Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Graduation Challenge Begins

Three months of rigorous cultivation had enabled Su Ye to break through time and again. During these three months, he had endured four rounds of thunder, consumed eight blood ambers, and now, at last, possessed the strength to fight.

“Liuying, why have you been so weak lately? Will you be alright for the tournament?” Su Ye looked worriedly at the girl ahead of him.

Normally, she was full of energy, causing turmoil throughout the Jiang family, yet for the past three months her face was pale, and she walked with little strength. Jiang Ziyang had even scolded her harshly for it.

Jiang Liuying took out a blood amber and spoke in a low voice, “Who do you think I am? Who would dare challenge me? Here, this is the last one. My father has given strict orders not to let me into the lower vault anymore. This time, even if you can’t win, don’t lose too badly, or I’ll have wasted my effort.”

“Don’t worry! Tomorrow, I will reclaim everything that belongs to me!” Su Ye clenched his fists, feeling power surging within him.

The next morning, many members of the Jiang family set out early. This was not only the graduation challenge tournament of Yangcheng No. 1 High School, but also attended by gifted students from dozens of other high schools in Yangcheng. The whole city was watching.

Especially with Yu Zhisha, who possessed the thunder pulse, many people were eager to witness the ascension of this legendary Azure Sky Sparrow.

When they arrived at the school, it was a sea of people. Each teaching building had already been requisitioned by visiting teachers and students from other schools. Most students crowded around the Martial Hall, since only the top one thousand from Yangcheng No. 1 High School were eligible to compete.

“Hey, how did your test go? Did you make it into the top thousand?” Students were calling out loudly, their gazes fixed on the giant ranking screen overhead.

“It’s not that easy. I don’t know if everyone’s been influenced by Senior Sister Yu these past three months, but everyone’s gone mad! Before, seventeen apertures was enough for the thousandth place. Now, even twenty apertures only gets you tied for a thousandth.”

“Looks like I have no chance. I got twenty-two apertures and made the top thousand, but to get the top hundred rewards? Forget it! I’ve heard there are two real geniuses from other schools. Apart from Senior Sister Yu, no one can compare. Look, there he is—Jin Canjie from Qingteng High!”

Amidst the bustling crowd, voices rose in excitement as several young men from other schools approached. Each stood over six feet tall, handsome and imposing, with Jin Canjie at the forefront. Rumor had it he was an exchange student from the neighboring nation, Han Gaoli.

With such looks and background, he was idolized by many students at school. But his strength was formidable as well—he had achieved forty-seven apertures, not far from Yu Zhisha’s self-declared sixty-seven.

“Jin Canjie—Jin Canjie, ah, ah, ah—”

Some girls, seeing the tall and handsome Korean oppa, began to scream wildly, and a few even rushed forward to hug him.

The tutor beside him chuckled, pushing his glasses up. “It seems Mr. Jin Canjie is quite popular here! Truly a source of pride for us.”

Jin Canjie glanced coolly around and replied in somewhat broken Mandarin, “Hmph, just a bunch of gossiping women! I hear a few of the school’s beauties are decent. Watch me, I’ll sweep them off their feet and make us proud.”

“Oh, looks like our Canjie has set his sights on a new target! I wonder how quickly he’ll hook up this time—will he break his half-hour record?” The other boys laughed.

Jin Canjie’s lips curled into a charming smile. Without so much as a glance at the frenzied girls, he said, “Can’t help it, they’re too easy. Just a beckon and they come crawling. You can make them do anything, there’s no challenge at all.”

His words, though awkwardly spoken, were overheard by many girls nearby. Instantly, several fell silent, anger simmering within them—Jin Canjie was far too arrogant, treating them like nothing.

Spotting one furious girl glaring at him, Jin Canjie strolled over, towering above her, and gently flicked her nose. He said softly, “Silly girl, don’t be angry; I meant them. You’re special—”

Hearing this, the girl immediately forgot everything, blushing and lowering her head, unable to meet his handsome gaze.

With a laugh, Jin Canjie led his group into the Martial Hall. Many boys who overheard gritted their teeth in anger. “Damn it, that’s infuriating! If there weren’t so many teachers around, I’d beat him up.”

“Exactly! If I meet him in the tournament, I won’t hold back. He sure thinks he’s somebody!”

“Don’t bother being angry. Blame those vain idiots—can’t tell good from bad! Let’s get inside before all the seats are gone. Senior Sister Yu Zhisha arrived early, and hey, isn’t that Jiang’s campus belle? She looks stunning today! Ugh, that loser is here too.”

In the crowd, Su Ye and Jiang Liuying also made their way into the Martial Hall. Jiang Liuying’s scores easily qualified her for the top thousand, but Su Ye had not yet been tested!

Whether he could compete depended on this test.

The Martial Hall was vast, spread over six floors, enough to accommodate waves of students for testing. As Su Ye entered, he spotted many familiar faces—Mentor Jian Muqian, the campus belle Jiu Yuyue, his counselor Cai Weisong, Class President Song Dahai, and even Jiang Chengzhi, whom Su Ye had slapped by the seaside.

As Su Ye entered, the lively atmosphere quieted noticeably. With so many students from other schools present, talk inevitably turned to Yu Zhisha—the unchallenged number one. And in discussing Yu Zhisha, Su Ye’s name naturally came up as well.

Many gifted students from other schools gazed at Su Ye in unison.

“So this kid wants to challenge Yu Zhisha? How arrogant!”

“Ha, I heard he was amazing three years ago! Too bad, I was still young then. Now I finally get to see him—if he can even make the top thousand.”

Amid the discussions, Mentor Jian Muqian hurried forward, asking with concern, “Su Ye, are you confident? The thousandth place requires twenty apertures!”

“We’ll see,” Su Ye replied, joining the queue for the testing machine.

News of this quickly reached Yu Zhisha. She was on the second floor chatting with leaders from other schools, discussing potential alliances between the Yu clan and their families for a mutually beneficial future.

Many gifted students listened intently, awed by her powerful presence—including Jin Canjie, who had only just arrived.

At that moment, Yu Wenhuan rushed in, ignoring decorum, and called out, “Sis, that loser’s here for testing! Come see!”

Yu Zhisha glared at him, annoyed. “Just a loser—what’s there to see? My only opponent is myself!”

The other geniuses heaped flattery upon her, saying no one dared challenge her for the city’s top spot.

Yu Wenhuan insisted, “Sis, this is different! He’s recovered, and received twenty Azure Thunder Cleansing Pills from the Ning family—how many apertures could he achieve? He hasn’t been to school for three months; who knows what that old Jiang has done for him!”

Yu Zhisha’s expression shifted slightly. She shook her head, stood up, and sighed, “You love stirring up trouble—let’s take a look, then.”

A crowd moved to the second-floor corridor, gazing down at the testing screen.

For some reason, the entire hall seemed to be waiting for something. The once noisy venue grew much quieter.

Three months ago, he was a nobody. Could he, in just three months, break into the top thousand?

As all eyes awaited Su Ye’s test result, Jin Canjie’s gaze swept the hall and landed upon Jiang Liuying's tall and delicate figure. Even amidst the crowd, she shone brightly.

“Ah! Such a beautiful woman—she’s mine!” Jin Canjie smiled charmingly and strode directly down from the second floor…