Chapter 235: Rewards Received, Undercurrents Stirring
Apart from Ye Lingxiao, who was still undergoing treatment for his severe injuries and couldn’t attend, all the other key players were present at the scene: Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Yun Jing, and the four students who had advanced in the Dao Heart and Mana categories were all gathered.
Zhang Yu glanced at the four winners from the two tracks. Two of them were visibly euphoric, practically beaming with “Foundation License” energy.
How did he know? Because he felt the exact same way—itching to tag everyone he knew just to brag about qualifying for his Foundation License.
The other two, meanwhile, looked like deflated balloons—utterly crushed. Their expressions made it abundantly clear who had passed and who had failed.
Zhang Yu let his gaze linger a little longer on the two successful candidates. He remembered that this guy and girl had ranked third and fifth in the first round of the Foundation Establishment exam.
To make it through a competition of so many Xiandu students, their strength had to be exceptional. But back then, Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing had shone so brightly that everyone else had been overshadowed.
Plus, since they were on different tracks, Zhang Yu hadn’t paid much attention to the other top performers from Xiandu.
Now that he saw them with their Foundation Licenses, he figured that even if they weren’t quite on par with Ye Lingxiao, they were probably among the top students on the first floor of Kunxu.
“Still, compared to me and Ah-Zhen, they’re clearly a notch below.”
The two students, high off their recent victories, quickly noticed someone missing. The male student walked over to Yun Jing and asked curiously, “Where’s Ye Lingxiao? Don’t tell me he got his Foundation License and bailed?”
This male student had water-blue hair that rippled like waves—clearly the result of some kind of Law Husk.
His name was Sheng Jie, and he was the Foundation License recipient from the Mana track.
Yun Jing gave Sheng Jie a dark look and replied coldly, “How should I know where he went?”
“But you can ask him.”
Yun Jing nodded toward Zhang Yu and added, “He was in the same group as Ye Lingxiao, right? I heard he beat him.”
“Beat Ye Lingxiao? No way!” Sheng Jie’s eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to look at Zhang Yu.
As a fellow student from Xiandu’s 1.5th floor, Sheng Jie knew all too well how terrifying Ye Lingxiao was—his flawless bloodline made him a walking nightmare.
Since the first day of school, Sheng Jie had lived under Ye Lingxiao’s shadow. It was a lifetime trauma.
And from the moment he saw Zhang Yu during registration, Sheng Jie could tell he was an outsider.
Unthinkable! Some out-of-towner swooped in and stole Xiandu’s crown prince’s Foundation License?
Staring at Zhang Yu, Sheng Jie asked, “You… you really beat Ye Lingxiao?”
Feeling Sheng Jie’s shocked gaze, Zhang Yu tried not to let the corners of his mouth twitch upward. Doing his best to look composed, he answered, “Yeah.” ꭆἈ₦ŐʙƐＳ
Bai Zhenzhen shot him a sideways glance and thought, “Yuzi, oh Yuzi, you’re practically glowing with smugness. You really can’t keep it in, can you?”
After Zhang Yu nodded, Sheng Jie drew a sharp breath and asked again, “Then where is he now?”
Zhang Yu recalled the treatment process and replied coolly, “His injuries were too severe to recover quickly. That’s probably why he couldn’t come to the award ceremony.”
If Sheng Jie had been impressed before, he now stared at Zhang Yu like he was a monster.
“Ye Lingxiao didn’t just lose—he got beaten so badly not even a Righteous God could heal him quickly?!”
The other candidates, hearing this, turned to look. As fellow Xiandu students, they all knew how formidable Ye Lingxiao was.
None of them could picture a high schooler capable of not only defeating but seriously injuring Ye Lingxiao.
At that moment, Zhang Yu no longer looked like just another outsider—he was a super outsider, a mysterious tycoon from beyond their world.
Just then, the girl who had won the Dao Heart track noticed Yun Jing’s sour expression.
“Yun Jing… don’t tell me you lost too?”
Yun Jing looked at the speaker.
Her name was Tan Shishan, also from Xiandu. Though her status and grades had always been a bit behind his and Ye Lingxiao’s, they ran in the same circles—though she leaned more toward Ye Lingxiao and the Oasis Group.
The thought that someone who used to trail behind him had now earned a Foundation License while he hadn’t filled Yun Jing with bitterness.
From this moment on, one of them had the license, the other didn’t. It was like the difference between top 10 and top 30—no longer peers.
He took a deep breath and didn’t bother sugarcoating it. “Yeah, I lost.”
Unlike Ye Lingxiao, who had been physically overwhelmed by Zhang Yu, Yun Jing had lost to Bai Zhenzhen—and felt deeply dissatisfied about it.
He was convinced that, in terms of raw strength, she wasn’t better than him.
“If I had just been more cautious… if I’d used a different strategy…”
Every time he replayed their three fights in his head, Yun Jing grew more frustrated and regretful. He was sure that if he could redo it, he’d win.
It felt like messing up the last question on a major exam due to carelessness. Yun Jing hated himself for not treating Bai Zhenzhen as a worthy opponent.
When the others heard even Yun Jing had lost, they were floored. Everyone had assumed the groups with Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing were death traps—no one else stood a chance.
They had all tried to avoid those groups, crowding into the Mana and Dao Heart tracks instead. In the end, Sheng Jie and Tan Shishan took the licenses.
