Translator: CinderTL
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!" Lin Yushu coughed loudly. "Brother Jiang, I was just joking! Why are you taking it seriously?"
"Right, right, right."
"Just a joke, nothing to take seriously," Liu Wanxiao added with a sheepish grin.
After witnessing Jiang Ye's overwhelming strength, they had completely abandoned any thought of sparring with him.
They were nearly two major realms behind him—the gap was simply too vast!
Sparring? It would be more like asking for a beating!
Nearby, Yun Qing'er watched with a complex expression.
Has Jiang Ye really become this strong?
Even Sister Tong'er and I combined couldn't block a single strike from his spear, could we? Yun Qing'er sighed inwardly.
Once comrades in arms, she had now completely lost sight of his retreating figure.
While Jiang Ye was chatting with his former classmates,
On the other side of the city,
At White Dragon University, in a spacious conference room,
Qiu Cang entered.
"Principal," he reported, "the freshman competition of the Ten Schools League has concluded. The top three are Jiang Ye, Shi Ting, and Su Haiyue."
"Shi Ting?" Principal Bai Jing, clad in a white whale-patterned robe, paused in surprise. "What happened? Shi Ting took second place?"
"Here's what happened," Qiu Cang began, recounting the details of the competition.
Soon...
"You mean Jiang Ye?" Bai Jing exclaimed in astonishment. "He's already at the late stage of the third breakthrough?"
"It's just a breakthrough in his life level," Qiu Cang clarified.
"How could he progress so quickly?" Bai Jing was utterly bewildered. Even as the principal, he had never witnessed such rapid advancement.
"Jiang Ye gained significant rewards on Ancient Star No. 7," Qiu Cang offered cryptically.
That was enough for Principal Bai Jing to fill in the blanks.
Could he have found dozens of B-Tier Opportunities on Ancient Star No. 7? Bai Jing wondered, his expression twisting with disbelief.
That's impossible, right?
Sensing Qiu Cang's reluctance to elaborate, Bai Jing refrained from pressing further.
Geniuses always have their secrets.
"Principal," Qiu Cang inquired, "now that Shi Ting has secured a top-three finish, should we send her to the Star Realm Sea?"
This was the question that troubled him most.
The final battle should have been an intensely competitive match, a clash between dozens of geniuses vying for the top three spots. But who could have predicted Jiang Ye? At the late stage of the third breakthrough, he swept through everyone. Now, who secured the top three depended solely on whom Jiang Ye chose to eliminate last.
"It doesn't matter," Bai Jing said. "Just ask Shi Ting for her opinion. Explain the dangers of the Star Realm Sea clearly. If she still wishes to go, let her."
"Besides, the Federation still has plenty of special slots," Bai Jing added.
"Understood," Qiu Cang nodded.
"Oh, by the way," Bai Jing asked, "how's Chen Zilu's recovery going?"
"Xiao Chen?" Qiu Cang shook his head. "She's been in seclusion lately, attempting her fifth breakthrough. I haven't disturbed her."
"Fifth breakthrough?" Bai Jing's eyes lit up. "That girl has finally reached this stage."
Bai Jing had always held Chen Zilu in high regard. Her invincible dao bone made her a flagship talent for White Dragon University.
"She might not succeed," Qiu Cang cautioned, shaking his head. "I think she's rushing things. Her life level hasn't reached the threshold for the fifth breakthrough. She should wait a while longer before attempting it."
"That's understandable," Bai Jing said.
"She wants to catch up to her peers' Transcendent Aptitude," Bai Jing smiled. "To do that, she needs to achieve the fifth breakthrough as quickly as possible."
"Indeed," Qiu Cang nodded, offering no further comment.
From the principal's perspective, Bai Jing genuinely hoped Chen Zilu would break through soon to restore her former glory.
But from Qiu Cang's perspective, his primary concern was the student's safety.
The fifth breakthrough involved refining the organs.
Failure could lead to serious complications.
However, Xiao Chen has prepared a substantial amount of Extreme Sea Primordial Liquid this time, which might significantly increase her chances of success, Qiu Cang thought to himself.
Just as he was pondering this,
Suddenly,
"Hmm?" Qiu Cang's expression shifted abruptly. "Principal, I need to leave immediately."
"What's wrong?" Bai Jing noticed the change in his demeanor.
"It's Xiao Chen. I need to check on her," Qiu Cang said tersely, his figure blurring as he vanished from the spot.
"Chen Zilu?" Bai Jing frowned slightly. "Could the girl have failed her breakthrough?"
After the Ten Schools League concluded, Jiang Ye didn't linger at the venue. After bidding farewell to Liu Wanxiao, Yun Qing'er, and the others, he returned to Star Garden No. 11.
"The geniuses of the ten great schools..." Jiang Ye mused inwardly, "They don't seem as invincible as I once imagined."
This battle had shattered his illusions about the ten great schools.
In the past, Jiang Ye had viewed them as the supreme holy grounds of Blue Star Civilization, towering institutions that ordinary people could never hope to surpass in a lifetime.
But now?
Jiang Ye had stood on the same stage as these top-tier geniuses and swept them all aside.
"I can't let my guard down," he reminded himself. "I haven't encountered an invincible dao bone yet, let alone a Transcendent Aptitude." Jiang Ye's mind remained calm. "Beyond Transcendent Aptitude lie even more unimaginable existences like Heavenly Pride Talent and Stellar Talent."
"One step at a time," he resolved.
"Sooner or later, I'll defeat them all and surpass them." Jiang Ye's gaze hardened with determination.
As he pondered, his phone buzzed with a notification.
Jiang Ye checked the screen.
Your bank account xxxx5679 has been credited with 500 million federal currency.
"Already?"
"No wonder it's the reward for winning the Ten Schools League," Jiang Ye chuckled. "The approval process is much faster than it was during the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup."
During the Genius Cup, he had to wait half a day to receive his champion's reward.
The Ten Schools League champion, in terms of both strength and status, far surpassed the Genius Cup champion.
The approval channel's priority was also much higher.
"My wealth," Jiang Ye said, tapping his phone to open his personal wealth page.
Bank Balance: 7.05 billion
School Points: 5 million
"Without realizing it, my wealth has already reached 7 billion," Jiang Ye murmured, staring at the screen. "Now, I'm earning money in units of 'billions'."
The trip to the ancient star and the Ten Schools League alone had each brought in hundreds of millions.
Just six months ago, such sums would have been unimaginable.
"Still..."
"I want to upgrade to heaven-tier battle armor, but I'm still short," Jiang Ye murmured, pondering. "A set of heaven-tier battle armor starts at 10 billion credits."
Heaven-tier battle armor could withstand attacks from opponents one minor realm higher than the wearer. Jiang Ye was eager to test its capabilities.
"I'll save up for now," Jiang Ye said, closing the wealth interface.
The ten opportunities he'd won as competition rewards would suffice for his cultivation needs in the coming period. He wouldn't need to purchase additional cultivation resources.
"Almost two months have passed," Jiang Ye realized.
"I wonder if Senior Sister has broken through yet?" A sudden thought struck him.
Since parting ways with Chen Zilu two months ago, he hadn't contacted her, having been completely absorbed in his cultivation.
"I'll call and ask," Jiang Ye said, tapping Chen Zilu's contact.
Beep...
The call connected, but it wasn't Chen Zilu's voice that answered.
"Jiang Ye," Qiu Cang's voice came through the phone. "Something's happened to your senior sister."
(End of the Chapter)
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