Chapter 277: Extremely Poor Talent, Purely Backed by Connections
“Wang Yin?”
Gongshu Jin felt a vague sense of familiarity with the name.
Suddenly, he remembered seeing an Oasis Group advertisement that seemed to feature someone named Wang Yin.
However, he had only glanced at it briefly and hadn’t paid much attention.
Li Xiao had been vague about the details, admitting he didn’t know much himself.
Gongshu Jin decided to investigate further on his own.
Moments later, he was astonished to find absolutely nothing in his search results.
“Impossible. I distinctly remember seeing that Oasis Group ad…”
Then it struck him: “Wait, I only recently moved to the Second Layer. I must have seen that ad when I was still on the Fourth Layer.”
Intrigued, Gongshu Jin decided to use the company’s private communication line to contact an employee on the Fourth Layer and ask for their assistance in investigating the matter.
“If only my security clearance were higher,” Gongshu Jin thought, “I wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble. I could just access the upper layers’ network information through the Spirit Realm Network.”
Shortly after, the employee replied with news.
“The advertisement did exist, but it’s been almost entirely taken down. Even related comments, posts, and videos have been systematically blocked, deleted, and removed.”
“I had to spend some Spirit Coins to find the livestream video you wanted.”
In the next moment, a video screen popped up from Gongshu Jin’s Bionic Eye.
It showed Zhang Yu straddling Wang Yin, repeatedly punching him in the face.
As Gongshu Jin watched the scene, his gaze flickered, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Li Xiao, observing Gongshu Jin’s expression, immediately knew the other was using his Bionic to access information. He quickly added, “President Wang treated Zhang Yu like a son, only to be stabbed in the back. Zhang Yu is just an ungrateful dog…”
“Hmm…” Gongshu Jin nodded, but then said, “Tame him? Why bother? We could just be friends.”
Gongshu Jin completely dismissed Li Xiao’s words.
Li Xiao, a poor wretch from the First Layer with mediocre grades and a ranking far below his own, hardly qualified as a person in Gongshu Jin’s eyes. At best, he was a dog with a human-like appearance — a canine companion, not a true human friend.
Li Xiao didn’t even know which layer Wang Yin had come from, let alone understood the depth of the situation.
Gongshu Jin estimated that even on the Second Layer, only companies trading with the First Layer and those particularly interested in news from the First Layer would know about Zhang Yu’s victory over Wang Yin.
Zhang Yu’s defeat of Wang Yin, who had crippled his own cultivation during the battle, demonstrated Zhang Yu’s impressive combat prowess despite being a newcomer to the Foundation Establishment Stage. However, this was irrelevant to Gongshu Jin.
As he watched the video, what mattered to him wasn’t Zhang Yu’s demonstrated combat ability, but the ultimate outcome.
In Gongshu Jin’s eyes, Zhang Yu’s ability to pin Wang Yin down, knock him unconscious, and then casually enroll in the University’s Foundation Establishment Class as if nothing had happened, clearly indicated an extraordinary background.
This was true charisma, genuine presence, and undeniable allure — far more impressive than mere unparalleled combat strength, innate talent, or exceptional brilliance.
Conversely, no matter how formidable Zhang Yu’s combat skills or how extraordinary his talent, Gongshu Jin wouldn’t care. He would simply mentally assign a price to the man.
“I need to consult with a Righteous God to investigate Zhang Yu’s background. How could he beat Wang Yin so brutally and still survive the First Layer?”
As Gongshu Jin pondered this, he naturally abandoned his original plan to recruit Zhang Yu. Instead, he began considering whether they could become friends.
What did friendship mean to Gongshu Jin? To him, it meant associating with people who were either wealthy, had powerful connections, or achieved exceptional academic results.
“Moreover, Zhang Yu obtained his Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate in his second year of high school, a year earlier than I did. Yet his data is still 20% lower than mine. It seems his talent is utterly lacking, and he’s relying solely on his connections.”
Gongshu Jin couldn’t possibly imagine that Zhang Yu had been forced to delay his Foundation Establishment for so long simply because he couldn’t afford a Spirit Root.
He thought to himself, “With such limited talent, he’ll never catch up to me. In fact, he’ll only fall further behind. He poses no threat to my pursuit of the top spot in the class.”
“On the contrary, his connections might actually benefit me.”
With this realization, Gongshu Jin became increasingly convinced that Zhang Yu would make a suitable friend.
Li Xiao, standing nearby, wasn’t privy to these thoughts, but listening to Gongshu Jin’s words, he could sense the growing favor Gongshu Jin held for Zhang Yu. His heart swelled with both surprise and jealousy.
Gongshu Jin walked directly up to Zhang Yu, glanced at Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, and then employed his usual method of making friends.
There were no formalities, no small talk. Gongshu Jin decided to cut straight to the chase and flaunt his wealth.
This was a tried-and-true tactic he had used since childhood.
Generally, after he displayed his wealth, the rich would accept him, while the poor would fawn over him.
To Gongshu Jin, wealth was like academic grades or rankings — an absolutely effective and rational matching mechanism that filtered out unproductive social interactions.
“Greetings, gentlemen,” Gongshu Jin said, turning his back to them and gently running his hands up and down his spine. He chuckled softly. “How much do you think this Vajra Profound Creation Spine Bionic cost?”
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. “Is this guy just showing off his wealth?” he wondered.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s silence, Li Xiao chimed in from the side, “At least 15 Spirit Coins, right?”
