Chapter 93
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Chapter 93: Zhang Yu’s Secret
That night, as Zhang Yu swallowed the Hunyuan Pill whole, the potent medicinal power once again surged through his limbs and bones.
He immediately activated his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, channelling energy through every muscle, organ, and bone in his body to absorb the surging medicinal power.
During these moments, Zhang Yu always felt a clear sense that the 30,000 yuan he had spent on the pill had not been wasted but had instead merged into his body, becoming an integral part of his flesh and blood.
In the blink of an eye, the night passed. Zhang Yu looked at the “Physical Strength: Level 2.08” displayed on the Feather Book, a look of satisfaction crossing his face.
The PE competition itself was still six weeks away.
And there were two weeks until the top five Physical Education scores would be confirmed, which would decide whether he and Bai Zhenzhen qualified for the Physical Education Competition Team.
Six weeks remained until the start of the PE Competition.
Although Zhang Yu had focused primarily on enhancing his physical strength during this time, his Dao Heart and Magic Power had naturally improved as well, supported by his Mental Cultivation Technique and passive breathing.
His Feather Book now displayed his Dao Heart at Level 3 (93%) and his Magic Power at 25.5.
The improvement of my Dao Heart and Magic Power seems to have slowed slightly, but it’s not a major concern yet. I don’t need to consider switching to a more advanced cultivation art just yet. For now, I should focus on enhancing my physical strength.
With my current income, I can maintain a steady supply of Hunyuan Pills. If my earnings increase further, I might even be able to afford more nutritional cultivation.
If I continue to enhance my physical strength with Level 10 Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, I should have no problem breaking into the top five for physical strength within two weeks. Reaching a level of 4.0 or higher in the sports competitions in six weeks doesn’t seem impossible either.
With these thoughts, Zhang Yu checked his bank balance.
During this time, despite tutoring Song Hailong and other students in the industrial park, a new month had begun. After deducting the 15,000 for his monthly loan interest, just under 2,000 for rent and utilities, and expenses for Hunyuan Pills, food, and other necessities, Zhang Yu’s account now held just over 5,000.
Sigh… I am still broke. I hope they assign me more tutoring sessions soon.
The fleeting thought vanished as Zhang Yu hurried to school.
Upon arriving at the school gate, Zhang Yu saw the display of the Monthly Exam results.
On this day the results were announced, Songyang High School buzzed with excitement as the campus was vibrant with anticipation for the new rankings.
Recalling the Monthly Exam from two days prior, Zhang Yu sighed softly. What a pity. If only it had been postponed a few more days, allowing me to finish refining my body with the second Hunyuan Pill before taking the exam. My scores could have been even higher.
Still, it’s not a major issue. My Physical Education score should improve significantly in the next Monthly Exam.
After a casual glance at the exam rankings, Zhang Yu headed toward the classroom.
For him, the Monthly Exam had long since become something that warranted only a cursory glance, since the competitions were where he truly focused his efforts.
He still clearly remembered Zhang Pianpian’s words.
Zhang Yu murmured inwardly, If I want to get into one of the top ten universities, I need to win all the remaining competitions in my first year and become the strongest first-year student in Songyang City.
But just as Zhang Yu was about to enter the school building…
BANG!
With a sudden bang, a figure plummeted from the sky, hurtling toward the ground.
Instinctively, Zhang Yu darted forward and reached out to catch the falling person. White Formless Cloud Gang Qi surged forth, enveloping the figure in a gentle force that dissipated the downward momentum.
Looking at the person he had just saved, Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. “You’re… Shuang Youpeng?”
He still remembered this former first-year student who had once ranked first overall. Now as a second-year student, he was the same student who had been thoroughly subdued by Zhou Chechen, the Student Council’s Vice President, during practical combat training.
“The school fines you for jumping from buildings. Good thing I saved you.”
“Besides, with your skills, you probably wouldn’t even die from this height. Getting seriously injured and having to go for treatment would be even worse, would it not?”
But then Zhang Yu noticed something was off.
Though Shuang Youpeng’s appearance had not changed much, the feeling he gave Zhang Yu was one of lightness, an overwhelming lightness.
It was as if most of the flesh and blood beneath Shuang Youpeng’s clothes had vanished, nothing like the expected robustness of a second-year student.
Under Zhang Yu’s questioning gaze, Shuang Youpeng said nothing. He neither thanked him for the rescue nor chided him for interfering. He just silently stood up and walked toward the academic building.
Zhang Yu opened his mouth, but he did not know what to say.
He sensed a numbing despair emanating from the other student, like a heart of dead ashes.
Finally, Zhang Yu asked, “Are you okay?”
Shuang Youpeng’s steps paused. “I’m fine now,” he replied flatly. “It was just a momentary lapse. I still have debts to repay, so I won’t jump again. Please do not tell anyone about what happened today, or the school will fine me.”
After a moment of silence, Shuang Youpeng added, “That PE Competition… you would be better off giving up. Nothing good comes of it.”
***
Inside the classroom of First-Year, Class 1, several students surrounded He Dayou to congratulate him.
“Dayou, you’ve made incredible progress lately! You actually took first place in the grade for the Monthly Exam!”
“662 points! That score should get you a free visit to Bailong High School, right?”
“You got 49 points in General Knowledge, 130 in Dao Heart, 143 in Magic Power, 150 in Physical Education, 95 in Martial Arts, and 95 in Dao Arts! Even the top students from the Three Schools probably only score around that, right?”
