After exchanging greetings, Wu Qingqing picked up her phone again, turned it on, and pointed the screen towards Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

A faint light flashed on the screen, revealing a cartoon-like young man. She introduced him, “This is Mo Tianyi from Mangshan High School.”

Zhang Yu was startled. “What the hell? A virtual avatar?”

The young man nodded towards Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen and introduced himself, “Hello, I am Mo Tianyi.”

“I’ve checked the surrounding environment; we can speak freely here.”

Zhang Yu looked at the phone screen curiously and asked, “Where are you right now?”

Mo Tianyi smiled slightly. “I am currently in the Spirit Realm. However, since the Spirit Realm is connected to the internet, I can contact you.”

Then, his expression turned serious, and he asked earnestly, “Student Zhang Yu, I need to ask you something: Have you been accepted as a disciple by Master Xinghuo?”

Just as Zhang Yu was about to speak, Bai Zhenzhen stepped forward, blocking him, and said, “He hasn’t.”

“I told him about the pitfalls of being a Golden Core disciple, so he rejected Master Xinghuo.”

Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen in surprise, unsure why she said that. However, trusting Ah Zhen, he didn’t say much, simply listening quietly to their conversation.

Upon hearing Bai Zhenzhen’s words, both Wu Qingqing and Mo Tianyi on the phone screen showed a hint of disappointment.

Wu Qingqing couldn’t help but say, “How could you let Zhang Yu refuse this opportunity? Master Xinghuo would undoubtedly be a strong ally if you want to get into the Top Ten schools.”

Bai Zhenzhen scoffed, “An old geezer kicked out of a major sect, half of his cultivation already gone. If he divorces again and his daughter bleeds him dry, he might end up under a bridge. How much is left for us to exploit? Becoming his subordinate might not even be as good as my daily part-time jobs.”

“You…” Mo Tianyi sighed, thinking that if he had known this, he shouldn’t have persuaded Bai Zhenzhen to try at the art exhibition. Otherwise, Zhang Yu might truly have become a Golden Core disciple, and the chances of a poor student getting into the Top Ten would have increased.

Bai Zhenzhen continued, “The reason I came to talk to you today is to introduce Zhang Yu to your people.”

“Although he’s just a tiny bit less talented than me, he’s also a rare prodigy, and the student council has also got their eyes on him.”

Mo Tianyi’s image refreshed, and he had already composed himself, smiling. “I’ve long heard of Student Zhang Yu’s reputation for talent.”

“This Magic Competition will be a good chance to see it for myself.”

“That’s it?” Bai Zhenzhen said, displeased. “How about some real investment, some actual money?”

Mo Tianyi said helplessly, “We are all poor, and resources are limited. You know our focus has always been on the Boss; we don’t have much to spare.”

“This is a small personal contribution; please don’t think it’s too little…”

With that, he transferred 2,000 yuan to Bai Zhenzhen.

Watching this, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Well, I’ll be. So Ah Zhen dragged me here today to ask for money.”

But it seems this ‘Anti-Rich Alliance’ is quite poor and can’t give much.

Seeing the transfer notification on her phone, Bai Zhenzhen frowned. “Only 2,000?”

She knew who they were talking about: the person among these poor geniuses who currently had the best grades, the most talent, and the greatest opportunity, widely believed to be the most likely to break through limitations and enter the Top Ten schools.

This impoverished genius had earned the trust of these poor students, who saved every penny and invested many resources in him.

They all hoped that once this poor genius got into a top university and joined a major sect, he would be able to lift everyone up and gradually dismantle the vast network of restrictions over Songyang City.

Even when Bai Zhenzhen was called to the art exhibition last time, in her opinion, it wasn’t without the hope that she could use her status as a Golden Core disciple to help that individual.

Bai Zhenzhen said, “Didn’t we agree to watch out for each other and stand united? Are you just all talk and no action? Did I pay my membership fee for nothing?”

Mo Tianyi shook his head with a bitter smile. Compared to the 2,000 yuan membership fee Bai Zhenzhen paid, the money she had demanded and taken over time already amounted to tens of thousands.

If Bai Zhenzhen hadn’t been truly exceptionally gifted, and if they hadn’t believed she could divert a significant amount of attention for the Boss in the future, they certainly wouldn’t have invested so much money.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Wu Qingqing, who was standing nearby, smiled and said, “Zhenzhen, don’t worry. The Boss is at a crucial stage, and everyone doesn’t have much money to pool. Even though Mo Tianyi manages the funds, he needs the seniors’ approval to use them.”

“How about this: Student Zhang Yu is so capable. As long as he achieves a good ranking in this Magic Competition, Mo Tianyi can talk to the seniors, and then it will be justifiable for them to give you money.”

After some back and forth, Bai Zhenzhen finally took Zhang Yu and left the stands.

Watching them leave, Wu Qingqing said helplessly, “Every time Zhenzhen comes to us, it’s for money. She treats us like an ATM.”

Mo Tianyi said, “When it comes to getting into the Top Ten, her belief is indeed the most steadfast among us, which is why she’s so desperate for money.”

Mo Tianyi could clearly sense that Bai Zhenzhen never intended to rely on the Boss to protect them after he entered the Top Ten; she wanted to get into the Top Ten herself.

Mo Tianyi added, “I just didn’t expect her to bring Zhang Yu along to ask for money this time.”

Speaking of Zhang Yu, Wu Qingqing praised, “Improving by 70 points in a month, Zhang Yu is indeed very capable and worth our investment.”

