Translator: CinderTL
"You're right," Zhu Honglie nodded.
Elder Bai's words held weight.
Penglai University, as the leader of the twenty-five school alliance, always drew immense attention during the Freshman Competition.
The student who claimed first place in the Freshman Competition would undoubtedly become a subject of widespread public interest.
Moreover, Jiang Ye had entered as a B-tier student and now secured first place, making his achievement even more extraordinary.
"By the way," Zhu Honglie suddenly remembered, "should we publicize Jiang Ye's Primitive innate talent?"
A Primitive innate talent claiming first place in the Freshman Competition would be even more sensational than a B-tier student winning.
"No need," Elder Bai shook his head. "We can't reveal that."
Zhu Honglie was taken aback. "We can't?"
"For a Primitive innate talent to achieve such success is exceedingly rare," Elder Bai explained. "I suspect Jiang Ye may have undergone a Second Martial Bone Awakening."
"A Second Martial Bone Awakening?" The teachers present were astonished.
But recalling Jiang Ye's performance, they all nodded in agreement.
A single Martial Bone Awakening alone couldn't possibly explain such extraordinary feats.
It must be a Second Martial Bone Awakening!
"A Second Martial Bone Awakening?" Zhu Honglie realized what was happening.
Those who undergo a Second Martial Bone Awakening experience an increasingly rapid cultivation speed, shattering the limitations of their original innate talent.
This perfectly explained Jiang Ye's astonishing progress over the past three months.
But this was far from the limit of a Second Awakening.
This accelerated growth would likely persist for several years.
Such was the immense power of a Second Martial Bone Awakening!
"Elder Bai, are you trying to conceal his Second Awakening?" Zhu Honglie asked, his mind racing. "To prepare him for the upcoming Genius Cup?"
"Precisely," Elder Bai confirmed.
"The Twenty-Five School Genius Cup," Elder Bai explained. "Students from the ten great schools often participate to assert their dominance."
"In past years, they've frequently claimed the championship."
"I want Jiang Ye to be our trump card, a surprise weapon," Elder Bai declared.
Zhu Honglie nodded in agreement.
The Twenty-Five School Genius Cup, though primarily a competition among the twenty-five school alliance, also attracts participants from a few of the ten great schools.
The very purpose of the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup is to emulate and aspire to the standards of the ten great schools.
If even ordinary students from the ten great schools can't be defeated, what right does anyone have to call themselves a 'genius'?
But the reality is harsh.
In past Genius Cups, even the top students from the twenty-five school alliance often couldn't match the ordinary students from the ten great schools.
The ten great schools remain the ten great schools—always.
Their strength is terrifyingly overwhelming.
"Jiang Ye... can he really defeat them?" Zhu Honglie mused inwardly.
He hadn't considered it before.
But now? With Jiang Ye's Second Martial Bone Awakening, it might actually be possible.
"Conceal Jiang Ye's Second Awakening to let him make a stunning debut at the Genius Cup?" Zhu Honglie nodded slightly.
Elder Bai's plan was indeed thorough!
The Freshman Competition was merely an internal event with limited regional impact.
But the Genius Cup? That was entirely different. Winning it would bring worldwide fame.
While not as dazzling as the Great Stellar War, for students of the twenty-five school alliance, it would be the ultimate honor.
"Then it's settled."
Seeing no objections, Elder Bai immediately declared, "All of you must keep Jiang Ye's innate talent a secret."
"If anyone asks, just say he has Dao Bone Aptitude."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Old Zhu," Elder Bai said, "after the meeting, revise Jiang Ye's cultivation plan. The matter of his Second Martial Bone Awakening remains unresolved; we need to monitor his subsequent progress."
"Understood," Zhu Honglie replied with a nod.
"Meeting adjourned!"
Jiang Ye remained unaware of the discussions in the conference room.
"9:30 AM."
"I've wasted an hour and a half. I need to get back to training immediately." Jiang Ye rose from the virtual cockpit.
"Cultivation techniques," he murmured, glancing at the panel.
[Star Martial Advancement Method: Major Success (98%)]
[Nine Luminaries Star-Treading: Small Success (2%)]
[Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (13%)]
"My spearmanship improved by a full 3% after that battle?" Jiang Ye's eyes widened in surprise.
Combat truly is the fastest way to improve!
"But I'm still far behind Shen Changxi."
Jiang Ye closed the panel, recalling the final clash.
"Has Shen Changxi already mastered the third ultimate move?"
"In the same three months, she's mastered three ultimate moves while I've only mastered two. I'm still too weak!"
"If I had mastered the third ultimate move of the Great Sun Spear Technique, I could have blocked that 'Moonfall' and won the match."
"I need to work even harder," Jiang Ye concluded inwardly.
First place? He was indeed satisfied.
But it still didn't feel as truly earned or as exhilarating as a decisive victory.
In this competition, he had relied on numerous advantages to cripple Shen Changxi with a single strike.
If Shen Changxi hadn't been a woman, the outcome might have been different.
"Cultivation."
Jiang Ye rose, picked up the Black Dragon Spear, and headed to the training hall.
"Great Sun Spear Technique."
"Hundred Suns in a Chain!"
"Fierce Wind Spear Rain!" Jiang Ye relentlessly practiced the spear techniques, the pitch-black spear carving silver arcs through the air like the first rays of dawn.
The Great Sun Spear Technique comprised seventy-two forms.
Mastering every twelve forms unlocked an ultimate move.