Now, when they looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen—in their ragged clothes, with makeshift shoes—they seemed shrouded in mystique.
Zhang Yu noticed Bai Zhenzhen’s flushed cheeks and thought, “Ah-Zhen’s face is turning red from holding it in. Still pretending to be cool? She’s even worse than me.”
Bai Zhenzhen was silently screaming, “Damn it, I want to post this on my socials so bad!”
But the shock soon wore off, and the Xiandu students began analyzing the implications.
Sheng Jie thought, “Maybe Ye Lingxiao’s defeat is a good thing. Could I replace him as Oasis Group’s next recruit?”
Like the Ye clan, Sheng Jie’s family had aligned with Oasis Group to drive a major shakeup. Ye Lingxiao, with his stellar grades, was their golden poster boy.
Now, Sheng Jie saw an opening. He was more than willing to be Oasis Group’s lapdog—even for the second-floor heir about to descend.
For Sheng Jie, loyalty was a small price for wealth. If the pay was right, he’d be anyone’s dog—and even ruin that dog financially.
Unlike the pampered elites around him, Sheng Jie came from a lesser branch of his family. He grew up on the surface level of Xiandu.
Thanks to the floating cities above blocking the sun, he didn’t see daylight until high school.
Outsiders always said Xiandu elites had everything. He scoffed at that. Xiandu had more poor people than anywhere—competition here was brutal, and casualties were high.
In his eyes, Kunxu was just a giant dog pit. Either you kept dogs, or you were one.
He had clawed his way up from floor 1 to 1.5. He knew both roles intimately.
“Wait…”
He looked at Zhang Yu again. “What if Oasis Group targets him too? That means I’ll have to compete with this monster?”
The thought frustrated him. How could he outshine someone who had crushed Ye Lingxiao?
“But maybe…”
He knew Ye Lingxiao’s aloof personality. If Zhang Yu was even stronger, maybe he came from an even more powerful family—maybe he’d be too arrogant to work under Oasis Group.
That could be Sheng Jie’s chance.
“After the exam, the candidates’ info will no longer be confidential,” he thought. “I’ll dig into this guy’s background the second I get back.”
Just then, divine light shimmered and the five Righteous God proctors descended.
Chief examiner Deng Bingding gave the usual pep talk before announcing the exam results.
As each of the four license recipients stepped forward, Deng Bingding’s gaze lingered an extra second on Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
“You four performed admirably. With your unwavering will, exceptional skill, and fearless courage, you showcased the spirit of Kunxu’s first-floor high schoolers…”
“…We now award you your Foundation Licenses.”
After a long speech, it was finally time. Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up as he stepped forward and received a gilded certificate from Huang Zichou.
Seeing the five characters for “Foundation License,” he breathed a long sigh of relief.
“Keep the certificate safe at home. It’s more of a keepsake,” Huang Zichou reminded. “You’ll mostly use the digital version.”
“Does it come with effects? Like floating above your head?” Zhang Yu asked.
Huang Zichou chuckled. “You’ll have to figure that out yourself.”
Meanwhile, Yun Jing and the other losers stared longingly at the license, eyes brimming with envy and regret.
Next came the three million interest-free loan—available to all students, regardless of outcome.
With a wave of Deng Bingding’s hand, a giant red envelope appeared over everyone’s heads, clearly marked “3,000,000.”
“Go ahead—inside is your interest-free loan.”
For students like Yun Jing or Sheng Jie, it was pocket change. But for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, it was a huge windfall that greatly relieved their financial stress.
Grinning, the two snatched up the red envelope and began dreaming of how to spend it.
Pay back old debts? That’s not the Kunxu way.
Then came the reward of one expert-grade Technique. Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, having scouted countless Techniques over the past few months, had already chosen.
They submitted their choices and would soon receive the usage rights and digital copies.
Lastly, there was the designated university mentor.
Deng Bingding addressed the four of them. “This reward will be distributed after you enter university.”
“When you reach the second floor and enroll, a local Righteous God will assign a mentor to you.”
“Which one you get depends on your own research and choices at the time.”
She paused, then added, “Choosing the right mentor is very important. If you’re unsure, it’s okay to wait until you’ve gathered enough info.”
“Also, now that the exam is over, candidate data will no longer be protected. Expect attention from universities and companies.”
“My advice… don’t agree to anything too quickly.”
As Deng Bingding spoke, Zhang Yu had the distinct impression she was looking directly at him and Bai Zhenzhen.
“But…” he thought, “the Xiandu kids probably know all this already. We’re the ones who need the warning.”
Then he recalled how she had added him as a contact and helped suppress the Zhou family.
He couldn’t help but feel she harbored some vague goodwill toward him.
“But I didn’t even use a Favor Charm…”
With the exam officially over, the students began leaving.
Deng Bingding watched the empty field, knowing this year’s results wouldn’t fade quietly into history.
After all, the Oasis Group and several Xiandu clans had teamed up to spark a revolution—and this exam was their marketing tool.
“Even if Ye Lingxiao failed, they’ll just swap him for someone else…”
She knew this outcome would ripple outward—but even she couldn’t predict where it would lead.
“Has the Divine Department really not reacted to Oasis Group meddling in first-floor politics on this scale? Are they hesitating because of someone in the Nether Palace?”
Her mind flashed with images of Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Zhang Pianpian.
“Or have the gods already made their move within this very exam?”