The sun dipped below the horizon.

On the rooftop of Songyang High, Zhang Yu’s Great Sun Qi Sea had just advanced to Level 4 (21/40). Along with it, his mana, once bottlenecked by the sluggish Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique, now surged past 44.3 and was accelerating faster than ever.

But as the last light of day faded, he could feel the once-boiling Qi Sea gradually calming.

“Sigh, the sunlight really does help. Cultivating during the day hits way harder.”

“At night… I’ll have to find a workaround.”

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen nudged Zhang Yu again, reminding him to head to White Dragon High and earn some sparring fees off Song Hailong and Yu Xinghan.

Of course, he’d brought Bai Zhenzhen along to pitch her as a substitute sparring partner.

…

Soon enough, the two stepped into White Dragon High.

Being half-acquainted with the place, they navigated the various color-coded and rule-laden corridors with ease. They passed students kneeling in meditation, a math teacher being heckled by his class…

The whole atmosphere was something else.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “White Dragon High’s turning into a zoo.”

Ever since they entered, almost seven or eight out of every ten students didn’t look remotely human.

Just up ahead, a bear-like demon and a werewolf-looking guy were ganging up on a student who still looked fully human.

The bear demon’s uniform bore the number 35, the werewolf’s showed 36, and the human student had 99 on his chest.

The bear demon shoved the kid’s head down and snarled, “You brat! Were you peeking at my notes just now?”

The human-shaped student trembled, “I… I saw them by accident.”

The werewolf sneered, “Ranked 99 and you don’t even have Synthetic Demon Tendon Muscle? And you dare peek at an advanced class’s notes? Hand over your workbook. We’re doing your homework tonight.”

The student shrieked in horror, “No! Please don’t take my homework! Hit me if you want—just don’t take my assignments!”

Watching the commotion, Zhang Yu silently observed, “Aside from Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong, who’ve got a grip on their physical transformations, it seems the less human you look, the higher your status at White Dragon.”

“This really is turning into a Beastman Kingdom.”

At that moment, the bear demon noticed the distinctly human Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen—and more importantly, their Songyang High uniforms.

Huh? Songyang trash dared enter our White Dragon Empire?

The bear demon immediately furrowed his brow and stomped toward them. “What are you two doing at White Dragon?”

The werewolf joined him, towering over Zhang Yu. “Sneaking around—trying to steal our study methods?”

Zhang Yu scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh… I’m here to see Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong.”

Both the bear and the wolf looked skeptical. Our school’s top two students, knowing a Songyang reject?

Just then, an even taller figure approached and said warmly, “Long time no see, you two.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Chu Qiuhe?”

It was Chu Qiuhe—the same one Zhang Yu had beaten during the martial arts competition.

The bear and the wolf instantly dropped to the ground like loyal pets, groveling before one of White Dragon’s top five students.

Chu Qiuhe cast a glance their way. “This is Zhang Yu. Took first in both martial arts and athletics. Beat me for the championship.”

The two beastmen froze, stunned. Though they’d heard rumors about this monster, this was their first encounter.

They dropped to their knees again. “Big Brother Zhang Yu!”

Chu Qiuhe continued, “He doesn’t show Synthetic Demon traits because he has total control over the Synthetic Demon Tendon Muscle in his body.”

“He’s no ordinary Songyang student. He’s the Emperor of Songyang.”

“Showing him disrespect… is showing me disrespect.”

Then, cold as ice, Chu Qiuhe declared their punishment. “No homework tonight.”

“And tomorrow morning—not! A! Single! Assignment!”

The bear and the wolf looked devastated, tails metaphorically between their legs as they backed away in misery.

Only after disciplining them did Chu Qiuhe turn back to Zhang Yu. “Apologies, Zhang Yu. They’ve never been to the competitions and don’t know what a top Songyang student looks like.”

“You’re here to see Xinghan and Hailong, right? They’re waiting in the training hall.”

