Chapter 437: Don’t Spread This Around, But the News Is Going Viral
Reading Su Yanyang’s message and recalling their previous conversations, Ma Xuan felt an unbelievable suspicion forming in his mind.
He replied, “Didn’t Ping Han get the Military Certificate?”
Su Yanyang: [Military Certificate Public Announcement List]
Seeing the name on the list, Ma Xuan exclaimed, “Zhang Yu?”
Ma Xuan: “How could it be Zhang Yu?”
Ma Xuan: “How is that even possible?”
Ma Xuan knew all too well what the Military Certificate represented.
He thought to himself, “Students with this certificate have a clear path to graduate school and the Golden Core qualification exam… It’s practically a guaranteed path to success. Compared to ordinary undergraduates, they’re already halfway to a Master’s degree.”
Jealousy and envy surged through Ma Xuan as he asked, “Didn’t you say he bombed the exam? That he couldn’t even stand up when it was over?”
Su Yanyang: “[Crying emoji] I don’t know either!”
Su Yanyang: “I can’t figure it out!”
Ma Xuan: “Could there be some kind of foul play?”
Ma Xuan: “If there’s any foul play, we should try to smooth things over with Zhang Yu as soon as possible.”
Su Yanyang read Ma Xuan’s message and deeply agreed.
Ma Xuan: “Also, how should we approach the next round?”
Su Yanyang: “Wait a moment. I’ll ask our teacher for more information.”
Su Yanyang sent a message to his teacher, True Monarch Sacred Mountain, inquiring about the details of this year’s Military Certificate Examination.
However, his message vanished without a trace. After waiting for over an hour without a response, Su Yanyang wasn’t particularly surprised. As the saying goes, the older you get, the busier you become.
The elderly director of the Civil Engineering Department, nearing the end of his lifespan, was perpetually swamped. Students like Su Yanyang were largely left to their own devices, often receiving delayed replies — or none at all.
After a moment’s thought, Su Yanyang sent messages to Ping Han and Xiao Yunji, fellow examinees, asking if they knew any more details.
Su Yanyang: “Have you seen the Military Certificate results yet?”
That evening, Ping Han checked his messages and glanced at Mo Shangjin’s profile, as usual, only to find no new messages.
“Hmph, even if Mo Shangjin doesn’t want me back, Teacher Gao will definitely ask me to return for the sake of the competition rankings.”
Just then, Ping Han received a message from Su Yanyang. He rubbed his hands together and hurriedly opened the official website for the Military Certificate results.
When the document listing the new batch of Military Certificate recipients was released, Ping Han clicked on it with a surge of excitement.
“It’s here! Finally!”
But as he opened the file and scanned the names, he froze.
Ping Han deleted the file, downloaded it again, and reopened it.
After repeating this several times, he muttered, “Impossible.”
“This can’t be happening!”
“I’ve toiled through ten years of university, breaking through and rebuilding myself nine times. How could I possibly lose to someone who’s only been in college for two and a half years?”
Ping Han immediately messaged Director Gao: “Why Zhang Yu?”
Director Gao: “He performed better than you.”
Ping Han: “Nonsense! How is this possible?”
Director Gao: [Military Certificate Exam Data]
Director Gao: “His kill count is higher than yours.”
Ping Han: “What does a Civil Engineering exam have to do with kill counts?”
Ping Han: “Look at the data! My construction output is far greater than his!”
Ping Han: “Shouldn’t Civil Engineering be judged on practical work? Isn’t that what you’ve always taught us?”
Director Gao: “This was a joint decision by the judges and the Heavenly Court. I’m just a guest here.”
Ping Han: “I refuse to accept this!”
Ping Han: “I’m filing a complaint!”
Director Gao: “Ping Han, calm down.”
Ping Han: “This is my final year of university! My Military Certificate has been sabotaged! How can you expect me to stay calm?”
Ping Han: “I’m your disciple too!”
Ping Han: “Why didn’t you lend me money when I was at my lowest?”
Ping Han: “Why won’t you help me now that I’ve finally climbed back up and am fighting for this last chance at university?”
Director Gao: “Ping Han, you must understand, I can’t advocate for my own students in the Examination Field.”
Ping Han: “This isn’t over.”
Xiao Yunji stared at Su Yanyang’s message, momentarily stunned before swiftly logging into the website to download the official announcement.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s name on the list, Xiao Yunji felt utterly bewildered.
It made perfect sense for Ping Han, with his decade of accumulated power and the momentum of his Spirit Transformation breakthrough, to secure the Military Certificate.
