Chapter 326: Wang Yin’s Dao Heart Shatters
During the time Zhang Yu was cooperating with Tian Yang, thanks to Wang Yin’s daily financial support, Zhang Yu had access to nutritious meals every day, replenishing his vital essence and strengthening his foundation.
Professional masseuses provided therapeutic massages to aid his body’s recovery and accelerate the restoration of his physical functions after each cultivation session.
“As for the masseuses’ side effects, I naturally overcame them with my Supreme Will.”
Combined with potent Tiger Wolf Medicine and the dense spiritual energy of the graveyard, his cultivation conditions had never been better, allowing his cultivation progress to far surpass anything he had achieved before.
“If Wang Yin knew that Tian Yang and I were just putting on an act to swindle him out of Spirit Coins — that I never actually left the construction site after work — he’d be even more furious, wouldn’t he? He’d probably hate me even more deeply.”
Upon hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Fu Ji retorted, “Once the truth comes out, he’ll likely be the first to suffer.”
Zhang Yu asked, surprised, “Himself?”
Fu Ji chuckled. “Heh heh, the key to deceiving someone is to let them taste the benefits first. Only after they’ve profited and enjoyed the advantages will they sink deeper into the trap, becoming so entrenched that they refuse to acknowledge the deception even when it’s glaringly obvious.”
“Wang Yin is a wealthy man. His hatred for you alone wouldn’t be enough to drive him to such proactive involvement.”
“I suspect…” Fu Ji speculated, “it’s as I guessed before. You’ve become his Heart Demon. He needs to use you to mend the flaws in his dao heart and elevate it.”
“But if he discovers the truth — that you weren’t merely his plaything but rather used his invested resources to advance your own cultivation — his Heart Demon will likely intensify, the flaws in his mental cultivation technique will worsen, and his dao heart might not only fail to recover… it could even regress.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. “Does that mean I’ve gained a trump card against him?”
Fu Ji replied coolly, “But this card isn’t solely in your hand.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Tian Yang… and his friend from Netherworld University? Could it be that people from Netherworld University are setting a trap for Wang Yin?”
Lacking sufficient information, Zhang Yu’s understanding of the situation remained like a blind man feeling an elephant — unable to grasp the whole picture.
He decided to dismiss these distracting thoughts and refocus on his cultivation. After all, his grades, rankings, and cultivation level were his only reliable means of survival and advancement at Myriad Laws University.
Taking a deep breath, he resumed practicing his breathing technique.
In the following days, Zhang Yu immersed himself in a relentless routine of cultivation, work, online classes, meals, massages, and occasional Spirit Coin-funded cultivation services. He even found time to assist Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan with their cultivation.
Each day, he felt as though 24 hours were woefully inadequate, wishing he could create multiple clones to divide his tasks.
Despite this demanding schedule, his cultivation advanced at a breathtaking pace.
Over a dozen days flew by. One day, Zhang Yu was cultivating at the construction site as usual.
His dao heart had now reached Level 14 (25.3%).
Feeling his will growing ever more resolute, and visualizing the White Ox in his mind striding proudly through surging black mud, Zhang Yu thought, “Once my dao heart reaches Level 15, I can start practicing the second mental cultivation technique.”
“Speaking of which, I haven’t tested my compatibility yet.”
“I wonder which mental cultivation technique best suits me and the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art?”
Meanwhile, the Magic Power within Zhang Yu’s body surged with increasing ferocity, now reaching 610.9 units. His Magic Power Quality had also soared to 165%.
With each gesture, Gang Qi erupted from him in billowing torrents, transforming into vast seas of clouds that swirled into vortexes. The energy twisted steel rebar grids, disassembled miscellaneous objects, and cleared debris with astonishing efficiency.
In the next moment, Zhang Yu’s entire body suddenly shuddered as he felt his physical body, Magic Power, and Gang Qi merge together like water and milk.
“My physical strength has broken through to Level 15.”
Although Zhang Yu’s primary training focus had been the breathing technique recently, he still found time to cultivate his physical strength whenever possible.
Especially with daily meals, massages, and the Nine Hells Mountain-Suppressing Belt constantly amplifying gravity to 30 times its normal force…
His physical strength had finally reached Level 15.
