Zhang Yu found a random spot to sit down, looking at the crowd in the square also waiting for work.
He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
"This place is too tough. Isn’t there anywhere that’s not so cutthroat?"
Just as he sat down to rest, a chilling sensation surged through his heart.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement, strive to fulfill your wishes, and do not deliberately slack off or delay. 10."
"Damn it."
Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, but under the pressure of the ritual’s power, he had no choice but to push himself.
Considering his body hadn’t fully recovered yet and the upcoming work might require physical strength, Zhang Yu decided not to practice the 36 Body Tempering Techniques.
Instead, he chose to refine his spiritual energy using the basic breathing method.
With each breath, wisps of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth gathered in his dantian, slowly being refined into spiritual power.
An hour passed as Zhang Yu continued his breathing exercises.
During that hour, three groups of people came to recruit workers.
Some were looking for temporary security personnel, others needed cultivators for heavy labor at construction sites, and there were even delivery companies hiring cultivators for sorting packages.
Zhang Yu gradually realized that most temporary jobs for Qi Refining cultivators were related to physical labor.
After all, Qi Refining cultivators didn’t have a significant advantage in intelligence or knowledge compared to ordinary people, but their physical abilities were far superior.
They could easily handle jobs at construction sites, factories, and security, far outperforming regular workers.
Thus, many places in urgent need of manpower would come to hire cultivators.
Although cultivators demanded much higher pay than ordinary people, it was still cost-effective.
After all, if one cultivator could do the work of 30 ordinary people, paying them ten times the salary was still a bargain.
The people waiting in the square were all like superhuman workhorses, capable of enduring 007 work schedules.
In comparison, Zhang Yu, who still needed four or five hours of sleep each night, was just an ordinary high school student.
Seeing the crowd of people rushing to grab jobs each time, Zhang Yu maintained his breathing exercises, not bothering to compete with them.
He knew that as a high school freshman, he couldn’t compete with those who had already graduated.
He was waiting for the job Old Wang mentioned, one specifically for high school students.
There were a few other high school students like Zhang Yu, some reading, some practicing breathing exercises, and some doing martial arts.
None of them rushed to grab jobs, quietly waiting instead.
Another hour passed.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
With a series of faint cracking sounds in the air, Zhang Yu, feeling that his body had rested enough, began practicing the 36 Body Tempering Techniques.
The people around him glanced over but quickly lost interest.
Practicing while waiting for work was common, and the 36 Body Tempering Techniques, being a basic skill, didn’t attract much attention.
36 Body Tempering Techniques Level 2 (18/20)
36 Body Tempering Techniques Level 2 (19/20)
After completing two rounds of the techniques, Zhang Yu felt his muscles start to ache, but his spirit was invigorated.
Just one more round, and he would reach Level 3.
This was something even Bai Zhenzhen, the top student in his grade, hadn’t achieved.
And he had only spent two days on it.
As Zhang Yu began his third round, a temporary job specifically for high school students finally appeared.
A car pulled up to the square, and the driver called out, "Any freshmen or sophomores? We need two martial arts sparring partners."
Martial arts sparring partners were needed to accompany cultivators during their combat training, following specific requirements.
Hearing this, the high school students who had been quietly waiting suddenly sprang into action, leaving afterimages in the air as they rushed to the car.
"I’m a sophomore!"
"My physical strength is at 2.15!"
The sophomores had a significant lead in physical strength over the freshmen.
By the time Zhang Yu reached the car, the spots in front of the driver were already taken by burly students, leaving him no room to squeeze in.
Zhang Yu thought, "So many people fighting to get beaten up. Don’t they have any self-respect as high school students?"
The driver glanced at the students raising their hands and asked, "Any from key high schools?"
The number of raised hands immediately dropped by more than half.
Zhang Yu quickly raised his hand.
"I’m from Songyang High!"
The driver then asked, "Anyone with Level 3 or above in practical martial arts?"
Looking at the remaining three students, the driver asked, "300 an hour, take it or leave it?"
A student with a buzz cut complained, "300 is too low!"
But another student next to him quickly said, "I’ll take it!"
Watching the car speed away with the student inside, the buzz-cut student cursed, "300 an hour? What a joke."
"300 for sparring? If you can’t afford it, don’t hire anyone!"
Someone else chimed in, "Taking 300? What a scab! When that kid gets injured, he’ll realize 300 isn’t even enough for medical bills."
As the employer left, the students around dispersed, grumbling as they returned to their practice or studies.
