Chapter 235: The Talk of Songyang
Staring at the words formed by the swarm of flying swords, Zhang Bi of the Heavenly Martial Group narrowed her eyes. What is the Oasis Group trying to pull?
While in the Immortal Capital, she had occasionally heard rumors about the Oasis Group collaborating with the Ye family and several other clans to promote certain technologies on the first layer.
But Zhang Bi had never imagined they intended to make the high school Foundation Establishment exam public, and to do it now.
What is their goal? Are they planning to use this exam to advertise new technology?
Zhang Bi understood that the launch of any new technology was often accompanied by eye-catching promotional tactics and gimmicks. It was clear that the Oasis Group now saw the Foundation Establishment exam as a perfect gimmick.
As for the established unwritten rules of the first layer…
They don’t care in the slightest. Zhang Bi gave a bitter, internal smile. It seems the rumors are true. A major figure from the second layer is coming down to oversee the Oasis Group’s operations.
The surrounding corporate representatives also had varied expressions, evidently all contemplating the Oasis Group’s actions and the potential repercussions.
Meanwhile, the principal, leading the school administrators, was already heading toward the school gate to greet the representatives from the Oasis Group.
Zhou Chechen followed behind in a daze, his eyes repeatedly drifting up to the line of words still shimmering with sword-light in the sky.
Foundation Establishment Certificate?
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen obtained the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate?
How is that possible?
Zhou Chechen’s immediate reaction was one of utter disbelief. Based on all the information he had, in his entire understanding of the world, it was impossible for a high school student to obtain a Foundation Establishment qualification.
At some point, Lan Ling had appeared beside him, asking with a mixture of shock and suspicion, “Can high school students even get the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate?”
“Isn’t that something for university students to get?”
Zhou Chechen didn’t answer. He simply followed the school administrators with Lan Ling to meet the delegation from the Oasis Group.
A large crowd of students, drawn by the commotion, had also gathered to watch.
Ordinarily, the principal, school administrators, and the student council president would have already been managing the campus order, shooing them back to their studies and cultivation. But the spectacle created by the Oasis Group was so immense that it had completely captured everyone’s attention, and for the moment, no one cared about the high school students gawking nearby.
Meanwhile, at the school gate, just as the principal and a few administrators arrived, they saw several representatives from the Oasis Group approaching.
The man in the lead was middle-aged, with a pair of blood-red eyes and impeccably combed silver hair. He seemed to carry a perpetual, faint scent of blood.
Seeing the bewildered school leaders of Songyang High, the man with the blood-red eyes smiled and said, “You must be the administrators of Songyang High School?”
“I am the general manager of the Oasis Group’s Songyang City branch. My name is Chi He.”
“We’ve come today primarily because our company’s Director Wang was deeply moved upon hearing of the deeds of your students, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.”
“To support the educational endeavors of Songyang, Director Wang has decided to donate ten million credits to reward the two of them. We hope they will continue to strive for excellence and become useful individuals who are grateful to Kunxu, loyal to their company, and responsible members of their future university…”
Hearing the figure of ten million, a collective gasp went through the surrounding students, who were astounded by the generosity of the Oasis Group’s Director Wang.
They had only ever heard of people using money to buy hands, feet, and muscles, or borrowing and mortgaging for loans.
But donating money to reward students? That was an obscure concept.
The school administrators’ faces grew even more awkward and bewildered upon hearing these words. On one hand, they were shocked by the Oasis Group’s immense generosity; on the other, they had absolutely no idea what “deeds” Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen could have possibly performed to move Director Wang.
Some of the administrators wanted to ask what this business about them suddenly obtaining a Foundation Establishment certificate was all about, but they hesitated, unsure if it was their place to ask. For a moment, they all fell into a stunned silence.
Fortunately, Chi He of the Oasis Group had anticipated this. Looking at the awkwardly silent group, he smiled faintly and said, “Your students, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, recently traveled to the Immortal Capital to participate in the high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam. They achieved victory with outstanding results, were awarded the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate by the Heavenly Court, and have thus earned the qualification to undergo Foundation Establishment.”
Chi He then gave a brief explanation of the high school Foundation Establishment exam and the significance of passing it, such as how getting into one of the Ten Greats was now a certainty.
As Chi He spoke, gasps of astonishment continuously erupted from the teachers and students present.
Someone exclaimed in shock, “Doesn’t this mean Zhang Yu has one foot in the Ten Greats and one foot on the second layer?”
Another person remarked, “One foot? Didn’t you hear him say they can choose any school they want after the college entrance exam? This isn’t one foot; I’d say most of his body is already on the second layer.”
Someone else summarized, “You could say that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen are already standing on the 1.9th layer.”
An excited voice chimed in, “Two Foundation Establishments from one school! From now on, Songyang City should be known as the Four Great High Schools, with our Songyang High as the first among them!”
The students who heard this all nodded in agreement, feeling as though the Songyang High School emblem shone a little brighter, and their own high school credentials looked a little more impressive.
Standing not far away, Wang Hai silently congratulated himself for not getting involved in Zhou Chechen’s plan last time.
Meanwhile, the few teachers who had previously given Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen a hard time all turned pale.
