Chapter 275: University Rankings

A seemingly ordinary young man walked in. He wasn't particularly tall, and there was no trace of a Dharma Skeleton on his body. Yet, no one present dared to underestimate him. This was not only due to the Foundation Establishment Domain emanating from him but also because his entire body was currently enveloped in a bubble-like substance, shimmering with the radiance of a magic artifact.

The next moment, his voice directly appeared in everyone's ears: "I am Ji Yuanxu."

Ji Yuanxu: "I don't want to come into contact with the air on the second floor. I've used a Wind-Calming Pearl to isolate myself from the surrounding air currents. Please also avoid getting too close to me."

Ji Yuanxu: "I can hear you speak, and I can also transmit my voice directly to you."

Everyone looked at Ji Yuanxu, somewhat at a loss. Finally, Gongshu Jin stood up, took the initiative to welcome him, and then they introduced themselves to each other.

Gongshu Jin frowned inwardly: "A guy from the sixth floor... why would he come to the Civil Engineering Department? Ugh, this means he'll definitely be first in class."

Meanwhile, Ji Yuanxu scanned his surroundings and thought, "Aside from Gongshu Jin, there's no one else worth paying attention to. In the future, these people and I won't be in the same field."

"As for Gongshu Jin... to avoid unnecessary conflict, I should probably give him a heads-up."

Observing Gongshu Jin, who was surrounded by the others, Ji Yuanxu directly transmitted his voice to him: "I will secure first place in the Foundation Establishment class for three years in the Civil Engineering Department, and then I will transfer to the Finance Department."

Hearing this, Gongshu Jin smiled faintly and nodded slightly. He knew that once the other person left, he would be first in the class, monopolizing the first-place prize every year.

As for the first three years... Gongshu Jin thought, "Losing three years isn't so bad. It guarantees the next seven years and avoids conflict with him."

"Besides, once this guy goes to the Finance Department, he might even be able to help me out..."

With Ji Yuanxu taking the first three years and Gongshu Jin the subsequent seven, it seemed that in a single encounter, they had already decided the winners of the first-place prize in this Foundation Establishment class for the next ten years. As for the other students in the class, they were naturally disregarded by both of them.

As Zhang Yu was watching the "sixth-floor guy," Yu Xinghan suddenly patted his shoulder and exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Yu! Look, a Foundation Establishment student from the sixth floor just came in!"

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes and muttered, "How delayed are you, seriously? You're only just seeing him now?"

On the other side, as the group gradually resumed chatting, Li Xiao suggested, "After the class meeting today, how about we all have dinner together?" He genuinely wanted to build rapport with these higher-level students and integrate into their circle.

But Ying Xin merely scoffed at his suggestion, saying, "At Myriad Dharma University, we don't do group dinners."

Gongshu Jin smiled, took out a pill, and said, "Besides taking my medicine, I only consume Grain Abstinence Pills every day."

Ji Yuanxu stated calmly, "I can control my body's digestive system. I don't require external aids and have no need for food."

Feeling the amused glances from those around him, Li Xiao's face flushed slightly. He realized he had made a fool of himself again and grew increasingly resentful of his identity as a first-floor inhabitant.

Just then, with the descent of a Golden Core Domain, the Foundation Establishment class teacher arrived.

"Golden Core Grand Cultivator True Lord Jiao Lei has entered within 10 meters of you. Please remain still to avoid accidental injury."

Similar to the Foundation Establishment Domains of the previous students, this True Lord also proactively reduced the scope of his Golden Core Domain. This was a humanoid figure enveloped entirely in electric light. The moment he appeared in the classroom, his gaze immediately fixated on Ji Yuanxu.

Instantly, friend messages appeared on both their eye-sockets.

True Lord Jiao Lei: "Yuanxu, long time no see. How is your Grandmaster?"

Ji Yuanxu: "Master recently gained another 100 years of life. He's in a very good mood."

Through the connection via their eye-sockets, they exchanged pleasantries during their gaze, unbeknownst to everyone else.

True Lord Jiao Lei then looked at the many students present and said, "I am True Lord Jiao Lei, your future homeroom teacher."

"Among you are students who have already studied here for several years, as well as freshmen who have just graduated from high school."

"I'll treat you all as freshmen and go over everything that needs to be said."

