Chapter 278: University Rankings

No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

A rather unremarkable-looking young man walked into the room. He wasn’t tall, and there wasn’t a trace of Law Husk on his body.

Yet no one present dared look down on him—not just because of the Foundation Establishment Domain radiating from him, but because he was enveloped in a shimmering bubble that gave off the glow of an Artifact.

A moment later, his voice rang directly in everyone’s ears: “I’m Ji Yuanshu.”

Ji Yuanshu: I don’t want to breathe Second Floor air. I’ve used a Wind-Stabilizing Pearl to isolate changes in the surrounding air currents. Please don’t get too close to me.

Ji Yuanshu: I can hear you just fine, and I can transmit my voice directly to you.

Everyone glanced at Ji Yuanshu with uncertainty, until Gongshu Jin stepped forward to welcome him and introduced him to the class.

But Gongshu Jin frowned inwardly. “A Floor Six guy… What’s he doing in the Civil Engineering Department? Damn, this means he’s definitely taking the top spot in our class.”

Ji Yuanshu, meanwhile, glanced around and thought, “Other than Gongshu Jin, none of these people are worth paying attention to. They won’t be in the same league as me anyway.”

“As for Gongshu Jin… better have a word with him to avoid unnecessary friction.”

Looking at the group gathered around Gongshu Jin, Ji Yuanshu transmitted a message directly to him: “I’m planning to take first place in the Foundation Class for three years, then transfer to the Finance Department.”

Gongshu Jin gave a small smile and nodded slightly.

He understood that once Ji Yuanshu transferred out, the top spot in the class would be his. He could monopolize the annual first-place rewards.

As for those first three years…

Gongshu Jin thought, “Missing out on three years isn’t a big deal. At least I can secure the last seven. That also means I can avoid clashing with him.”

“And who knows, once he transfers to Finance, he might even be useful to me.”

Just one look between Ji Yuanshu and Gongshu Jin, and the class's top reward for the next ten years seemed silently agreed upon.

As for the rest of the class, neither of them gave them a second thought.

Zhang Yu was still staring at the Floor Six prodigy when Yu Xinghan clapped him on the shoulder and said in astonishment, “Zhang Yu! Look, a Floor Six Foundation student just walked in!”

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes and muttered, “Seriously… how much lag do you have? You’re only seeing this now?”

On the other side of the room, as chatter resumed, Li Xiao proposed, “Hey, after this class meeting, why don’t we all go out for dinner?”

He genuinely wanted to bond with the higher-tier students and become part of their circle.

But Ying Xin only scoffed. “Wanfa Sect University doesn’t do group dinners.”

Gongshu Jin smiled and took out a pill. “I only eat Fasting Pills—apart from my medication, of course.”

Ji Yuanshu said calmly, “I can regulate my digestive system. I don’t require external aid. I have no need for food.”

Feeling the mockery in everyone’s eyes, Li Xiao’s face flushed. He realized he’d made another fool of himself and grew even more bitter about being from Floor One.

Just then, a Gold Core Domain descended. The class’s teacher had arrived.

Gold Core Cultivator Immortal Jiao Lei has entered within 10 meters of your location. Please remain still to avoid accidental injury.

Just like the others, this Gold Core cultivator had retracted his domain to minimize interference.

Clad entirely in electric light, the human-shaped figure appeared in the classroom. His gaze immediately locked onto Ji Yuanshu.

At once, their Law Husk Eyes lit up with friend notifications.

Immortal Jiao Lei: Yuanshu, long time no see. How’s your grandmaster?

Ji Yuanshu: Master recently extended his lifespan by another hundred years. He’s in good spirits.

Their brief exchange over the EyeNet went unnoticed by the rest of the class.

Then Immortal Jiao Lei turned to the students. “I’m Immortal Jiao Lei, your new homeroom teacher.”

“Some of you have been here for a few years. Some of you are brand-new first-years fresh out of high school.”

“I’ll just treat you all as freshmen and cover everything from the top.”

“Classes officially begin tomorrow. The next three months will be a unified Foundation curriculum.”

“After that, you’ll be free to choose your courses.”

“During your ten years here, as long as you fulfill the credit requirements, you can graduate…”

“But I expect more than that from Foundation Class students. Graduation should be your minimum goal. You should be aiming for graduate studies, certifications, and so on. Foundation Year One is the most important. It’s time to start planning your future.”

Zhang Yu listened intently as Immortal Jiao Lei explained course credits and elective rules.

Then he moved on to explain school rankings.

“Rankings… reflect your academic performance.”

“They’re calculated from your course credits, grades, competitions, projects—everything counts.”

“And they’re tiered by realm, starting from our Foundation Class rankings.”

“Next is the Civil Engineering Department-wide ranking, which isn’t divided by year. It’s usually dominated by upperclassmen. You won’t be contending for that until a few years in.”

“Then there’s the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering’s total ranking, followed by the overall university-wide ranking.”

“All rankings update daily and are finalized at the end of each academic year. Students at the top will receive awards…”

“You’re all in your first year of Foundation, so don’t bother with the bigger lists. Focus on class rankings.”

“Each year, the top-ranked student in class gets 3 spirit coins and one Technique.”

“The Technique is chosen from the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes.”

