Chapter 259: The Impact of Zhang Yu
Just as Zhang Yu and Wang Yin began to clash.
Within the divine power network, the righteous gods of both sides were not only keeping each other in check but also maintaining order at the scene.
It was as if they were divided into two factions, seated together in a massive conference room, and on the table in the center was a projection of the entire battlefield.
And at the heart of the battlefield was the fight between Zhang Yu and Wang Yin.
Simultaneously, streams of divine power crisscrossed the heavens and the earth, constantly monitoring bank accounts, talisman tomes, live stream channels, and more.
Someone on site had just pulled out their phone to try and film secretly when a notification for a piracy fine popped up on their screen.
Huang Zichou snorted coldly, “Do you even have broadcasting rights? How dare you try to pirate this in front of so many righteous gods?”
Just then, Mu Guiyin, a righteous god from the opposing side, spoke up, “Huang Zichou, you still have the mind to worry about pirates? Have you thought about what you’ll do when you lose?”
Huang Zichou shot Mu Guiyin a glance and said, “Old man, I saw how you were speaking up for Ye Lingxiao at every turn last time. I knew then you must have been bought off. You were already backing Oasis Group back then, weren’t you?”
Mu Guiyin instantly retorted in anger, “Don’t you dare slander me! My support for anyone is for the sake of the Heavenly Court and Kunxu. If Oasis does well, I’ll support them. I have a clear conscience on this matter.”
“You should be more concerned about what to do after this Zhang Yu of yours loses!”
“Wang Yin was born a company shareholder, a fifth-level believer. He is a man of immense talent, a vanguard of reform chosen by those above…”
At that very moment, Wang Yin was slammed to the ground by Zhang Yu on the battlefield.
As Zhang Yu pulled out the Soul-Wounding Brick and began to smash it down violently, Mu Guiyin’s words came to an abrupt halt, and the eyes of the many righteous gods present widened in shock.
“How is this possible? What is the origin of this poor kid?”
“An hour and a half… and he’s already beaten Wang Yin?”
“Could this be a stratagem from the higher-ups?”
Watching this unfold, the crowd of righteous gods, despite their vast experience, all revealed expressions of astonishment before sinking into deep contemplation.
In their view, it was impossible for a first-layer student like Zhang Yu to defeat Wang Yin.
There was only one possibility for Zhang Yu’s victory… someone from above had intervened.
In that instant, Zhang Yu became an enigmatic and unfathomable figure in their eyes.
At the same time, Huang Zichou’s gaze shifted as he sensed a fluctuation of divine power on the field.
Is Wang Yin losing his composure and about to use a semi-automatic talisman?
It was clear that at such a critical juncture, his opponent no longer cared about any prior agreements.
Just as Huang Zichou was about to suppress the opponent’s talisman, he saw Mu Guiyin leap forward. With a grand wave of his hand, he completely sealed off the divine power network around Wang Yin.
Mu Guiyin bellowed, “The audacity of this Wang Yin, to attempt to break our agreement right under the noses of so many righteous gods!”
“Based on his character alone, I’d say Oasis Group’s approach is far too radical. How the first layer should be reformed is a matter that requires careful, long-term deliberation.”
Huang Zichou let out a soft chuckle and was about to utter a few sarcastic remarks when he noticed he had just received a Favorability Talisman from Mu Guiyin.
Looking at the number on the Favorability Talisman, Huang Zichou couldn’t help but feel a sense of solemn respect; the man was indeed a senior worthy of his study.
Deng Bingding raised a hand to quell the gods’ clamor and gave a cool command, “Everyone, prepare for the aftermath.”
“The mess Oasis Group has made will ultimately fall to us to clean up.”
“And while we’re at it, it’s time to tidy up the first layer.”
“This is a decree from the Myriad Laws Sect…”
Purple Cloud High School.
It was still class time.
But because of the decisive battle between Zhang Yu and Wang Yin, neither teachers nor students seemed to have their minds on their lessons.
So, in the martial arts class, the teacher simply put the live broadcast on, leading the students in watching and providing commentary.
“Mr. Wang is so rich! I heard his company pays the highest overtime in all of Songyang. It would be great to work for him after graduation.”
“What Mr. Wang says makes so much sense. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known our purchasing power here is so strong, that things are actually very cheap.”
“He even wants to open farms to raise mortals? I never thought someone so rich could also be so kind.”
Le Mulan listened to the whispers of her surrounding classmates, her face showing no surprise.
After all, being rich meant being handsome, powerful, and excellent in all aspects—a concept she had been exposed to since childhood.
But for some reason, as she watched the two figures clashing on the screen, a small hope flickered within her. Even knowing how slim the chance was, she couldn’t help but think it.
She wanted Zhang Yu to win.
Why?
The rich beating the poor… isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?
Why would I hope for the poor to win?
Is it because… Le Mulan murmured to herself, in front of someone like Wang Yin, there’s not much difference between me and Zhang Yu? Am I just another poor person to him?
Is this what it feels like to be poor?
Powerless… without hope… with no chance of victory… just waiting to be trampled…
Is being poor really this painful?
As the students below whispered amongst themselves, the teacher above commented, “Watch this battle closely. A rich man of Mr. Wang’s caliber taking action is something you might see only a few times in decades on the first layer.”
“Students who can afford it should rewatch this repeatedly at home.”
“After all, the fight will likely end quickly. Zhang Yu should be defeated very soon.”
“Your homework for today is to write a review analyzing the reasons for Zhang Yu’s defeat…”
Lian Tianji listened to the teacher’s analysis, his face growing darker and darker, like a gambler who had lost everything.
“It’s over, it’s all over. After Zhang Yu loses, he won’t be able to pay back the money, will he?”
Just then, Zhang Yu on the screen violently lifted Wang Yin and slammed him into the ground again and again.
