After exchanging greetings, Wu Qingqing picked up her phone again and turned the screen toward Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
A faint light flashed on the screen, and a cartoonish image of a young man appeared.
She introduced, "This is Mo Tianyi from Mangshan High School."
Zhang Yu was startled.
What the heck? A 2D avatar?
The young man nodded at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Mo Tianyi. I've already checked the surroundings, so we can talk freely here."
Zhang Yu looked at the phone screen curiously and asked, "Where are you right now?"
Mo Tianyi smiled slightly, "I'm currently in the Spirit Realm, but since the Spirit Realm is connected to the internet, I can contact you."
Then his expression turned serious as he asked, "Zhang Yu, I need to ask you something. Have you been accepted as a disciple by Master Xinghuo?"
Before Zhang Yu could answer, Bai Zhenzhen stepped forward, blocking him and saying, "He hasn't. I told him about the pitfalls of being a Golden Core disciple and convinced him to reject Master Xinghuo."
Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen in surprise, not understanding why she would say that.
But out of trust for her, he didn't say anything and just listened quietly to the conversation.
Hearing Bai Zhenzhen's words, both Wu Qingqing and Mo Tianyi on the phone screen showed a hint of disappointment.
Wu Qingqing couldn't help but say, "How could you let Zhang Yu reject this opportunity? If he wants to get into the top ten schools, Master Xinghuo would be a strong ally."
Bai Zhenzhen scoffed, "An old man who was kicked out of a major sect, with half his cultivation stripped away. If he gets divorced and his daughter takes his money, he might end up living under a bridge. What's left for us to gain? Joining him would just make us his workhorses. It might not even be as good as me doing odd jobs every day."
Mo Tianyi sighed, thinking that if he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have encouraged Bai Zhenzhen to try the art exhibition.
Otherwise, Zhang Yu might have really become a Golden Core disciple, increasing the chances of a poor student getting into the top ten schools.
Bai Zhenzhen continued, "The reason I brought you here today is to introduce Zhang Yu to your group. Although he's not as good as me, he's still a rare talent. The student council has already taken notice of him."
Mo Tianyi's image refreshed, and he had regained his composure.
He smiled and said, "I've heard of Zhang Yu's talents. This magic competition will be a good chance to see them in action."
"Is that it?" Bai Zhenzhen said unhappily.
"How about some real investment?"
Mo Tianyi sighed, "We're all poor here, and resources are limited. You know our focus has always been on our leader. We don't have much to give."
"This is just a small token of my appreciation. Don't think it's too little..."
With that, he transferred 2000 yuan to Bai Zhenzhen.
Zhang Yu watched this scene and thought to himself, "Wow, so Zhenzhen brought me here to ask for money."
But it seemed this "Alliance of the Poor" was really strapped for cash and couldn't offer much.
Seeing the transfer notification on her phone, Bai Zhenzhen frowned, "Only 2000?"
She knew who they were talking about—the leader of their group, the most talented and promising poor student among them, the one most likely to break through the barriers and enter one of the top ten schools.
This poor genius had earned the trust of the other poor students, who had scrimped and saved to invest resources in him, hoping that once he got into a top university and joined a major sect, he could help lift them all up and slowly break through the oppressive system over Songyang City.
Even the time they had called Bai Zhenzhen to the art exhibition, in her view, was probably in the hopes that she could become a Golden Core disciple and use that status to help their leader.
Bai Zhenzhen said, "Didn't we agree to support each other and stand together? Are you just all talk and no action? Did I pay my membership fee for nothing?"
Mo Tianyi shook his head with a bitter smile.
Compared to the 2000 yuan Bai Zhenzhen had paid as a membership fee, the amount she had taken from them over time was already in the tens of thousands.
If it weren't for her exceptional talent and the belief that she could draw a lot of attention away from their leader in the future, they wouldn't have invested so much in her.
Feeling the awkward atmosphere, Wu Qingqing smiled and said, "Zhenzhen, don't be so impatient. Our leader is at a critical moment, and we don't have much money to spare. Even though Mo Tianyi manages the funds, he still needs the approval of the senior members to use them."
"How about this? If Zhang Yu can achieve a good ranking in this magic competition, Mo Tianyi can talk to the seniors, and it would be easier to justify giving you more money."
After some back-and-forth, Bai Zhenzhen finally grabbed Zhang Yu and left the stands.
Watching them leave, Wu Qingqing sighed, "Zhenzhen always comes to us for money, treating us like ATMs."
Mo Tianyi said, "When it comes to getting into the top ten schools, her determination is the strongest among us. That's why she's so desperate for money."
Mo Tianyi could clearly sense that Bai Zhenzhen wasn't counting on their leader to get into a top school and then protect them.
She wanted to get into a top school herself.
Mo Tianyi added, "I just didn't expect her to bring Zhang Yu along to ask for money this time."
Speaking of Zhang Yu, Wu Qingqing praised, "Improving by 70 points in a month, Zhang Yu is really impressive. He's worth investing in."
