Chapter 355: Bai Zhenzhen Evaluates Le Mulan’s Harm
In the Spirit Realm Projection, Bai Zhenzhen was drenched in sweat, her body radiating heat and her face still bearing traces of fiend energy, as if she had just emerged from a fierce battle.
Zhang Yu exclaimed in surprise, “Did you just finish your exam?”
Bai Zhenzhen nodded, panting. “Yeah, I’ve only been resting for about ten minutes.”
“This final exam lasted from yesterday morning until late at night. We had to fight across several hundred kilometers…”
At that point, Bai Zhenzhen paused, a hint of helplessness flickering across her face. “The exam details involve military secrets. I can’t reveal them. Let’s drop the subject.”
Zhang Yu’s mind raced. “Heavenly Sword University’s final exams… just like the Civil Engineering Department’s at Myriad Laws University, they’re preparing students for a potential war?”
Bai Zhenzhen asked eagerly, “How did your final exams go? Did you beat Ji Yuanshu?”
Zhang Yu immediately sent her a screenshot of the rankings. Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up as she smiled approvingly. “That’s my good son! You aced it!”
A glint of anticipation sparkled in her eyes. “Now we’re one step closer to the Ten Greats Competition!”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, remembering their promise to compete in the Ten Greats League together with Bai Zhenzhen.
Bai Zhenzhen said, “Oh, by the way, I sent you some treats. They should arrive in a couple of days, so don’t forget to pick them up.”
“I’ll be coming to Myriad Laws University for the flying sword competition in November. If you’re free, come watch me compete!”
“November?” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “The Civil Engineering Competition is in December. It looks like A-Zhen won’t be able to see my competition.”
“But I’m still just a substitute member anyway. It’s pointless to worry about it now.”
While Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were chatting, Le Mulan obediently sat nearby.
Watching Zhang Yu’s beaming smile, she thought to herself, “Zhang Yu must be talking to Bai Zhenzhen again.”
Having lived together for over a year, Le Mulan knew that Zhang Yu always set aside time each evening to call Bai Zhenzhen, whether he was studying, working, in the dorm, or at the construction site.
She had long grown accustomed to this unwavering routine.
What she couldn’t understand was…
“Why can’t Zhang Yu infuse me with Magic Power while he’s talking to Bai Zhenzhen? It would save so much time!”
“This is clearly more time-efficient.”
Le Mulan shook her head and was about to close her eyes to practice her breathing technique when a message from her brother, Le Jingchen, interrupted her.
Le Jingchen: “I’ve already asked the professor. There shouldn’t be any problems. She’s very impressed with your qualifications. You should go for the interview tomorrow.”
Le Jingchen: “This professor has extensive experience in the high-end pharmaceutical industry and is also the company’s top technical expert. You should learn from her diligently.”
Le Jingchen: “Especially the self-produced medicinal pill technique. Your innate talent makes you exceptionally suited for this area.”
Le Mulan knew that the so-called self-produced medicinal pill technique involved using the physical body as a cauldron and Magic Power as fuel, refining ingested medicinal materials into various medicinal pills.
Compared to the mass-production approach of building pharmaceutical factories and drug production lines, the self-produced medicinal pill route yielded lower quantities. However, one’s cultivation level and pill-refining skill were directly linked: the higher one’s cultivation, the higher the grade of pills produced.
Moreover, unlike the mass-production approach, which required establishing new production lines to manufacture higher-grade pills after each cultivation breakthrough — a prohibitively expensive endeavor — the self-produced medicinal pill route naturally scaled with one’s cultivation level.
After discussing the mentor matter, Le Jingchen moved on to another topic.
Le Jingchen: “The company is very curious about Zhang Yu’s recent performance and how he managed to defeat Ji Yuanshu.”
Le Jingchen: “However, despite analyzing Zhang Yu’s materials multiple times, we haven’t been able to draw any conclusions.”
Le Jingchen: “The company wants to acquire Zhang Yu’s breeding rights and cultivate a lineage of his descendants.”
Le Jingchen: “Try sounding him out and see if he’s willing.”
Seeing the message from her brother, Le Mulan replied: “I doubt it. He’s always been very protective of his breeding rights. He refused to sell them even back on the First Layer.”
Le Jingchen: “Just try your best. If the opportunity arises, try to persuade him. Holding onto those rights serves no purpose. He’d be better off monetizing them to enhance his own strength.”
As Le Mulan and her brother were chatting, Zhang Yu suddenly stood up, stretching and twisting his torso to loosen up.
“Bring it on,” Zhang Yu said. “A-Zhen, do you remember you never once beat me in high school?”
Across from him, Bai Zhenzhen also began warming up, her muscles radiating heat.
She smiled. “Yu Zi, the Spirit Realm Network connection in this new dorm is excellent. The feedback is instant, with almost no lag.”
“This is the perfect opportunity to see how far you’ve come.”
“Remember to call me ‘Mom’ when you lose.”
In the next instant, their figures blurred together in the cramped dormitory as they clashed violently.
However, due to the Spirit Realm Network, their physical bodies couldn’t truly make contact. Their combat consisted of brief, explosive exchanges of techniques.
