Chapter 53

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Chapter 53: Heavenly Martial Heart Refining

The instant Zhang Yu finished this round of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, countless images of his training flashed through his mind. These were scenes of him repeatedly practicing the nine sets of Martial Arts, experiencing their intent, and comprehending their essence.

In the next moment, nine distinct martial intents simultaneously emerged in his sea of consciousness.

There was the killing intent to shatter ten thousand armies, the unyielding fighting spirit that would not yield even after nine deaths, and the indomitable courage to charge forward… These martial intents seemed to have been forged and tempered a thousand times in his mind, finally coalescing into a human figure.

This was the martial intent Zhang Yu had condensed in his sea of consciousness after reaching the first level of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique.

The figure’s outline resembled Zhang Yu, but its face was blurred, radiating an aura of defiance against heaven and earth.

“Heavenly Martial Intent…”

With a thought from Zhang Yu, the Heavenly Martial Intent in his sea of consciousness stirred. Guided by his will, it began to demonstrate the nine sets of Martial Arts from the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, move by move.

As the Heavenly Martial Intent activated, a surge of unprecedented power erupted from Zhang Yu’s body.

In that instant, Zhang Yu felt as if he had become a war god who defied heaven and earth, ready to crush everything before him with pure, brutal violence.

Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes, and his vital energy and Magic Power began to accelerate slightly.

Zhang Yu could sense his body gradually adjusting, becoming increasingly suited for combat.

Hooo…

He exhaled and temporarily halted the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique. He thought to himself, Is this Heavenly Martial Intent really this violent? The matching mindset must be that of a battle-crazed maniac, right?

That True Person Starfire… an old geezer kicked out of a Great Sect… actually created this Martial Dao Heart Technique?

Damn it… could he have been kicked out for beating up his superiors?

The whole situation felt strange to Zhang Yu, like discovering that a greasy, middle-aged man fired from his Company was secretly a battle fanatic.

“Logically, that shouldn’t be the case,” he mused.

After all, in Kunxu, fighting came with consequences. You had to pay compensation for killing bystanders and even more for destroying buildings. The greater the destruction, the more you had to pay.

What about fighting in the unclaimed wilderness outside the city? As far as Zhang Yu could recall, there was not a single piece of land that had not been bought up by the Company, at least not in the vicinity of Songyang City.

For a powerful cultivator who frequently engaged in combat, victory meant paying to keep the Constables away, while defeat meant paying even more to make them arrive faster. Injuries required costly treatment, and even without injuries, one needed to buy insurance for unforeseen circumstances. If you bought insurance for yourself, did you not also need to buy annual insurance for your magical artifacts and Bionics…?

The better you are at fighting, the more money you spend. The more money you spend, the poorer you become. The poorer you are, the less you can afford to fight.

So, the better you are at fighting, the less you can fight.

True Person Starfire might have been ousted precisely because that old geezer was too combative.

Zhang Yu sighed with emotion. “The Path of immortality is not paved by fighting and killing alone.”

But dwelling on it was pointless now. He resumed cultivating the technique, aiming to advance the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique to Level 2.

Cultivating the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique required the external physical body and the internal Heavenly Martial Intent to gradually synchronize their movements and together execute the art’s nine sets of Martial Arts.

To simply circulate the technique within the sea of consciousness using martial intent would only activate its effects.

But as the Heavenly Martial Intent acted on him again, Zhang Yu gained a deeper understanding of the technique’s true power.

Only one Mental Cultivation Technique could be active at a time.

So at this moment, Zhang Yu felt none of the effects from the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art, only the influence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique.

Without the effects of the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art, Zhang Yu’s ability to endure hardship should have been severely diminished.

Yet under the influence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, he felt his fighting spirit soar to the heavens. He feared nothing, and nothing could make him retreat.

Whether facing a formidable enemy or enduring grueling hardship, he felt an overwhelming urge to smash through it all with a single punch.

Even the strain of cultivation was suppressed by this indomitable spirit, leaving Zhang Yu feeling just as motivated as he would have been with the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art active.

“So intense! So exhilarating!”

Feeling his blood and qi subtly accelerating throughout his body, Zhang Yu realized the Heavenly Martial Intent not only enhanced his combat abilities but also promoted his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, over two hours had passed. Covered in steam, his blood and qi boiling, Zhang Yu had practiced this martial art a full ten times.

Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique Level 1 (0/10) → Level 2 (0/20)

In that instant, Zhang Yu felt his thoughts leap across countless days and nights. Each repetition of the practice deepened his immersion in the art’s martial intent.

Simultaneously, the figure formed from Heavenly Martial Intent within his sea of consciousness grew clearer, its face faintly taking on Zhang Yu’s own features.

Before he knew it, an entire night had passed. Zhang Yu, pausing only for brief rests, finally pushed the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique to Level 3 (12/30).

Then he received a call from Wang Hai, who informed him that due to the Student Council’s influence, he had not been selected for the school’s Sports Competition Team.

A deliberate show of force? Zhang Yu thought to himself. If I refuse to sign the contract again, will they resort to even more underhanded tactics to deal with me

Not long after, he received another invitation from the Student Council to discuss the contract.

