Chapter 98
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 98: Yu Zi, I’ve Decided Not to Rent a Place!
In the small grove on campus, Zhang Yu activated his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, and waves of spiritual energy immediately surged into every fibre of his being.
This was especially true after the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi began to temper every piece of his flesh, his organs, and his bones.
The True Spirit Root seemed to adapt to this situation, continuously infusing spiritual energy into the various parts Zhang Yu was refining. It worked in harmony with the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to accelerate the vigorous growth of his physique.
Cultivation in ancient times was a path reserved for those blessed with Spirit Roots.
Now that he was truly using a Spirit Root for his training, Zhang Yu deeply felt the difference. He sensed the surging spiritual energy infusing his flesh and blood, working with his body refinement to provide an extraordinary boost to his physical growth.
But beyond this…
“Hmm?” Zhang Yu sensed wisps of spiritual energy flowing towards his spine and the surrounding area, as if countless tiny hands were stimulating and nourishing something.
Could this…. be my nerves? Is the spiritual energy stimulating and nourishing my nerves?
But my Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi shouldn’t have this nerve-tempering effect, right?
Is this an inherent property of the True Spirit Root?
Zhang Yu was overjoyed to receive additional body-refining benefits during his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi cultivation.
Even when he was not actively cultivating the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, the Spirit Root continued to infuse spiritual energy into his body.
Perhaps due to the extended time he had used it today, when Zhang Yu returned the Spirit Root to Bai Zhenzhen after school, he could feel his physique continuing its accelerated growth for some time, much like when he had used the Muscle-Enhancing Spirit Root.
After Bai Zhenzhen took the Spirit Root back, she first felt a wave of discomfort, as if something ill-fitting had been stuffed into her abdomen.
Simultaneously, she sensed spiritual energy being channelled into the muscles, organs, and bones throughout her body. This energy nourished her flesh and blood at a specific frequency, gradually strengthening them.
The spiritual energy is reaching parts of my body I rarely exercise…
This isn’t my usual body refinement method at all. It’s more like the effect of Yu Zi’s Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.
As I thought, the True Spirit Root has adapted to Zhang Yu’s physical body and is now transforming…
Bai Zhenzhen attempted to activate her body refinement technique, the Thunderclap True Body.
To pursue the immortal path, Bai Zhenzhen spent the vast majority of her money on cultivation arts, after paying off loans and covering expenses for medicine and food.
She had spent a staggering 120,000 yuan to acquire the Thunderclap True Body technique, which allowed her to use magic power to condense lightning and temper her body.
This method of body refinement not only enhanced physical strength but also focused on improving the cultivator’s neural reactions, movement speed, and explosive power.
Now, as Bai Zhenzhen activated the Thunderclap True Body again, she felt the True Spirit Root also begin to channel spiritual energy, assisting her cultivation of the technique.
Could it really be like this?
A flicker of delight crossed Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes. As the True Spirit Root adapts to Zhang Yu’s physical body, it’s also adapting to mine. Does this mean the spiritual energy infusion he experienced while cultivating Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi is now being layered onto my body?
In that moment, Bai Zhenzhen felt that her body refinement had gained an additional layer of enhancement to her muscles, internal organs, and bones, beyond the effects of the Thunderclap True Body.
Then conversely, if I lend the Spirit Root to Yu Zi again, he could also gain a portion of the benefits from my technique, right?
If we swap the Spirit Root daily for our cultivation, could this adaptive layering effect compound and grow stronger over time?
Wouldn’t that mean one person could achieve the cultivation results of two?
And wouldn’t my scores and competition rankings skyrocket?
I will be able to punch Song Hailong, stomp on Le Mulan, and dominate Songyang with Yu Zi!
Bai Zhenzhen’s heart surged with excitement at the thought.
But to make this practical, we’d need to rent a place together. We’d have to go to school and our other activities together every day so we could swap the Spirit Root whenever needed.
With this in mind, Bai Zhenzhen made her decision. Alright, I’ll start looking for a place tomorrow!
