Gymnasium, second-floor corridor.

A group of school leaders stood up there, looking down over the freshmen below, exuding authority as they waited for the opening trial to begin.

The Student Union president, Zhou Xuehong, came up as well.

He was here to observe this cohort’s performance in the opening trial and select suitable talent for the Student Union.

“President Zhou, you’re a bit too petty, aren’t you? So you got thrashed by Li Yijin on the martial platform earlier this year—does that really justify taking it out on his younger brother?”

As soon as he saw Zhou Xuehong come over, Liu Chuanwu couldn’t help taking a jab at him.

Moments ago, when Zhou had released the pressure of a high-level organism from the stage, he’d deliberately targeted Li Moyu in the audience, pressing him so hard his face turned pale and he almost suffocated.

That kind of behavior was downright classless.

Ma Zhenhe, standing nearby chuckled, “Anyone could say that—except you, Liu Chuanwu. If we’re measuring pettiness, among nearly twenty thousand teachers and students at Shanhai University, who can compare to you?”

“Heh, how is that the same?”

Liu gave a cold laugh and shot back, “When I’m petty, it’s aimed at the person involved. I never drag family into it.”

Ma couldn’t be bothered to respond.

As for Zhou Xuehong, he didn’t spare him a single glance from start to finish, treating him like thin air.

Liu Chuanwu didn’t have many friends on campus, especially with people from the Evolution Academy; they were practically mortal enemies who couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

“Dean Ma, I hear your daughter did quite well on the college entrance exam. What score did she get, exactly?”

Zhou stopped beside Ma Zhenhe, casually asking while watching the freshmen coming and going below.

Ma showed a trace of pride and said with a smile, “Not bad—about fourth in Kyoto.”

“Fourth in Kyoto?”

Zhou murmured, then said, “Dean Ma, have your daughter join the Student Union. I’ll cultivate her as a presidential candidate.”

Ma laughed, “She’ll definitely be joining the Student Union. I’ll trouble President Zhou to look after Xiwei from now on.”

Zhou didn’t smile; he said evenly, “As long as they’re a genius, I take care of them.”

Special treatment? No need.

He wasn’t inviting Ma Zhenhe’s daughter, Ma Xiwei, to curry favor with the dean of the Evolution Academy.

He genuinely thought highly of her and wanted to groom her as a presidential seed.

As Student Union president, his authority was no less than the Evolution Academy’s dean.

The two positions were on the same level; both reported directly to the principal.

If you had to compare status, the Student Union president might even rank a bit higher at the university than the Evolution Academy’s dean.

After all, both were advanced organisms, but the Student Union president was only in his early twenties, far younger than the Evolution Academy’s dean in his forties; his future achievements were bound to be greater.

And with higher future achievements, one’s current standing naturally rose with the tide.

“What do you think—between the two standout freshmen, Li Moyu and Ma Xiwei, who will become this year’s Freshman King in the opening trial?”

Zhou glanced down at them and posed the question to the leaders at his side, his voice as calm as still water.

A bald male leader said, “It should be Li Moyu. His biological level has reached Ordinary Fifth Tier; with that physical strength, he’s basically invincible among the freshmen.”

A female leader with alloy-forged limbs and chest offered a different view, “Dean Ma’s daughter may have scored a bit lower than Li Moyu, but she successfully fused the Shadow Nightcat gene over the summer. Her current strength really isn’t weaker than his.”

Another leader predicted, “I still think it’s Li Moyu. Ma Xiwei may have undergone gene fusion, but only a small portion—her power-up is quite limited.”

Beyond those three, the other leaders also weighed in one after another.

Support was essentially split fifty–fifty between Li Moyu and Ma Xiwei.

In the leaders’ eyes, the two of them were the peerless geniuses of Shanhai University’s incoming class, far stronger overall than the rest.

Of course, that was only for now.

Who would be number one later on was hard to say.

It was only the start of the term and gene fusion hadn’t begun; strength or weakness could only be judged by the body.

Once gene fusion started, the rankings would be shuffled.

“If you ask me, neither Li Moyu nor Ma Xiwei will take Freshman King.”

As the others analyzed which of the two had the edge, Liu Chuanwu suddenly dropped that line out of nowhere.

Everyone turned to look at him.

One of the leaders asked with a smile, “Then who do you think it’ll be, Dean Liu?”

Liu blurted, “Naturally, my Celestial Pavilion member—Lin Zichen!”

The others couldn’t help but laugh.

What a hilarious answer.

With Lin Zichen’s entrance-exam physical stats, he couldn’t even crack the top ten of this intake. On what basis would he be Freshman King?

‘Because he belongs to the Celestial Pavilion and you’re self-promoting like a huckster?’

While the others were only grumbling inwardly, Ma Zhenhe chose to say it aloud, dripping sarcasm, “Dean Liu, what a unique eye you have. With your discerning talent, the Celestial Pavilion is sure to flourish.”

“Heh.”

Liu gave his habitual cold chuckle and said to Ma, “Dean Ma, cut the sarcasm. I say Lin Zichen will be this year’s Freshman King. If you don’t believe me, we can make a bet.”

“What do you want to bet?”

“Keep it simple—credits.”

Credits were the common currency at Shanhai University.

Besides redeeming evolution resources, they could be exchanged directly for cash.

Even faculty salaries were paid in credits.

“How many credits, Dean Liu?”

“One hundred!”

When Liu named one hundred credits, the leaders around them raised their eyebrows.

When he first proposed a bet, everyone thought he was just bluffing.

No one expected him to actually bet—and so big.

One credit could be exchanged for ten thousand yuan.

Betting one hundred credits meant a million—a pretty bold wager.

Ma frowned, unable to fathom why Liu dared, suspecting a scam.

For example… bribing a favorite to throw the match.

But Ma Xiwei was his daughter—how would Liu bribe her?

And Li Moyu was the eldest young master of Kyoto’s Li family; he wasn’t short on money and was even less likely to be bought.

So what on earth was Liu up to?

Ma was baffled.

The other leaders were equally perplexed.

“Cat got your tongue? Losing your nerve?”

Seeing his archenemy slow to respond, Liu taunted smugly.

Time to goad him.

“Don’t be absurd! It’s only a hundred credits—that’s just my basic monthly salary. Why would I balk? You, on the other hand—flat broke as you are—don’t you dare try to weasel out if you lose.”

Ma took the bait and accepted the wager.

Usually steady as a rock, he lost his cool whenever it came to Liu Chuanwu.

“Relax—with this many witnesses, I couldn’t renege even if I wanted to.”

Liu said with a squinting smile.

Seeing that smile only deepened Ma’s doubts.

‘What gave this old fox the guts to bet me? Could it be… Lin Zichen really could become Freshman King? How could that be?’

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed, yet he still couldn’t figure out Liu’s scheme.

After thinking it over, he could only wait for the freshmen’s opening trial below to begin and see what happened.

“Same bet—one hundred credits! Anyone else want in? President Zhou—interested? Dean Gao? Director He—since you like playing cards, care to wager?”

After betting with Ma, Liu set his sights on the other leaders, hoping to rake in a haul off this trial.

The other leaders found it fishy but couldn’t see how Liu would win.

After a moment’s hesitation, they all took the bet.

“Vice Principal Yuan, you too?”