Chapter 59: Pressure

"Roar!"

With a furious roar, Lan Ling's muscles surged violently. A terrifying, immense strength erupted from within his body, forcibly resisting the pressure of the Restraint Talisman.

"You've got quite a bit of strength, don't you?" Zhang Yu said, walking slowly toward Lan Ling, watching as the latter's blood boiled while he gradually broke free from the Restraint Talisman.

Zhang Yu flicked the talisman book marked with the Inspection Department's insignia and smiled. "The Inspection Department acts under divine prerogative. Do you intend to resist? Do you wish to become an enemy of the gods?"

Looking at the Inspection Department's talisman book, Lan Ling's gaze suddenly froze, a flash of disbelief crossing his eyes. "That pauper joined the Inspection Department?"

In the next instant, with a loud *boom*, he shattered the Restraint Talisman on his body. However, he did not move again easily; instead, he looked at Zhang Yu with a scrutinizing gaze, as if trying to re-evaluate him.

Seeing that Lan Ling would not continue the fight, Zhang Yu flashed a triumphant smile toward Bai Zhenzhen nearby, thinking to himself, *I was absolutely badass today.*

Bai Zhenzhen stared intently at the talisman book in Zhang Yu's hand, thinking, *Where did Yu-zi pick up that talisman book?...I definitely have to borrow it to play with.*

As for the crowd, they were all struck with shock seeing Zhang Yu suddenly appear and repel Lan Ling with a single Restraint Talisman.

He Dayou watched the scene with uncertainty. "How did Zhang Yu sneak into a divine department?"

Zhao Tianxing felt both nervous and terrified. "Zhang Yu actually bought a talisman book? Did he take a leave of absence today to mortgage his organs?"

But in the next moment, he shook his head violently, feeling ashamed of his line of thought.

"Is this the time to think about that? Why are Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen clashing with a senior from the eleventh grade? That's the real problem here."

Despite his words, a hint of envy surfaced in Zhao Tianxing's eyes as he looked at Zhang Yu. An uncontrollable thought surfaced in his mind: *This way of clashing head-on with an eleventh-grade senior... is actually quite cool.*

Qian Shen stared at the talisman book in Zhang Yu's hand, his heart racing with shock. "Zhang Yu's scores in the Taoist Arts exam are about to skyrocket!"

Just as Zhang Yu and Lan Ling's eyes met and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, the temperature of the entire training ground suddenly began to drop.

Lan Ling, who had just been exercising intensely, even began to emit plumes of white mist from the temperature difference.

He gave Zhang Yu a cold snort, then slowly backed away, turning his head toward the main entrance.

"President."

Everyone turned toward the direction he was looking.

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Zhou Chechen walked forward slowly, treading upon the frost beneath his feet.

Zhou Chechen, the Vice President of the Student Council, was a man who had spoken as a student representative at the opening ceremony and appeared on large screens and broadcasts every month due to his various outstanding achievements.

He was truly the student among students, the senior among seniors. His mere appearance silenced the entire field.

He Dayou was the first to react, bowing to Zhou Chechen. "Hello, Senior."

This seemed to trigger a chain reaction; almost all the tenth-grade students bowed in unison, saying, "Hello, Senior."

On the other side, the eleventh-grade students also bowed and called out, "Hello, President."

Although nominally the Vice President of the Student Council, since the Student Council President of the twelfth grade was busy preparing for the college entrance exams, Zhou Chechen effectively made all the decisions regarding Student Council affairs.

Whether in terms of strength, grades, wealth, or authority... he was the uncrowned king of the school.

As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhou Chechen, it was as if they were seeing a king receiving worship from his subjects, and they were the only two students present who had not bowed their heads.

Zhou Chechen did not speak to Zhang Yu or Bai Zhenzhen first. Instead, he looked toward the eleventh-grade students, the frost around him growing thicker.

"Shuang Youpeng, you were first in total score and first in combat during your tenth-grade year. What did you think of the fight between Bai Zhenzhen and Lan Ling just now?"

