Chapter 106: Zhang Yu, Level 4.95
“What is wrong with you?”
That was what Zhang Yu had wanted to say in response to Le Mulan’s attempt to throw money at him.
But before the words could leave his mouth, Bai Zhenzhen nudged him in the shoulder. “She’s offering money! What are you waiting for?”
Bai Zhenzhen then turned to Le Mulan. “Where do you want to touch? Taking off his shirt will cost extra.”
Le Mulan shook her head repeatedly. “No need, just… just a touch of the hand will be fine.”
Just then, Le Mulan trembled slightly. She frowned, patting the stool beneath her. “Don’t move.”
The girl lying prone under Le Mulan gritted her teeth and stopped moving, her face contorting as if her eyes and nose were being scrunched together. In her heart, she felt like crying tears of blood.
Why? Why would someone so rich, so brilliant, so noble as the top student in the grade, spend money on a poor, dirty student from Songyang High School?
Once the stool beneath her was still, Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu again and slowly extended her hand.
Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen pressed down on her palm. “Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing? You haven’t paid yet.”
And so, after Le Mulan transferred 2,000 yuan, Zhang Yu felt a small, cold hand slowly reach for his.
It started with a tentative touch to his fingertips, then he felt the hand slide like a snake along his fingers to the back of his hand, where it rested gently.
It’s like a block of ice… The thought had barely crossed Zhang Yu’s mind when Le Mulan quickly pulled her hand back.
She nodded, exhaling softly. “That’s enough.”
Bai Zhenzhen watched her with curiosity. “All done? Want to touch me? I can give you a discount.”
The corners of Le Mulan’s normally cold lips curled up slightly as she shook her head in satisfaction. “Not today, but maybe next time.”
“When that time comes, could I pay you both to touch you at the same time?”
After receiving an affirmative answer, the arc of Le Mulan’s lips widened, and she departed with Lian Tianji.
Watching the ‘stool’ also get up and walk away, Zhang Yu was speechless. “Is Le Mulan sick or something?”
“What’s wrong with an easy chance to make money?” Bai Zhenzhen said.
Zhang Yu was still puzzled. “But why did she want to touch us?”
Bai Zhenzhen shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe it’s some kind of heart art? Rich people have all sorts of bizarre heart arts.”
After finishing their meal at the buffet, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen made their way to the spectator stands. They planned to use a Heaven’s Eye Talisman to gather some intelligence on the three major high schools before the competition began.
As for their concealment talismans, they had naturally activated those long before setting foot inside Purple Cloud High School.
But the next moment, as he activated the Heaven’s Eye Talisman, Zhang Yu stared, momentarily stunned at the sight before him.
In the direction of the White Dragon High School contingent, the same line of text floated above every competitor’s head: Immortal Resonance Group Company Data.
Over at the Red Pagoda High School area, several students with dark complexions had another message: For business inquiries, please contact Red Pagoda Husbandry.
Zhang Yu quickly glanced toward the Purple Cloud High School team and saw text materializing over the heads of Le Mulan, Lian Tianji, and the others: Purple Cloud Supplements Non-Public Information. Legal action will be pursued for any forced viewing.
Zhang Yu sighed faintly. “Their information is all hidden.”
“The companies behind the three major high schools—Immortal Resonance, Red Pagoda, and Purple Cloud—are really taking this competition seriously.”
In the audience.
Lan Ling stared down at the bustling competition grounds.
“Why did you drag me here?” he asked coldly. “To watch our school’s team get annihilated?”
Beside him, Zhou Chechen chuckled. “Lan Ling, don’t confine your vision to a single high school or a single competition.”
“I brought you here today to witness a new body tempering revolution in Songyang City.”
Lan Ling frowned. “What are you trying to do? Why didn’t you participate in the athletics meet two weeks ago? Did you already know about Oasis Group’s partnership with them?”
Zhou Chechen smiled faintly. “Lan Ling, the three major high schools gave us a spot—a spot to receive their technical support in body tempering and compete for a place among the Ten Greats.”
“This year, you will give that spot to me.”
“Next year, during our third year, I will give you my full support to seize that spot.”
“If you agree, then from this day forward, we will be the last two students from Songyang High School to enter the Ten Greats.”
“If you refuse, then for the next year, I will do nothing but beat you every single day. I guarantee you won’t graduate.”
In the Spirit Realm.
Having taken a rare half-day off, Mo Tianyi felt a profound sense of weakness, a wave of guilt for not working washing over him.
Watching the competition at Purple Cloud High School via a live stream, he couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, is this competition really that important? Important enough to watch live?”
A blurry figure beside him nodded. “Very important. It could even affect the entire power structure of Songyang’s sixteen families.”
The sixteen families of Songyang… Mo Tianyi knew these were the sixteen wealthiest and most powerful families in the city.
Their members not only intermarried but were also deeply embedded within the Songyang branches of major corporations, acting as local dragons who helped the large companies manage the region and control an immense amount of resources.
The ‘Boss’ watched the live feed. “The athletics meet usually starts with a physical strength assessment, followed by tests of agility, speed, and power—four events in total. The final scores are then calculated…”
Here, his voice trailed off. “It’s starting. They’re about to test the competitors’ physical strength. Let’s see just how far the technological breakthroughs of the three major high schools have come.”
On the large screen at the venue, names and scores flickered into view as contestant after contestant completed the test.
However, only the top ten scores remained displayed on the screen.
