Roar!
With a single furious roar, Lan Ling's muscles bulged all over his body, terrifying power exploding from within as he stubbornly held out against the crushing weight of the Binding Charm.
"Strong, are you?" Zhang Yu walked over slowly until he stood before Lan Ling, watching the senior whose blood and qi were boiling as he pried the Binding Charm open inch by inch.
Zhang Yu flicked the registry book marked with the Patrol Department seal and grinned: "I'm acting for the Patrol Department—the mandate of divine authority. You want to fight back? Set yourself against the gods?"
At the sight of that Patrol Department registry book, Lan Ling's gaze sharpened, a flicker of disbelief passing through his eyes: "This pauper joined the Patrol Department?"
The next instant he burst through the binding charm with a thunderous crash—yet made no further move, merely studying Zhang Yu with appraising eyes, as if seeing him for the first time.
Seeing that Lan Ling no longer wanted to fight, Zhang Yu shot Bai Zhenzhen a smug grin from a distance, thinking to himself: *Tonight I'm absolutely going to look legendary.*
Bai Zhenzhen was staring intently at the registry book in Zhang Yu's hand, thinking: *Where did Little Yu pick up a registry book? ...I've got to borrow it and have some fun.*
And the onlookers, watching this abrupt turn of events—a single binding charm repelling Lan Ling—all wore expressions of shock.
He Dayou eyed the scene with a mixture of doubt and unease: "How did Zhang Yu even get into a divine office division?"
Zhao Tianxing felt both nervous and afraid: "Zhang Yu actually bought a registry book? Could he have taken the day off to pawn one of his organs?"
But the next moment he shook his head violently, ashamed of where his own mind had gone.
"Is this really the time for that? Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen are clashing with Grade Two seniors—that's what's actually bad here."
Even so, a trace of envy crept into Zhao Tianxing's gaze as he watched Zhang Yu, and an unwilling thought bubbled up inside him: standing up to a Grade Two senior head-on like that... it really was kind of cool.
Qian Shen stared hard at the registry book in Zhang Yu's hand, startled: "Zhang Yu's Dao-Arts exam score is about to go up!"
Just as Zhang Yu and Lan Ling locked eyes and the atmosphere grew heavier by the second, the temperature across the whole Training Ground suddenly began to drop.
Lan Ling, who'd only just finished his violent exertion, had a wisp of white vapor rising off him from the sudden temperature change.
He gave Zhang Yu a cold snort, then backed away slowly, turning to look toward the main entrance.
"President."
Everyone turned to follow his gaze.
The sound of footsteps accompanied Zhou Chechen as he strode over the frost underfoot.
Vice President of the Student Union, Zhou Chechen—the man who'd spoken as the student representative at the opening ceremony, and who month after month, for one outstanding feat or another, kept flickering across the big screens and broadcasts.
A student among students, a senior among seniors. The instant he appeared, the whole Training Ground fell dead silent.
He Dayou was the first to react, bowing to Zhou Chechen: "Greetings, senior."
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Almost all the Grade One students bowed in unison: "Greetings, senior."
The Grade Two students on the other side bowed as well, calling out: "Greetings, President."
Though nominally the Vice President, with the actual student council president of Grade Three too busy preparing for the college entrance exams, the day-to-day affairs of the council had in reality all fallen to Zhou Chechen to decide.
Whether in strength, grades, wealth, or authority... he was the school's uncrowned king.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhou Chechen before them as if watching a king receiving the homage of his courtiers—and the two of them were the only students present who hadn't lowered their heads.
Zhou Chechen didn't speak to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen first. Instead he turned to the Grade Two students, the frost around him thickening by the second.
"Shuang Youpeng, you were the overall first in Grade One, and the top in real combat. What did you think of the bout just now between Bai Zhenzhen and Lan Ling?"
From behind the ranks of Grade Two students, a comparatively slighter sophomore stepped out.
Under everyone's gaze, he seemed not to know where to put his hands, now tugging at his hair, now scratching at his ear, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Zhou Chechen.
Cautiously, he said: "Overconfident, reckless, blind to the gap between friend and foe."
Seeing Shuang Youpeng cowering like that, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt as though they were looking at a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy at Zhou Chechen's feet.
Shuang Youpeng—who'd once taken the overall first in Grade One—had long since lost all trace of his former high spirits.
Zhou Chechen gave a slight nod and said: "I'd say this year's Grade One top fighter isn't even as crafty in battle as you were back then."
Shuang Youpeng waved his hands hastily: "You flatter me, President, you flatter me."
Zhou Chechen turned back to the Grade One students and asked flatly: "The senior has offered you guidance. Have you thanked him?"
Immediately the mass of Grade One students bowed: "Thank you for your guidance, senior."
In the space of moments, Zhou Chechen had become the center of the entire Training Ground, every student's heart chained to his every move, every word, every glance.
And only now did Zhou Chechen look at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen with any real attention, saying coolly: "Zhang Yu, the match between Bai Zhenzhen and Lan Ling was normal teaching sparring. Why did you use a Binding Charm to attack a senior?"
As he spoke, he slowly raised his palm, streaks of ice-blue cold air condensing within it, sending the temperature around them plummeting once more.
Zhou Chechen continued: "Whether it's using a Binding Charm on school grounds, or behaving with such disrespect toward an elder—as Vice President of the Songyang High student council, I cannot tolerate either."
Zhang Yu's gaze shifted. He held up the registry book and asked: "Zhou Chechen, you'd attack a divine assistant of the Patrol Department?"
Zhou Chechen's eyelids drooped slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
In his sight, the True-sight Charm had already revealed the evaluation hanging over Zhang Yu's head.
Songyang City Patrol Team, outsourced employee (expand for details)
"A mere contractor in the patrol team, a post no bigger than a grain of rice, and you dare to throw your weight around at Songyang High?"
