Chapter 219: Minor Accomplishment of the Holy Embryo, Departure for the Exam
Inside an apartment near Purple Cloud High School.
Zhang Yu was scrolling through the news on his phone, his brow furrowing slightly at the content. Songyang City is getting more and more chaotic.
During this time, although Zhang Yu had just been quietly teaching and cultivating every day, it didn’t mean he was ignorant of the events unfolding outside.
With the intelligence Bai Zhenzhen occasionally brought back, combined with the shifts in news and public opinion online, he had gradually confirmed a fact.
Besides the escalating conflict in the dark world of tutoring, which had even drawn in corporations, similar phenomena were occurring in other fields as well.
The dark world of shopping for smugglers, the dark world of pharmacology for sellers of fake alchemical enhancers, and the dark world of catering for vendors of fake pre-made meals… gangs in each of these sectors were engaged in fierce battles, each showcasing their unique skills to seize market share.
And the corporations behind them were also endlessly competing.
For instance, Zhang Yu had encountered more discount events and received more coupons on shopping and food delivery platforms—a result of the price wars between companies.
But Zhang Yu also discovered that many things he had his eye on, and even websites he frequently used, were being reported and taken down—a result of the reporting wars between companies.
There were also waves of negative reviews for various products and techniques, causing their ratings to fluctuate wildly. One day, an independent media outlet would expose a pollutant leak at the Purple Cloud Group, and the next, they would reveal that the Red Pagoda Group was cutting corners in its meat products, failing to use additives and alchemical enhancers…
Zhang Yu knew this was all the work of corporations mobilizing online armies to manipulate public opinion.
Although the corporate competition was intensifying, it didn’t have a major impact on Zhang Yu’s daily life; in fact, some of the promotional activities had allowed him to save a good deal of money.
For example, the cultivation technique platforms had held several discount events, saving him over a hundred thousand yuan on his purchases.
As he felt the changes in Songyang City, Zhang Yu had a nagging feeling that the competition between gangs and corporations had only grown fiercer ever since the Oasis Group’s synthetic meat had been introduced to the market.
Hearing Zhang Yu’s speculation, Fu Ji commented from the side, “You shouldn’t overthink this. It’s too big and has nothing to do with us. Just focus on your cultivation and prepare for the final round of the Foundation Establishment exam.”
Zhang Yu knew Fu Ji was right and sighed; it really wasn’t his place as a high school student to worry about such things.
Exiting the news page, Zhang Yu’s gaze fell upon the discounted cultivation technique he had just purchased—the Technique-Resisting Primal Body.
Thanks to the sale, he was able to buy this technique ahead of schedule, but it also caused his bank account balance, which he had been building up until today, to plummet once again, leaving him with just over twenty thousand yuan.
Whenever he thought of this, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh. Although I’ve earned a lot these past two months, I’ve also spent a lot. The vast majority of my money has been converted into cultivation techniques and integrated into my body.
The Technique-Resisting Primal Body, the seventh technique to form his Martial Dao Holy Embryo, was a body tempering cultivation technique that enhanced the body’s resistance to external magic power.
“The human epidermis has five layers, and this art tempers each layer step-by-step with one’s own magic power, allowing each layer to resist a portion of the magic power that invades from the outside…”
“Once the Technique-Resisting Primal Body is trained to level 10, all five layers of the epidermis will be completely tempered, and the physical body will possess a powerful resistance to magic power.”
“If I need to let external magic power enter my body, it’s simple enough; I just need to envelop the opponent’s magic power with my own.”
Zhang Yu knew that when he used an art like the Imperishable Seal Art to absorb an opponent’s magic power, he would need to guide it into his body.
Zhang Yu thought back to the assassination attempt he had faced; if he had mastered this Technique-Resisting Primal Body back then, the fight would likely have been much easier.
Just as Zhang Yu was advancing the Technique-Resisting Primal Body to level 3, the sound of the door opening and closing signaled Bai Zhenzhen’s return, who slowly walked into the apartment, exuding an air of exhaustion.
Zhang Yu turned his head to look at Bai Zhenzhen and was immediately hit by a wave of murderous intent so tangible that it made the hairs on his arms stand up, creating the illusion of a sword’s edge pressed against his throat.
This girl, Zhen, has felt more and more dangerous ever since she started participating in gang battles.
However, as Bai Zhenzhen stepped further into the apartment, the murderous aura around her gradually dissipated, and she reverted to her usual top student persona.
Zhang Yu glanced at the time and said with some surprise, “So early today? You’re back at only two o’clock?”
Bai Zhenzhen casually took off her combat jacket and threw it on the floor. Zhang Yu could see it was covered in the text of various divine arts and great techniques.
He knew the cultivation techniques written on it were fake and wearing it wouldn’t incur a fine, but in battle, it could intimidate opponents into not looking directly at it, much like how ancient generals wore helmets shaped like demons and gods to frighten their enemies on the battlefield.
Her pants and undergarments were also carelessly tossed aside, and under Zhang Yu’s now-accustomed gaze, Bai Zhenzhen walked naked toward the bathroom.
Zhang Yu could see a few shallow cuts on her arm, and even the faint imprint of a few characters.
It was from the seal-stamp weapons used by some Golden Class Gang experts. One strike could imprint a whole cultivation technique onto an opponent, and while not immediately fatal, the subsequent consequences were enough to bankrupt a person.
