Chapter 55: Zhang Yu's Choice

6:00 AM.

The sky was still dim when Zhao Tianxing was already nearing the school.

This was much earlier than his usual time, simply because the monthly exam results were to be announced this morning.

Since last night, Zhao Tianxing had been unable to settle down to study or cultivate. He had decided to come to school early today, hoping to see his scores the moment they were released.

"The Daoist Arts exam was a bit difficult this time. I wonder if I can get at least 60 points."

"Sigh, the difficulty of the Dao Heart exam was also very high. I pressed the 'Joyous Powder' button twenty-three times; I wonder how many points I'll get..."

Unlike students like Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who couldn't be bothered to check their scores after an exam, Zhao Tianxing was the type of student who would go around looking for people to compare answers with.

If someone else's answers matched his, he would feel a secret sense of satisfaction; if they didn't, he would often seek out several more people to ask.

In the case of the Dao Heart exam, he would ask others how many times they had pressed the button or how many injections of Joyous Powder they had taken.

If he heard that others had pressed it more than him, he would offer words of comfort while feeling a surge of joy in his heart.

If he heard that others had pressed it less, he would maintain a look of indifference on his face, while his heart sank in distress.

At this moment, with over two hundred meters left to the school gate, he saw that a large number of students had already gathered at the entrance, clearly having arrived early just like him to wait for the results.

There were students who felt they had improved and hungered to know their rankings early.

There were students who felt their grades were steadily declining and feared they might be transferred to a different class.

And, of course, there were pure "score slaves" who simply wanted to know exactly how many points they had earned.

Zhao Tianxing looked at Qian Shen, who was standing at the very front, practicing his cultivation while waiting. He knew that Qian Shen was always the first to arrive whenever the monthly exam results were announced.

Glancing at the unopened school gates, Zhao Tianxing simply found a corner to sit down, opened a book, and began to review.

After waiting for a few minutes, accompanied by a soft creak, the gates of Songyang High School swung open.

The students waiting at the gate immediately swarmed forward like sardines in a net, surging into the school.

By the time Zhao Tianxing reached the classroom door, he saw that Qian Shen was already standing there.

At this moment, Qian Shen was staring at the grade sheet posted on the door, a sudden sense of relief washing over him.

Although his total score had dropped significantly this time due to lower marks in the practical combat exam, at least...

"Phew... at least Zhang Yu's score matches his actual strength. The evaluation system of Songyang High School doesn't have any bugs for now."

On the other side, Zhao Tianxing glanced at the surrounding students and thought to himself, "Haven't Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen arrived yet?"

"Sigh, I suppose not. With their strength, they don't even need to look to know their results."

Thinking of this, Zhao Tianxing felt a pang of envy. He wished he could one day have the confidence and composure to not be in such a rush to see his scores.

Zhao Tianxing quickly stepped forward and began searching for his name from top to bottom.

1st Place: Zhang Yu, 653 points.

2nd Place: Bai Zhenzhen, 652 points.

Seeing these two rankings, Zhao Tianxing sighed inwardly, "Aside from Daoist Arts, their scores in every other subject must be close to a perfect score."

Of course, Zhao Tianxing knew this didn't mean the two could relax. As time passed, the difficulty and assessment standards of the monthly exams would continue to rise; students would need to constantly improve just to maintain their scores.

Many students in their second and third years saw their grades slip because their personal growth could not keep pace with the rising standards.

However, Zhao Tianxing felt that with the talents of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, maintaining their scores shouldn't be an issue.

Thinking this, his envy flared up again: "If only I had their talent."

Continuing down the list, he finally found himself, and a surge of joy immediately hit him.

8th Place: Zhao Tianxing, 594 points.

Shortly after, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen entered the classroom one after the other.

Zhao Tianxing noticed that the two merely glanced at the rankings, seemingly unconcerned.

Watching this, Zhao Tianxing felt that Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu looked incredibly cool in this manner.

In contrast, he had been filled with anxiety since last night and had rushed here early this morning just to see the scores.

"Sigh, I'm such a loser."

However, over the following period, Zhao Tianxing noticed that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen seemed to have something on their minds.

He couldn't fathom it—with one being first in the grade and the other being second... what could they possibly be worried about?

Just then, a dark shadow flashed past the window.

A loud *bang* echoed from the first floor.

Another student had broken down.

...

After school that day.

When Zhang Yu returned to the school's quiet room, intending to use his weekly free rental privilege for a Spiritual Root, he saw Wei Xin swipe his student card, only to say in confusion, "Huh? Why isn't it working?"

"Student Zhang Yu, please wait a moment, I'll go and ask..."

Zhang Yu casually took back his card. "No need to ask. I might have made a mistake."

Even without asking, Zhang Yu knew this was undoubtedly another trick played by the Student Council.

On his way home, as Zhang Yu looked at the message on his phone, he felt like laughing out of sheer anger.

It was a message from Lei Jun, his martial arts teacher who guided his practical combat training.

"Zhang Yu, the school feels that your physical strength still needs more tempering. They intend to let you settle down for a year and participate in the martial arts competition next year instead."

Zhang Yu let out a silent breath.

The magic competition, the sports competition, the martial arts competition... clearly, the Student Council intended to erase all his opportunities to compete and cut off this path for him.

Even benefits like the free Spiritual Root rental would be stripped away one by one.

