Chapter 205: Chapter 159: The Irascible Wu Yi and the Sword Cultivator Conjecture

’Hiss... This is strange. Does Yu Fei have a close relationship with Honglian?’

Completely baffled, he sent a request to Honglian and soon received a brief reply.

[Partial information on Yu Fei will only be made available to the corresponding university after he has submitted his enrollment choices.]

Seeing this message, Wu Yi’s anxiety vanished. This meant all seven major universities were on a level playing field. Everything depended on which school Yu Fei chose first; only if those negotiations failed would a second party be able to step in.

Recalling Yu Fei’s performance throughout the competition, he silently added a "+" to his S-rank rating.

After submitting his information, Yu Fei connected with the various prodigies he had met during the competition to build some rapport.

Of course, most of the prodigies were more than happy to oblige. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, their group was destined for high positions within the Yu Kingdom’s martial arts hierarchy. Building connections early was a good move; it would at least create some goodwill to call upon in the future.

Some, however, were disdainful of this, like Zhang Xunyi. The guy had finished ranked 39th among the S-ranks, a placement completely inconsistent with his true strength. His only three losses had all been dealt by Yu Fei.

If he hadn’t gotten so fixated on challenging Yu Fei, his rank would have been much higher.

After three matches, Zhang Xunyi admitted he was no match for Yu Fei at present, but he wasn’t resigned to it. He was determined to get his win back sooner or later.

Yu Fei wasn’t bothered. With the Reversal Bead on him, he feared no challenge. He did, however, have an idea for Zhang Xunyi.

"Zhang, your whole vibe is actually perfect for one of those ancient, masked heroes. Just imagine it! You put on a mask with a classical design, dress in flowing white robes... you’d look just like a disciple from some reclusive sect, sent out to wander the world!"

The moment Yu Fei said this, Zhang Xunyi couldn’t sit still.

"Guys, something’s come up. I’ve gotta go!"

He stood and made a stylish exit.

Ren Feng, Li Jueyin, and the others snickered from the side. After hanging out for a few days, they had all figured out Zhang Xunyi’s little quirk.

He was actually a good guy, but he’d get flustered whenever he was around someone better-looking than himself. Unfortunately for him, his own looks were merely average, which was why he always seemed so agitated.

At least Zhang Xunyi and Zhuge Zhigang got along well; the two had hit it off right away. According to Luo Mengfei, anyone who could be friends with Zhuge Zhigang couldn’t be all that bad.

There were certain unspoken thresholds for socializing among the prodigies. Although Yu Fei was only at the Second-Realm, his strength was undeniable. To them, the difference between the Second-Realm and the Fourth-Realm wasn’t that big a deal. None of them had been cultivating for very long, and with the resource stipend for S-ranks, Yu Fei’s cultivation level would quickly catch up once he started university.

Generally, the S-rank prodigies interacted more frequently among themselves. It wasn’t that they looked down on prodigies of other ranks; it was just that when someone’s rank was a tier lower, no one wanted to awkwardly force an association.

Yu Fei didn’t think much of it. He turned no one away, adding anyone who reached out to him as a friend.

Talent was crucial in martial cultivation, but it could be constrained by other factors. Yan Sea merely had a blue-level talent, yet he had already advanced to the Grandmaster realm. Su Yue, a B-rank prodigy, was trapped at the Gang Qi stage by matters of the heart, unable to move forward. Nothing was ever set in stone.

To this day, Yu Fei still couldn’t understand what Su Yue saw in Yan Sea. ’It makes no sense!’

Perhaps love itself was never meant to be logical.

Yan Sea sent him a private message. He and Su Yue were getting married in Mingchuan City of Zhaoyang Province in half a month. A plane ticket was attached.

By that time, Yu Fei’s placement competition would be over, meaning he could even head there early.

「March 27, 838」

It was now the fourth day after the competition, the day Yu Fei and the others would discuss admission with their schools of choice. Yu Fei arrived early to wait.

The meeting order was determined by S-rank placement. Yu Fei noticed that Li Jueyin and another prodigy, Gao Shou, had also chosen Shenhan University. However, out of the 42 S-ranks, only five had opted for Shenhan—a relatively small number.

It was soon Yu Fei’s turn. This was his first time meeting Wu Yi.

The meeting took place in an ordinary office, clean and spartan with no extra frills.

The observer from Shenhan University was not tall, standing at just over five-foot-seven. He had a lean, wiry frame and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.

"Yu Fei, welcome. Thank you for choosing Shenhan University. Please, have a seat."

"Hello, sir. Thank you."

Wu Yi handed him a glass of water and got straight to the point.

"Alright, I’ll be direct. I’ve watched all of your matches very closely. Aside from your slightly low cultivation level, you’re outstanding in every other respect. Overall, I’m very impressed with you."

Yu Fei didn’t let the praise go to his head. He remained perfectly calm and thanked him again, "Thank you for holding me in such high regard."

Wu Yi paused for a moment before continuing, "I had intended to offer you an S+ level package. What I didn’t expect was for the second and third-ranked S-ranks to choose Shenhan as well. According to the rules, each of the seven major universities can only offer S+ level resources to a maximum of two students per recruitment cycle, so..."

Yu Fei could tell there was more to come, so he didn’t speak, simply waiting for Wu Yi to finish.

"So, by the rules, you won’t be eligible for the S+ level resource package if you enroll at Shenhan University."

Yu Fei nodded and asked, "What’s the difference between the S+ and S-rank packages?"

"A twenty-percent boost in ordinary resources and priority access to special resources."

"Thank you."

Yu Fei stood, politely pushed his chair back into place, and then turned and walked away!

’I was leaning toward Shenhan, but I refuse to be taken for a fool. The rule Wu Yi mentioned... two S+ slots per school, a total of fourteen slots across the seven universities. I’m ranked twelfth. I should get a slot no matter what. That rule is only a problem if you’re Tianchen University!’