In the small grove near the school, as Zhang Yu activated his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, waves of spiritual energy immediately surged toward his flesh and blood.
The energy washed over every inch of his body, nourishing his muscles, organs, and bones.
His True Spirit Root seemed to adapt to this process, continuously channeling spiritual energy into the areas Zhang Yu was cultivating, synergizing with the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to accelerate the growth of his physical body.
Cultivating immortality had always been the pursuit of those with spiritual roots in ancient times.
Now, as Zhang Yu truly utilized his spirit root for cultivation, he deeply felt the difference.
The overwhelming spiritual energy, combined with his physical training, provided an extraordinary boost to his body's development.
But there was more...
"Hmm?" Zhang Yu sensed strands of spiritual energy flowing toward his spine and the surrounding areas.
It felt as if tiny hands were stimulating and nourishing something within him.
"Is this... my nerves? Is the spiritual energy stimulating and nourishing my nerves?"
"But my Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi shouldn’t have this effect on the nerves, right?"
"Is this an innate effect of the True Spirit Root?"
Zhang Yu was naturally delighted by the additional benefits to his physical cultivation.
Even when he wasn’t actively cultivating the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, the spirit root continued to infuse his body with spiritual energy.
It seemed that after using it for an extended period, when Zhang Yu returned the spirit root to Bai Zhenzhen after school, he could still feel his body continuing to grow at an accelerated pace, as if he had used a Muscle-Enhancing Spirit Root.
...
On Bai Zhenzhen’s side, after reclaiming the spirit root, she immediately felt a slight discomfort, as if something that didn’t quite fit had been placed inside her.
At the same time, she felt spiritual energy pouring into her muscles, organs, and bones, nourishing her body in a unique rhythm, gradually making her stronger.
"The spiritual energy is flowing into areas I don’t usually train..."
"This isn’t my usual cultivation method. It feels more like the effects of Yu Zi’s Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi."
"Indeed, the True Spirit Root has adapted to Zhang Yu’s body and undergone changes..."
Bai Zhenzhen decided to activate her own cultivation technique, the Thunderstrike True Body.
For the sake of her immortal cultivation, Bai Zhenzhen had spent most of her money on cultivation techniques, aside from repaying loans, buying medicine, and food.
The Thunderstrike True Body was a technique she had spent a whopping 120,000 to acquire.
It allowed her to refine her body with lightning, enhancing her physical strength while focusing on improving her reflexes, speed, and explosive power.
As Bai Zhenzhen activated the Thunderstrike True Body, she noticed that the True Spirit Root also drew in spiritual energy, aiding her cultivation.
"Could it be?"
A flash of excitement crossed Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes.
"The True Spirit Root has adapted not only to Zhang Yu’s body but also to mine. It’s as if the spiritual energy infusion from Zhang Yu’s Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi cultivation is being superimposed onto me?"
At this moment, Bai Zhenzhen felt that after her physical training, in addition to the effects of the Thunderstrike True Body, her muscles, organs, and bones received an additional layer of enhancement.
"Then, if I lend the spirit root back to Yu Zi, he should also gain some of the effects of my cultivation, right?"
"If we keep swapping the spirit root like this every day, wouldn’t the cumulative effects grow stronger and stronger?"
"Wouldn’t that mean one person could have the cultivation benefits of two?"
"Then my grades and competition rankings would skyrocket!"
"With this, I could punch Song Hailong, trample Le Mulian, and dominate Songyang with Yu Zi!"
Bai Zhenzhen’s heart swelled with excitement at the thought.
"But to make this convenient, we’d need to live together, commuting to school and work together every day, so we can swap the spirit root whenever needed."
With this in mind, Bai Zhenzhen made a decision.
"Alright, I’ll start looking for a place tomorrow!"
...
The next day after school, Bai Zhenzhen began house-hunting with Zhang Yu.
Starting from Songyang High School in the city center and ending at the Dark Study Alliance’s campus in the suburbs, they searched along a straight line.
In a basement at the edge of the city, a real estate agent said, "This basement is in high demand. It has electricity, internet, and water. You can access the subway by climbing out of the sewer, and you don’t have to worry about sunlight interfering with your cultivation. The only downside is the rent—20,000 a month..."
Continuing toward the suburbs, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen found a decent garage.
The landlord said, "This is a prime location. The rent is usually 5,000 a month, but since you’re students, I’ll waive the rent if you’re serious about renting. However, you’ll need to leave a deposit of one million."
"Don’t have that much? You could take out a loan. Or, since you’re from Songyang High, you could each pledge an arm as collateral."
Moving further toward the outskirts, they arrived at an apartment building.
The landlord, holding a bunch of keys, said impatiently, "You’re renting a place to store stuff, right? Not for cultivation. If you want to cultivate, go to a gym or a training hall. The rent won’t go down—I need to pay for my son’s college tuition. He’s a university student, you know?"
Near a construction site filled with shipping containers, the ground was littered with cigarette butts and bottles.
Before even getting close, Zhang Yu caught a strong whiff of Dao Heart Stabilizer.
Clearly, the residents here were heavy users of the substance.
Zhang Yu shook his head.
"No good. I’ve already quit Dao Heart Stabilizer. If I live here, I might relapse."
As they walked along the overpass, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly said, "Yu Zi, poor people can’t afford to waste money."
