Chapter 23
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Chapter 23: A Talk
It was 1:00AM in the morning.
Having finished his Security Guard shift, Zhang Yu squeezed his way through the subway and then a bus, heading back to his rented room in the suburbs.
As for why the subway and bus were still packed at one in the morning, it was naturally because 1:00 AM marked the late-night rush hour in Songyang City, with countless workers commuting to and from their jobs.
After returning home and taking a shower, Zhang Yu checked his bank account balance and considered whether he could finally buy an air conditioner.
After all, the 8,300 yuan in his savings made him feel that his life this month was suddenly much more comfortable.
However, the thought that it would be a new month in two weeks, when he would have to repay a 15,000 yuan loan, he couldn’t help but frown.
He recalled Bai Zhenzhen’s words.
“The school contract?” he murmured to himself.
If signing the contract could provide him with a substantial monthly income, he would not have to worry about the loan.
However, Zhang Yu knew that overthinking was pointless. Whether it was his performance before the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait or the school contract, everything ultimately hinged on his own talent and strength.
With this in mind, he took out the nerve fillers he had bought earlier that day at the stationery store by the school gate and swallowed them.
Then, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began circulating the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method, feeling strands of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth flow into his body.
Although he had switched his Feather Book specialization to the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique for the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait trial, he would have to wait twenty-four hours to switch back before the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method could resume its rapid advancement.
But he could not cultivate the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique until his Dao Heart reached level three anyway, and his next task was to prepare for the Magic Power Competition by improving his magic power.
While the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method could not be rapidly advanced for the time being, its current level 4 proficiency already provided him with an effective way to enhance his power.
Thus, the rest of the night passed in Zhang Yu’s silent cultivation.
***
Early the next morning.
The moment he entered the classroom, Zhang Yu noticed something was different from usual.
Normally, the vast majority of students at Songyang High School were focused on their own studies and cultivation, rarely paying attention to other ordinary students in their class.
Even two people in the same class might go months without exchanging a single word.
It was just like how, on any other day, no one would pay any attention to Zhang Yu when he entered the classroom.
Only someone like Zhao Tianxing would enter the classroom each day worrying if his classmates were looking at him.
But today was different. Zhang Yu could clearly feel his classmates sneaking glances at him from the moment he walked in.
As soon as he sat down, Zhou Tianyi patted his shoulder and said, “Word about you being taken as a disciple by a Golden Core Cultivator has spread through the class.”
“Apparently, the people who went to the art exhibition with Qian Shen mentioned it in the group chat.”
As everyone knew, schools were among the fastest places in the world for rumors to spread.
And since Songyang High School was a Key High School with immense academic and cultivation pressure, a high number of sterilized youths, each with a phone…well, the speed of gossip was even faster.
It was not just text messages. Even photos of Zhang Yu in his Security Guard uniform from yesterday were already circulating in the group chat.
Zhang Yu chuckled at the news.
“Have they started spreading stories about me already? As expected of Songyang speed. Well, let it spread then.”
In these days of forced, grueling cultivation, the attention and chatter behind his back about his outstanding performance provided Zhang Yu with a rare source of amusement.
But then he curled his lip as he thought of a problem.
Yesterday, Li Xuelian had secretly called him into a small meeting room to inform him that he had been rejected.
This meant many people who were present did not know he had actually been turned down by the Golden Core True Person. They still believed what Li Xuelian had announced in public, that he was about to be taken on as a disciple.
If I go up to the podium to clarify things now, I’ll just look like an idiot, he thought.
Forget it. Let them spread whatever they want. They’ll probably forget about it in a while anyway.
Zhang Yu closed his eyes and resumed circulating the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method, absorbing the ambient spiritual energy.
The students’ gossip was just a temporary amusement.
As he had planned, his primary goal remained to cultivate his magic power with all his might and prepare for the citywide Magic Power Competition.
This time, however, before he could complete more than a few cycles of his breathing technique, his homeroom teacher, Su Haifeng, called him out of the classroom.
Zhang Yu still remembered the last time Su Haifeng had called him in for a talk. It was only the third day after Zhang Yu had arrived in this world.
Back then, he had not yet fully grasped the nature of Songyang High School or its teachers.
In fact, he had initially mistaken Su Haifeng for a caring teacher who looked out for underprivileged students.
But at this moment, standing outside the classroom and following behind Su Haifeng, Zhang Yu could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the Demonstration Class homeroom teacher and Dean of the first year students.
Wherever Su Haifeng passed, the classroom instantly fell silent and students trembled.
Qian Shen didn’t dared to move an inch, focusing intently on his Breathing Technique.
Zhao Tianxing, who had just stood up to go to the restroom, hurriedly sat back down, grabbed a book, and pretended to read.
Even Bai Zhenzhen sat bolt upright like a elementary school student, her eyes glued to the textbook in front of her.
Every student’s nerves were stretched taut at that moment, and they all prayed that Su Haifeng’s gaze would not land on them.
This was Su Haifeng, the First-Year Dean of Songyang High School, the beast in the minds of countless Songyang students, and the author of the research paper On the Application Prospects of Electroshock in High School Teaching.
This was a man so intimidating that even a dog passing by would feel compelled to read a few pages from a book.
