Chapter 38
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 38: Level 10 Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method
Turning to Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen asked in surprise, “Are you sure?”
“Yu Zi, don’t make such a rash decision.”
“Aiming for the Ten Greats means you will be competing against countless people in Songyang City.”
“You aren’t just saying this to show off, are you?”
Zhang Yu retorted angrily, “What the hell… I’m being serious with you. Do you think I’m joking?”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s earnest expression, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly smiled. “Alright, let’s just say you’re also aiming for the Ten Greats.”
“They gave you a month to consider, right?”
“The deadline they gave me is also one month away.”
“For the next two weeks, you should focus on improving yourself. I’ll take you to meet some people at the Magic Power Competition.”
“The Magic Power Competition?” Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. He remembered that the competition he had signed up for was starting this month, in just two weeks.
“Meet people at the competition? Who are we meeting?”
Bai Zhenzhen said mysteriously, “People who might be able to help us.”
Riddlers should just go and die!
Zhang Yu pressed, “Who are they exactly?”
Bai Zhenzhen replied, “I’m not sure yet. In any case, you’ll find out when the time comes.”
Zhang Yu was helpless. For the time being, he could only continue to pour all his energy into self-improvement. No matter what happened, the only thing he could truly control right now was his own strength.
***
In Martial Arts Class.
“Dao Arts are useless.”
“Only the Martial Dao is truly of great use.”
“When you meet an opponent on a narrow path and clash head-on, your exquisite martial skill is the most reliable thing in your hands.”
“At that time, there are only two outcomes. Either you kill your opponent, or you go down and get killed by them…”
Listening to the speech from his Martial Arts teacher, Lei Jun, He Dayou secretly rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with this rhetoric.
Just then, he heard Lei Jun announce, “Alright, now split into groups for combat practice.”
“He Dayou, you’re with Zhang Yu.”
“Huh?” He Dayou was stunned by the words. He instinctively looked at Lei Jun and pointed at himself.
Lei Jun snorted coldly and said, “What are you looking at? You lost so miserably on the Monthly Exam and your results were so poor. Did you even go home and reflect on it?”
“I’m giving you another chance now to learn from Zhang Yu. Are you unwilling?”
The heavy label of his poor Martial Arts Combat score on the Monthly Exam came crashing down, leaving even He Dayou, the school board director’s son, with no room to argue.
After all, under the prevailing doctrine that a failing student couldn’t refute, He Dayou could not defy the teacher in class.
Damn that old Martial Art geezer! He’s picking on a top student of Dao Arts, isn’t he?
He silently approached Zhang Yu, thinking to himself, “But I might just be able to beat him now.”
He Dayou had lost three consecutive matches to Zhang Yu. While he did not intend to hold a grudge, that did not mean he would not engage in self-reflection and review his performance.
Not only had he rewatched the recordings of those three battles countless times himself, but he had also shown them to his family’s private Martial Arts Combat teacher.
The analysis concluded that Zhang Yu’s Freehand Combat had reached a Level 3 standard. Once he spotted an opening, it was easy to suffer a devastating blow.
However, Zhang Yu’s weakness was also evident. The third match revealed his severe lack of practical combat experience.
Because of this, He Dayou had tried practicing some countermeasures.
For instance, on the arena platform now, he would not take the initiative but would instead focus on a defense, waiting for his opponent to grow impatient before seizing an opportunity to launch a surprise attack with his Minor Heavenly Star Palm.
With a strategy in place, He Dayou believed that even if he lost, it would not be a humiliating defeat. He even saw a possibility of winning.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He Dayou continuously blocked several of Zhang Yu’s moves, and at first, he felt he was holding up well.
But soon, he felt the opponent’s fists growing heavier and heavier. Blocking them sent waves of pain through his hands, and the magic power within his body even began to churn slightly.
Boom!
Zhang Yu’s next punch blasted directly through He Dayou’s guarding hands, and a follow-up kick sent him flying.
He crashed to the ground with a loud noise. He Dayou felt his magic power surge repeatedly within him, and for a moment, he could not even get back up.
Is Zhang Yu’s Freehand Combat even stronger than last time? Could it be that he…
He Dayou stared at Zhang Yu in utter disbelief.
On the other side, Lei Jun’s figure flashed and appeared at Zhang Yu’s side. He asked in shock, “Your Freehand Combat is at Level 4?”