"After classes start tomorrow, the next three months will be dedicated to a standardized Foundation Establishment course."

"After the three-month course, you will begin free elective courses."

"During your 10 years at the university, you can graduate as long as you meet the credit requirements..."

"However, since you've all entered the Foundation Establishment class, I believe graduation is merely your minimum requirement. Your primary goals should be pursuing graduate studies and obtaining certifications. The first year of Foundation Establishment is the most crucial, so you can start planning for your future now..."

Zhang Yu listened carefully as True Lord Jiao Lei spoke about credits, course selection, and other related matters. Then, the teacher began to explain the details concerning school rankings.

"Rankings... are a reflection of your academic achievements at the university."

"Rankings are determined by a combination of credits earned, grades in completed courses, as well as participation in extracurricular competitions, projects, and other aspects."

"Then, according to different cultivation realms, starting from the most basic... for example, our Foundation Establishment class ranking."

"Next is the ranking for the entire Civil Engineering Department, regardless of year. From this point on, it's generally the domain of senior students. It will be a few years before you can compete there."

"Following that is the overall ranking for the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, and then the university-wide ranking that spans all departments."

"Each ranking board is updated daily and finalized at the end of each academic year. Awards are then given to students at the top of the rankings..."

"Since you are all in your first year of Foundation Establishment, don't worry about the other rankings; those are for senior students. Your main focus should be on the class ranking."

"The student who ranks first in the class each year will receive a scholarship of 3 spirit coins and a cultivation technique."

"The cultivation technique can be chosen from the 'Seven Civil Engineering Marvels' of Myriad Dharma University."

True Lord Jiao Lei stated with some pride, "'The Seven Civil Engineering Marvels' are unique cultivation techniques belonging to the Civil Engineering Department of Myriad Dharma University. Each of the seven is a top-tier expert-level technique."

"And if you master three of them, they can combine into a technique approaching military-grade."

He spoke with encouragement, "And if you can master all seven and then pass the Military Civil Engineering certification, the seven energies will merge, allowing you to command the military-grade technique: 'Heavenly Kunlun Mountain Shifting Divine Power'."

Although True Lord Jiao Lei spoke encouragingly, his primary focus was only on Ji Yuanxu and Gongshu Jin. He thought to himself that Ji Yuanxu would likely claim the rewards for the first three years, and once he had enough to combine three techniques, he would transfer departments. Conversely, there was a high probability that Gongshu Jin would master all 'Seven Civil Engineering Marvels' in the remaining seven years.

"I just wonder if he'll be capable of passing the Military Civil Engineering certification in the future and ultimately achieving the seven energies merging..."

In a corner unnoticed by True Lord Jiao Lei, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up: "This 'Heavenly Kunlun Mountain Shifting Divine Power'... sounds incredibly powerful."

Fu Ji said, "But seven years is too long, isn't it? Won't that delay your department transfer? Unless you complete your civil engineering undergraduate degree and then pursue a master's in artifact forging."

"And to get that, you'd have to compete against someone from the sixth floor and someone from the fourth floor."

Zhang Yu replied, "Having come to the Top Ten, aren't we supposed to compete with these people anyway?" He glanced at the black symbols on his palm, which were already about halfway charged, and thought to himself, "Come on, Feather Script, don't let my talent down."

True Lord Jiao Lei then proceeded to explain some general precautions to be aware of within the university city.

"...Whether you know it or not, I must reiterate: planting is strictly prohibited within the university city."

"In the past, students who secretly engaged in hydroponics or similar activities in their dorm rooms were immediately expelled, permanently stripped of their university qualifications, and no amount of spirit coins could change that."

"So don't let me find any leaves in your dorm rooms. If I do, no one can save you."

"Also, for those who eat cement with medicine to save money, remember to only do so when your stomach qi is excessive. If you feel your digestive system is overloaded, vomit it out. Eating and vomiting a piece of cement like this can maintain your digestive health for a month. Absolutely do not just eat without vomiting; otherwise, you'll end up defecating cement and causing internal injuries to yourselves."

"Don't laugh. Do you think no one has gone bankrupt from defecating cement? Even Qi Refinement students from the first floor have done it. Although you are now in Foundation Establishment, you should still take this as a warning and avoid such foolishness."