If this continued, it seemed Zhang Yu would be forced back to the state of working part-time jobs after class.

"I am still too weak..."

While waiting for the bus at the station, he took the opportunity to practice the *Heavenly Martial Heart-Refining Technique*, but the more he practiced, the more awkward it felt.

He felt deeply that his current mindset—lacking the urge to fight against everything in front of him—was severely mismatched with the mental state required by this technique.

Zhang Yu felt as if a ball of fire was pressed against his heart, with nowhere to vent.

Walking through the small alleys leading to his apartment, Zhang Yu thought, "What if I go to Li Xuelian? Seeing my current level in the *Heavenly Martial Heart-Refining Technique*, would True Person Xinghuo want to take me as a disciple?"

"Could I gain more room for negotiation by bringing True Person Xinghuo into the fray?"

But then he realized that True Person Xinghuo was likely just another person who would want him to sign a contract of servitude, and he sighed again.

He looked up at the sky, feeling as though the entire city of Songyang was a massive dining table, and he and Bai Zhenzhen were merely two dishes placed upon it, being picked over by wealthy customers.

"Should I run?"

"Run to another city, work odd jobs while cultivating, and emerge after a decade or so of development?"

"But what about A-Zhen? Would she be willing to run?"

"Sigh, this idiocy of a ritual is forcing me to go to university; she probably wouldn't agree either..."

Opening his door and entering his apartment, Zhang Yu froze in his tracks.

A slender girl wearing the uniform of Bailong High School was sitting in his chair.

Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her fair hands were gently stroking the scabbard of a long sword resting on her lap.

Zhang Yu spoke with difficulty, "Sis... Sister?"

The high schooler from Bailong High before him was none other than the sister of the original Zhang Yu—Zhang Pianpian.

But what he hadn't expected was that she was a student at Bailong High, something completely absent from his original memories.

Specifically, the large number "1" on her chest indicated that Zhang Pianpian was already the top student of a certain grade at Bailong High.

His sister had actually achieved this? How did she do it? Why did the original Zhang Yu know nothing about it?

Zhang Pianpian looked at him coldly and said indifferently, "Go see Zhou Chechen and sign the contract."

Zhang Yu instinctively frowned. "You came here to make me sign?"

Zhang Pianpian said calmly, "I am doing this for your own good. If you keep struggling like this, they will drive you to death."

Thinking of the ritual on his body, Zhang Yu replied equally indifferently, "Making me sign is making me die."

Their gazes collided in the air. Seeing Zhang Yu's refusal to back down, Zhang Pianpian seemed to sense a grim, death-defying determination in his eyes.

She nodded slightly and said, "I didn't expect you to become like this."

"I thought you were better suited to a peaceful, ordinary life."

"Since you are unwilling to sign with Songyang High, then come with me. I will take you to Bailong High."

Zhang Yu was stunned. Though his mind was filled with confusion, he asked the question he felt was most crucial.

"Can I take the Top Ten exams?"

Zhang Pianpian smiled. "Of course."

"You finally have a bit of the spirit required to strike at the Immortal Path. In that case, I am willing to give you a chance to take the Top Ten exams."

Although this was his first time meeting the original owner's sister, looking at this Zhang Pianpian, Zhang Yu felt she was worlds apart from the sister in his memories, filled with a sense of strangeness.

Was this really his sister? Were they even the same person?

Had money and grades completely changed her?

However, Zhang Yu knew now was not the time for such thoughts, so he asked his second most important question.

Zhang Yu: "Can I bring one more person along?"

Seeing Zhang Pianpian tilt her head curiously, Zhang Yu continued, "Can I bring Bai Zhenzhen to Bailong High with me?"

Zhang Pianpian looked puzzled. "Why?"

Zhang Yu: "She is like my own sibling. I want to help her."

He thought to himself, *If I leave and leave A-Zhen alone to face the Student Council, those animals will surely strike even harder.*

Zhang Pianpian said blankly, "Sibling? Is Bai Zhenzhen also our relative?"

At first, Zhang Yu thought she was mocking him, but seeing her serious expression, he tried to explain, "I mean, our friendship is extremely, extremely close."

"When I was at my poorest and my life was at its darkest, she gave me 500 and treated me to a meal."

Zhang Pianpian still looked lost. She asked, "Can't you just pay her back 500 now?"

Zhang Yu: "No."

Zhang Pianpian: "Then how about 5,000?"

Zhang Yu: "It's not a matter of how much money it is."

He felt things were getting even stranger; the Zhang Pianpian before him was too unlike the sister in his memories.

Seeing his persistence, Zhang Pianpian pondered for a moment before saying, "Bailong High has limited slots. I can only bring one person at most."

Zhang Yu's heart sank.

But then he heard Zhang Pianpian continue, "However, if you can pass an assessment..."

"Both of you can be protected."

Zhang Yu hurriedly asked, "What kind of assessment?"

"Divine Assistant, or rather, Divine Post Outsourcing," Zhang Pianpian said indifferently. "As long as you hold an identity under a Divine Department, then at least until I enter university, no one will dare to mess with you even if you stay at Songyang High."

"I can act as your recommender for the assessment."

"But you must understand, if you come to Bailong High with me, you will be protected until you graduate high school."

"But if you rely solely on that Divine Assistant identity, once I enter university, they won't have as many inhibitions."

"And there are only six months left until I graduate high school and enter university."

"Are you sure you want to take this risk?"