Chapter 189: High School Sacred Body
In martial arts class, Zhang Yu was focusing on cultivating a series of basic cultivation techniques.
By the beginning of September, he had successively raised both his own Basic Heart Tempering Art and Basic Breathing Technique to level 10.
He had also cultivated the newly learned Basic Digestion Method and Basic Medicine-Taking Method to level 10.
However, these basic techniques were indeed just that—basic. Even at level 10, though their effects were somewhat enhanced, Zhang Yu found them barely passable.
If not for the Technique-Chaining Diagram in his Feather Book, he probably wouldn’t have bothered spending so much effort on so many basic techniques.
Especially since some of these basic techniques involved numerous, complicated forms, which for him, was quite time-consuming.
Sigh, for me, the speed of mastering a technique depends on how long it takes to practice it once. If a set of basic techniques takes too long, it’s actually slower to level up than an expert-grade technique.
At this moment, Zhang Yu was cultivating Basic Footwork.
Once he got Basic Footwork to level 10, he would have completed six of the techniques required for the High School Sacred Body, unlocking the first tier of enhancements.
At this thought, Zhang Yu’s spirits lifted. What kind of effect will it be?
Beside him, Lei Jun watched Zhang Yu’s fervent gaze and enthusiastic attitude and sighed internally. He could only do his best to instruct him, hoping he would quickly master the remaining basic techniques of Songyang High School and stop wasting his time on them.
And in another corner of the martial arts class, Bai Zhenzhen said coolly, “All ten of you, come at me at once.”
In an instant, her figure, wreathed in layers of electric light, was already weaving between the ten second-year students.
Although she was far stronger than any single one of them, facing the combined assault of ten people at once and feeling the attacks coming from all directions still subjected her to an unprecedented level of pressure.
After all, when opponents were in the same Qi Refinement realm, each additional person increased the combat difficulty exponentially.
At this moment, Bai Zhenzhen had to face attacks from ten people from ten different angles in every instant.
But Bai Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and persevered.
I have to fight the strongest high school student in Kunxu to claim the number one spot in martial arts…
Since the quality in this class is lacking, I’ll make up for it with quantity. I will break my limits again and again to enhance my practical combat abilities.
During the after-school Daoist art tutoring session.
On the surface, Zhang Yu was working on the stack of test papers before him, but in his mind, the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art was circulating wildly.
Ever since his cultivation experience in the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu had grasped the true meaning of the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art. The more pressure he was under, the better he could bring out the mysteries of this heart art.
And at this very moment, while the layers of pressure from Zhou Chechen had placed many obstacles on his path of the Immortal Dao, this very obstruction and pressure… served to further stimulate the effectiveness of the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art when facing pressure and desperate situations, causing Zhang Yu to grow stronger with each battle.
Under the continuous empowerment of the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, Zhang Yu felt that as he faced pressure every day, both his body and his magic power operated more actively. His latent potential was constantly being stimulated, pushing him to surpass his limits time and again and boosting his cultivation efficiency.
This was especially true during the four-hour tutoring session after school each day.
Faced with an endless stream of talisman test papers that had little meaning even when completed, this was the time of day when Zhang Yu was under the most pressure, but also when his Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art was most stimulated.
Under these circumstances, not only did the heart art circulate more fiercely, diligently enhancing his Dao heart, but the passively circulating Great Sun Qi Sea also surged more violently.
Even the process of using the True Spiritual Root in his dantian to deduce the Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Shattering Palm had become faster.
A thought suddenly rose in Zhang Yu’s mind, To cultivate this Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, one needs to face layer upon layer of oppression, to face ever-increasing pressure, in order to make rapid progress.
The stronger the pressure, the more I feel like a fish in water.
I wonder under what circumstances the Great Sage Desolate Ox created this cultivation technique.
But my current state, by a fortunate coincidence, fits the essence of this technique perfectly.
