https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-159-Taking-the-First-Round-of-the-Foundation-Establishment-Exam-Please-Vote-for-Me-/13686628/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-161-The-Summoning-of-the-Jester-s-Seat/13686630/
Chapter 160: The Mysterious Zhang Yu
When Zhang Yu finally came to his senses again, he found himself inside a subterranean passage.
"Was the teleportation complete?"
He walked forward along the dimly lit tunnel and soon spotted a figure ahead. Hurrying over, he hoped to see Bai Zhenzhen beside him—had she been transported here too? But instead, he saw a boy in a school uniform.
The boy turned at the sound of footsteps. Zhang Yu nodded politely and greeted him: “Hi. You’re also here for the exam?”
The boy’s name was Dai Xingzhi. He didn’t respond right away, instead sizing up Zhang Yu from head to toe, confirming something in his mind.
This guy isn’t from Xian Du City.
Dai Xingzhi was certain of this for two reasons.
First, the face was unfamiliar. In Xian Du, the top-performing, wealthy high school students were all known to him by sight. He’d never seen this person before.
Second, from the accent, speech patterns, and clothing—this was clearly an outsider.
As a lifelong resident of Xian Du—his family had lived here for ten generations—Dai Xingzhi viewed Xian Du natives and outsiders as entirely different species.
And he could tell the difference at a glance.
"Outsiders are just outsiders. No real Xian Du spirit."
Realizing Zhang Yu was almost certainly from outside the city, Dai Xingzhi unconsciously straightened his back. He was a staunch believer in Xian Du supremacy.
Xian Du was the heart of Kunxu First Layer—the center of power, intelligence, and wealth. The floating city above Xian Du, known as the Upper City, was practically Kunxu 1.5 Layer.
"Technically, I’m not even from Kunxu First Layer. I should be considered part of Kunxu 1.5 Layer."
As for the other cities in First Layer? In Dai Xingzhi’s mind, they were all backwater towns.
Staring at Zhang Yu, he thought bitterly: Stupid outsider. Thinking you can come to Xian Du and steal our Foundation Establishment Certificate?
After scanning Zhang Yu once more, Dai Xingzhi said nothing, turned, and walked away.
He strode forward quickly and soon spotted another figure’s silhouette ahead.
"Ye Lingshao…"
Dai Xingzhi knew the name well—especially since the boy had recently become obsessed with the Red Envelope Charm. Ye Lingshao was from the Second Ring of the Upper City, which made him someone of great importance in Dai Xingzhi’s eyes.
In Dai Xingzhi’s worldview, Xian Du was the absolute center of Kunxu First Layer. The floating city above it—the Upper City—was the center’s center.
Within the Upper City, there were ten concentric rings. The Second Ring was the heart of the heart.
Born into the Second Ring, Ye Lingshao came from one of Xian Du’s wealthiest families.
From what Dai Xingzhi knew, people from the Second Ring only made friends with others from the Second Ring, married within it, and reproduced exclusively among themselves. Some even never descended from the upper rings their entire lives.
Now seeing Ye Lingshao, Dai Xingzhi’s proud posture instantly collapsed. He quickly approached, eager to please.
"Linshao, hello."
"Remember me? I’m Dai Xingzhi, from the same school. I live in the North Sixth Ring."
He added quickly, “Inside the Sixth Ring, not outside.”
Ye Lingshao didn’t even look up. He simply nodded, still fully focused on practicing the Red Envelope Charm.
After the previous Dao Heart Test, his curiosity about the Red Envelope Charm and Affinity Charm had only deepened. He now had a 90% certainty that these artifacts concealed something truly extraordinary.
But the secrets involved were too dangerous to share. So he kept it to himself, studying in silence.
Just then, a shout rang out.
"Hey! What’s with you throwing Red Envelope Charms all over the place again?"
Zhang Yu dodged a few scattered charms on the ground, then caught up, muttering, “You can’t just toss these filthy things around—aren’t you endangering public safety?”
Ye Lingshao glanced at him, surprised. He hadn’t expected the outsider to survive the last test.
"Red Envelope Charms aren’t picked up by anyone," Ye Lingshao said calmly. "They vanish after a while. And if you don’t want the money inside, just return it immediately."
As they spoke, Zhang Yu followed him into a vast underground hall.
In the center stood examiner Deng Bingding and several others, surrounded by over a dozen contestants who had arrived earlier.
But the students weren’t standing quietly. They were arguing with the examiners.
One student said, “Examiner, please reveal the rankings from the last test.”
Another chimed in, “Yeah! How can there be a test without rankings?”
A third shouted, “No rankings? What kind of test is this? Not even a real exam!”