Zhang Yu, whose Freehand Combat was already at Level 5, gave an embarrassed smile. “Yes, I just broke through yesterday.”
Originally, Zhang Yu had not intended to reveal his progress in Freehand Combat and had been deliberately suppressing its power while fighting He Dayou.
But he still lacked practical combat experience. After He Dayou switched to a full defense, Zhang Yu carelessly lost control of his Freehand Combat’s power during a relentless assault, pushing the circulation of his flesh, blood, and Magic Power to Level 4.
Upon hearing this, Lei Jun laughed heartily. “It seems you have quite a talent for the Martial Dao.”
“How about it? Do you want to participate in next month’s Songyang City Martial Arts Combat Tournament?”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Is there prize money?”
Lei Jun said, “Of course there is. First place in the city gets 50,000 yuan and the right to use an Expert-Grade Martial Arts technique as a reward.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, The Magic Power Competition had prize money, and now this Martial Arts Combat competition has it too.
He suddenly realized that if he could place in more competitions and earn more prize money, he might have enough to cover his daily expenses and even accelerate his cultivation, all without the Student Council’s funding.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s interest, Lei Jun continued, “I’ve been telling you all along that martial arts are incredibly useful. As long as you perform well in combat, you’ll never have to worry about making money.”
“I’ll sign you up then. When the time comes, I’ll take you and Bai Zhenzhen together.”
After Lei Jun left, Zhang Yu looked at He Dayou, who was still lying on the ground, and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What could possibly happen to me?” He Dayou quickly stood up, gave Zhang Yu a deep look, and suddenly asked, “I heard the Student Council called you in yesterday?”
When Zhang Yu nodded, He Dayou slowly suppressed the anger in his heart.
No need to get angry with him. It’s all just campus assets, and it won’t affect my National College Entrance Examination.
He rubbed his chest while consoling himself internally. Being a little stronger or weaker during practical combat in first-year doesn’t mean much. Once I’ve laid a solid foundation and start practicing an Expert-Grade Cultivation Technique, I’ll quickly crush people like Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
***
On the other side of the training ground, Bai Zhenzhen said impatiently, “Are you done watching? Let’s continue.”
Qian Shen pulled his gaze away from Zhang Yu. He turned to face Bai Zhenzhen but was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of pressure.
If his opponent had been a 550-point subhuman, he was confident he could have crushed them effortlessly.
But facing a 651-point prodigy, Qian Shen felt as though his every move was being anticipated. The moment he engaged Bai Zhenzhen in combat, he felt constrained and his fighting prowess plummeted.
My score is so much lower than hers. How could I possibly stand a chance? Old Huang really messed things up. He should have paired me with Zhang Yu, who’s only 6 points lower than me.
Zhang Yu glanced at He Dayou, Qian Shen, and the other wealthy students. A sudden thought struck him. What would these seemingly friendly rich kids do when they learned that he and Bai Zhenzhen were aiming for the Top Ten Universities?
Would they band together to deal with him and A-Zhen?
Watching Qian Shen being completely dominated by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu thought to himself. Come to think of it, Qian Shen’s extreme score-based mentality makes it seem like he doesn’t know the poor have no path to the Top Ten Universities. Could he be faking it?
Zhang Yu did not think so. Qian Shen’s conviction seemed too pure to be an act.
It could not be the classic trope of letting the young master focus on his studies while keeping him ignorant of society’s dirty underbelly scenario?
Zhang Yu shook his head, unable to be certain.
***
During Dao Technique Class, the teacher looked at He Dayou with appreciation. “This health examination talisman is exceptionally well-written. It seems your understanding of the Great God of Health and Spring Rebirth’s talismans is already profound.”
He Dayou replied modestly, “You flatter me, Teacher. I still have much to improve on.”
The teacher waved his hand. “Excessive modesty is just another form of arrogance.”
“To have reached this level in your first year, He Dayou, I don’t think you even need to attend the school’s first-year courses anymore.”
“It’s fine if you skip this class from now on. I’ll mark you as having perfect attendance.”
He Dayou felt the envious gazes of his classmates all around him and once again made a show of humbly declining the offer.
The teacher, however, suddenly turned his head. “Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, you two need to work harder as well.”
“It’s not good to be so lopsided in your skills.”
“If you have time, come to me for some extra lessons. I’ll give you both a 20 % discount.”
Neither Bai Zhenzhen nor Zhang Yu could do anything but lower their heads and endure the scolding, their hearts unmoved. The return on investment for extra tutoring in talismans was simply too low. They planned to spend their money on more practical things first.
