Inside the venue, drones delivered boxes of bento lunches.

The first two rounds of the Fa-Sai competition had concluded, and it was now lunchtime. Yet, many contestants, while eating their bento lunches, were still animatedly discussing the highlights of the previous two rounds, their eyes frequently drifting to the score rankings displayed on the large screen.

The name previously ranked fourth had vanished; the top ten spots were now, as before, dominated by the three prestigious schools: Bailong High School, Ziyun High School, and Hongta High School. This was because with the full conclusion of the first and second rounds, the ‘top ten’ displayed on the large screen now reflected the overall top ten scores. Only an overall top-ten ranking in the Fa-Sai competition’s final scores would qualify for prize money, a genuine standing, and university-recognized achievement valuable for college interviews.

The name that had impressively broken through and secured fourth place in the second round now seemed like a mere mirage, having vanished from the rankings. It was as if a small bird, striving to soar through the heavens, had been firmly pushed back down by the massive hands representing the three elite schools.

Teacher Yan sighed inwardly, “Zhang Yu’s score in the first round, the Flying Sword competition, was ultimately too low, holding him back. That’s why his total score couldn’t make it into the top ten.” But what could be done? The wealthy possessed an undeniable advantage in controlling flying swords. Teacher Yan couldn’t fault Zhang Yu’s family for not being able to afford a magic-powered flying sword for him. “One can only blame bad luck, for encountering a flying sword manufacturer’s sponsorship at just that time.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu eyed the bento in his hand, eating and grumbling, “Eighty for one bento? Hongta High School might as well just rob us!” As Zhang Yu complained, another bento box was pushed in front of him. Looking up, Zhang Yu saw that Teacher Yan had brought him a bento box. Teacher Yan, with a gentle expression, said, “You’ve worked so hard all morning. I knew you’d be hungry, so this one’s for you too.”

Watching the scene, Bai Zhenzhen secretly pouted, “Hungrier than me? Zhang Yu dissolved the special magic in a minute and a half, but I had to push through for over eight minutes! It utterly exhausted me.”

Teacher Yan observed Zhang Yu eating two meals and grew increasingly satisfied. Such a large appetite was a clear sign of a good student. Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, and He Dayou also had big appetites? Ha, those who stand no chance of ranking in this magic competition, yet eat so much, are they not simply gluttons?

Teacher Yan encouraged him, “You did very well this morning. Just do your best this afternoon; don’t put too much pressure on yourself.” Though Teacher Yan wished Zhang Yu would give 400% of his focus, she knew that the manipulation of magical energy couldn’t be rushed. A calm mindset was crucial, as pushing too hard could backfire. Thus, fearing that Zhang Yu, having placed in the second morning round, might be under too much psychological pressure, she immediately sought to comfort him, hoping he would participate as relaxed as possible.

Teacher Yan, meanwhile, couldn’t help but calculate Zhang Yu’s score in her mind. “Round one: 80 points. Round two: 93 points. Total: 173 points.” She looked up at the large screen, her gaze sweeping from the first-place score of 195 down to the tenth-place score of 176. “If Zhang Yu can just make up four points in the next round, he’ll enter the top ten.” Four points might not sound like much, but Teacher Yan knew that in a highly challenging and competitive magic competition, the higher one’s score, the more difficult each subsequent point became to earn. Especially when thirty top students from the three elite schools were all competing for those ten spots. Considering the four-point gap, Teacher Yan couldn’t help but feel a touch of nervousness: “It all comes down to what the final round will test.”

Lunchtime concluded swiftly, and the final round of the afternoon’s magic competition officially commenced. The host stepped forward and announced, “To learn martial arts and Daoist techniques, come to Xianyuan! With three hundred laboratories and one hundred master practitioners, we have dedicated a century to immortal cultivation education. We extend our gratitude to Xianyuan Education Group for sponsoring this Fa-Sai competition…”

Zhang Yu recalled that Xianyuan Group belonged to the Myriad Dharma Sect, the very large company where he had taken part in a cultivation trial and acquired the Universal Qi Gathering Method. He also remembered meeting Xianyuan Group’s Songyang City director at Li Xuelian’s art exhibition.

