Zhang Yu knew that Foundation Establishment required coordinating with one's own spirit root, planting it into the dantian so it truly becomes part of the body. This meant he would have to purchase a spirit root.

And at his level—the strongest high school student in the First Layer of Kunxu—he would at the very least need a Heavenly Spirit Root for Foundation Establishment, right?

But Heavenly Spirit Roots cost tens of millions. How many tutoring sessions at Dark Study Guild, how many overtime shifts at Red Tower would he have to work before he could scrape together enough money to buy one before entering university?

"As for Zhenzhen..."

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

Zhang Yu understood what she meant. Although she had her own spirit root that could be used for Foundation Establishment, she didn't want anyone to know she was born with a natural spirit root.

So if Bai Zhenzhen wanted to conceal her innate spirit root, she would also have to save up to buy a Heavenly Spirit Root in order to cover up the fact that she already had one.

Fuji chuckled and continued in their minds, "Indeed, the higher the grade of the spirit root during Foundation Establishment, the better the effect. Zhang Yu, you absolutely have to use a Heavenly Spirit Root."

"But a Heavenly Spirit Root's price is currently beyond what you can afford."

"But when did I ever say you had to bear the cost yourselves?"

"Weren't there a lot of university representatives watching your Foundation Establishment exam this time?"

"Universities also care about enrollment performance. Good universities need good students to maintain their competitiveness and preserve their rankings, and weaker universities need good students to push toward higher rankings."

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

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

"As long as you get their support, use their generous offers, and work hard yourselves to earn money, it's really not impossible to complete Foundation Establishment before university."

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

Just then, Fuji reminded them, "As for what you need to do first right now—find some small city to get off the train, and there digest the gains from this Foundation Establishment exam to boost your strength."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Not going straight back to Songyang? Is it to let those representatives wait? So they'll notice each other's existence and drive up the offers?"

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. "The Zhou family's top brass—since some of them guessed we were taking the Foundation Establishment exam, once they see that many university representatives have sent people to contact us, they might realize we passed the exam."

"They could react in two ways. Either they'll try to further ease the relationship with us."

"Or... they'll strike directly."

Having gone through gang conflicts in the dark tutoring world, Bai Zhenzhen now knew all too well how brutal such struggles for survival and profit could be. Even if the chance of a fight or shootout was low, extreme caution was necessary.

Zhang Yu added, "Especially since they might know who we are."

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

Just like Fuji had analyzed before, the Zhou family's top echelon might very well know they were followers of an evil god.

If that were taken into account, the other side might resort to even more aggressive measures.

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

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

Fuji replied, "I can't say for sure, but it's something we have to guard against. It won't hurt you to take precautions."

"Besides, you can spend the next few days away digesting your gains and improving your strength."

"During the time you're away, the people coming to Songyang High School looking for you will be waiting there. The more people waiting for you, the more cautious the Zhou family will be—they definitely won't dare make a move."

"You and Zhenzhen should even turn off your phones. No need to rush contacting them."

In his heart, Zhang Yu was still dwelling on the Zhou family matter.

Regarding this being who might know about his identity as a cultist of an evil god, Zhang Yu always felt as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

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

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

This way, he would be able to complete the final layer of the Martial Saint Embryo.

While Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were hiding outside to cultivate.

Inside Ziyun High School.

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

Le Jingchen corrected, "It's the sweat of both you and Zhang Yu. Unfortunately, his sweat was contaminated by yours, otherwise the purity level would have been higher."

Le Mulan said, somewhat surprised, "He's that impressive?"

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

"After all, he's the kind of guy who would sell off his competition qualification. He probably doesn't plan on getting into a good university, right?"

Then he remembered the last incident with the Zhou family, especially—

Le Mulan lowered her gaze. For some reason, thinking that someone with Zhang Yu's talent, because of his background, had no chance of getting into the top ten universities and would ultimately have to walk 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 said, slightly startled, "Yeah... it was me who entered it into the database."

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

"Contact him?"

After hanging up, Le Jingchen looked up with some confusion. "Ziyun Pharmaceuticals... a call from the head office in Xiandu. They want me to contact Zhang Yu, saying someone from headquarters has something to say to him."

Hearing that it was a call from headquarters, Le Mulan's eyes also showed a hint of doubt. She knew that the Xiandu head office didn't casually contact them unless it was something important, especially directly reaching Le Jingchen at Ziyun High School.

Le Mulan thought to herself, "Could it be that Zhang Yu's condition is really an experiment by a competitor of Ziyun Pharmaceuticals? What do Ziyun's higher-ups want to do to Zhang Yu?"

At Le Jingchen's signal, Le Mulan called Zhang Yu, but the phone was unreachable.

"No wonder they reached out to me—was it because they couldn't get through either?"

Le Jingchen thought for a moment and said, "Go to Songyang High School. Once you find him, contact me again."

Inside Songyang High School.

Zhou Chechen, his whole body radiating cold air, was cultivating a family technique.

Recalling the events of the past few months, he repeatedly felt his own powerlessness.

