No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

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Chapter 45: Purple Cloud medicine

A sharp, ear-splitting screech of air friction echoed through the arena.

Zhang Yu held his palm high, supporting a Flying Sword that spun at incredible speed and resembled a helicopter rotor.

I choose you! Spiral Shuriken!

[Note: The first part of this phrase, “就决定是你了” (jiù juédìng shì nǐ le), is the iconic catchphrase “I choose you!” from the Chinese dub of the anime Pokémon. The second part, “螺旋手里剑” (luóxuán shǒulǐjiàn), is a direct reference to the “Rasenshuriken” technique from the manga and anime series Naruto.]

In the next instant, he unleashed his Magic Power. The spinning Flying Sword swept upward like a massive disc, slicing through the air and striking the signal markers suspended in midair.

***

Ascetic Cultivator (Expand Details)

As Han Xingye focused his attention on the expanded details above Zhang Yu’s head, a long string of text appeared.

The moment Han Xingye saw this string of labels through the Heavenly Eye Talisman, he was stunned for the second time that day.

Songyang High School again?

Where did they find these talents this year?

The first two labels, Ascetic Cultivator and Sports Specialist, were easy to understand. They simply meant Zhang Yu was disciplined in his cultivation and excelled in Physical Education.

The next three labels were also straightforward, amounting to a two-word summary. The Poor.

But the final three question marks were what truly shocked Han Xingye.

Question marks?

Are these Concealment Talismans? Disguise Talismans?

Since the Heavenly Eye Talisman could analyze a person’s background, there naturally existed countermeasures like Concealment Talismans and Disguise Talismans.

But first, how could a poor person like Zhang Yu afford such talismans?

Moreover, Han Xingye had never seen anyone use Concealment or Disguise Talismans and then deliberately leave the effect as “???”. Wouldn’t that just scream that they were hiding something?

Those three question marks… how arrogant, Han Xingye thought.

Arrogance and poverty were two concepts that should not go together, yet Han Xingye sensed both emanating from Zhang Yu’s head. This piqued his curiosity about Zhang Yu’s performance.

Then he saw it, a Flying Sword spinning like a disc as it soared into the sky.

Han Xingye’s eyes narrowed as he watched the rapidly rotating Flying Sword create swirling air currents, sweeping across the signal markers in midair like a full moon. A look of astonishment flashed across his face.

Then he chuckled. “Heh, that’s actually a clever way to hit the markers. The disc shape allows him to sweep through all of them with just a few swipes, compensating for his lack of experience in controlling his Flying Sword.”

80 points

Han Xingye nodded slightly at the score, then noticed a chorus of complaints from the other students. They accused Zhang Yu of cheating and violating the rules.

Han Xingye glanced over the crowd of complainants.

Worthless, rare, Worthless, Worthless

Worthless, Worthless, Worthless, rare

Worthless, Worthless, rare, Worthless

Watching the dissatisfied students, Han Xingye curled his lip and thought to himself, A bunch of fools.

To make a Flying Sword spin like that while maintaining control and preventing it from flying off uncontrollably requires incredibly precise control over your Magic Power.

This Flying Sword’s design is meant for straight-line paths. To make it spin like that, you have to constantly adjust the rhythm of your Magic Power input every single instant.

This guy is using his superior Magic Power control to compensate for his lack of experience in manipulating Flying Swords.

An 80-point score wasn’t high. In fact, it was actually too low.

The judges probably considered the sponsors’ interests and didn’t want to encourage such a display.

Han Xingye glanced at Purple Cloud High School and Red Pagoda High School. As expected, not a single student from the top three famous schools spoke up in opposition. They clearly understood the difficulty involved.

As the competition continued, some students attempted to replicate Zhang Yu’s technique, but they all failed, sending their Flying Swords flying off course.

Fortunately, the judges were constantly watching, which prevented any injuries.

By this point, the many students who had initially opposed Zhang Yu’s method were gradually realizing that his earlier manipulation of the Flying Sword was far from simple.

On his way back, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. This Flying Sword still can’t quite support this kind of technique. Even though my Magic Power could accelerate the rhythm, the scabbard’s command reception frequency has reached its limit. Otherwise, my score could have been even higher.