From behind the crowd of eleventh graders, a student who was relatively smaller in build stepped forward.

Under everyone's gaze, his hands seemed not to know where to rest; he occasionally grabbed his hair or picked at his ears, his eyes filled with dread as he looked at Zhou Chechen.

He said cautiously, "Carelessness, underestimating the enemy, and arrogance. They failed to recognize the gap between themselves and their opponent."

Seeing Shuang Youpeng's timid manner, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt as if they were watching a dog wagging its tail in supplication before Zhou Chechen.

The Shuang Youpeng who had once been the top scorer in the tenth grade now showed none of his former high spirits.

Zhou Chechen nodded slightly and said, "I find that this year's tenth-grade combatants aren't even as smart as you were back then."

Shuang Youpeng waved his hands hurriedly. "You flatter me, President, you flatter me too much."

Zhou Chechen turned his gaze toward the tenth-grade students and asked indifferently, "Have you thanked the Senior for his guidance?"

The many tenth-grade students immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

In an instant, Zhou Chechen had become the center of attention. Every student was swayed by his every move, every word, and every glance.

Only then did Zhou Chechen look directly at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, saying calmly, "Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Lan Ling were engaged in a normal teaching spar. Why did you use a Restraint Talisman to attack a Senior?"

As he spoke, he slowly raised his palm. Icy blue frost emerged from his palm, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet once again.

Zhou Chechen continued, "Whether it is using a Restraint Talisman within the school or such disrespectful behavior toward elders, as the Vice President of the Songyang High School Student Council, I cannot tolerate it."

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered. He picked up the talisman book in his hand and said, "Zhou Chechen, do you intend to attack a Divine Assistant of the Inspection Department?"

Zhou Chechen's eyelids lowered slightly, and a faint smile seemed to touch the corners of his mouth.

In his eyes, the Heaven's Eye Talisman had already revealed the evaluation above Zhang Yu's head

*Songyang City Inspection Team Outsourced Employee (Expand Details)*

"A mere outsourced worker from the Inspection Team, holding a position no bigger than a grain of rice, and he dares to run wild in Songyang High School?"

Just as the frost in Zhou Chechen's palm was about to erupt, a warm breeze suddenly blew in from all directions. It not only dispersed the chill in the training ground but also restored the temperature to normal.

Zhang Pianpian walked into the training ground from the main entrance, accompanied by another man.

"Are you intending to attack a temporary worker under my command?"

Zhou Chechen turned his head sharply. When he saw Zhang Pianpian's face, his gaze froze. "Zhang Pianpian? Why is she here? Is she here to back Zhang Yu?"

"Zhang Pianpian? Zhang Yu? Both surnamed Zhang... are they relatives?"

But Zhou Chechen remembered checking Zhang Yu's files; Zhang Yu shouldn't have such powerful relatives.

If Zhang Yu truly had such a powerful relative protecting him, how could he have handled Zhang Yu so easily?

Zhou Chechen thought further, *Or perhaps... Zhang Yu found himself a higher-paying master and has already become Zhang Pianpian's dog?*

Looking at the frost that had not dissipated from Zhou Chechen's hand, Zhang Pianpian continued to walk step by step toward the center of the field. "Hmm? Did you not hear what I said?"

"Or... do you wish to become my enemy?"

As Zhang Pianpian spoke, her right index finger lifted slightly, and the talisman book flew naturally to her fingertip.

In the next moment, her fingertip swept across the talisman book at high speed.

Bai Zhenzhen watched this scene in surprise, her eyes sweeping over Zhang Pianpian's school uniform. *From Bailong High School? What is she doing? Is she going to fight Zhou Chechen?*

Zhang Yu was also startled. *Is she going straight for a fight? What kind of talisman is she using? Is it also a Restraint Talisman?*

Under the tense gaze of the crowd, Zhang Pianpian's incantation was completed, and a surge of mana erupted from it.