Zhang Yu listened for a few seconds and understood: this was a group of Xian Du elites demanding the results of the previous round.
From their tone and the hints they dropped, it seemed that in Xian Du, failing to publish rankings after a test was considered scandalous—teachers and schools alike would be reported.
Damn it. Another bunch of rank-obsessed perfectionists… Zhang Yu thought. No matter where I go in Kunxu, there’s always someone obsessed with rankings. No regard for privacy at all.
Just then, Bai Zhenzhen arrived beside Zhang Yu, curious. “What’s all the shouting about?”
Zhang Yu scoffed. “Just a bunch of score-obsessed types demanding the last round’s rankings.”
Bai Zhenzhen recalled her own performance. “Hmm… the top Xian Du elites opened the door in half a second. I did it in less than three seconds. I’m definitely near the bottom.”
Thinking about her Dao Heart Test, she sighed. “I probably didn’t do as well as them either. Honestly, it’s just a pre-exam test. Why do they care so much about reputation?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “True cultivation isn’t measured by a single score or ranking.”
Hearing this, Ye Lingshao—firmly in favor of rankings—couldn’t let it pass unnoticed.
But before he could speak, Dai Xingzhi blurted out, “You two outsiders don’t know what you’re talking about! Scores are everything! Rankings determine whether someone even deserves to walk the immortal path!”
“If you ignore rankings and only care about scores… then what’s the difference from just being born?”
Ye Lingshao didn’t say a word, but his frequent nodding made his agreement clear.
Dai Xingzhi glared at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, silently thinking: Hmph. Only losers who know they’re ranked low would fear rankings.
In his mind, these two outsiders could never compare to the elite students of Xian Du. They were clearly just low-ranked failures.
“You outsiders who don’t respect rank—there are so many of you. If you two actually ranked first or second, you’d be begging for rankings to be announced.”
At that moment, Deng Bingding, standing at the front of the examiners, finally spoke.
“I understand everyone’s eagerness to know the rankings. There’s no rule against revealing them.”
“However, we felt the results had little practical value, so we didn’t plan to release them.”
“Now that so many of you want to know, I’ll display the rankings.”
The previous test had two stages:
The first was pushing open a metal door.
The second was the Dao Heart Test.
Most students weren’t particularly interested in the first stage. It was just a basic filter—eliminating weaker first-year students. Few had pushed themselves fully.
But the Dao Heart Test? That was different.
It wasn’t just about willpower—it also subtly reflected a contestant’s wealth and status. So it was the one everyone cared about.
The rankings appeared.
1st: No. 55 — Valuation: Unknown
2nd: No. 23 — Valuation: 5.5 billion
3rd: No. 11 — Valuation: 5 billion
...
The moment the list appeared, the crowd fell silent. Everyone scanned the numbers, searching for their own, like guests in a theater looking for their seats.
Once they knew their own ranking—knew where they stood in the competition—they immediately turned to others.
Most started with friends… or those they disliked.
For Dai Xingzhi, his first priority was the top three.
Finding the highest-ranked, wealthiest person had always been his habit—and a family tradition in the Dai clan.
He also recalled the details of the last Dao Heart Test.
This valuation… is it the maximum value of temptation one could resist?
So the higher the number, the stronger the Dao Heart—and the richer the person must be.
No. 11 is Yun Jing, third place, valued at 5 billion?
Dai Xingzhi looked toward the boy surrounded by several students from Ziyun High School.
The most striking feature? His eyes—bright like stars. Dai Xingzhi knew that was Spirit Armor.
Yun Jing… the one Ziyun Pharmaceutical calls “the strongest high schooler in Kunxu First Layer.”
He’d heard that a month ago, Yun Jing had already reached the peak of Cultivation Energy, Dao Heart, and Physical Strength—all at the Qi-Condensation limit.
“Ah… one of the four Foundation Establishment Certificates is likely going to him.”
Ye Lingshao glanced at Yun Jing too. He remembered how, last time, Yun Jing had picked up his Red Envelope Charm without a single flaw.
Dai Xingzhi thought: No. 23 is Ye Lingshao—right beside me. Valued at 5.5 billion. Did he resist up to 5.5 billion in temptation in the Illusory Realm? No surprise—Second Ring elite.
His stats reached the Qi-Condensation limit months ago. After all, Luzhou Group once called him the most perfect body and bloodline among today’s high schoolers.
One of the four certificates should be his too.
But then he looked at the top spot—No. 55.
And he couldn’t find anyone.
Puzzled, he scanned the crowd again.
This Foundation Establishment Exam… has someone even stronger and richer than Yun Jing and Ye Lingshao?
(End of Chapter)
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