At 6 a.m., the sky was still dimly lit as Zhao Tianxing approached the school.
He was much earlier than usual, all because today was the day the monthly exam results would be announced.
Since last night, Zhao Tianxing had been unable to focus on his studies or cultivation, so he decided to come to school early to see his scores as soon as possible.
"This time's Dao Arts exam was quite difficult. I wonder if I can even get 60 points."
"Sigh, the Dao Heart exam was also tough. I pressed the 'Joy Powder' button twenty-three times. I wonder how many points I'll get..."
Unlike Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who didn't care much about their scores after exams, Zhao Tianxing was the type who would compare answers with others.
If someone's answers matched his, he would feel secretly pleased.
If not, he would ask a few more people.
For the Dao Heart exam, he would ask how many times others pressed the button or used the Joy Powder.
If someone pressed it more times than him, he would comfort them verbally but feel secretly happy inside.
If someone pressed it fewer times, he would act indifferent but feel a pang of disappointment.
As he approached the school gate, still 200 meters away, he noticed a crowd of students already gathered there, all eager to see their results.
Some were hopeful about their progress, while others were worried about being demoted to a lower class.
Of course, there were also those who were just obsessed with their scores and wanted to know them as soon as possible.
Zhao Tianxing spotted Qian Shen at the front of the crowd, practicing his cultivation while waiting.
Qian Shen was always the first to arrive whenever exam results were announced.
Glancing at the still-closed school gate, Zhao Tianxing found a corner to sit down and started reviewing his books.
A few minutes later, the gate of Songyang High School creaked open, and the students rushed in like sardines in a net.
By the time Zhao Tianxing reached the classroom, Qian Shen was already standing in front of the door, staring at the results posted there.
Qian Shen let out a sigh of relief.
Although his total score had dropped due to a lower score in the practical exam, at least...
"At least Zhang Yu's score matches his strength. The monthly exam evaluation system at Songyang High School doesn't seem to have any bugs for now."
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianxing looked around and thought, "Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen haven't arrived yet?"
"Well, with their abilities, they probably already know their scores."
Zhao Tianxing couldn't help but feel envious.
He wished he could have the confidence and composure to not care about his scores like they did.
He quickly walked up to the results sheet and started scanning for his name.
1st place: Zhang Yu, 653 points
2nd place: Bai Zhenzhen, 652 points
Seeing their rankings, Zhao Tianxing sighed inwardly, "Apart from Dao Arts, their scores in other subjects must be close to perfect."
Of course, Zhao Tianxing knew that this didn't mean they could relax.
As time went on, the difficulty of the exams and the evaluation standards would only increase, requiring students to keep improving to maintain their scores.
Many students in their second and third years saw their grades drop because they couldn't keep up with the rising standards.
But Zhao Tianxing believed that with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's talents, maintaining their scores shouldn't be a problem.
He continued scanning the list and finally found his name, feeling a surge of joy.
8th place: Zhao Tianxing, 594 points
Not long after, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen entered the classroom.
Zhao Tianxing noticed that they only glanced at the rankings briefly, as if they didn't care much about them.
Watching them, Zhao Tianxing thought they looked really cool.
In contrast, he had been anxious since last night and rushed to school early just to see his scores.
"Sigh, I'm so lame."
But as time went on, Zhao Tianxing noticed that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen seemed to have something on their minds.
He couldn't figure out what could possibly worry the top two students in their grade.
Just then, a black shadow flashed past the window, followed by a loud crash from the first floor.
Another student had jumped off the building.
...
After school that day, Zhang Yu went to the school's meditation room to use his weekly free spirit root rental privilege.
However, when Wei Xin swiped his student card, she frowned and said, "Huh? It's not working?"
"Zhang Yu, wait a moment. I'll go ask..."
Zhang Yu took back his student card.
"No need. I must have made a mistake."
He already knew it was the student council's doing.
Later, on his way home, Zhang Yu received a message on his phone that made him laugh bitterly.
It was from Lei Jun, his martial arts instructor.
"Zhang Yu, the school thinks your physical strength still needs improvement. They want you to take a year off and compete in the martial arts tournament next year."
Zhang Yu exhaled slowly.
The student council was clearly trying to cut off all his opportunities to compete—be it in magic, sports, or martial arts.
They were also stripping away his privileges, like the free spirit root rental.
If this continued, Zhang Yu would have no choice but to go back to working part-time jobs after school.
"I'm still too weak..."
While waiting for the bus, he practiced the Tianwu Heart Refining Technique, but the more he practiced, the more awkward it felt.
