Inside Songyang High School’s cafeteria.

Zhang Yu scooped up a spoonful of pure white synthetic food and swallowed it. He felt the gritty texture of the synthetic food scraping against his mouth, and a greasy, fishy odor of fat and protein emerged in his throat.

This was unseasoned, unprocessed synthetic food. Its texture was like eating vomit, and its taste resembled a combination of some insect and rotting meat.

However terrible the taste, for Zhang Yu, it was currently the cheapest and most cost-effective source of essential nutrients like fats, proteins, and vitamins—everything needed for survival and cultivation.

“Ugh, I’m so poor.”

Due to constant city-wide tracking and monitoring, Zhang Yu’s income had sharply declined as he lost opportunities in the underground tutoring scene.

Even with continued seed sales and Bai Zhenzhen’s delivery earnings, very little was left after deducting the major expenses of medicine and food.

Adding to that, the monthly loan interest of 45,000 made it even harder for Zhang Yu to save money.

“I should save as much as I can wherever possible.”

For instance, when dining in the cafeteria, Zhang Yu chose to savor the food’s original taste to save on the daily seasoning costs for the synthetic food.

As for expenses like renting spirit roots for cultivation, renting spiritual realm access, buying cultivation techniques, or purchasing cultivation items, Zhang Yu had cut all of them back.

“Fortunately, after my High School Saint Body entered the second stage, my digestion and absorption capabilities for every meal significantly improved. I no longer need to eat as much as before to get what my body requires.”

By continuously saving this way, Zhang Yu finally accumulated 33,000 yuan in his bank account.

But regarding these 33,000 yuan in savings…

“I don’t dare spend a single extra cent.”

After all, the second round of the Foundation Establishment exam was approaching. Besides transportation costs, he was genuinely afraid that this darn exam would demand even more money.

“If things get really tough, I’ll just ask Zhao Tianxing and Qian Shen for some money.”

As Zhang Yu savored the food’s natural taste, Zhao Tianxing, who was next to him, looked at him with an unspoken hesitation.

Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, “Yu Zi’s scores in September and October were lower than Bai Zhenzhen’s. It seems his spiritual power and physical strength have even regressed. He must not be in a good mood right now.”

Declining grades… to Zhao Tianxing, this was the most terrifying thing in high school.

And if, while regressing, you were also surpassed by your good friend, it could easily lead to the complete dissolution of the friendship.

Things like secretly adding laxatives to a good friend’s food out of jealousy over their grades, covertly pouring milk tea into a good friend’s energy drink, or constantly sending entertaining short videos to a good friend…

Zhao Tianxing had seen countless instances of good friends turning against each other due to changes in academic performance.

Furthermore, Zhao Tianxing also noticed that Bai Zhenzhen’s interactions with Zhang Yu had decreased recently; they barely spoke, both in and out of class.

“They don’t even eat dinner together very often anymore,” Zhao Tianxing mused. “Could their relationship really have soured?”

“But if I just ask them directly, is that really okay? Will it upset Zhang Yu?”

“Will Zhang Yu think… I’m mocking him about his declining grades?”

As Zhao Tianxing deliberated, Qian Shen, who was nearby, spoke up, “Zhang Yu, why have your grades been slipping lately?”

Zhang Yu sighed and replied casually, “Because I’m out of money.”

Zhao Tianxing seized the opportunity and asked, “Are you and Bai Zhenzhen okay? I noticed you two aren’t talking much.”

“Of course we’re fine. Why wouldn’t we be?”

Zhang Yu thought to himself that under immense pressure, he and Bai Zhenzhen had been focusing intensely on their respective cultivations, seizing every moment to grow stronger. Naturally, there weren’t many opportunities to talk at school; they only managed a few words after returning home.

“Besides, Ah Zhen also has to deliver food, so she usually eats dinner on the go after picking it up from the cafeteria.”

As Zhang Yu was thinking these things, his phone vibrated slightly, indicating he had received a message from Bai Zhenzhen.

Bai Zhenzhen had sent a 200 yuan transfer, requesting him to accept it.

Bai Zhenzhen: Son, here’s your food money for tomorrow morning. Mom just earned it delivering food.

Zhang Yu: Thanks, Mom.

Bai Zhenzhen: But if your income from selling seeds keeps dropping next time, Mom won’t be able to support you either.

Bai Zhenzhen: You’re still so young, why is your quality so poor? Can’t we find a way to improve your quality and earn more money?

Zhang Yu stopped reading Bai Zhenzhen’s messages. He simply thought that after the second round of the Foundation Establishment exam, he really needed to figure out a way to earn more money.

After dinner, Zhang Yu completed another four hours of tutoring under Teacher Zhou’s supervision. Then, walking under the streetlights, he returned to his apartment outside Ziyun High School.

Watching Zhang Yu enter the apartment, Si Zhouyu, who was not far behind him, stretched.

After the shift change today, she was assigned to monitor Zhang Yu.

For her, monitoring Zhang Yu was much easier than monitoring Bai Zhenzhen.

After all, unlike Bai Zhenzhen, who ran around delivering food, Zhang Yu mostly stayed at school or in his apartment, living a repetitive daily life.

This monotonous, day-to-day surveillance made Si Zhouyu feel a sense of helplessness.

“But after being put through so much, he should be making a move soon, right?”

Si Zhouyu believed she understood Zhang Yu’s current situation better than many teachers and students at Songyang High School.

After all, Si Zhouyu and her team had access to all kinds of data and information: Zhang Yu’s daily surveillance footage in the classroom, his various expenses at school, and the results of every exam and test.

