Just then, Dai Xingzhi heard Ye Lingxiao beside him say, “Your Dao Heart Test valuation last time was... unknown?”

Dai Xingzhi blinked in surprise. Only then did he follow Ye Lingxiao’s gaze and look behind him—right at Zhang Yu. The number on his chest: 55.

And when Ye Lingxiao posed that question, Zhang Yu paused, uncertain how to respond.

Dai Xingzhi chimed in, “Unknown valuation? Don’t tell me you didn’t give up to the very end, even broke the illusion itself... so they just marked you as ‘unknown’?”

Zhang Yu sighed helplessly. “Yeah... something like that.”

Hearing that, Ye Lingxiao’s eyes narrowed. His gaze toward Zhang Yu sharpened.

He silently mused, “He actually shattered the illusion by sheer will?”

“How strong is his resolve? Just how rich is he? Richer than Yun Jing... richer than me?”

Meanwhile, Dai Xingzhi’s mind spun wildly. “Who is this guy really? The heir of some corporate board? Or from one of the old wealth clans?”

More and more students were also noticing Zhang Yu and his number 55, realizing he was the top scorer in the last Dao Heart Test.

Given how uniquely that test had been conducted, they all assumed he must be unimaginably wealthy to have made it that far.

And since wealth was the most direct measure of potential on the Immortal Path, the high-net-worth Number 55 was naturally seen as a powerhouse, a top contender for the Foundation License.

Ye Lingxiao stared at Zhang Yu, thinking, “From the way he scrambled for those Red Envelope Sigils and the things he said, I thought he was poor.”

“But maybe he was hiding his strength all along... Is he so rich he doesn’t care if people see him grabbing red envelopes off the ground?”

“He even seemed to worry about what would happen to poor students who picked them up... Is he just a rich kid new to the real world?”

While pondering, Ye Lingxiao turned around to face Zhang Yu directly, his expression growing more serious. “Looking forward to competing with you.”

At that moment, Zhang Yu—mysterious and immeasurably wealthy—was already marked in Ye Lingxiao’s heart as a future rival.

Dai Xingzhi and the other students, watching the two stand off, felt like they were witnessing two great beasts made of untold wealth crashing into each other.

Bai Zhenzhen, watching this unfold, clutched at her heart. “Yuzi! You’re going way too hard! Once the actual competition begins and your real strength comes out, you’ll end up as the kind of clown Old Zhao always talks about!”

She was confident that she and Zhang Yu had made huge progress over the past two months—definitely reaching senior-year level.

But she also knew that even with that progress, they still lagged behind the top-tier Immortal Path heirs.

For the first round, Bai Zhenzhen just hoped to pass.

As for catching up or even surpassing those elite Immortal Path heirs—that was a goal for the coming months, during the second and third rounds of exams.

Zhang Yu understood all that too. But once his number was listed as the top scorer in the Dao Heart Test, he knew there was no explaining it away.

He couldn’t exactly say he’d lasted that long in the illusion because of a Ritual.

Nor could he admit that he was actually broke and still figuring out how to pay next month’s loan interest.

So as Ye Lingxiao bore down on him and he felt the stares from all around—curious, probing, hostile—Zhang Yu felt like prey surrounded by predators, but he had no choice but to hold firm.

“Damn it! Weren’t the Immortal Path heirs supposed to look down on me or ignore me, and then I’d catch up little by little before shocking them all by winning the Foundation License?”

“Why is everyone staring at me right from the start?!”

“I knew ranking people like this was a bad idea! Why expose everyone’s private info like this?!” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI~Fire.net

Facing the looming prospect of direct competition, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think of what Zhao Tianxing had once said—that the clown position was calling to him.

“Is there any way I can make myself look a little less pathetic?”

“Screw it. If I’m gonna embarrass myself, so be it. I’m just not strong enough yet.”

Not far away, Yu Xinghan had just arrived—and what he saw shocked him.

“This kid Zhang Yu...” He looked over, equal parts curious and amazed. “How did he pull it off?”

He kept replaying the fact that Zhang Yu had survived the illusion to the end despite being a broke student. No matter how he thought about it, it just didn’t make sense.

He even had the urge to go ask Zhang Yu directly, but he knew there was no way the latter would ever reveal that kind of secret.

Moments later, with all the participants finally gathered, Deng Bingding stepped forward to announce the exam procedure.

In short, following the spirit of Foundation Exam reforms, this round would test not only Dao Heart but also mana, athletics, and martial arts.

As for why Dao Heart wasn’t being tested again—it was said that all the unqualified students had already been eliminated in the last round, making a retest unnecessary.

Of course, the little Divine Assistant Huang Zichou knew the real reason: budget cuts.