He realized that his mindset no longer matched the technique's requirements.
He felt a fire burning inside him, but there was no outlet for it.
As he walked through the alley leading to his apartment, Zhang Yu thought, "What if I go to Li Xuelian? If Starfire Realist sees my current level in the Tianwu Heart Refining Technique, would he want to take me as his disciple?"
"Could I use Starfire Realist to gain some leverage in negotiations?"
But then he remembered that Starfire Realist was probably just another person trying to get him to sign a binding contract.
Zhang Yu sighed again.
He looked up at the sky, feeling like the entire city of Songyang was a giant dining table, and he and Bai Zhenzhen were just two dishes being picked over by wealthy customers.
"Should I run away?"
"Escape to another city, work odd jobs while cultivating, and come back in a decade or so?"
"But what about Zhenzhen? Would she be willing to run away with me?"
"This stupid ritual is forcing me to go to college. They probably wouldn't agree either..."
When he opened the door to his apartment, Zhang Yu froze in place.
Sitting on his chair was a tall girl wearing the uniform of Bailong High School.
Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her fair hands gently caressed the scabbard of a sword resting on her lap.
Zhang Yu struggled to speak.
"Sister...?"
The girl from Bailong High School was Zhang Yu's sister—Zhang Pianpian.
But he had no memory of her attending Bailong High School, let alone being the top student in her grade, as indicated by the large number "1" on her chest.
How had his sister achieved this? Why had the original Zhang Yu known nothing about it?
Zhang Pianpian looked at him coldly and said, "Go see Zhou Chechen and sign the contract."
Zhang Yu instinctively frowned.
"Are you here to make me sign?"
Zhang Pianpian replied calmly, "I'm doing this for your own good. If you keep resisting, they'll crush you."
Zhang Yu thought about the ritual binding him and said, "Signing that contract would be the death of me."
Their gazes locked in the air, and Zhang Pianpian seemed to sense the unwavering determination in Zhang Yu's eyes.
She nodded slightly and said, "I didn't expect you to change like this."
"I thought you were more suited to a peaceful, ordinary life."
"If you don't want to sign with Songyang High School, then come with me. I'll take you to Bailong High School."
Zhang Yu was taken aback.
Though he had many questions, he asked the most important one: "Can I still aim for the top ten?"
Zhang Pianpian smiled.
"Of course."
"Now you finally have the ambition to pursue the path of immortality. In that case, I'm willing to give you a chance to aim for the top ten."
Although this was his first time meeting his sister in this life, Zhang Yu felt that the Zhang Pianpian before him was completely different from the one in his memories.
She felt like a stranger.
Was this really his sister? Had money and grades completely changed her?
But Zhang Yu knew this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
He asked what he felt was the second most important question.
"Can you take one more person with us?"
Zhang Pianpian tilted her head, curious.
"Who?"
"Can you take Bai Zhenzhen to Bailong High School with us?"
Zhang Pianpian looked confused.
"Why?"
Zhang Yu replied, "She's like a sibling to me. I want to help her."
He thought to himself, "If I leave and leave Zhenzhen alone to deal with the student council, they'll definitely come down harder on her."
Zhang Pianpian was still puzzled.
"A sibling? Is Bai Zhenzhen related to us?"
At first, Zhang Yu thought she was mocking him, but seeing her serious expression, he explained, "I mean, we're very close. When I was at my lowest point, she gave me 500 yuan and even treated me to a meal."
Zhang Pianpian still looked confused.
"Can't you just pay her back 500 yuan now?"
Zhang Yu shook his head.
"It's not about the money."
He felt even more puzzled.
This Zhang Pianpian was nothing like the sister he remembered.
Seeing Zhang Yu's determination, Zhang Pianpian thought for a moment and said, "Bailong High School has limited spots. I can only take one person with me."
Zhang Yu's heart sank.
But then Zhang Pianpian added, "However, if you can pass a certain test, I can protect both of you."
Zhang Yu quickly asked, "What test?"
"Divine Support, or Divine Outsourcing," Zhang Pianpian explained.
"As long as you have an identity under a divine department, no one will dare to mess with you, at least until I graduate from college."
"I can recommend you for the test."
"But you need to understand, if you come with me to Bailong High School, I can protect you until you graduate. If you rely solely on this Divine Support identity, once I graduate, they won't have as many reservations."
"And I only have half a year left before I graduate."
"Are you sure you want to take this risk?"
Thanks to 'Dofran Mingge' for the 10,000 reward.
(End of Chapter)