***
The next day after school, Bai Zhenzhen began searching for a rental house with Zhang Yu.
They set their starting point as Songyang High School in the city and their end point as the Shadow Study Gang’s Compound in the distant suburbs, searching along the straight line between them.
In a basement on the edge of the city, a real estate agent said, “This basement is a hot commodity. It has electricity, internet, and water. You can climb out of the sewer right into the subway, and you don’t have to worry about sunlight disrupting your cultivation. The only downside is the rent, which is a bit steep… 20,000 yuan per month.”
Continuing toward the suburbs, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen found another promising garage.
The landlord said, “This is a prime location. The rent is usually 5,000 yuan per month, but since you’re students, I can waive the rent if you’re serious. However, you’ll need to leave a one million yuan deposit.”
“Don’t have that much? You can always take out a loan. Or, you’re from Songyang High School, right? If you’re each willing to put up one of your arms as collateral, that would also work.”
Continuing their search toward the outskirts of the city, they arrived at an apartment building.
The landlord, jangling a ring of keys, snapped impatiently, “Don’t you rent this place just to store your stuff? It’s not a training ground. If you want to practice cultivation, go to a gym or a dedicated training hall. And the rent isn’t coming down. I have to support my son through university. He’s a university student, you know?”
Outside the container housing on the construction site, the ground was littered with cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles.
Before they even approached, Zhang Yu caught the strong scent of Dao Heart buffer agent. Clearly, every resident here relied heavily on the substance.
Zhang Yu shook his head. “No way. I’ve already quit using Dao Heart buffer agent. If we stay here, I’m afraid I’ll get addicted again.”
As they walked along the overpass, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly said, “Yu Zi, poor people can’t afford to waste money.”
“But from my ten-plus years of being poor, I’ve learned one thing. The more you try to find a satisfactory place to rent, the more you’ll get fleeced. To avoid getting fleeced, there’s only one way.”
Zhang Yu asked curiously, “What way?”
Bai Zhenzhen declared resolutely, “Yu Zi! I’ve decided we’re not renting a place anymore!”
Zhang Yu was taken aback. “If we don’t rent, where will we live?”
Bai Zhenzhen pointed to the stream beneath the overpass ahead and said, “Can’t we live under that bridge?”
Zhang Yu blinked. “Huh?”
Bai Zhenzhen continued, “We don’t have to choose this bridge. We can stay anywhere that suits us.”
“I’ve thought it through. As for water, we can drink it at school and even bring some back.”
“As for electricity, we can charge our devices at either the Shadow Study Gang or the school.”
“As for food, we’ll just be buying synthetic food from the cafeteria anyway.”
“Since we don’t even need to sleep… and we can just bathe in the stream by the bridge.”
“Trucks rumble past this suburban overpass all day, so it’s always noisy. The commotion from our training won’t bother anyone.”
“We’ll train and rest here, go to school during the day, and head to the Shadow Study Gang at night. What do you think?”
Bai Zhenzhen grew more animated as she spoke. “Instead of giving our money to landlords and agents, we should buy more food. Let’s not give those rich people the chance to exploit us.”
“We cultivators should take the sky as our blanket and the earth as our bed! We should live under bridges, hide out in forests, and occupy abandoned buildings, investing all our limited money into cultivation! I’ve wanted to do this for ages!”
Zhang Yu pondered the feasibility of the idea. “But what about our things? If we just leave them here, won’t they get stolen?”
Bai Zhenzhen replied, “We can carry our important and frequently used things in our backpacks.”
“As for the unimportant or rarely used items, we can either sell them or stuff them into boxes and leave them in a classroom. The classrooms are monitored, and the people at school wouldn’t stoop to stealing.”
Zhang Yu had to admit that her plan made some sense.
Both he and Bai Zhenzhen were high school students who no longer needed sleep, and they possessed very little. They could easily cultivate and rest wherever they happened to be.
A few days later, Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu both moved out of their rented rooms.
After school each day, they would bring synthetic food, fill a few water bottles, and find a random place to cultivate. They would continue until evening, when they would tutor people at the compound, and then they would return to school for classes the next day.