*Pressure Talisman—Activate!*

Suddenly, two lines of text appeared above Zhang Pianpian's head.

The first line read

*Bailong High School, Twelfth Grade Monthly Exam Total Score: 699 points*

Seeing this score, the many students' eyes widened instantly, falling into deep shock.

"699 on the twelfth-grade monthly exam?" Qian Shen roared in his heart. *This is a god! The God of the College Entrance Exam to be!*

Before the crowd could even process their shock at the score, the second line of text began to emerge above Zhang Pianpian's head.

*Bank Balance: 2*

It started with just a 2, but soon, a 5 jumped out after it.

And so, in every passing second, another digit would appear.

25,000?

250,000?

2.5 million?!

By the time the number jumped to 25 million, the students on the scene felt their breathing grow shallow.

At this moment, the students gradually understood what kind of talisman Zhang Pianpian had used.

The Pressure Talisman: a talisman that invokes divine power to manifest one's scores and savings to intimidate others.

When the number jumped to 250 million, everyone felt their blood surge.

And when the number finally stopped at 2.5 billion, combined with the 699 points on the line above, everyone felt a crushing pressure wash over them, as if a massive mountain were pressing down on their chests.

And that was just the bank balance!

Thinking of the assets and the immortal power represented by that number, their hearts raced with agitation.

Even He Dayou felt a shock in his heart upon seeing the number. *A bank balance of 2.5 billion? Just how massive are this woman's total assets?*

He couldn't help but take out his own talisman book and activate the Heaven's Eye Talisman, wanting to see her background.

But the result was only five large words above her head

*YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO KNOW*

She had used a talisman to hide her roots, making it completely impossible for him to investigate.

Seeing those five words, He Dayou's body shuddered, and his face turned pale as if struck by lightning. It was as if he had encountered a chasm stretching before him and Zhang Pianpian, one he could never cross.

Zhao Tianxing stared intently at the string of numbers above Zhang Pianpian's head, counting them over and over, but every time he got halfway, he felt he had miscounted.

When he finally confirmed it was 2.5 billion, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Too rich, she's just too rich! The pressure of the wealthy is truly terrifying!!"

At this moment, Zhao Tianxing felt unworthy, feeling as if he didn't even deserve to stand in the same room as her.

Zhang Yu was equally shocked. *This is my wealthy sister?*

"Wait, I don't remember our family being rich?"

"In fact, we should be called a family of paupers. This... where did Zhang Pianpian get all this money?"

"Something is wrong... something is very wrong..."

"What exactly did Zhang Pianpian go through during the years she was away from Zhang Yu?"

The questions that had existed since the Divine Assistant assessment had now reached a peak.

"How did she go from a pauper to a tycoon?"

"I... want to learn too."

Zhang Yu couldn't understand the reason, but regardless... *Sister, why did you leave us? Mom and I are your own flesh and blood!*

On the other side, Zhou Chechen slowly dissipated the frost in his hand.

His gaze imperceptibly swept several times over her score, her savings, and the words "YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO KNOW."

Finally, he looked at Zhang Pianpian politely and said, "Senior Zhang, you've misunderstood. I didn't know Zhang Yu was your subordinate. Had I known, how could I have made things difficult for him?"

Seeing that her single Pressure Talisman had intimidated the entire field, Zhang Pianpian nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. I hope you remember what you said today."

"Don't let me hear of anything you do that is detrimental to my subordinate. Otherwise, I'll use this pocket money of mine to buy your brains."

"Your father would likely be very happy to take the money."

Hearing this, Zhou Chechen's eye twitched, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless.

Just as the scene fell into silence following Zhang Pianpian's words, the man who had entered with her laughed loudly. "Pianpian is just joking. You don't need to take it to heart, Junior Zhou."

The man speaking was none other than the top student of the twelfth grade at Songyang High School and the true President of the Student Council, Chu Chengxuan.