The stationery store near the school entrance always had everything students needed.
The one outside Songyang High School was no different.
Besides the usual school supplies, the massive display cabinet behind the counter looked like a pharmacy, stocked with everything from calming agents to stimulants and focus-enhancing potions, all tailored for high school students.
Zhang Yu leaned on the counter and asked, "Boss, do you have any neural enhancers?"
The shopkeeper, scrolling on his phone, didn’t even look up.
"Do you want the expensive ones or the cheap ones?"
Zhang Yu replied, "I’m a student. Can you give me a discount on the expensive ones?"
The shopkeeper finally glanced up, giving Zhang Yu a sideways look.
Zhang Yu didn’t mind.
"I’m ranked tenth in my grade, Class 1. I’m kind of a big deal at school. If your stuff works for me, my classmates will definitely follow suit."
The shopkeeper smirked, pulled out a box of pills, and placed it in front of Zhang Yu.
"Neural enhancers from Purple Cloud Company. Guaranteed to let you sleep just 20 minutes a day. 500 a box, but I’ll give it to you for 480 this time."
Zhang Yu picked up the box and examined it.
"No freebies?"
The shopkeeper frowned, then pulled out a few painkillers.
"Here, take these."
Zhang Yu grinned, stuffing the painkillers into his pocket.
"Thanks, boss. Actually, can I skip the neural enhancers?"
Seeing the shopkeeper’s darkening expression, Zhang Yu quickly scanned the payment code.
"Just kidding. Here, I’ll pay."
As he picked up the neural enhancers, Zhang Yu felt a pang of regret.
This box would only last him a week, but it had cost him 480. His account balance had just dropped to a little over 1,700. But he believed it was worth it.
He had decided to participate in the upcoming magic competition, and he was going all out.
For the next week, he wouldn’t sleep, dedicating every moment to practicing the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique.
"Heh, my goal isn’t just to stay in the top ten."
Meanwhile, Zhao Tianxing followed Zhang Yu into the stationery store.
Watching Zhang Yu buy the pills and leave, he thought to himself, "Are those really neural enhancers?"
He trailed Zhang Yu out of the store, walking along the street until they reached a corner.
Suddenly, he realized Zhang Yu was standing there, waiting for him.
"Uh… hi, Zhang Yu," Zhao Tianxing said awkwardly.
"What a coincidence, you’re taking this route too?"
Zhang Yu looked at him and asked, "Why are you following me?"
Zhao Tianxing scratched his head, playing dumb.
"Following you? I’m just heading home after school."
Zhang Yu sighed impatiently.
"Take a look at yourself. Over two meters tall, over 300 pounds. I’ve seen you since we left the cafeteria. What do you want?"
Zhao Tianxing couldn’t exactly tell him that their PE teacher, Wang Hai, had asked him to get close to Zhang Yu and find out where he was getting his supplies.
So he scratched his head again and said sheepishly, "Zhang Yu, I think you’re really impressive. I just want to learn from you."
Looking at the 16-year-old, 300-pound boy’s shy expression, Zhang Yu thought, "Is your social skills still stuck in elementary school?"
After a moment, Zhang Yu said, "Alright, as long as you buy me some fried chicken, you can follow me around."
Feeling a chill run through his body and the countdown in his mind urging him to hurry, Zhang Yu knew he couldn’t linger.
He walked forward, waving his hand.
"Let’s talk while we walk."
Zhao Tianxing followed behind, hesitating.
"You want fried chicken? That’s a big no-no for body training. Teacher Wang told us not to eat it. Can we get chicken breast instead?"
"Relax, I’m not asking you to eat it. Just buy it for me," Zhang Yu said, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth at the thought of fried chicken.
Ever since coming to this world, he’d been eating the cheap, healthy meals at the school cafeteria.
He hadn’t had fried chicken in a long time.
The daily grind of training had been building up pressure inside him, leaving no time to relax or spend extra money.
The thought of finally eating fried chicken made him feel lighter, as if some of that pressure had lifted.
Zhao Tianxing followed Zhang Yu onto the subway, watching as they arrived at a fried chicken shop.
