Finally reaching level 10 in the Celestial Qi Gathering Method, Zhang Yu intended to switch his Feather Book specialization and upgrade another technique.

After deciding not to sign a contract with the Student Union and resolving to break through and enter one of the top ten universities, Zhang Yu had also come to a few realizations.

Firstly, without the Student Union’s investment, the resources at his disposal would inevitably be more limited.

Secondly, to get into the top ten, the pressure he would face in the future would only be greater than it was now.

Fewer resources, yet heavier pressure.

Therefore, Zhang Yu needed to carefully calculate how to allocate and utilize his resources, striving to develop faster and better within the allotted time.

To achieve this, he had to maximize his strengths – absolute self-discipline and astonishing potential.

Simply put, he needed to practice stronger and more difficult techniques.

For Zhang Yu, the Feather Book’s master, the stronger the technique he learned, the better the effect.

It was like one Zhang Yu diligently practicing the Great Wilderness Imprisoning Heaven Finger, while another diligently practiced Basic Palm Technique. Just from the names, one could tell which had more potential.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “…But this isn’t something that can be done casually.”

The more powerful a technique, the higher the barrier to entry.

It’s like anyone, even a dog, can learn to dog-paddle, but synchronized swimming isn’t for everyone.

Among the Expert-level techniques, such as the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Scripture in Zhang Yu’s possession, he had yet to meet the requirement of level 3 Dao Heart.

Therefore, the primary condition for practicing powerful techniques was to meet their entry requirements as much as possible.

Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across his phone screen, looking at the requirements for cultivators listed for each powerful technique…

“Dao Heart! Mana!”

Just like high school teachers often said, Dao Heart and Mana were the foundation of the immortal path.

Dao Heart level represented a cultivator’s control and capacity for immortal power.

Mana was the most basic power driving all techniques.

The entry requirements for most powerful techniques were related to Dao Heart and Mana.

Therefore, to practice powerful techniques, one must have a sufficiently high Dao Heart and Mana.

“In terms of Mana, I now have level 10 Celestial Qi Gathering Method, constantly breathing in spiritual energy and refining Mana.”

“It is the Dao Heart level that I have neglected to improve during this time.”

Zhang Yu looked at his savings. After the new round of rent, utilities, and living expenses, he had a remaining balance of just over 62,000.

Even if he used all this money to improve Mana, it would only rent a heavenly spiritual root for a little over ten hours, like spending a night at an internet cafe, gone in the blink of an eye, with extremely limited improvement.

Therefore, after much consideration, Zhang Yu felt that he should buy a stronger Mind Method to quickly raise his Dao Heart to level 3, and then switch to the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Scripture to further accelerate Dao Heart improvement.

After all, the Dao Heart level in the Qi Refining stage ranges from 1 to a maximum of 10, similar to Mana ranging from 1 to 100.

Raising the Dao Heart level to 3 would take a considerable amount of time. If he had a Mind Method that was stronger and more suitable than the Basic Heart Refining Method, he could save a lot of time.

With both Dao Heart level and Mana improved, then practicing even stronger techniques would be a faster and more cost-effective route to development.

Zhang Yu had already searched extensively and thought a lot about which Mind Method to buy.

Basic-level, Advanced-level, Expert-level…

Among the Mind Methods that Zhang Yu could currently purchase, the Basic-level ones were the cheapest, but they wouldn’t improve him much.

Expert-level ones were powerful, but they were not only expensive, but also had high cultivation requirements, and were not suitable for him at the moment.

On the other hand, the Advanced-level Mind Methods, which seemed rather useless to most high school students who had just started their fourth month, were just right for Zhang Yu.

In terms of effect, high school was the time to lay the foundation, and the several Basic techniques promoted by the high school were researched and developed by the top ten sects, and were the most balanced and effective for laying the foundation.

Learning an additional Advanced-level Mind Method at this time would be laborious and time-consuming, and it would be better to focus on improving a Basic Mind Method.

Therefore, even wealthy students often focused on the basics in the first year of high school, and only exerted their strength in the second year, learning various expensive Mind Methods.

