Chapter 101
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Chapter 101: Purchasing Concealment Talismans, On the Eve of the Competition
Hearing Lan Ling’s words, Zhang Yu asked, “What are the selection criteria? Why don’t we qualify?”
Lan Ling looked at them coldly and replied indifferently, “The initial phase requires an investment of at least 3 million. Do you have that?”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were instantly silenced. Where would they get that kind of money? Even if they had it, they certainly would not invest it in a project led by the Student Council.
Seeing their silence, Lan Ling thought, So they really don’t have the money? It seems Zhang Pianpian still knows her limits and didn’t support them joining the special training program.
After saying this, Lan Ling turned and left, seeming completely uninterested in the remaining matters of the Competition Team.
Zhang Yu called out again, “Hey, what about the other benefits for the Competition Team? Doesn’t the school provide us with any training or subsidies?”
Without turning his head, Lan Ling replied, “That’s not my responsibility. Go ask Wang Hai.”
Wang Hai walked over to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen and said, “The Second-Year sports competition is in two weeks. Lan Ling and the others need to focus on their body refining and prepare for it.”
“I’ll be the one to explain the matters concerning the First-Year Competition Team.”
Wang Hai smiled at the pair. “Honestly, I thought you two wouldn’t get the chance to compete, but it looks like you found another way and managed to catch up.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t need to explain it to me. I know these kinds of things are bound by contracts and can’t be disclosed casually.”
Clearly, Wang Hai assumed they had used some powerful immortal cultivation technology.
He continued, “The Competition Team offers quite a few benefits. Let me go through them one by one.”
“First, every member who joins the Competition Team receives a free copy of the Nine Dragons Needle Technique.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s and Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up. A free cultivation art? How could it be so good?
Zhang Yu asked, “This Nine Dragons Needle Technique… is it a needle technique? A combat-focused martial art? Why would the Competition Team need to practice a combat art?”
Wang Hai smiled faintly. “The Nine Dragons Needle Technique isn’t a combat art at all. It’s a standard body refinement technique.”
“It uses magic power to operate a syringe, injecting different potions into thirty-six specific acupoints on the body. By using different techniques and syringes, it maximizes the body’s potential and enhances the effects of body refining.”
Zhang Yu was stunned, thinking to himself, Damn, this is Songyang High School for you. The Competition Team’s body refinement style is a perfect continuation of what they teach in physical education class…
Wang Hai continued, “The second benefit is a discount on medicines.”
“The Nine Dragons Needle Technique must be used with nine different body refining agents. Fortunately, we sell all nine types here, all from major, reputable brands. They are all sold at a discount to Competition Team members, so you can inject them with confidence and can afford.”
Zhang Yu secretly shook his head. He had no extra money to be playing around with this Nine Dragons Needle Technique.
Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, listened with gleaming eyes. She was clearly very interested, as she was a top body-refining student who had long relied on such medicines.
Wang Hai went on, “The third benefit is that if a team member purchases an Expert-Grade Body Refinement Technique, they can apply for a one-time subsidy from us. Regular members receive a subsidy of 2,000 yuan, but the subsidy is higher for those who place in the competition, with a maximum of 20,000 yuan.”
“The fourth benefit is 24 hours free access to the training equipment here. You two can go register your information in a bit, and you’ll be able to get in just by swiping your student cards.”
“The final benefit is that you can buy nutritional cultivation foods from us at a discount, including all kinds of demon beast meat.”
Bai Zhenzhen immediately asked, “Can we get a discount on synthetic food from you then?”
Synthetic food? What level is that? Is that something our Competition Team should be selling? Wang Hai had intended to say this, but when he saw the expectant looks on Bai Zhenzhen’s and Zhang Yu’s faces and considered their poor-student status, he coughed and said, “Hmm, I suppose a 10% discount is possible.”
Bai Zhenzhen immediately broke into a smile.
Wang Hai thought, It’s just a matter of filing an application anyway. Since these two kids are on the Competition Team, letting them eat their fill might help them get better results for me.
Nearby, Zhang Yu thought to himself, It looks like the third and final benefits are the most useful for us.
But the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi was a free prize, so I couldn’t apply for a subsidy for it.
As for buying another Expert-Grade Body Refinement Technique… I’ll have to think carefully about that.
