1: Chapter 1: What's wrong? Dissatisfied with the price?

Jiangcheng No. 3 High School, Grade 12 teaching and research office.

The old air conditioner emitted a dull roar.

Su Yu stood in front of the desk, looking at the agreement handed over by his homeroom teacher, Teacher Li Jianguo, remaining silent.

"Su Yu, just sign it."

Teacher Li Jianguo sighed, picked up his thermos cup, took a sip of goji berry water, and said, "For you, this is the best choice."

The agreement on the table was only two thin pages long.

But the content written on it was enough to change Su Yu's entire life.

Relinquish the ownership rights to his college entrance exam liberal arts scores.

As compensation, he would receive one million dragon coins.

Su Yu did not reach for the pen.

He just raised his head and looked at the boy sitting on the sofa.

Zhao Ze.

A well-known rich kid in the class whose family operated several large martial arts gyms in Jiangcheng, with assets exceeding one hundred million.

At this moment, Zhao Ze was looking down at his phone. Sensing Su Yu's gaze, he looked up and revealed a gentle smile.

"Student Su, we can still discuss the terms."

Zhao Ze's voice was very calm, lacking that kind of arrogant bluster, possessing only a condescending composure.

"One million, in cash, can be transferred to your card this afternoon."

Su Yu took a deep breath.

One million.

In this world where giant beasts run rampant and martial artists are revered, the average monthly salary for an ordinary person is only three thousand.

Even if his liberal arts scores were excellent, and he got into a prestigious liberal arts university, finding a decent job with a monthly salary of over ten thousand after graduation...

He would still have to save for nearly a hundred years without eating or drinking.

And now, he only needed to sign his name, and this huge sum of money would belong to him.

"Zhao Ze's liberal arts scores are not very ideal."

Teacher Li Jianguo spoke up at the right moment from the side, "But his martial arts vitality value has already reached 9.8, just a fraction away from a perfect score. As long as his liberal arts scores can be boosted, he can securely enter the Daxia Capital First Martial Arts University."

"Su Yu, I also understand your situation."

Teacher Li Jianguo's tone softened, carrying a hint of earnestness, "You are an orphan, usually relying on odd jobs to earn living expenses. Your liberal arts are indeed good, top ten in the grade."

"But so what?"

"Liberal arts students, after graduation, are at most senior clerks or work in logistics departments. This world is, after all, a world of martial artists."

Teacher Li Jianguo's words were like a dull knife, slicing into Su Yu's nerves one by one.

He had transmigrated to this world for three years.

Su Yu knew the status of martial artists better than anyone else.

Outside the city, giant beasts ravaged the land, and humanity survived within high walls. Only martial artists could resist those terrifying monsters and enjoy privileges and glory.

He had also once fantasized about soaring into the sky like a novel protagonist.

He trained like a madman.

Every day, he rose earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs, pouring all his spare time into the Basic Body Tempering Technique.

And the result?

In three years, his vitality value had struggled to climb from 0.5 to 0.8.

And the passing line for the martial arts college entrance exam was 6 points in vitality value.

The perfect score was as high as 10 points.

A vitality value of 0.8 couldn't even touch the threshold of a martial arts high school, let alone the martial arts college entrance exam.

His talent was appallingly poor.

"Student Su, actually, you don't need to feel aggrieved."

Zhao Ze put down his phone, stood up, and walked in front of Su Yu.

He was half a head taller than Su Yu, and standing there, he exuded an invisible sense of oppression.

"Martial arts require money."

Zhao Ze looked at Su Yu, his eyes filled with a trace of pity, "Poor literary, rich martial; this saying applies in any era."

"What do you eat every day? The cheapest synthetic starch meat in the cafeteria."

"What do I eat? First-tier exotic beast meat, soup stewed with century-old ginseng, and every month I have specialized martial arts teachers performing massage therapy."

"Even if I gave you this spot at a prestigious martial arts university, could you afford to attend?"

Zhao Ze extended his finger and tapped the agreement on the table.

"The cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, and weapons in university—which one doesn't cost money?"

"You have no background, no resources, just relying on passion and hard work?"

Zhao Ze chuckled and shook his head.

"If hard work were useful, what would be the point of talent and family background?"

Every word pierced his heart.

Su Yu clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh.

He really wanted to retort.

He really wanted to throw that agreement in Zhao Ze's face and shout, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"

But he didn't have the confidence.

Zhao Ze was right; even if he really managed to get into an ordinary university based on his liberal arts scores and gained access to better cultivation techniques...

With his despairing martial arts talent and that empty wallet, what could he use to break through?

A vitality value of 0.8 was like an insurmountable mountain, pressing heavily on his spine.

"Su Yu, don't be stubborn."

Teacher Li Jianguo saw Su Yu's struggle and continued to persuade him, "You just need to take the exam normally and perform at your usual level."

"The Zhao family will handle the rest. The scores will naturally fall to Zhao Ze."

"You take one million, and you can live the rest of your life comfortably, maybe even start a small business and marry a beautiful wife. Isn't that better than grinding your way through a liberal arts university?"

"As long as you don't cause trouble, it's a win-win for everyone."

Win-win.

What a great win-win.

Su Yu sneered in his heart.

Stealing the fruits of someone else's ten years of hard study and buying out someone else's future with money—this is called a win-win.

But, did he have the capital to refuse?

If he refused, the Zhao family had ten thousand ways to make it impossible for him to survive in Jiangcheng.

Even his pitiful liberal arts scores might not be safe.

He was just an orphan with no power or influence.

In this world of survival of the fittest, the weak don't even have the right to choose.

Su Yu slowly unclenched his fists.

A sense of powerlessness surged through his entire body.

He glanced at the black signature pen and slowly reached out his hand.

Perhaps this is reality.

Getting this one million, at least he wouldn't have to worry about next month's rent.

Just at the moment his fingertips were about to touch the pen barrel.

A cold, mechanical voice exploded in his mind without warning.

"System: Host facing a major life decision detected; Krypton Gold Cultivation System activated."

"System: Binding in progress..."

"System: Binding successful."

Su Yu's hand froze abruptly in mid-air.

His pupils contracted sharply.

System?

The cheat code has arrived?!

"System: This system is dedicated to helping the host reach the pinnacle of martial arts in the simplest and crudest way."

"System: Core function: Use Krypton Gold to buy cultivation."

"System: Current exchange rate: 1 dollar = 1 year of cultivation."

"System: Note: A year of cultivation is the result of the host cultivating 24/7 in an absolutely perfect state, without eating, drinking, or sleeping."

Su Yu was stunned.

Even though he had experienced three years of society's harsh beatings, his brain was somewhat crashed at this moment.

One dollar... to buy one year of cultivation?

He usually had to pay two dollars just to buy a bottle of mineral water at the convenience store!

Two dollars could buy two years of perfect cultivation results?!

Su Yu swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He suddenly realized an extremely crazy fact.

If one dollar could buy one year of cultivation...

Then what if he had one million?

One million years of cultivation!

Forget about passing the vitality value; with one million years of cultivation smashed into him, even if he were a pig, he could ascend on the spot, right?!

"Su Yu?"

Teacher Li Jianguo looked at Su Yu's hand suspended in mid-air and frowned slightly, "What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with the price?"

Zhao Ze also raised an eyebrow, "Student Su, one million is already the limit. One must be content; greed will only lead to one's downfall."