“Just like Lang Yougong said…”
Zhang Yu flicked his fingertip, and Gang Qi rippled outward like water, carrying the force of his flick far beyond his reach. The energy slammed into a wall over ten meters away with a soft thwack.
With his physical strength now at Level 15, Zhang Yu could feel his Magic Power and body fusing more deeply, as if his Gang Qi had become an extension of his very being.
The power of each punch and kick, amplified by Gang Qi, could now be projected far beyond his reach.
Later, he conducted tests in the training area and determined his Gang Qi Conduction Rate to be 35%, with a maximum transmission range of 38 meters.
In other words, using martial dao Gang Qi, he could transfer at most 35% of the force from a single punch.
This 35% of the force, carried by the Gang Qi, could travel up to 38 meters.
Beyond 38 meters, the force carried by the Gang Qi would rapidly diminish.
“Improving my Gang Qi Conduction Rate and maximum transmission distance depends on my Magic Power level, Magic Power Quality, physical strength, and martial dao techniques,” Zhang Yu mused. “I need comprehensive improvement. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Zhang Yu spread his five fingers, subtly activating his power. The Formless Cloud Gang materialized over ten meters away, forming a replica of his hand that gently lifted a piece of brick.
The Gang Qi had become like his new limbs, allowing him to transfer force with a mere thought.
“This will certainly make work much easier now,” he thought.
Aside from the improvement in his strength, Zhang Yu’s greatest gain during this period had been Spirit Coins.
Although he had spent a considerable amount, the Spirit Coins Tian Yang had wired him several times still allowed his balance to steadily increase.
Especially after their last act, where Zhang Yu pretended to fail in his overtime application, Tian Yang and Wang Yin traded for a magical artifact produced by Netherworld University. Afterward, Tian Yang transferred a full 22.5 Spirit Coins to Zhang Yu, half the market price.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, “Wang Yin is truly a fat sheep. How many people and jobs is this one man supporting?”
As a result, Zhang Yu’s Spirit Coin balance had swelled to over 29.1.
He hadn’t yet decided how to spend this windfall, given the overwhelming number of options.
Just then, two figures hurried over excitedly.
Yu Xinghan: “Brother!”
Li Xiao: “Brother Yu!”
Yu Xinghan couldn’t contain his eagerness: “Let’s go, let’s go! It’s time for our massages!”
Li Xiao remained silent but gazed longingly at Zhang Yu.
Thanks to Wang Yin’s lavish spending, Zhang Yu had been indulging in daily massages from multiple technicians. Even Yu Xinghan and Li Xiao occasionally snagged free sessions from available technicians when Zhang Yu wasn’t using them all — after all, Wang Yin was footing the bill.
Zhang Yu called up Tian Yang’s avatar in his Bionic Eye and said, “It doesn’t look like the arrangements are ready yet.”
These days, Zhang Yu only went for his massages after Tian Yang had made the arrangements and notified him.
Yu Xinghan’s face fell slightly. His Third Eye rotated in his mind as he thought, “Sigh, I’ve almost mastered all the technicians’ techniques. Could they really not arrange anything today?”
Using the Third Eye Mystic Power’s mimicry function, Yu Xinghan had been secretly studying the technicians’ massage techniques.
Just then, Zhang Yu received a message from Tian Yang: “The situation might be compromised.”
Netherworld University.
Wang Yin watched the video projected by his Bionic Eye, his expression darkening with each passing second.
The footage showed Zhang Yu devouring bowl after bowl of Heavenly Essence Rice and plate after plate of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Gallbladder.
After five bowls of rice and three plates of meat, Zhang Yu showed no signs of fatigue, displaying an astonishing digestive capacity.
The video Wang Yin was watching had been recorded not long ago, when Zhang Yu attended the banquet hosted by Ye Xingli.
Watching Zhang Yu’s unflushed, unpanting demeanor in the video, Wang Yin thought, “Heh, so… this is the bastard’s true appetite, is it?”
Beyond the video, even more recent updates on Zhang Yu’s activities flooded his screen.
