https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-280-University-Holy-Body-Who-Dares-To-Challenge-Me-/13686829/
Chapter 279: Talentless, Purely Relying on Background
"Wang Yin?" Gong Shuijin couldn't help but feel that name rang a faint bell.
Suddenly, it clicked—hadn't he seen a Luzhou Group advertisement once? There was a man named Wang Yin in it. But back then, he'd barely glanced at it, leaving no lasting impression.
Now, as Li Xiao recounted the incident, the details were vague and hazy. Gong Shuijin decided to look into it himself.
Moments later, he was stunned—nothing came up in the search.
"Impossible. I definitely saw that ad..."
Then it hit him. "Right—recently I just ascended to the second layer. That ad must've been from when I was still in the fourth layer."
Frowning, Gongshu Jin grew even more curious. He bypassed the usual protocols and used his company’s internal privilege to temporarily access a fourth-floor employee through the corporate dedicated line, asking them to investigate.
Gongshu Jin mentally sighed. "Too bad my clearance isn’t high enough. Otherwise, I could’ve directly accessed the upper-layer network via the Spiritual World Network."
A moment later, the reply came.
"There was that ad. But it’s been pulled down completely—every related comment, post, and video has been censored, deleted, or taken offline."
"As for the livestream you asked about, I had to spend a bit of Lingbi to dig it up."
Instantly, the video appeared in Gong Shuijin’s Eye Armor.
It showed Zhang Yu riding atop Wang Yin, hammering his face repeatedly.
Gong Shuijin’s gaze sharpened, eyes flickering with quiet contemplation.
Li Xiao, watching the man’s expression, knew immediately he was using his Spirit Armor to cross-reference data. He quickly added, "Wang Zong treated Zhang Yu like family—only to be betrayed. That Zhang Yu’s nothing but an ungrateful dog..."
"Hmm," Gong Shuijin nodded, then said, "Gratitude? Why bother with that? We could just be friends."
He didn’t take Li Xiao’s words seriously. To him, Li Xiao was just a First Layer pauper—mediocre grades, nowhere near his rank. In Gong Shuijin’s eyes, he wasn’t even a real person—just a dog-shaped thing at best, a pet at most. Not worthy of being called a friend.
Especially since Li Xiao didn’t even know which layer Wang Yin had come from, let alone the depth of the situation.
And Gong Shuijin guessed—on the second layer, only companies with trade ties to the first layer, or those closely monitoring first-layer news, would even know about Zhang Yu defeating Wang Yin.
Zhang Yu had defeated a Wang Yin who’d already sacrificed his cultivation. That meant Zhang Yu possessed formidable combat strength right from the Foundation Establishment stage. But to Gong Shuijin, that was irrelevant.
What he cared about wasn’t Zhang Yu’s power.
It was the outcome.
The fact that Zhang Yu could ride Wang Yin into unconsciousness, then casually stroll into the university’s Foundation Establishment Class like nothing happened? That spoke volumes.
That was true presence. True aura. True charisma—far more impressive than any legendary talent or unbeatable combat prowess.
In contrast, no matter how strong Zhang Yu seemed in battle, or how gifted he appeared, Gong Shuijin would only assess him in one way: How much is he worth?
"I need to consult Zheng Shen. Who exactly is this Zhang Yu? How did he survive a First Layer death after beating Wang Yin like that?"
With that thought, he abandoned his original plan to recruit Zhang Yu.
Instead, he now considered—could I make friends with him?
What was friendship to Gong Shuijin?
Wealth. Influence. Or top-tier academic performance.
"And this Zhang Yu got his Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate in his second year of high school—earlier than me, by a full year. Yet his data is still 20% lower than mine. Clearly, he’s talentless—purely relying on connections."
Gong Shuijin had no idea that Zhang Yu had delayed obtaining the certificate due to being unable to afford a Spirit Root.
He mused inwardly: "With this kind of talent, he’ll never catch up to me. In fact, he’ll fall further behind. He poses no threat to my position as class leader."
"On the contrary... his background might actually help me."
That thought only deepened his growing interest in Zhang Yu.
Li Xiao, unaware of all this, could only sense the shift in Gong Shuijin’s attitude. He was both astonished and envious.
Gong Shuijin strode directly toward Zhang Yu, eyeing both him and Yu Xinghan.
No pleasantries. No small talk.
He decided to go straight for the most effective method he’d ever used—displaying wealth.
It was his lifelong rule: money spoke louder than words. The rich would accept him. The poor would fawn over him.
To Gong Shuijin, wealth was as natural a match as grades or rankings—perfect for filtering out useless connections.
"Hello, gentlemen."
He turned slightly, running his hands gently up and down his back, then smirked.
"Take a look at my Jin Gang Xuan Zao spinal Spirit Armor—how much do you think it’s worth?"
