Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned by the Evil God’s words in his mind.

This Evil God had been vehemently against him abandoning the Prodigy Class to stay in Songyang City, so why the sudden change of heart?

As if sensing Zhang Yu’s confusion, the Evil God continued in his mind, “After Zhang Pianpian mentioned it, some memories have resurfaced.”

“I once overheard the Evil God King of the Third Underground Level saying that a conflict occurred in the upper echelons of Kunxu, involving this very Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam.”

The Evil God remembered that he had been relegated to working in the Third Underground Level of Kunxu.

However, armed with just a telephone and a phone book, he became the top salesman of the month, even swindling several doctoral students. Not only did he receive a reward from the Evil God King, but he also attended the Evil God King’s banquet, where he overheard many secrets.

The Evil God thought to himself, “Alas, that Evil God King tricked me out of my sales skills and bonus the following month, then sold those skills to a bunch of unemployed college dropouts who had fled to the Third Underground Level, hired them to work, and ultimately kicked me out, forcing me to find new work…”

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and the Evil God continued, “I remember the Evil God King lamenting that the Immortal Sovereigns promoted a series of qualification exams to increase the flow of talent in the middle and lower levels of Kunxu, which included changes to the quotas for the Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam.”

“But they also had to consider the disciples and descendants of various Immortals, balance the quotas for the Ten Great Sects, and weigh the power of different factions in the Celestial Court. The web of interests was incredibly complex, leading to countless struggles.”

“In the end, some Immortals went bankrupt from gambling, some suffered cultivation deviations and died in their abodes, and some even fled to the unknown regions of the Tenth-plus Underground Level of Kunxu.”

“But precisely because the struggles were so intense, the finalized Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam became filled with authority, representing the ultimate common will of the Ten Great Sects and the Immortals of the Celestial Court.”

“So you don’t need to worry about the safety of participating in this exam. As Zhang Pianpian said, the top forces of the First Level wouldn’t dare violate the exam rules or cheat. At most, they would cover up the news outside the exam hall and try their best to improve the strength of their own students.”

Sensing that Zhang Yu was pondering his words, the Evil God quickly continued, “And if you obtain this Foundation Establishment Qualification before entering university… it’s a huge advantage! Because this exam set by the Celestial Court itself carries great authority. It’s practically an imperial endorsement that the passer is one of the strongest high school students of the First Level.”

“Entering university with this certificate, whether it’s the treatment you receive, the courses you study, or the resources you obtain, will be vastly different. Especially if you can directly enter the Foundation Establishment Class of the university, directly learn Foundation Establishment courses, and enjoy Foundation Establishment-level resource support, this will give you a huge advantage in the early stages of university, far greater than the Prodigy Class.”

Zhang Yu understood the Evil God’s meaning. It was like the difference between a top-tier high school and an ordinary high school, right?

“Secondly, neither Bai Zhenzhen nor Zhang Pianpian understand the terrifying extent of your talent after being enlightened by me.”

“From my observations over this period, as you master more and more cultivation techniques, your rate of progress will only increase faster and faster. I firmly believe that you will become the strongest high school student of the First Level of Kunxu, and passing this Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam will be as easy as pie.”

“Compared to competing for the Foundation Establishment Qualification with those high school students who have been on the path of immortality for no more than three years, it might be easier than competing with so many Qi Refinement Peak cultivators at university…”

The Evil God lamented, “If I had any money now, I would bet it all on you.”

Of course, the Evil God had some unspoken words, some true purposes that he kept hidden in his heart.

That was, once Zhang Pianpian left, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen would face an increasingly pressured environment in Songyang City, and Zhang Yu would inevitably constantly seek stronger power, stronger talent, and stronger potential.

In that situation, the Evil God judged that Zhang Yu would ultimately listen to his guidance and hunt for Evil Gods in order to enhance his potential.

Besides that, there was also the issue of the True Spirit Root.

“Unwilling to sell out even his closest high school friend, still wants to climb up in Kunxu like a Saint. If it weren’t for his strong potential, I wouldn’t bother with him.”

The Evil God knew that Zhang Yu was unwilling to kill and seize roots, and even if he went to the Prodigy Class alone, he wouldn’t have the assistance of the True Spirit Root. Staying behind to take the Foundation Establishment Exam would allow him to continue using the True Spirit Root to cultivate.

After such comprehensive consideration, the Evil God finally agreed with Zhang Yu’s decision to stay and take the Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam.

And the Evil God’s words did remind Zhang Yu of something.

“My greatest advantage is that I can quickly learn various cultivation techniques and raise them to Level 10.”

“This is an advantage that other high school students can hardly match in just three years.”

“However, once I enter university, those college students who have cultivated in Qi Refinement for longer and have been hovering at the peak of Qi Refinement must have mastered many cultivation techniques.”

“After all, for college students whose Dao Heart, Magic Power, and Physical Strength have all reached the upper limit of Qi Refinement, one way to further differentiate their strength should be the number and strength of their cultivation techniques.”