Guided by Chu Qiuhe, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen made their way to the hall at the end of the corridor.

Suddenly, a group of towering, muscle-bound, white-haired elders shuffled past, faces hollow and numb.

Even from a distance, Zhang Yu felt the wave of resentment rolling off them.

To his surprise, Chu Qiuhe bowed and said, “Greetings, seniors.”

The “elders” waved him off without a word and floated away like ghosts.

Zhang Yu whispered, “Who were those?”

Chu Qiuhe answered, “High school seniors. The pressure got to them, so some of them aged a little faster.”

Zhang Yu silently cursed, That’s not “a little”—they’ve got one foot in the grave! Must be another side effect of Immortal Dao technology.

Still, he dared not underestimate them.

Back when Zhang Pianpian told him he needed to reach senior-year level before the first Foundation Establishment exam, Zhang Yu had begun digging through White Dragon’s performance stats.

Luckily, the school aggressively promoted that data, so it wasn’t hard to find.

Zhang Yu thought, “Even among seniors, stats vary by stage.”

“When they just enter senior year, the average is Dao Heart Level 6, around 70 mana units, and physical strength above Level 7.5.”

“By the time of the college entrance exams, the average becomes Dao Heart Level 8, 90 mana units, and physical strength above 9.5.”

Knowing this, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt immense pressure—especially remembering Zhang Pianpian’s words: reach senior-year standard before the first Foundation Establishment exam.

“Only four months left until August…”

He knew registration started in June, with the first round in August, second in October, and final round in January.

That meant their opponents in Round One would include both rising sophomores like themselves—and rising seniors.

“And those seniors, come August, will already be at full senior-level strength.”

“Factoring in their background, power, and an extra year of Immortal Path training…”

“They’ll absolutely meet senior benchmarks by the first exam.”

Zhang Yu reviewed the data again in his mind. “Even using the lowest standard, just newly-promoted seniors… they average Dao Heart Level 6, 70 mana, 7.5 physical strength.”

“And with each exam round, opponents will only get stronger.”

The weight of it all settled heavily on Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

Currently, Zhang Yu was only at Dao Heart Level 4, with 44.3 mana and 4.96 in physical strength.

Bai Zhenzhen’s numbers were even lower.

Faced with this gap, they silently vowed—

“It’s mid-April now… We have four months to reach at least early senior benchmarks before the August exam.”

“Dao Heart Level 6, 70 mana units, physical strength above 7.5.”

…

When Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen finally entered the training hall—

Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong were already sparring.

Song Hailong’s massive frame struck like thunder, each punch and kick slamming like steel pillars toward Yu Xinghan.

But Yu Xinghan caught each one with a single hand—effortlessly.

It looked like Song Hailong was the one attacking nonstop, but the truth was clear: he was completely outclassed.

Even with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen entering, Yu Xinghan greeted them without breaking a sweat. “Zhang Yu, you’re here?”

“Me and Song Hailong were just warming up. Now that you’re here, let’s get started.”

At that moment, with a clash of fist and palm, the elephant-like Song Hailong staggered back, stomping craters into the ground.

He wasn’t surprised. He’d long known the gap between him and Yu Xinghan.

He steadied his breath, then turned to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

“You’re saying Bai Zhenzhen can spar with me?”

Expression cold, Bai Zhenzhen replied, “Beat me first. Then think about fighting Zhang Yu.”

Song Hailong snorted and waved her forward. “Fine. I’ll crush you first, then go after Zhang Yu.”

In the blink of an eye, the two clashed.

Song Hailong charged like a berserk elephant, arms sweeping with monstrous force, trying to pin her down.

But Bai Zhenzhen flitted around him like thunder, striking with Piercing Sword Aura and vanishing before he could grapple.

As their duel raged, Yu Xinghan turned to Zhang Yu—his rival from the athletic competition.

Ever since that defeat, he’d wanted Zhang Yu as a sparring partner.

Another whetstone to sharpen his blade.