Without the ability to rely on his formidable physical defenses, Zhang Yu found himself immediately on the defensive, feeling as if his every move was being anticipated.
He channeled his inner energy relentlessly, pushing his speed to the limit. The air cracked with sonic booms as his fists and palms exploded with increasing force.
Yet no matter how fast Zhang Yu moved, Bai Zhenzhen effortlessly matched his pace.
Often, before he could even complete a single technique, Bai Zhenzhen would exploit an opening, forcing him into continuous defensive maneuvers and trapping him in a persistent disadvantage.
“If one me isn’t enough, I’ll fight with two!”
Using the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body, Zhang Yu activated a dual-minded technique. His left and right hands unleashed different martial arts simultaneously, overwhelming Bai Zhenzhen with a dual assault.
Initially, Bai Zhenzhen was caught off guard, but her reactions quickly caught up. Her sword fingers crackled with lightning, shattering Zhang Yu’s double-layered attacks one after another.
Zhang Yu then activated his third and fourth layers of thinking.
His hands, feet, elbows, knees… every part of his body transformed into a deadly weapon.
His movements became utterly unpredictable, devoid of any pattern. It was as if four people were simultaneously controlling his body, leaving Bai Zhenzhen temporarily unable to decipher his techniques.
However, the enhancement from Fourfold Thinking came with a drawback. Each layer of thinking harbored conflicting intentions, causing his attacks to interfere with each other.
For example, one mind might command his right hand to unleash a frontal palm strike, while another ordered his right foot to forcefully kick off the ground, sending him dodging backward.
This contradictory, self-sabotaging fighting style gradually devolved into utter chaos for Zhang Yu himself.
As Zhang Yu poured his full focus into the fierce battle with Bai Zhenzhen, his strikes shattering the sound barrier with each impact, a sudden thud… he felt himself collide with something icy and soft.
Bai Zhenzhen asked in confusion, “Yu Zi, what are you doing? Why did you stop?”
Due to the battle setup, Bai Zhenzhen could only see Zhang Yu’s Spirit Realm Projection standing before her, without any view of his dormitory or the surroundings.
But as soon as Zhang Yu disconnected the projection and turned on his camera, Le Mulan’s unconscious form lying on the floor appeared before Bai Zhenzhen.
“Is Le Mulan sleeping?” Bai Zhenzhen asked, puzzled.
Zhang Yu replied helplessly, “I accidentally knocked her unconscious.”
“Then what are you still standing there for?” Bai Zhenzhen urged. “Quickly check her injuries!”
“I already did,” Zhang Yu said. “There’s a bump on her forehead, but I’ve used my Ice Magic Power to reduce the swelling. Her breathing is steady now. She’s probably just knocked out — nothing serious.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Bai Zhenzhen snapped. “You freaking knocked someone unconscious! Why haven’t you taken photos for evidence and assessed her injuries properly? Hurry up and document everything before she wakes up and tries to extort you!”
Zhang Yu knew Bai Zhenzhen had no fondness for Le Mulan, but he considered himself on good terms with her. “She wouldn’t do that, would she?”
Bai Zhenzhen said, “Haven’t you heard stories about university students accidentally injuring classmates, only to be extorted for huge sums of money by students who faked their injuries?”
Fu Ji chimed in, “Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen has a point. Now that you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator, your high-speed movements often exceed the speed of sound. It’s inevitable you’ll encounter situations where you might accidentally hit someone. You really should learn the proper procedures for collecting evidence and assessing damages.”
Bai Zhenzhen pressed impatiently, “Strip her clothes off and check for any external or internal injuries. Even if she doesn’t try to extort you, if she has internal injuries now, every moment of delay will increase her medical costs. Eventually, you’ll be held responsible for all of it!”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu nodded slightly, realizing Bai Zhenzhen’s words held some truth. If Le Mulan truly had internal injuries from the collision, prompt treatment was essential.
Urged by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu first peeled off Le Mulan’s outer robe and trousers, then examined her hands and feet for injuries.
Bai Zhenzhen directed, “Left arm.”
“Right arm.”
“And her thighs.”
“Turn the lights up brighter, use the spotlight on her. I can barely see anything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already photographed everything. Her limbs are all intact, not a scratch on them.”
“Now get a wide shot, capturing all the collision marks around her.”
Zhang Yu, staring at Le Mulan’s pale, delicate form sprawled on the ground, couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t this a bit disrespectful?”
Bai Zhenzhen retorted, “This is standard procedure for damage assessment after an accident. What’s respectful about it? Will respect heal her injuries or save her medical bills?”
“Flip her over and check her stomach and back for any damage,” Bai Zhenzhen continued.
Under Bai Zhenzhen’s guidance, Zhang Yu carefully turned Le Mulan over.
“See that small bruise on her stomach? That’s likely the point of impact.”
“I’ll take a close-up shot first.”
“Okay, reach out and touch it. What does it feel like?”
“Very cold,” Zhang Yu replied.
“Anything else?” Bai Zhenzhen pressed.
“Very slippery.”
Bai Zhenzhen snapped, “I’m asking if there’s any internal injury to her organs, you idiot!”