Chapter 122: The Evil God Discusses Secrets

Zhang Yu was slightly surprised to hear what the Evil God said in his mind.

The Evil God had previously been vehemently against him giving up the Heaven's Chosen Class to stay in Songyang City. Why the sudden change of heart?

As if sensing Zhang Yu's confusion, the Evil God continued in Zhang Yu's mind, "Zhang Pianpian's words reminded me of a few things."

"I once heard the Evil God King from the third underground level say that a struggle occurred in the upper levels of Kunxu, which involved the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination."

The Evil God recalled working on the third underground level of Kunxu at that time.

By relying on a phone and a phone book, he became the top salesman of the month, even tricking several university PhDs. He not only received rewards from the Evil God King but also attended the Evil God King's banquet, where he heard many secrets.

The Evil God thought to himself, "It's a pity that the damn Evil God King tricked me out of my sales skills and bonus the next month. Then he turned around and sold the skill to a bunch of college dropouts who had fled to the third underground level and couldn't find jobs, hired them to work, and eventually kicked me out, forcing me to find a new job..."

A thought flashed through his mind, and the Evil God continued, "I remember hearing the Evil God King lamenting that some Immortal Venerable, in order to increase mobility among the middle and lower levels of Kunxu, pushed for a series of reforms regarding qualification exam quotas, which included changes to the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate quotas."

"However, they also had to consider the disciples, grand-disciples, and blood descendants of various Immortals, balance the quota for disciples of the Ten Great Sects, and maintain power equilibrium among different factions in the Heavenly Court. The interwoven interests were incredibly complex, leading to countless conflicts."

"In the end, some Immortals went bankrupt from gambling, some died in their caves due to cultivation deviation, and some even fled to unknown regions dozens of levels deep underground in Kunxu."

"But precisely because the struggle was so intense, the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam, as finally established, was imbued with immense authority, representing the collective will of the Ten Great Sects and the Heavenly Court composed of their Immortals."

"So, you don't need to worry about the safety of taking this exam. Just as Zhang Pianpian said, the top powers on the first level wouldn't dare violate the exam rules or cheat. At most, they might try to suppress information outside the examination hall and focus on improving their own students' abilities."

Sensing Zhang Yu was contemplating his words, the Evil God quickly added, "And if you obtain this Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate before entering university... the advantages are immense. This exam, established by the Heavenly Court, inherently possesses high authority, practically anointing its successful candidates as among the strongest high school students on the first level."

"Entering university with this certificate, the treatment you receive, the courses you study, and the resources available to you will undoubtedly be vastly different."

"Specifically, you'll be able to directly enter the university's Foundation Establishment class, immediately study Foundation Establishment courses, and enjoy Foundation Establishment-level resource support. This will give you a significant advantage in your early university years, far surpassing any benefits from the Heaven's Chosen Class."

Zhang Yu understood the Evil God's meaning. It was like the difference between a key high school and an ordinary one, but even more pronounced, right?

"Secondly, neither Bai Zhenzhen nor Zhang Pianpian truly comprehends the terrifying extent of your talent after my enlightenment."

"From my observations lately, as you master more cultivation techniques, your future progress will only accelerate. I firmly believe you will become the strongest high school student on Kunxu's first level, and passing this Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam will be effortless for you."

"In contrast, with your astonishing aptitude, competing for the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate against high school students who have cultivated for no more than three years might actually be simpler than competing against so many Qi Refining peak cultivators in university."

The Evil God sighed, "If only I weren't broke right now, I'd go all-in on you."

Of course, the Evil God had other thoughts, things she didn't say aloud to serve her true intentions.

She knew that once Zhang Pianpian left, and Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen remained in Songyang City to face an increasingly pressured environment, Zhang Yu would inevitably seek greater power, talent, and potential.

In such circumstances, the Evil God surmised that Zhang Yu would eventually follow her guidance to hunt other evil gods in order to enhance his own potential.

Besides that, there was the issue of the True Spirit Root.

"He won't even betray his closest high school classmate, yet he wants to climb higher in Kunxu? Such a saint. If it weren't for your truly immense potential, I wouldn't bother with you."

The Evil God knew Zhang Yu was unwilling to kill and seize spirit roots. Even if he went to the Heaven's Chosen Class alone, he wouldn't have the True Spirit Root's assistance. However, by staying to take the Foundation Establishment exam, he could continue to use the True Spirit Root for cultivation.

Considering all these factors, the Evil God agreed with Zhang Yu's decision to stay and take the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam.

What the Evil God said did remind Zhang Yu of something.

"My biggest advantage is my ability to quickly learn various cultivation techniques and raise them to Level 10."

"This is an advantage other high school students would find very difficult to match in just three years."

"However, once I'm in university, those students who have been refining Qi longer than me, who have already been hovering at the peak of Qi Refining, must have mastered numerous cultivation techniques."

