Chapter 100: Considering the Future

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Considering the Future

Li Heng didn’t know that although Teacher Lu hadn’t shown up, he was already on the man’s radar. Out of sight, but not out of mind.

However, after the teachers from those two universities made their sudden move, Li Heng truly began to understand—he had probably achieved an incredible score.

And on the day his rank and score were officially announced, he feared people would be beating a path to his door...

’Should I... maybe learn a little about the Soul Energy Universities now?’

He had been so focused on grinding away in preparation for the secret realm college entrance exam. Now that it was over, he felt it was time to consider which Soul Energy University and major to choose.

His parents had made their attitude clear from the very beginning. They would support whatever decision Li Heng made, telling him not to worry about other factors. If he needed money, he just had to ask.

In truth, ever since Li Heng’s first time buying and selling items in the Soul Energy Store, he had stopped worrying about things like affording tuition or supporting himself.

He was worried about dealing a blow to his parents’ pride; the total value of the herbs in his medium-sized Space Stone alone was likely more than the couple’s savings from the better part of their lives.

But speaking of money, he couldn’t help but think of the long string of zeros in the Skill Store.

So while he didn’t have to worry about making a living, Li Heng still felt that "money" was a good thing, and that he was, in essence, still poor.

Returning to the matter at hand.

After waking from an afternoon nap, Li Heng logged onto the official Soul Energy Alliance website to check for specific information about the Soul Energy Universities.

The first thing that caught his eye was the current number one ranked Soul Energy University, located in the northernmost part of the Alliance: Netherworld University!

Second, Mingsi University.

...

Thirty-ninth: Desert Military Academy.

Seventy-second: Canghai University.

...

—

According to the description on the Alliance’s official website, the Soul Energy University rankings changed every four years, but the specific rules governing these changes were not disclosed.

The top one hundred universities enjoyed various support policies from the Alliance. The higher a university’s rank, the better its "benefits" and "privileges."

Reading this, Li Heng suddenly understood why the teachers from the Desert Military Academy and Canghai University had "valued" him so highly—it turned out there was competition between the Soul Energy Universities.

And based on this small tidbit of information, the competition between Soul Energy Universities was probably even fiercer than Li Heng had imagined.

The top one hundred universities could be considered the cream of the crop among Soul Energy Universities, as the various "perks" they enjoyed were all supported, to some degree, by the Soul Energy Alliance.

On the other hand, Soul Energy Universities ranked outside the top one hundred lacked many of these "benefits and perks."

These perks included, but were not limited to, the number of secret realm explorations and eligibility to explore Blessed Secret Realms.

In any case, from what Li Heng could gather, the higher a university’s rank, the more of these resources it received.

However, after looking everything over, Li Heng felt he was somewhat out of luck, because the data on the Soul Energy Alliance’s official website showed that the university rankings had last been updated three years ago.

This meant that by the time he entered university, the rankings would be completely reshuffled!

’So a university ranked number one now might not be number one in the future.’

Realizing this, Li Heng felt he had to be extra careful in his choice of university.

He had to choose from at least the current top fifty... no, the top ten to apply to!

Li Heng reasoned that no matter how the rankings of these Soul Energy Universities changed, a school that was in the top ten four years ago, no matter how far it fell, couldn’t possibly drop out of the top fifty, let alone the top one hundred, right?

Even a starved "camel" is bigger than a horse. Surely it couldn’t fall out of the top one hundred?

’Judging by the attitude of those two schools today, I should have no problem applying to a top-ten university. After all, the Desert Military Academy, ranked thirty-ninth, came right to my door to poach me with a generous offer! They even promised a military rank!’

Thus, Li Heng went to the official websites of the top ten Soul Energy Universities, clicking through them one by one.

He browsed the majors offered by each university.

Weaponry Type!

Medical Type!

Comprehensive Type!

Support Type!

Soul Beast Type!

Every Soul Energy University offered these five major types, and each type was further divided into more specific categories.

For example, there were subdivisions like the Spear and Staff category within the Weaponry Type, and Li Heng studied them all very carefully.

But being thorough was one thing; as he continued to browse, questions began to surface in his mind: What did he want to do in the future? Which major should he choose?

Li Heng felt lost for a moment. By the time he finished browsing the majors of the top ten Soul Energy Universities, night had fallen, and he was once again sitting at the dinner table.

As it happened, he was planning to ask his parents for their advice during the meal.

Coincidentally, Li Guobin and Zhang Yu Yao were thinking along the same lines. After the day’s events, while the couple felt immense pride and happiness for Li Heng, a new wave of anxiety had set in.

Although they had always supported all of Li Heng’s decisions, the couple still had no idea what their son planned for the future, such as what kind of career he intended to pursue.

Going to university meant choosing a relevant major, and a Soul Energy University was no exception.

Furthermore, one’s choice of major dictates one’s future career path 80 to 90 percent of the time, a decision that would affect the rest of his life.

What’s more, for graduates of a Soul Energy University, their future jobs would inevitably be tied to secret realms in some way.

So, the couple decided to use dinner as an opportunity to understand Li Heng’s inner thoughts and his plans for the future.

Because all three family members were on the same page, dinner that evening lasted a full three hours.

During those three hours, Li Guobin’s focus was on good employment prospects, room for advancement, and even opportunities to explore secret realms.

Zhang Yu Yao, on the other hand, reminded Li Heng that no matter what career he chose, he must prioritize "safety" and "security." She also added that it would be best to find a work environment where he could frequently interact with girls.

Li Heng took his parents’ advice to heart, but personally, he leaned more toward his mother’s suggestions.

What career he pursued in the future wasn’t important!

Opportunities to explore secret realms were even less important!

But being as safe as possible? That was what mattered!

He was a big fan of that idea.

At the same time, Li Heng also thought that while frequently interacting with girls wasn’t important, once he got to university... it was still necessary to find a girlfriend.

Therefore, after listening to his parents’ advice, Li Heng now had a pretty clear idea. He roughly summarized two key points for his future major or job.

Safety!

And girls!

Mom was always so reliable. Suddenly, everything became much clearer.

Li Heng had originally planned to take a closer look based on these two "criteria," but considering he still had a week until the results and rankings were announced, there was plenty of time. He decided to look again tomorrow or in a few days.

Most importantly, Li Heng still had a score to settle, a grudge that could even be called a blood feud!

And now that he had his own soul energy pet, Li Heng felt the time was ripe. His confidence surged. ’Blood Wolf King, just you wait!’