Chapter 52
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Chapter 52: The Monthly Exam Ends, a Storm Approaches
Inside the abandoned building.
Zhang Yu, clad in a weighted suit, threw a punch. As his foot stomped onto the concrete floor, a muffled boom suddenly erupted throughout the level.
Though drenched in sweat, Zhang Yu did not pause, continuing to practise the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening one move after another. His entire body radiated heat, emitting faint wisps of white vapour into the cold night air.
A week ago, Zhang Yu had managed to simultaneously maintain the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art while practising Level 10 Limitless Cloud Hands in his weighted suit. Now, he was challenging himself with a higher difficulty, which was practising the Level 10 Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.
At first, it was incredibly difficult and served as a gruelling test of both his physical and mental endurance. Fortunately, as long as he could maintain the Mental Cultivation Technique, the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art always brought Zhang Yu a sliver of joy and satisfaction born from anticipation.
And what about the times when he could not maintain the technique?
Ritual Power would guide Zhang Yu back on track and help him sustain the Mental Cultivation Technique.
For example, at this very moment, Zhang Yu’s concentration wavered and the image of his Inner visualization Diagram began to blur in his mind. He knew the Ritual was about to start nagging him again.
Please adhere to the Ritual’s Covenant. Strive to fulfill the wish. Do not intentionally slack off or delay. 10.
Zhang Yu immediately focused his mind, struggling to maintain the state of the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art. The image of the diagram in his mind gradually sharpened again.
Damn it!
Though the chilling sensation had dissipated, Zhang Yu could not help but curse under his breath.
Just then, a phone rang, its sound piercing through the darkness of the abandoned building.
To Zhang Yu, the ringtone was like celestial music.
At least this idiot ritual has a shred of judgment, he thought. It allows me a brief respite while I answer a call.
Picking up his phone, Zhang Yu saw a message from Zhou Chechen, the Vice President of the Student Council.
The message from Zhou Chechen read, “Zhang Yu, have you made a decision yet?”
Zhang Yu glanced at the time.
Hmm, a Student Council message sent at four in the morning. That’s a perfectly normal schedule for us Songyang folks.
Zhang Yu replied, “I want to focus on preparing for the Monthly Exam first. We can talk about signing the contract after it’s over.”
Zhou Chechen quickly wrote back, “Haha, no problem at all. We’ll wait until after the exam to talk. I’ve already prepared a contract that you’ll be absolutely satisfied with. I look forward to the day we sign it.”
Although Zhang Yu knew Zhou Chechen probably spoke to all potential signees this way, it would be a lie to say that being showered with such flattery from time to time over the past month was not pleasant.
It’s a pity, Zhang Yu thought, that in the end, this isn’t a pure friendship, one untainted by ulterior motives from someone who simply wants to lick my boots.
The thought of having to continue this charade with Zhou Chechen made Zhang Yu feel slightly ill.
I wonder if he’ll finally show his true colors when I reject him again after this Monthly Exam.
Zhang Yu looked up at his Feather Book.
Dao Heart – Level 2 (93%)
Magic Power – 18.7
Physical Strength – Level 1.33
After these days of gruelling training, his power had grown significantly. He was now on the verge of reaching Dao Heart Level 3, and his Magic Power was already in a league of its own among Songyang High School’s first-year students, even surpassing Bai Zhenzhen.
Only his Physical Strength had slipped back to seventh or eighth place after a hiatus of more than half a month, since he had only recently resumed that part of his training.
However, Zhang Yu estimated that if he continued to train hard in his current state, it would not be long before his Physical Strength would also achieve a dominant lead among the Songyang High first-years.
Even so, he was still a long way from being able to enter one of the Ten Greats and even the the top ten elite universities.
Thinking this, he took a deep breath and immersed himself once more in his rigorous training.
***
The day of the Monthly Exam.
A grim and tense atmosphere permeated the high school campus.
But for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, the exam itself held little cause for worry.
After breezing through the morning’s theoretical exams, Zhang Yu cultivated during his lunch break before heading to the Dao Arts exam room, where he completed the test in a sweat-soaked haze.