Immortal Jiao Lei said proudly, “The Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes are our department’s exclusive Techniques. Each one is expert-grade.”

“If you master three, they combine into a near-military-grade Technique.”

He added encouragingly, “And if you master all seven and pass the Military Civil Engineering Certification, you can fuse them into a true military-grade Technique—Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might.”

Though he tried to motivate the whole class, his real attention was on Ji Yuanshu and Gongshu Jin.

He thought, “Ji Yuanshu will probably sweep the first three years and then transfer. But this Gongshu Jin has a real shot at mastering the full Seven Absolutes over the remaining seven years.”

“I just wonder if he has what it takes to pass the Military Certification and unlock the full fusion…”

Meanwhile, in the back corner where no one was watching, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “That ‘Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might’... sounds sick.”

Fu Ji said, “Seven years though? That’ll mess with your transfer plans—unless you finish your Civil Engineering undergrad and go for a graduate degree in Artifact Refining.”

“And you’d have to compete against a Floor Six and a Floor Four student to get it.”

Zhang Yu said, “Didn’t I come to one of the Ten Great Academies specifically to compete with these people?”

He glanced at his palm, where the black symbols of the Feathered Tome had already filled in halfway. “Come on, Yushu, don’t let me down now.”

Immortal Jiao Lei then moved on to campus regulations.

“…Whether you’ve heard this or not, I’ll say it again: no planting allowed in University City.”

“Some student once tried hydroponics in their dorm—got expelled. Lost their university status forever. Doesn’t matter how many spirit coins you try to pay.”

“So don’t let me find so much as a leaf in your rooms. If I do, no one will be able to protect you.”

“And those of you eating cement mixed with pills to save money—make sure your stomach’s strong first. If it starts to feel heavy, puke it up. Eat and puke, eat and puke—a single block of cement can last you a month.”

“Don’t just eat without puking. You’ll end up passing cement, tearing your insides, and getting Internal Injuries.”

“Stop laughing. You think no one’s gone bankrupt from pooping cement? Happens all the time to Qi Refinement Realm students from Floor One. You may be Foundation Establishment now, but take this as a warning.”

After going over all the rules, he added, “Oh, and your high school Foundation scholarships should arrive today or tomorrow. There’s one more reward…”

Zhang Yu perked up. He remembered the deal he made with Wanfa Sect University: 2.5 spirit coins in scholarships.

Immortal Jiao Lei began listing names: Ji Yuanshu, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, Li Xiao, Yu Xinghan…

These five, plus Zhang Yu, were the only Foundation Establishment students from high school in the class.

“You all passed the Foundation Establishment exam in high school,” Immortal Jiao Lei said. “That gives you Technique discounts in the Foundation Class: 60% off basic Techniques, 40% off intermediate, and 20% off expert-grade.”

“And then… Zhang Yu.”

He named only him. “You’re exceptional. Took the Foundation Establishment exam in Year One of high school, passed in Year Two. First person in your high school to pass on their first attempt.”

“You get 80% off basic Techniques, 60% off intermediate, and 40% off expert-grade Techniques.”

Zhang Yu grinned. That desperate push for the exam hadn’t been in vain.

After all, every extra discount on these Techniques—sold for spirit coins—was a massive saving.

The whole class looked at Zhang Yu in surprise.

Even Gongshu Jin, who had ignored him before, raised an eyebrow. “He passed in Year Two? Beat the seniors when he was just a sophomore?”

“But his base stats don’t show any advantage from starting a year earlier… Was his cultivation environment really that bad?”

“In that case, buying his life should be pretty cheap.”

To Gongshu Jin, Floor One people were always like that: throw a few spirit coins at them and they’d be grateful enough to die for you.

Ji Yuanshu also took a more serious look at Zhang Yu. His Law Husk Eyes scanned him and showed that he was using a premium model: the Time-Wrecking Demon Pupil.

“He beat me by a year, yet his stats are 30% lower. Clearly poor cultivation conditions—but he has elite Law Husk Eyes?”

“What a strange guy.”

Ji Yuanshu ran a quick search on the Spirit Realm network, and soon found a de-listed item from an Oasis Group shopping platform.

Immortal Jiao Lei pointed at Ji Yuanshu. “Ji Yuanshu, you’re class rep. Start a group chat and pull everyone in.”

He thought to himself, “Being from Floor Six, Ji Yuanshu is reliable and commands respect. He won’t be as flaky as the Floor One or Two kids.”

Then he said, “This is the last class meeting. From now on, handle all issues in the Spirit Realm network.”

With that, he vanished in a flash of lightning—here and gone in barely ten minutes.

After the teacher left, everyone was soon added to Ji Yuanshu’s group chat.

Gongshu Jin suddenly turned to Li Xiao and asked, “You’re from Floor One, right? You know Zhang Yu? He must be pretty famous over there.”

Seeing Gongshu Jin’s interest in Zhang Yu, Li Xiao felt a twinge of jealousy and quickly replied, “He’s from a backwater, sure, but yeah, he’s well known. He beat up his own boss—someone who gave him over a hundred million in funding…”

He embellished the whole story about Wang Yin, making Gongshu Jin frown. “Ungrateful, huh?”

Li Xiao hurriedly added, “There was a livestream of that fight with Wang Yin. You might be able to find it in the upper-level network.”