Gongshu Jin replied casually, “It cost me 20 Spirit Coins.”
“After all, the raw materials for this spine came from a master at Vajra University — it was crafted from a spine cultivated through the master’s arduous training.”
“Even a professional bone cultivator would need a year to regrow a spine of this model. Meaning, a Spine Bionic of this exact type takes at least a year to produce.”
Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, “Damn rich bastard!”
Observing Zhang Yu’s impassive expression, Gongshu Jin thought, “Does he not even care about the Vajra Profound Creation?”
Frowning slightly, Gongshu Jin said, “Gentlemen, let’s add each other as friends.”
Though he only wanted to connect with Zhang Yu, seeing Yu Xinghan with him, Gongshu Jin decided to add both, hoping to gauge their backgrounds.
As the friend requests were accepted, Gongshu Jin activated his Bionic Eye’s unique ability, revealing the models of his new friends’ Bionic Eyes.
Observing their Bionic Eye models through the friend list was another of his social tactics.
“Time-Worn Demonic Eye? Such a top-tier Bionic Eye?”
“This Zhang Yu… is a friend.”
At that moment, Gongshu Jin knew he hadn’t misjudged Zhang Yu. The man before him was no ordinary person.
“But it seems my friend isn’t much of a talker, not even showing off his Bionic Eye. Is he the same low-profile type as Ji Yuanshu?”
“Now that he knows my wealth, he should understand we can be friends.”
“For today, just adding each other as friends will do. There’s plenty of time ahead.”
With that thought, Gongshu Jin nodded at Zhang Yu, turned, and left without another word.
Li Xiao watched Zhang Yu’s cold shoulder and Gongshu Jin’s abrupt departure, chuckling inwardly. “Heh, Zhang Yu really has a rotten temper. He’s probably offended Gongshu Jin now too.”
Just then, Yu Xinghan nodded. “Sure, let’s add each other.”
Meanwhile, Gongshu Jin frowned at the belated friend request notification. “Extreme Tiger? Still using such an outdated account.”
“This isn’t a friend.”
With a thought, Gongshu Jin silently deleted Yu Xinghan’s friend request.
Across the room, Ji Yuanshu observed the scene with cold eyes, thinking, “According to my recent investigation, Oasis Group has likely already made moves against Zhang Yu.”
“This Zhang Yu might be involved in the conflict between Myriad Laws and Netherworld…”
“But none of that concerns me. To me, Civil Engineering students are just passersby. Zhang Yu’s current data is far too inferior to mine, and he poses no threat to my ranking.”
“Then I’ll ignore it all.”
“I only need to focus on securing first place in the third-year class, then transfer to Finance and break into the top 30 at Myriad Laws University.”
“That’s the path Master has laid out for me.”
After class, the classroom emptied in an instant.
Zhang Yu patted Yu Xinghan on the shoulder and asked, “Where are you headed next?”
Yu Xinghan snapped, “Damn it! Gongshu Jin deleted me!”
Zhang Yu recalled Gongshu Jin’s behavior and said, “He probably looks down on us.”
As the crowd dispersed, Yu Xinghan felt his Bionic Eye functioning more smoothly. He nodded. “It’s normal for Fourth Layer students to look down on us First Layer students. If I were in their position, I’d look down on us too.”
Yu Xinghan remembered True Person Starfire’s warning. “Anyway, we need to focus on improving our grades and rankings.”
“Socializing at the University is a dead end for First Layer students.”
“Only grades and rankings… that’s our only leverage.”
“But first, I need to get this damn Bionic Eye replaced. Where are you going?”
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered slightly. “I want to check out the Great Library first and exchange some cultivation arts.”
Zhang Yu used his Bionic Eye to pull up navigation to the Great Library.
It was only upon investigating that he discovered the Great Library wasn’t a physical location, but a website.
At the same time, True Person Scorching Thunder, a teacher in the Foundation Establishment Class group chat, posted a message:
True Person Scorching Thunder: “[Link] This is the latest class ranking, based on everyone’s initial data upon joining the class. The ranking will be continuously updated based on your overall performance. Take a look to see where you currently stand in the class.”
“Class ranking?”
Zhang Yu clicked the link and found a comprehensive ranking system for the entire Second Layer campus of Myriad Laws University, including school-wide, faculty, and class rankings.
The subpage True Person Scorching Thunder had sent was specifically for their Foundation Establishment Class.
13th place: Zhang Yu.
“Not bad,” Zhang Yu nodded. “I’ll just keep improving steadily from here.”
The next moment, as Zhang Yu actively connected to the Great Library, his identity and permissions were verified. Instantly, the light and shadows before him shifted, and countless bookshelves materialized, filling every corner of his vision.
Row upon row of endless bookshelves projected before him through his Bionic Eye.
This was the Great Library of Myriad Laws University.
With a gentle tap of Zhang Yu’s finger, the bookshelves rearranged themselves according to his specifications, neatly categorized.
“The cultivation arts I’m looking for…”
Even before entering Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu had already planned his cultivation path for his university years.
Drawing on his cultivation experience from high school, Zhang Yu believed his first priority upon entering university should be to confirm whether the Chain Formation Diagram contained a “University Sacred Body” equivalent to the “High School Sacred Body” he had used in high school.
“The High School Sacred Body was perfect for growth. If I’d obtained it earlier, my cultivation progress in high school would have been at least two or three times faster.”
“I hope the university has a University Sacred Body too.”
In the next moment, at Zhang Yu’s mental command, a series of basic-grade Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation arts appeared before him.