Chapter 9

It was dismissal time, a rare moment of relaxation on campus. The shaded paths were filled with laughter and joy, and in the sky, many luxurious private shuttles were slowly landing, picking up the children. Many students, like Li Yao, were dragging their weary bodies, slowly walking towards the school gate.

Just as he was about to leave the school gate, Li Yao suddenly felt a tightness. A tall figure blocked his path: "You're Li Yao, the one who was with Si Xuejia just now?"

Li Yao's pupils constricted, as if a thousand needles were pricking his body. His heart rate accelerated instantly, and a chill ran from his coccyx to the top of his head. The pressure from this person was immense, making him feel like a mouse caught by a venomous snake, unable to move, even struggling to swallow.

"It's Helian Lie, the 'top expert of Chixiao No. 2 High School.' This time, I'm done for!" Li Yao cried inwardly, wanting to explain but unable to utter a single word.

Helian Lie stood casually, holding a crystal brain in his right hand, deeply engrossed in solving an application problem. He didn't even look at Li Yao and said casually, "Don't be afraid. I know someone like you couldn't possibly have anything with Xiao Xue. This time, I'll let it go; I'm too lazy to deal with you."

He tapped the screen, switching to the next problem, and continued, "However, it's a critical time for the '100-day sprint.' Both Xiao Xue and I are aiming for the top spot in Foguo City's college entrance exam. During this period, I don't want any scum to distract her. Got it?"

Li Yao squinted his eyes and clenched his teeth: "You called me scum?"

Helian Lie didn't even look up and said coolly, "Don't misunderstand. I'm not targeting you specifically. In my eyes, all of you in the 'ordinary classes'—you're all scum!"

As he finished his last word, he finally looked up and glanced at Li Yao.

Just one glance made Li Yao feel as if he had been hit hard in the chest. He couldn't help but take two steps back and started coughing violently.

Helian Lie snorted coldly, his face full of disdain, and turned to leave.

Li Yao bent over, coughing like a big lobster, even coughing out tears. It took him a long time to straighten up, breathing heavily, and staring at the direction Helian Lie had left.

"Damn!"

"Is it true that in this day and age, as long as you are tall, strong, handsome, and born into a wealthy family with a net worth of a hundred billion, and have extraordinary cultivation talent and overwhelming strength, you can be so arrogant?"

...

Half an hour later.

"Lost, lost, this time I really lost big. Fixing Si Jiaxue's crystal brain, I ended up offending Helian Lie. If I had known, I would have charged more—at least 200,000 to break even!"

"Helian Lie, that bastard, relying on his wealth, eating rare herbs and treasures like meals, drinking enhancement potions like tap water, and having meditation experts strengthen his soul and martial arts masters forge his body, he managed to increase his spiritual root development to over 70%. How arrogant! Scum? I'm not scum! One day, I will become a true alchemy master and beat you into a pig's head, then throw you in the trash!"

On his way home, the young man walked alone, gritting his teeth, his expression almost demonic, occasionally kicking small stones on the side of the road with great force.

Helian Lie's appearance made him realize the vast gap between himself and cultivation geniuses, and also made him understand how slim the chances were of achieving his dream of "entering one of the nine elite schools, embarking on the path of cultivation, and becoming an alchemy master."

In Li Yao's mind, a scene he had repeatedly seen in his strange dreams appeared, like a movie frame.

It was a young man in a red tank top, raising his eyebrows, widening his eyes, and shouting loudly, "If a person has no dreams, what's the difference between them and a dried fish!"

This scene had always deeply stimulated Li Yao, driving him forward on the path of his dreams, fearless.

Until this moment, he finally remembered that in the strange dream, after the young man in the red tank top said this, the response was:

"You don't even have shoes, so you're just a dried fish, right?"

Li Yao stopped and subconsciously looked at his feet.

He was wearing a pair of basic training shoes he had picked up from a garbage pile. Due to intense training, they were severely worn out, with the soles' patterns completely worn down and a large hole in the left toe, exposing his dirty big toe.

He remembered that Helian Lie was wearing the latest model of training shoes, the "Superstar 9," made from the toughest monster beast skin, with highly durable scales attached to the surface.

It was said that the soles contained airbags made from the swim bladders of deep-sea magic fish, which not only increased jumping power but also protected the leg joints. These shoes alone cost tens of thousands!

On the battlefield of the college entrance exam, where countless lives were at stake, there were many wealthy children like Helian Lie, wearing "Superstar 9" and possessing infinite resources!

Could he, a poor boy with nothing, stand a chance in this brutal battle, outshine these people, and achieve his dream?

Li Yao's heart was particularly confused, and his steps were particularly heavy. The road ahead seemed very long, very long.

As night fell and the city lights came on, he finally left the main urban area.

Ahead was a crystal track bridge, exclusively for "ultra-high-speed crystal track trains." Walking through the tunnel under the bridge and then a mile further, he would reach Chaoyang New Village.

This was the suburbs, relatively desolate, with few people around.

Li Yao was about to cross the tunnel when a sharp roar and a burst of light caught his attention. A crystal track train was about to pass over the bridge.

Li Yao suddenly stopped, rubbed his eyes, and looked up at the bridge.

For a moment, he thought he saw someone standing on the bridge!

This was a dedicated track bridge for trains!

The "ultra-high-speed crystal track train" was one of the ten super-giant magical artifacts of the Federation, capable of reaching speeds of over 2,000 kilometers per hour. Each train was equipped with the highest-level defensive arrays to prevent destruction by monster beasts, and its destructive power at high speed was no less than a high-level cultivator's full attack!

To prevent accidents, ultra-high-speed crystal track trains usually ran on dedicated tracks dozens of meters above the ground, surrounded by sealed restrictions—how did this person get in?

Yes, Li Yao saw clearly that there was indeed an old man standing on the track bridge.

This was a very peculiar old man, with white hair and an ancient appearance, like the human figurines he had seen in museums from tens of thousands of years ago.

But he exuded an extremely dense "aura." Even from a hundred meters away, Li Yao could almost hear his strong heartbeat.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Like a giant hammer continuously pounding on an iron anvil!

Compared to his vast, sea-like aura, Helian Lie's pressure was pitifully weak. The difference between the two was greater than the gap between the sun and a firefly—and Li Yao had a feeling that this old man hadn't even actively released his aura. What he felt was just a tiny ripple that leaked out unintentionally, a mere tip of the iceberg!

The old man was wearing a simple and plain coarse cloth robe, as if he had walked out of the classical cultivation world from 40,000 years ago!

"Hey—!" In a critical moment, Li Yao didn't care whether this old man was a lunatic or some strange person. Seeing the train about to arrive, he waved his arms and shouted loudly.

The old man ignored Li Yao's cries and continued to observe the expanding lights ahead.

He seemed very curious about everything around him, especially the crystal tracks on the bridge and the approaching crystal track train, which brought a childlike joy to his face.

The next second—