***

Songyang High School.

Noon.

Student Council Office.

With a cold snort, the temperature in the office seemed to plummet, chilling even the burly Lan Ling to the point of shivering.

But the next moment, the temperature returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Yet Lan Ling knew it was no illusion. Zhou Chechen’s mood had soured.

Just minutes earlier, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had both once again rejected the Student Council’s contract offer, citing that the top three famous schools could make higher bids.

Lan Ling slowly set down his dumbbell and looked toward Vice President Zhou Chechen on the sofa, asking, “President, what should we do?”

Zhou Chechen murmured, “Haven’t I already given them enough face?”

“Haven’t I already offered them the best terms I possibly could?”

“I just don’t understand. Why won’t they agree to a win-win situation that benefits both them and the school?”

“Perhaps Zhang Yu’s fourth-place finish in the Magic Power Competition has given him some unwarranted ambition, and now Bai Zhenzhen is following his lead to raise her price,” Lan Ling said.

Zhou Chechen sighed. “Does he really think the top three famous schools can sign them if we don’t let them go? And he wants to raise the price. He should consider if he’s even worth that much.”

“These poor devils… if you’re too harsh with them, they’ll resent you, curse you, and refuse to work properly.”

“But give them a little face, and they immediately try to push their luck, get ideas they shouldn’t, and always end up making things ugly.”

With a helpless wave of his hand, he said, “As for what to do, you can do as you see fit.”

“Regardless, I want to see both of their signed contracts within seven days.”

***

In the classroom of the First-Year Demonstration Class.

Zhang Yu maintained the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art while continuing to study.

Ever since he began cultivating the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, Zhang Yu had started alternating between the two mental cultivation techniques.

When practicing this Martial Dao Heart Technique, he would execute external stance techniques while naturally maintaining the state of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique.

At other times when he could not practice this Martial Dao technique, such as during rest or in class, he would maintain the state of the Desolate Bull Soul-Pacifying Mind Art.

This process caused Zhang Yu to experience a kind of ideological conflict, which in turn affected the efficiency of both techniques.

“One demands constant battle, to crush everything in its path. The other requires selfless dedication, to quietly accumulate strength.”

“Switching between these two… sigh.”

He could not help but scratch his head. The philosophical conflict between the two techniques made him think of the contract choice that lay before him.

“I can still choose my philosophy, but in reality, there doesn’t seem to be a ‘crush everything’ option…”

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Zhang Yu saw it was a message from Teacher Yan of his magic power class.

Zhang Yu, have you offended the Student Council? I have refunded your tutoring fee, and for now, you are barred from participating in any future Magic Power Competitions.

You need to find a way to mend your relationship with the Student Council quickly.

Reading the message, Zhang Yu’s eyes narrowed. He knew this was the Student Council applying pressure once again.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen’s voice rang out beside him. “I got kicked out by Teacher Yan. Were you kicked out of the Magic Power Competition team too?”

Seeing Zhang Yu nod, Bai Zhenzhen exploded in anger. “Those bastards in the Student Council! They’re probably going to keep targeting us from now on.”

“Can you hold out?”

Zhang Yu nodded. “I can hold out, but how long will this last?”

Bai Zhenzhen replied, “Until our strength is overwhelming. Until we master the methods to get into top universities.”

“And in the process, the Student Council’s pressure on us will only intensify.”

“That’s how these rich kids are. Once their interests are threatened… No, even if it just means they make less money, they’ll immediately tear off their usual facade of hypocrisy and resort to any means necessary to crush you.”

Bai Zhenzhen buried her head in her hands, her face grim. “We’ll be constantly suppressed, constantly isolated.”

“They might use practical combat classes to have teachers or upperclassmen beat us up. They might torment us in the Spirit Realm during Dao Heart Class. They might bribe teachers to give us low grades and strip us of our benefits and opportunities…”

“Their lackeys will crawl out one after another, resorting to underhanded tricks like smearing glue on our chairs, pouring cold water on us in the bathroom, or stealing our homework, a whole slew of petty and despicable tactics.”

“In short, they’ll use every dirty trick in the book to get at us.”

Her eyes seemed to already see a High School experience steeped in darkness.

“We’ll gradually become outcasts, falling to the bottom of the food chain. Those rich kids will humiliate us repeatedly until we’re so despised that no one will even eat lunch with us.”

She suddenly grabbed her head. “Ugh, Damn it.”

“This situation won’t improve. It’ll only get worse until we graduate third-year and get into University… or until we kneel down and sign a slave contract.”

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. “How do you know so much?”

Bai Zhenzhen answered, “A Senior Sister told me a long time ago, before she killed herself.”

Turning to Zhang Yu, she added, “If you can’t handle it, you can still get a good price for your soul right now. You can sign early.”

Zhang Yu curled his lip. “No way.”

“I’m going to get into the Ten Greats. I’d rather die than sign.”

Seeing Zhang Yu’s determination, Bai Zhenzhen smiled. “Then let’s stick it out together.”

“But don’t worry, sitting around waiting to die isn’t my style.”

“I’m close to finding the Boss of the Alliance of the Poor. I have to get the method to enter the University without signing a contract with him.”