Zhang Yu blinked, startled. Is this guy here to show off?
Seeing Zhang Yu’s silence, Li Xiao jumped in, "At least 15 Lingbi, right?"
Gong Shuijin waved casually. "Cost me 20 Lingbi."
"After all, the raw material came from a master at Jinguang University—crafted from a spine painstakingly refined through years of cultivation."
"Same model spine? It takes a professional bone cultivator a full year to regenerate one. So, only one such armor can be made per year."
Zhang Yu inwardly cursed: Damn rich bastard!
Watching Zhang Yu remain completely composed, Gong Shuijin frowned slightly. Doesn’t even care about Jin Gang Xuan Zao?
He cleared his throat. "Let’s add each other as friends?"
He wanted Zhang Yu, but since Yu Xinghan was with him, he figured he’d include both—just to test the waters.
As the friend request went through, Gong Shuijin immediately activated his Eye Armor’s unique ability—revealing the other’s armor model.
Checking the friend’s Eye Armor model was one of his favorite tricks.
"Shican Modong? The top-tier model?"
His eyes widened. This Zhang Yu… is definitely someone special.
But he doesn’t even show off his gear. Just like Ji Yuanchi—quiet type, low-key.
Still… he knows my wealth now. He should understand we can be friends.
For now, just add the connection. The rest can wait.
With a nod to Zhang Yu, Gong Shuijin turned and walked away without another word.
Li Xiao watched the scene, smirking inwardly. Hah. Zhang Yu really is full of attitude. Now he’s pissed off Gong Shuijin too.
Just then, Yu Xinghan nodded. "Sure. Let’s add friends."
On the other side, Gong Shuijin saw the acceptance notification—only to frown.
"Ji Hu? Still using that old model?"
Not a friend.
He silently deleted Yu Xinghan from his contacts.
Ji Yuanchi, observing silently, thought: From my investigation, Luzhou Group seems to have already targeted this Zhang Yu.
He might be caught in the crossfire between Wanfa and Youming.
But honestly? None of it matters to me. Civil Engineering students are just footnotes to me.
This Zhang Yu’s data gap is too wide. He’s not even close to threatening my rank.
So I’ll just ignore him.
My goal is clear—secure the top spot in my class for three years straight, then transfer into Finance, and break into the top 30 of the entire school.
That’s what my master expects of me.
...
After class, the classroom emptied in seconds.
Zhang Yu clapped Yu Xinghan on the shoulder. "Where are you headed?"
Yu Xinghan groaned. "Ugh! Why’d Gong Shuijin delete me?"
Zhang Yu recalled Gong Shuijin’s behavior. "He looked down on us."
As the last students left, Yu Xinghan felt his Eye Armor’s performance improved slightly. He nodded. "It’s normal. Fourth-layer people look down on First Layer folks. I’d do the same."
Remembering Xinghuo Immortal’s warning, he added, "Anyway—focus on improving grades and rankings."
"In university, socializing won’t get us anywhere."
"Only grades and rank are our real strength."
"But first—I need to replace this awful Eye Armor. Where are you going?"
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered. "I want to head to the Great Library first. See if I can exchange for some Techniques."
He pulled up the navigation via his Eye Armor.
To his surprise, the Great Library wasn’t a physical place—it was a website.
At that moment, Jiao Lei Immortal, their class instructor, posted a message in the Foundation Establishment Class group.
Jiao Lei Immortal: [Link] Here’s the latest class ranking, based on initial data at enrollment. Rankings will be updated continuously with your overall performance. Check your current standing.
"Class ranking?" Zhang Yu clicked the link.
It opened a full university-wide leaderboard—showing the overall ranking, department rankings, and class rankings.
And the subpage Jiao Lei Immortal shared? Their own class list.
Rank 13: Zhang Yu
"Not bad," Zhang Yu nodded. "I’ll keep improving."
Then, as Zhang Yu initiated a direct connection to the Great Library, his identity and permissions were verified.
A flash of light—then the world shifted.
Endless shelves materialized around him, filling every corner of his vision.
Row after row, infinite bookshelves projected through his Eye Armor.
This was Wanfa University’s Great Library.
As Zhang Yu’s fingers brushed the air, the shelves rearranged themselves under his command.
"I need to find the right Technique…"
Before arriving at Wanfa University, Zhang Yu had already mapped out his academic and cultivation path.
Based on his high school experience, he knew exactly what to prioritize now.
He wanted to check: Was there a university-level equivalent of the High School Saint Body in the Chain Law Diagram?
The High School Saint Body was perfect for growth. If I’d had it earlier, my cultivation in high school would’ve been two or three times faster.
Hope there’s something similar here.
With a thought, a series of foundational-level Foundation Establishment Stage Techniques appeared before him.
(End of Chapter)
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