Moments later, a complex cultivation diagram was distributed to every participating student. This was the task for the final round of the Fa-Sai competition: transform one’s own magical energy into a specialized form of energy, following the routes indicated on the cultivation diagram. Concurrently, the Soul Cultivators’ cameras swept across the venue, continuously assessing each contestant’s status and facilitating the recording of their completion order. As the timer officially began, some students immediately started circulating their magical energy according to the routes on the cultivation diagram.

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, studying the routes on the cultivation diagram. “This… it appears to be a specialized magical energy intended for combat.” Even with his Level 10 Universal Qi Gathering Method, which granted him exceptional control over magical energy, the routes on this cultivation diagram differed greatly from the energy circulation of the Universal Qi Gathering Method. If the Universal Qi Gathering Method was a method of internal circulation for self-improvement, then the cultivation routes on this diagram represented a method of externalizing magical energy for combat. He could sense that, in terms of complexity, this cultivation route was less intricate than the Universal Qi Gathering Method. However, both the energy circulation path and the techniques it embodied were vastly different from the Universal Qi Gathering Method Zhang Yu knew. In particular, a technique involving oscillatory refinement was completely new to him.

“This Fa-Sai competition has gone far beyond the syllabus.” And yet… Zhang Yu glanced at the Feather Scroll that had appeared beside him, but there was no change on it. “Is this not a cultivation technique?” “Then I’ll just have to try practicing it by brute force.” Zhang Yu gathered the magical energy in his dantian and cautiously began to circulate it according to the cultivation diagram.

Meanwhile, at Ziyun High School’s section, Lian Tianji watched Le Mulan, who was not far away, noting her confident demeanor. He thought, “The revered top student in our grade will surely achieve remarkable results. My task is simply not to hold us back and ensure our school’s overall score stays strong…”

Le Mulan looked at the cultivation diagram before her and suddenly tilted her head. “I believe I’ve encountered a similar problem before. Let me think… Is this the body-protection aura from a martial arts technique?” She circulated the magical energy within her body and, with practiced ease, began converting wisps of it into the specialized energy depicted in the cultivation diagram. Body-protection aura, a specialized form of magical energy derived from regular magical energy, is considered part of the martial arts system within the immortal cultivation framework established by the Ten Great Sects. Le Mulan recalled that transforming magical energy into a body-protection aura required a step of magical energy oscillation. The higher the quality of the aura, the more oscillations were needed. “Each magical energy oscillation improves the quality of the resulting aura, but also makes it more difficult to control. According to the instructions in this diagram, it should require seven magical energy oscillations, followed by circulation along the specified route…”

Suddenly, her brow furrowed slightly. Hearing the various groans and cries of pain emanating from nearby, she felt disturbed by the noise. These were students who had sustained injuries while dispelling magical energy in the previous round; their wounds hadn’t fully healed, and the mere act of cultivating now aggravated them. “Can’t these ordinary high school students afford some decent wound medicine? Even if they can’t afford good wound medicine, can they at least buy some quality painkillers?” Le Mulan suddenly realized that these poor students from ordinary high schools might genuinely not be able to afford expensive painkillers. This was the sound of poverty. “It’s affecting my exam.” However, Le Mulan knew that the power of money could effectively block out the sounds of poverty. She reached out and put on a pair of sound-canceling headphones, worth tens of thousands, and a faint smile touched her lips as she savored the quiet environment, resuming her magical energy transformation.

Meanwhile, at Bailong High School, Song Hailong stared intently at the cultivation diagram in his hand. His entire body’s magical energy was already circulating effortlessly, moving as if guided by his thoughts, gradually conforming to the diagram’s instructions. Years of practicing magical energy circulation with his Heavenly Spiritual Root meant that now, even without it, he could manipulate magical energy with remarkable ease. He had also practiced many similar exercises before, which made his movements more proficient and his speed several times faster. A cluster of magical energy within his dantian abruptly dispersed into a turbulent mass during intense oscillation, only to be slowly gathered back together by Song Hailong. “First magical energy oscillation, complete!” “Simple! Simple! Simple! Too simple!”

“My parents possess the finest genes, meticulously selected. I haven’t slept since I was five years old. Now at sixteen, for the past eleven years, I’ve consistently been the highest-performing, highest-scoring, and physically strongest among my Song family peers! I’m also the only one among them who has never contemplated suicide, developed an aversion to studying, or suffered from depression! I am the Song family’s ace son!” “You nobodies in this competition, what makes you think you can compete with me!” At this moment, he was entirely focused, devoid of any distracting thoughts, his sole desire to master the technique in the diagram as quickly as possible and utterly crush the top students from the other two elite schools.