And Xiao Yunji herself, who had poured years of resources into this endeavor, even sacrificing her human form by transplanting a Transforming Bionic, could reasonably expect to succeed.
But Zhang Yu? Wasn’t he critically injured and incapacitated by a Yellow Turban Warrior?
A flicker of resentment stirred within Xiao Yunji, especially when she recalled the immense sacrifices she had made for this examination, only to be defeated by him. This resentment gradually morphed into bitter resentment.
Immediately, Xiao Yunji contacted her teacher, Director Lin, demanding an explanation.
Moments later, Director Lin replied: “Don’t spread baseless rumors.”
Director Lin: “The examination was overseen by True Monarch Cloud Haven, True Monarch Celestial Elephant, and a Fifth-Rank Righteous God. How could there be any foul play?”
Xiao Yunji: “But Zhang Yu only enrolled two and a half years ago, and he was in such a state after the exam…”
Xiao Yunji: “How did he possibly win?”
Director Lin had no intention of boosting the morale of the War Faction or undermining the Peace Faction, especially since he disapproved of Zhang Yu’s method of winning.
However, he also didn’t want his students spreading rumors of corruption that might displease the principal.
After a moment’s consideration, he replied, “What I’m about to tell you is for your ears only. Don’t spread it around.”
Director Lin: “Ping Han performed exceptionally well.”
Director Lin: “His construction volume was the highest in the entire examination field.”
Xiao Yunji: “Then why did Zhang Yu win?”
Director Lin: “Because Zhang Yu completely eliminated all the Yellow Turban Warriors in the examination field with a lower construction volume.”
Director Lin: [Military Certificate Examination Data]
“Completely eliminated?” Xiao Yunji’s heart skipped a beat as she opened the file Director Lin had sent.
Seeing Zhang Yu ranked first in kill count, Xiao Yunji took a deep breath. “He actually… wiped out all the Yellow Turban Warriors?”
She recalled the final wave of Yellow Turban Warriors that had surged like a tidal wave across the examination field. She couldn’t fathom how Zhang Yu had managed to achieve this.
She immediately voiced her confusion to Director Lin.
Director Lin replied, “What else could those War Faction grunts rely on? They smashed their way through with their bare fists. Otherwise, how would they have ended up so badly injured?”
Xiao Yunji’s heart skipped a beat. “So… Zhang Yu achieved this through his martial arts alone?”
“If I remember correctly, he only had a Bionic Eye, right? No other Bionics?”
“So he… annihilated all the Yellow Turban Warriors on the field using pure martial arts?”
Before the exam, if someone had told Xiao Yunji they planned to earn a Military Certificate with only a Bionic Eye, she would have dismissed them as delusional.
But now, hearing that someone had actually done it, she suddenly realized that this “delusional” person was damn strong.
At the same time, the lingering resentment in Xiao Yunji’s heart gradually dissipated.
Su Yanyang: “Any news?”
Seeing Su Yanyang’s message, Xiao Yunji pondered for a moment before replying: Don’t spread what I’m about to tell you.
Xiao Yunji: “Zhang Yu earned his Military Certificate by annihilating all the Yellow Turban Warriors on the field using only his martial arts.”
Su Yanyang: “How is that possible?”
Xiao Yunji: [Military Certificate Exam Data]
Xiao Yunji: “Look at his kill count. Isn’t he ranked first?”
Su Yanyang stared in shock at the document Xiao Yunji had sent him, repeatedly comparing the candidates’ data.
“Zhang Yu… he really wiped out all the Yellow Turban Warriors? His kill count is even higher than Ping Han’s?”
“How did his strength improve so quickly?”
“Could he have bought more Jade Nectar Coins than Ping Han?”
Su Yanyang was a practical man with a flexible mindset. Once presented with concrete evidence, he accepted the reality before him in mere seconds.
The capable become teachers, and the wealthy become elders, Su Yanyang thought to himself. Zhang Yu can now be considered my senior brother.
Just then, Ma Xuan sent a message: “How’s it going?”
Su Yanyang: “Sigh, we’re screwed for the next round.”
Ma Xuan: “Why? What happened?”
Su Yanyang: “I’ll show you something.”
Su Yanyang: “Just don’t spread this around.”
Su Yanyang: “[Military Certificate Exam Data]”
Su Yanyang: “Zhang Yu wiped out all the Yellow Turban Warriors using pure martial arts.”
Su Yanyang: “My guess is he earned more Jade Nectar Coins than Ping Han.”
