CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 39: GIFT

Jiang Ye, after finishing the transfer procedures with Zhang Jianwu, returned to Chen Zilu’s office once more, only to find it empty.

"Buzz buzz!"

At that moment, his watch vibrated.

Jiang Ye opened the watch to see it was from Chen Zilu.

Chen Zilu: "Jiang Ye, come to the school gate, I have something to tell you."

A moment later.

At the gate of An City No.3 High School.

Jiang Ye saw from afar a lone, cool-looking young woman standing at the gate.

Calling her a ’woman’ is less accurate than calling her a girl.

Chen Zilu wore a plain white long dress, her complexion fairer than snow, with a face pure and beautiful, and her thick, dark hair draped down to her slender waist.

Without the teacher’s attire, she looked just eighteen or nineteen, full of youthful vitality.

"Teacher," Jiang Ye spoke, guessing that she was most likely leaving.

"You’re here?"

Chen Zilu’s voice was sweet, she gave him a stunning smile.

Then, she took out an exquisite metal bottle from her suitcase.

"Here you go."

Chen Zilu handed the metal bottle to Jiang Ye, saying, "This will help you absorb Star Energy, use it when you undergo Star Sky Refinement."

Jiang Ye was slightly taken aback.

Something that helps absorb Star Energy?

He had never heard of such a thing, it must be very valuable.

Chen Zilu smiled warmly and said, "Don’t open it here, wait until you get back to look at it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye was more certain of its value.

"Teacher, is it really okay for me to accept this?" Jiang Ye took the metal bottle, feeling a bit helpless.

He hadn’t even paid back the thirty thousand yet, and now she was giving him such a treasure.

This favor, he could never repay.

Chen Zilu smiled lightly and said, "I mentioned before that I would help speed up your Star Sky Refinement."

"But now it seems, I won’t be able to wait until then."

She shook her head with a smile, lamenting, "Originally, I wanted to return to school after you finished your university exam, but plans can’t keep up with changes..."

Jiang Ye’s heart was moved.

He was actually curious why she would come to An City as a teacher?

Logically, she was only a freshman at White Dragon University when she came, she shouldn’t have left school so soon.

"Why did you before..." Jiang Ye couldn’t help but ask.

Upon hearing this, a look of reminiscence appeared on Chen Zilu’s fair face.

After a moment, she shook her head and said, "The reasons are complex, mainly because a trial failed, causing damage to my abilities, and then I encountered many things afterward..."

"Coming to An City, partly because it’s my mother’s hometown."

"The other part was mainly to adjust my mindset," Chen Zilu said softly, feeling emotional.

Jiang Ye was quite surprised.

He did not expect her to have such experiences.

But since she had now decided to leave, she must have already adjusted her mindset.

"I wish you all the best at White Dragon University," Jiang Ye solemnly said.

Chen Zilu smiled brilliantly, stunningly beautiful.

She patted Jiang Ye on the arm, and smilingly said, "I also wish you, to get into the Twenty-Five Schools Alliance."

"Buzz!"

At that moment, a small black dot appeared in the sky, with a faint vibration coming through.

In just an instant.

Whoosh~

A massive shadow suddenly appeared overhead.

Jiang Ye looked up, holding his breath.

It was a small spaceship filled with a sci-fi vibe, shaped like a ’V’, black and deep in color, with a surface covered in countless diamond-shaped nano-scales that pulsated rhythmically as if breathing.

"A personal spaceship?" Jiang Ye was amazed.

This spaceship clearly used very advanced technology, crossing dozens of kilometers in just a moment.

"Boom~"

A huge hatch opened at the back of the spaceship, spewing out white gas.

A man in a suit, looking like a butler, stood at the hatch.

"I’m leaving."

Chen Zilu glanced at Jiang Ye, waving, "Jiang Ye, see you if fate allows."

With that, she stepped forward.

The next moment, she was already at the spaceship over a hundred meters high.

"Miss."

The man in the suit at the hatch respectfully bowed.

"I told you not to pick me up, coming is one thing, but being this ostentatious," Chen Zilu looked at the spaceship, slightly displeased.

The man in the suit was taken aback, then smiled helplessly, "Miss, I chose the most low-key vehicle."

"..."

Chen Zilu shook her head; this spaceship belonged to her father.

However, after that incident in her childhood, she had been averse to anything related to him.

Since university, she hadn’t asked her family for a cent.

"Let’s go back."

Chen Zilu said calmly, walking into the spaceship, the hatch slowly closing behind her.

She glanced at the small figure on the ground one last time, knowing in her heart that this would probably be the last time they met.

Behind her, the man in the suit cautiously asked, "Miss, who was that boy just now...?"

"He is my student," Chen Zilu replied coldly.

The man in the suit nodded, the trace of worry in his eyes quietly disappearing.

Earlier, seeing the boy bid farewell to Chen Zilu alone, he couldn’t help but think too much.

But in reality, there was nothing to worry about.

Just a poor boy from a small mountain ditch.

What qualifications did he have to catch the eye of the young lady?

Not to mention An City, even looking across the entire West Mountain Province, such a person is hard to find.

"Oh, and Miss," the man in the suit suddenly said, "Your father hasn’t received a reply from you for half a year, he wants to know how you’re doing and if you have enough money."

