The halls of Songyang High were steeped in tranquility.

The rhythm of academy life flowed onward, the ardor of the students for learning ever burning bright.

Upon the lectern, the language instructor lectured, yet her presence seemed to fade into naught.

Below, some students practiced their martial arts, fists blurring in swift patterns, while others sat in tranquil meditation, their minds seeking enlightenment. Still others consumed elixirs, striving to refine their cultivation. Some were even engaged in actual combat, fists and feet flying… Such was the atmosphere of a key high school.

The first-year students, fresh from middle school, initially restrained themselves. However, half a year had passed since the start of the term, and now all revealed their true faces – the scholarly overlords of the immortal path.

The language teacher paid them no mind. After all, whether it was martial arts, meditation, combat, or consuming elixirs for cultivation, all were far more crucial than her language lessons. As long as the students didn’t disturb her, all was well.

She knew that the general knowledge teachers at Songyang High held a certain status within the school. Her classmate who taught at White Dragon High was often used by school leaders to warn the students: “If you don’t get into a good university on the college entrance exam, you’ll end up like a high school language teacher, a failure!”

Thinking this, the language teacher sighed inwardly, “Alas, if it weren’t for the requirements of the sect and the municipal government, key high schools would likely have already reduced the duration of general knowledge courses to zero!”

Just then, the language teacher heard a phone ringing below.

She was about to remind the student, “Please set your phone to vibrate during language class, so as not to disturb the other students’ self-study!”

But when she looked up, she realized that the owner of the phone was none other than Zhang Yu.

Although she was only a general knowledge teacher, she had heard of this influential figure on campus, his name resonating like thunder in her ears.

The academic demon of the first year, the traitor of Songyang, the one with impure roots, the kept man… She had heard all of Zhang Yu’s various nicknames.

She had heard that Zhang Yu had won first place in the martial arts competition last night, and no one dared to say anything even if he was two minutes late for school today.

Thinking that Zhang Yu had a wealthy benefactress from White Dragon supporting him and could oppose the student council, how could a general knowledge teacher like her dare to question whether his phone was vibrating?

So, the language teacher quickly lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.

Zhang Yu had been focusing on cultivating his mind technique to elevate his Dao Heart. After answering the phone, he discovered that the prize money from the martial arts competition had arrived.

“Although the money is a bit meager, the speed of arrival is quite swift!”

Although 50,000 had been credited, after paying Zhang Pianpian back 40,000 and repaying the meal fees he had borrowed from Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing, Zhang Yu’s account was left with less than 10,000 yuan.

Zhang Yu knew that Bai Zhenzhen’s prize money for fourth place was 10,000, so he estimated that the number in her account was probably similar to his.

But the thought that in two weeks it would be the next month and he would have to pay loan interest, rent, utilities, and other expenses made Zhang Yu feel irritated.

“That’s right, I also need to buy a new weighted suit. If I refine my body for the next two months, the daily food expenses are estimated to increase…”

The more Zhang Yu thought about it, the more he felt that there were many places to spend money.

“Fortunately, there will be some income from Song Hailong’s side!”

At the same time, on the other side of the classroom, Bai Zhenzhen also received news that her prize money had arrived.

In addition to that, she also received a message from Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Pianpian: You usually use your spirit root too little, so you’re not very familiar with it, right? Otherwise, you should have been able to go further in the martial arts competition.

Zhang Pianpian: From now on, just rent the spirit root every day. Just say I invested money for you to rent it.

Zhang Pianpian: The evolved spirit root becomes stronger the more you use it.

Seeing Zhang Pianpian’s message, Bai Zhenzhen was first startled, and then immediately realized: “She saw that I have a spirit root?”

“She wants to cover for me to use my spirit root?”

Bai Zhenzhen was very clear about the state of her own spirit root. She would secretly use it to cultivate every day after returning home.

However, because she had always been worried about being discovered to possess this “precious treasure,” she had never dared to use her spirit root to assist her cultivation in public places like school.

After all, once this matter was known, all kinds of bank mortgages, casino sales, and scammers would bother her to death, not to mention the thoughts of those wealthy people.

So, after Zhang Pianpian bluntly stated her secret, Bai Zhenzhen first felt an instinctive fear. This was the deepest fear that she had accumulated in her heart since she was a child, like having constipation for ten years and being discovered.

However, thinking of Zhang Pianpian’s care during this period, the relationship between Zhang Yu and Zhang Pianpian, and the other party’s frank disclosure of her fake rich status and her score of 699, Bai Zhenzhen gradually calmed down.

“Zhang Pianpian should be trustworthy, right!”

Then, she thought… if she could use Zhang Pianpian’s name to openly cultivate with her spirit root in school every day, under the guise of renting it.

“In that case, the time I use my spirit root to cultivate every day can increase by at least ten hours!”

“I won’t be so stifled in the next competition!”

Recalling the process of this martial arts competition, although Bai Zhenzhen won fourth place, she always felt a kind of suffocation, a kind of discomfort of not being able to continue pretending to be strong halfway.

Because her values in all aspects were not as good as her opponents from the three major high schools, and the number in her bank account was not as good as theirs, she always had many scruples when making a move, and finally had to admit defeat.

Now that she can use her spirit root more to cultivate, she immediately has more confidence to catch up with those famous school academic tyrants.

“Yu had all the limelight in this competition, but it will be my turn next time!”

“Although it’s good for my son to get first place, it’s still the most satisfying to kick him down and win the championship myself!”

