Chapter 36: The Grade-A Contract
Gazing at the cultivation technique in the recommendation slot, Zhang Yu grew curious.
My friend is currently viewing this? Which friend is looking at these martial arts?
Unfortunately, since the platform used real-name logins, most of the classmates he knew in real life were also his friends on the site; there were simply too many of them for him to determine who was browsing.
Nine Heavens Crash Course in Eight-Part Talismans?
Thinking of his 60-point score on the Daoist arts exam, Zhang Yu immediately clicked on it, only to be scared off by the 98,000-credit price tag.
“The cost-to-benefit ratio for talismans is too low; I’ll put them on the back burner for now.”
Zhang Yu simply opened the leaderboards to see what the most popular cultivation techniques were at the moment.
“Evergreen Longevity Art: Deluxe Revised Edition, Health-Preserving and Sickness-Dispelling Art, The Brick-Moving King’s Guide to the Excavator Palm and Crane Claw, Sports Car Legs: Uncensored Version, A Practitioner’s Guide to the Elevator Leap…”
Seeing these cultivation techniques sold for the Qi Refinement stage, Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback.
The bestsellers were, first and foremost, techniques for extending one’s life and curing illnesses, which Zhang Yu completely understood—who didn’t want to live a few more years? As for curing illnesses, that was even more reasonable. Hospitals were too expensive, after all, and toughing it out by cultivating was far more cost-effective.
But the next items on the bestseller list were either strength-based martial arts that mimicked excavators and cranes, or movement techniques modeled after sports cars and elevators… in short, they all looked like arts meant for laborers.
However, after a moment’s thought, Zhang Yu understood.
Compared to high schoolers like him, the true majority of people in the Qi Refinement stage were working-class adults, particularly the high-income earners in construction, factories, delivery, and security—people who did the work of dozens all by themselves.
To them, this Excavator Palm, this Crane Claw, these Sports Car Legs were the tools of their trade, the very cultivation techniques they relied on to make a life for themselves in Kunxu.
For them, these were the only truly useful techniques, far more reliable than anything for breaking through to new realms or advancing one’s cultivation.
Having figured this out, Zhang Yu changed the filter settings, adjusting the suitable age to between 18 and 20.
The cultivation techniques that popped up now instantly changed to things like Magic Power Bonus Point Strategy, General Dictionary of Basic Eight-Part Talismans, Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms: Simplified Edition…
Looking these over, Zhang Yu felt that the highest-selling techniques were all too basic, too simple.
“Looks like these are being bought by students from ordinary high schools.”
And so, Zhang Yu added a new filter: cultivation technique grade.
According to what Zhang Yu had learned at school, cultivation techniques were divided into five grades: Basic, Advanced, Expert, Military, and Sect.
It was said that Sect-grade techniques had even finer distinctions within them, but Zhang Yu didn’t know the specifics.
After all, Military and Sect-grade techniques were not something ordinary people could cultivate. One required joining the military or a government branch to gain access, while the other necessitated joining a major sect.
As for the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method he possessed, he estimated it was likely Advanced-grade.
The Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, on the other hand, was probably Expert-grade.
“Mount Buzhou Shifting Scripture, Primeval Heart Grand Seal, Celestial Cycle Starfall Sword, Luminous Heart Sutra…”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across these Expert-grade cultivation techniques, and after a moment of envy, he could only shake his head in resignation.
“Expert-grade techniques not only have higher cultivation thresholds and more requirements… the usage rights for the cheapest one alone cost tens of thousands. I really can’t afford them.”
Unless the school’s contract really offers me a fortune.
His gaze swept over the Advanced-grade techniques as he thought, The Advanced-grade ones, on the other hand… I can consider buying a few after the contract negotiations are done.
Especially a heart art that suits me, one that can help me raise my Dao heart to level 3 faster so I can start practicing the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art.
After browsing the shopping platform for a while and adding a few interesting cultivation techniques to his cart, Zhang Yu was about to log off.
Just then, he suddenly noticed the recommendation bar had changed again.
Your competitor is placing an order for: Magic Power Bonus Point Strategy, General Dictionary of Basic Eight-Part Talismans, Demonic Parasite Art…
What the hell!
“You people are just going to abuse big data like this, are you? Starting a cultivation arms race between users to drive consumption?”
“No, wait… what in the world is this Demonic Parasite Art?”
Your competitor is ordering the Demonic Parasite Art…
How could anyone not click on that? Even a dog passing by would have to stop and take a look.
Zhang Yu clicked on it, only to discover that the Demonic Parasite Art was an Expert-grade cultivation technique that combined abilities like flesh regeneration, organ transplantation, devouring flesh and blood, blood qi adaptation, and parasitizing human bodies.
In short, it was a martial art designed to seize the bodies of others.
As a legitimate Qidian web novel reader in his past life, Zhang Yu had only one impression upon seeing the name and description.
Could anyone who buys this technique possibly be a good person?
“My competitor? Which fiend is trying to cultivate the Demonic Parasite Art?”
“Does this competitor even exist? Or is the website just making it up?”
Zhang Yu was skeptical, but when he considered the various miraculous powers and ethics of the Kunxu world, he felt it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Zhang Yu checked the price; the usage rights for the Demonic Parasite Art cost a full three hundred thousand. He could only think of a few people he knew who would be qualified to cultivate it, and adding the “competitor” qualifier…
“Qian Shen?”
“Or He Dayou?”
