Chapter 139: Exam Reforms, the Foundation Establishment Test
A moment later, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had each found their way into a stall in the men’s and women’s restrooms. They took out their phones and tapped the confirmation button on the webpage.
The screen flickered, and a “Kunxu First Level High School Student Foundation Establishment Exam Registration Form” appeared.
Zhang Yu silently filled in his details and clicked “Register.”
Registration fee: 1,000. Please confirm.
Zhang Yu cursed under his breath but tapped “Confirm” anyway.
As one thousand yuan was instantly deducted from his bank account, ripples of divine power permeated the air.
The next moment, Zhang Yu felt the ground beneath him vanish. A large hole had appeared in the restroom floor, and he was falling through it.
What the hell!
Once Zhang Yu’s figure had completely disappeared, the floor returned to normal, leaving no trace that he had ever been there.
Zhang Yu felt his body pass through countless strange and indescribable dimensions.
When he came to his senses, he found himself standing in an office. A middle-aged woman sat before him, looking at him calmly.
“Here to register for the Foundation Establishment exam?”
Zhang Yu sensed a faint trace of divine power emanating from her.
Is she human? Or a god?
After Zhang Yu nodded, the woman handed him a contract.
“The registration fee is thirty thousand. And here are the rules you must abide by for the exam.”
“Once you’ve paid the fee and signed this contract under the witness of the Heavenly Covenant God, you cannot violate any of the exam rules. If you do, you will be barred from ever taking the Foundation Establishment exam again.”
The middle-aged woman added, “And once you’ve signed the contract, no outsider will be able to discover that you have participated in this exam.”
“Also, if you withdraw midway through, the registration fee will not be refunded.”
The thought of a thirty-thousand-yuan registration fee made Zhang Yu’s heart ache.
Including the train tickets and the initial registration fee, his remaining balance was now just over ten thousand.
I wonder if Zhen has enough money. If not, she’ll probably have to take out a loan just to register, he thought with an inward sigh, lowering his head to carefully read the contract.
The contract was filled with regulations, such as prohibitions on disclosing any specific details about the exam, revealing information about other candidates, or recording or photographing the exam site.
In addition, there was a warning in the contract, which the woman before him reiterated.
“The Foundation Establishment exam is held in high regard by the Heavenly Court and is organized by the Ten Great Sects to select talented individuals capable of achieving Foundation Establishment.”
“Don’t even think about any tricks or underhanded schemes.”
“If you are discovered by the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods, both the candidate and any related parties will be severely punished. The lightest penalty is financial ruin; the most severe is the severing of one’s path to immortality and the stripping of all cultivation potential…”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He understood this was a warning against cheating or attempting to eliminate competitors through external means.
After meticulously reading through all the rules and asking a few clarifying questions, Zhang Yu signed the contract under the watchful gaze of the Heavenly Covenant God and, with a heavy heart, paid the thirty thousand yuan registration fee.
Once she confirmed there were no issues with the contract, the middle-aged woman continued, “Alright, registration is complete. Next up is the placement test.”
“We need to test your basic abilities to screen out some of the weaker contestants and avoid wasting exam resources.”
With that, she affixed candidate number 55 to Zhang Yu’s shirt.
Hearing her words, however, Zhang Yu’s heart sank. Zhang Pianpian had never mentioned anything about a test during registration.
Zhang Yu asked, “I thought today was just for registration?”
The woman replied casually, “There are reforms to the Foundation Establishment exam this year. This is a new addition.”
Zhang Yu complained, “But didn’t they say the first round wouldn’t start until August?”
“There are still two months left. I have a lot of room for growth. A test now can’t possibly measure my true strength.”
The woman said impatiently, “Are you going or not? If not, I can send you away right now, but the registration fee is non-refundable.”
Zhang Yu sighed in resignation. “Where is the test?”
The woman pointed to a large door behind Zhang Yu. “The testing area is through that door.”