“Tian Yang… Zhang Yu…”
Wang Yin gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with venom. “You think you can play me?”
The thought that someone like himself, a man of immense wealth and power, had been so thoroughly mocked, that his investment hadn’t manipulated Zhang Yu but instead had dramatically accelerated his cultivation, ignited a volcanic rage within Wang Yin.
As his fury erupted, Wang Yin felt the Imperial Heart of the Sovereign mental cultivation technique in his mind almost grind to a halt. His dao heart, which had already recovered to Level 16, now teetered on the brink of collapse.
His face alternated between ashen and livid as he felt his Magic Power and flesh begin to spiral out of control, his internal organs writhing in agony.
Pah!
He violently vomited a mouthful of blood, sensing his dao heart regress to Level 15, with the decline showing no signs of stopping.
“Damn it… that bastard Tian Yang! He colluded with Zhang Yu to deceive me?”
“And Mo Xingzi… He introduced me to Tian Yang. Was this deliberate? Did he set this trap to undermine my dao heart?”
Wang Yin knew he shouldn’t let his mind wander at such a critical moment, but he couldn’t suppress the relentless stream of thoughts flooding his consciousness.
The realization that he had been manipulated, coupled with the memory of Zhang Yu’s smug satisfaction in recent days, further destabilized Wang Yin’s dao heart, threatening to plunge his inner energies into chaos.
Just then, a woman’s voice echoed in his mind: “My son, there’s no need to overthink this. I instructed Mo Xingzi to do this.”
“Mom?” Wang Yin froze, his voice a mix of shock, anger, and confusion. “Did you tell Mo Xingzi to deceive me?”
The woman replied calmly, “I merely instructed him to expose the flaws in your heart. I never imagined he would actually find Zhang Yu to provoke you.”
Without giving Wang Yin a chance to speak, she continued swiftly, “My son, since birth, you’ve enjoyed unbroken success. Later, you mastered the Imperial Heart of the Sovereign mental cultivation technique… Yet I’ve always harbored one persistent worry.”
“This technique, after all, originates from the mental cultivation practices of ancient dynastic rulers — success with alignment, failure with resistance. Yet life itself, even for Immortals, is fraught with setbacks. How much more so for mortals like us?”
“As the saying goes, human effort has its limits. No matter how vast your wealth, failure is inevitable.”
“The key isn’t avoiding failure, but learning how to rise from it.”
“This time, you were defeated by Zhang Yu, a penniless wretch whom you can crush with money. But what if your next defeat comes at the hands of someone wealthier and more powerful than you? What will you do then?”
Wang Yin murmured, “Mom, are you saying I should change my mindset and fix the flaws in my own heart?”
“Indeed,” she said calmly. “A mental cultivation technique should assist a Cultivator, not enslave their mind.”
“You must master the technique, not let it bind your thoughts.”
Wang Yin still struggled to let go, gritting his teeth. “But Zhang Yu…”
The woman’s voice remained indifferent. “Zhang Yu is nothing more than an insignificant ant, destined to toil in construction sites. He was merely a blade in someone else’s hand from start to finish. Think carefully — was it the blade that truly undermined your ambitions? Or the person wielding it?”
“I care nothing for Zhang Yu.”
“What concerns me more is the flaw in your dao heart.”
“This setback, though it weakened your dao heart, has also exposed its flaws completely. This is your best chance to perfect your understanding and mend that flaw. If you fail to do so, you’ll never achieve the Golden Core, proving you’re nothing special and unworthy of further Spirit Coin investments.”
“If you succeed, I’ll arrange for a mentor to guide you. Spend the next year preparing diligently for your postgraduate studies.”
“When you eventually break through to the Golden Core and challenge the Nascent Soul realm, Zhang Yu will be nothing more than a withered bone in a grave.”
Ever since learning that his secret had been exposed, Zhang Yu had been constantly on guard, anticipating Wang Yin’s potential retaliation.
Yet days passed in the blink of an eye, and with May fast approaching, Zhang Yu sensed an unsettling calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
Meanwhile, he had finally mastered his sixth breathing technique, Qi Meridian Everflow, unlocking the First Layer effect.