After going over all the various precautions, True Lord Jiao Lei added, "Oh, by the way, the freshman scholarships for those who achieved Foundation Establishment in high school will be deposited today or tomorrow. Besides that, there's also another reward..."

Zhang Yu's heart stirred. The enrollment conditions he had discussed with the Myriad Dharma University representative had included a scholarship of 2.5 spirit coins.

True Lord Jiao Lei called out several names: Ji Yuanxu, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, Li Xiao, and Yu Xinghan were prominently among them. These five, along with Zhang Yu, constituted all the high school Foundation Establishment students in this class.

True Lord Jiao Lei then announced, "All of you passed the Foundation Establishment exam in high school. In the Foundation Establishment class, you will receive discounts on cultivation techniques: 40% off basic techniques, 60% off intermediate techniques, and 80% off expert-level techniques."

"And then... Zhang Yu."

True Lord Jiao Lei only called out this single name: "You are very impressive. You took the Foundation Establishment exam in your first year of high school and obtained the Foundation Establishment qualification certificate in your second year. You are the first person in high school to succeed on their initial attempt at the Foundation Establishment exam."

"If you go to the Grand Library to exchange for cultivation techniques, basic techniques will be 20% off, intermediate techniques 40% off, and expert-level techniques 60% off."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's heart swelled with joy, and he secretly thought that his struggle to pass the Foundation Establishment exam had truly been worth it. After all, the various Foundation Establishment techniques at Myriad Dharma University were all sold for spirit coins, and every additional discount represented significant savings.

Upon hearing True Lord Jiao Lei's words, all the students present turned to look at Zhang Yu, a hint of surprise on their faces. Even Gongshu Jin, who had initially paid no mind to Zhang Yu, raised an eyebrow: "He obtained the Foundation Establishment qualification certificate in his second year of high school? That means he defeated third-year high school students when he was only in his second year?"

"However, judging by his basic data, he doesn't show the advantage of having achieved Foundation Establishment a year earlier than me... Is it because the cultivation conditions on the first floor are too poor?"

"In that case, buying his life should be quite cheap."

First-floor inhabitants... in Gongshu Jin's impression, they were individuals who would be eternally grateful and fight to the death for him if he just spent a few spirit coins.

On the other side, Ji Yuanxu also scrutinized Zhang Yu more closely this time. His eye-socket scanned Zhang Yu's body, revealing the model number of a Time-Remnant Demonic Eye.

"He actually achieved Foundation Establishment a year earlier than me, yet his basic stats are about 30 points lower."

"This suggests he has insufficient cultivation resources, yet he's equipped with a top-tier eye-socket?"

"What a strange fellow."

Thinking this, Ji Yuanxu briefly searched for Zhang Yu's information on the Spirit World Network. Moments later, he found a historical record of a discontinued product on an Oasis Group shopping platform.

Next, True Lord Jiao Lei pointed at Ji Yuanxu and said, "Ji Yuanxu, you will be the class monitor from now on. Create a group chat in a moment and add everyone to it."

True Lord Jiao Lei thought to himself, "Ji Yuanxu is from the sixth floor after all. He acts steadily and commands respect. He won't be as unreliable as people from the first or second floors."

He then added, "From now on, there will be no more class meetings. All issues will be resolved on the Spirit World Network."

With that, True Lord Jiao Lei transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished into thin air. He came and went quickly, having spoken to the students for a total of just over ten minutes.

After the teacher left, all the students present were promptly added to the group chat created by Ji Yuanxu.

Gongshu Jin, as if suddenly remembering something, turned to Li Xiao and asked, "You're from the first floor, right? Do you know Zhang Yu well? He must be quite famous where you're from, isn't he?"

Seeing Gongshu Jin's apparent interest in Zhang Yu, a flicker of jealousy crossed Li Xiao's mind. He quickly said, "He's from a small place, and yes, he's quite famous there because he beat up his own boss – a boss who had given him hundreds of millions in funding..."

Li Xiao recounted the incident with Wang Yin, adding his own embellishments. Hearing this, Gongshu Jin frowned slightly and remarked, "So ungrateful?"

Li Xiao quickly added, "The battle between Wang Yin and him was live-streamed to the upper levels. You might still be able to find it if you search."