Chapter 264: Starfire’s Help
Zhang Yu waved his hand rapidly in front of his face.
When he watched with his original left eye, he saw only a blurry afterimage of his hand’s swift movement.
But when he looked with the Time-Lag Demon Pupil in his right eye, he could see his moving hand with perfect clarity. Every line on his palm was distinct, as if his hand were moving in slow motion.
The more he concentrated, the more pronounced the sensation of the world slowing down became.
At the same time, he could feel the Time-Lag Demon Pupil drawing more of his magic power to maintain its function.
Zhang Yu made a quick mental calculation. The stronger the slow-down effect, the more magic power it consumes.
At maximum effect, the world seems to slow down by a factor of ten.
With my current magic power, and factoring in the constant regeneration from my Sea of Qi Spiritual Root, I can probably sustain it for about an hour.
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. The time-lag ability was similar to the total concentration of the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, but it was more controllable, offered greater clarity, had a more significant slowing effect, and could be maintained for much longer.
With a thought, he deactivated the effect, and his perception of the world returned to its normal speed.
He then moved his arms and legs and felt a pervasive sense of weakness throughout his body.
With the removal of the Flood Dragon Spirit Pivot, the temporary one-level boost to his physical strength was gone.
Stretching his limbs, Zhang Yu thought, It was only temporary power anyway. Better to lose it now and get used to it.
Nearby, Bai Zhenzhen had also finished her surgery. Her figure flickered, and she shot out with a gust of wind, appearing in different corners of the room like a phantom and leaving a trail of afterimages.
“Yu-boy! This thing is amazing!” she laughed.
But a moment later, she yelped and came to a halt. “Nope, nope, it’s draining my magic power too fast, and my muscles are starting to complain.”
“Zhen, you have enough money now,” Zhang Yu said. “You should find some time and prepare for your Foundation Establishment.”
Bai Zhenzhen nodded with anticipation. Once she bought a Heavenly Spiritual Root to use as a cover, she could finally use her True Spiritual Root to break through.
After giving them a few more pointers on using their new bionics, True Person Starfire left with them.
As they stepped out of the Oasis Tower, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen profusely thanked True Person Starfire and offered to transfer him money as a token of their gratitude.
“You want to pay me?”
True Person Starfire looked at them, and a flash of understanding crossed his face. He chuckled. “You two little rascals. Are you worried I have ulterior motives? That I want to lock you into a contract or exploit you like Wang Yin… is that why you’re trying to test me?”
Seeing the change in their expressions, he continued, “Hehe, that’s good vigilance. I hope you maintain it in the future.”
“But don’t worry. I have no such intentions at the moment. Even if I did… I don’t anymore.” True Person Starfire explained, “After all, neither of you is Yu Xinghan. With your potential, you are bound to shine once you enter the university.”
“Even if I were to chain you down with an exploitative contract, I would only incur the wrath of the powerful figures who will want to invest in you in the future.”
“I would become a thorn in their side, an obstacle they would have to remove before they could support you.”
“It would be like a greedy investor holding on to too many shares in a promising startup, refusing to let go, only to be forced out by the major players.”
He smiled. “Besides, I’m only giving you some pointers, not investing fortunes in you. If you’re willing to acknowledge me as your master, just remember to mention my name after you become famous. That will be enough for me.”
Hearing his explanation, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen exchanged a look and then bowed in unison. “Master!”
True Person Starfire nodded in satisfaction. “I rushed over here during a break. I have to get back to work now.”
“You two study the Foundation Establishment techniques you’ve received. I’ll start guiding you in a couple of days.”
Watching True Person Starfire’s retreating back, Bai Zhenzhen turned to Zhang Yu.
“Yu-boy, what’s next?”
Zhang Yu thought for a moment. “First, we pay back our debts. After that, I’ll help you with your Foundation Establishment.”
Over the next few days, Zhang Yu diligently went through his loan records and repaid each one at 1.3 times the original amount.
The arrival of the thirty-six million from the Oasis Group into both their accounts gave him even more confidence to clear his debts.
In addition to repaying the recent loans, they also paid off all their old platform loans in one go, leaving them completely debt-free.
After paying back nearly eighty million in total, Zhang Yu’s account was almost empty again.
However, Bai Zhenzhen’s account was still flush with cash, more than enough to purchase the Heavenly Spiritual Root she needed.
After the spiritual root arrived, Bai Zhenzhen spent just over forty minutes in cultivation. Her magic power surged, her muscles and tendons emitted a series of strange noises, and finally, amidst a frenzied storm of spiritual energy, she too stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm.
