Chapter 71: Change

Songyang High School.

The cafeteria during lunch break.

Zhao Tianxing stood hesitating with his meal tray.

On the surface, everything on campus seemed calm and unchanged.

But the conflict that erupted on the training field yesterday had already spread like wildfire through the entire school.

Nearly every student now knew that Zhang Yu from Class 1, Grade 10, had defected to White Dragon High School and clashed with the Student Council Vice President Zhou Chechen, along with a group of older students from Grade 11.

From Zhao Tianxing’s observation of different student cliques, he had come to a simple conclusion: most of the students saw it the same way.

The die-hard Songyang loyalists believed: Isn’t this treason? A class traitor? Selling out to the White Dragon crowd for personal gain? A Songyang turncoat! He should be expelled!

The jealous ones speculated: First it was Li Xuelian, then Zhang Pianpian—why does Zhang Yu keep attracting rich girls? Strong suspicion he didn’t finish his surgery cleanly; the school should investigate him thoroughly.

Anger, jealousy... and a hidden envy, all twisted into raw malice.

Most of the more cautious students wouldn’t even dare approach Zhang Yu, afraid of getting dragged down by the Student Council or the Songyang loyalists.

Zhao Tianxing felt the same. He was terrified that getting too close to Zhang Yu would make him a target.

After all, it wasn’t like Songyang High had never had student bullying incidents before.

Zhao Tianxing had heard the story of Shuang Youpeng, the top scorer of the monthly exams in Grade 10 last year—an absolute legend.

But after entering Grade 11, he fell behind the rich kids, and the bullying began.

No homework allowed, no supplements, no training, no all-night study marathons...

They even forced him to eat fried chicken, fries, beer, and desserts every day, making him watch helplessly as his belly expanded and his muscles melted away.

They made him binge-watch videos, read novels, and play games, watching his grades plummet while his thirst for the Immortal Path was slowly crushed...

Only after he completely broke and begged for mercy did Zhou Chechen let him off.

Just thinking about that was enough to make Zhao Tianxing feel short of breath.

So when Zhang Yu invited him to lunch today, he panicked and said he had something to do and would be late to the cafeteria.

Carrying this anxious feeling, Zhao Tianxing finished getting his food and walked into the cafeteria. When he saw Zhang Yu glance his way, he instinctively looked away.

That one glance avoided—Zhao Tianxing’s heart sank.

“Sigh, guess I’m not friends with Zhang Yu anymore.”

He wandered a few steps, tray in hand, then couldn’t help but glance back toward Zhang Yu’s table.

When he saw Bai Zhenzhen and Qian Shen already sitting next to Zhang Yu, a flicker of envy flashed in his eyes.

“Bai Zhenzhen and Qian Shen... how are they so bold? Aren’t they scared at all?”

“I wish I could be like them—do what I want, without overthinking everything.”

Though he was always overanalyzing, Zhao Tianxing had never liked that about himself. He always wished he could care less about what others thought. But he just couldn’t.

Like right now, he gripped his tray and tried to walk toward Zhang Yu’s table, but it felt like all the students around were looking at him, consciously or not—as if just sitting beside Zhang Yu would get him ostracized by the entire school.

Of course, that was mostly in his head. The cafeteria was packed—hardly anyone was actually paying attention to him.

Zhao Tianxing looked at Zhang Yu chatting happily with Qian Shen and Bai Zhenzhen, and couldn’t help but feel a little longing.

After going home yesterday, he kept replaying in his head how Zhang Yu had stood firm against Zhou Chechen.

He admired Zhang Yu’s courage and longed for the kind of calm strength Zhang Yu had when facing pressure.

Just as Zhao Tianxing hesitated, Zhang Yu suddenly waved him over.

“Old Zhao! Over here!”

Zhao Tianxing blinked. “Does Zhang Yu think I just didn’t see him earlier?”

He bit his lip, then suddenly walked quickly over and sat down beside Zhang Yu.

At that moment, he felt like half the cafeteria was watching him. All he wanted was to sit down quickly and have Zhang Yu stop calling out.

And this time, he wasn’t wrong. A lot of students were watching Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen—and now him.

But in that moment, Zhao Tianxing felt kind of cool. Maybe, in other people’s eyes, he looked as cool as Zhang Yu did yesterday.

He was wrong. To most of the students watching, Zhao Tianxing now looked like a clown—someone who’d just earned the “Do Not Approach” tag.

As Zhao Tianxing sat down, Zhang Yu received a reply from Zhang Pianpian.

He had just messaged her: Sis, I’ve got a classmate who really loves studying and wants to add you as a friend.

Zhang Pianpian: What’s his score?

Zhang Yu: His highest was over 620.

Zhang Pianpian: Too low. Not adding.

Zhang Yu: Huh?

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “My sister’s got a serious case of score supremacy, huh.”

He suddenly recalled the time Zhang Pianpian had called him, back when he didn’t even score 600. No wonder she talked to him like he was human garbage...

But thinking about the environment at White Dragon High, Zhang Yu had to admit... for the top student there, it kind of made sense.

He glanced at Qian Shen, who was looking at him eagerly, and said apologetically, “She said your score’s too low. Over 620 isn’t enough. She’s not adding.”

Qian Shen blinked, then blushed hard and quickly corrected him, “It was 626! My best was 626!”

