Inside the restaurant, Lei Jun stood up and announced, “I’ll just say a few words.”

“I never imagined we’d achieve such significant results in this martial arts competition. Honestly, given Songyang’s conditions, I would have been perfectly satisfied with just scraping by for 10th place. But now Zhang Yu is first, and Bai Zhenzhen is fourth, which proves that my teaching level is quite good…”

Seeing Lei Jun’s elated expression, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself, “So Old Lei can really brag too.”

Old Lei smiled, looking at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, and continued, “Of course, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, your contributions were also indispensable. Your martial arts talent is something I’ve never seen in all my years of teaching at Songyang. The teacher also wants to thank both of you for these results.”

As he spoke, he pointed to Zhang Yu, who was seizing every moment to practice the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Art: “Look at Zhang Yu; he trains whenever he has a spare moment. Such diligence and self-discipline are rare in my experience.”

Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly, thinking, *If only this ritual wasn’t constantly bothering him, who would want to take time out to train while eating or walking?*

Old Lei then added, “Finally, I hope you all continue to work hard and get into a university you’re happy with in the future.”

After finishing his speech, Old Lei quickly drank a cup of milk tea, and the atmosphere at the table became even livelier.

With Lei Jun present, Zhao Tianxing seemed a bit reserved. He raised his glass to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, saying, “Yu-zi, A-Zhen, congratulations on your excellent results in this competition.”

Qian Shen pointed to a dish and said, “This is the restaurant’s specialty. You two should try it quickly.”

As the restaurant served the dishes, everyone present was far from ordinary. Chopsticks flew, and the food disappeared like a whirlwind.

Just then, Zhang Yu’s phone vibrated.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Pianpian: “Little brother, congratulations on getting first place in the martial arts competition. You’re one step closer to your goal.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Remember to pay back the 40,000 you borrowed soon.”

Looking at Zhang Pianpian’s last message, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, *My sister isn’t exactly well-off either.*

Just then, Qian Shen curiously asked, “What did Le Mulan mean when she talked about whether you’d make money or not on the arena?”

So Zhang Yu briefly explained the situation with Le Mulan and the 400,000 yuan.

Lei Jun, hearing about this for the first time, widened his eyes, looked at Zhang Yu, and asked, “So you chose to get first place in martial arts? And beat her up on the arena?”

Zhang Yu proudly declared, “How can a martial artist like me bow for a mere four hundred thousand yuan?”

Lei Jun pointed at Zhang Yu, lamenting, “Foolish! Utterly foolish!”

He thought, *Zhang Yu, you’re not even aiming for the Top Ten.* Then he sighed aloud, “How can first place in a martial arts competition compare to four hundred thousand yuan? Money is strength, it’s potential, it’s the future. Although it means sacrificing first place in one martial arts competition, with your talent, 400,000 yuan could help you achieve high rankings in many more competitions later.”

Zhao Tianxing, who was nearby, couldn’t help but sigh quietly, “Ah, four hundred thousand yuan… First place in this martial arts competition was just too expensive.”

Zhang Yu watched Lei Jun and Zhao Tianxing at the table, looking as if they had personally lost hundreds of thousands of yuan. He was speechless but then thought, *Well, this is Kunxu; it’s quite normal.*

Zhang Yu also understood that, in some ways, they weren’t wrong. After all, money would be very useful, even greatly useful, for him in upcoming competitions, whether for sports or talismans.

Just then, Zhang Yu’s phone vibrated again. He opened it and saw that it was a message from the martial arts competition organizers. First, the 50,000 yuan prize money was already being processed. Second, he needed to choose the expert-level martial art skill awarded to the champion.

Zhang Yu immediately focused on the list of skills provided by the organizers.

As he looked, he mused about the skills he had already mastered.

“For Dao Heart, I have the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art; for spiritual power, the Universal Breath Control Method. In combat, besides the Limitless Cloud Hands and the Indestructible Seal Art, I also learned the Dragon-Flipping Mountain-Overturning Hand this time. Dao Heart, spiritual power, combat… I already have expert-level skills for all these. The expert-level skill I need most right now, and what will be most crucial for the physical competition two months from now, is ultimately a body-refining martial art.”

Although the effects of skills like the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art and the Universal Breath Control Method would gradually diminish as Zhang Yu’s stats continued to improve, for now, they were still sufficient.

In contrast, the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening, which focused on physical training, were far too rudimentary.

So he selected all the body-refining martial arts from the competition reward list. There were three in total: Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength, Crimson Marrow Primal Qi, and Tendon-Shifting Bone-Changing.

But after looking them over, Zhang Yu couldn’t quite grasp them, so he simply turned to Lei Jun and asked.

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun nodded slightly and said, “What you need most right now is indeed a body-refining skill.” As an experienced teacher for many years, Lei Jun, though not a PE instructor, had considerable knowledge of body-refining skills.

He quickly scanned the three body-refining skills Zhang Yu had identified and immediately had an idea.

He said, “Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength, as its name suggests, is a strength-based skill that excels at increasing physical power. However, it requires a lot of medicinal aid; it’s hard to make significant progress without dozens of injections a day. The results, well… they’re similar to Song Hailong’s specialization.”

*So, a tank, a meat shield.* Zhang Yu recalled Song Hailong’s eight-foot-tall, small-giant appearance and nodded slightly to show he understood.

