Chapter 54: Winning the Debate and "Crowning" the Students of Dragon River

Everyone's gaze was tightly fixed on the huge holographic projection screen in the center of the stage.

The screen was divided into two halves by a vertical line. The left side represented the red support zone for the elderly professor, while the right side represented the blue support zone for He Yu.

Two energy bars, symbolizing the nationwide online voting rates, were climbing frantically at a visible speed.

After struggling to break through the 8% mark, the red energy bar completely stalled. Its momentum of growth was like a stream cut off by a giant boulder, leaving behind only a negligible tremor.

On the other side, however, the blue column of light, symbolizing the future, was devouring the entire screen with a destructive and unstoppable posture!

60%... 75%... 88%...

Every single leap of the numbers felt like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking the hearts of the elderly professor and the entire traditional educational system standing behind him.

Finally, under the gaze of hundreds of millions of viewers, the blue column of light completely filled its designated area, and the final number solidified into a cold, cruel, yet incomparably glorious freeze-frame—

92%!

No miracle occurred.

Or rather, this in itself was the greatest miracle belonging to a new era.

The elderly professor's clouded eyeballs reflected that glaring number. His hands, which supported the lectern, trembled uncontrollably.

The profound theories he had prepared for a lifetime—those concerning philosophy, history, and the inheritance of human civilization—were, at this moment, smashed to pieces by these two simple and brutal numbers.

He had lost.

He had lost completely and utterly.

He Yu did not look at him, nor did he even look at the number representing victory. He just stood there quietly, allowing the stage spotlight to outline his figure with absolute clarity.

What he attacked was never any single individual, nor any single theory.

It was the root cause of the detachment between theory and reality.

"The final... the final winner is..."

The host's voice carried an imperceptible tremor, and the card in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging emotions, yet what came through the microphone was still an unmistakable agitation.

"The President of Longhai University—Mr. He Yu!"

Boom!

The moment the words fell, the long-accumulated emotions at the venue erupted like a volcano. The applause was no longer a polite formality, but a tsunami formed by converging sound waves that swept across the entire broadcasting auditorium.

The bullet comments in the online live broadcast room completely transformed into a white torrent, entirely covering the screen.

[Ding!]

At this very moment, in He Yu's mind, the familiar and pleasant system notification sound rang out.

[You have won the century debate. Longhai University's educational philosophy has deeply resonated with the public. Reward: 50,000 Reputation Points!]

[Current Reputation Balance: 105,850 Points!]

Looking at the six-digit reputation balance, a burning light flashed in the depths of He Yu's eyes.

He slowly took a step, walked to the dead center of the stage, and stood at the focal point where applause and light converged.

He did not smile, nor did he strike the pose of a victor.

Amidst the thunderous cheers of the entire audience, he made a gesture that caught everyone completely off guard.

Facing the live broadcast camera and the tens of thousands of examinees and parents supporting him behind the lens, his straight spine slowly bent downward, offering a ninety-degree, immensely solemn and respectful bow.

The applause stopped abruptly.

Everyone was stunned by this action of his.

He raised his head, his gaze clear and candid, piercing through the lens as if able to look straight into the soul of every single person.

"Thank you, everyone."

His voice clearly traversed the entire venue through the microphone and reached every corner of the internet. It was calm, steady, and devoid of the slightest trace of arrogance.

"The victory of this debate does not belong to me personally."

"It belongs to every soul that yearns for change and longs for the future."

As soon as his voice fell, even more enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

He Yu raised his hand, pressing it down gently to signal the audience to quiet down.

His gaze suddenly changed at this moment.

If he had been a modest scholar just moments ago, at this very moment, an indescribable sharpness and aura belonging to a pioneer suddenly burst forth from his body.

"To respond to this trust from all my supporters," his voice suddenly rose, every single word filled with a sense of power and unquestionable determination, "I have decided to mobilize all the resources of Longhai University to offer all future students who are about to courageously choose us..."

He deliberately paused for a moment, sweeping his gaze across the audience, clearly seeing the triggered, ultimate curiosity on everyone's face.

Then, word by word, with resounding impact, he dropped a blockbuster bomb.

"A unique and exclusive—'Coronation Ceremony'!"

"Coronation Ceremony"!

This term was filled with ancient, sacred, and supreme ritualistic significance, splitting open everyone's thinking like a bolt of lightning.

Coronation?

Crowing the students?

What an arrogant yet romantic declaration!

The reporters in the audience went crazy, their fingers striking the keyboards into afterimages. The host's mouth hung wide open, completely forgetting the procedures that were supposed to follow.

The bullet comments in the live broadcast room, after a brief stagnation, exploded with tenfold and hundredfold density!

["Coronation Ceremony??? Did I hear that right? What does this mean?"]

["He's crazy, the President is truly crazy! Is he going to hand out a crown to every student?"]

["I don't care what he's going to do, just for the sake of these three words 'Coronation Ceremony', I am definitely applying to Longhai University!"]

Faced with the commotion and boiling excitement of the entire audience, He Yu merely smiled faintly.

He offered no further explanation.

Because he knew that no words could ever be more impactful than the reality that was about to arrive.

Under the gaze of hundreds of millions of eyes, as if no one else was present, he brought up the translucent interface visible only to his own retina.

That was his scepter of divinity—the System Mall.

He looked at the unprecedented string of numbers representing absolute capital in his account, feeling that majestic force capable of moving reality.

Then, his consciousness began an unprecedented, crazy shopping spree through the dazzling array of exchange lists!