Currently occupying the top spot was… Chu Qiuhe of White Dragon High School, with a level of 4.49.
Just before the physical strength test began.
At the highest point of the stands, at the very back of the crowd, a boy in a Purple Cloud High School uniform was also watching the competition grounds.
The young man bore a slight resemblance to Le Mulan; at first glance, he could almost be mistaken for a girl. This was especially true given his height of just under two meters, which made him appear even more delicate at Purple Cloud High School, where everyone was physically imposing.
Only the incredibly complex, purple, vertical-pupil marking between his brows hinted at his extraordinary nature.
At that moment, another man—this one with bronze skin, standing about two and a half meters tall, and holding a phone for a live stream—approached the Purple Cloud student, laughing as he walked.
“Everyone, look who it is! My good brother, the top student of Purple Cloud High School’s second year, Le Jingchen, who is also the vice president of the Student Council.”
The live-streaming giant squeezed in next to Le Jingchen, fitting both of them into the frame.
Feeling the man’s proximity, Le Jingchen’s muscles tensed for an instant before relaxing again. He smiled and waved at the live stream audience.
Though he disliked the man’s closeness, Le Jingchen knew that this body tempering influencer, known as ‘Gang Shan,’ had over eight million followers. He was a representative figure of traditional body tempering in Songyang City, famous for his insistence on using only alchemical enhancers and no surgery.
And Gang Shan’s signature was that he never wore anything but shorts, so as to display his meticulously honed muscles to the world.
The reason he was here live-streaming a first-year athletics competition was, naturally, at the invitation of a corporation.
So what if he’s a representative of traditional body tempering, Le Jingchen thought. If the price is right, he still has to come and promote the new technology.
He even knew that his current encounter with the man, and their subsequent joint broadcast, were all orchestrated by Purple Cloud Supplements.
Today’s athletics competition… the clash of students and technologies on the field is one thing.
The war of public opinion off the field is a whole other battle.
Hmph, I wonder how many people will jump out today to pull stunts for attention.
Just then, the influencer, Gang Shan, spoke up.
“Jingchen, what are your thoughts on today’s competition?”
Le Jingchen offered a faint smile. “Just like the second-year athletics meet two weeks ago, it’s primarily a contest between the three major high schools. After all, the recent breakthroughs in body tempering have only been applied to their students…”
Following the pre-arranged plan, Le Jingchen began to promote the new technology in a seemingly objective and neutral manner, dropping hints here and there.
After they had chatted for a while, Gang Shan looked toward the competition floor.
“Oh, the competition has officially begun. First up is the physical strength test. This round is scored based on physical strength, with a maximum of 50 points, correct?”
“Then the second event tests agility, for a total of 75 points. The third event is speed, also for 75 points, and the final power event is worth a total of 150.”
“The final ranking of the athletics competition is calculated from the total score of these four events.”
Gang Shan first explained the scoring system to his viewers.
Then, to give his audience a more intuitive understanding of the revolutionary nature of the new body tempering technology, Gang Shan provided some context.
“It’s been about eight and a half months since the school year started for these first-years.”
“The average physical strength for most ordinary high schools at this point is around level 1.0.”
“Key high schools are a bit better. Their students’ average level can reach close to 2.0 by now.”
“Of course, among the key high schools, Songyang High is particularly strong in athletics, so they’d be much higher. A few of their top students might even have a chance to challenge the powerhouses from the three major high schools.”
“As for Songyang City’s three major high schools, they are in a league of their own. Based on previous years’ data, their students’ average level can approach 3.0, and the absolute top students might even break through level 4.0.”
Meanwhile, as the physical tests began, the contestants’ physical strength levels flashed across the big screen one after another.
Very quickly, the score in first place stunned countless people in the audience, as well as the many netizens watching the live stream.
White Dragon High School, Chu Qiuhe, 4.49.
Gang Shan was astonished. “Level 4.49? To reach this level in just eight and a half months? This Chu Qiuhe must be White Dragon High School’s ace, right?”
Beside him, Le Jingchen smiled faintly. “He’s hardly an ace. The strongest in this year’s class at White Dragon High should be Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong.”
Gang Shan replied, “Level 4.49 isn’t even considered an ace?”
Le Jingchen explained, “That’s because the body tempering technologies of all three major high schools have had a breakthrough. You can tell from Chu Qiuhe’s appearance that he’s undergone modification surgery. This allows his body to mimic the muscular structure of a demonic beast, shattering his original limitations and achieving explosive growth.”
Gang Shan said, “But modification surgery still has its risks, doesn’t it? And many people find the physical changes difficult to accept.”
Le Jingchen nodded. “This kind of surgery that directly alters the body is certainly very risky. In contrast, Purple Cloud’s super-metabolism surgery is much simpler, with lower risk and higher efficiency…”
As Le Jingchen was introducing the technological advancements of Purple Cloud Supplements, as if to prove his point, the big screen changed. The first-place spot now read: Purple Cloud High School, Lian Tianji, 4.56.
Gang Shan was amazed. “This level of physical strength is already higher than any first-year champion from previous years, isn’t it?”
Le Jingchen nodded slightly. “With the breakthrough in body tempering technology, the first-year athletics records are bound to be broken time and time again. The difference between contestants who have used the new technology and those who haven’t will be like the difference between heaven and earth, like modern people versus ancient ones…”
Just as Le Jingchen was expounding on the importance of the new body tempering technology, the name at the top of the big screen changed once more.
Songyang High School, Zhang Yu, 4.95.