But after saying that, Qian Shen lowered his head, his expression dimming.

Zhang Yu could tell that Qian Shen had suddenly thought about a lot. Finally, he nodded and said, “Yeah... my score really is too low.”

Then Qian Shen looked up again, eyes full of longing. “No wonder someone with a 699 picks friends with such taste.”

“Please tell her—I’ll study hard and improve my score. One day, I’ll be worthy of adding her.”

“And though I’m at Songyang High now, my heart has long yearned for White Dragon High. I even tried applying before, just barely missed getting into the honors class…”

Zhang Yu got the picture—Qian Shen was a die-hard White Dragon fanboy. What, even the air over there smells better?

He made a face and forwarded the message to Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Pianpian: Don’t bother sending me stuff from people scoring 620-something. People like that won’t keep up with us.

Zhang Yu looked at Qian Shen, who seemed revitalized, and decided not to relay that reply. It would’ve been too cruel.

…

That afternoon in class.

The language teacher lectured from the podium.

Bai Zhenzhen sat below, quietly practicing her mana control.

Just then, her phone buzzed. She glanced at it—Mo Tianyi had sent a message.

Mo Tianyi: Bai Zhenzhen, did you and Zhang Yu sell out to Zhang Pianpian from White Dragon High?

Ah-Zhen froze, then immediately understood—but didn’t know how to reply.

Zhang Pianpian, White Dragon High’s top senior, was the symbol of wealth in the eyes of poor students like Mo Tianyi.

So in their minds, if Zhang Pianpian was covering for Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu, she must’ve “signed” them away from Songyang High.

What else could it be? Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t exactly tell Mo Tianyi that Zhang Pianpian just admired their talent and wanted to help them get into the Ten Great Academies.

And she’d promised not to reveal Zhang Yu and Zhang Pianpian’s sibling relationship. She wasn’t Zhou Tianyi, who liked gossiping all over the place.

But suddenly, she realized—why bother explaining?

Explaining too much might expose the fact they weren’t signed, and that they were just hiding under Zhang Pianpian’s wing to study for the Top Ten.

What if Mo Tianyi and his group wanted Zhang Pianpian’s protection too?

Or worse, what if Mo Tianyi leaked this to some rich students and caused unnecessary trouble?

Right now, everyone believed Zhang Pianpian had “bought” them. Everyone also believed they’d given up on the Ten Great Academies. That was perfect.

Worst case, if they really got in later, they could pay back Mo Tianyi’s investment. Maybe even help him get to the second level of Kunxu someday.

“In the end, for both me and Yuzi, and even Mo Tianyi, whether we make it into the Top Ten is what matters most.”

“So the choice that gives us the best shot is the right one.”

Thinking this through, Bai Zhenzhen replied: Yeah. Sorry, we couldn’t take it anymore. We’ve signed with Zhang Pianpian.

A moment later, Mo Tianyi replied: Sigh, I don’t blame you. I’ve heard what Songyang’s been doing to you. It’s okay to crack under pressure. Just… please keep our arrangement secret. Don’t let anyone know.

Bai Zhenzhen: Don’t worry. We may have given up, but we still hope you succeed. You’re our last hope, for all of us poor kids. Good luck!

…

In the Spiritual Realm.

Mo Tianyi read Bai Zhenzhen’s sincere reply and breathed a little easier, though a hint of regret crossed his face.

Whether it was Zhang Yu’s 4th place in the Law Tournament, or Bai Zhenzhen’s earlier resolve, he’d believed they might really have a shot at the Top Ten.

But now…

“They couldn’t hold out after all.”

He also felt a pang thinking of the money he’d transferred to help Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have sent it. Could’ve saved it for the boss…”

He sighed. “In the end, the only one who can make it into the Top Ten and shatter the ceiling above us… is still the boss.”

Just then, a line of text flashed before his eyes: Work inactive for over one minute. Return to your post immediately.

Mo Tianyi quickly refocused and reopened his Spiritual Realm interface.

Unlike other schools, soul cultivation students at Mangshan High started internships from Grade 10.

Mo Tianyi’s screen filled with chat windows—his job today was online customer service for a tutoring agency.

Client: My son’s had a sterilization surgery, but no high schools will take him. Now the girls’ schools and the soul cultivators are rejecting him for physical defects. What should we do?

Mo Tianyi: Girls’ schools and soul cultivation programs are a bit easier to get into, but they’re super competitive. Physical defects do hurt chances. But there’s hope—your son can get a sterilization reversal surgery, then reapply.

Mo Tianyi: If that still fails, he can repeat the year and undergo another sterilization surgery next year. Having two on his record is actually a big plus—it shows a firm Dao Heart. He’ll definitely get in then.

Mo Tianyi: We’ve partnered with a hospital, would you like a recommendation...?

Around Mo Tianyi, more than a dozen identical copies of him worked at other desks, answering different chats in the same small ten-square-meter room, bare except for them and the floating screens.

After eighteen hours of straight work, they finally got five minutes’ rest.

Mo Tianyi immediately wired his paycheck to the boss.

“The boss needs money now more than ever.”

Thinking how today’s wages could give their leader a better shot at the Top Ten, a flicker of hope and satisfaction warmed his chest.

“You have to succeed, boss. You’re Songyang’s only poor student with a real chance.”

“You’re our only way out of this life…”