Lei Jun continued, “Crimson Marrow Primal Qi is a more balanced body-refining skill. Its unique aspect is its focus on internal cultivation, emphasizing tendon and bone strength, as well as explosive power. It’s best practiced with medication and dietary supplements for better results.”

Zhang Yu made a mental note: *This is a semi-tank, semi-damage skill.*

“And finally, Tendon-Shifting Bone-Changing is definitely not suitable for you. This body-refining skill focuses more on body flexibility and shapeshifting abilities, meant to complement other special skills.”

At this point, Zhang Yu’s options were narrowed down to just two skills: Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength and Crimson Marrow Primal Qi.

However, each had its pros and cons, and he found it difficult to decide immediately.

Lei Jun then advised, “I recommend you choose Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength. For one, it’s relatively simpler, and it also fits Songyang’s body-refining style better. You can ask Wang Hai to guide you then. The Crimson Marrow Primal Qi, on the other hand, focuses on internal cultivation and is extremely difficult. Without guidance from a master, it’s not only hard to master but also prone to causing injuries. Because this skill is so difficult and injury-prone, injuries sustained while practicing it are considered non-compensable by insurance.”

Suddenly, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Teacher, how many forms does each of these skills have?”

Lei Jun thought for a moment and said, “I don’t remember for Dragon-Elephant Divine Strength, probably dozens of forms. But each movement is simple, progressive, and not difficult to learn. For Crimson Marrow Primal Qi, I remember that it’s just one standing posture. But don’t underestimate that single posture; it requires the entire body to coordinate perfectly, making it extremely difficult and more prone to injury. It’s not suitable for you right now…”

Zhang Yu’s eyes suddenly gleamed; he already knew which one to choose.

Zhang Yu immediately replied to the organizers with his chosen skill, and soon the electronic manual and usage rights for Crimson Marrow Primal Qi were sent to him.

Not long after, when Zhang Yu and his companions had eaten their fill and saw that it was nearly 6:30 PM, they decided they were too lazy to go home and get ready, so they headed straight for school.

Meanwhile, inside Songyang High School in the early morning.

Zhou Chechen looked at Lan Ling, who was in front of him, and frowned, “What did you say?”

Lan Ling could only repeat what he had just said: “Zhang Yu took first place in the martial arts competition.”

“Zhang Yu? First place in the martial arts competition?” Zhou Chechen said incredulously, “Did Bailong, Ziyun, and Hongta not participate?”

Lan Ling could only take out his phone: “He first defeated Song Hailong from Bailong High School, then won against Le Mulan from Ziyun High School to secure first place.”

Zhou Chechen took the phone, watched Zhang Yu’s combat video, and then looked up moments later, his face full of surprise. “Winning against the stronger… No, although his stats indicated he was weaker, considering his martial arts skills and combat performance, he was indeed stronger at the moment of his victory. Unbelievable, truly unbelievable, that Songyang would produce such a talent. Zhang Pianpian must have also invested a considerable amount of money in Zhang Yu to get him to this point.”

Thinking of this, a gloomy expression crossed Zhou Chechen’s face. It was because Zhang Yu should have been signed by him, but now he had joined Zhang Pianpian’s fold. It was like a project he had his eye on, forcefully taken by someone else, and now its value was doubling and rising. For a wealthy person like Zhou Chechen, earning less was losing money, let alone missing out on such a promising asset. He could only secretly tell himself that in another six months, he would be able to win back both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, and then he would make back all the money he had “lost” from these two.

Just then, Lan Ling, who was nearby, reminded him again, “What about Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s application to join the sports competition team?”

Zhou Chechen snorted coldly, “Rejected.”

Lan Ling said, “Wang Hai really wants them to join; he’s brought it up several times. And Zhang Pianpian’s inspection team… wouldn’t it be hard to justify without a proper reason?”

A flicker of nervousness crossed Zhou Chechen’s eyes as he considered the possibility of Zhang Pianpian causing a scene at Songyang High School again, perhaps even humiliating him.

Zhou Chechen then calmly stated, “For the sports competition, each school can send five participants. Then tell Zhang Yu and the others this… If Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen can rank in the top five among first-year students in sports a month from now, they can participate in the competition. If their own stats aren’t good enough, they can only blame themselves for being inferior, and it won’t be our concern.”

Lan Ling’s eyes shifted. He knew, of course, that with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s athletic performance, maintaining a top-five rank in their year would be no problem, unless a different group of first-year students was selected for a special training program to completely surpass Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen in physical strength.

Zhou Chechen made a calculation and said, “A month from now, based on Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s rate of progress, their physical strength should increase to between level 1.8 and 2.1.” Zhou Chechen picked up the student files on the table and said calmly, “It’s been half a year since school started, and the first-years have built a good foundation. This year, we’ll start a bit earlier and recruit these five students into the special training program, letting them participate in the sports competition. A month from now, using the special training program, their physical strength will skyrocket to over level 3.0, pushing both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen out of the sports competition. Then, even Zhang Pianpian will have nothing to say.”

He looked at the student files in his hand. Besides the five first-year students like Qian Shen, He Dayou, and Zhao Tianxing, there were also over a dozen second-year students, seemingly paired up with the five first-year students.