Chapter 49: Top Ten!

Chapter 49: Top Ten!

At the Mana Championship site.

In the area designated for Ziyun High School.

Le Muran’s forehead was drenched in sweat.

She had just completed her fourth Mana Resonance. The Mana, which had been repeatedly manipulated, now resembled a hazy white mist, floating and sinking unpredictably in her Dantian, becoming increasingly difficult to control.

"Three more times, just three more times and I’ll succeed."

...

Song Hailong’s breathing grew heavier.

A vast sea of Mana, like layer upon layer of clouds, rose from his Dantian, gradually forming a vortex.

"Last Mana Resonance."

"Of course, the final winner will be me..."

Boom!

Boom!

A sudden boom echoed from a distance.

Song Hailong’s face changed abruptly.

Someone had beaten him to it?

No... not just one... he quickly realized something, his eyes widening in surprise: "Two people, two people managed to do it faster than me?"

In the distance, Xiong Bufan clasped his palms together, and wisps of white, cloud-like Mana emerged from his hands, forming a cloud-like mass that looked like he had grabbed a lively cloud. However, the cloud quickly began to dissipate, clearly unable to last long.

But he wasn’t paying attention to that. Instead, he turned his head toward the direction from which the boom had come.

"Just a step behind me? Is it Bailong High School or Ziyun High School?"

Xiong Bufan looked at the towering white mist that rose into the sky, his eyes widening in surprise: "What’s he doing? This is a competition, it’s about speed. Why is he perfecting his Bodyguard Qi like this?"

"He’s such a show-off!"

In the Songyang High School competition area.

Zhang Yu spread his palms wide, and streams of white Mana surged from his palms, rising straight up into the air like a white smoke signal, quickly drawing the attention of more and more people.

After Zhang Yu hastily practiced Infinite Cloud Hands at top speed and, as expected, failed to convert any of it into true Qi, he felt that he had mastered the technique.

With a thought, the Mana followed his will, completing seven oscillations in quick succession, transforming into a powerful current that spouted from his palms, creating the scene before everyone’s eyes.

Seeing this, Teacher Yan clenched her fist in excitement, then quickly took out her phone and snapped a series of photos of Zhang Yu.

She thought to herself, "Zhang Yu’s talent for controlling Mana is truly astonishing. It seems the content of the previous Mana exam didn’t fully reflect this."

Reflecting on Zhang Yu’s recent improvement in Mana, she realized that it was likely this improvement that had greatly enhanced his Spiritual Respiration efficiency.

Bai Zhenzhen, watching the scene, was moved and said, "The child has grown up."

shortly after, the results of the third stage of the Mana Championship were announced.

First place: Xiong Bufan from Red Pagoda High School.

Second place: Zhang Yu from Songyang High School.

Third place: Song Hailong from Bailong High School.

Le Muran from Ziyun High School was pushed to fourth place.

As the third stage gradually concluded, the total scores for the Mana Championship were revealed.

The students looked at the final rankings with varied expressions.

First place: Song Hailong from Bailong High School, with a total score of 290.

Second place: Le Muran from Ziyun High School, with a total score of 287.

Third place: Xiong Bufan from Red Pagoda High School, with a total score of 285.

The top three schools continued to dominate the rankings, significantly outpacing all other competitors.

However, at this moment, most students’ attention was not on the top three but on the fourth place.

Fourth place: Zhang Yu from Songyang High School, with a total score of 273.

Although Songyang High School was also a prestigious high school, its appearance in the top ten, surrounded by the names of the top three schools, was strikingly unexpected.

As if a gap had been torn in a dense cloud.

"Fourth place, how much is the prize money again?"

Zhang Yu looked at the final rankings, the corners of his mouth curling up. He was already thinking about the prize money for the fourth place in the Mana Championship.

He was very satisfied with this ranking.

After all, while he was confident he would surpass these opponents in the future, he admitted that, at the moment, he was still not as strong as the top students from the three prestigious schools.

He still needed more time to develop.

This time, he couldn’t help but feel that it was due to Ah Zhen’s blessing, the Technique Codex’s support, and, most importantly, his own perseverance.

Qian Shen stared intently at Zhang Yu, clearly remembering that Zhang Yu’s Monthly Exam score was only 620, 6 points lower than his own.

Yet this 620-point student had managed to rank alongside the top students from the three prestigious high schools, who had scores over 650, noble lineage, and were considered ultimate monsters!

"Again... it was the same at the art exhibition. Zhang Yu always manages to perform beyond what his scores suggest."

He held his head, his eyes filled with disbelief: "It’s as if the six-subject 700-point system can no longer fully express his level of evolution."

"This man..."

Qian Shen stared at Zhang Yu, a surprising thought suddenly forming in his mind.

"Perhaps this man who can’t be fully described by scores might one day cause another reform in the high school scoring system, making it even more perfect."

At that moment, He Dayou, standing nearby, looked at Qian Shen, who was muttering to himself, and thought, "What’s this idiot up to again?"

He turned his head, and the emotions in his eyes were hard to suppress.

Envy, jealousy... it was impossible to deny these feelings, especially when everything was happening to a poor student he had always looked down upon.