However, Zhang Yu’s goal was definitely the highest-tier subsidy of 20,000 yuan. This meant he would have to wait a month, participate in the competition, and secure a place in the rankings.
Still, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Do the subsidies only apply to Body Refinement Techniques?”
Wang Hai replied, “Of course. This is the Physical Education Competition Team, after all. If we don’t subsidize Body Refinement Techniques, are you suggesting we should subsidize Combat Techniques or Breathing Techniques instead?”
After they completed the procedures for joining the Competition Team, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen each received an electronic manual and usage rights for the Nine Dragons Needle Technique from Wang Hai, then left the stadium.
After all, they were carrying too many secrets now and it was no longer suitable for them to train their body here.
***
That night, beneath the bridge and by the riverbank, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen leaned against each other, their eyes fixed on the Talisman Register in their hands.
For a while now, they had been asking Zhang Pianpian for talismans through the network before each tutoring session. Now, after finishing their lesson that night, they had finally saved enough money to purchase the usage rights for the Concealment Talisman.
“Yu Zi, I’ve transferred 20,000 yuan to you,” Bai Zhenzhen said. “From now on, whenever I want to use the Concealment Talisman, you have to draw it for me.”
Zhang Yu puffed out his chest. “We’re brothers for life! I’d never screw you over. Don’t worry, anytime you need it, I’ll conjure it for you.”
He opened the Talisman Register, navigated to the Spirit Realm Divine Hall of the Ministry of Myriad People, and selected the “Consult the God” option.
A flood of choices instantly appeared. Zhang Yu scrolled past options like “one to one God Training,” “God-Accompanying Mode,” and “Divine Child Package,” finally finding the option to be granted a talisman.
Among the Ministry of Myriad People’s numerous talismans, the Concealment Talisman ranked supreme, clearly the most frequently used and purchased talisman.
Watching this, Zhang Yu could not help but curse inwardly, thinking, Those money-grubbing Righteous Gods! Damn it, were they the ones who pushed for the Heavenly Eye Talisman to be taught in schools?
Now that everyone has learned the Heavenly Eye Talisman, naturally many people will need to buy the Concealment Talisman. If it were not for that Heavenly Eye thing, nobody would need to buy Concealment Talismans.
Zhang Yu selected the Concealment Talisman and saw that the basic version cost 40,000 yuan.
As the notification sounded, indicating a deduction of 40,000 yuan from his bank account, the image in the Talisman Register changed. Three Righteous Gods suddenly appeared, seeming to look at Zhang Yu right through the screen with smiles of appreciation for a fine talent.
Simultaneously, three voices exploded in his mind.
Disciple Zhang Yu is devoted to the Dao with sincere faith and exceptional aptitude. This talisman is hereby bestowed upon him. May he diligently cultivate and widely propagate the Divine Path.
In the next moment, the details of the Concealment Talisman appeared before him.
The basic version’s content was not extensive. After flipping through it a few times, Zhang Yu saw the recommendation to upgrade.
Concealment Talisman Upgrade: Basic Version
Function | Advanced Version | Basic Version
Conceal Identity | √ | √
Identity Shifting | √ | X
Selective Hiding | √ | X
Personalized Camouflage | √ | X
Forced Display | √ | X
Zhang Yu glanced at it briefly before losing interest. Though the advanced version of the Concealment Talisman offered more features, it was simply too expensive.
Upgrading it costs a full hundred thousand yuan. I would rather spend that money on my own cultivation.
The doll disguised as prayer beads watched silently from the side, growing increasingly envious and resentful. It could not help but think bitterly, Those Righteous Gods just sit around raking in cash. We Evil Gods have to rough it out in the open, take enormous risks, and scheme endlessly just to con one person out of their life savings. Meanwhile, those guys just lie around on the thirty-sixth layer eating, drinking, and playing, while billions of people willingly hand over their savings to them.
Damn, they have it so good! Why was I reborn as an Evil God? I want to be a Righteous God too!
Meanwhile, after studying the Concealment Talisman for a while, Zhang Yu reached out and began drawing clumsily on the Talisman Register.
Moments later, the yellow talisman on the page flashed, and the Concealment Talisman successfully activated on him.
“Did it work?” Bai Zhenzhen asked excitedly. “Come on, try drawing one for me!”