Compared to the other three, the Dao Heart exam required a spiritual realm environment and drained the most money and resources.

Finally, Deng Bingding said, “...Only the top twenty scorers from this round will move on. Everyone else will be eliminated. To encourage performance, each of the top twenty will receive one Expert-Grade Martial Technique as a reward...”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “An Expert-Grade Technique for everyone? That generous?”

He still remembered the last time Deng Bingding rewarded him—with an interest-free loan.

But then he thought it through. “The Eight Divine Officials are backed by the Heavenly Court and the Ten Major Sects.”

“To us, an Expert-Grade Technique costs tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands.”

“But to them, it’s probably just a permissions toggle.”

“Once they grant us usage rights, they just send the technique file...”

...

Soon, the mana test officially began.

All the students lined up in number order within the hall.

The proctors handed out a set of detection gear and a box of External Spirit Roots to each participant.

Dai Xingzhi thought to himself, “This test measures mana control, burst output, and recovery.”

He picked up a Detection Patch and considered, “You’ve got to channel as much mana into it as possible within 30 minutes.”

“The faster and more volume you pour in, the higher the score.”

“That means you need explosive power, precision control, and the ability to circulate and replenish mana as you go.”

He knew this kind of long-duration mana output was usually part of senior-year Immortal Dao curriculum.

But since this was the Foundation Establishment exam, naturally it wouldn’t stick to mere curriculum standards.

Dai Xingzhi opened the box containing the External Spirit Root.

Inside, a small circular ring was quietly releasing wisps of spiritual energy, breathing like a living creature.

“External Spirit Root: Qi Sea Unlimited,” he noted.

“A mid-tier brand?”

He recalled what the proctor had just said. Using a standardized spirit root was one of the new reforms for this Foundation Exam.

But Dai Xingzhi wasn’t a fan. Wealth was part of Immortal Path potential. Rich students having an edge was just natural—why level the field with standard spirit roots?

At that moment, Deng Bingding called out, “Before attaching the External Spirit Root, make sure to deactivate your internal one—or suffer the consequences.”

Dai Xingzhi was just about to put on his Qi Sea Unlimited when a male voice called out.

“How do you use this External Spirit Root?”

He turned—and was stunned to see Number 55 had spoken.

“They’re really standardizing spirit roots now?” Zhang Yu thought. “But they didn’t even give a manual. How the hell do I use this thing?”

“And now that I’ve asked out loud, the Immortal Path heirs around me are probably guessing I’m not that rich after all.”

“Guess I’m laying some groundwork for my real status...”

On the side, Bai Zhenzhen was thrilled. “Nice going, Yuzi. Since you asked, I don’t have to. Plus, you’re setting the stage—dropping hints that you’re not actually filthy rich. If your results fall short, it won’t be as embarrassing.”

Dai Xingzhi was startled. “He’s never even used Qi Sea Unlimited?”

Then he recalled the “unknown” Dao Heart Test valuation. “Is Qi Sea Unlimited too low-end for him?”

“Damn it. For me, this thing’s already standard for daily cultivation, and he doesn’t even bother with it? What kind of Spirit Roots does this guy usually use?”

He fumed silently. “Goddamn rich kids. At least this time we’re all using standardized roots!”

Meanwhile, top high-schooler Yun Jing’s eyes flashed as he looked at Zhang Yu. “This outsider... showing off? Never even used Qi Sea Unlimited?”

Yun Jing snorted. Then he too said, “I don’t really use this kind either. Proctor, can you explain it?”

“So even the rich kids don’t use this thing?” Zhang Yu thought. “Ugh. I feel like everyone’s staring at me even more now.”

Following the proctor’s instructions, he channeled mana into the ring, expanding it before slipping it onto his hand.

Zhang Yu immediately felt the External Spirit Root pulsing with his breathing, like it had fused with his body. Spiritual energy surged in from all directions.

Then he fitted the detection gear and grabbed the Detection Patch.

With a countdown of 3... 2... 1... the participants simultaneously began channeling mana into their patches.

Boom!

It was as if the air trembled with the collective burst of mana.

At the same time, a giant screen lit up at the front of the hall, displaying each student’s mana output as bar graphs.

Each bar had a number at the bottom (their ID) and rising mana levels on top.

As the students poured in mana, the bars surged higher and began to sort themselves by output.

But two bars grew so rapidly, they instantly shot to first and second place—and their sheer growth made the rest look like they were shrinking.

Those two belonged to Number 11, Yun Jing, and Number 23, Ye Lingxiao.

Their mana numbers skyrocketed, the bars like twin dragons tangled at the top, neck and neck.

Meanwhile, Dai Xingzhi glanced toward Number 55’s bar. “Huh? Why’s it so far down?”