Chapter 17
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Chapter 17 Scores and Secrets
“I’m starving.”
Qian Shen patted his stomach, completely uninterested in the paintings on display. All he wanted was a place to eat a hearty meal.
Having just finished a supplementary body refining class and rushed over, his empty stomach felt like it could devour an entire cow.
“I’ll go look for something good to eat.”
After greeting the classmates who came with him, Qian Shen began searching the exhibition hall.
The students who had come with him were used to this.
Dedicating themselves to the immortal path and tirelessly refining their physical bodies meant their nutritional needs and food consumption far exceeded those of ordinary people.
For a Top Student like Qian Shen, who trained day and night, his daily intake was even greater. Eating just five meals a day would make his private tutor worry if he had a poor appetite.
Suddenly, Qian Shen’s eyes lit up as he spotted the buffet table.
He hurried over, grabbed a plate of prawns, and devoured them in a few bites. But after a moment, he frowned. “This food is so lacking in nutrients?”
As the second-ranked student in Songyang High School’s first year, Qian Shen’s success was not just due to his talent and hard work. The most crucial factor was his family’s wealth.
To enhance his cultivation, especially the effects of body refining, Qian Shen’s daily diet was rich in various foods that were rich in immortal cultivation elements.
For someone like him, who believed grades were everything, taste was secondary. The most important thing was boosting his cultivation efficiency.
The seafood at the art exhibition’s buffet was something he could normally afford, but he had no interest in spending money solely to indulge his palate. He considered it a waste of his time and stomach space.
Seafood or gourmet meals? If they did not improve his grades, they were just trash.
As Qian Shen scanned the other dishes on the buffet table, he called over a waiter to ask if there were any other foods suitable for nutritional supplementation.
“Everything edible is right here. Get what you want yourself,” the waiter replied in a cold tone.
Qian Shen frowned at the waiter’s curtness, but when he looked up, he saw a familiar face.
He looked over the uniform she was wearing and asked in surprise, “You work here?”
“Yes,” Bai Zhenzhen said, her face devoid of expression. “Is there anything else?”
Qian Shen frowned. “Are you that short on money?”
“Then you should hurry and sign a contract with the Student Council. Wasting time on meaningless work like this will only hinder your Path of Immortality.”
“Even if I surpass you by then, what’s the point?”
Qian Shen’s tone was filled with lament. He had always considered Bai Zhenzhen, the only person in their class who could beat his total grades, his rival.
He had assumed Bai Zhenzhen felt the same way.
For the next three years of high school, their entire class, and perhaps the whole school, would serve as a battlefield where the two geniuses would clash yet admire their each other’s talents.
Through repeated competitions, they would push each other to break through their limits, ultimately aiming to be admitted to a top university together after three years.
But in response to Qian Shen’s lament, Bai Zhenzhen simply said indifferently, “Are you lecturing me on how to handle things?”
Before Qian Shen could answer, she continued, “You, with a total score barely over 600, are trying to tell me, with a score of 650?”
Faced with Bai Zhenzhen’s blatant score-based discrimination, Qian Shen’s confidence instantly deflated. As a staunch believer in the supremacy of grades, the 50-point gap felt like a mountain crashing down on him.
“Your score is higher, so you are right,” Qian Shen conceded.
At that moment, in Qian Shen’s eyes, a shimmering “650” seemed to float above Bai Zhenzhen’s head. It radiated an overwhelming pressure that was so intense he could not utter a single word of rebuttal.
Bai Zhenzhen frowned. “Hey, why are you staring over my head when you’re talking to me?”
Qian Shen snorted coldly and turned to leave.
“Just you wait, Bai Zhenzhen. Keep wasting time like this, and it won’t be long before I surpass you.”
He had barely taken a few steps after turning around when he nearly collided with two Security Guards.
It was Zhang Yu, who had come over to check on the situation, and Zhao Tianxing, whom he had dragged along.
As a Security Guard, Zhang Yu had immediately rushed over when he saw what looked like a conflict between Bai Zhenzhen and Qian Shen.
Qian Shen looked at the two. Although they were in Security Guard uniforms, he recognized them as classmates in an instant. “550 and 580?”
Hearing the nick names, Zhang Yu paused for a moment. He then realized that 550 was his total score from last month’s Monthly Exam, while 580 was apparently Zhao Tianxing’s score.
Jeez, all this guy sees are scores. He can’t even remember his classmates’ names, can he? Zhang Yu thought. Another freak who’s studied himself crazy.
In truth, Qian Shen didn’t just struggle with names. He could not remember the names or scores of any student who scored below 550.
After all, to him, anyone scoring below 550 points was just an NPC. Was there any need to remember them?
In Qian Shen’s eyes, the “550” standing before him was already a subhuman.
Based on his recent observations, this person was likely to score below 550 on the next Monthly Exam. Starting next month, he would not even be worth remembering.
Looking at the Security Guard uniforms on Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing, Qian Shen shook his head again. “You two are working here as well?”
Facing the 550 and 580 pointers, the arrogance that the 650 had just suppressed swelled back up in Qian Shen. He declared haughtily, “Why are you two wasting time here instead of focusing on your studies and cultivation?”
Zhang Yu retorted, “Aren’t you here too?”
Qian Shen chuckled confidently. “I specifically skipped my tutoring session today to come here and comprehend the peerless martial arts within the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait.”