However, seeing that Bai Zhenzhen had only been grazed by a few characters, it was clear she had dodged the attack at the critical moment.
Hearing Zhang Yu’s question, Bai Zhenzhen turned around and said with a blank expression, “I had just tied up their students and brought them to the gang when the Dark Learning Gang and the Golden Class Gang announced a truce.”
Zhang Yu quickly turned his head away and scolded, “I’ve told you so many times, don’t walk around the house naked! What if you make me lose my production materials again? That’s money!”
Bai Zhenzhen tilted her head, annoyed. “We know each other so well. Isn’t it tiring to have to hide and sneak around just to change clothes? And it’s a waste of time. Do we have that much time to spare?”
Then she sneered, looking at Zhang Yu with disdain. “Tsk… besides, even if I don’t go naked, don’t you have that problem anyway?”
“When I came back last night, you had already gone out, so I didn’t even see you, right? But then I looked in the trash can, and it was full of wadded-up tissues…”
Zhang Yu slapped the floor, irritated. “I told you not to rummage through the trash can.”
“And that was for my runny nose, not what you’re thinking.”
Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, turned her back to Zhang Yu, and pulled off her last pair of shorts, saying impatiently, “It’s all the same, isn’t it?”
“Yu-boy, just look at how far the price Red Pagoda is offering you has dropped. Your stuff is only worth a little more than plain water now. It’s useless.”
You little… Zhang Yu looked at Bai Zhenzhen’s smug face and sighed internally. Zhen, oh Zhen, have you forgotten how your dad earned money, tube by tube, to support you just a few months ago? Now that it’s not selling for a high price, you dare say such heart-chilling words to me.
Bai Zhenzhen continued, “Having a root is always a hassle. After the Foundation Establishment exam is over, we won’t have to save money anymore. I’ll pay to have you sterilized at the hospital; I’ll cover the whole package for you.”
With that, Bai Zhenzhen walked into the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water could be heard.
Meanwhile, Fu Ji, recalling what Bai Zhenzhen had just said, was somewhat surprised. A truce?
She said to Zhang Yu, “Check the news…”
Zhang Yu picked up his phone and, following Fu Ji’s instruction, began to check the news. He soon saw the announcement that the Immortal Resonance Group and the Deep Sea Group were cooperating and exchanging shares.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s surprised expression, Fu Ji smiled. “What’s so surprising about that? Exchanging shares, binding their interests, and then further monopolizing the entire industry—isn’t that a common phenomenon in Kunxu? It’s been escalating for years without ever stopping.”
“Besides, whether it’s the Immortal Resonance Group or the Deep Sea Group, although they seem to be competitors, at the end of the day, both companies are under the banner of the Myriad Laws Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects.”
“As long as someone within the sect mediates, let alone cooperating, it wouldn’t be impossible for these two companies to merge.”
Fu Ji then added, “But this cooperation does seem a bit abrupt. Look at their other news.”
Zhang Yu said, “After cooperating, the two companies announced they’re entering the food industry? They’re going to partner with the Oasis Group?”
“The Oasis Group… why do I feel like they’re connected to everything?”
Fu Ji thought to herself, The Oasis Group… is backed by the Netherworld Palace, right? It seems to be that kind of affair again. I absolutely cannot let this kid Zhang Yu get involved.
Fu Ji said casually, “Alright, no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with you. Hurry up and cultivate. The most important thing for you right now is the Foundation Establishment exam. Don’t worry about anything else.”
With the truce between the Dark Learning Gang and the Golden Class Gang, Bai Zhenzhen, no longer needing to fight on the front lines, suddenly had a lot of free time.
So, in addition to her cultivation, she invited the martial arts teachers from Songyang High School to accompany her in practical combat training every day, tempering her techniques and honing her body and magic power in battle.
The days passed like this, and in the blink of an eye, January arrived.
January 1st.
The final round of the Foundation Establishment exam was in two days.
In the apartment, Zhang Yu was sitting cross-legged, one half of his body covered in frost, the other half steaming hot.
He was cultivating the eighth technique of the Martial Dao Holy Embryo—the Grand Art of Kan-Ice and Li-Fire Forging.
By tempering his body with Kan-Ice magic power and Li-Fire magic power respectively, he could grant it a powerful adaptability to high and low temperatures, and further enhance its resilience.
And at this moment, Zhang Yu was at the critical juncture of advancing the Grand Art of Kan-Ice and Li-Fire Forging to level 10.
Boom!
With a loud bang, Zhang Yu’s body was no longer half cold and half hot; instead, it alternated between the two extremes before the ice and fire finally merged into one, returning to a normal state.
Zhang Yu felt the changes throughout his flesh and blood and slowly exhaled.
“Finally, the eighth technique of the Martial Dao Holy Embryo is complete.”
After advancing the Grand Art of Kan-Ice and Li-Fire Forging to level 10, Zhang Yu could feel that not only had his body’s adaptability to temperature changes grown stronger, but by circulating this technique, he could now fight with his body in either a high-temperature or low-temperature state, each with its own wonderful uses.
Glancing at the second-tier effect of the Martial Dao Holy Embryo, Zhang Yu let out a laugh and said, “Although I haven’t been able to train the Martial Dao Holy Embryo to its ultimate effect, it should be more than enough to win this Foundation Establishment exam.”
He checked his phone and saw that his leave request had been approved.
All preparations are complete. It’s time to set out.