During the martial arts class, Zhang Yu focused on practicing various fundamental cultivation methods.

By early September, he had successively raised his cultivation level for both the Basic Heart Refining Method and the Basic Breathing Method, which he had already learned, to Level 10. He had also cultivated the newly learned High School Basic Digestion Method and High School Basic Medicine Absorption Method to Level 10.

However, these fundamental cultivation methods truly were just that—foundational. Even after cultivating them to Level 10, which enhanced their operational effects, Zhang Yu still found them only marginally impressive. If it weren’t for the chain-law diagrams in his Feather Scroll, he probably wouldn’t have bothered investing so much effort into these many fundamental methods. Especially since some of these foundational methods had numerous intricate moves, they were quite time-consuming for him.

“Sigh, for me, the speed of mastering a cultivation method depends on how long it takes to complete one practice session. If a fundamental method takes too long to practice through, it actually improves slower than an expert-level method.”

At that moment, Zhang Yu was practicing the High School Basic Footwork. Once he cultivated this High School Basic Footwork to Level 10, six of the required cultivation methods for the High School Saint Body would be complete, activating its first tier of enhancement.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu grew even more excited. “What kind of effect will it have?”

Beside him, Lei Jun observed Zhang Yu’s eager gaze and positive attitude. He sighed inwardly, resolved to teach his best, hoping Zhang Yu would quickly master the remaining fundamental methods from Songyang High School and not waste any more time on them.

In another corner of the martial arts class, Bai Zhenzhen calmly stated, “All ten of you, come at me.” In an instant, her figure, wreathed in layers of electric light, was already weaving among the ten second-year high school students. Although her strength far surpassed that of any single opponent, facing an assault from ten people simultaneously, and feeling moves assailing her from all directions, she still experienced an unprecedented level of pressure. After all, when both sides are in the Qi Refining realm, each additional opponent geometrically increases the difficulty of the fight. In that moment, Bai Zhenzhen had to contend with ten individuals attacking from ten different angles simultaneously.

But Bai Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and persevered. “I’m going to fight the strongest high school student in Kunxu to claim first place in martial arts… If the quality in the class isn’t enough, then I’ll make up for it with quantity. I’m going to break my limits again and again to enhance my combat skills.”

During the Daoist Arts after-school tutoring class, on the surface, Zhang Yu worked on the endless test papers before him, but in his mind, the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation was operating furiously. Since his cultivation experience in the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu had comprehended the true meaning of the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation: the more pressure he faced, the more he could unleash the profound mysteries of this mental cultivation method. At this very moment, although the layers of pressure imposed by Zhou Chechen added many obstacles to Zhang Yu’s path to immortality, this very obstruction and pressure increasingly stimulated the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation’s effectiveness when facing duress and desperation, making Zhang Yu fight with ever-greater vigor.

Under the continuous blessing of the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation, Zhang Yu felt that daily, while under pressure, both his physical body and spiritual power operated more actively. His latent potential was constantly being unleashed, repeatedly pushing past limits to improve his cultivation efficiency. This was especially true during the four hours of tutoring after school each day. Facing the endless talisman test papers that held little meaning even upon completion, this was arguably Zhang Yu’s most stressful time of day, yet also when the Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation was most intensely activated.

In such circumstances, not only did the mental cultivation method operate more intensely, diligently enhancing his Dao Heart, but the passively circulating Great Sun Qi Sea also grew increasingly turbulent. Even the process of deducing the Dragon-Elephant Mountain Collapse Palm using the True Spiritual Root within his Dantian became faster.

A sudden realization dawned on Zhang Yu: “Cultivating this Remnant Ox Sacrifice Heart Incantation truly allows for rapid progress only when facing layers of oppression and ever-increasing pressure. The stronger the pressure, the more I thrive. I wonder under what circumstances the Great Saint Barren Ox created this cultivation method. However, my current situation, by a lucky coincidence, aligns perfectly with the core principles of this method.”

