No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

During Martial Arts class, Zhang Yu was focused on practicing one foundational technique after another.

By early September, he had already raised both his original Basic Heart-Forging Method and Basic Breathing Technique to level 10.

He had also fully mastered the newly introduced High School Basic Digestion Technique and High School Basic Medicine Intake Technique, both now at level 10.

But despite his progress, these were still just foundational techniques. Even at level 10, while they slightly improved the effectiveness of technique circulation, Zhang Yu found their benefits barely acceptable.

If it weren’t for the Chain Diagram from the Feathered Tome, he wouldn’t have invested so much effort into these basic techniques.

Especially since some of them had so many movements, they were time-consuming and inefficient for him.

Sigh… For me, how fast I can train a technique depends on how long it takes to complete one cycle. If a foundational technique takes too long, it might actually be slower to level up than an expert-grade technique.

At that moment, Zhang Yu was working on the High School Basic Footwork Technique.

Once he raised it to level 10, he would have completed six of the techniques required for the High School Saint Body, unlocking its first bonus.

The thought fired him up even more. What kind of effect will it have, I wonder?Beside him, Lei Jun watched Zhang Yu’s passionate eyes and eager demeanor, sighed internally, and did his best to guide the boy. Hopefully Zhang Yu could soon finish the remaining basic techniques from Songyang High and stop dragging things out.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the Martial Arts field, Bai Zhenzhen said calmly, “You ten, come at me together.”

In the blink of an eye, her figure—trailing sparks of lightning—was already weaving among the ten sophomore students.

Even though she was far stronger than any of them individually, facing the combined assault of ten was a whole different level of pressure.

After all, even within the same Qi Refining Realm, every additional opponent exponentially increased the difficulty of battle.

In that moment, Bai Zhenzhen was forced to respond to attacks from ten directions simultaneously.

But she gritted her teeth and endured.

“I’m aiming to take down Kunxu’s top high schooler for the number one spot in Martial Arts…”

“If my classmates don’t offer enough quality, then I’ll rely on quantity. I’ll keep pushing my limits, honing my real combat skills.”

…

Later, during the after-school Dao Techniques tutoring session.

Zhang Yu appeared to be working on the endless sheets of talisman exam papers before him, but in his mind, the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique was operating at full throttle.

Ever since his stint in the Spiritual Realm, he had grasped the essence of this technique: the greater the pressure, the more its power was revealed.

And right now, the layers of stress imposed by Zhou Chechen—though creating numerous roadblocks on his Immortal Path—were precisely what triggered the Oxheart Technique’s latent power, pushing Zhang Yu to fight harder with each step.

Under its constant influence, Zhang Yu felt that facing pressure each day had invigorated both his body and mana circulation. His inner potential was being drawn out at a rapid pace, his training efficiency soaring beyond his limits. ŘâƝ𝘖ＢÊᶊ

Especially during these four hours of after-school tutoring.

The endless talisman papers before him—pointless as they seemed—were ironically the period when his pressure was at its peak, and thus when the Oxheart Technique was most stimulated.

In this state, not only did the technique work harder to sharpen his Dao Heart, but the passively running Great Sun Qi Sea Technique also became more turbulent.

Even the simulations using the true spirit root in his dantian to perfect the Dragon Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm went faster.

Zhang Yu couldn’t help but reflect: Practicing the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique really does require intense pressure and adversity to make breakthroughs.

The greater the pressure, the more at home I feel.

I wonder what kind of conditions the Oxheart Sage was under when he created this technique…

Still, my current situation, by sheer coincidence, aligns perfectly with what this technique needs.

As for the true spirit root in his belly, on Fu Ji’s recommendation, Bai Zhenzhen had agreed to lend it to Zhang Yu during this tutoring window—specifically to maximize that time.

Thinking this far, Zhang Yu casually scribbled some answers on his paper, then glanced toward Teacher Zhou up front—who was cheerfully scrolling through his phone.

Zhang Yu mused, If I just spend four hours doing pointless exam papers, that’s a waste of my life. But for the teacher stuck supervising me, it’s just as boring and meaningless.

He’s just a worker too. No way he’s seriously watching me for four full hours.

And these damn worksheets—they’re like those pointless holiday assignments back on Earth. No one’s even going to grade them.

While Zhang Yu stealthily cultivated during Dao Technique tutoring…

Across town…

Bai Zhenzhen was a blur of lightning, zipping through traffic.

She leapt in a flash, streaked into the lobby of a high-rise, and ascended floor after floor in a trail of sparks until she reached the 20th floor.

“Hello, your delivery has arrived…”

“Enjoy your meal.”

Completing another delivery, Bai Zhenzhen—dressed in a courier uniform—smiled slightly. As Thunderstep activated again, she vanished in a flurry of lightning.

Because she was constantly being tailed, she couldn’t take on tutoring gigs with the Dark Studies Gang.

But with both her and Zhang Yu having long maxed out their loan limits, monthly repayments, medicine costs, food expenses—it all added up.

Luckily, besides the income from sparring with Yu Xinghan, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, Zhang Yu’s weekly seed sales at Red Tower helped cover the household costs.