“At that time, my advantage compared to these college students… will not be as great as it is now compared to high school students.”

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu became increasingly inclined to stay and take the Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam.

And Zhang Pianpian, who had been observing Zhang Yu, sighed, “It seems you’ve made up your mind to stay with Bai Zhenzhen.”

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Yu finally nodded, and at the same time, a strange emotion arose in his heart.

It was as if… choosing not to go with Zhang Pianpian and staying with Bai Zhenzhen gave him a feeling of letting Zhang Pianpian down.

It was like telling Zhang Pianpian: Sis, Azhen and I are the best. If you two want me to choose one to go with, I’ll choose Azhen.

And Zhang Pianpian had been looking out for them for more than four months…

So, this strange emotion caused a trace of shame to well up in Zhang Yu’s heart under Zhang Pianpian’s gaze.

Bai Zhenzhen, who was beside Zhang Yu, also felt a surge of emotion in her heart, as if a warm current was flowing through her body.

“Yu Zi is really going to stay and take the Foundation Establishment Exam with me.”

Thinking of this, the feeling of loneliness, the darkness and cold of being in the depths of an icy river, seemed to be swept away, replaced by a sense of security.

Along with this sense of security, along with the surge of emotion in her heart, even the True Spirit Root in her abdomen trembled slightly.

“What’s this damn spirit root getting excited about? Is it so attached to Yu Zi’s body? Does it want to go in so badly?”

But Bai Zhenzhen thought again and realized that the True Spirit Root might be reflecting her own thoughts, a desire to be good to Zhang Yu after seeing him stay and take the Foundation Establishment Exam with her.

And the best way to be good to Zhang Yu was to stuff the True Spirit Root into his body, after all, it was the most valuable thing she had.

Such an act of lending one’s most valuable possession to someone else was rarely done even among close relatives in Kunxu, and generally only happened after signing a contract, including but not limited to lending one’s brain, heart, or kidneys… for the other person to use.

Bai Zhenzhen realized her thoughts at this moment, and her gaze towards Zhang Yu also changed somewhat. She thought to herself, “Ayu, from now on, your friendliness ranking in my heart will always be number one, the best in the world to me, the kind that I can call you Daddy every day.”

Zhang Pianpian said calmly, “Since you’ve decided to stay, then stay. The path of immortality is ultimately one you choose yourself, one you walk out step by step.”

“But since you’ve decided to stay, then don’t regret it.”

“In the time to come, you must seize every minute, every second, every penny to cultivate.”

“The Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam of the First Level of Kunxu is divided into three rounds.”

“It’s mid-April now. After registering in mid-June, the first round of exams is in August. The exam tests comprehensive qualities and is the easiest of the three rounds, but you must at least reach the level of a senior high school student to have a chance to pass.”

“The second round is the special skills exam in October. Students are assessed separately in Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts. At this time, you must reach the level of the city’s first place in the senior high school competition to have a chance to pass.”

“The third round is the final exam in early January of next year. The remaining students compete with each other, and ultimately the strongest in the Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts tracks are determined and awarded the Foundation Establishment Qualification…”

Listening to the description of these three rounds of exams, Zhang Yu gradually outlined the examination framework of the Foundation Establishment Qualification Exam in his mind, “This competition ultimately doesn’t test students’ comprehensive qualities. The key selection criteria are special skills in the four directions of Dao Heart, Magic Power, Physical Education, and Martial Arts.”

“Indeed, after all, they are high school students. It’s impossible to be as comprehensive as those college students who have honed themselves in the Qi Refinement stage for a long time. So the students this exam wants to select… are four talented students with extremely high special skills in four different directions.”

“If you want to pass, the key is how long your strong point is.”

Zhang Yu then curiously asked, “Where is the exam location?”

Zhang Pianpian said, “Whether it’s registration or the exam, it’s all held in Xiandu.”

Xiandu City is the most prosperous and largest super metropolis in the First Level of Kunxu, far exceeding the scale of Songyang City.

Zhang Yu remembered that Xiandu was about 1,500 kilometers away from Songyang.

Thinking that the entire exam was not only divided into three rounds, spanning half a year, but the exam venue was also in Xiandu, thousands of miles away, Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t help but exclaim.

Bai Zhenzhen: “This exam really takes a lot of time. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for a lot of leave. And transportation, accommodation, and food will cost a lot, right? I saw on the internet that prices in Xiandu are very expensive.”

Zhang Pianpian nodded and said, “The exam location and exam time are themselves a screening criterion.”

“Like you don’t have intercity travel permits yet, right? To leave the city, especially to go to Xiandu City, you must apply for an intercity travel permit, and you must provide proof of education, income, and proof of renting or owning a house…”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Hearing the arrangements before and after the exam, as well as the requirements for the intercity travel permit, he felt like he heard a sentence:

If you don’t even have a little spare money and free time, or if you can’t even afford to rent a house, don’t even think about taking this exam. Just stay in your hometown and work honestly.