And so, the days passed one by one in this manner….
***
In a small grove within the Shadow Study Gang’s Compound, Zhang Yu was cultivating his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi. Waves of spiritual energy surged toward him, strengthening his muscles, organs, and bones with each muscular exertion, while also gradually nourishing his nervous system.
At the same time, the potent medicinal power of the Hunyuan Pill continuously nourished Zhang Yu’s physical body, making the circulation of his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi increasingly smooth.
With the aid of the True Spirit Root and the Hunyuan Pill, Zhang Yu felt his physical strength improve by leaps and bounds during this period.
Just then, his phone alarm sounded, and Zhang Yu thought to himself, Is it time for class?
To maximize the use of the True Spirit Root, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had done their best to have the Shadow Study Gang stagger their class schedules. This allowed one of them to use the Spirit Root for cultivation while the other was teaching.
In a classroom of the Shadow Study Gang, Bai Zhenzhen eagerly rushed out the moment class ended.
A woman named Che Nu greeted her in the corridor. “Instructor Le, heading to see Instructor Ma again? You two commute together every day. Have you considered buying a car?”
Le Mulan was Bai Zhenzhen’s alias in the Dark Tutoring World.
Bai Zhenzhen waved dismissively. “Why buy a car? Riding him is faster and saves money. I have no desire to be bled dry by the Company!”
Bai Zhenzhen found the small grove and rushed toward Zhang Yu the moment she saw him, thinking with delight, My precious Spirit Root, I’m here for you!
She gently pressed against Zhang Yu’s back and felt a warmth spread through her belly. As the True Spirit Root transferred into her, a wave of comfort washed over Bai Zhenzhen’s entire body.
Zhang Yu rubbed his slightly hollow-feeling stomach and waved at Bai Zhenzhen, who had already started her training. “I’m off to class then. Make the most of your practice time.”
***
Under the bridge.
The moment Bai Zhenzhen got off Zhang Yu (car), she eagerly jumped into the nearby river to bathe.
Zhang Yu, on the other hand, stripped off his clothes and began packing them into a bundle. This was the clothing he planned to send to Lian Tianji the next day.
Although his tutoring income was decent, his expenses were also high. He still had to hang on to the income he made from selling clothes to Lian Tianji.
***
The next day.
Le Mulan opened the safe and examined the clothes inside. She sniffed them gently, then frowned slightly. “These recent clothes seem to carry another person’s scent.”
***
In the cafeteria.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen each clutched a large bucket, hungrily devouring the thick nutrient paste inside. As their physical strength advanced by leaps and bounds, their food expenses had also skyrocketed.
Zhao Tianxing watched them enviously from the side. Zhang Yu and A-Zhen go to and from school together every day now, and I hear they even cultivate together after class. They even take turns using the rented Spirit Root. Their relationship is so good. I wish I had such a beautiful girlfriend.
Despite having been sterilized, students like Zhao Tianxing still possessed an appreciation for beauty.
Qian Shen also gazed at them with envy. I’m so jealous of Bai Zhenzhen. She gets to cultivate daily with Zhang Yu, the guy who placed first in the Martial Arts Competition and fourth in the Magic Power Competition. If only I had such an outstanding study companion.
As for the current top student of their grade, He Dayou? Qian Shen had nothing but contempt for his physique of useless muscle, which had clearly been bought with money.
But even though he looked down on him, Qian Shen had to admit that He Dayou’s physical strength now surpassed that of all other first-year students at Songyang High School.
Even someone like Zhang Yu probably won’t have a chance to catch up until his second year, right?
***
Time flew by, and in a flash, a month had passed since the Martial Arts Competition. The day agreed upon by the Songyang High School Competition Team, Zhang Yu, and Bai Zhenzhen had arrived. It was the day that would decide the roster spots for the competition.
After school that day, Wang Hai and several other physical education teachers, along with Lan Ling and a few students from the Student Council’s physical education department, gathered at the stadium. They were there to witness the gap between He Dayou’s group of five and the duo of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