This was also one of the reasons why the grades of the rich kids in Songyang High School often only showed a huge gap with the poor kids in the second year, while the poor geniuses began to decline in ranking in the second year.

In terms of price, although Advanced-level techniques were much cheaper than Expert-level ones, the subsequent costs were still significant.

After all, it was too difficult to learn techniques on your own. For most people, it wasn’t as simple as giving you a manual and you could just learn it. They often needed to hire a teacher for guidance.

An Advanced-level Mind Method may only cost a few hundred or thousands, but the subsequent teaching, classes, guidance… the tutoring fees could cost tens of thousands.

This reminded Zhang Yu of some games in his previous life, where the base game was free, but all kinds of props and characters cost thousands of dollars to purchase.

Run away.jpg

But these two points were just right for Zhang Yu.

Tutoring? That’s not going to happen.

Zhang Yu can still rely on himself to cultivate divine skills with his unparalleled talent.

Opening the favorites list on the shopping website, Zhang Yu looked at a Mind Method he had chosen.

Advanced-level technique, Desolate Bull Soul-Suppressing Mind Scripture.

Just from the name, it seemed to be a powerful, domineering, and awe-inspiring Mind Method.

But on closer inspection, he found that the Desolate Bull Soul-Suppressing Mind Scripture required a mindset that was diligent, hardworking, and able to endure hardship, like an old ox plowing the fields.

The particularly key point was that the strongest state of this Mind Method required the cooperation of another person, someone who could constantly force and suppress the cultivator, constantly assigning tasks to the cultivator, such as a leader or a boss.

The more orders given, the harsher the pressure, and the longer the working hours, the stronger the effect of the Desolate Bull Soul-Suppressing Mind Scripture.

The Desolate Bull Soul-Suppressing Mind Scripture, selected as the best construction site Mind Method for ten consecutive years, was the most popular Mind Method among bosses.

It was also a bovine Mind Method with a user rating constantly below 1.2 points.

Zhang Yu looked at the user reviews.

One star

The company requires us to learn it, very practical.

One star

Five-star praise is given in installments.

One star

Got reamed out by my idiot boss again today.
After a cursory glance, Zhang Yu sensed a thick miasma of resentment emanating from it. Clearly, most cultivators of this Ox-Horse Mind Method were forced to cultivate it, fitting the requirements perfectly.

Zhang Yu then examined the specific configuration requirements of the technique.

Recommended Configuration:

1. Forced to work 18 hours or more daily.

Zhang Yu pondered; he was essentially forced by the ritualistic power 24 hours a day, which seemed to meet the requirement.

He moved on to the next criterion.

2. Coercion methods should at least involve verbal oppression, preferably with salary threats. The more severe the oppression, the better the effect.

Zhang Yu considered that he was currently being threatened with death, which also seemed to fit the bill.

“This Ox-Horse Mind Method truly suits my current situation, and the key is the price…”

Zhang Yu looked at the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation; current usage rights were only priced at 588 spirit stones.

This was one of the lowest-priced advanced-level techniques he had ever seen.

However, since entering the path required a ‘boss’ to cooperate with the cultivator, the platform also recommended a daily 1000 spirit stone guidance service.

After all, many jobs required this mind method to be employed, but many people had to find a job and have a boss before they could cultivate this mind method.

Therefore, to solve this job-seeking dilemma, the platform specially launched a paid guidance service.

So, it was essentially paying to hire a boss for oneself.

Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, knowing that he certainly didn’t need this; he had something forcing him 24 hours a day.

It could be said that this Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation, in terms of effect, price, configuration… was an incomparably suitable mind method for Zhang Yu’s current state.

588 spirit stones wouldn’t buy losses or deception; even if one found that their mindset couldn’t adapt, the loss wouldn’t be significant.

The only thing that made Zhang Yu uncomfortable was the implication of this technique.

But at this moment, he was no longer the Zhang Yu he was when he first transmigrated. Facing the harsh environment of Kunxu and the repeated coercion of the ritualistic power, he had learned to adjust his mindset and thoughts to adapt to the environment.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath and thought, “Ox-horse so be it; circumstances force one to be strong.”