He Dayou glanced at the fickle sycophants, whose loyalty shifted to whoever had the best grades, and a hint of disdain flickered across his face.
During the Martial Arts Combat section of the Monthly Exam, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had been paired together, finally allowing He Dayou to achieve a score that truly reflected his abilities.
I finally got the Martial Arts score I deserved.
Dao Arts had always been his strong suit. His Physical Education had also become the strongest in his grade thanks to his recent training with the Competition Team.
Just then, his phone vibrated. The information he had asked another student to find had arrived, revealing Zhang Yu’s current physical strength.
That kid Zhang Yu skips PE class every day. Now we can finally see the physical strength he was tested for in the examination field yesterday. Level 2.05?
As expected of Zhang Pianpian’s lackey. He must have been fed plenty of good things to reach this level.
But compared to my physical strength of 2.3, he is still far behind. And from now on, the gap between us will only widen.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s physical strength, He Dayou finally let out a breath of relief, feeling that all the effort and money he had poured in the Competition Team had not been wasted.
Zhang Yu, you will soon experience what it feels like to give your all and still be unable to catch up to me.
In contrast to He Dayou’s excitement, Zhao Tianxing looked utterly disheartened.
***
“Have even Yu Zi and A-Zhen been completely surpassed by He Dayou now?”
Though he felt some envy toward He Dayou and the others, Zhao Tianxing, like Qian Shen before him, had ultimately withdrawn from the Competition Team. He could only watch helplessly as another student was added to the team, their physical strength advancing by leaps and bounds while their Monthly Exam scores also surpassed his own.
Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, Qian Shen disdained using money to buy his way onto the team or to buy points, and that’s why he quit the Competition Team.
After Zhao Tianxing also quit, he felt Qian Shen look at him with newfound respect.
But he knew his situation was completely different from Qian Shen’s. He lacked Qian Shen’s dashing looks and boldness.
He knew he had chosen to quit the Competition Team simply because of his own weakness.
He lacked the confidence to achieve outstanding results after his parents had spent half their life savings on him.
The sponsorship fee for the Competition Team would require my parents to sell their house to scrape it together.
This is only my first year of high school. What will I do if it costs even more money in the future?
With my talent, can I really earn all this money back after spending so much?
Zhao Tianxing had no confidence at all. He was afraid of wasting his parents’ savings and being burdened with massive debt while accomplishing nothing. In the end, he chose to give up.
I’m such a good-for-nothing. And to think I told Qian Shen I was just like him, that I didn’t want to buy my way up. The truth is I wanted it badly… but I was terrified of failing.
***
In the cafeteria, Zhao Tianxing placed his tray down with a gloomy expression.
He noticed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen devouring their synthetic food as if in a competition, wolfing it down voraciously.
Sigh, Yu Zi and A-Zhen are always so optimistic. They didn’t even seem upset about their rankings dropping in the Monthly Exam. I wish I could be like them.
As she ate, Bai Zhenzhen glanced at the protein milk in Zhang Yu’s hand, thinking to herself. Yu Zi’s eating better lately… Did he find some money, or did he sell something he shouldn’t have?
While munching on his own food, Zhang Yu eyed the gruel on Bai Zhenzhen’s tray and thought to himself. A-Zhen needs to enhance her Physical Strength too. Her money must be running short lately. I wonder if she’s interested in the Dark Tutoring World.
The doll hanging on Zhang Yu’s chest was also observing Bai Zhenzhen. After several days of watching, she had reached a conclusion.
The doll then transmitted her voice to Zhang Yu, 「Hey, Zhang Yu, did you know there’s something inside this woman’s belly?」
Pfft!
Zhang Yu felt like he choked, unable to stop himself from spitting out the food in his mouth.
He turned away and hissed in a voice only he could hear, 「A-Zhen is pregnant?」
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen stared at the gruel Zhang Yu had spat into her bowl, genuinely furious. “Are you trying to die, Zhang Yu? Using such a despicable trick to steal food? I’m going to pee in your bowl!”
The doll spoke in Zhang Yu’s mind, 「The thing I’m talking about is a Spirit Root. This woman has a Spirit Root inside her.」
Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. 「No kidding. A-Zhen rented a Spirit Root.」
The doll chuckled. 「Really? Based on my observations, the Spirit Root in her belly seems to be her own. It’s just that this Spirit Root is exceptionally well-hidden. If you hadn’t been spending so much time with her, and if she hadn’t been using that Spirit Root so freely in front of you, I wouldn’t have noticed it either.」
Zhang Yu stared at Bai Zhenzhen in shock, thinking to himself, A-Zhen has a Spirit Root growing inside her belly?
Bai Zhenzhen snapped, “What are you muttering about? Go buy me a new lunch right now!”
Still preoccupied with the Spirit Root, Zhang Yu grabbed his student card and rushed off to buy her food.
Bai Zhenzhen watched as Zhang Yu’s phone, left on the table, vibrated lightly. A text message had arrived.
The message was from Lian Tianji.
【Lian Tianji: Sell me one of the articles of clothing you’ve worn.】
When she read the message, Bai Zhenzhen fell silent. She quietly turned off the screen on Zhang Yu’s phone.
No wonder Yu Zi seems to have money lately.
So he’s already gone this far without me noticing?
A-Yu! Have you really stooped this low for money and the Path to Immortality?