Zhang Yu opened the door and walked through. When he turned back, he saw that the doorway had vanished, leaving only a seamless white wall in its place.
He proceeded down the corridor and soon arrived in a large hall.
At the far end of the hall stood a massive metal door, in front of which a group of people had gathered, seemingly observing something.
As Zhang Yu drew closer, he spotted a familiar face engrossed in his phone.
Yu Xinghan was replying to a message from Li Xuelian: ‘Transfer me 100,000.’
Li Xuelian: ‘Are you sure you need 100,000?’
Yu Xinghan: ‘I can’t disclose the specifics of the expenses, you understand, but I need 100,000 to proceed.’
Li Xuelian: ‘I understand. A non-disclosure agreement, right?’
Seeing the 100,000 yuan transfer from Li Xuelian, Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but smile. “The Foundation Establishment exam is truly wonderful.”
He thought to himself, Besides the Dao of saving money, the most crucial thing for advancing on the path of immortality is the Dao of acquiring money. One cannot go far without mastering it.
Yu Xinghan suddenly thought of Zhang Yu. A pity, Zhang Yu. Although I taught you the Dao of saving money, I cannot teach you the Dao of acquiring money.
After all, you don’t have a Golden Core master like I do.
If anyone is to blame, it’s our master for being too poor. He can’t afford to raise us both, so he can only choose to cultivate the stronger one…
Just then, Yu Xinghan looked up and saw the familiar figure who had suddenly appeared before him, and he froze for a moment.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, saying in astonishment, “Zhang Yu? What are you doing here?”
Zhang Yu glanced at the candidate number on the other’s chest and smiled faintly.
“I’m here to take the Foundation Establishment exam. Aren’t you?”
Having read the rules and confirmed them on the spot, Zhang Yu knew that the regulations restricted disclosure to the outside world and prevented external forces from interfering with the exam. However, just like in any other competition, it didn’t prohibit the contestants from getting to know each other.
In fact, judging by the current setup, Zhang Yu strongly suspected that this exam encouraged interaction among contestants to heighten the competition.
“You!” Yu Xinghan stared at Zhang Yu in disbelief. He was initially startled, worried that an acquaintance had discovered his participation in the exam. But he quickly realized that Zhang Yu was also a candidate, and he relaxed. Still, he couldn’t comprehend how the other boy was here. How could he possibly be here?
This was a gathering of the most elite high school students from the first level, a competition among the strongest. It was a channel that only a disciple of a Golden Core True Person like himself should know about. How had this pauper gotten in?
His talent is good, and his grades are good… but he’s still a pauper! A pauper whose backer, Zhang Pianpian, has already left, no less.
Just then, Bai Zhenzhen also walked up to Zhang Yu’s side. She patted him on the shoulder, then looked at Yu Xinghan in surprise.
“Oh? You’re here too?”
How is Bai Zhenzhen here as well? Yu Xinghan was beginning to suspect he had come to the wrong place.
At that moment, a red envelope suddenly came fluttering down, landing at the feet of the three.
Yu Xinghan had hesitated for a mere tenth of a second, but in that instant, Zhang Yu had already stomped on the envelope, crouched down, and reached for it…
But the envelope was like a phantom, dissipating as soon as Zhang Yu touched it.
Yu Xinghan chuckled. “That envelope was obviously fake…”
Zhang Yu pulled out his vibrating phone, his eyes wide with surprise. “A thousand yuan was just deposited into my account! These envelopes transfer money directly?”
Yu Xinghan’s face stiffened, and he instantly regretted his momentary hesitation.
Bai Zhenzhen gestured with her chin toward the front of the hall.
“That guy over there is the one sending out the envelopes.”
Ahead of them, a bare-chested young man was continuously practicing with talismans.
And as he practiced, red envelopes would occasionally leap from his Talisman Tome and land in the surrounding area.
The man’s name was Ye Lingxiao. For the past half-month, he had neglected the cultivation of his physical body, the refinement of his magic power, and the tempering of his Dao heart. Instead, he had been quietly engrossed in the study of talismans.