As for the True Spiritual Root in his stomach, Fu Ji had suggested that Bai Zhenzhen lend it to Zhang Yu during this time every day, precisely to make use of the time spent doing test papers.
With this in mind, Zhang Yu randomly scribbled a few answers on the paper, then glanced at the teacher at the front of the room, only to see him engrossed in scrolling through his phone.
For me… doing test papers for four hours straight is a waste of life. But for the teacher accompanying me, it’s also four hours of boredom, tedium, and wasted time.
He’s just an employee, after all. How could he possibly monitor me attentively for all four hours?
Zhang Yu mused, Besides, there’s no point in me doing these garbage papers. From the looks of it, these guys won’t even bother grading them.
He felt that the papers he was doing now were like the winter and summer vacation homework from Earth; the tutoring teacher in front of him couldn’t be bothered to check them.
And while Zhang Yu was secretly cultivating during his Daoist art tutoring, on the other side of the city…
Bai Zhenzhen, trailing wisps of electricity, zipped through the traffic like a bolt of lightning.
The next moment, her figure leaped lightly, shooting toward the main entrance of a tall building. Then, as lights flickered on floor after floor in the stairwell, she had already arrived at the 20th floor.
“Hello, your delivery has arrived…”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Seeing another order completed, Bai Zhenzhen, dressed in a delivery driver’s uniform, smiled faintly. With a surge of her Electric Flash Step, her entire being shot out, leaving a trail of afterimages.
Because they were constantly being watched, Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t go to the Dark Learning Gang for tutoring work.
But she and Zhang Yu had long since maxed out their loan limits, and the monthly repayments, alchemical enhancer costs, food expenses, and so on amounted to considerable pressure.
Fortunately, in addition to her income from sparring with Yu Xinghan, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, Zhang Yu’s weekly income from selling seeds at Red Pagoda helped supplement their household finances.
But even so…
Sigh, that Yu-boy, the quality of his seeds is too low, and the income from selling them gets smaller every week. I guess I’ll have to support him by delivering food for a while.
But it’s not so bad. I can use my thunder magic power to train during the delivery process, so it’s not a complete waste of time.
Just then, her phone buzzed. Bai Zhenzhen glanced at the notification and her heart skipped a beat. “Crap, I’m almost out of time.”
The next second, her body accelerated again, merging into the flow of traffic, racing against time just like all the other delivery drivers.
And as Bai Zhenzhen was delivering food, not far from her, a slender figure shrouded in darkness was silently watching her back.
She wore a pair of glasses on her head, and as her gaze shifted, the camera on the glasses remained fixed on Bai Zhenzhen.
And no matter how Bai Zhenzhen accelerated or rushed her deliveries, she always maintained a consistent distance, never letting Bai Zhenzhen escape her tracking.
The woman staring at Bai Zhenzhen was named Si Zhouyu, a member of the Zhou family’s security force and a graduate of Jinzhou Junior College’s business intelligence program.
Sigh…
The thought that her recent work consisted of tailing a high school student and delivery driver filled Si Zhouyu with a sense of helplessness.
Giving bad reviews to competitor companies, stealing contracts from rival corporations, sabotaging a competitor’s feng shui wealth tree… that’s the kind of important work I should be doing.
How am I supposed to get a promotion and a raise by following this poor girl around every day?
Si Zhouyu moved closer to Bai Zhenzhen. As her body completely merged into the black shadows, she was practically only a dozen meters away, brazenly yet silently capturing footage of Bai Zhenzhen.
Can’t you do something big already?
Time passed, day by day, and the monthly exam at the beginning of September was soon over.
Even before the results were officially announced, Zhou Chechen had already gotten a sneak peek at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s scores.
“Zhang Yu is second? His score is still high, but only relative to the students ranked below him.”
“Comparing his progress over time, not only has he not continued to improve, but his magic power and physical strength have actually declined.”
“Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, is still improving.”
