Chapter 315: Ranking Taught Everyone to Respect Each Other

Seeing Zhang Yu unaware of his ranking, Li Xiao thought with emotion, "Is this what it means to remain calm in the face of major events?"

"He didn't even check his ranking right away on the evening the exam finished... So composed, truly composed."

"After the exam, knowing his strength had improved remarkably and his scores were about to skyrocket, yet he could choose not to look. This ability to remain undisturbed by external factors is truly impressive..."

Li Xiao imagined himself in Zhang Yu's shoes and was certain he could never do the same. Knowing his own score would be good, he'd likely be unable to resist refreshing the leaderboard as soon as the results were out.

Meanwhile, in the Foundation Establishment class group chat, the class teacher, Jiao Lei, was still speaking.

True Lord Jiao Lei: "I want to specifically commend Zhang Yu."

True Lord Jiao Lei: "I remember shortly after classes started in June, Zhang Yu's performance gradually dropped to a mid-to-lower level."

True Lord Jiao Lei: "But in just eight months, he steadily climbed to second place in the entire class, achieving a transformative improvement. This is something all students should learn from."

True Lord Jiao Lei: "Of course, besides him, the top three students in the class are all excellent. I have already applied for scholarship loans for them this semester."

At the construction site, Zhang Yu's hands, which were mixing concrete, unconsciously slowed down.

"University teachers truly have unique insights; their evaluations of students are spot-on."

After saving screenshots of the class ranking and the teacher's remarks, Zhang Yu then looked at other people's comments.

As a colleague who had worked with Zhang Yu for three months, Che Yufei was quite curious about his final exam results. After all, in his opinion, Zhang Yu, who always looked on the verge of collapsing, still insisted on taking medicine, seemingly obsessed with his university studies.

"Taking the final exam in that condition... his scores would surely be dismal, right?"

Out of curiosity, every day after returning, when the leaderboard updated, he would check Zhang Yu's ranking while refreshing his own. But today's check made his eyes widen in surprise. "Second?" he gasped inwardly.

"Higher than Gongshu Jin, that rich guy from the Fourth Level who's in his class?!"

"This guy... if he can successfully survive until graduation, I can't even imagine how high his salary will be."

At that moment, Che Yufei felt as if he was witnessing a rising star in the Civil Engineering department.

After taking a screenshot of the leaderboard, Che Yufei sent it to Shi Yunxiang: "Xiang, look at Zhang Yu's ranking."

Then, after a moment's thought, Che Yufei sent a message to Zhang Yu: "Impressive, you've jumped to second in the class!"

In the Spirit World.

As a Soul Cultivator student at Fengdu Information Vocational Technical College, Zhao Tianxing's gaze swept across the stream of comments on the platform before him.

"F**k you! Trash review! You're paid to whitewash, I hope you go bankrupt tomorrow and become a Soul Cultivator for life!"

Zhao Tianxing's eyes flickered. He chose to delete the comment for insult and abuse, then muted the user for a month.

"Nascent Soul Divine Lord highly recommends courses, latest cultivation resources, intimate sparring services with Joy Cultivators, click my avatar."

Zhao Tianxing silently chose to delete it, selected "illegal marketing" as the reason, and permanently banned the user.

As a torrent of platform comments scrolled past his eyes, Zhao Tianxing continued processing them. Suddenly, a notification sound chimed. Zhao Tianxing's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately looked.

Since entering the second level, as his various Soul Cultivator skills continuously improved, Zhao Tianxing had gradually integrated them into his daily life. For instance, the current notification sound was from an automated operation he had set up himself. There were many specific notification conditions: reminders for expiring coupons, for Spirit World service renewals, for milking deals on various platforms... and also notifications for changes among his classmates. This included notifications for changes in friends' displayed rankings.

"Zhang Yu is second in class?"

"So strong, he's still this strong even at the second level."

Zhao Tianxing was about to send a message, but after a moment's thought, he opened a document and began to type. After reviewing the versions he had written, he debated for a while, finally choosing the one he found most natural to send.

Zhao Tianxing: "Impressive!"

Just as Zhao Tianxing was about to send a second message, the next moment, a warning message appeared before him.

Warning: "During work hours, using chat functions unrelated to business is prohibited."

Zhang Yu saw Zhao Tianxing's message and replied, "Just a small achievement, nothing to boast about."

Seeing no further reply, Zhang Yu didn't mind; Soul Cultivator students were very busy, after all.

Zhang Yu then casually opened messages from others, mostly classmates and some old acquaintances who had added him as a friend and noticed his ranking change. And of course, his good roommates.

In the dorm group chat, Yu Xinghan asked, "Bro, aren't you going to send a red packet?"

Zhang Yu replied, "You're 9th, in the top 10. You didn't send a red packet either."

Zhang Yu still remembered that on his first day back in the dorm, Yu Xinghan had insisted on pulling him along, urging him to see what was different about him, then repeatedly showing off his then-7th place class ranking.

Yu Xinghan also remembered feeling fortunate he hadn't been chosen for the field project when he first saw Zhang Yu with white hair. "Zhang Yu was worn out like that; if I'd gone, wouldn't I never have returned? These civil engineering folks don't treat students like cattle; they're using them as if they're Soul Cultivators, right?"