Thinking of this, He Dayou even felt a twinge of regret.

"He’s just a poor kid, after all."

"At least... he’s just a poor kid."

...

In the rest area of Ziyun High School.

The competition coach looked at Le Muran, Lian Tianji, and the others and suddenly said, "What do you think about bringing Zhang Yu to our school?"

Clearly, the coach had been impressed by Zhang Yu’s performance and wanted to recruit him.

Lian Tianji said, "Although Zhang Yu doesn’t have our Ziyun High School lineage, he did perform excellently. I think it would be good to bring him over."

The lack of lineage was a popular hierarchy within Ziyun High School.

It generally referred to students who had attended Ziyun Nursery, Ziyun Kindergarten, Ziyun Primary School, and Ziyun Junior High.

The more Ziyun schools a student had attended, the more "pure" their lineage was considered.

Le Muran asked, "What are his primary and secondary school backgrounds?"

"I did ask him about that", Lian Tianji said, mentioning Zhang Yu’s previous primary and secondary schools.

Le Muran’s face immediately showed a barely suppressed disdain. These schools had a strong poor-kid vibe.

Seeing Le Muran’s reaction, Lian Tianji knew it was a no-go. He thought, "The next time I meet Zhang Yu will likely be in a Martial Arts competition."

The thought brought a hint of anticipation to his mind.

...

In front of the restroom.

As soon as Zhang Yu came out, he was intercepted by a man, who turned out to be Han Xingye, the competition coach from Bailong High School.

"Zhang Yu, come to Bailong High School", Han Xingye extended his hand. "Your talent is being wasted in Songyang City."

"Although you performed well in this competition, the gap between you and us will only grow in the future."

Han Xingye was being honest.

While most of the top students in Songyang City were divided among the three prestigious schools, over time, some exceptional students inevitably ended up in other key high schools or even ordinary high schools.

Han Xingye had seen a few freshmen who excelled in Mana competitions from other high schools.

But he had never seen a sophomore or junior from another high school perform so well in a Mana competition.

"If you come to Bailong High School, I will ensure you get a contract with excellent conditions."

Zhang Yu suddenly asked, "If I go to Bailong High School, can I apply to the Ten Great Sects?"

Han Xingye was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Yu to ask such a question, and was momentarily speechless.

The honest answer was no. Even if Zhang Yu joined Bailong High School, he would only be a project for the school.

Forget the Ten Great Sects; the reason for bringing him in was to prevent him from participating in the remaining competitions for freshmen, which were crucial for the Imperial Entrance Exam and university interviews—opportunities reserved for the wealthy.

As for university, he would certainly get into a good one, but definitely not one of the Ten Great Sects.

After all, the conditions at Bailong High School were certainly better than those at Songyang High School, and Zhang Yu would have better opportunities for development.

However, the spots at the Ten Great Sects were never intended for the poor.

At that moment, Teacher Yan walked over and stood in front of Zhang Yu, eyeing Han Xingye warily. "Coach Han, what are you saying to my student?"

Regardless of whether Zhang Yu was rich or poor, to Teacher Yan, any achievement was a reflection of her teaching.

Han Xingye chuckled, understanding the situation. They both participated in competitions every year, and he and Teacher Yan were familiar.

Caught in the act of poaching a student, Han Xingye felt a bit awkward and said to Zhang Yu, "In any case, it’s better than staying at Songyang High School... you know what I mean."

Teacher Yan was furious.

What do you mean "you know what I mean"? Don’t think I can’t guess the insulting words you were about to say about Songyang High School!

But considering the gap between their schools, Teacher Yan feared he might say something she couldn’t refute, so she interrupted, "That’s enough. If you have any business, talk to me. Don’t harass our students."

Watching Teacher Yan and Zhang Yu walk away, Han Xingye shrugged and thought, "If he’s truly clear-headed, he should choose us."

"Even if he can’t enter the Ten Great Sects."

...

"Did you see that?"

"Fourth place! Zhang Yu got fourth place overall! Fourth place, you know?"

"How much are you planning to invest?"

Hearing Bai Zhenzhen’s excited voice, Mo Tianyi sighed, "Zhenzhen, you don’t need to be so excited. I can see it..."

Bai Zhenzhen: "Then why aren’t you sending the money over yet? Your leader wasn’t this impressive in his freshman year, right?"

Mo Tianyi: "Of course, the leader has also won competition awards..."

After some back and forth, Mo Tianyi concluded, "Zhang Yu’s performance is indeed outstanding."

"I admit I underestimated him."

"I’ll discuss the situation with the leader and the other seniors and try to secure more investment for you."

Bai Zhenzhen, who had been expecting this, urged, "Make sure the money comes through quickly."

After disconnecting, Mo Tianyi looked at Zhang Yu’s fourth-place ranking and felt a slight warmth in his chest, which had long since cooled.

"Great job."

"To break through the barriers set by so many wealthy students and achieve this ranking."

"Too bad, it’s too late..."

Mo Tianyi felt a hint of regret and disappointment. "If it had been two years earlier, I would have definitely chosen you."

On the other side, Bai Zhenzhen thought, "Won a Martial Arts competition? I’ll have to check you out."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end