Then came the final exam of the day, Martial Arts Combat.
This time, the opponent he randomly drew was Qian Shen.
Qian Shen’s gaze on Zhang Yu was complex.
His opponent was an anomaly who had scored six points lower than him in the previous month’s exam, yet had accumulated several dozen more points than him in the Magic Power competition.
So while Zhang Yu’s score might have been lower, it also seemed highly unlikely. This made Zhang Yu even more enigmatic in Qian Shen’s eyes. He was the first person who, despite having a lower Monthly Exam score, made him feel so incredibly cautious.
Zhang Yu saw Qian Shen’s cautious demeanour and smiled faintly. “Here I come.”
In the next instant, he unleashed a palm strike, and with a whoosh, he was already standing before Qian Shen.
Despite Qian Shen’s caution, he gradually fell behind after more than a dozen exchanges.
Finally, as a blast of wind struck his face, he stared at the fist that stopped just before his head and said with resignation, “I lost.”
But before the second match began, he fixed Zhang Yu with a serious gaze. “You weren’t using your full strength, were you? You didn’t even use Limitless Cloud Hands.”
Qian Shen had watched Zhang Yu learn Limitless Cloud Hands at the competition and knew he had obtained the right to use the martial art.
Moreover, in the past two weeks of Martial Arts Class, Zhang Yu had used Limitless Cloud Hands every time he sparred with Bai Zhenzhen.
Qian Shen said sternly, “Use Limitless Cloud Hands. Fight me with your full power.”
“This is the Monthly Exam, not a practice session.”
“I don’t want a single point I earn on this exam to be obtained through some sham.”
“Use your full strength. Don’t insult my score.”
Zhang Yu took a deep breath. “Understood.”
He lamented inwardly, My rare moments of joy during this grueling cultivation… are they about to end again?
With a whoosh, Zhang Yu charged at Qian Shen once more. His palm, imbued with Formless Cloud Gang Qi, slammed toward him with explosive force.
Having already witnessed the power of Limitless Cloud Hands during combat practice, Qian Shen naturally chose to avoid a direct confrontation.
While dodging, he lashed out with a kick aimed at Zhang Yu’s lower body.
To his surprise, Zhang Yu’s other hand, enveloped in layers of cloud qi, blocked the incoming kick.
When Qian Shen’s leg struck the cloud qi, it felt like kicking a weightless, fluffy cloud. But the next moment, a violent force rebounded from it, sending him flying out of bounds.
The second match ended.
The third match began.
After that last exchange, Qian Shen deeply regretted his earlier words.
Though his grandstanding had looked impressive, receiving a low score on the combat exam was truly disheartening.
Not far away, Lei Jun’s gaze shifted from Zhang Yu and Qian Shen to Bai Zhenzhen and He Dayou on the other side of the field.
Watching Bai Zhenzhen effortlessly defeat He Dayou in just a few moves, Lei Jun thought to himself, “The skill gap is too vast. For the next Monthly Exam, I might as well skip the lottery for them and just pair Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen together for the Martial Arts Combat exam.”
***
The next morning held the Dao Heart and Magic Power tests.
He once again stepped into the Spirit Realm.
This time, Zhang Yu found himself strapped to a hospital bed. To his left was a syringe, and to his right, a button.
A female voice crackled over a loudspeaker with a commercial. “For quality medicine, choose Purple Cloud! Purple Cloud medicine is dedicated to serving all ages. One dose cures all ailments! Thank you to the Purple Cloud Corporation for co-sponsoring this Monthly Exam…”
Listening to the rules being announced, Zhang Yu finally understood that the theme of this Dao Heart Examination was pleasure.
Each press of the button would inject him with a potion called Pleasure Powder.
The exam would automatically administer one dose of Pleasure Powder at the very start.
The challenge for the students was to press the button as few times as possible and minimize their intake of the drug. The fewer doses they received, the higher their ranking and score would be.