As for the True Spiritual Root in his stomach, it was lent to Zhang Yu by Bai Zhenzhen during this time slot each day, at Fu Ji’s suggestion, specifically to utilize the time spent on test papers. Thinking of this, Zhang Yu scribbled a few answers on the paper, then glanced at Teacher Zhou in front, seeing him engrossed in his phone.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “For me… if I were purely doing test papers for four hours, that would be a waste of life. But for the teacher accompanying me, it’s equally boring, uninteresting, and a four-hour waste of time. After all, the teacher is just an employee. How could they possibly monitor me diligently for all four hours?”

Zhang Yu mused, “Besides, there’s no point in me doing these shoddy papers, and it seems these people won’t even bother to grade them.” He felt as if the papers he was currently working on were like winter and summer vacation homework back on Earth; the tutoring teacher in front of him couldn’t be bothered to check them.

While Zhang Yu was secretly cultivating during his Daoist Arts tutoring, on the other side of the city…

Bai Zhenzhen, trailing wisps of electric light, moved through the traffic like a bolt of lightning. The next moment, her figure leaped lightly, shooting like electricity into the main entrance of a building. Then, accompanied by layers of electric light illuminating the stairwell, she reached the 20th floor.

“Hello, your delivery has arrived…”

“Enjoy your meal.”

Watching another food delivery order completed, Bai Zhenzhen, dressed in a delivery uniform, smiled slightly. As her Electric Light Step activated, she shot out, leaving a trail of afterimages. Because she was constantly being watched, Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t join the Dark Learning Association to earn money through tutoring. However, she and Zhang Yu had already used up their loan limits. Monthly loan repayments, medicine costs, food expenses, and other expenditures created considerable financial pressure. Fortunately, besides the income from sparring with Yu Xinghan, Song Hailong, and Le Mulan, Zhang Yu’s weekly earnings from selling seeds at Red Tower also helped supplement their household expenses.

But even so… “Sigh, this guy Yuzi, his seeds are of such low quality. The income from selling seeds gets smaller each week. It looks like I’ll have to support him for a while by delivering food. But it’s good that I can also train using my Thunder Force while delivering. It’s not a complete waste of time.”

Just then, her phone buzzed. Bai Zhenzhen’s heart leaped when she saw the notification. “Oh no, I’m about to go overtime!” The next moment, she accelerated again, merging into the traffic and racing against time like the other delivery riders.

While Bai Zhenzhen was making her delivery, not far from her, a slender figure completely enveloped in darkness silently watched Bai Zhenzhen’s back. She wore glasses on her head, and as her gaze shifted, the camera on her glasses remained steadily focused on Bai Zhenzhen. No matter how much Bai Zhenzhen accelerated or rushed her deliveries, the figure always maintained a consistent, not-too-far-not-too-close distance, ensuring Bai Zhenzhen could never escape her pursuit.

The woman observing Bai Zhenzhen was named Si Zhouyu, part of the Zhou family’s security force, and a graduate of Jinzhou Polytechnic College with a degree in commercial intelligence.

“Sigh…” Si Zhouyu felt a sense of helplessness, thinking that her recent job involved trailing a delivery person and a high school student. “Leaving bad reviews for rival companies to set trends, stealing contracts from opposing firms, destroying competitors’ feng shui money trees… these are the important tasks I should be doing. How can I get a promotion and a raise by following a pauper every day?”

Si Zhouyu approached Bai Zhenzhen again. As her body fully merged into the black shadows, she covertly and brazenly filmed Bai Zhenzhen from a mere ten meters away. “Can’t you hurry up and do something significant?”

Time passed day by day, and the monthly exam in early September quickly concluded. Even before the results were announced, Zhou Chechen had already gotten a preview of Zhang Yu’s and Bai Zhenzhen’s scores.