In Si Zhouyu’s opinion, Zhang Yu’s financial situation and academic performance were both steadily declining, which inevitably meant his mental state was worsening.

“For a genius who has always progressed, witnessing their own gradual decline is the most painful and soul-crushing experience, the most likely to damage one’s Dao Heart.”

Si Zhouyu had seen similar situations too many times during her time at Jinzhou Vocational College.

Countless students who believed they had some talent, some aptitude, who considered themselves geniuses.

Only after entering the second layer did they realize there were always more skilled individuals out there, truly understanding what “monsters” those students above the first layer were.

What they called “geniuses” on the first layer were merely the threshold to seeing those monsters.

Shaking her head, Si Zhouyu refocused her thoughts on the present. “Especially now… Bai Zhenzhen’s grades are improving, and she can even work to earn money while Zhang Yu is tutoring.”

“His psychological state is definitely becoming more and more imbalanced.”

“So… make your move. Let me see what kind of person is really behind you.”

As she pondered these things, Si Zhouyu was already sitting on the rooftop of a nearby high-rise building, keeping an eye on the apartment’s entrance and exit while opening her phone.

“Ugh, during this period of surveillance, I’ve almost listened to every good audio program.”

“I’ll just pick something random.”

Si Zhouyu knew it would be another long, difficult night.

While Si Zhouyu was waiting outside.

Inside the apartment, Zhang Yu had just taken off his clothes and began practicing the 200,000-yuan Dragon-Elephant Collapsing Mountain Palm, move by move.

After intermittently deducing with the True Spirit Root over the past three months, his expert-level cultivation technique finally had a new Level 10 effect.

The original Level 10 effect of the Dragon-Elephant Collapsing Mountain Palm, known as Dragon Sinews and Elephant Bones, allowed Zhang Yu’s physical body to constantly improve its structure through repeated training. It gained greater immortal-like and more powerful resilience, capable of withstanding and transmitting higher bursts of power.

Now, after further deduction by the True Spirit Root, the effect of Dragon Sinews and Elephant Bones was enhanced even more, integrating into the circulation of spiritual power. This gave Zhang Yu’s meridians a higher capacity for spiritual power circulation.

As Zhang Yu unleashed a palm strike, his physical strength, already at Level 9.89, exploded. The terrifying force seemed to shatter the air, causing a swirling storm in the room and echoing with bursts of loud crackling sounds.

Feeling the surging power within him, a faint smile involuntarily appeared on Zhang Yu’s lips.

To outsiders, his test and exam scores showed no improvement, even a slight decline, but Zhang Yu himself clearly knew how much progress he had made these past days.

Watching this scene, Fu Ji was secretly astonished. “This guy… how can he still make such rapid progress under these conditions? What’s going on with the potential he gained later?”

Zhang Yu knew that he could continue to advance valiantly on the path of immortal cultivation despite such poverty and suppression. This was due to selling seeds for money, Bai Zhenzhen’s support, the True Spirit Root’s effects, and the feedback from the ‘Crippled Ox Self-Sacrifice Heart Technique’ under pressure, among other reasons…

The most crucial factor was the High School Saint Body, which was fully completed in the Chain Law Diagram after he advanced all ten basic high school cultivation techniques to Level 10.

Junior High School Saint Body (6/6): Drug tolerance, absorption, and metabolism capabilities increased to Qi Condensation peak.

Senior High School Saint Body (8/8): Food digestion, absorption, and metabolism capabilities increased to Qi Condensation peak.

Ultimate High School Saint Body (10/10): All Qi Condensation stage cultivation techniques, cultivation efficiency increased by 2 times, cultivation effect increased by 2 times.

Looking at the High School Saint Body in the Chain Law Diagram, Zhang Yu sighed to himself, “Now, whether I’m eating or taking medicine, I can spend less money, get stronger effects, and I don’t have to worry about any side effects.”

“And this last one… when I practice a cultivation technique, each time I practice it’s equivalent to three times the original.”

“Resistant to food, resistant to medicine, resistant to intense study. As expected of the High School Saint Body.”

With such enhancements, Zhang Yu’s physical strength not only soared to Level 9.89, but his spiritual power also increased to 97.56 units.

Only his Dao Heart lagged a bit, but it too reached Level 7 (18.4).

“If it weren’t for the fact that the closer you get to the Qi Condensation data limit, the harder it is to improve, I would have probably pushed my physical strength and spiritual power to their limits long ago.”

Just then, Zhang Yu’s phone vibrated slightly, displaying a message from Su Haifeng.

Su Haifeng: Asking for leave again? Given your current situation, how dare you even ask for leave?

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “So, they’re not approving the leave, are they? In that case, if I want to participate in the Foundation Establishment exam, there’s only one way…”

Zhang Yu scrolled through his phone’s contacts to Patrol Captain Yun Ni.

According to Zhang Pianpian, if he encountered any difficulties, he could try asking Yun Ni for help.

A moment later, Zhang Yu sent a message.

Zhang Yu: Captain Yun, I’d like to ask a favor. I want to go to Xiandu, but the school won’t approve my leave. Could you assign Bai Zhenzhen and me to a business trip under the Patrol Team’s name?

Zhang Yu: Don’t worry, we definitely won’t cause any trouble there; we just need to take care of some matters.

Yun Ni’s reply was much faster than Zhang Yu had expected.

Yun Ni: I’ve approved it. You don’t need to tell me the reason, and you don’t need to report back to me when you return.