“Yes, we are also here to comprehend the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait,” Zhang Yu said.
“Plus, we get paid 800 yuan an hour.”
“Earning money while comprehending a peerless martial Art. It’s a much better deal, isn’t it?”
“Hmm?” Qian Shen paused at his words, looking at Zhang Yu with some surprise. He thought to himself, The 550 guy actually made sense?
He looked at Zhang Yu and said, “550, I will remember you.”
“My name is Zhang Yu!” Zhang Yu exclaimed. He could not help but glance toward his own head. “Why do you keep staring over my head?”
But Qian Shen quickly snapped out of it. “That’s not right. How could you two possibly think you can comprehend the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait?”
Zhao Tianxing felt more and more eyes turning their way, and Qian Shen’s disdainful gaze made his cheeks flush slightly. He quickly waved his hands and said, “No, no, no, I had no plans to comprehend the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait.”
Qian Shen, however, could not be bothered with Zhao Tianxing’s explanation. He just shook his head and sighed. “The Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait was personally drawn by a Golden Core Expert. The peerless martial arts it contains are meant to select true geniuses. Even I don’t have absolute confidence in mastering it, let alone the two of you.”
With that, Qian Shen lost all interest in the “550” and “580” before him and turned to leave.
Watching Qian Shen’s retreating back, Zhao Tianxing’s face grew even more bitter.
Not only had he been caught working as a Security Guard, but Zhang Yu’s careless words had also led Qian Shen to mistakenly believe he was here to comprehend the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait.
Zhao Tianxing felt utterly humiliated. He could already picture the mocking laughter from his classmates.
I’ve really made a fool of myself this time. This is beyond embarrassing, he thought grimly.
Zhang Yu, however, was not burdened by Zhao Tianxing’s inner turmoil. He glanced at Bai Zhenzhen and asked, “Are you okay? You and Qian Shen don’t seem to get along.”
Bai Zhenzhen curled her lip and replied casually, “What could possibly happen to me? In most cases, he’s the one who ends up humiliating himself.”
Then she gave Zhang Yu an odd look. “Are you also planning to comprehend the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait?”
Seeing Zhang Yu nod confidently, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, The massive debt is making Yu Zi more and more delusional. At his level, he actually thinks he can comprehend martial arts left behind by a Golden Core expert?
Zhao Tianxing just wanted to get out of there. He tugged at Zhang Yu’s sleeve to pull him away, but he found Zhang Yu exchanging meaningful glances with Bai Zhenzhen.
Then he saw Bai Zhenzhen secretly slip a serving of seafood into Zhang Yu’s arms.
“Old Zhao, want to try some?” Zhang Yu offered.
Zhao Tianxing hissed urgently, “The Captain said we can’t eat the buffet.”
As he spoke, he hastily shielded Zhang Yu with his body, fearing they would be seen.
Zhang Yu said casually, “Isn’t A-Zhen working here too? We might as well… milk the company a little.”
Just as Zhang Yu was savoring the large prawns on the plate, a voice came from behind Zhao Tianxing.
“What are you two doing?”
The voice startled Zhao Tianxing. When he turned and saw that the speaker was his classmate Zhou Tianyi, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Without realizing it, Zhao Tianxing seemed to have gradually become accustomed to wearing his Security Guard uniform in front of his classmates.
Zhang Yu looked at Zhou Tianyi in surprise. “Old Zhou, you’re here too?”
Zhou Tianyi smiled. “Yeah, I came with Qian Shen and the others.”
“Really? How come I didn’t see you earlier?” Zhang Yu said.
Zhou Tianyi chuckled. “Heh, what brings you here?”
The two chatted for a moment about their situations while Zhao Tianxing, standing to the side, once again urged Zhang Yu that they needed to get back to their patrol.
But Zhou Tianyi suddenly adopted a mysterious expression and said, “I got some juicy gossip about the Golden Core expert. Are you interested in hearing it?”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s eyes light up with curiosity, Zhao Tianxing said, “The Captain is already pinging us in the group chat, asking where we are…”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Never mind. Work comes first. I’ll hear it from you another time.”
As the two turned to leave, Zhou Tianyi spoke up. “True Person Starfire is planning to retreat to the First Layer because he was stripped of half his cultivation when he left his job.”
“Hmm?”
Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing immediately turned back, waiting for Zhou Tianyi to continue.
Nearby, Bai Zhenzhen did not look over, but she pricked up her ears to listen.
Zhou Tianyi smiled and continued, “A Golden Core Expert can live for up to four hundred years. True Person Starfire was already three hundred and fifty last year when he got laid off by the Myriad Laws Sect.”
“When he left, half of his cultivation was reclaimed. Unable to afford the expenses on the upper levels, he decided to retreat to the Kunxu First Layer to focus on raising his descendants and training his disciples.”
Zhang Yu was once again stunned by this bullshit world. Wait… they take away half your cultivation when you resign?
Zhou Tianyi replied matter-of-factly, “The Sect nurtured him and gave him the opportunity and resources for Core Formation. Isn’t it only natural for him to surrender half his cultivation upon leaving?”
As the three of them listened to Zhou Tianyi’s news about True Person Starfire, a commotion suddenly erupted from the crowd in the distance.
A guest whispered, “Ms. Li is here. They’re about to unveil the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait.”