“Zhang Yu is second? While his score is still very high, that’s only relative to students ranked below second. Comparing longitudinally, not only did he fail to make further progress, but his levels of spiritual power and physical strength actually declined. On the other hand, Bai Zhenzhen is still improving.” Looking at the report card and the specific data of their performance in the exam, Zhou Chechen secretly thought, “In the October monthly exam, Zhang Yu will likely decline even more significantly, widening the gap between him and Bai Zhenzhen. Facing this continuous decline in performance, Zhang Yu shouldn’t be able to hold out for more than a month or two, right?”

As Zhou Chechen was examining the report card…

In an apartment near Ziyun High School, Zhang Yu said, “This time, I used an anti-detection ritual to conceal my data improvements. Zhou Chechen’s side should believe that their recent methods have been very effective.” Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, did not do this. After all, to those around them, it was perfectly normal for Zhang Yu’s grades to drop since he spent every day immersed in fundamental cultivation methods and also attended talisman tutoring. In contrast, Bai Zhenzhen’s increasingly outstanding performance in martial arts and physical education classes meant her improvement was only to be expected.

Fu Ji said, “Exactly. That Zhou Chechen guy will likely want to use the perceived gap between you two to put even more pressure on Zhang Yu. Let them think they’ve succeeded. Meanwhile, you two should use this time to continue developing and growing stronger. Don’t rush to escalate the intensity of your confrontation with them. Time is on your side.”

Mid-September.

Inside the apartment, Le Mulan sniffed, looked at Zhang Yu with some confusion, and suddenly asked, “How come you… don’t smell so bad anymore?” With her super metabolism, Le Mulan was highly sensitive to all kinds of odors. While Zhang Yu’s sweat had previously been sour and foul-smelling, now to Le Mulan, his sweat smelled pure, just like her own.

Zhang Yu, of course, wouldn’t say this was due to his successful cultivation. It wasn’t just because of his daily rigorous practice of the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, which enhanced his physique and expelled toxins. It was also because, after completing six cultivation methods for the High School Saint Body, he gained an additional enhancement.

Junior High School Saint Body (6/6): Drug load, absorption, and metabolic capabilities are enhanced to the peak of the Qi Refining realm.

Since acquiring this enhancement, combined with his Level 10 Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, Zhang Yu felt that he could expel, collect, and control the toxins within his body. The “Zen” character on his chest also grew increasingly dark. Zhang Yu thought, “My urine right now might be clean enough for people to drink.”

After Le Mulan left, she sent a message to her brother, Le Jingchen: “Does Zhang Yu have any record of undergoing a super metabolism surgery?”

Le Jingchen: “No.”

Le Mulan: “If someone hasn’t had a super metabolism surgery, is it possible for their sweat to be extremely clean?”

Le Jingchen: “Collect a sample of his sweat, and I’ll send it to the lab for analysis. We’ll know the results then.”

Le Mulan paused, a hint of hesitation in her voice. “Collect Zhang Yu’s sweat?”

Late September.

Red Tower High School.

Yu Xinghan, with somewhat hollowed cheeks, looked at the vibrant Zhang Yu, who was enjoying a large meal, and exclaimed, “Your physical constitution is really good!” The lavish meal before them was provided by Red Tower Company to its excellent seed providers, specifically Yu Xinghan. Although Zhang Yu was just freeloading, he seemed to eat even more than Yu Xinghan.

Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but ask, “You haven’t gone on fewer missions than me, so how do you maintain such good stamina?”

Zhang Yu chuckled. “Just eat more and get plenty of nutrition.” He glanced at his Feather Scroll, seeing that the High School Saint Body’s enhancement had leveled up again from its junior stage.

Senior High School Saint Body (8/8): Food digestion, absorption, and metabolic capabilities are enhanced to the peak of the Qi Refining realm.

Zhang Yu secretly thought, “So this High School Saint Body means I can absorb super-potent medicine and eat super amounts of food? That does align with the characteristics of Kunxu high school students. I wonder what the effect of the final enhancement will be?”

As time flowed by, it was mid-October in the blink of an eye. The second round of Foundation Establishment exams was about to begin.