Chen Zilu’s expression was cold.

"No need to worry."

...

Ground level.

Jiang Ye watched the private spaceship disappear into the distance and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

"This spaceship is worth at least a few billion, right?"

"Teacher Chen, turns out she’s so rich."

Actually, it makes sense.

According to talent inheritance.

The stronger the Martial Arts powerhouse, the more likely excellent offspring will be born.

Chen Zilu’s talent is so strong, the family background behind her is most likely a behemoth.

"A few billion...when can I be that rich?"

Jiang Ye sighed.

Suddenly.

He was slightly taken aback.

A system message suddenly popped up in front of him.

[You have achieved a new accomplishment: The Martial Arts Ancestor has given you a precious gift!]

[Title unlocked: Ancestor Feeding!]

[Reward: The gift from the other party, value increased by 200%]

"??"

Jiang Ye looked confused.

No way, don’t mess around.

Logically, shouldn’t this kind of behavior unlock a favorability level or something?

Ancestor Feeding, what the heck??

But at this moment, Jiang Ye’s heart also confirmed one thing: "No wonder it didn’t work when I gave gifts before, turns out it has to be the other party giving to me to work?"

He looked at the reward.

Value increased by 200%? Doesn’t that mean the things Chen Zilu gave him have also greatly improved in effectiveness?

Jiang Ye looked at the metal bottle in his hand, tempted to open it right away.

However, he restrained himself.

"Don’t flaunt wealth, better look at it when I get back."

"For now, I should head to the special class for registration."

Jiang Ye turned and walked towards the school.

...

"This is a student transferring from an ordinary class, Jiang Ye."

In Class 1 of Grade 12, the homeroom teacher stood on the stage.

"Jiang Ye, why don’t you introduce yourself?"

The homeroom teacher looked towards the handsome youth at the door.

"Okay."

Jiang Ye’s gaze swept across the unfamiliar faces in the classroom and he said, "Hello everyone, my name is Jiang Ye, Jiang as in river, Ye as in ambition."

"...My recent monthly exam score ranked 89th in the grade."

After his introduction,

"Welcome."

A cold and proud girl with snow-white legs was the first to applaud.

She was the class president of Class 1, and also first in grade—Zhao Qingli.

"Clap clap clap~"

With the class president leading the applause, the other students naturally followed suit, and the room was filled with thunderous applause.

After the welcome ceremony, the homeroom teacher turned and left.

Jiang Ye then walked into the classroom.

A young man approached, smiling, and said, "Jiang Ye, nice to meet you? My name is Wang Ziang."

Jiang Ye looked at him and nodded, "Third in grade, Brother Wang."

"Good eye." Wang Ziang was quite satisfied, patting his shoulder. He said, "This is your first time in the special class, and you might not be familiar with the environment here? I’ll give you a bit of an introduction."

As he spoke, he began to introduce the class.

Very quickly, Jiang Ye learned that upon entering Grade 12, the special class holds a major exam every month.

Ranking in the top fifty earns one thousand yuan.

Ranking in the top twenty earns two thousand yuan.

The higher the rank, the larger the bonus.

But if the ranking is too low, it’s also risky.

If someone is consistently in the bottom ten three times or more, they will be kicked out of the special class.

Therefore, competition in the special class is extremely fierce.

"Our class posts some tasks every month."

Zhao Qingli approached, coolly stating, "Completing tasks can also earn significant rewards, potentially over fifty thousand yuan."

Jiang Ye’s heart was stirred.

These two seemed to know he was very short on money, and purposefully shared ways to earn money with him.

"Once the cultivation technique reaches perfection, breaking through requires massive funds."

"Whether it’s Star Sky Refinement or Martial Arts nourishment, the expenses are tremendous." Zhao Qingli stated coolly, "Therefore, some valuable class tasks, like combat tasks, are usually very popular and can earn a lot of funds. You should pay attention to them."

"Alright." Jiang Ye nodded.

Combat tasks are very profitable? He took note of it.

"Thank you both for the reminder." Jiang Ye said sincerely.

Zhao Qingli said flatly, "I’m just worried that you will drop out of the top hundred in grade, as class president, I don’t wish to see that happen."

For the special class, dropping out of the top hundred in grade is a shame.

Don’t look at Jiang Ye now being 89th in grade.

But some students in the special class have yet to undergo Star Sky Refinement.

After all, Star Sky Refinement isn’t something one can go for just because they want to.

Each term, there are only three opportunities, and a large fee is required.

Even students in the special class need to ensure they are fully prepared and guarantee no mistakes before they sign up.

Once these students undergo Star Sky Refinement, the gap with Jiang Ye will widen significantly.

By then, Jiang Ye will quickly drop out of the top hundred in grade.

Zhao Qingli looked at Jiang Ye with some sympathy, as if she already saw his future: "Next month, there’s a Star Sky Refinement opportunity; if you have confidence, sign up."

"Understood, thanks for reminding me, class president." Jiang Ye nodded.

However, in his heart, a thought arose.

Star Sky Refinement?

He indeed needed to prepare quite a bit.

But before that, he should first break through to cultivation technique perfection, and then climb the Martial Arts Celestial Ladder.