“Be a coward when you should be; just be an ox-horse for a while.”

“With my potential, even if I accumulate silently as an ox-horse, there will always be a day when I punch a hole in the sky.”

Zhang Yu was very clear that his cultivation of the Ox-Horse Mind Method was not willingly becoming an ox-horse, but a temporary accumulation for a better future.

Place the order, pay, and receive the goods.

In an instant, he received an electronic copy of the mind method.

After carefully reading it once, a new technique appeared on the jade scroll.

Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation 0 (0/1, 1/1 level Heart of the Dao)

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged and began to cultivate this technique.

He cleared his mind, trying to maintain a peaceful spirit, and began to construct the visualization diagram of this technique in his mind.

It was a picture of an old ox lowering its head, silently reclaiming wasteland.

But after constructing it for a while, Zhang Yu always felt that something was not quite right.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, hurriedly stopped cultivating, and sat there in a daze.

After a moment, a chill rose from his heart, and a countdown timer sounded in his mind.

Now that Zhang Yu cultivated this Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation again, he immediately felt that it was the right fit.

A few minutes later, a picture of an old ox lowering its head, silently reclaiming wasteland, had been outlined in his mind.

At this moment, he seemed to have become a silently working, hardworking ox, and the unhappiness in his heart had been resolved a lot.

As he completed the outlining of this visualization diagram, countless memories of practicing the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation seemed to emerge out of thin air in his mind, allowing him to master this technique in an instant.

Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation 1st Level (0/3)

“Only need to practice it 3 times to level up?”

Zhang Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, “Is it because this technique is compatible enough with my current state?”

So, after waiting for a moment, after the countdown timer in his mind sounded, Zhang Yu once again practiced this Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation, and began to outline the visualization diagram of the old ox reclaiming wasteland in his mind.

After practicing back and forth 3 times, about ten minutes later, Zhang Yu felt a movement in his spirit, and his understanding of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation deepened again, and the visualization diagram outlined in his mind became clearer and more vivid.

Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation 2nd Level (0/6)

Especially after this Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation was upgraded to level 2, he felt that cultivation was no longer so boring, and no longer so unbearable.

“Is this the effect of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation? It can make people less and less afraid of hardship, and more and more able to work hard…”

It wasn’t until Zhang Yu stopped the operation of this technique that he felt all kinds of fatigue, boredom, and thoughts of laziness surged into his heart again.

A moment later, after waiting for the arrival of the ritualistic power, Zhang Yu once again operated the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation, and the restlessness and the thought of evading in his heart were instantly swept away, allowing him to cultivate steadily.

“This technique… doesn’t seem as bad as I thought before.”

He suddenly remembered a sentence said by the founder, who called himself the Great Desolate Ox Sage, in the preamble of this technique.

“May all people in the world face difficulties with less mental suffering and more hope.”

A thought suddenly surged in his heart: “Perhaps the person who created this technique did not regard it as an Ox-Horse Mind Method.”

In the blink of an eye, almost half an hour passed. Zhang Yu took a deep breath and felt a tremor in his sea of consciousness. His Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation had been upgraded to level 3 (0/9).

And after cultivating for a while, he felt that both his mana and physical strength suddenly became as easy as using his own limbs, becoming more and more controllable and perceptible.

“My Heart of the Dao level has been upgraded to level 2.”

Although Zhang Yu originally felt that his Heart of the Dao level should be upgraded soon, he couldn’t help but sigh at this moment… at the valiant progress he had made after cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation.

This technique was indeed very compatible with his current state.

“Then continue to be an ox-horse; as long as the reward is enough, being an ox-horse is nothing.”

So next, Zhang Yu once again immersed himself in the cultivation of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mind Incantation. With the operation of this technique, he seemed to feel less and less of the boredom and hardship of cultivation. Instead, a sense of accumulation and satisfaction surged in his heart.

It was like an old ox diligently reclaiming wasteland, watching the fertile land under its feet grow more and more the achievement felt.