Zhang Yu found a random spot to sit down. Looking at the crowd of people also waiting for work in the plaza, he felt a wave of exhaustion. “This wretched place is too hard to get by in. Is there nowhere that isn’t a rat race?”

He had barely sat down to rest when a chilling sensation rose within him.
“Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or delay. 10.”
“Damn it,” Zhang Yu cursed internally, but under the compulsion of the ritual’s power, he could only get back to it.

Considering his body had not yet fully recovered, and the upcoming work might require physical exertion, Zhang Yu didn’t choose to practice the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. Instead, he opted for the Basic Breathing Technique to refine his magical power. With each inhale and exhale, strands of spiritual energy quickly surged from the surroundings, gradually converging in his Dantian and Qi Sea, being refined, drop by drop, into his magical power.

Time slowly passed as Zhang Yu practiced his breathing, and an hour went by. During this hour, three groups of people came to recruit workers: some seeking temporary security personnel, others needing cultivators for heavy labor on construction sites, and a courier company hiring cultivators for sorting.

Zhang Yu gradually realized that most temporary jobs hiring Qi Condensation stage cultivators were almost entirely related to physical labor. After all, cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage didn’t have a qualitative difference from mortals in terms of intelligence or knowledge. Instead, their physical capabilities were extraordinary, each equivalent to a hundred ordinary people. They could excel in construction, factories, security, and other similar jobs, with production efficiency far exceeding that of regular mortals. Therefore, many places that urgently needed more manpower would come to hire cultivators.

Although cultivators demanded significantly higher pay than ordinary people, it was still cost-effective in the long run. After all, if one cultivator could do the work of 30 ordinary people, they often only needed to be paid 10 times more.

The people waiting in this plaza were, one might say, super workhorses capable of enduring a ‘007’ work schedule. Compared to them, Zhang Yu, who still needed four or five hours of sleep a day, was just an ordinary high school freshman who could still get proper rest.

Observing the throngs of people rushing to snatch jobs each time, Zhang Yu always maintained his breathing practice and didn’t go up to compete with others. He knew that in his state as a high school freshman, it would be impossible to outcompete those high school graduates. He was waiting, waiting for the jobs Old Wang had mentioned that specifically sought current high school students. Similar to Zhang Yu, several other high school students—some reading, some practicing breathing, some practicing martial arts—also didn’t rush to compete for job opportunities, but waited quietly.

Another hour passed in a flash.
Snap! Crackle! Pop!
Accompanied by faint cracking sounds in the air, Zhang Yu, feeling his body had rested sufficiently, began practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. Those around him glanced over but paid no mind. There were simply too many people who cultivated while waiting for work, and the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, being a basic cultivation method, failed to attract anyone’s attention.

Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 2 (18/20)
Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 2 (19/20)
After completing two rounds of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, Zhang Yu felt his muscles begin to ache and grow soft, but his spirit grew increasingly invigorated, knowing that just one more round would raise the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms to Level 3.

This was something even Bai Zhenzhen, the top student in their grade, hadn’t been able to achieve. Yet he had managed it in just two days.

Just as Zhang Yu was practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms for the third time, a temporary job specifically seeking high school students finally appeared. A car pulled up in front of the plaza. The window rolled down, and the driver called out from inside: “Any freshmen or sophomores? We need two martial arts sparring partners.”

A ‘martial arts sparring partner’ meant someone who accompanied a cultivator in their practical martial arts training, following specific requirements. Upon hearing the driver’s words, the high school students who had been quietly waiting in the plaza all moved at once, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air, and rushed to the car with a whoosh of wind and thunder-like sounds.

“I’m a sophomore!”
“My physical strength is Level 2.15!”
The sophomores had a significant lead over the freshmen in terms of physical strength. When Zhang Yu rushed over, he found the spots in front of the driver almost entirely filled by muscular individuals, making it impossible for him to get through.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “So many people are scrambling to get beaten up? Where’s their high schooler pride?”

The driver scanned the many students with raised hands in front of him and asked, “Are there any from key high schools?” More than half of the raised hands dropped immediately. Zhang Yu quickly raised his hand. “I’m from Songyang High School!”

The driver then asked, “Anyone with practical martial arts at Level 3 or above?” Looking at the three remaining students, the driver asked again, “Are you willing to work for 300 an hour?” A student with a buzz cut complained, “300 is too little, isn’t it?” But another student beside him quickly interjected, “I’ll do it for 300!” Watching the car speed away after the other student got in, the buzz-cut student cursed, “300 an hour? They really had the nerve to offer that. 300 for a practical sparring partner? If they can’t afford it, why hire one?”

Someone else chimed in, cursing, “He accepted 300? Traitor! When that kid gets injured, he’ll realize 300 isn’t even enough for medical bills.” As the employer left, the surrounding students grumbled for a bit before dispersing, returning to their respective cultivation or studies.