Zhang Yu hurriedly drew another. But the moment he finished, his phone vibrated, because he had used up his free quota from the Talisman Register for the day.
Ministry of Myriad People, Great God Born of All Sentient Beings
Debit: 500
This one costs 500 yuan?
Did I not buy the usage rights?
Zhang Yu quickly checked the Talisman Granting page and realized that for the basic version of the Concealment Talisman, one could only purchase a paid usage license.
This meant that with the license, Zhang Yu could now spend 500 yuan to use the Concealment Talisman once.
Zhang Yu was so angry he almost laughed. He wanted to curse out the Eight Ministries of Principal Deities, but he was afraid they might hear him, especially since he was holding the Talisman Register. What if they slapped him with a fine?
He had heard news stories about people who cursed the heavens and were immediately fined hundreds of thousands.
There was nothing he could do. Zhang Yu could not afford to curse the gods right now and could only swallow his anger.
At that moment, Zhang Yu also suddenly understood why Zhang Pianpian’s expression had grown increasingly sour each time she drew talismans for them across the network as their tutoring sessions went on.
Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen also saw the deduction notification on Zhang Yu’s phone and sighed. “I wonder how much Godmother has spent drawing these talismans for us all this time.”
Zhang Yu did not know either, but he guessed that drawing talismans across the network must be quite expensive. He nodded and said, “Sister has been so good to us. Once we get into university, we have to repay her properly and fulfill our filial duties.”
In the following days, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen continued to juggle the Shadow Study Gang and Songyang High School, splitting their time between studying, teaching, and their own cultivation.
As Ma Yunteng and Le Mulan’s reputations began to spread in the Dark Tutoring World, the number of students signing up for their classes increased, and their income improved slightly.
In the blink of an eye, another two weeks had passed, and it was time for the latest Monthly Exam results to be announced. Only two weeks remained until the First-Year sports competitions.
In the classroom, He Dayou glanced at the score rankings and let out a faint sigh.
First place went to Zhang Yu with 665 points. He Dayou was second with 661 points, and Bai Zhenzhen was third with 660.
Although only a few points separated them, He Dayou knew this was because the 150-point maximum for subjects like Magic Power and Physical Education was completely insufficient to reflect the true power of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
He Dayou, on the other hand, had not achieved a perfect score in any subject besides General Education. It was mainly his results in Dao Arts that had narrowed the gap between him and the other two.
This was further confirmed by news spreading from other students. During the exam, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had earned high praise from several Physical Education teachers. They had repeatedly broken the testing patches, prompting Wang Hai to call them the jewels of Songyang High’s first-year Physical Education.
Is it because I’m not as rich as Zhang Pianpian?
He would not be so naive as to think he was losing because of something like talent or hard work.
In He Dayou’s view, for a wealthy person like himself to lose in the PE competitions, there was only one possibility. The other party was even wealthier.
He Dayou thought to himself, Perhaps the Zhang Family isn’t as wealthy as the He Family, but the amount she’s spent on Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen likely far surpasses what my family has invested in me.
Damn it! How did those two penniless fools get so lucky? How did they run into a major patron like Zhang Pianpian?
Just as He Dayou was wrestling with these thoughts, his phone began buzzing incessantly. A message was clearly going viral across his group chats.
He opened it, and his expression shifted rapidly as he read.
The entire Second-Year Competition Team has been wiped out! Bailong, Purple Cloud, and Red Pagoda have swept all the top ten spots in the sports competitions!
The Oasis Group has partnered with the companies backing Bailong, Purple Cloud, and Red Pagoda. They are sharing parts of their immortal cultivation technology for body cultivation, integrated into synthetic food.
No wonder the Oasis Group could expand into Songyang City. They’ve teamed up with local companies!
Songyang High School’s immortal cultivation technology is now completely outdated. The top three schools have achieved a comprehensive breakthrough in Body Refinement Technique. The physical strength of their new generation of top students has skyrocketed. Soon they’ll dominate the PE competitions too, and in the future, no other high school will stand a chance in any competition.
Reading this, He Dayou let out a bitter laugh.
He suddenly felt that he and his peers were nothing but clowns. While they were still here, scrambling to get ahead of one another, the students from the Three Schools had already boarded their flying boats and left them in the dust.
