You dare to cultivate without money?!
Chapter 148 - 148 121 Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate

148: Chapter 121: Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate 148: Chapter 121: Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate Facing the tense and puzzled gazes of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Pianpian first spoke of something else.

“About several decades ago, the number of admissions for the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate at the university level started to be reduced.”

“Do you know why we need to reduce the number of admissions?”

Zhang Pianpian didn’t expect the two of them to answer, so she continued talking on her own: “Because there is a total annual cap on the number of Foundation Establishments.”

“And by reducing the Foundation Establishment admissions at the university level, it is meant to allocate some of the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates to high school students.”

What?

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were shocked, university students allocating the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates to them, the high school students?

Do we deserve it?

As if guessing the thoughts in their minds, Zhang Pianpian continued: “Not high school students like us.”

Zhang Pianpian gestured upward and said: “Those high school students up there.”

Seeing their surprised expressions, Zhang Pianpian further explained: “Do you think those on the higher levels of Kunxu, for instance, those on the fifth, tenth, or even above the twentieth layer…”

“Those Golden Core True Men, Nascent Soul Experts, and even further up, such as the super rich like Divinity Transformation or Refining Void stages, with their wealth in the Immortal Path already astronomical…

do you think their offspring, descendants, and disciples will have to participate in the university entrance exams in the Top Ten like us?”

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were slightly stunned.

From what they felt, they almost instinctually believed that those high school students above didn’t seem to need to participate in the university entrance exams like them.

But how exactly do the high school students up there step onto the Immortal Path?

Other than the gifted classes, how do they go through high school and university…

the two couldn’t imagine.

Zhang Pianpian continued to explain: “The descendants or disciples cultivated by those upper-level super-rich still have to abide by Kunxu’s rules and enter the Immortal Path in high school.”

“The Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates that I mentioned being allocated to high school students are allotted to such high school students, giving rise to a special examination, a Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination that high school students can apply for.”

Bai Zhenzhen asked, “Can we also participate in this examination?

Won’t we have to compete with the high school students from the upper levels?”

Zhang Pianpian shook her head and, after thinking, looked across the river towards the slums in the outskirts and said: “In Songyang City, those wealthy people in the city center will join forces to suppress the geniuses emerging among the poor, finding ways to limit the poor in schools, to ensure the advantages of those wealthy people.”

“But at the same time, it is these wealthy people who are giving food, providing some necessities, and offering jobs that cultivators are unwilling to do to the poor in the distant outskirts, helping them to continue their lineage and even giving them the opportunity to study in the city center.”

“The same goes for the poor, the attitude of the wealthy people in the city center towards different poor people is drastically different.”

“In Kunxu, for the Immortals at the top of the Ten Major Sects, those super-rich who want to become Immortals within and outside the sect, along with their descendants and disciples, are exactly the ones to be restricted and suppressed.”

“Meanwhile, the lower-level people of Kunxu are perhaps like the slums in the outskirts, who are meant to be supported and continuously produce poor geniuses.”

Listening to Zhang Pianpian’s words, the Evil God, disguised as a prayer bead, chuckled coldly in Zhang Yu’s mind and said: “Heh heh, the Immortals…

want to make those who wish to attend university but can’t, those who want to enter companies but can’t, those who wish to join sects but can’t, and those who yearn for immortality yet can’t, increase in number, so competition becomes fiercer.”

“Only by increasing the intensity of competition among these people below, can they exhaust themselves, drain their families, and offer everything, while the profits of the Ten Major Sects grow higher and can sufficiently support the Gods high above, allowing those Immortals overlooking Kunxu to continue enjoying sitting comfortably above the clouds.”

The Evil God’s tone exuded intense envy, as if wishing to recline at the top of Kunxu to enjoy the endless contributions of countless lives.

Suddenly, a thought arose in her mind: “Wait, damn, does that mean some Evil God King is behind all this to mess with me?

Afraid I might progress and become the new Evil God King?”

Without knowing the Evil God’s thoughts, Zhang Yu only listened to the words spoken in his mind, a fleeting thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Previously, in his mind, all wealthier individuals than him, whether from Songyang City or the second floor of Kunxu, or the third floor of Kunxu, were all wealthy, appearing as mere symbols to him, and he couldn’t be bothered to distinguish between them.

But now Zhang Yu truly realized the immense gap among rich people.

Especially in Kunxu’s different tiers, dealing with someone who’s one, two, or three levels higher, there would be different attitudes toward him.

And the attitudes of each tier’s wealthy people towards those below or above them are vastly different as well.

Thus, various forms of suppression, competition, alliance, support, and exploitation create exceedingly complex relationships interwoven within Kunxu, resembling a tangled mess.

Meanwhile, Zhang Pianpian continued speaking.

She said: “In any case, the high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination was ultimately determined by the Heavenly Court.”

“Besides allocating spots for the high school students above, to exceptionally select and promote talents at various levels, a certain number of Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificates were also allocated to each level’s high school students, with competition occurring within each level’s students.”

“But the lower the level, the fewer the spots.”

Listening to Zhang Pianpian’s words, Zhang Yu seemed to envision countless fierce competitions concerning this ‘high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination’.

Nobody knew how much maneuvering and conflict occurred at Kunxu’s top to finalize such a comprehensive high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination for each level.