The reason he had focused most of his energy on talismans was twofold. First, after witnessing a certain woman’s skill with them, he had developed a profound interest in the art.
Second, his body, magic power, and Dao heart had all reached a point where they could advance no further, so he felt no need to spend time cultivating them. He was absolutely confident he would pass the Foundation Establishment exam.
Ye Lingxiao was considered to possess the most perfect physique and the most flawless bloodline among all the high school students on the first level of Kunxu.
This was both his own self-assessment and the evaluation given to him by the Oasis Group.
The talisman he was currently practicing was a ‘Red Envelope Talisman,’ which a woman had guided him to learn. Only by mastering this talisman could he advance to learning the more complex ‘Favorability Talisman.’
As he was concentrating intently on his practice, a figure suddenly appeared beside him and said, “I’ve collected all of your red envelopes.”
Ye Lingxiao looked up at Zhang Yu, a quizzical expression on his face. “Hm?”
Zhang Yu asked, “Are you just scattering money around? Why not just transfer it directly to my bank account?”
Hearing this, Ye Lingxiao shook his head. “I’m practicing the Red Envelope Talisman. Unfortunately, I have yet to achieve a breakthrough. The envelopes contain a maximum of one thousand yuan.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up as he looked at Ye Lingxiao. Is this what a scion of Kunxu’s upper echelon is like? He even practices talismans by throwing money around?
Forget Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong… this good brother, whose name I don’t even know yet, is a true friend.
Zhang Yu quickly patted his chest. “No problem. Just use me for your practice. Feel free!”
Watching this scene from the side, Yu Xinghan felt a flicker of admiration.
It seems I was mistaken. Zhang Yu’s Dao of acquiring money is already masterful, in no way inferior to my own.
With that thought, Yu Xinghan also walked up with a smile. “A’Yu, who is this good friend? You haven’t introduced us.”
“I hear you’re practicing talismans? You can just use me.”
Ye Lingxiao looked at the two before him strangely. “Are you sure?”
Zhang Yu exclaimed, “Absolutely sure!”
Yu Xinghan tried to push Zhang Yu aside, whispering, “You’ve already picked up a few thousand, haven’t you? It’s my turn now!”
Ye Lingxiao said nonchalantly, “You two are quite strange. No one has ever been willing to accept my Red Envelope Talisman. You’re actually fighting over it. Don’t you think the interest rate is a bit high?”
Hearing the ominous words ‘interest rate,’ Yu Xinghan’s movements gradually slowed.
Zhang Yu was confused. “Interest rate?”
Ye Lingxiao explained, “The Red Envelope Talisman is a prerequisite for the Favorability Talisman.”
“Those who accept this talisman are borrowing from their standby funds at the Ministry of Finance’s bank.”
“You son of a…” Zhang Yu roared, “Why are you throwing this garbage around? Have you no sense of public decency? Practicing such a malicious technique in public? What if it hits someone poor?”
“Oh? There are poor people here?” Ye Lingxiao asked in surprise. “I assumed no one here would bother to pick up money off the ground.”
Zhang Yu was furious. He felt he had been insulted yet again.
Bai Zhenzhen reminded him from the side, “Yu-boy, hurry up and pay it back! You’ll be charged interest if you’re late!”
Zhang Yu quickly stepped aside, took out his phone, and logged in to the Ministry of Finance’s bank website to repay the money.
Following Ye Lingxiao’s explanation, the other candidates, who had been largely indifferent before, now silently distanced themselves from him, instantly creating a large empty circle around him.
Ye Lingxiao, however, remained unconcerned and continued to draw his talismans. A moment later, another red envelope leaped out and landed on the ground nearby.
But at that moment, another hand gently picked up the envelope. Yet, no matter how hard the hand squeezed or rubbed it, the envelope did not disappear.
This time, a look of genuine surprise appeared in Ye Lingxiao’s eyes.
“The Red Envelope Talisman has no effect on you?”