Just as the cold air in Zhou Chechen's palm was about to burst forth, a warm breeze suddenly swept in from every direction—not only scattering the chill of the Training Ground but restoring the temperature to normal.
Zhang Pianpian walked into the Training Ground alongside another man.
"You want to attack my temp worker?"
Zhou Chechen whipped his head around. The instant his eyes landed on Zhang Pianpian's face, his gaze sharpened: "Zhang Pianpian? What's she doing here? Is she here to back up Zhang Yu?"
"Zhang Pianpian? Zhang Yu? Both surnamed Zhang... are the two related somehow?"
But Zhou Chechen remembered checking Zhang Yu's file—Zhang Yu had no relative this formidable.
If Zhang Yu really had such a powerful family member covering for him, why would Zhou Chechen have been able to handle him so easily?
Zhou Chechen thought again: *Or did Zhang Yu... find himself a better-paying master and become Zhang Pianpian's dog already?*
And seeing that the cold air in Zhou Chechen's hand hadn't dispersed, Zhang Pianpian kept walking step by step toward the center: "Hm? Didn't you hear what I said?"
"Or... do you want to make an enemy of me?"
Even as she spoke, Zhang Pianpian's right index finger rose lightly, and the registry book flew of its own accord to hover before her fingertip.
The next instant, her fingertip swept across the registry book at dizzying speed.
Bai Zhenzhen stared in surprise, her eyes running over the school uniform Zhang Pianpian wore: "White Dragon High? What's she about to do? Is she going to fight Zhou Chechen?"
Zhang Yu was startled too: *Going straight to a fight? Which charm is she preparing? Could it be a Binding Charm as well?*
Under everyone's tense gaze, Zhang Pianpian finished tracing her charm, and a wave of spirit power surged out from it.
Intimidation Charm—activate!
Two lines of text suddenly floated above Zhang Pianpian's head.
The first line read:
White Dragon High, Grade Three monthly exam, total score: 699
At the sight of that score, the gathered students' eyes went wide, and they were struck dumb with deep shock.
"A 699 on the Grade Three monthly exam?" Qian Shen roared inwardly: *This is a god! The future god of the college entrance exam!*
And before anyone could finish agog at the score, the second line above Zhang Pianpian's head began to take shape.
Bank balance: 2
At first it was just a 2, but quickly a 5 popped up right behind it.
And so it went—every second that followed, another digit kept appearing at the end.
Twenty-five thousand?
Two hundred fifty thousand?
Two and a half million?!
By the time the number had climbed to twenty-five million, the students on scene could feel their breathing turn shallow.
Gradually it dawned on them which charm Zhang Pianpian was using.
An Intimidation Charm—a charm that invokes divine power to display one's scores and savings and thereby daunt others.
When the number jumped to two hundred fifty million, everyone felt their own blood and qi churn.
And when the number finally came to rest at two and a half billion, paired with the 699 above it, a crushing pressure rolled over them all, like a mountain pressing down on their chests.
And this was merely banking savings!
Thinking of the assets and the immortal-dao power that number represented stirred their hearts deeply.
Even He Dayou felt his heart jolt at the sight: "Two and a half billion in bank balance alone? Just how much total wealth does this woman have?"
Unable to help himself, he pulled out his own registry book and activated a True-sight Charm, trying to see her background.
But all that appeared above her head was a row of five words.
You are unworthy to know
The woman had hidden her origins with charms, rendering him utterly unable to inspect her.
Seeing those five words, He Dayou's body jolted, his face going pale as if struck by lightning—as though a vast chasm now loomed between himself and Zhang Pianpian, one he could never hope to cross.
Zhao Tianxing stared fixedly at that string of numbers above Zhang Pianpian's head, counting and recounting, yet every time he got halfway he felt he'd miscounted again.
Only when he finally confirmed it was two and a half billion did he draw a sharp breath.
"So rich, so absurdly rich. The pressure of a rich person really is crushing!!"
At that moment, Zhao Tianxing felt nothing but inferiority, as though he didn't even deserve to share a room with her.
Zhang Yu was just as shocked. *This is my millionaire sister?*
*Wait, that's not right. I don't remember my family being rich at all.*
*We should be the house of paupers, if anything. How on earth does Zhang Pianpian have this much money?*
*Something's off... very off...*
*What exactly did Zhang Pianpian go through all these years she was separated from me?*
The question that had first risen back at the divine assistant assessment had now swelled to its peak.
*How did she turn from a pauper into a wealthy heiress?*
*I... want to learn that too.*
Zhang Yu couldn't figure out the cause, but no matter the answer... *Sis, why did you leave us? Both Mom and I are your own little darlings!*
On the other side, Zhou Chechen slowly let the cold air in his hand dissipate.
His gaze swept the score, the savings, and the "You are unworthy to know" above his opponent's head several times in barely noticeable passes.
Finally he looked at Zhang Pianpian with utmost politeness: "Senior Zhang, you've misunderstood. I had no idea Zhang Yu was under your command. Had I known, why would I have made things difficult for him?"
Seeing her single Intimidation Charm cow the whole Training Ground, Zhang Pianpian nodded with satisfaction: "Good. I hope you remember what you said today."
"Don't let me hear of anything happening to my people—otherwise I'll spend some of this pocket money of mine to buy your brain."
"Your father should be more than happy to earn that money."
At this, Zhou Chechen's eye twitched, and for once he found himself at a loss for words.
And as the Training Ground fell quiet under her speech, the man who'd walked in with Zhang Pianpian gave a hearty laugh: "Pianpian's just joking, junior Zhou. Don't take it to heart."
The speaker was none other than the real president of the Songyang High student council—the Grade Three first, Chu Chengxuan.