Mo Tianyi, however, shook his head, "If he were from a wealthy family, his performance would be enough to compete for a spot in the top ten. But unfortunately... he's poor."
He sighed, "For the poor to break through the barriers above us, just doing well in monthly exams is far from enough... far from enough..."
Behind Wu Qingqing, Ye Xianyun had been quietly reading a book the entire time, as if nothing in the outside world concerned her.
...
On the other side, Bai Zhenzhen walked with Zhang Yu and said, "Yu, when the magic competition starts, you better make me proud! At least get into the top ten, so I can ask them for money with more confidence."
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "You seemed pretty confident just now when you were asking for money directly."
But he decided to ask the question on his mind, "Besides supporting each other and pooling money, what other ways do the poor have to get into the top ten schools?"
In his opinion, relying on a few poor students to scrimp and save, even if they were all geniuses in the Dao of Immortality, didn't seem realistic for breaking through the rich people's blockade and getting into the top ten schools.
Bai Zhenzhen explained, "That's exactly what I want to find out from them. As far as I know, their leader is a second-year student at one of the three top schools. I don't know how he did it, but he hasn't signed with any school or student council, nor has he been targeted by them. He still has the qualifications to take the college entrance exam. I want to know how he managed that."
"The only way, as far as I can see, is to keep increasing our influence within their group, find this 'leader,' and then figure out a way to get him to share his methods."
Zhang Yu asked curiously, "How do we increase our influence?"
Bai Zhenzhen said matter-of-factly, "We're students. The way to increase influence is through exams! Competitions! Achievements! Whether you're poor or rich, it's the same. Whoever performs better gets the investment."
"Unfortunately, I'm not good at this magic competition, so it's up to you to see how far you can go."
Not long after Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen returned to the Songyang High School rest area, Zhang Yu suddenly noticed someone in the stands.
"Liang Qin?"
Seeing Liang Qin wave at him, encouraging him to do well, Zhang Yu nodded and greeted him back.
"What the heck? Did he really follow me all the way to Red Tower High School just to watch my match?"
Bro, are you okay? If you keep this up, I won't dare turn my back on you anymore.
Meanwhile, Liang Qin looked at Zhang Yu in the rest area, a slight smile on his lips, and took out his phone, opening a betting platform to start placing bets.
Gambling was a beloved pastime among the people of Songyang City.
The platform Liang Qin often used was even endorsed by the vice mayor, offering a wide range of betting options, covering almost everything you could gamble on in Songyang City.
With a quick search, Liang Qin found various high school competition events.
He had taken time off to watch the competition, of course, to follow Zhang Yu and earn his reward.
But seeing the magic competition, he couldn't resist the urge to place some bets.
At the same time, Zhang Yu noticed a flyer for the betting platform floating down nearby.
"Instead of participating in the competition, why not bet on it? New users get a 100 yuan bonus..."
Zhang Yu felt speechless.
Are they really advertising gambling right in the middle of the competition? Everyone gambles, so it's fine, right?
Seeing this, Bai Zhenzhen immediately snatched the flyer away and stared at Zhang Yu, saying, "Yu, you can't get involved in this."
Zhang Yu said, "I think I have a good chance of making the top ten. If I bet a little..."
Bai Zhenzhen said seriously, "How much are you planning to bet? What if you lose?"
Zhang Yu replied, "The chances of winning are high..."
Bai Zhenzhen continued, "If you win, the problem becomes even bigger. Your attitude toward money will completely change. Once you've won, you'll always want to win again."
As a native of Songyang City, Bai Zhenzhen had seen too many people fall because of this.
She had even seen immortals in the news who had lost everything.
She continued to advise, "I'm afraid you'll get used to relying on this and end up losing everything, even yourself. Yu, you really can't get involved in this."
With a slight tremor of her palm, Bai Zhenzhen reduced the flyer to dust.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath, calming his mind with the Desolate Bull Soul-Calming Technique, and said, "You're right, Zhen. I was being greedy. This is something I really shouldn't touch."
Zhang Yu understood the reasoning, but the immense financial pressure had momentarily clouded his judgment.
Shortly after, as music began to play, the magic competition officially started.
Drones controlled by soul cultivators flew out, delivering the props needed for the competition.
As the items were placed in the arena, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd.
"Flying swords!"
"Are we supposed to control them? The first round is already this difficult? They've never tested flying swords in previous competitions!"
"I'm done for! I've never used a flying sword before!"
The host walked up to a flying sword hovering in mid-air and said, "The cold light of the Nine Heavens Sword shakes the Kunlun Ruins. We thank the superbly lethal Nine Heavens Flying Sword for sponsoring this magic competition."
What the heck!
Zhang Yu cursed inwardly.
Just because a flying sword manufacturer sponsored the event, you're testing flying swords in the magic competition? Have you no shame? If the Dual Cultivation Sect sponsored it, would you test dual cultivation? Go ahead, I dare you!
(End of Chapter)