Zhang Pianpian continued: “However…

although this examination has been arranged to Kunxu 1st Floor under the insistence of the Heavenly Court…”

“It is much like how the city’s wealthy might support suburban residents, providing them with opportunities for high school interviews, yet the wealthy at high schools will suppress incoming poor students.”

“Despite the Heavenly Court having set up the examination for high school students on Kunxu 1st Floor, over the years it has gradually been monopolized by Kunxu 1st Floor’s elite forces.”

“On one hand, people have collaborated in various ways to conceal information about the exam, leading to its gradual disappearance from discussion on Kunxu 1st Floor, with fewer people aware of it.”

“Put simply…

this is a path hidden away from most high school students on Kunxu 1st Floor.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly.

If not for Zhang Pianpian telling him today, he might never have known about this exam in his lifetime.

He immediately understood that this was yet another example of information asymmetry, a crucial means Zhang Pianpian always emphasized for competing in Kunxu.

Just like when he took the clerical outsourcing test, ordinary high school students knew nothing about it.

The same goes for this Foundation Establishment Certificate examination; ordinary high school students would not only have no idea about applying for the certificate, but might not even know of its existence.

He even suspected that many teachers might not know about this high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination.

Someone like Lei Jun, who once introduced him to the university’s Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate, likely did not know about this high school exam.

Zhang Pianpian continued: “On the other hand, the remaining high school students who can participate in this exam are the strongest, the most talented, and the richest on the entire first layer of Kunxu…

so much so that they aspire to earn the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate before university.”

“Yet, Kunxu 1st Floor only has 4 spots per year; excluding candidates based on Daoism not being a selection criterion, these 4 slots go to the top high school students in Dao Heart, Mana, Physical Education, and Martial Arts categories, respectively.”

“To obtain this certificate basically means you have to be one of the four strongest high school students on Kunxu 1st Floor, which in itself is another form of monopoly by Kunxu 1st Floor’s top forces.”

Seeing Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s solemn expressions, Zhang Pianpian said mildly: “As I’ve been telling you, in Kunxu, climbing upwards is inseparable from examinations and certificates.”

“For instance, pursuing a top university involves navigating various upward paths within the rules…

but ultimately, every path leads to an exam.”

“Opting for the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate instead of the gifted class will only be another harder exam.”

Just hearing Zhang Pianpian’s brief description, Bai Zhenzhen could feel the difficulty of this exam, but with no hope of entering the gifted class and as long as she could enter the Top Ten, she was willing to try regardless of any difficulty or intense competition.

In contrast, she was more worried about the Kunxu 1st Floor’s elite forces’ monopoly over this exam.

Bai Zhenzhen then asked: “If we take part in this exam, will there be danger?

Like how the city’s wealthy band together to block the poor from entering the Top Ten?”

Zhang Pianpian said: “According to the information I obtained from the Inspection Department, the high school Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination, being decreed by the Heavenly Court, is of high specification with stringent rules to exceptionally select talents across levels.”

“There are various methods to prevent cheating and measures to stop higher level students from descending to lower levels to compete for spots.”

“Moreover, to prevent cheating, all students must hide their identities, supervised by the Eight True Gods in person.”

“Although Kunxu 1st Floor’s elite forces might obscure the exam’s information from the public.”

“And they might raise the standards of their own high school students, making the exam more challenging.”

“They absolutely cannot cheat in this exam decreed by the Heavenly Court, nor dare to penetrate the protection of the Eight True Gods to reveal the contestants’ identities.”

“So as long as you can sign up successfully, there’s no need to worry about your identity being exposed.”

Bai Zhenzhen asked another question she was concerned about: “If we obtain the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate, can we enter the Top Ten?”

Zhang Pianpian honestly said: “Once you get the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate, your university entrance exam score only needs to be above 600 to directly enter any top-tier university without an interview.”

“This means once you’ve acquired the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate, you can live out your high school life without revealing your true capabilities and goals, avoiding the coordinated attacks by the wealthy, just quietly finishing the university entrance exam to get into the Top Ten.”

“This way, it prevents the situation where the wealthy in Songyang City jointly attack you.”

Zhang Pianpian said: “But you need to understand, this process is by no means easy.”

She thought for a moment and continued: “It’s mid-April now, and the next Kunxu 1st Floor’s Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination…

is set to start registration around mid-June, shortly after I leave.”

“Then, the first round of exams begins in August, with the second round in early October, and the final round in early January next year, roughly halfway through your sophomore year.”

“This means…

after I leave, you will have to attend school while completing the exams.”

“During this period, you will face various threats without my protection.”

“Of course, as long as you don’t expose that you are attempting the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate, nor reveal your goal of entering the Top Ten, the joint attack by the wealthy in Songyang City won’t occur.”

“But individuals like Zhou Chechen and Lanling will surely target you after I leave.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen nodded quietly, believing that compared to the coordinated attacks by aristocratic families, the threats from Zhou Chechen and Lanling alone were challenges they could overcome as long as they supported and took care of each other.

In contrast, the difficulty of the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate examination itself might be the most challenging aspect of this entire matter.

Looking at Zhang Yu, Zhang Pianpian asked: “Have you decided to forgo the gifted class and aim for the tougher Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate?”

Before Zhang Yu could respond, the Evil God had already interjected in his mind: “Agree to it.”

“You can obtain the Foundation Establishment Certificate!”