Chapter 128: Battle at White Dragon
Beneath the lingering glow of the setting sun.
On the rooftop of Songyang High School.
Zhang Yu’s Great Sun Qi Sea had now been pushed to level 4 (21/40), and his magic power, freed from the bottleneck that had slowed its progress under the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method, had reached 44.3, its growth accelerating.
As the sun sank below the horizon and the daylight dimmed, Zhang Yu could feel the once-boiling Great Sun Qi Sea within him gradually calm.
“Sigh, the sunlight during the day is still the best; the effects on my cultivation are so much stronger.”
“As for the night… I’ll have to find a suitable alternative.”
Just then, Bai Zhenzhen, who was beside him, once again urged Zhang Yu to head to White Dragon High to earn his sparring fees from Song Hailong and Yu Xinghan.
And the reason he was taking Bai Zhenzhen with him was, of course, to recommend her as a substitute training partner.
In a flash, the two had already walked into White Dragon High School.
As semi-insiders, they navigated the corridors of varying colors and access requirements with practiced ease, passing students kneeling in cultivation and a math teacher who was being verbally abused by his students…
The sights along the way stirred a mix of emotions in both of them.
White Dragon High School has turned into a zoo, Zhang Yu thought.
From the moment they had entered White Dragon High, they had noticed that nearly seven or eight out of every ten students they saw no longer looked entirely human.
For instance, they were currently watching a student who looked like a bear demon and another who resembled a werewolf disciplining a student who still retained his human form.
The bear demon’s uniform was emblazoned with the number 35, the werewolf’s with 36, while the human-looking student had the number 99 on his chest.
The bear demon pressed down on the human student’s head, saying irritably, “You brat! Did you just peek at my study notes?”
The human-looking student’s voice trembled. “I… I just saw them by accident.”
The werewolf chimed in, “A mere rank 99, a piece of trash without even demonic muscle, dares to peek at the study notes of the model class? Hand over your workbook; we’ll be doing your homework today.”
The human-looking student let out a terrified scream. “No! Please don’t take my homework! You can hit me, just hit me, alright?”
Watching the three of them scuffle, Zhang Yu mused, Aside from people like Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong who have exceptional control over their bodies, for the rest of the students at White Dragon… the less human you look, the higher your status on campus.
This place has really become a kingdom of beastmen, hasn’t it?
Just then, the bear-man noticed the human-shaped Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, as well as the Songyang High School uniforms they were wearing.
Hm? A Songyang slacker dares to set foot in our White Dragon empire?
The bear-man’s brow furrowed as he strode toward Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
“What are you two doing at White Dragon?”
The other werewolf also approached, looking down at Zhang Yu.
“Sneaking around like this, are you here to steal White Dragon’s learning methods?”
Zhang Yu scratched his head helplessly. “Um… I’m here to see Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong.”
The bear-man and the werewolf both looked utterly unconvinced; as if the top two students of White Dragon High School would ever associate with a Songyang slacker.
At that moment, an even taller figure approached and, upon seeing Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, said, “It’s been a while, you two.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted. “Chu Qiuhe?”
The newcomer was none other than Chu Qiuhe, whom Zhang Yu had defeated in the martial arts competition.
Seeing Chu Qiuhe, who consistently ranked in the top five, the nearby bear-man and werewolf immediately prostrated themselves on the ground like submissive dogs.
Chu Qiuhe glanced at the two and said flatly, “This is Zhang Yu, the champion of both the martial arts competition and the athletics meet. He defeated me to claim the martial arts title.”
Hearing this, the bear-man and the werewolf were visibly shocked. They had not attended the competitions, and while they had heard tales of this formidable figure, this was the first time they had met him.
The two immediately dropped to their knees again, shouting in unison, “Big Brother Zhang Yu!”
Chu Qiuhe continued, “The reason he shows no demonic traits is that he has already achieved complete mastery over the demonic muscle in his body.”
“So he is no ordinary Songyang High School student; he is the sovereign of Songyang High School.”
“To disrespect him is to disrespect me.”
In the next moment, Chu Qiuhe delivered their punishment in an icy tone, “After school today, neither of you will do your homework.”
“Tomorrow morning, you are forbidden to hand in a! single! piece! of! homework!”
At Chu Qiuhe’s words, the bear and the wolf looked as though they had lost their parents. Utterly horrified, they backed away slowly, their tails between their legs.
After reprimanding the two, Chu Qiuhe turned back to Zhang Yu and explained, “My apologies for the scene, Zhang Yu. These students haven’t been to the competitions, so they have no idea what Songyang’s top students are capable of.”
“You’re here for Brother Xinghan and Brother Hailong, right? They’re waiting for you in the training room down there.”
Following Chu Qiuhe’s directions, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen made their way to the training room at the end of the hall.
Suddenly, a group of elders—tall and muscular, yet with stark white hair, gaunt faces, and numb expressions—walked past them.
Even from a distance, Zhang Yu could feel a palpable wave of resentment washing over him.
