Chapter 91
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Chapter 91: Shadow Study Gang, Trial Class
Inside the abandoned building.
Zhang Yu stood silently in the vast hall, his mind replaying the palm strike he had just performed, experiencing the new effects of his Excavator Palm now that it had reached Level 10.
With a single strike, my control over the bucket force has deepened. The range I can excavate has doubled, hasn’t it?
He unleashed another palm strike, and the bucket force whistled through the air as it slowly surged forward.
Though the Excavator Palm can unleash tremendous power, its long wind-up and sluggish movements lack agility. It’s clearly unsuitable for combat.
If I don’t use it on construction sites, it’s practically useless.
Shaking his head helplessly, he knew these brute-force cultivation arts would not improve his scores on the National College Entrance Examination.
Oh well. Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay chopping the wood.
As long as it helps me earn more money, spending some time cultivating these martial arts is acceptable.
Now that he had maxed out his Excavator Palm at Level 10, Zhang Yu naturally would not continue training it.
And since the Feather Book’s cooldown had not yet ended, he continued to cultivate the Level 10 Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, striving to enhance his physical strength.
***
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five days, Zhang Yu not only trained the Excavator Palm and Roadster Legs to Level 10, but he also purchased and cultivated the Crane Claw and Elevator Leap to Level 10 as well.
The cost of meals, transportation, and other expenses during these five days steadily depleted his savings. Fortunately, he gave Song Hailong two more lessons, which allowed him to maintain his savings at just over 15,000 yuan.
At that moment, after obtaining another Concealment Talisman from Zhang Pianpian and using the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to alter his appearance, Zhang Yu set off for the trial lesson.
Unlike the last time, when he had ended up sprinting the entire way, this time Zhang Yu used the Roadster Legs technique to speed along.
Magic Power rumbled within him, humming like a car engine. As he channeled the power into his legs, he swung them with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages as he sped off.
Compared to the Excavator Palm and Crane Claw, the Roadster Legs and Elevator Leap are far more practical.
When he recalled how the Level 10 Excavator Palm doubled its material-scooping capacity and how the Level 10 Crane Claw helped lifting heavy objects with both claws simultaneously… Zhang Yu felt a wave of speechlessness.
Like the Excavator Palm, it has a long wind-up and slow movements, making it unsuitable for combat. It’s just a brute-force cultivation art for manual labor.
In comparison, Roadster Legs and Elevator Leap offered far better value.
As a common cultivation art for couriers, Roadster Legs channeled magic power into the legs to accelerate movement, allowing them to sprint like the wind. Without needing cars or electric scooters, couriers could swiftly navigate city streets and arrive at their destinations on time.
Elevator Leap, meanwhile, used magic power to compress one’s muscles, giving the body an explosive, spring-like jumping power. This enabled couriers to face buildings without elevators without frustration, allowing them to reach their target floors through repeated leaps and deliver goods promptly.
Come to think of it, this is my first time cultivating movement technique. It really does make daily life much more convenient.
Recalling the Level 10 effects of these two cultivation arts, Zhang Yu could not help but smile as he marveled at their practicality.
At Level 10, Roadster Legs could protect the soles of shoes with magic power, reducing wear and tear and lowering the frequency of shoe replacements.
At Level 10, Elevator Leap could transform vertical jumps into horizontal leaps, which had helped countless couriers jump over traffic lights and congested traffic to ensure timely deliveries.
Zhang Yu’s magic power surged from his dantian, coursing through his legs and torso. With a sudden contraction of his muscles, he launched himself into the air, clearing over twenty meters in a single bound and leaping over the traffic light ahead.
“With Roadster Legs and Elevator Leap, I can reach my tutoring sessions in just thirty or forty minutes from now on.”
“As my magic power grows stronger and my physical strength increases, my speed and jumping distance will improve even more. Then I’ll be even faster…”
The doll hanging around Zhang Yu’s neck watched this display, still finding it utterly unbelievable.
But… these four Martial Arts, though simple… How did they all reach Level 10 in such a short time?
Did I really unleash this potential in this kid?
Damn, I want to do the same for myself! How exactly did he pull this off?
Over the past five days, aside from learning these four new Martial Arts, Zhang Yu had spent most of his time diligently cultivating the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.
Unfortunately, without the boost of the Hunyuan Pill and with his attention divided, his Physical Strength had only increased to Level 1.98 over the five days.
I miss the Hunyuan Pill so much. Cultivating without medicine feels like I’m losing ground with every practice session.
***
Zhang Yu arrived once more at the small building within the compound.
The middle-aged man who had previously greeted him was already waiting. He smiled at Zhang Yu. “You’re here?”
“By the way, how should I address you, sir?”
Zhang Yu replied casually, “Call me Ma Yunteng. And you? How should I address you?”
The man said, “Just call me Black Crow. Please follow me. The teachers have been waiting for you.”
Zhang Yu followed him to a hidden door and entered the underground tutoring base. He found it heavily guarded with security posted everywhere. There was practically a man every five steps and a guard post every ten.
It was clear from their tattoos that they were all members of the Shadow Study Gang. They were emblazoned with slogans like “Study Every Day,” “Secret Learning,” and “Everyone Needs Tutoring.”