"I'm still too weak. Just like Zhang Yu, I'm just a pawn swept along by the current, manipulated by others, unable to make my own choices."

Thinking this, a trace 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 the chance to get into the top ten universities. Is it because the righteous god behind him forbade him from doing so?"

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

"In the remaining time of my senior year, I have to push myself even harder. I must get into the top ten."

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

On the other side of the training ground, Lan Ling was also training fiercely. He, too, seemed to have been stimulated, making a final sprint, hoping to get a rank in the remaining senior year competitions and secure more opportunities to get into the top ten.

Just then, a rumbling sound came from the sky.

Zhou Chechen looked out the window in confusion and saw a flying boat hovering above Songyang High School, from which several people jumped down.

But this seemed to be only the beginning. Shortly after the flying boat appeared, a streak of sword light tore across the sky and landed on the campus.

After a while longer, someone arrived at the school gate in a high-end car.

And so, people entered Songyang High School one after another.

Shortly after, Zhou Chechen heard the news; it was said that all those coming were from major corporations.

Xianyun Group, Tianwu Group, Xinchuang Medical, Wanshou Animal Husbandry, Wanli Group... Not only were they all from major corporations, but they were also people from the Xiandu headquarters.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chechen said in astonishment and uncertainty: "Why are so many people from major corporations coming to Songyang High School?"

He simply couldn't understand what virtue or ability this small Songyang High School had to attract the attention of so many major corporations from Xiandu.

"Could it be that someone has awakened a spiritual root?"

"It can't be that someone owes debts to so many major corporations, right?"

Zhou Chechen quickly sent another student to inquire, and only then learned that the representatives of these major corporations had been welcomed into the conference room, where the principal and several school leaders were currently hosting them.

Just when Zhou Chechen was extremely puzzled, the principal actually sent someone to summon him, as the student council president, to help entertain the corporate representatives.

Entering the conference room and facing more than a dozen corporate representatives, thinking of the dozen-plus major companies behind them, Zhou Chechen felt that he had already lost his standing just by coming before them.

Especially, he could feel that these corporate representatives before him were by no means ordinary employees; the aura of wealth emanating from them was overwhelming, and their condescending attitude was exactly the same as the legendary Xiandu masters.

One of the women looked at him with a smile and said: "This classmate must be the student council president? Hello, I am Zhang Bi from Tianwu Group. Do you happen to know where Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen went?"

"Zhang Yu? Bai Zhenzhen?" Zhou Chechen was slightly stunned: "You are here to find Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen?"

Zhang Bi said with a smile: "Yes, there are some things we want to discuss with them, but we just can't seem to get in touch with them."

Saying this, she shot a glare at the crowd: "Some people couldn't contain themselves and came directly to the school, causing all of us to make a trip for nothing, only to find that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have taken leave and are not here."

"You are the student council president, do you know where he went? Or do you know which classmates are close to him and can contact him?"

Hearing the other party's question, even with Zhou Chechen's rich life experience, he stood there dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss for words.

The principal beside him asked: "Everyone, what exactly do you need to see Zhang Yu about? Maybe we can help as well."

The corporate representatives smiled without speaking, all remaining silent.

They could not possibly tell them that they were all sent here by an order from their upper-level companies.

Even less could they reveal that the upper-level companies themselves had been directed by the universities above them.

They did not even mention a word about the Foundation Establishment exam; this was also an unspoken understanding among the topmost powers of Kunxu Layer One.

Although these corporate representatives were employees of companies, they were all from the powerful clans of Xiandu, and no one would rashly break this unwritten rule.

According to their thinking, they should secretly meet with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, have a discussion, and reach an agreement.

But they didn't know 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 very outstanding, but if you are looking for excellent students, besides Zhang Yu, our school has other outstanding students, such as this student council president Zhou Chechen..."

Just as the dean was about to promote their own students, a snicker was heard from among the corporate representatives.

It was unclear who let out that laugh, but it caused all the other corporate representatives to burst into laughter.

The people from Songyang High School looked on in confusion at the representatives laughing, not knowing what they had said wrong, and could only smile awkwardly in return.

Zhou Chechen only felt that at this moment he was like a clown, being scrutinized and mocked wantonly under the gaze of the giant corporate representatives, and he could do nothing about it.

The woman who had just spoken said again: "We are only looking for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, no one else. If you don't know where they are, please go call a few students who are familiar with them."

Just then, another commotion was heard, and there seemed to be some unusual sound in the sky.

Those familiar with the sound of flying swords recognized that there were at least several hundred flying swords shuttling through the sky.

"What the hell, is this a war?" someone exclaimed in shock: "Is this place also a battlefield of corporate warfare?"

Some leaped out of the window, others flickered and appeared outside the corridor; for a moment, everyone showed their unique abilities like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.

Then, including these corporate representatives and Zhou Chechen and the other students, they saw hundreds of flying swords streak across the sky, their sword light shining, forming a line of characters in the air.

Oasis Group President Wang congratulates Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen on successfully obtaining the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate! The future is vast, may you soar to the heavens!

Looking at this line of characters, the corporate representatives knew that some of the past unwritten rules were about to be completely broken by someone.