Chapter 25: Turning the World Upside Down

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[June 19th, 125th Year of the Transcendental Era, the day of the Grand Examination.]
[You shine brilliantly during the level assessment. For the scions of noble families, reaching the First Rank in three months is not a difficult task.]
[After all, they have an abundant supply of God-Given Crystals. As long as they can settle their minds and refine them, almost all of them can become First Rank professionals.]
[But for a grassroots professional, especially one who awakened a Black Iron-grade talent through a "Gratitude Loan," how could you possibly reach Level 12 in just three months?]
[Your abnormal performance quickly attracts the interest of the major aristocratic clans in Jiang City.]
[Even Du Yuhan, who possesses the highest level among those present, casts frequent glances in your direction.]
[She is curious: given your background, how did you manage to achieve the First Rank?]
[Putting herself in your shoes, even with her own superior Golden-grade talent, she knows that had she been born into poverty, she would never have been able to complete her first advancement in three months.]
[Roughly estimating, without any external assistance, it would be a challenge for her to even reach Level 8 on her own.]
[So... how did you achieve it?]
[When the second part of the Grand Examination—the practical assessment—begins, your performance leaves the chief examiner astonished.]
[Your decisive killing intent and your precision in combat techniques make people wonder: are you truly a freshman who just awakened this year?]
[Your talent in combat is even more captivating than your high level.]
[However, the fact that you are eligible to participate means you have passed the review of the Wisdom Network.]
[It is widely known that for many years, the Wisdom Network has never made a mistake.]
[Therefore, the moment the examination ends, major clans extend olive branches to you.]
[They promise that if you maintain this growth trajectory, they will grant you a noble surname and marry off a girl from their cadet branch to you in the future.]
[Your children will then become part of the lineage nurtured by their house!]
[The Federation’s top three institutions—Imperial Capital University, Magic Capital University, and War University—all send you invitations, believing you are qualified to join them.]
[However, when you ask about the benefits of joining these top schools—such as scholarships or subsidies in the form of transcendental resources—the admissions officers from Imperial Capital and Magic Capital display strange expressions.]
[Subsequently, both officers block your Wisdom Network account.]
[Normally, the minimum level requirement for Imperial Capital and Magic Capital is Level 14. Their contacting you was a sign they didn't want to miss a genius, and it was a chance for you.]
[Yet, you had the audacity to turn around and ask them for resources?]
[Isn't that completely turning the world upside down?]

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[Only the representative from War University answers your questions seriously.]
[He acknowledges that since you come from an ordinary family and have achieved such results in three months, as long as you maintain that growth rate, you will surely obtain all the resources you need at War University.]
[Most importantly, War University employs a military merit system.]
[Once you arrive, as long as you perform meritorious service, you can exchange it for all kinds of transcendental resources.]
[He can only tell you this much. As for your hope of receiving a massive windfall of resources upon entry, such things do exist, but they are reserved for provincial top scorers or the top ten outstanding professionals.]
[You express your understanding regarding this.]
[After careful consideration, you decide against choosing War University.]
[After all, you know your own situation best.]
[It is no exaggeration to say that despite having two "Gifts from Space-Time," your performance during the Grand Examination was only just comparable to that of a noble scion.]
[Once you enter a top-tier institution without a family backing you, and with the school providing no transcendental resources, you would only become a legendary "tail-ender."]
[In your view, top-tier universities are merely high-end channels for acquiring resources.]
[Since you cannot utilize them right now, there is no need to go there.]
[Thus, you return to your original plan and contact the admissions officer of Yun City University No. 1.]
[After all, you are quite familiar with the city of Yun City.]
[The admissions officer at Yun City No. 1 is ecstatic to learn of your interest.]
[Although Yun City No. 1 is a first-class professional university, it pales in comparison to the elite institutions in the Imperial and Magic Capitals.]
[Therefore, anyone capable of becoming a First Rank professional is usually sent to the capital cities by their families.]
[Because of this, Yun City No. 1 places great importance on your enrollment.]
[There is another reason: they see the value in your combination of a commoner background and First Rank status.]
[If marketed correctly, the university could generate a massive wave of positive public opinion.]
[If handled well, in the coming years, top-tier talents from ordinary backgrounds might start choosing Yun City No. 1.]
[Seizing this opportunity, you present your conditions, including but not limited to enrollment bonuses, scholarships, intermediate God-Given Crystals, equipment, and inscription systems.]

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[Negotiation is like that; you always have to leave some room for the other party to bargain, don't you?]
[In the end, both sides reach an agreement that satisfies their respective interests.]
[After your enrollment, Yun City No. 1 will provide you with the highest level of entry bonuses and scholarships. Furthermore, considering your family background, they will grant you an annual stipend of 20 million.]
[As for the intermediate God-Given Crystals—a strategic resource—the university refuses initially, but not entirely.]
[You are permitted to purchase them from the university’s academic affairs office at a price of 5 million each.]
[However, you are forbidden from reselling them; once discovered, the university has the right to revoke this benefit.]
[You have no objections to this.]
[After all, the price of an intermediate God-Given Crystal on the black market has soared to around 8 million.]
[If you could resell them, you could make a fortune on that alone.]

"A university like this... it feels like a real university."
Lin Xia smiles slightly as he reads this.
To be honest, even he didn't expect the 20 million annual stipend.
But then again, aren't stipends meant to help students in need?
In this transcendental world, who among those admitted to Yun City No. 1 isn't wealthy?
Looking at it that way, he is indeed the poorest one.
Yun City No. 1 giving the stipend to the poorest student—that shouldn't be an issue from any perspective, right?
As for the amount of the stipend?
That's not important!
And those intermediate God-Given Crystals—they can't be resold, but having the members of the Red Heart Team absorb and refine them certainly doesn't count as low-priced resale.
"Yun City No. 1... not bad..."
Lin Xia pauses for a moment. "Forget it, I'd better not jinx it."