Zhang Yu followed Su Haifeng through this oppressive field of academic dread into his office. There, this ‘Demon King’ smiled at him and asked, “I heard True Person Starfire wants to take you as his disciple?”
Zhang Yu had no intention of lying to the school about becoming a Golden Core expert’s disciple. After all, a lie about being accepted as an disciple would be easily exposed, which would only put him in a difficult position.
So he answered truthfully, “No. I felt True Person Starfire’s conditions were a little lacking, so I declined.”
Su Haifeng’s lips twitched upon hearing this.
Zhang Yu’s family was already poor, and he had not sent a single gift in the three months since school started. Now that he had finally caused a stir, he was actually putting on airs.
Is this about the contract? Are you trying to inflate your own value?
As expected, these poor devils were easily puffed up with self-importance.
If that was the case, Su Haifeng felt that the upcoming contract would not be so easy to sign.
“Mm,” he grunted after a moment’s thought, pulling out a document. “The school is aware of your performance at the Central Tower art exhibition.”
“Although your grades have slipped recently, you’ve been criticized by the Physical Education teacher, you haven’t been proactive about buying medicine, and a debt collection company even called me about you, the school still values talent and has decided to offer you some assistance.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed at his words.
As expected of Songyang High’s publicly acknowledged beast, Zhang Yu thought. He opens his mouth and immediately goes for the classic PUA routine, doesn’t he.
[Note: The term used for “beast” is `出生` (chūshēng), a common internet slang term that is a homophone for `畜生` (chùsheng), meaning “beast” or “animal.” It’s a way to use a harsh insult while evading censorship. “PUA” (Pick-Up Artist) has evolved in Chinese internet slang to refer to broader psychological manipulation, not just in dating.]
Recalling what Bai Zhenzhen had told him about the contract, Zhang Yu suspected this was all a prelude to negotiating its terms.
And just as he expected, Su Haifeng placed the document before him and continued, “The school has prepared a student aid contract for you. The terms are far better than the previous aid plan for underprivileged students. Take a look and see if you have any issues with it.”
Zhang Yu took the contract and scanned it. He saw that if he signed, the school would deposit 10,000 yuan into his account each month. This money, however, had to be repaid, though the interest rate was significantly lower than a commercial loan.
Furthermore, the contract stipulated that regardless of whether he was admitted to a university, he would be required to work for a company under the school’s affiliated education group for ten years.
Songyang High School was part of the Myriad Star Education Group, which in turn was under the Myriad Laws Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects.
This meant that by signing this contract, Zhang Yu would be bound to work for the Myriad Star Education Group for a decade.
Additionally, during the university application process, Songyang High School would have the right to decide which university and which major he applied for.
10,000 yuan a month for me to sign this kind of indentured servitude contract?
Even without seeing the contracts of other students, Zhang Yu could tell this one was deeply condescending.
He set the document down and said with a frown, “Teacher, isn’t this pay a little too low? I can make 800 yuan an hour working as a security guard at the Central Tower.”
“Can temporary work last forever?” Su Haifeng countered before changing his tone. “I know the compensation in this contract is indeed a bit low, but the school leadership has its reasons for doing things this way.”
“After all, what exactly was being tested in the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait assessment at the art exhibition? What were the selection criteria? What were the specific aptitudes of the candidates? The school doesn’t have the firsthand data, so we can’t make our own judgment. What’s more, you didn’t even manage to master the martial arts from the portrait in the end.”
“On the contrary, your grades have declined noticeably this month.”
“Ultimately, this is a school that values academic performance. The six-subject, 700-point evaluation system is undoubtedly more aligned with the Path of Immortality, more rational, and more highly valued by the School Board than the Heavenly Being Martial Arts Portrait. The contract process cannot escape this reality…”
Zhang Yu’s frown deepened, because what Su Haifeng said was not without reason.
At Songyang High School, academic scores were, in the end, the only thing that truly mattered.
After all, no one at the school besides him knew the true difficulty and power of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, much less that the martial art required a Level 3 Dao Heart.
Furthermore, Zhang Yu did not have the right to disseminate the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, and with no one to vouch for him, he had no way of convincing people to believe his claims about it.
Zhang Yu said, “It is impossible for me to accept this contract.”
Su Haifeng smiled faintly, wondering to himself if Zhang Yu was about to ask for a higher price. Ah, time to negotiate the price.
“Don’t be so hasty,” he said calmly. “I am your homeroom teacher, after all. I can help you fight for a little more.”
Zhang Yu asked, “Can you offer me the same terms you gave Bai Zhenzhen?”
Su Haifeng did not answer directly. He simply chuckled, but the meaning behind his laughter was self-evident.
Then he said, “I was not in charge of Bai Zhenzhen’s contract, but I can give you an answer. Bai Zhenzhen is the top student in the grade with a score of 650. What is your score?”
“Does that mean if I become the top student in the grade, anything is negotiable?” Zhang Yu asked.
Looking at Zhang Yu’s earnest expression, Su Haifeng smiled and took the contract back. “How well you score depends on your own ability.”
“The contract is primarily determined by scores. While there can be some flexibility in the details, it ultimately comes down to only four tier, which are A, B, C, and D.”
“The Monthly Exam is in two weeks. If you are not satisfied with a D-tier contract, we can talk again after your results comes out.”