Zhang Yu immediately felt that He Dayou was the prime suspect. After all, Teacher Lei Jun had replayed the video of their fight countless times, and he remembered the incredibly hostile look in He Dayou’s eyes.
“I’ll have to be careful of the rich people around here, regardless.”
“To actually cultivate something like the Demonic Parasite Art… truly a beast in human skin.”
But soon after, in the recommendation bar at the bottom of the page, he saw…
Users who viewed this technique also viewed: Anti-Parasite Art, Purification Divine Art, Heaven-Slaying Demon Art…
Seeing these names with their extremely specific countermeasures, Zhang Yu immediately began to doubt his earlier judgment.
“Don’t tell me this platform is just messing with me to trick me into placing an order?”
Based on his understanding of the Kunxu world, the companies here were absolutely capable of pulling such a stunt.
For now, he could only commit the matter to memory, but before leaving the platform, he thought for a moment and added the Anti-Parasite Art, Purification Divine Art, and Heaven-Slaying Demon Art to his favorites.
A moment later, he opened the platform again and added the Demonic Parasite Art to his favorites as well.
“Heh, I hope that fellow who placed the order can also see that his competitor is looking at the Demonic Parasite Art, Anti-Parasite Art, Purification Divine Art, and Heaven-Slaying Demon Art…”
In the blink of an eye, another night passed.
Zhang Yu’s Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method progressed again, rising to level 8 (95/160).
And after a full day of ascetic training, his magic power had risen accordingly to 12.1.
The next day.
On the campus of Songyang High School.
Zhang Yu received a friend request from a user with a barbell for an avatar.
“Hello, Zhang Yu. I’m Lan Ling from the second-year model class, and I’m also the head of the student council’s athletics department. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. Please add me as a friend.”
After Zhang Yu accepted, the other party quickly sent a new message.
“Hello, Zhang Yu. To advance the development of the societal Immortal Dao, to aid the students of our school in bravely scaling new heights on the path to immortality, and to help them achieve more outstanding results, we are honored to invite you to discuss a contract, based on the principles of mutual consent and win-win cooperation, in the hopes of reaching a deeper, value-added partnership…”
The other party asked to meet him at the student council office at noon that day to discuss the signing.
It’s finally here?
And so, at noon, after washing his face, combing his hair, and straightening his clothes, Zhang Yu arrived outside the student council office.
He had just knocked on the door when he saw another door appear as the first one opened.
Oh… it wasn’t that a second door had appeared, but that a person who strongly resembled a door had appeared.
A student with the build of a door plank opened the way for Zhang Yu, smiling as he stepped back.
“You must be Zhang Yu, right?”
Zhang Yu glanced at the dumbbell still clutched in the door-plank-man’s hand and greeted him.
“Lan Ling?”
As the two of them exchanged greetings, a laugh echoed from behind the door-plank figure, followed by the thudding of running feet.
“Is Zhang Yu here?”
A young man who hadn’t even had time to put on his shoes leaped off a sofa, trotted over to Zhang Yu, and grasped his hands excitedly.
“Hahaha, I heard yesterday that our Songyang High School had produced another peerless genius. I’ve finally been waiting for you.”
With that, he grabbed Zhang Yu and led him inside.
The nearby Lan Ling followed up with an introduction.
“Zhang Yu, this is the vice president of our student council, Zhou Chechen.”
Zhang Yu recalled that this person seemed to be the top-ranked student in the second year.
He was a name that, like his own, was now frequently seen around the school since the monthly exams ended.
Zhou Chechen pulled Zhang Yu over to a sofa, and the two of them sat down together.
Feeling his hand being squeezed tightly and seeing the look of admiration, excitement, and thrill in the other’s eyes, Zhang Yu’s heart clenched.
What the hell, don’t tell me he’s a fencer?
Zhou Chechen, however, simply reached out and made a grasping motion in the air; a stack of files flew from the office desk and into his hand.
“After I saw your results, I immediately looked up your file.”
“Only then did I discover that debt collection calls about you have been coming to the school.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart sank as he thought, Are they going to use my debt to pressure me on the price?
But instead, Zhou Chechen waved the documents in his hand with a smile.
“As soon as I heard, I had someone buy out all your debts.”
“Over a dozen platforms, a total of 700,000 in debt—it’s all here.”
“How can a prodigy of our school be crushed under the weight of debt? If word got out, other high schools would think our Songyang High School was too poor to even invest in its own students.”
As he spoke, he released a pulse of magic power from his hand, instantly turning all the debt documents to ash.
Under Zhang Yu’s astonished gaze, Zhou Chechen continued, “You don’t have to make any more monthly payments.”
“This 700,000 debt will be on my tab for now. There’s no interest, and you don’t have to be in a hurry to pay it back.”
“From now on at Songyang High School, just focus on your studies and cultivation. Once you graduate from university, get into a major sect, and start earning money, you can pay me back slowly.”
Zhang Yu stared at the other student in shock, never expecting this student council vice president to have resolved his most pressing financial crisis in a single stroke.
Then Zhou Chechen picked up another document and explained, “This is the Grade-A contract that the president and I have decided upon for you.”
“Fifty thousand a month for cultivation expenses, a twenty-percent discount on the school’s spiritual roots, meditation chambers, Spirit Realms, talismans, cafeteria, potions… and we’ve also prepared a private room for you in the school dormitory…”
Listening to the list of favorable terms, one after another, Zhang Yu’s heart couldn’t help but pound faster, and he felt the overwhelming urge to sign the document on the spot.