Ma Xuan stared in shock at Su Yanyang’s message. “Isn’t he even stronger than Ping Han?”
Ma Xuan: “What should we do in the next match? Just surrender?”
Su Yanyang: “That’s your problem.”
Ma Xuan paused, then received notifications that Su Yanyang had left the competition group and the team.
Ma Xuan: “You’re quitting the competition?”
Su Yanyang: “I’m finding a team that can reach the top ten without fighting Zhang Yu.”
Su Yanyang: “Besides you and Zhang Yu’s team, there are eighteen others. I refuse to believe I can’t find one to boost my overall score.”
Reading Su Yanyang’s reply, Ma Xuan sighed, his mind in turmoil.
“What’s the point of even fighting anymore?”
“I need to come up with a plan…”
Just then, Ji Yuanshu asked, “Senior Ma Xuan, why did Senior Su Yanyang leave?”
Seeing Ji Yuanshu, Ma Xuan’s eyes flickered. “Our next match is against Zhang Yu. You know Su Yanyang has a foolproof strategy — our key to victory.”
Ma Xuan: “He’s demanding more money at the last minute.”
Ma Xuan: “Don’t worry, I’ll talk him back later.”
Ma Xuan: “By the way, you’re the new captain of the team.”
Ji Yuanshu: “Huh? Me? Captain?”
Ignoring Ji Yuanshu’s confusion, Ma Xuan forcibly transferred the captaincy to him and urged him to accept.
Shortly after Ji Yuanshu agreed to become captain, he was shocked to discover that Ma Xuan had also left the team.
“What’s going on?!”
“Did you have to quit the team to convince Su Yanyang to come back?”
Ji Yuanshu frantically messaged Ma Xuan, but received no response.
Meanwhile, he noticed other team members leaving one by one, until only he, the captain, remained.
Ji Yuanshu: “Senior? Why did you all quit?”
After a long silence, Ma Xuan finally replied: “Zhang Yu obtained the Military Certificate.”
Ji Yuanshu: “How could he possibly beat Ping Han?”
Ma Xuan: [Military Certificate Exam Data]
Ma Xuan: “I’m sending you this data, but don’t spread it around.”
Ji Yuanshu repeatedly reviewed Ma Xuan’s message, confirming it wasn’t a mistake or a hallucination.
“Zhang Yu actually passed the Military Certificate Examination?” Ji Yuanshu gritted his teeth, his heart sinking. “He’s already halfway to a Master’s degree?”
“And he’s only a third-year student… Does that mean after gathering all Seven Wonders, he can start earning money with the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power? His income could skyrocket, potentially tenfold greater than mine.”
The thought made the seven credit cards in his mind feel even heavier.
Finally, Ji Yuanshu replied: “I paid to join the team!”
Ma Xuan: “That’s why they made you captain.”
Reading Ma Xuan’s message, Ji Yuanshu cursed, “Damn it… At least let me withdraw first!”
Staring at his now-empty competition team, Ji Yuanshu pondered his next move.
After a long silence, his eyes suddenly lit up. He sent a message to Bu Ziran, a teammate from the previous year whom he had parted ways with after a heated argument.
Ji Yuanshu: “Senior Bu, there’s an open spot on my competition team. Want to transfer over?”
Bu Ziran: [Military Certificate Exam Data]
Bu Ziran: “[Fear] You want me to fight Zhang Yu?”
Bu Ziran: “Are you trying to bankrupt me?”
Ji Yuanshu then contacted Cong Na, another former teammate from the previous year.
Cong Na: “[Wiping sweat]”
Cong Na: “Junior Brother, that’s a bit unfair, don’t you think?”
Cong Na: [Military Certificate Public Announcement List]
As he glanced at the file she sent, a bitter smile flashed across Ji Yuanshu’s face. How does everyone know? Why is news spreading so fast? he cursed inwardly.
An idea struck him. He decided to recruit some lower-grade students.
He immediately messaged Li Xiao, asking if he wanted to join the team.
He remembered Li Xiao desperately trying to become a substitute member, unable to afford even a single spot. Offering him a free spot now might just secure his recruitment.
But when he saw Li Xiao’s reply, Ji Yuanshu couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know Zhang Yu got his Military Certificate too?”
Li Xiao: “Zhang Yu posted it himself on his Moments.”
Li Xiao: “Didn’t you see it?”
Ji Yuanshu quickly jumped to Zhang Yu’s Moments and discovered that Zhang Yu had already posted the official list of Military Certificate recipients. The post was flooded with comments and likes.