But today, seeing Zhang Yu shoot up to second place, Yu Xinghan had to admit that the past three months had indeed brought him tremendous gains. Yet, watching Zhang Yu's recovery process day by day over the past week, Yu Xinghan knew he truly couldn't emulate it.

"This physique is too abnormal," Yu Xinghan thought to himself.

At the same time, Le Mulan chimed in the dorm group chat: "What happened?"

Zhang Yu quickly sent screenshots of the class ranking and Jiao Lei's comments, but received no response from Le Mulan.

Zhang Yu: "Le Mulan?"

Le Mulan forwarded the screenshot to her brother, Le Jingchen, saying, "Zhang Yu has made huge progress. Can we raise the price of 'Yu's Elixir' now?"

Seeing Zhang Yu's own message, Le Mulan quickly replied, "Zhang Yu, you're amazing! When are you coming back to the dorm?"

Zhang Yu: "Working overtime. In the morning, I guess."

Just then, Zhang Pianpian also appeared, but she didn't comment in the dorm group chat. Instead, she messaged privately: "I secretly watched your exam room video. You acted very well, but next time you could bleed a bit more."

Zhang Pianpian: "Working yourself to death is a good cover, and you controlled your score well. Second place is a good spot; after all, first place would be too high-profile."

Zhang Yu read his sister's message and thought, "No... I really *was* trying my hardest, damn it."

In the blink of an eye, a night passed. After working through the evening, Zhang Yu's body had recovered for the most part.

"This 'Remnant Ox's Self-Sacrifice Mind Technique' is truly effective."

"I wonder where I can find the complete set of 'Linked Spell Diagrams' that belong to the same series."

As Zhang Yu walked out of the construction site, he noticed the ranking displayed above his head seemed even more vibrant and eye-catching. Along the way, he occasionally saw workers captivated by the ranking above his head, looking at him with respectful gazes. Qi Cultivation students, in particular, kept stepping back, afraid of accidentally blocking his path. Even some higher-grade civil engineering students would subtly nod when their eyes met his.

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, "Fu Ji, this university ranking system truly has its merits; it fosters greater respect between people."

Upon hearing this, Fu Ji cursed inwardly, "You didn't say that before, damn it."

However, thinking about Zhang Yu's performance in the final exam, Fu Ji was secretly astonished: "This kid, Zhang Yu, every time I feel his talent is already world-shocking, he always manages to reveal something even more incredible."

As someone who accompanied Zhang Yu 24 hours a day, even witnessing his self-rewarding process, Fu Ji deeply understood... Zhang Yu absolutely did not possess the physique to casually consume life-shortening pills before.

"I always feel like this guy... is secretly getting stronger somewhere I don't know about, but I've been with him every single moment. What's going on?"

"Could he be an immortal reincarnated?"

"Impossible, how could an immortal reincarnation be so poor?! And who would reincarnate to the first level?"

As Zhang Yu left the construction site, deep in thought, Sheng Jie, standing by the entrance, paused in surprise upon seeing him. Sheng Jie gazed at the ranking above Zhang Yu's head and murmured inwardly, "Foundation Establishment Class, second place? Zhang Yu is actually second in the Foundation Establishment class?"

"Yesterday... did he just take the exam yesterday, which is why the ranking only updated in the middle of the night?"

As Sheng Jie was reeling in shock, he felt Zhang Yu's gaze on him and instinctively nodded back, acknowledging each other. Just then, a security guard colleague beside him said, "Isn't that your classmate? He..."

The rest of his words caught in his throat. The second-place ranking in the Foundation Establishment Class, displayed above Zhang Yu's head, seemed to carry a tangible pressure that choked the security guards. They understood that anyone who could achieve second place in the Foundation Establishment Class was certainly no ordinary person.

Watching Zhang Yu leave respectfully, the security guards immediately gathered around Sheng Jie, asking curiously, "Is he really from your first level?"

Back in the dorm, after taking his morning medicine and changing clothes, Zhang Yu prepared to go to class as usual. Although the first semester's final exams had just ended, the second semester was about to begin. Starting in March and continuing until the second semester's final exams in August, the entire freshman year would conclude.

Today, as Zhang Yu entered the classroom, he could feel many eyes turning towards him. Simultaneously, Li Xiao waved to him and Yu Xinghan, "Brother Yu! There's a spot here!"

Classes, blood draws, cultivation... a day passed in the blink of an eye.

That evening, Zhang Yu opened his communication link with Bai Zhenzhen as usual and heard her say, "Not bad, Yu Zi, second in class."

Zhang Yu smiled proudly and replied, "I guess this score is barely a match for my effort."

Bai Zhenzhen said, "Mom sent you some more meat. Your body is depleted right now, so you need to replenish it well."

"Also, when are you going to fix your hair? The white hair looks too miserable, making you seem old and poor, which might lead people to look down on you."

"Alright, alright," Zhang Yu said. Looking at the gown Bai Zhenzhen was wearing, he asked curiously, "Ah Zhen, are you attending an event?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded, "Yes, the opening ceremony of the Top Ten Leagues. This year's Top Ten Leagues are being held at Heavenly Sword University, so I came to just take a look."