Currently, Jiang Ye had only mastered twenty-five forms.
He still needed to learn eleven more to unlock the third ultimate move.
Of course, the order of the seventy-two forms could be rearranged. He could choose to master the final twelve forms first, effectively unlocking the most powerful sixth ultimate move.
But the difficulty was terrifying.
For Jiang Ye, taking things one step at a time was the safest approach.
Meanwhile, in another manor within the Heaven-Tier Zone:
"Sister, did you see?" Zhao Qingli asked, her face glowing with pride as she looked at the moon-like beauty before her. "Jiang Ye won first place in the Freshman Competition!"
"He won, not you," Zhao Jingxue said, glancing at him. "Why are you so happy?"
"I..." Zhao Qingli's cheeks flushed slightly. He huffed lightly, "Of course I'm happy! He was my high school classmate. Is it wrong for me to be happy?"
Zhao Jingxue shook her head slightly, saying nothing more.
Jiang Ye's victory in the Freshman Competition had indeed exceeded her expectations.
She had originally thought that a top-ten finish would be a good result for him.
First place? She had never even considered it.
"Continue your relationship with that classmate," Zhao Jingxue said. "I won't interfere with the family resources anymore."
"What relationship?" Zhao Qingli muttered, but his face lit up at his sister's last words.
"Okay."
"You're the best sister ever!" Zhao Qingli exclaimed happily, planting a kiss on Zhao Jingxue's cheek before darting away as if afraid her sister might change her mind.
"That girl..." Zhao Jingxue murmured, shaking her head slightly as she watched Qingli's retreating figure.
Once Zhao Qingli had left, Zhao Jingxue picked up the tablet beside her.
Ding! A news projection materialized.
The news footage showed highlights from the recent Freshman Competition.
Zhao Jingxue stared intently at one particular figure on the screen for a long moment.
"He's actually quite handsome," she chuckled softly.
Heaven-Tier Zone, Manor No. 41.
Jiang Ye stood wiping sweat from his face, having just finished practicing his spearmanship.
He glanced at his status panel.
[Great Sun Spear Technique: Small Success (13%) → (14%)]
"Such strenuous practice, yet such minimal progress," he muttered.
"I still need to combine it with martial ginseng," Jiang Ye shook his head slightly, reaching for his phone to make a purchase.
"Hmm?"
As he unlocked his phone, he noticed a string of unread messages.
Ding! He opened the message projection.
Dear Student Jiang Ye, your contract level has been upgraded to Upper A-tier.
Upper A-tier student Jiang Ye, your Upper A-tier benefits have been fully unlocked. Please check them promptly.
"Finally, Upper A-tier!" Jiang Ye murmured, a smile spreading across his face as he tapped to view the message details.
- Annual cultivation resources: 10 million units.
- Unlimited access to the Penglai Nine Refinements.
- Five annual slots for advanced studies at White Dragon University.
- Eligibility for S-Rank combat missions unlocked.
More than a dozen benefits were listed, each one of immense value.
"Advanced studies at White Dragon University?" Jiang Ye's heart stirred slightly. "I wonder when that will be."
This separate clause in the contract clearly held significant importance.
Moreover, Upper A-tier students only received five such opportunities annually, making them exceedingly precious.
Yet Teacher Zhu hadn't mentioned this to him at all in the past three months.
After reviewing the details for a while, Jiang Ye exited the interface.
In addition to the contract update, there were several other notifications.
Congratulations, Student Jiang Ye, for reaching the top ten in the Freshman Competition! You have qualified for the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup. Competition date and location: ...
1,000,000 merit points have been credited to your campus account: xxx.
Breaking News from Penglai District: Congratulations to the B Class student from Penglai University for winning first place in the Freshman Competition!
"The merit points have arrived too," Jiang Ye murmured, his heart swelling with joy as he scrolled through the notifications.
One million merit points was equivalent to ten million federal currency—more than enough to cover his expenses for the next few months!
"Breaking News from Penglai District?" Jiang Ye suddenly noticed the last notification.
Penglai District was one of the hundred districts that made up Tianhai City. Penglai University was located within this district.
He tapped the news item and saw a video embedded in the article.
"Beep!" The video projection sprang to life.
The footage showed the climactic moments of Jiang Ye's duel against Shen Changxi.
"So strong! I'm getting chills just watching this through the screen."
"Third ultimate move? Jiang Ye actually turned the tables? He's definitely hacking!"
"666 If he's not banned, he's definitely cheating!"
"This kid has the potential to become an Emperor!"
A dense stream of comments flooded the screen.
"The news came out this quickly?" Jiang Ye was surprised.
He glanced at the view count and was even more astonished.
Just a few hours after being posted, the video had already reached a hundred thousand views!
Keep in mind, this was just local news, not something aimed at the general public.
Still, it wasn't entirely surprising. Penglai District had a permanent population of over a million people, so a hundred thousand views for such a news item wasn't particularly remarkable.
Jiang Ye shook his head and exited the news interface.
Next, he visited the school's exchange website and purchased a low-grade profound martial ginseng and a low-grade profound Martial Spirit Mushroom, each costing ten thousand merit points.
He closed the page.
"Time to resume cultivation," Jiang Ye said, putting down his phone.
But just as he was about to focus, a notification suddenly appeared before him:
[You have achieved a new accomplishment: Securing first place in the sect competition, earning the recognition of tens of thousands of people.]
[Unlocked title: Renowned]
[Reward: Innate Talent Reconstruction]
(End of the Chapter)
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