Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: Zhang Xiaozhuang’s Issue

At the second training ground, Wang Yao delightedly completed a powerful set of Tiger Fist techniques. When he finished, he could hardly contain his excitement and rushed to Yun Ye, exclaiming, “I’ve never felt this wealthy! After eating Superior Food and practicing my punches, it feels completely different. My energy aligns perfectly with the essence of Tiger Fist, and I’m improving rapidly!”

“No wonder those noble youths are so frighteningly strong in both Tiger Fist and Qi Cultivation Technique. If they can eat Grade A and B Superior Food freely, even a pig could grow strong!”

From Wang Yao’s perspective, this experience was addictive!

He suddenly understood why some commoners eagerly became lackeys for the noble families just to get a few bowls of Superior Food. Could dignity be more important than rapidly raising one’s cultivation?

Yun Ye spoke, “If you can awaken your Spiritual Roots, there’s no need to hide anymore. You’ll be able to earn even more.”

“Awesome! I’m glad to be with you. I may not understand much, but I feel you can do it!” Wang Yao became fired up, and he seemed to see a bright future filled with ambition.

This feeling of breaking the noble families’ monopoly was very appealing to him.

Moreover, the ultimate goal of any revival of Spiritual Roots is to elevate their status and become a new noble family.

Facing the suppression from the noble families is fundamental.

In reality, if it weren’t for their insufficient talent, they wouldn’t need to be suppressed. They should have already begun engaging with the noble families.

Those geniuses assigned to Grade A and B Qi halls are usually targeted by the noble families as soon as they show their talents. They either join the noble families or face constant restrictions and fade into obscurity.

The government seems completely unaware of this situation, allowing the noble families to dig deep into their roots, and Yun Ye later learned that Liu Quan, the Deputy Officer of Spiritual Techniques, belonged to the only family in Baishi Town that could challenge the government.

It appears that factions exist within the Academy, and the government is in a weak position.

Of course, knowing all this is one thing, but Yun Ye is just a small fry, lacking even the qualifications to watch the drama unfold. To find peace, he must stay away from these conflicts.

So, Yun Ye and Wang Yao quietly trained to strengthen themselves, continuing to be the unnoticed ones in the Academy.

…

This world does have a celebration for the New Year, but it only flourishes in Baishi Town; outside the town, there is no room for this custom.

At the end of the year, Yang Shu and his wife came to visit Yun Ye. Thanks to them, Yun Ye was able to deliver the money he earned to improve their lives.

The Academy is quite strict and does not allow students to leave Baishi Town, so there was no way to visit family.

The Yang Shu couple was not surprised, especially as Yang Shu had stayed here before. However, they did not expect Yun Ye to have earned so much money in just a year, and that was after covering his cultivation expenses.

After learning part of the situation, Yang Shu repeatedly reminded Yun Ye to keep this matter a secret; otherwise, it could lead to problems and someone might take advantage of him.

His reasoning for not staying in Baishi Town stemmed largely from this—there are too many powerful figures, and safety hinges on others’ whims. It’s better to just hunt quietly and live out the rest of his life.

Yun Ye understood this but nodded repeatedly to reassure his parents in this life.

Then, Yun Ye inquired about Zhang Xiaozhuang’s situation.

He found it hard to relax without resolving this issue.

However, Yang Shu shook his head, indicating he did not know. Zhang Xiaozhuang had gone missing after leaving the village, and his parents disappeared after visiting him, leaving no clues behind.

As for which child was missing from the village…

To put it bluntly, not all the village children survive to adulthood; many may have died, disappeared, or been sold. There are too many situations to possibly figure out.

This left Yun Ye feeling regretful. Although the situation gradually became clearer, he still did not fully understand what had happened.

“Dad, Mom, please don’t leave. Just sell snacks in Baishi Town. I worry you might be attacked on your way back.”

With these words, Yun Ye persuaded Yang Shu and his wife to stay.

The possibility of an attack was low.

If they had wanted to, Yang Shu and his wife would have already been attacked before reaching Baishi Town.

That they made it here showed that whoever was behind it was not a real big shot. They either lacked the confidence to ambush Yang Shu and his wife or feared Yun Ye becoming a revival of Spiritual Roots, gaining power and uncovering old debts against them.

Soon, after discussing a plan to make a living in Baishi Town, Yang Shu and his wife left with various sauce recipes.

Once his parents were gone, Yun Ye let out a long sigh, feeling relaxed.

It now seemed that not only could they not harm him, but they also had reason to fear him. After all, he had slipped through their net, and if this information got out, they would be in big trouble. With their capability, they wouldn’t be able to deal with such a situation.

…

About half a month after the exam, the Academy reset its rankings.

All students who passed the First Exam moved on to the Second Exam, competing with previous years’ students.

Over two hundred students were in Yun Ye’s class.

Those who passed the First Exam within a year either had talent, were hardworking, or were wealthy.

However, whether it was talent, effort, or money, all were hard to come by and not everyone had them.

Out of these two hundred students, only one hundred twenty qualified to enter the Second Exam.

Among these one hundred twenty, there was also an overall ranking.

Yun Ye ranked ninety-ninth, while Wang Yao was just behind him at one hundred ninth.

Although Wang Yao had slightly better talent than Yun Ye, his three additional years of training made a difference, preventing Yun Ye from falling too far behind, as he couldn’t even become the top student for a day.

This ranking was not only a form of encouragement but also had vital significance regarding resources.

First place received three servings of A-level Superior Food each day.

The top three received one serving of A-level Superior Food daily.

The top ten received two servings of B-level Superior Food free every day.

The top thirty received one serving of B-level Superior Food and two servings of C-level Superior Food daily.

The top fifty received two servings of C-level Superior Food each day.

For ordinary people, this was probably their only chance to catch up.

As long as one ranked in the top fifty, they would gain far more cultivation resources than before.

The number of candidates for the Second Exam was just two to three hundred. If one had enough talent, there was hope even without money to speed up the process.

Yun Ye did not have much thought about this ranking. He had already earned enough money to afford D-level Superior Food daily.

Even an extra serving of C-level Superior Food was no longer a big issue for him.

That was enough.

Entering the ranking to claim resources would only increase the risk of exposure, which would not be worth it.

Yun Ye could calmly focus on his training solely because no one here recognized him, and everyone was too busy to pay attention to an insignificant figure. If anyone discovered that Yun Ye had no background yet ate Superior Food daily, it was hard to predict what might happen.

The only person who knew Yun Ye’s situation and monitored him, though curious about where his money came from, said nothing. He had bigger issues with his qualifications.

With his family background, he wouldn’t risk his life over a little money.