Clearly, this high-speed spinning technique had not yet pushed Zhang Yu to the limits of his Magic Power control, which he had honed through the Level 10 Cosmic Orbit Energy Gathering Method. However, it had already reached the design limits of the Flying Sword itself, as it was never intended for this kind of use.

As soon as Zhang Yu returned to the Songyang High School rest area, he immediately received praise from Teacher Yan.

“Zhang Yu, you did very well. Using your control over Magic Power to compensate for the Flying Sword’s shortcomings was an excellent move. A score of eighty is too low for that performance.”

“As for the complaints from those underachievers from the ordinary high schools, just treat them like air. Don’t let them bother you.”

Teacher Yan thought of Zhang Yu’s score and inwardly rejoiced. “If he can find events in the next two rounds that better suit his strengths, he might just sneak into the top ten.”

Only the top ten overall scorers in the Magic Power Competition received prize money, earned a real ranking, and could use the achievement to their advantage during university interviews. High schools placed a vastly different level of importance on such results.

The thought of Zhang Yu actually breaking into the top ten sent Teacher Yan’s spirits soaring, knowing her year-end bonus would surely increase as well.

She casually pointed at the student with the lowest score from that round and said, “Bai Zhenzhen, go get Zhang Yu a bottle of water. Zhang Yu, don’t get nervous in the next two rounds. Just perform at your usual level.”

Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes widened. She glanced at Zhang Yu, who was stifling a laugh beside her, and could only stand up reluctantly and hurry to the organizers for water.

“Wait, A-Zhen, let me take a picture!”

“You’re dead, Zhang Yu!”

Bai Zhenzhen hurled the water bottle at Zhang Yu’s head, then plopped back down and fumed. “Damn it,” she thought. I should have just left before the competition even started.

This Magic Power Competition is such a load of crap. It’s just a game for the rich.

Yu Zi, you better make it into the top ten, or else…

Not far away, He Dayou watched Zhang Yu’s score with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. His Magic Power control is actually this impressive? Good thing he’s just a poor nobody.

Soon, the first match concluded. The host returned to the stage, beaming as he spoke. “For quality elixirs, choose Purple Cloud! The trusted brand for all ages. One dose banishes thousand ailments. We thank the Purple Cloud Corporation for co-sponsoring this Magic Power Competition.”

“For the second round, all emergency medical supplies will also be provided by the Purple Cloud Corporation.”

As he spoke, the host began to announce the rules for the second match.

This round would test the contestants’ ability to dispel a unique magic power.

The process involved attaching sensor patches to each contestant before a judge injected them with a stream of unique magic power. The organizers would then see how long it took the contestant to dispel it. The shorter the time, the higher the score.

If a contestant exceeded ten minutes or felt they could not endure it any longer, they could immediately take the dispel-magic medicine sponsored by the Purple Cloud Corporation to eliminate the unique magic power from their bodies.

In addition to this, the Purple Cloud Corporation had set up temporary drug stalls around the perimeter to sell various medicines and elixirs needed by the contestants.

The Purple Cloud Corporation was selling drugs here because of one particular rule for the second round.

This round allowed the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Zhang Yu was stunned.

Holy shit! Are these bastards even human? They’re encouraging doping in a competition just to earn sponsorship money from the Purple Cloud Corporation?

At the same time, Zhang Yu saw his classmates from Songyang High School begin to pull out various items.

Painkillers, sedatives, and focus enhancers. Seeing their three-piece set, Zhang Yu suddenly realized these people had also come well-prepared.

Teacher Yan, standing beside him, asked with concern, “Zhang Yu, did you bring any medicine?”

“Remember to take it before the round starts.”

Taking drugs in a competition was, in Teacher Yan’s eyes, perfectly normal.

If you were afraid of pain and itching, you would chew a painkiller. If your willpower was weak, you would drink a sedative. If you were worried about losing focus while cultivating, you would take a focus enhancer.

In short, if you wanted to be as vigorous as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger on the competition field, you could not stop taking drugs off the field.

This is the competition.

And in this competition, you have to take medicine!

The Magic Power Competition has always been one of the favorite events for pharmaceutical factories to sponsor. So, at least one stage typically allows competitors to take medicine, provided it falls within the list of approved medications from the organizers. This is what the judges and Soul Cultivator assistants would be monitoring and checking.

