Translator: CinderTL
The recent teacher-student conference had thrust Jiang Ye into the spotlight.
The presence of the province's second-in-command had further amplified his fame, making him a household name in Ancheng Third High School and across the entire city.
However, the Reserve Star Professional Assessment was ultimately a test for a select few.
Its public awareness remained limited.
Even among geniuses, only a fraction paid attention to the Star Practitioner Assessment.
After all, not every prodigy chose the path of a Star Practitioner.
Jiang Ye's popularity soon began to wane.
He remained unfazed, even welcoming the decline.
He understood that applause and adulation could easily lead one astray.
Moments of glory were merely embellishments on his martial dao journey, not something to become fixated on.
"Perseverance, effort."
Jiang Ye immersed himself in cultivation, relentlessly honing his Martial Dao Will and martial dao cultivation.
"Gaining admission to Penglai University is just my initial goal."
"Only by constantly breaking free from my own shackles and ascending to the pinnacle of cosmic martial arts can I pursue the elusive path of the Seven Breakthroughs."
"Perhaps... even higher!"
Jiang Ye harbored his own ambitions.
The rise and fall of nations, even the most exceptional geniuses, could only achieve fleeting glory. In the face of the era's relentless tide, they would inevitably be submerged.
Moreover, this world was plagued by the terrifying Shadow Calamity, with danger lurking everywhere.
Only by achieving absolute personal strength could he find true peace of mind.
Day after day, Jiang Ye continued his cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
On this particular day, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged at home.
"Hah..."
He exhaled deeply, concluding his afternoon cultivation session.
He glanced at the system panel.
[Cultivation Techniques]
[Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist: Major Success (4%)]
[Star Martial Advancement Method: Entry (50%)]
"Since reaching 50% with the Advancement Method," Jiang Ye mused, "progress has slowed considerably."
"It seems rapid advancement still requires money."
The threshold for the first breakthrough was achieving Small Success with the Advancement Method. Only by reaching this goal quickly could he aim for higher scores.
Just as Jiang Ye was pondering this,
Buzz! Buzz!
His wristband vibrated several times.
Jiang Ye opened the wristband.
Beep! A projection appeared.
Your bank account xxxx5679 has received 100,000 federal currency.
Your bank account xxxx5679 has received 200,000 federal currency.
Previously, Tang Huochang had given him a bank card for convenient transfers.
"Is this the monthly stipend for Reserve Star Practitioners and City Lord Song's personal transfer?" Jiang Ye asked, surprised. "They arrived together?"
He quickly realized, "Ah, they must have both been processed through the school."
The school's processing had caused the delay.
"Three hundred thousand," Jiang Ye thought, feeling immensely satisfied.
This sum would allow him to make rapid progress in his cultivation over the coming period.
Buzz!
His wristband vibrated again.
Jiang Ye swiped across the holographic display, revealing a document resembling an invitation letter.
Extreme Sea Martial Arts University
Dear Student Jiang Ye,
You have met our university's early admission criteria. We hereby invite you to sign the Extreme Sea University Class B Contract.
If interested, please reply within three days.
Contract Terms:
"Extreme Sea University?" Jiang Ye murmured, a smile spreading across his face as he read the document. "Finally, one of the twenty-five school alliance universities has contacted me."
Over the past three days, numerous martial dao universities had sent him early admission offers, but they were all ordinary institutions. Extreme Sea University was the first from the prestigious twenty-five school alliance to reach out.
"A B-Grade Contract?" Though he had no intention of enrolling, Jiang Ye still scanned the terms carefully.
"Immediate access to a high-grade yellow tier cultivation technique upon enrollment?"
"Annual allocation of cultivation resources worth 500,000 federal currency, with unrestricted selection of yellow tier techniques?"
Jiang Ye nodded in approval.
Extreme Sea University's B-Grade contract was even better than the A-Grade contracts offered by ordinary universities.
A typical A-Grade contract from an ordinary university would provide a maximum of 300,000 federal currency worth of free cultivation resources per year.
This stark difference highlighted the disparity between universities.
Jiang Ye immediately called Zhang Jianwu to report the news.