***
In the quiet room, the voice of Administrator Wei Xin came through.
“Student Zhang Yu, your time is almost up. Would you like to add an hour?”
Zhang Yu, who had once again achieved the lowest distraction rate of the week, hesitated for a moment before saying, “Add one hour, please.”
With the Magic Power Competition drawing closer, Zhang Yu had decided it was appropriate to increase the speed of his magic power cultivation.
He took a deep breath, feeling the Qi Sea Spirit Root in his Dantian tremble. Spiritual energy surged toward him from all directions, which he then refined, strand by strand, into magic power.
An hour later, watching Zhang Yu’s departing figure, Wei Xin sighed in admiration. “As expected of a Golden Core expert’s disciple. The rate of improvement in his breathing technique efficiency is incredible.”
“I just wonder when he’ll finally upgrade to a platinum membership…”
***
After school.
On the school rooftop.
Amidst thunderous clashes, two figures repeatedly collided at high speed and generated blasts of wind and thunder.
They were Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, engaged in a private sparring session.
Unlike their practice during Martial Arts Combat class, this private session allowed them to unleash their full potential without worrying about revealing their trump cards. This intensified their training and greatly improved their combat experience.
As their fists and feet flew back and forth, Zhang Yu’s Freehand Combat techniques demonstrated greater power, but his Physical Strength lagged slightly behind Bai Zhenzhen’s.
While Bai Zhenzhen’s Freehand Combat skills were inferior to Zhang Yu’s, she had also mastered a basic high school swordsmanship technique. She occasionally interspersed sword finger strikes, forcing the less experienced Zhang Yu to scramble to defend himself.
“Yu Zi, don’t just focus on my hands. You need to watch my waist and shoulders to anticipate my moves.”
“Don’t always rely on your familiarity with Freehand Combat to make your judgments…”
***
At the stationery store by the school entrance.
The Boss pointed to the First-Year class’s ranking list and said, “Zhang Yu, who came in third, improved by 70 points in a month. It’s all thanks to the sedatives, painkillers, fillers, and muscle supplements he bought from me…”
He then held up a bag of medicine bottles and began promoting them to the Songyang students in front of him. “Zhang Yu’s original cultivation package is now on sale for 10 % off.”
Zhang Yu, who had come to restock his supplies, stood at the door watching the adult behind the counter shamelessly peddle his wares for profit. He was once again reminded of the ugliness of the adult world.
After this group of students left, Zhang Yu walked up and said, “How’s it going? I told you I’m a campus celebrity. My endorsements have a great effect.”
“Isn’t it time you paid me more?”
The Boss grumbled unhappily, “I haven’t even recouped my costs on the nerve fillers I gave you for free.”
He gestured toward a gift bag. “Look, I only sold one set today.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, You’re selling generic products at prices that aren’t even cheaper than online. People can buy these anywhere.
The Boss continued, “And about the Body Refining Drug, many students are saying you practice natural body refining, without any enhancers.”
Zhang Yu quickly changed the subject. “It must be because I haven’t been taking your medicine at school enough. Give me two more bottles of nerve fillers and I’ll take them every day. That will be much better for promotion.”
***
Reading, attending classes, cultivation, breathing exercises, and combat practice…
Over five days, Zhang Yu poured all his energy into his training.
One evening, while practicing his breathing technique in bed, a smile couldn’t help but tug at his lips.
After completing his final cycle, his Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method finally reached Level 10.
In that instant, the Magic Power circulation within Zhang Yu’s body surged like a great river, its ceaseless flow creating a roaring phantom sound in his ears.
After a long while, as the turbulent magic power gradually calmed, Zhang Yu felt his passive cultivation become more potent and agile.
“Once the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method reaches Level 10, passive cultivation achieves 100 % of the efficiency of active cultivation.”
The smile on Zhang Yu’s face widened. This meant that even if he stopped actively practicing, it would be as if he were constantly circulating the Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method to absorb spiritual energy. His magic power would be increasing at every moment.
Through this period of intense training, his Magic Power had also grown significantly to 13.3, making him second in his entire grade.
Thinking of this, a strange expression crossed Zhang Yu’s face. My potential is extraordinary and I possess unparalleled self-discipline. It’s not surprising that I’m progressing this quickly.
But why does A-Zhen’s progress also seem to be accelerating lately?
Does she have a cheat, too?