What struck Zhang Yu as odd was that each gang member had the number 0 floating above their head. He wondered what this 0 meant.
Suddenly, a security guard with a -122 floating above his head jogged past. The number kept changing, from -122 to -123, then to -124.
Zhang Yu finally couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “What do those numbers on their heads mean?”
Black Crow smiled cheerfully. “That’s our job monitoring system, developed in partnership with Righteous God after the Gang adopted corporate management. If someone’s away from their post for too long, their wages get deducted. He’s lost so much… maybe he has diarrhea?”
The corner of Zhang Yu’s mouth twitched. “Isn’t that a bit too strict?”
Black Crow chuckled faintly. “In this day and age, anyone with ambition is drowning in debt. A few wage deductions are just part of the growing pains for young people.”
Zhang Yu laughed awkwardly. “Heh, so being in this gang is just like having a real job.”
Black Crow’s eyes lit up. “Thank you for the compliment, sir. The Boss has always been dedicated to formalizing and corporatizing the Shadow Study Gang. Our goal is to become a legitimate company and expand into the city proper.”
He sighed wistfully. “After all, who would willingly join a gang if they could find a decent job? Once you’ve been part of a gang, your résumé is ruined. You’ll have no more chances at big corporations.”
Well, well… Zhang Yu understood now. So gangs are just for people who couldn’t find work? This place is basically an unemployment mutual aid society, huh?
Black Crow pointed ahead and said, “Up ahead is the tutoring classroom. The restrooms are on both sides. Further down the stairs, you will find the training hall, showers, and cafeteria.”
As Black Crow was explaining the facilities, a commotion erupted from the doorway of a nearby classroom.
Zhang Yu turned to look. The first thing he saw was a poster that read, “Enroll in the Bailong Tutoring Class and experience the thrill of Bailong High School’s all-night study sessions. You may be an ordinary student at your regular high school during the day, but at night you can become a Bailong student and enjoy the exhilaration of soaring grades.”
Below the poster, a student was complaining, “The teacher is so lenient. No struggling students even have to kneel. What kind of Bailong class is this? I paid to experience the quality education of a top-tier school. If this is all you are offering, what is the difference between this and my regular high school during the day?”
Zhang Yu was shocked. Did people actually pay to experience life at Bailong High School? But in the next moment, he felt his own shock was absurd.
Of course they do. Knowing those obsessed students and parents in Songyang City, if they could pay to experience what life at Bailong High School is like, they would line up to fork over their money, even if it was just for the advertising.
***
Meanwhile, in another classroom, several teachers were chatting while smoking.
An elderly man with white hair and the words “Daily Lesson” tattooed on his arm took a deep breath, then exhaled a cloud of Dao Heart buffer agent smoke.
The Dao Heart buffer agent was a crucial medicine for enhancing one’s Dao Heart. It had become widely prevalent in Kunxu due to its highly addictive nature and was even manufactured in various forms like smoke, alcohol, and beverages for consumption.
After taking a few more drags, the old man finally spoke. “What do you think of the new teacher? I heard he might be from Key High School.”
Across from him, a scarred middle-aged woman replied coldly, “What kind of top students do Key High Schools accept? Those students are already rich and smart. A teacher used to instructing those elites. Can he even handle underachievers? Has he ever even encountered the useless trash who score below 450?”
“With the academic level of most of our students, if they were thrown into a Key High School, they would be considered school traitors. Do you think he knows how to teach them?”
A towering middle-aged man, over three meters tall, was practicing his martial arts with meticulous precision. His bulging muscles were riddled with needle marks, clearly marking him as a body refining expert.
The man, who was over three meters tall, snorted. “A teacher from a Key High School wants to teach Excavator Palm or Roadster Legs?”
“Has he ever worked on a construction site? Delivered takeaways? Is he even qualified to teach?”
“I spent eleven years laying concrete on construction sites, and Che Nu here has eight years of takeaway delivery experience. Can he possibly be more familiar with these martial arts than we are?”
The old man, however, was not as critical and chuckled. “He is a master who has cultivated Limitless Cloud Hands to Level 10, after all. Let’s see what he has got before we judge.”
A few moments later, Black Crow entered with Zhang Yu and introduced him to the group. “This is today’s trial lesson instructor, Ma Yunteng, Instructor Ma.”
Black Crow pointed to the old man. “This is Cai Tou, who has taught Limitless Cloud Hands before.”
“This is Che Nu (Car Woman), who has mastered Roadster Legs to Level 10.”
“And this is Da Chan (Big Shovel), who has mastered Excavator Palm to Level 10.”
[Note: Just added their nick’s translation to show there proficiency of arts)
Zhang Yu understood at once that these three, like him, were using nicknames. They were clearly concealing their identities, and perhaps even their current appearances were not real.
He nodded slightly and said, “My thanks to the three of you.”
Da Chan, towering over three meters tall, curled his lip. “Everyone’s time is precious, so let’s get straight to the lesson.”
Zhang Yu wholeheartedly agreed. He immediately activated the Formless Cloud Gang Qi, and in an instant, he was enveloped in a swirling mist that made him look like an immortal.
“Then I will begin with Limitless Cloud Hands.”