As she broke through, a cyan mark appeared on her lower abdomen, slowly blooming like a lotus flower.
Simultaneously, the spiritual root in her dantian transformed from a seed into a vibrant, delicate cyan lotus, merging completely with her body.
Bai Zhenzhen frowned, a look of discomfort on her face. “I feel… my True Spiritual Root seems to be evolving again.”
She added with uncertainty, “Could it be turning into a Divine Spiritual Root this time?”
Zhang Yu was stunned, and Fu Ji cried out in alarm, “Why so suddenly? Can you suppress it?”
Bai Zhenzhen took a deep breath, her face flushing red as her aura fluctuated wildly.
After a long moment, the fully bloomed cyan lotus began to slowly close.
Only then did Bai Zhenzhen let out a long sigh of relief. “I can still keep it under control.”
Fu Ji sighed. “A natural spiritual root that can evolve is already something the Ten Great Sects and the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods monitor closely.”
“If yours actually becomes a Divine Spiritual Root, the consequences are impossible to predict.”
“Zhen, can you handle it?” Zhang Yu asked with concern.
Bai Zhenzhen smiled and patted her stomach. “It’s just suppressing a spiritual root. I’ve done it before. Piece of cake.”
The next day, in a training hall in the city center.
True Person Starfire looked at the two arrivals, and his body suddenly erupted with fire, a blazing sea that threatened to engulf them.
Seeing their expressions turn grave in an instant, their previous confidence and high spirits crushed, Starfire thought, To achieve so much while still in high school, it’s inevitable that they’d be proud and confident.
If they spend the next nine months being praised by everyone on the first layer, they could easily become arrogant and conceited.
If they enter the university with that kind of attitude, they’ll be defeated by the geniuses up there, trampled on, and they might never recover.
Better that I knock them down a peg now as a sort of vaccination, rather than let them get crushed when they go up there…
As he thought this, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen felt the air grow hotter and hotter. Every breath they took felt like it would set their lungs on fire.
True Person Starfire’s voice drifted over to them. “On the first layer, Foundation Establishment makes you a formidable figure. But on the second layer, it’s nothing special.”
“When you enter Myriad Laws University, you’ll be placed in a Foundation Establishment class. Your classmates will be students from all layers who reached this realm while still in high school.”
“Unlike you, who lack the resources to keep improving after your breakthrough, they have continued to make rapid progress with the resources available up there.”
“So, when you enter the Foundation Establishment class, you may find that you’re in the middle, or even at the bottom, of the class. You will face setbacks, repeated humiliation, and the prejudice that those from the upper layers hold against people from the first layer…”
Listening to Starfire’s words, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen gradually grew solemn. The restlessness that had been building from their recent successes and all the praise seemed to vanish in that instant.
True Person Starfire nodded slightly. “I’m not telling you this to make you give up. I’m telling you so you can adjust your mindset and not lose heart when you get there.”
“You are both very talented, and every bit of effort you’ve put in has been worthwhile. Do not betray your past selves.”
Having delivered his lecture, Starfire began the real training.
“The resources on the first layer are limited, and there’s not much that can help a Foundation Establishment cultivator,” he said. “I’ve given it some thought… for the next nine months, you’ll continue your cultivation techniques, but I will primarily use the most primitive methods to increase the efficiency of your Dao heart, magic power, and physical strength development.”
“It’s been a long time since I was involved in undergraduate education, so I’m not sure what the current process is for new students up there.”
“Regardless, if you can solidify your foundation and continuously raise your base stats over the next nine months, it will undoubtedly make your university cultivation much smoother.”
“What do you mean by ‘primitive methods’?” Zhang Yu asked, puzzled.
A grim smile spread across Starfire’s face. “For Dao heart training, for example, you will directly face the impact of my martial will to temper your own.”
“Of course, that’s just the beginning.”
“Once you get used to it, I will start ambushing you at random times…”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were shocked. “What? You? Ambush us?”
True Person Starfire just smiled. A martial will like a raging fire swept out from him, crashing toward them like a torrential storm.
Seeing the sweat pour down their faces as their expressions changed drastically, Starfire said coolly, “Maintain a constant state of tension and vigilance. Be prepared for a life-or-death battle at all times. In this state… you can accelerate the growth of your Dao heart.”
“The method is primitive, I admit, but given the simple conditions on the first layer, it’s perfect for you.”