"After all, for university students whose Dao heart, magic power, and physical strength have all reached the upper limit of Qi Refining, one way to further distinguish strength... must be the quantity and quality of their cultivation techniques."

"By then, my advantage compared to these university students... might not be as significant as it is now compared to high school students."

Thinking this, Zhang Yu increasingly leaned towards staying to take the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam.

Zhang Pianpian, who had been observing Zhang Yu, sighed at this moment, "It seems you've made up your mind. Are you staying with Bai Zhenzhen?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Yu finally nodded, feeling a peculiar emotion rise within him.

It was as if... choosing not to go with Zhang Pianpian, but instead to stay with Bai Zhenzhen, felt like he was letting Zhang Pianpian down.

It was like telling Zhang Pianpian: Sister, Zhen and I are the closest. If I had to choose one of you to follow, I'd choose Zhen.

And Zhang Pianpian had been looking out for them for over four months...

This peculiar emotion made a hint of shame well up in Zhang Yu's heart under Zhang Pianpian's gaze.

Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu, her heart gradually stirring as if a warm current was flowing through her body.

"Yu Zi is really going to stay and take the Foundation Establishment exam with me."

Thinking this, the previous feeling of loneliness, the darkness and cold of being deep in a glacier, seemed to vanish, replaced by a sense of reassurance.

Along with this feeling of reassurance and the stirring in her heart, even the True Spirit Root in her belly subtly vibrated.

"Why is this lousy Spirit Root getting excited? Is it so attached to Yu Zi's body? Does it want to go in that badly?"

But then Bai Zhenzhen reconsidered, thinking that the True Spirit Root might be reflecting her own thoughts – a desire to be good to Zhang Yu after seeing him stay to take the Foundation Establishment exam with her.

And the way to be good to Zhang Yu was to put the True Spirit Root into his body, as it was the most valuable thing Bai Zhenzhen possessed.

The act of lending one's most valuable possession to another was rarely done even by close relatives in Kunxu, usually requiring a signed contract. This could include, but was not limited to, lending one's brain, heart, or kidneys for use.

Bai Zhenzhen realized her current thoughts, and her gaze towards Zhang Yu changed slightly. She thought to herself, "A-Yu, from now on, you'll always be number one in my friendship ranking. You'll be the best in the world to me, the kind of best that makes me want to call you 'Dad' every day."

Zhang Pianpian looked at the two and said calmly, "Since you've decided to stay, then stay. The path of immortality is ultimately one's own choice, walked step by step."

"But since you've decided to stay, don't regret it."

"In the coming time, you must seize every minute, every second, and every penny for your cultivation."

"The Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam on Kunxu's first level consists of three rounds."

"It's mid-April now. After registration in mid-June, the first round of exams will be in August. This round tests overall quality and is the easiest of the three, but you'll still need to reach a senior high school level to have a chance of passing."

"The second round is the specialty exam in October, where students are assessed separately in four categories: Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts. By this point, you'll need to reach the level of the top competitor in municipal senior high school competitions to pass."

"The third round is the final selection exam in early January next year. The remaining students will compete against each other to determine the strongest in each of the four categories: Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts, and then the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates will be issued."

Listening to the description of the three exam rounds, Zhang Yu gradually outlined the framework of the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate exam in his mind: "This competition isn't ultimately about a student's overall quality. The key screening criteria are specialties in these four areas: Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts."

"Indeed, they are high school students after all, so it's impossible for them to be as well-rounded as university students who have cultivated Qi for a long time. Therefore, this exam aims to select... four talented students with extremely high aptitudes in four different directions."

"To pass, the key lies in how strong your specialty is."

Zhang Yu then curiously asked, "Where will the exams be held?"

Zhang Pianpian replied, "Both registration and the exams will take place in Xiandu."

Xiandu City is the most prosperous, vast, and super-gigantic metropolis on Kunxu's first level, far exceeding Songyang City in scale.

Zhang Yu recalled that Xiandu was roughly over 1,500 kilometers away from Songyang.

Considering that the entire exam was divided into three rounds, spanned half a year, and the test location was in Xiandu, thousands of kilometers away, Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help but sigh.

Bai Zhenzhen said, "This exam really takes a lot of time. We'll probably need to take a lot of holidays. And transport, accommodation, food—won't they be expensive? I heard online that prices in Xiandu are very high."

Zhang Pianpian nodded and said, "The exam location and exam schedule are themselves a form of screening."

"For example, you don't have inter-city travel permits yet, do you? To leave the city, especially to go to Xiandu City, you must apply for an inter-city travel permit, which requires proof of education, income, and rental or housing."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Hearing the exam's schedule and the requirements for the inter-city travel permit, he felt as though he was being told:

If you don't even have a bit of spare money or free time, or if you're so poor you can't even afford to rent a place, don't even think about taking this exam. Just stay in your hometown and work.