Zhang Yu also went back to practicing the 36 Body Tempering Techniques.
At this rate, he felt he might not find a job today.
About ten minutes later, someone else came to recruit high school students, specifically freshmen.
But this time, the job was to test a new drug developed in a lab for beginner cultivators.
Zhang Yu thought about his physical condition and decided not to apply, continuing with his 20th round of the 36 Body Tempering Techniques instead.
Moments later, with a final snap, Zhang Yu completed the last move of the techniques, successfully advancing to Level 3.
36 Body Tempering Techniques Level 3 (0/30)
At that moment, countless memories of practicing the techniques flooded Zhang Yu’s mind, making him feel as if he had practiced them thousands of times.
These memories weren’t just about muscle memory; they also included the flow of spiritual energy within his body.
"Reaching Level 3 in the 36 Body Tempering Techniques allows the movements to circulate spiritual energy throughout the body, accelerating physical recovery and enhancement."
If Levels 1 and 2 of the techniques were about damaging the body to forcibly extract spiritual energy for training, then Level 3 was about the movements guiding the spiritual energy to nourish the body, greatly improving the training effect.
As Zhang Yu began another round of the techniques, warm currents flowed through his limbs, silently increasing his physical strength, gradually transforming him from an ordinary person into something more.
Under the nourishing warmth, the aching and soreness in his muscles seemed to ease, allowing Zhang Yu to continue his practice more comfortably.
Suddenly, Zhang Yu felt his entire body contract and expand.
Physical Strength: 0.84 → 0.85
Glancing at the change in his physical strength on his status screen, Zhang Yu felt a surge of joy.
Even without the ritual’s pressure, he was now motivated to continue his training.
While Zhang Yu was practicing, the drug testing recruitment continued.
However, not many freshmen were willing to take on such a job.
Although the recruiter wanted five students, after much shouting, only two were found before they left.
As the night deepened, fewer employers came to recruit, and Zhang Yu still hadn’t found a job, so he continued practicing the 36 Body Tempering Techniques.
36 Body Tempering Techniques Level 3 (6/30)
By the time Zhang Yu completed his sixth round, he felt he couldn’t just keep waiting.
He walked back into the human resources company and saw Old Wang still sitting behind his desk, as if he hadn’t moved for hours.
Zhang Yu took out a pack of cigarettes he had bought and handed it to Old Wang, asking, "Brother Wang, is there any work I can do?"
Old Wang glanced at the cigarettes and said casually, "Didn’t I tell you? If there’s work, they’ll call outside."
Zhang Yu persisted, "I mean, besides those outside."
"Surely not all temporary jobs in Songyang City come here to recruit, right? Are there any others?"
After being pestered for a while, Old Wang impatiently said, "Fine, take a look yourself. It’s not that I’m stopping you, but those other temporary jobs aren’t easy."
Zhang Yu looked at the screenshot Old Wang showed him, listing various long-term recruitment jobs.
Some involved signing contracts for long-term drug testing.
Others required participants to test new cultivation techniques.
There were also jobs exploring the underground ruins of Kunxu as part of a team.
And some involved assisting the police in fighting crime.
As Zhang Yu scanned the list, he realized most of these jobs were either too dangerous or both dangerous and beyond his capabilities.
"These long-term recruitment jobs that can’t be filled are all traps."
Suddenly, Zhang Yu asked, "Brother Wang, what’s the danger in participating in cultivation technique research?"
Old Wang casually replied, "They’ll have you test the latest techniques developed by big companies. They’ll record any side effects, injuries, disabilities, and even how you die during the process…"
Zhang Yu swallowed hard, then his eyes lit up as he saw another temporary job.
"What about this entry-level technique testing? 10,000 yuan per session? Why only recruit freshmen?"
Old Wang thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, that one. It seems the Xianyun Group developed a technique that’s already been tested. It doesn’t have side effects and won’t kill you."
"But the entry process is too difficult. If you fail, you could get internal injuries, so they’re constantly looking for testers."
"Since it’s a technique meant for beginner cultivators, they specifically want freshmen to test it…"
At this point, he looked at Zhang Yu, who was listening intently, and frowned.
"You’re not thinking of doing this, are you? Last time, a student who tried it lost control of his spiritual energy, got internal injuries, and had to take two weeks off school to recover."
"That 10,000 yuan isn’t easy to earn."
Zhang Yu shrugged helplessly.
"No choice. I need the money, so I’ll have to give it a shot."
(End of Chapter)