Chapter 32: Magic power and Physical Education
The Spirit Realm.
Li Xingyu had been observing Zhang Yu’s condition from the side.
When he saw Zhang Yu’s pain level reach 37, he sensed that the other had reached his limit.
He can’t last much longer in this state.
Glancing at the top of the other’s head, he could see parameters like his counterpart’s heartbeat and respiration displayed from his perspective.
He’s already at his limit; he should lower the pain level.
At this level, he’s still within the bounds of a level 1 Dao heart, right? There’s nothing particularly special about him, yet he could comprehend the mysteries of the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll?
Just as Li Xingyu was thinking this, he felt the aura around the other person suddenly shift. The originally contorted expression gradually returned to normal, even twisting into a savage grin.
Hm? He’s holding on?
This aura… it feels like the martial arts from the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll?
Li Xingyu watched Zhang Yu’s state with some surprise, seeing him hold on, second by second, minute by minute, all the way until the 60-minute mark.
He grew even more astonished, calculating inwardly, With this level of willpower, his Dao heart is close to reaching level 2.
Although he hasn’t mastered the martial arts from the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll, it seems he can use some of the profound insights gained from it to strengthen his own will.
This guy is something else. This intel should fetch a good price.
At this thought, Li Xingyu wrote up a description of Zhang Yu and posted it on an intelligence-broker website for 1,000 yuan.
After a moment’s thought, however, he changed the price from 1,000 to 10,000.
Then he wrote a title: ‘Shocking! Peerless Martial Arts Genius Emerges at Songyang High School’.
…
Taking off the spiritual interface mask, Zhang Yu stood up, trembling. Even though he had already left the Spirit Realm, he still had the illusion of a piercing pain all over his body.
On a nearby bed, a student tried to stand, only for his legs to give out, causing him to collapse back onto the floor.
Similar scenes were playing out on the surrounding beds. Clearly, everyone was still suffering from the aftereffects of the Spirit Realm.
One student immediately opened a personal vial and swallowed a pill.
Zhang Yu guessed it was probably a Dao heart buffer.
It was possible to gradually raise one’s Dao heart level by relying on cultivation techniques like the Basic Heart Tempering Art and the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, coupled with the appropriate mindset.
But many students still chose to take Dao heart buffers.
These drugs adjusted neurotransmitters and brain secretions to improve mood and positivity, allowing for a more effective boost to one’s willpower and Dao heart level.
But Dao heart buffers were not without side effects. The higher the quality and the stronger the effect, the more expensive and addictive the drug became, and the more terrifying the withdrawal symptoms were.
Once you started taking them, you typically needed to continue long-term; otherwise, stopping would cause your Dao heart to regress.
The original Zhang Yu, unable to afford more of the drug, had experienced a regression from his previous level, which had been close to a level 2 Dao heart.
It was only recently, after a series of trials and his comprehension of the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, that the current Zhang Yu felt he had returned to that level.
And now, Zhang Yu had no intention of ever touching Dao heart buffers again.
He now had more faith in his own potential and self-discipline than in taking drugs.
But at this moment, there was no more time for anyone to rest.
The second exam of the morning was still to come, so the students had no choice but to pull themselves together and hurry to the next testing site.
…
Arriving at the magic power examination hall, Zhang Yu saw that many assistant teachers and testing instruments were already prepared.
When it was his turn, detector patches were placed on his arms, chest, and lower abdomen, and he was instructed by the teachers to begin circulating his magic power from his dantian to his palms.
This magic power test was clearly more detailed and precise than usual to ensure the accuracy of the monthly exam results.
The patches would not only measure the total amount of magic power circulating within his body but also the efficiency of each circulation.
This was to prevent situations where a candidate’s magic power was purely a matter of quantity bought with money, completely lacking in quality.
Zhang Yu could clearly feel that, compared to the torment of the Dao heart exam, most students were far less nervous during the magic power test.
After all, everyone’s magic power level was determined long before the test and had little to do with on-the-spot performance.
You either had magic power or you didn’t; you either knew how to use it or you didn’t.
Just as Zhang Yu finished his test, the assistant teacher recording the data let out a small cry of surprise and couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.
Zhang Yu asked, “Is something wrong, teacher?”
The assistant teacher quickly shook her head. “No, nothing.”
Such high magic power circulation efficiency, she muttered to herself, he must be another one of those filthy rich kids.
…
Lunchtime.
The cafeteria was filled with students who looked like the walking dead.
Some were still suffering from the aftereffects of the Dao heart exam, some were distraught over their poor performance, and some were even contemplating suicide.
Bai Zhenzhen sat down with a heavy sigh. “What a devil incarnate!”
“The devil incarnate who wrote this Dao heart exam must have no soul. I bet he’s going to post a poll for feedback online, then set his phone to vibrate and shove it down his own pants…”
She continued a creative, two-minute-long string of curses, only stopping to take a bite of food when Zhou Tianyi walked over.
Zhang Yu was sure that similar curses were echoing through the halls of every high school in Songyang City at that very moment.