Mo Tianyi, however, shook his head. “If he were from a wealthy family, this performance would indeed be enough to compete for a spot in the Top Ten.”

“But unfortunately… he is poor.”

He sighed, lamenting, “For the poor to break through the ceiling above them, merely excelling in monthly exams is far from enough… far from enough.”

Behind Wu Qingqing, Ye Xianyun quietly read a book throughout the entire conversation, as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen walked alongside Zhang Yu, saying, “Yu Zi, the Magic Competition is about to begin. You have to make Mom proud!”

“At least rank in the top ten, so I can demand money from them with confidence.”

“Wait… I thought you were pretty confident just now when you were directly asking for money.”

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then voiced his doubt: “Besides mutual assistance and pooling money, do you poor people have any other ways to get into the Top Ten?”

In his view, merely relying on a few poor students to scrimp and save, even if they were all immortal cultivation geniuses from various schools, trying to break through the rich people’s blockade and enter the Top Ten this way seemed unrealistic.

Bai Zhenzhen explained, “That’s what I want to find out from them.”

“To my knowledge, their Boss is likely a second-year high school student from one of the three prestigious schools.”

“I don’t know what method he used, but he still hasn’t signed with any school or student council, hasn’t been jointly suppressed, and still retains his eligibility for the college entrance exam.”

“The only way, it seems, is to continuously increase our influence among them, then find that ‘Boss,’ and figure out how to make him reveal his methods.”

Zhang Yu asked curiously, “So how do we increase our influence?”

Bai Zhenzhen stated matter-of-factly, “We’re students, so the way to increase our influence is naturally through exams! Competitions! Achieving good results!”

“This is the same for both the poor and the rich; they invest in whoever performs well.”

“It’s just that I’m really not good at this Magic Power Competition, so it’s up to you how high you can rank.”

Soon after Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen returned to Songyang High School’s resting area, Zhang Yu’s gaze suddenly shifted, noticing someone in the stands.

“Liang Qin?”

Seeing Liang Qin wave at him, seemingly cheering him on, Zhang Yu nodded back in greeting.

“What the hell? He actually came all the way to Hongta High School just to watch my match as a spectator?”

“Dude, are you alright? If you keep doing this, I won’t dare turn my back on you in the future.”

Meanwhile, Liang Qin watched Zhang Yu in the resting area with a slight smile curling on his lips. He then took out his phone, opened an app, and prepared to place a bet.

After all, gambling was a popular regular entertainment for the people of Songyang City.

The platform Liang Qin frequently used was a large one endorsed by the deputy mayor, encompassing a wide range of activities and covering almost everything one could bet on in Songyang City.

Liang Qin did a quick search and, sure enough, found various high school competition events listed.

He had taken time off to watch the competition, of course, to follow Zhang Yu and earn his reward.

However, after seeing the Magic Power Competition, he couldn’t resist the urge to start betting again.

At the same time, Zhang Yu also saw a promotional flyer for the platform drifting down beside him.

“Why compete when you can bet on the competition? New users get a 100 yuan bonus…”

Zhang Yu felt speechless. “Seriously? Gambling advertisements are being promoted directly in the stadium? ‘Everyone gambles, so it’s not chaos,’ is that it?”

Seeing this, Bai Zhenzhen immediately snatched the flyer from Zhang Yu’s hand, staring at him as she said, “Yu Zi, you absolutely cannot touch this.”

Zhang Yu said, “I think I have a good chance of making it into the top ten. If I were to bet…”

Bai Zhenzhen said sternly, “How much are you planning to bet? What if you lose?”

Zhang Yu replied, “The chances of winning are high…”

Bai Zhenzhen continued, “If you win, the problem will be even bigger. Your view of money will completely change because once you’ve won, you’ll always want to win again.”

As a native of Songyang City, Bai Zhenzhen had seen too many people fall victim to gambling.

She had even seen news reports of immortals losing everything they owned.

She continued to persuade him, “I’m afraid you’ll get used to relying on this and eventually lose yourself entirely.”

“Yu Zi, you really cannot touch this.”

With a gentle tremor of her palm, Bai Zhenzhen pulverized the flyer.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath, activated the Desolate Ox Soul-鎮心 Art, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind. “You’re right, Ah Zhen. I was being greedy. I really shouldn’t touch something like this.”

Zhang Yu understood the reasoning, but the immense financial pressure had momentarily led him to a fleeting thought of greed.

A moment later, accompanied by the sound of music, the Magic Competition officially began.

Drone after drone, controlled by soul cultivators, flew out, delivering the props needed for the Magic Competition.

As everyone watched the various competition items being placed onto the arena, gasps of surprise erupted one after another.

“It’s flying swords!”

“Are we going to be tested on sword riding? Is the first round going to be this difficult? Flying swords have never been tested in previous competitions!”

“Oh no, oh no, I’ve never used a flying sword!”

The host walked up to a flying sword that was hovering in mid-air and announced, “The Nine Heavens’ sword light is cold; one sword shakes Kunxu. We thank the incredibly lethal Nine Heavens Flying Sword company for co-sponsoring this Magic Competition.”

“What the hell!” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “A flying sword manufacturer sponsors the event, and you *have* to test flying swords in the Magic Power Competition? You’ve got no shame! So, if the Joyous Union Sect sponsored it, would you test dual cultivation? Go on, I dare you!”