In physical education class, the smell of sweat mixed with the smell of medicine, forming a unique fragrance of Songyang Immortal Dao.

The clanging of equipment and the groans of the human body continued to sound, which was the sound of students struggling on the road of immortality.

But some people cast their eyes on Bai Zhenzhen not far away, feeling the spiritual energy surging in the air, and had various thoughts in their minds.

Some people were envious: “Zhang Pianpian is too nice to Bai Zhenzhen, renting spirit roots for her to use every day?”

Some people came up with ideas in their hearts: “I can also love White Dragon, I also want to be Zhang Pianpian’s dog!”

Some people were fantasizing: “Bai Zhenzhen became Zhang Pianpian’s dog and can rent spirit roots every day.
“If I were to debase myself again and become Bai Zhenzhen’s lackey, I wonder if she would be willing to lend me her spirit root for an hour each day?”

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was not engaging in the frenzied physical training like his classmates. Instead, he was in a small room, diligently studying the newly acquired “Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand” technique.

After all, the specialization of his “Feather Script” had been switched to this grappling art only yesterday, and the 24-hour cooldown period had not yet passed. So, the only thing he could quickly improve was this practical martial skill.

“Might as well practice this while I wait. Once the cooldown is over tonight, I’ll switch back to the Scarlet Marrow Primordial Qi!”

Zhang Yu’s hands blurred into a flurry of afterimages as he began practicing the “Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand.”

Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand, Level 2 (4/20). This martial art, relying purely on physical force, consisted of eighteen moves.

Though the number of techniques was considerable, each one was concise, designed to instantly break bones and tendons, throw opponents to the ground, and secure them in locks.

Grappling techniques emphasized swiftness and ferocity. Each move took less than a second to execute. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yu had completed the entire set of the “Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand.”

Reflecting on the practical martial arts he had cultivated before, Zhang Yu mused, “Practical martial arts always demand simplicity and speed. That’s why completing a set is so quick!”

Zhang Yu understood that he wouldn’t have been able to learn, and even surpass, Song Hailong’s “Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand” in the arena otherwise.

After a few minutes, Zhang Yu felt a jolt in his mind. Countless experiences with the “Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand” flooded his consciousness, and the martial art advanced from Level 2 to Level 3.

“At this rate, I should be able to raise the ‘Back Dragon Overturn Mountain Hand’ to Level 10 today!”

While Zhang Yu diligently practiced his martial arts in the small room, physical education teacher Wang Hai called aside five students: Qian Shen, He Dayou, Zhao Tianxing, and two others.

“The school plans to select a group of promising students from the first-year class to join the sports competition team for training!”

“Are you five willing to join?”

Before anyone else could respond, Qian Shen directly asked, “Just us five? Aren’t Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen going?”

Wang Hai replied, “The school leaders believe they need more time to mature!”

Qian Shen was puzzled. “Their monthly exam scores were first and second in the grade. They need more time to mature? And we were selected instead?”

Wang Hai couldn’t reveal that it was all due to the student council’s influence, so he resorted to another reason.

“Because they’re too poor!”

Seeing the five students slightly taken aback, Wang Hai continued, “They can’t even afford the competition team’s tutoring fees and nutritional supplements. How can they participate?”

Not only did the other four find no issue with this, but even Qian Shen was speechless.

Especially after remembering how Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had borrowed money from him to buy dinner before, he understood that their financial situation must be dire.

After recruiting the five into the sports competition team, Wang Hai called Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen over.

“Your applications for the sports competition have been rejected again!”

Wang Hai looked at them with some regret. “You should know what’s going on!”

Wang Hai had initially thought that Zhang Yu was a Golden Core disciple, but after Zhang Pianpian came to Songyang High School to support Zhang Yu and clashed with the student council, he became unsure.

Regardless of whose disciple he was, Wang Hai could sense that Zhang Yu had extraordinary talent and the potential to win medals in sports competitions.

He thought to himself, “It’s a pity the student council won’t give them a chance!”

Listening to Wang Hai’s words, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen understood that the student council was obstructing them.

Wang Hai continued, “But you’re not without a chance. If your physical performance can remain in the top five in the grade after a month, you can represent the school in the sports competition!”

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen exchanged strange glances, a sense of doubt rising in their hearts.

As if understanding their confusion, Wang Hai added, “The school has selected five students from the first year to join the sports competition team!”

“If you can maintain your physical performance in the top five in competition with them after a month, you can represent the school in the sports competition!”

Now Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen understood. The student council evidently believed that after these five students joined the competition team and received training, their physical performance would completely surpass theirs.

Seeing the burning fighting spirit in Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes, Wang Hai sighed inwardly.

As Songyang High School’s star physical education teacher, he knew the training methods of the competition team all too well.

“The so-called opportunity for comparison after a month is just an excuse given by the student council to legitimately push Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen out of the competition, so that Zhang Pianpian has no grounds for complaint!”

“Judging by Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s rate of progress, their physical strength will increase to 2.1, maybe even 2.2 at most, after a month!”

“But the competition team, through special training programs, can increase He Dayou and the others’ physical strength to over 3.0 in a month!”

“This has nothing to do with talent. It’s purely a huge gap in immortal cultivation techniques. If Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen joined the special training program, their improvement in a month would probably be even greater…”

Because he understood all of this so clearly, Wang Hai knew… that once Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen failed to be selected into the special training program, they had no chance of catching up with the competition team members in terms of physical strength, let alone participating in the sports competition.