The moment Zhou Tianyi sat down, he couldn’t help but ask, “Did you guys hear? People have been having emotional breakdowns at several high schools.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes narrowed, and they both instantly looked at him.
Zhou Tianyi continued, “It’s because the rules for this Dao heart exam were too strict.”
“For example, some students who were aiming for a high score accidentally set the pain level beyond their limit. They passed out, got kicked from the Spirit Realm, and their exam was scored as a zero.”
He shook his head with a sigh. “Some of them couldn’t handle it after they woke up and just broke down completely.”
“A zero,” Bai Zhenzhen thought grimly. “That’s the ultimate humiliation in high school. You basically lose all rights to exist at school after that.”
“I’d break down too. But before I did, I’d make sure to take out that devil incarnate who wrote the exam.”
Zhang Yu asked, “In that case, won’t the exam creator be in hot water? If one of the affected students was rich, wouldn’t their parents retaliate like crazy?”
Zhou Tianyi looked at Zhang Yu as if he were an idiot.
“How could that be possible?”
Zhang Yu replied, “You’re saying the rich parents can’t get revenge? Does the exam creator have a powerful background?”
Zhou Tianyi shook his head. “I mean, how could a rich kid ever get into real trouble at school? Every one of them has paid security fees. The moment there’s an issue, a school-wide alarm goes off, and security guards or teachers rescue them immediately. Even if one tried to jump off a building, they’d definitely be saved by the emergency response team.”
He said, with a matter-of-fact expression, “If a rich person wants to die, they’d have to find another way. At school, you can’t even die from jumping off a building.”
Seeing how convinced Zhou Tianyi was, Zhang Yu had to admit that in this damned Kunxu, that was probably how things really were.
After eating, Zhang Yu took advantage of the specialization cooldown finishing to switch the Feather Book’s focus back to the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method, and he also ran through his breathing exercises a few times.
Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method Lv. 8 (3/160) → (6/160)
…
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the final exam of the afternoon.
The physical education exam.
Inside the massive training ground, Wang Hai was seated at the judges’ panel.
During the upcoming exam, he and several other first-year physical education teachers would be grading all the first-year candidates.
He glanced down at the list of candidates, his eyes eventually settling on Zhang Yu’s name.
Zhang Yu. In his memory, the boy had been a model student who diligently trained, took his medicine, and underwent acupuncture every day.
His attitude was earnest and his drug tolerance was good; just last month, he had become a student of interest.
If the boy had just persisted, Wang Hai wouldn’t have minded cultivating him into the next Zhao Tianxing—another prized student to serve as a testament to his teaching after achieving high scores.
But starting this month, for some unknown reason, the boy had begun to repeatedly challenge his authority in class, even spouting the heretical slogan of “natural body tempering.”
At first, he suspected the boy had found another supplier and that someone was backing him to compete for the market in Songyang High School’s first-year model class.
However, after some observation and a report from Zhao Tianxing, he gradually dismissed that possibility.
Then he heard the rumors spreading everywhere that Zhang Yu had been accepted as a disciple by a Golden Core True Person.
Although Wang Hai was one of Songyang High School’s ace physical education teachers, he was not influential enough to have contact with someone at the level of a Golden Core True Person.
He couldn’t determine whether the rumors about Zhang Yu were true or false.
As Wang Hai was mulling this over, ten students walked onto the platform before him.
The students revealed their physiques, their bodies covered in various detector patches.
Hah! Hah! Hah!
Following a series of guttural roars, the ten students’ muscles swelled dramatically, veins bulging as they unleashed astonishing power.
Data from the detector patches flashed across the screens in front of the teachers, informing them of the power each and every muscle in the candidates’ bodies had just unleashed.
This was different from the usual crude, full-body strength tests; it was a detailed analysis of the physical strength of every part of the body at the moment of exertion.
At the same time, Wang Hai and the other judges quickly scanned the candidates, grading them based on the shape of their muscles, their physical structure, and their explosive state, all in conjunction with the data they had just received.
Physical strength was not the only metric being graded in the monthly physical education exam.
The dimensions, size, and structure of every muscle in the body were all important.
Which structure was better suited for power generation? Which muscles were more useful in actual combat? Which were living muscles, and which were dead muscles? All these questions required experienced judges to evaluate in combination with the data.
After all, even when physical strength was comparable, differences in bodily structure and dimensions could lead to vast discrepancies in power, speed, and overall combat performance.
Wang Hai was an old hand at this. As an ace physical education teacher, he had seen countless slabs of muscle weighing two or three hundred pounds over the past few decades. He had even seen five-hundred-pound behemoths on multiple occasions.
After a quick glance, he recorded his scores, his thoughts returning once more to Zhang Yu.
Let’s see what your score is, then.
If your score has dropped significantly after three weeks of isolation, then that will prove you can’t possibly be the disciple of a Golden Core.
And at that point…
A cold glint flashed in Wang Hai’s eyes at the thought.
Anyone who interfered with his business deserved to be expelled.