Meanwhile, at Hongta High School, Xiong Bufan lay prostrate before the cultivation diagram, his eyes tightly closed, his furry tail twitching. He seemed to have reached a crucial stage in his cultivation. The competition coach nearby observed the scene, thinking, “When Bufan and his cohort were in the breeding facility, they were given medication from the womb. By the time they entered high school, his physique was the most exceptional. When the school brought him from the breeding facility in the protected area, the toughness of his meridians was already over ten times that of ordinary students. He could exert himself in cultivation without any fear of injury. Since his enrollment, I’ve had him continuously train his magical energy circulation speed. He has also practiced the body-protection aura many times previously. This time, he is sure to be the first to master this cultivation diagram. Hmm, it seems the principal really should naturalize more demons… no, that’s wrong… should plan for more demon-descendant students. How can just one be enough? I think adding four more to the competition team would be perfectly fine. Those leaders who insist on a purely human team are far too conservative. I’ve even heard that the neighboring city already has a purely demonic… a purely demon-descendant team.”

Zhang Yu had to admit that without relevant training and prior preparation, securing a ranking in this round seemed almost impossible. Competitions are not merely a test of talent and quality, but also a contest of financial resources, influence, and underlying foundations. Damn it! Is my competitive journey truly ending here? Zhang Yu! Are you going to be defeated by money?

Not far away, Teacher Yan observed Zhang Yu’s distressed expression and sighed inwardly. She then glanced at the other Songyang High School students nearby, observing them either drenched in sweat, or pale-faced, or looking as if they were desperate to use the restroom. Teacher Yan shook her head helplessly. Songyang High School students were inherently not as strong as the top students from the three elite schools. After consistently failing to achieve competitive results in the Fa-Sai, the school simply ceased further investment in this area. Without school investment, the Fa-Sai competition results deteriorated, which naturally made the school even less inclined to invest—a vicious cycle. Teacher Yan understood that without strong school support and lacking relevant instruction and practice, the two sides were not even on the same starting line.

Just then, a student suddenly raised his hand: “I need to use the restroom.” Teacher Yan silently cursed, “So you really did need to go!” “Go quickly!”

Just then, Teacher Yan suddenly heard the synchronized sound of muscles and bones flexing nearby. She turned and saw that it was Bai Zhenzhen practicing martial arts. Had she given up? This was a magical energy circulation competition; why was she practicing punches? Zhang Yu, too, was drawn by the sound of punching, and after a glance, he sighed inwardly, “Ah, Zhenzhen has been driven mad.”

Suddenly, Zhang Yu found Bai Zhenzhen’s punches strangely familiar, as if they could be combined with something. This martial art was very simple, consisting of only six repeated movements. After quickly observing them, he suddenly realized something. This martial art seemed to be compatible with the cultivation diagram?

Seeing ‘Wuji Cloud Hands Level 0’ appear on the Feather Scroll, Zhang Yu felt an overwhelming urge to pick Bai Zhenzhen up and spin her around. “Zhenzhen! You are a saint! The sacred savior of Songyang High School!”

The cultivation diagram showed a method of magical energy circulation, while Bai Zhenzhen demonstrated external martial arts forms. Combined, the two formed a complete combat martial art: Wuji Cloud Hands. This was an advanced martial arts technique. However, this technique emphasized internal cultivation over external forms; its core lay in the application of magical energy and how to transform it into a body-protection aura. The six external moves were less a series of distinct techniques and more six illustrative applications. For this competition, the Fa-Sai organizers had extracted the cultivation diagram from it and presented it as a standalone test. For most people, the presence or absence of external moves did not affect their ability to learn the body-protection aura transformation method. But for Zhang Yu, whether it was a complete technique and whether it could appear on the Feather Scroll… that made all the difference.

Zhang Yu had no idea how Bai Zhenzhen had managed to comprehend the external forms. He could only seize the moment, immediately switch the Feather Scroll’s specialization to Wuji Cloud Hands, and begin practicing.

Wuji Cloud Hands Level 0 (0/1, 15.4/5 magical energy)

Just one time! As long as he practices it just once! Even if he makes countless mistakes, even if his movements are chaotic, he’ll be able to fully master this Wuji Cloud Hands!