The female PE teacher who had drugged Zhang Yu, in particular, looked completely devastated.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she rushed over to Wang Hai’s side and asked, “Teacher Wang, I heard you had a conflict with Zhang Yu in the past but later reconciled. How did you manage that?”
Wang Hai raised an eyebrow, rubbing his fingers together. “Such an important matter, and you’re just asking for free?”
After the female teacher transferred 10,000 credits, Wang Hai said, “Just like you just did.”
“That’s how I made up with him.”
“I gave him 66,000 back then. You, right now…” Wang Hai shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. It’s hard to say.”
Lei Jun stood in the crowd, utterly thunderstruck by Chi He’s words, his mind reeling with shock and confusion. Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate?
Those two… they obtained the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate while still in high school?
Remembering the certificate he had failed to obtain even after ten years of university, and that his two students had gotten it in their second year of high school, a torrent of complex emotions washed over Lei Jun, bringing him to the verge of tears.
To say he wasn’t jealous would be an absolute lie, but what he felt more than anything was a sense of helplessness.
Comparing people is just pointless, Lei Jun lamented internally. They’re only in high school, and they’ve already completely surpassed me.
On the other side, Zhou Chechen’s body swayed, and he only managed to stay upright thanks to Lan Ling catching him.
“A Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate for high school students? Such a thing actually exists? Why have my family elders never once mentioned this to me?”
Beside him, Lan Ling said irritably, “I told you so! We should have just hired a courier to run them over when they were still weak. Now look… just look…”
He kept repeating “just look,” though it was unclear what he wanted Zhou Chechen to see.
But Zhou Chechen shoved Lan Ling’s supporting hand away and shot him a contemptuous glance.
“Run them over? Have you forgotten what happened with the righteous god last time? If you had tried to run him over six months ago, we might have all been wiped out. Do you think someone could get this kind of certificate—a certificate we didn’t even know existed—without some serious backing?”
He didn’t spare Lan Ling another glance, thinking to himself, Why am I surrounded by idiots like Lan Ling, while Zhang Yu has a prodigy like Bai Zhenzhen by his side?
In the bustling crowd, Zhao Tianxing’s body trembled as he stammered, “Foun-Foundation Establishment Certificate! Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen… as long as they pass the college entrance exam, they can just waltz into the Ten Greats with that certificate?!”
Qian Shen nodded slowly. “It appears so.”
Qian Shen’s gaze was solemn as he thought, So that’s how it is. There really is such a thing as a high school Foundation Establishment certificate.
I had thought Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were beyond evaluation by the six core subjects and competition rankings—that they were a kind of transcendent species that couldn’t be measured by scores.
But it turns out my understanding of the entire college entrance examination system was simply incomplete. Beyond the six subjects and competitions, there exists this score from the high school Foundation Establishment exam, an element that can fully encompass Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
With this realization, Qian Shen let out a deep sigh of relief. Indeed… the entire college entrance examination system is without flaws. It truly has been verified and refined by countless experts and powerful individuals. It is the most optimal, most scientific, and most Immortal Dao-aligned system for evaluating a person.
On the street outside the school gate, Le Mulan had also seen the formation of flying swords in the sky and later heard the words of Chi He from the Oasis Group.
As people from poor backgrounds, they actually surpassed the achievements of every wealthy person in Songyang City? Le Mulan thought to herself.
She felt that her impression of the poor had been constantly reshaped by Zhang Yu over the past year, and at this moment, it was utterly shattered.
Then she thought, Does this mean… Zhang Yu will also attend one of the Ten Greats, just like me? I wonder which one he’ll choose?
But if that’s the case, booking lessons with Zhang Yu in the future won’t be so simple. Even if it’s possible, it certainly won’t be as cheap as it is now.
As she considered his likely skyrocketing worth, a strange emotion welled up inside her.
How to describe it… the feeling that washed over Le Mulan was a bit like discovering your favorite under-the-radar tutor had suddenly become a celebrity author. You felt a certain pride for having recognized their talent early on, but also a sense of loss that they were no longer your personal secret.
Le Mulan shook her head, casting aside the stray thoughts, and first relayed the news to Le Jingchen.
Upon hearing the news from his sister, Le Jingchen was initially stunned. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “When he returns, do everything you can to contact him. Try to obtain his sweat, saliva, urine… any bodily fluid will do.”
“Right, and try to get it undiluted. Don’t let your own bodily fluids contaminate the sample.”
“In any case, do your best. Let me know if you need any support.”
After hanging up, Le Jingchen thought to himself, It must be the Oasis Group’s Immortal Dao technology that elevated Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen to this level.
No wonder. No wonder the grades of those two paupers shot up so dramatically. No wonder a sixth-rank god came to their defense. The Oasis Group was the true mastermind all along.
If I can just get some of Zhang Yu’s samples and analyze them…
On the other end of the line, Le Mulan stared blankly at her disconnected phone, completely lost in thought.
Booking a lesson will definitely be difficult now.
But I have the electronic key to their apartment. Maybe I could hide under their bed…
No, there are no beds in the apartment. Then… maybe I could hide in the closet?
Le Mulan was utterly bewildered. She felt that her family had just given her an impossible mission.