But even so…

Sigh, that guy Yuzi… The seed quality’s so low these days. His income keeps shrinking. I’ll have to carry him for a while with delivery work.

At least I get some physical training in while making deliveries with Thunder magic, so it’s not a total waste.

Just then, her phone buzzed. One look at the alert and her heart skipped a beat. “Crap, almost overdue.”

She sped up again, rejoining the delivery swarm in the traffic like lightning itself, racing against time.

Unbeknownst to her, a slender figure wrapped in shadow had been watching her from not far away.

The woman wore glasses with built-in cameras, constantly locked on Bai Zhenzhen’s every move.

No matter how fast Bai Zhenzhen moved, no matter how far she ran, this woman maintained a consistent distance, never letting her escape surveillance.

Her name was Si Zhouyu, an agent of the Zhou Family’s security force and a graduate of Jinzhou Community College’s Corporate Intelligence Program.

Sigh…

Trailing a delivery girl—who was also a high schooler—had left Si Zhouyu feeling disillusioned.

Writing fake reviews, stealing contracts, sabotaging a rival company’s feng shui money tree… Now those were proper jobs!

But tailing a broke kid all day? How am I supposed to get promoted like this?

She closed in on Bai Zhenzhen once again, her body dissolving into shadow, just meters away. She snapped another picture, unnoticed and unabashed.

Come on, girl. Do something worthy of my talents already.

…

And so, the days passed. The early September monthly exam soon came to an end.

Before the results were even posted, Zhou Chechen had already taken a peek at the scores.

“Zhang Yu came in second? His score is still high, but only compared to the rest of the pack.”

“Compared longitudinally, not only did he stop improving—his mana and physical stats actually dropped.”

“Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen is still making steady progress.”

Looking over the report card and the detailed performance metrics from the exam, Zhou Chechen thought to himself, By the October monthly exam, Zhang Yu’s decline will likely get even worse. The gap between him and Bai Zhenzhen will widen further.

At this rate, he probably won’t last another month or two.

At the same time, back in their apartment near Purple Cloud High…

Zhang Yu said, “This time I used an Anti-Detection Ritual to mask my real improvement. Zhou Chechen probably thinks his suppression tactics are working great.”

Bai Zhenzhen hadn’t done the same. Given how Zhang Yu spent all his time buried in basic techniques and extra tutoring, his drop in scores looked natural. On the other hand, Bai Zhenzhen’s rising performance in Martial Arts and P.E. made her progress seem reasonable too.

Fu Ji said, “Good. That guy Zhou Chechen probably wants to exploit the growing gap between you two to put more pressure on you.”

“Let him think it’s working.”

“Use this time to keep growing stronger.”

“No need to escalate the conflict yet—time is on your side.”

…

Mid-September.

In their apartment.

Le Mulan sniffed the air, frowning slightly at Zhang Yu. “Hey… you don’t smell that bad anymore.”

With her super-metabolism, Le Mulan was extremely sensitive to smells.

Previously, Zhang Yu’s sweat had reeked of sour toxins. But now, to her, his sweat smelled as clean as her own—pure.

Zhang Yu wasn’t about to admit the truth.

It wasn’t just from his relentless training in Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation to purge toxins…

The real reason was that, after completing all six required techniques, the High School Saint Body had granted him a new bonus:

Basic – High School Saint Body (6/6): Drug tolerance, absorption, and metabolism enhanced to peak Qi Refinement level

With this enhancement, combined with his level-10 Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation, Zhang Yu felt he could purge, collect, and even control toxins within his body. The “Zen” character on his chest was turning darker by the day.

At this point, my piss might actually be drinkable.

After Le Mulan left, she messaged her brother Le Jingchen: Does Zhang Yu have a record of undergoing Super-Metabolism Surgery?

Le Jingchen: No.

Le Mulan: Is it possible for someone who hasn’t had the surgery to sweat that cleanly?

Le Jingchen: Collect a sample of his sweat. I’ll send it to the lab for testing.

Le Mulan blinked, suddenly hesitant. Collect Zhang Yu’s sweat?

…

Late September.

At Red Tower High.

Yu Xinghan, cheeks slightly sunken, stared at Zhang Yu—who was happily devouring a meal—and sighed. “You’re in good shape.”

The meal, provided by Red Tower Company to their top seed providers, was meant for Yu Xinghan.

But Zhang Yu, here for a free meal, was eating even more than the host.

Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve been out on just as many jobs as I have. How do you still have this much energy?”

Since running into Zhang Yu at Red Tower a few times, Yu Xinghan had learned that they shared the same side gig.

Zhang Yu just grinned. “Eat more, fuel up.”

He glanced at his Feathered Tome, where the High School Saint Body had just unlocked a new bonus beyond the basic tier:

Advanced – High School Saint Body (8/8): Food digestion, absorption, and metabolism enhanced to peak Qi Refinement level

Zhang Yu thought to himself, So this High School Saint Body basically makes you a drug tank and an eating machine, huh?

I guess that fits the lifestyle of a Kunxu high schooler.

I wonder what the final bonus will be…

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-October.

The second round of the Foundation Establishment exam was just around the corner.