With each thunderous impact from the video, with each sickening thud of the Soul-Wounding Brick against Wang Yin’s head, the entire classroom gradually fell silent.
But the way everyone looked at the screen seemed to have changed.
Could it be that a wealthy, high-and-mighty upper-class person like Wang Yin could actually be defeated by someone from the first layer?
Lian Tianji shot up from his seat, feeling as though Zhang Yu had just given him a massive shove forward on his path of the Immortal Dao.
Inside Songyang High School.
The students were also watching the fight on the live broadcast.
As they saw Zhang Yu pick up the Soul-Wounding Brick and bring it down—once, twice… again and again—on Wang Yin’s head, they felt as if their entire world was shaking.
Those repeated blows seemed to land not just on Wang Yin’s head, but on their very hearts.
Qian Shen watched Wang Yin finally collapse to the ground, motionless, and felt an immense shock ripple through him.
“Zhang Yu, the strongest high school student on the first layer under the complete college entrance examination system, can even defeat a top student from the upper layers.”
“What does this prove?”
Qian Shen slammed his hand on the box in front of him and exclaimed excitedly, “It proves that the college entrance examination system truly does cover all layers of Kunxu!”
“As long as we become the strongest within this system, we people from the lower layers are no weaker than those from above.”
Zhao Tianxing’s voice came from the box, “Easy there, old Qian! Don’t smash me to bits.”
Qian Shen apologized profusely, then offered reassurance, “Old Zhao, I’ll take you to the office in a bit to help you fill out the transfer application.”
“And you don’t have to worry. The college entrance exam system is perfect. The fact that soul cultivators are part of this system proves that this path is absolutely viable.”
“Study hard after you get to Mount Mang High School, and you might not be any worse off than a regular high school student in the future.”
Inside Red Pagoda High School, the demon-kin students listened to Wang Yin’s propaganda, their expressions exceedingly complex.
Xiong Wenwu thought to himself, So that’s how it is… No wonder so many breeding bases in the reserve are being shut down.
It turns out Oasis Group plans to stop breeding demons and start breeding humans instead.
If that’s the case… does it mean the demon-kin of the first layer are destined to slowly fade away?
At this thought, Xiong Wenwu’s face darkened slightly.
It wasn’t until he saw Zhang Yu, brick by brick, beat Wang Yin into submission that Xiong Wenwu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked down at his vibrating phone and saw a message from An’an.
An’an: “Wenwu, look! Zhang Yu won!”
An’an: “Our jobs should be safe now, right?”
An’an: “Without Oasis Group’s influence, the reserve will continue to breed demon-kin in the future, won’t it?”
Deng Bingding’s consciousness drifted through the vast divine power network of the first layer.
Countless streams of information flowed before her.
There were comments from online forums.
There were bullet comments scrolling across videos.
There was data on likes, views, and shares.
There were even conversations picked up by the microphones of phones, computers, and other devices…
Through this sea of information, she could sense the impact of the battle between Zhang Yu and Wang Yin on the entire first layer of Kunxu, and the trends of change it had set in motion.
“As for the rich, it’s a classic case of kicking a man while he’s down. They will completely carve up Oasis Group.”
“Some families will rise, while others will fall.”
“And then there are the students…”
“Mortals not yet in high school, inspired by Zhang Yu and intimidated by Wang Yin, have all made a firm resolution to study even harder to get into high school.”
“Those already in high school, also motivated by Zhang Yu, want to study even harder.”
Deng Bingding mused, In the coming years, as long as we continue to promote Zhang Yu, I imagine it will inspire quite a few students, won’t it?
This roaming god understood perfectly well that with a limited number of spots, everyone working harder wouldn’t increase the number of students who get into high school or ascend to the second layer.
Deng Bingding sighed inwardly, Their efforts won’t necessarily make their own lives better.
But at the very least, their efforts can make the first layer more prosperous, providing more outstanding resources for those above.
Thinking of this, Deng Bingding couldn’t help but sigh with emotion once more.
Those above truly plan far ahead.
Using borrowed strength, turning the enemy’s attack against them… they so easily foiled the Netherworld Palace’s reform plans, reorganized the first layer, and bought themselves many more years of peace.
Meanwhile, the current Zhang Yu was still unaware of the influence his battle had brought upon the first layer.
He lay quietly on an operating table, surrounded by more than a dozen doctors who were tirelessly treating him.
In the fight against Wang Yin just now, although Zhang Yu had suppressed his opponent shortly after it began and achieved final victory, he knew that the process had been fraught with peril.
His own body had suffered grievous injuries under Wang Yin’s full-powered assault.
Not only was one of his arms twisted and necrotic, but the meridians, muscles, and bones throughout his body had also been severely ravaged by Wang Yin’s astral qi.
Zhang Yu understood that by the time he finally defeated Wang Yin, he himself had also been pushed to his limit.
Fortunately, with the blessing of the Martial Dao Holy Embryo, Zhang Yu’s healing abilities for both internal and external injuries were greatly enhanced. Once he was no longer taking damage, his condition began to gradually recover.
And this formidable life force earned gasps of admiration from the doctors treating him.
True Person Starfire, standing to one side, was also observing Zhang Yu’s condition, thinking, He’s clearly suffered such heavy injuries, yet he’s already recovering on his own.
Even without the doctors’ treatment, most of the wounds on his body would probably heal by themselves over time.
Having countless experiences in actual combat, True Person Starfire had naturally endured all sorts of injuries, large and small, and he understood the human body extremely well.
It was precisely because of this that he could better appreciate just how formidable the constitution Zhang Yu was displaying was.
And he only reached Foundation Establishment today.
Truly… what a domineering constitution. Could it really be the legendary Martial Dao Holy Body?
How much would this save in medical fees?