This was all because the latest drug developed by the Purple Cloud Corporation could relax the mind, stimulate the brain, and make a person feel unparalleled bliss.
Of course, according to Purple Cloud’s own marketing, the drug claimed to have no side effects or addictive properties and had already passed clinical trials.
Zhang Yu, naturally, didn’t believe a word of it.
Fucking bastards.
Running this kind of ad during the Monthly Exam, are they?
The person who designs these Dao Heart Examinations is getting more and more outrageous. One day, I’ll crush his face…
Though he was in the virtual world of the Spirit Realm and the injected Pleasure Powder would only provide a simulated sensation, Zhang Yu still couldn’t help but curse furiously. Ultimately, he resigned himself to the inevitable and felt the Pleasure Powder enter his system.
Intense waves of pleasure crashed against his brain. Even with his willpower and cultivation of his Mental Cultivation Technique, he couldn’t resist pressing the button twice before the exam ended. It was a testament to just how potent the Pleasure Powder was.
Compared to the excitement of the Dao Heart Examination, the Magic Power test and the Physical Education exam felt rather mundane.
But after the Physical Education exam concluded, Wang Hai once again requested that the school leaders allow Zhang Yu to join the competition team, only to be rejected yet again.
The official reason given was that Zhang Yu’s Physical Education scores had declined and he still needed time to consolidate his skills.
However, Wang Hai was privately told that the Student Council was behind the rejection.
After some thought, Wang Hai sent Zhang Yu a message the next day.
“Do you have some kind of conflict with the Student Council? They don’t seem to want you on the School’s sports competition team.”
***
Inside the abandoned building, Zhang Yu stood motionless in his weighted suit, feeling the changes within his sea of consciousness.
He had finally reached Dao Heart Level 3.
His control over his physical body had become more refined. The Magic Power in his Dantian had become more vibrant and manageable. Every muscle and every fiber of his being felt increasingly coordinated and comfortable under his perception.
Even the mental fatigue that had plagued him for days seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed.
Dao Heart Level 3 (0%)
This was the sensation Zhang Yu experienced after reaching Dao Heart Level 3, a stronger grasp over himself and his power.
Finally, I have reach Dao Heart Level 3.
Now I can cultivate the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, right?
Zhang Yu had long anticipated this Expert-Grade Cultivation Technique passed down by a Golden Core True Person.
Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique! Let’s see where your limits lie!
Almost the instant his Dao Heart reached Level 3, he eagerly switched Feather Book’s specialization to this cultivation art.
The Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique was a Martial Dao Heart Technique that encompassed nine sets of Martial Arts, including fists, palms, legs, fingers, claws, knives, swords, spears, and staffs.
Each set included combat techniques and body refining exercises, but neither was the core.
The true essence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique lay in comprehending the martial intent within its nine sets of Martial Arts and using it to forge one’s own martial will.
At this moment, Zhang Yu found himself once again in a state reminiscent of his experience at the art exhibition. He began practicing the nine sets of Martial Arts from start to finish, which consisted of fist, palm, leg, finger, claw, knife, sword, spear, and staff.
With each movement Zhang Yu executed, the surrounding air vibrated violently, and the concrete ground beneath his feet thundered with every step.
Having elevated his Basic-Grade Freehand Combat to Level 5, mastered the Basic-Grade Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening and the Advanced-Grade Limitless Cloud Hands to Level 10, and engaged in over a hundred real-world combat sessions with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu’s perspective had fundamentally shifted.
The more he practiced, the more he realized that the art encompassed both combat techniques and body refining methods, offering a comprehensive approach. Upon mastering it, one could use it to temper their physical form and engage in combat.
…It’s just a bit time-consuming.
Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique Level 1 (0/10)
Wearing his weighted training suit, Zhang Yu completed all nine sets of Martial Arts in nearly fourteen minutes.
Realizing this, he felt a dull ache in his liver.
[Note: “Liver ache” is Chinese internet slang for the exhaustion felt from “grinding” or performing repetitive, strenuous tasks, originating from gaming culture.]
He knew this Cultivation Art would require a lot of practice.
