One million yuan — is that a lot?
It is.
For an orphan who has to penny-pinch even on synthetic starch meat, it’s a fortune that could knock anyone out cold.
But Su Yu’s hand, hovering midair, steadily pulled back.
He lowered his head, his gaze deep. The abacus in his mind was clicking at a frantic speed.
One yuan, one year of cultivation.
Combining his WeChat balance with the loose change in his pockets, he had exactly 328 yuan and 50 cents.
Converted — that was 328 years of cultivation!
His talent was so rotten it might as well be in the sewer. Training hard on his own for a whole year only added 0.1 to his Vitality stat.
But three hundred years?
Three hundred times 0.1 — a full 30 Vitality points!
The max score for the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam was only 10 points.
The pocket change he had, not even enough for a proper meal, could now let him grind every martial arts prodigy in Jiangcheng into the dirt.
Since he could actually ace the exam now, why sell?
A million bucks versus a spot in a top-tier martial arts university — which was worth more?
Even hesitating for a second would be an insult to this high-martial world.
In a world ruled by giant beasts, the truly core resources were absolutely monopolized. The government, the military, the top noble families — they held the path of advancement in an iron grip.
What did a martial arts university offer?
Free access to gravity chambers! Spirit Energy rooms that the public never got to see! Advanced cultivation techniques refined by generations of grandmasters! One-on-one coaching from famous instructors!
If even one of these leaked onto the black market, forget a million — tens of millions, and countless people would fight to the death for it.
Why was Zhao Ze’s family willing to spend a million on this spot?
Because they knew better than anyone that the actual value of this slot was ten times, a hundred times greater than a million.
What’s more, martial artists were a privileged class.
Graduate from a top martial arts university, and you were directly commissioned as an officer or entered the upper echelons of government.
You got tax exemptions.
You got a legal license to slay giant beasts.
In this perilous era, that was a pardon from death that money alone could never buy.
Even if he didn’t covet those privileges, the martial arts university was his most urgent need right now — a shield.
If he took the million today, gave up on the exam, and then suddenly showed the power of a Battle God on the streets tomorrow…
That wouldn’t be called genius.
That would be called a freak.
He’d get dragged into a secret lab by the authorities in no time and sliced open to study his secret.
But if he passed the exam with flying colors, entered the university in the open, and shined on the school’s arena stage — everyone would just gasp.
Look — a late-blooming peerless genius!
The government would protect him, the military would court him, the noble families would invest in him.
Before he had the system, he could only watch the opportunity slip away.
Now that he had the system, he was qualified to sit at the table.
“Su Yu?”
Li Jianguo watched Su Yu pull his hand back, frowning even deeper. “Why aren’t you signing?”
Zhao Ze, sitting on the sofa, also put down his phone. The gentle, composed look on his face flickered with a barely noticeable shadow of darkness.
“Not enough?”
Zhao Ze’s voice remained calm, but it now carried an oppressive arrogance. “Add 200,000.”
One million, two hundred thousand.
That was more cash than many ordinary families saw in a lifetime.
Su Yu lifted his head, met Zhao Ze’s condescending gaze, and shook his head calmly.
“Zhao, I appreciate your offer.”
“But I’m not signing.”
The faculty office went dead silent.
The hum of the old air conditioner sounded harshly loud.
Li Jianguo’s eyes bugged out as if he’d just heard the most absurd joke. “Su Yu! Have you lost your mind? One million, two hundred thousand! Do you even know what you’re saying!”
“I do.”
Su Yu’s tone was utterly flat. His deep eyes held a maturity and calmness far beyond his age.
“I want to try it myself.”
“Even if I only manage to get into a third-rate martial arts university, I want to earn it with my own score.”
He didn’t brag.
He couldn’t expose the system.
A worthless kid with 0.8 Vitality suddenly acting arrogant would only cause unnecessary trouble.
What he needed to do now was get home immediately!
Test out the system’s effect! Turn all that three-hundred-something yuan into tangible cultivation!
Zhao Ze’s face finally changed.
The thin veneer of politeness tore open, revealing the ruthless core underneath.
“One million, five hundred thousand.”
Zhao Ze locked his eyes on Su Yu, as if looking at an ungrateful piece of goods. “Su Yu, know your place. Don’t think that holding onto a good academic record lets you hold out for a better price.”
“It’s not about the money.”
Su Yu gave a slight, polite, but distant bow. “Mr. Li, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to study.”
With that, he turned and left.
No hesitation, no dallying.
“Stop right there.”
From behind him came Zhao Ze’s ice-cold voice.
No more disguise. No more pretense.
Just pure, naked threat.
“Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit?”
Su Yu paused at the door.
He didn’t look back.
He simply reached out, grabbed the cold door handle, twisted it lightly, and pushed his way out.
Bam.
The faculty office door slammed shut, shutting out the suffocating atmosphere inside.
Inside the office.
A deathly silence.
“Crack—”
A sharp snap.
The black pen in Zhao Ze’s hand was crushed into pieces!
Sharp plastic shards cut into his skin. Black ink mixed with blood dripped through his fingers onto the expensive leather sofa.
“Master Zhao!” Li Jianguo jumped in shock and scrambled for tissues.
“Get away!”
Zhao Ze shoved Li Jianguo aside, his chest heaving violently.
He was furious.
In his eighteen years of life, Zhao Ze had always been the one throwing out handouts. When had scum from the bottom of society ever dared to refuse him?
One million five hundred thousand for a lousy spot — that was charity!
Not only did that bastard refuse to be grateful, but he also dared to walk out?
Want to try it himself?
Even a third-rate university?
“Good… very good!”
Zhao Ze gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with venomous malice.
If the Great Xia laws weren’t so strict, criminalizing the killing of civilians by martial artists with death, Su Yu would already be a corpse.
The law couldn’t kill him.
But there were plenty of things the law couldn’t cover.
Did he really think his academic record mattered that much? That declining the Zhao family would let him take the exam peacefully?
Naïve.
Zhao Ze pulled out a tissue and slowly wiped the ink and blood off his hand.
Since he wouldn’t take the toast.
Then he wouldn’t get a single cent.
Zhao Ze pulled out his phone, scrolled to an unnamed number, and dialed.
The call connected quickly.
“Old Mo.”
Zhao Ze’s voice returned to its cold, commanding tone. “Handle a student for me. Senior year at Jiangcheng No. 3 High School. Name’s Su Yu.”
“No, don’t kill him.”
“Find some clean-handed guys, knock him out, and throw him in a bag.”
Zhao Ze looked out the window, his gaze locking on the figure moving briskly down the campus’s tree-lined path. A cruel smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Break both his legs. Make sure he spends two weeks in the hospital.”
"I don't want to see him in the exam hall until the college entrance exams are over."
"Money? Two hundred thousand."
Hanging up the phone, Zhao Ze casually tossed the blood-stained tissue into the trash bin.
The dignity of the lower-class commoners?
In the face of absolute resources and wealth, it isn't even worth a fart.