Taking medicine is an integral part of the competition and even a reflection of a high school’s resources.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s bewildered expression, Teacher Yan sighed and opened her bag. “Look at you, entering the competition without even preparing any medicine?”

“Luckily, I brought some spares.”

With that, Teacher Yan pulled out various bottles and jars from her bag, pouring out several doses and placing them in front of Zhang Yu.

Meeting Teacher Yan’s kind and concerned gaze, Zhang Yu reluctantly accepted the medicine.

shit! Can my body even handle this?

The original Zhang Yu had ruined his health by taking too much medicine. This memory had terrified Zhang Yu, making him wary of taking any medication unless absolutely necessary. At most, he would take nerve fillers to reduce his need for sleep.

Moreover, given his exceptional talent and massive debt, he had never even considered taking medicine recklessly.

While he was not sure if taking medicine now would be harmful to his body, he was not willing to take the risk.

Taking all this medicine just for a competition? I’m afraid the lifespan I gain through Cultivation won’t even make up for what this stuff burns away.

But under Teacher Yan’s watchful gaze, he could only force a smile and nod, thinking to himself, I’ll pretend to take them to the bathroom later.

Meanwhile, the entire venue had transformed into a drug exhibition.

In the Purple Cloud High School rest area, Lian Tianji abruptly swallowed a handful of pills, followed by a large gulp of water to wash them all down.

The Competition Coach beside him watched his face gradually turn red and purple, then nodded approvingly. “Good. You’ve entered competition mode.”

After speaking, he pulled out a wooden box from his bag.

As the box opened, ten syringes emitting a faint purple glow appeared before them.

The Competition Coach spoke, “This is a Meridian-Widening Injection from the Purple Cloud Laboratory. It will circulate through your blood to temporarily widen your meridians, accelerating your energy circulation for the upcoming round.”

“One shot per person. No fighting over them.”

After watching each student receive their injection, he encouraged them, “You must all endure until the very end. Our total score isn’t far behind Bailong High School’s. We absolutely must catch up in this round!”

ROAR!

Having just taken their medicine and received their injections, the students felt their fighting spirit surge. They let out a deafening roar that shook the entire stadium.

In the Red Pagoda High School rest area, the Competition Coach was cradling a Monsterfolk Student who resembled a small panda. Reaching into a nearby box of veterinary medicine, he scooped out several handfuls of pills.

“Bufan, eat another handful,” he urged. “We’re currently at the bottom of the three great schools. If we perform like this again in the second round, my bonus for this year is finished.”

Xiong Bufan, the small panda, held up a paw and flipped him off. “Enough!”

“Stop feeding me!”

“Mmmph… You bastard… Stop feeding me!”

Across the stadium, in Bailong High School’s rest area.

Song Hailong swallowed a handful of pills, then turned his gaze toward the Purple Cloud High School rest area in the distance.

Listening to the roaring cheers from Purple Cloud High School’s side, he snorted coldly. “Just wait. I’ll be the one to crush your fighting spirit to dust.”

At the same moment, Competition Coach Han Xingye approached carrying an insulated container. He addressed the students, saying, “This is the Kangling Injection the school has specially prepared for you. You are to inject it into your Dantian. Come and get yours now.”

As the container opened, a wave of chilling mist billowed out, revealing two rows of glowing syringes.

Song Hailong grinned, and with the number 1 printed on his school uniform, he was the first to take a syringe.

The other students around him followed suit, taking the syringes from the insulated container in the order of the numbers on their chests. Then, one by one, they aimed for their dantian and injected them.

Students from other schools watched this scene with envy. “Is that a Kangling Injection? It’s a concentrated essence of spiritual energy that can rapidly restore Magic Power. Are they planning to dispel magic while simultaneously replenishing it during the match?”

One student, his face a mask of jealousy, muttered, “A single Kangling Injection into the Dantian… my fate is in my own hands, not up to heaven. Sigh… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to afford a Kangling Injection in this lifetime.”

Just then, a commotion erupted from a corner of the arena.

A student, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently, was carried out, sparking a wave of speculation.

“Overdosed?” one student wondered aloud.

“Nonsense,” a Teacher scoffed. “There’s no such thing as overdosing. It’s just a lack of tolerance. They need more training!”

A Teacher clapped and urged, “Stop gawking and focus on the competition!”

As everyone completed their preparations, the second match officially began.