"But from my years of being poor, I’ve learned one thing: the more you want to rent a satisfactory place, the more you get exploited. The only way to avoid being exploited is..."
Zhang Yu asked curiously, "What’s the way?"
Bai Zhenzhen said firmly, "Yu Zi! I’ve decided not to rent anymore!"
Zhang Yu was surprised.
"If we don’t rent, where will we live?"
Bai Zhenzhen pointed to a small stream under the overpass.
"Can’t we live under that bridge?" Zhang Yu: "Huh?"
Bai Zhenzhen continued, "If not that bridge, we can stay wherever we like."
"I’ve thought it through. Water—we can drink and carry it from school."
"Electricity—we can charge our devices at the Dark Study Alliance or school."
"Food—we can just buy synthetic meals from the cafeteria."
"We don’t need to sleep, and we can bathe in the river by the bridge."
"The overpass is noisy with trucks passing by every day, so our cultivation won’t disturb anyone."
"We can cultivate and rest here, go to school during the day, and head to the Dark Study Alliance at night. What do you think?"
Bai Zhenzhen grew more excited as she spoke.
"Instead of giving our money to landlords and agents, we should spend it on food and avoid being exploited by the rich."
"As cultivators, we should use the sky as our blanket and the earth as our bed. We should live under bridges, in forests, or in abandoned buildings, investing all our limited resources into cultivation. I’ve always wanted to do this!"
Zhang Yu pondered the feasibility.
"But what about our belongings? If we leave them here, someone might steal them."
Bai Zhenzhen replied, "Important and frequently used items can be carried in our backpacks."
"Unimportant and rarely used items can either be sold or stored in boxes in the classroom. There are security cameras, and people at school don’t usually steal."
Admittedly, Zhang Yu found her reasoning sound.
Both he and Bai Zhenzhen were high school students who didn’t need to sleep and had few possessions.
They could cultivate and rest wherever they went.
A few days later, Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu both gave up their rented rooms.
Every day after school, they carried synthetic food and filled bottles of water, finding random places to cultivate until they went to the Dark Study Alliance for tutoring at night and returned to school during the day.
And so, the days passed...
...
In the small grove at the Dark Study Alliance’s campus, Zhang Yu was cultivating his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.
Waves of spiritual energy surged toward him, strengthening his muscles, organs, and bones with each movement, while also nourishing his nervous system.
At the same time, the potent effects of the Primordial Pill continuously enhanced Zhang Yu’s body, making his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi flow more smoothly.
With the support of the True Spirit Root and the Primordial Pill, Zhang Yu felt his physical strength improving rapidly.
Just then, his phone alarm rang.
Zhang Yu thought, "Is it time for class?"
To maximize the use of the True Spirit Root, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had arranged their schedules so that while one was in class, the other could cultivate with the spirit root.
In the Dark Study Alliance’s classroom, Bai Zhenzhen rushed out as soon as class ended.
A female student in the hallway greeted her, "Teacher Le, off to see Teacher Ma again? You two commute together every day. Why not buy a car?"
Le Mulian was Bai Zhenzhen’s alias in the dark tutoring world.
Bai Zhenzhen waved her hand.
"Why buy a car? Riding him is faster and cheaper. I’m not letting the company exploit me!"
Bai Zhenzhen found Zhang Yu in the grove and ran toward him, thinking excitedly, "My precious spirit root, here I come!"
She lightly pressed against Zhang Yu’s back, feeling a warmth in her stomach as the True Spirit Root transferred to her body.
Instantly, she felt a wave of comfort.
Zhang Yu touched his now-empty stomach and waved at Bai Zhenzhen, who had already started cultivating.
"I’ll head to class. Make the most of your time."
...
Under the bridge, Bai Zhenzhen jumped into the river to bathe as soon as she got off Zhang Yu’s back.
Zhang Yu, meanwhile, packed up his clothes, which he would send to Lian Tianji the next day.
Although his tutoring income was decent, he had many expenses, so he couldn’t afford to miss out on the money from selling clothes.
The next day, Le Mulian opened the safe and looked at the clothes inside.
She sniffed lightly and frowned.
"Lately, the clothes seem to carry someone else’s scent."
...
In the cafeteria, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen each held a large bucket, devouring the mush inside.
As their physical strength improved rapidly, their food expenses had also increased.
Zhao Tianxing watched them enviously.
"Zhang Yu and A Zhen go to school together every day, cultivating together after class and swapping the spirit root. They’re so close. I wish I had such a beautiful friend."
Although he had been neutered, Zhao Tianxing still had an appreciation for beauty.
Qian Shen also looked at them with envy.
"I’m so jealous of Bai Zhenzhen. She gets to cultivate with Zhang Yu, who’s first in martial arts and fourth in magic. I wish I had such an excellent study partner."
As for He Dayou, the current top student in their grade? Qian Shen couldn’t care less about his artificially enhanced muscles.
But even though he looked down on He Dayou, Qian Shen had to admit that He Dayou’s physical strength surpassed all first-year students at Songyang High.
"Even Zhang Yu might not catch up until second year..."
...
Time flew by, and a month had passed since the martial arts competition.
It was now the day Songyang High’s competition team, Zhang Yu, and Bai Zhenzhen had agreed to determine the competition slots.
After school that day, Coach Wang Hai and several other physical education teachers, along with students from the student council’s sports department, gathered at the sports field to witness the gap between He Dayou’s group and Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
(End of Chapter)