Zhang Yu could only go back to practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms. At this rate, he felt he probably wouldn’t find a job today.

About ten minutes later, another person drove up to recruit high school students, specifically requesting freshmen. However, this job involved drug testing. It was said to be for a newly developed medicine from a laboratory, intended for beginner cultivators. Zhang Yu considered his own physical condition and simply didn’t bother to apply. Instead, he continued with his twentieth round of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms.

Moments later, with a sharp crack, Zhang Yu delivered the final punch of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, successfully advancing this martial art to the third level.

Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 3 (0/30)
At that moment, countless memories of practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms suddenly flooded Zhang Yu’s mind, making him feel as if he had performed the exercises thousands of times over. Moreover, these memories weren’t just of muscle memory; they also included faint recollections of magical power circulating within his body on its own.

“Upon reaching Level 3 of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, practicing this martial art allows one to activate the magical power within, causing it to circulate throughout the body, accelerating physical recovery and enhancement.” While Level 1 and 2 of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms merely damaged flesh and blood during exercise, forcibly drawing out magical power to aid in training, Level 3 of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms involved movements that guided magical power to flow throughout the body, continuously nourishing flesh and blood during exercise, significantly boosting the training effect.

At this moment, as Zhang Yu began a new round of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, streams of warmth flowed through his limbs and bones with his movements, silently increasing his physical strength, transforming him step by step from an ordinary person into a superhuman. Nourished by the warm currents, his previously aching and sore muscles seemed to ease considerably, allowing Zhang Yu to continue his training with greater ease.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu felt his entire body’s flesh and blood contract and expand.
Physical Strength 0.84 → 0.85
Glancing at the change in his physical strength on his Feather Book, a hint of joy flashed in Zhang Yu’s heart. At this moment, even without the ritual’s compulsive power, he felt invigorated and continued his training.

While Zhang Yu was cultivating the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, the drug testing recruitment on the other side continued. However, facing such a job as drug testing, not many high school freshmen were willing to try. Although the recruiter aimed to hire five students, they only managed to find two after shouting for a long time before leaving.

In the following hours, the night deepened, and fewer employers came seeking workers. Zhang Yu, in particular, still hadn’t found a job opportunity. He could only continue practicing the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms.

Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms Level 3 (6/30)
By the time Zhang Yu completed his sixth round of the Thirty-Six Body-Strengthening Forms, he felt he couldn’t wait any longer.

Zhang Yu re-entered the human resources office, and saw Old Wang still sitting behind his desk, as if he hadn’t moved for hours. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes he had bought, offered one to Old Wang, and then asked, “Brother Wang, is there any work I can do?”

Old Wang glanced at the cigarette Zhang Yu offered, and casually replied, “Didn’t I tell you? If there’s work, they’ll call out there.” Zhang Yu, however, didn’t give up. “I mean besides what’s outside. It can’t be that all temporary jobs in Songyang City drive here to recruit, can it? Aren’t there any others?”

Old Wang, annoyed by Zhang Yu’s persistence, impatiently said, “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself. It’s not that I won’t let you, but are those other temporary jobs easy to do?” Zhang Yu looked at a screenshot on Old Wang’s phone, which displayed a list of long-term recruitment jobs of various sizes.

Some involved long-term drug testing after signing a contract. Others required long-term participation in cultivation technique research as test subjects. There were also jobs for assistant workers in exploration teams, venturing deep underground into Kunxu. And some involved cooperating with the police to combat criminals.

Zhang Yu scanned through the list. Each job was either too dangerous, or both dangerous and beyond his capabilities. “These long-term positions that never get filled are indeed all traps,” he muttered.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu looked at one of the listings and asked, “Brother Wang, is there any danger in participating in cultivation technique research?”

Old Wang casually replied, “That’s where they get you to test out cultivation methods. You try out the latest methods developed by big companies. They record what side effects you experience, what injuries you sustain, if you become disabled, and finally, how you die during the process…”

Zhang Yu swallowed hard. Then, his eyes caught another temporary job listing. He asked, “What about this ‘entry-level cultivation test’? Ten thousand yuan per test? Why are they only recruiting freshmen?”

Old Wang thought for a moment, then said, “Oh, that one. Apparently, the Immortal Rhyme Group developed a new cultivation method. It’s already been tested in cultivation; no major side effects, and it won’t kill anyone. But the entry process is too difficult. If you don’t succeed, you’re prone to internal injuries, so they’ve been looking for people to test it. Since it’s a cultivation method meant for beginner cultivators, they specifically look for high school freshmen to test it…”

At this point, he looked at Zhang Yu, who was listening intently, and frowned, “You’re not thinking of doing that, are you? Last time, a student went and lost control of his magical power, suffered internal injuries, and still hadn’t recovered after taking two weeks off from school. That ten thousand yuan isn’t easy money.” Zhang Yu shrugged helplessly. “No choice. I urgently need money, so I’ll have to give it a try.”