Looking at the report card and the specific data from their exam performance, Zhou Chechen thought to himself, By the October monthly exam, Zhang Yu’s decline will probably be even more severe, and the gap between him and Bai Zhenzhen will widen.
Faced with this kind of continuous decline, Zhang Yu should break within a month or two at most, right?
While Zhou Chechen was looking at the report card.
In an apartment near Purple Cloud High School.
Zhang Yu said, “I used a counter-detection ritual to hide the improvement in my data this time. Zhou Chechen’s side should think their recent methods have been very effective.”
Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, did not do this. After all, to those around them, it was normal for Zhang Yu’s grades to slip slightly, given that he was engrossed in basic techniques and had to attend extra tutoring for talismans. Conversely, Bai Zhenzhen’s performance in martial arts and physical education classes had become more and more outstanding, so it was only natural for her grades to improve.
Fu Ji said, “Good. That Zhou Chechen fellow will probably try to use the gap between you two to put even more pressure on Zhang Yu.”
“Just let them think they’ve succeeded.”
“You two must use this time to continue developing, to continue getting stronger.”
“Don’t be in a hurry to escalate the confrontation with them. Time is on your side.”
…
Mid-September.
Inside the apartment.
Le Mulan sniffed the air, looked at Zhang Yu with some confusion, and suddenly asked, “How come you… don’t smell so bad anymore?”
With her super-metabolism, Le Mulan was extremely sensitive to all kinds of smells.
And while Zhang Yu’s sweat had been sour and smelly before, to Le Mulan’s nose, it now had a kind of pure feeling, just like her own.
Of course, Zhang Yu wasn’t going to say it was because of his successful cultivation.
It wasn’t just the daily ascetic training of Spring and Autumn Endless Zen that strengthened his constitution and expelled toxins.
It was also because after completing the six techniques for the High School Sacred Body, he had gained a new enhancement.
Primary - High School Sacred Body (6/6): Alchemical enhancer load, absorption, and metabolism abilities increased to the peak of Qi Refinement.
Ever since gaining this enhancement, coupled with his level 10 Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, he felt he could expel, collect, and control the toxins in his body. The Zen character on his chest was also getting darker and darker.
The urine I pass now could probably be served to people as drinking water.
After Le Mulan left, she sent a message to her brother, Le Jingchen: Does Zhang Yu have any record of having super-metabolism surgery?
Le Jingchen: No.
Le Mulan: If someone hasn’t had super-metabolism surgery, is it possible for their sweat to be very clean?
Le Jingchen: Collect a sample of his sweat. I’ll have the lab analyze it, and we’ll know the result.
Le Mulan paused, hesitating for a moment. “Collect Zhang Yu’s sweat?”
Late September.
Red Pagoda High School.
Yu Xinghan, his cheeks somewhat gaunt, looked at the vigorous Zhang Yu who was currently devouring a large meal and remarked, “Your physical constitution is quite good.”
The feast before them was provided by the Red Pagoda company for excellent seed providers, which is to say, for Yu Xinghan.
Although Zhang Yu was just here to freeload, he seemed to be eating even more than Yu Xinghan.
Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but ask, “You haven’t been on many fewer sorties than I have. How do you maintain such good stamina?”
Having run into him at Red Pagoda a few times, Yu Xinghan now knew that Zhang Yu had the same part-time job as him.
Zhang Yu chuckled. “Just eat a lot and get plenty of nutrients.”
He glanced at his Feather Book, where the High School Sacred Body’s enhancement had been upgraded again on top of the primary level.
Advanced - High School Sacred Body (8/8): Food digestion, absorption, and metabolism abilities increased to the peak of Qi Refinement.
Zhang Yu mused, Is this High School Sacred Body all about being able to handle a ton of alchemical enhancers and food?
It does fit the characteristics of a Kunxu high school student.
I wonder what the final enhancement will be?
And as time flowed on, it was soon mid-October.
The second round of the Foundation Establishment exam was about to begin.