Then, to the surprise of both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, Chu Qiuhe bowed and said, “Greetings, seniors!”
The ‘elders’ gave a dismissive wave, seemingly too weary to even utter a word, and drifted away, leaving a chilling aura in their wake.
Zhang Yu asked curiously, “Who are they?”
Chu Qiuhe replied, “They are third-year seniors. The academic pressure is intense, so some of them age a little faster.”
A little faster? They look like they have one foot in the grave! Zhang Yu grumbled internally, suspecting it was yet another consequence of some Immortal Dao technology.
Despite their appearance, however, Zhang Yu dared not underestimate them.
In fact, ever since learning about the Foundation Establishment exam from Zhang Pianpian and being tasked with reaching the third-year standard before the first round, Zhang Yu had begun to research the data on White Dragon High School’s third-year students.
Fortunately, White Dragon always went to great lengths to publicize performance data at various academic milestones, practically drilling it into the students, which made Zhang Yu’s research quite easy.
However, students continue to improve rapidly in their third year, so the data obviously varies from one period to the next, Zhang Yu thought.
For instance, right at the start of the third year, the average is around a level 6 Dao heart, approximately 70 units of magic power, and a physical strength of level 7.5 or higher.
By the time of the college entrance exam, the average is probably a level 8 Dao heart, around 90 units of magic power, and a physical strength of level 9.5 or higher.
Knowing this data, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt a mounting pressure, especially when they recalled Zhang Pianpian’s words—to reach the third-year standard before the first round of the Foundation Establishment exam.
There are only four months until the first round of the Foundation Establishment exam begins… Zhang Yu thought.
He knew that registration for the exam was in June, the first round was in August, the second in October, and the final round in January of the following year.
According to this timeline, when they participated in the first round, their opponents would include students from their own year who had just finished their first year and were about to start their second.
There would also be students who had finished their second year and were on the verge of entering their third.
And that group, the ones who will be nearly third-years by August, they are our main competitors.
Considering their backgrounds and strength, plus the fact that they began the Immortal Dao a year before us…
By the time of the first round in August, they will have definitely reached the third-year standard.
The stats of White Dragon’s third-years surfaced in Zhang Yu’s mind.
Even if I use the lowest standard and treat the new third-years as our benchmark, the average is still a level 6 Dao heart, around 70 units of magic power, and a physical strength of 7.5…
And as the Foundation Establishment exam progresses, our opponents will also continue to improve. By the second and final rounds, their stats will only be higher.
Every time they considered this, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt an immense wave of pressure.
After all, Zhang Yu’s Dao heart was currently only level 4, his magic power was at 44.3, and his physical strength was at level 4.96.
And Bai Zhenzhen’s stats were a notch weaker than his.
Faced with this reality, the two steeled their resolve.
It’s mid-April now… Within four months, before the first round in August, we have to at least reach the average standard of a new White Dragon third-year.
A level 6 Dao heart, over 70 units of magic power, and a physical strength of over 7.5.
When Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen arrived at the training room.
They saw Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong locked in combat.
The massive Song Hailong’s every punch and kick summoned gusts of wind and thunder, his limbs striking like massive steel pillars toward Yu Xinghan.
But each blow was met and steadily blocked by Yu Xinghan’s single hand.
Although it looked like Song Hailong was on a frenzied offensive, the distinct impression was that he was being completely suppressed.
Upon noticing the arrival of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, Yu Xinghan was able to smile, his breathing perfectly even.
“Zhang Yu, you’re here? Song Hailong and I had some free time, so we were just warming up. Now that you’re here, we can begin.”
The next moment, as Yu Xinghan’s palm met Song Hailong’s fist, the elephantine Song Hailong was driven back, his feet stomping a series of resounding booms on the floor.
Long aware of the gap between himself and Yu Xinghan, Song Hailong was not surprised. He simply took a deep breath to calm the roiling blood and qi in his body before turning his attention to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
Song Hailong frowned. “You’re saying Bai Zhenzhen can be my combat training partner?”
Bai Zhenzhen replied with a cool expression, “Defeat me first, then you can think about sparring with Zhang Yu.”
Song Hailong let out a cold snort and beckoned to Bai Zhenzhen. “Fine, I’ll defeat you first, then I’ll fight Zhang Yu.”
In the next instant, the two were engaged in a fierce battle.
Song Hailong moved like a rampaging elephant, his hands sweeping with immense force toward Bai Zhenzhen’s position in an attempt to capture her in one move.
But Bai Zhenzhen’s movements were as swift as lightning, darting around Song Hailong as her Body-Piercing Sword Qi erupted at will. She would strike and retreat in an instant, giving Song Hailong no opportunity to engage in a contest of strength.
As the two began their fight, Yu Xinghan’s gaze shifted to Zhang Yu, the opponent who had bested him in the athletics meet.
It was from that moment on that Yu Xinghan had conceived the idea of having Zhang Yu serve as his sparring partner, to become another whetstone to sharpen his skills.