"The twenty-five school alliance contacted you?" Zhang Jianwu asked, sounding unsurprised. He chuckled. "Ignore it for now. Just keep waiting."
"Director," Jiang Ye couldn't help but voice his concern, "it's been three days, and only one of the twenty-five schools has reached out. Could it be..."
By now, the initial buzz surrounding the incident had long faded.
Logically, the twenty-five school alliance should have been more efficient than ordinary martial universities.
Yet here they were, with only one university making contact.
Jiang Ye couldn't help but suspect that the other schools in the twenty-five school alliance might not value the Second-Tier Reserve Star Professional Position.
"Don't worry," Zhang Jianwu said calmly. "Federation regulations require the twenty-five school alliance to wait three days before signing early contracts."
"We have to give the ordinary universities a chance too," he said with a smile.
"I see," Jiang Ye replied, suddenly understanding.
Just as he finished speaking, his wristband began buzzing repeatedly.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Several notifications popped up in quick succession.
Jiang Ye immediately checked his wristband.
North Sea Martial Arts University has sent an invitation.
Jiangnan Martial Arts University has sent an invitation.
West Mountain Martial Arts University has sent an invitation.
...
Seeing this, Jiang Ye couldn't help but smile.
All the invitations were from schools in the twenty-five school alliance!
"This feels good," Jiang Ye thought, feeling deeply satisfied.
These invitations weren't just cold documents; they were affirmations of his inherent value.
He sat back down, resuming his cultivation while waiting.
Several hours later,
"Twenty of the twenty-five schools in the alliance have already sent invitations," Jiang Ye noted, studying the projected document. "One school even offered a Class A contract!"
However, that school was ranked last among the twenty-five.
Most of the other schools had only offered Class B contracts.
"But Penglai University still hasn't sent an invitation," Jiang Ye murmured, closing his eyes again, his heart calm.
It wasn't just Penglai University.
Even the top-tier universities ranked slightly below Penglai University hadn't sent invitations.
Yet Jiang Ye remained unhurried.
What was meant to come would come.
And if it didn't, that was fine too. The College Entrance Examination still offered another chance.
Just then,
Buzz!
His wristband vibrated again.
Jiang Ye tapped the projection open, and his eyes lit up instantly.
"It's an invitation from Penglai University!" he exclaimed inwardly, his heart leaping with joy.
He immediately opened the invitation.
Penglai University
Student Jiang Ye,
Having met our early contract standards, we hereby invite you to sign Penglai University's Class C Contract.
"Class C?" Jiang Ye frowned slightly, continuing to read.
- Annual allocation of 800,000 units of free cultivation resources.
- Upon enrollment, select three lower-tier profound tier cultivation techniques of your choice.
- Two annual opportunities to enter the Penglai Nine Refinements.
- If your College Entrance Examination score exceeds the contract's baseline, your contract tier may be upgraded.
Contrary to his expectations, Penglai University's Class C Contract offered far more benefits than Jiang Ye had imagined.
"As expected of Penglai University," Jiang Ye said, shaking his head in admiration. "Their C-Grade contract already surpasses Extreme Sea University's B-Grade contract."
For starters, the annual stipend of 800,000 yuan alone exceeded Extreme Sea University's 500,000 yuan.
Still, a sliver of disappointment lingered in his heart.
C-Grade was the lowest tier among all the contract offers he had received.
After a moment's contemplation, Jiang Ye informed Zhang Jianwu of the news.
"Penglai University finally sent a reply?"
"A C-Grade contract? Can it be upgraded later?" Zhang Jianwu mused. "While the grade is lower than other schools, the other benefits are comparable."
"Besides, there's still a chance to improve the grade during the College Entrance Examination."
Jiang Ye listened intently.
"However," Zhang Jianwu continued, "even with this early contract, it will be void if your College Entrance Examination score falls below the minimum admission threshold."
"Choosing Penglai University means forfeiting contracts from other universities."
"If you fail the College Entrance Examination and try to reapply, those schools might not offer such favorable terms again."
"Ultimately, the choice is yours."
Zhang Jianwu said gravely, "Jiang Ye, what will you choose?"
(End of the Chapter)
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Translator's Corner
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