Curious, he asked, "You came all this way for this place? It must be really good."
Zhang Yu replied, "It’s on the way."
Unfortunately, as soon as Zhang Yu stepped into the shop, the annoying countdown in his head started again.
He turned to Zhao Tianxing and said, "Buy me a fried chicken combo. I’ll wait here."
Seeing Zhang Yu sit down and start meditating, Zhao Tianxing scratched his head, confused.
A moment later, watching Zhang Yu happily munching on a fried chicken leg on the street, Zhao Tianxing felt even more puzzled.
"He’s so disciplined he even uses waiting time to meditate, but then he eats fried chicken… What a strange guy."
Following Zhang Yu further, Zhao Tianxing was surprised to find that Zhang Yu wasn’t heading to a tutoring class or buying more pills.
Instead, they arrived at a square where Zhang Yu waited for a temporary job.
Zhao Tianxing asked, "You’re looking for work?"
Zhang Yu patted his stomach, found a clean spot on the ground, and sat down.
"One fried chicken doesn’t cover a chat. I’m going to meditate while I wait for work. Do whatever you want."
Watching Zhang Yu start meditating right there on the ground, Zhao Tianxing was stunned.
"Meditating?" He glanced at the nearby sewage, listened to the loud music from the barbershop across the street, and looked at the tough-looking job seekers around them.
He couldn’t help but ask, "Meditating here?"
But Zhang Yu was already fully immersed in practicing the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique and didn’t respond.
Zhao Tianxing squatted beside Zhang Yu, observing him for a while.
Seeing that Zhang Yu was indeed meditating, he couldn’t help but wonder, "What’s the point of meditating here? Is it just to pass the time while waiting for work?"
After a while, when Zhang Yu showed no signs of getting up, Zhao Tianxing considered leaving.
But then his phone vibrated.
Seeing a message from Wang Hai asking for an update, Zhao Tianxing replied that he was getting closer to Zhang Yu.
After some hesitation, he sat down beside Zhang Yu and started meditating too.
Half an hour later, Zhao Tianxing opened his eyes to find Zhang Yu still meditating.
An hour later, he stood up, stretched, and saw Zhang Yu still in the same position.
Over two hours later, Zhao Tianxing had stopped meditating and was practicing the 36 Body Training Moves.
Throughout his occasional glances, Zhang Yu remained completely still—no scratching his head, no fidgeting, not even a blink.
His breathing rhythm was perfectly steady.
Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help but admire, "Such incredible focus. No wonder he can go days without losing concentration."
"But there’s no spiritual roots here, no high spiritual energy environment, and he’s not taking any pills… Is meditating here even effective?"
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s dedicated practice of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique had progressed again, reaching Level 4 (12/80).
Just then, a van pulled into the square.
Hearing that they were looking for security personnel, Zhang Yu refocused and continued his practice.
As a high school freshman, he had no chance against the older, more experienced job seekers around him.
But soon, he heard that they were looking for young, fit, clean-cut guys with decent looks.
Zhang Yu’s eyes snapped open.
He strode confidently toward the van and raised his hand.
"How about me?"
The driver’s eyes lit up as he walked over to Zhang Yu.
"Great, you’re hired."
Zhang Yu smiled, about to shake hands, but the driver walked past him and grabbed Zhao Tianxing’s hand instead.
"Great build, handsome face. This chest! This waist! This back!" The driver patted Zhao Tianxing’s body, praising, "Perfect proportions. Even though your strength isn’t top-tier yet, your foundation is solid. Like a raw gem, full of potential. To achieve this, you must’ve trained hard, lived a disciplined life, had a great mentor, and taken extreme measures with pills and acupuncture. You’re hired, kid. I’ll pay you 800 an hour. Let’s go."
Zhang Yu was stunned.
He never thought his lean, muscular build, handsome face, and otherworldly charm would lose out to Zhao Tianxing’s hulking physique.
"Boss, take a look at me. I’m good too."
The driver glanced at Zhang Yu and shook his head.
"Too skinny. You’d make people feel unsafe. You’d block half as many flying swords as others."
Zhao Tianxing started to refuse, "Actually, I’m not here to—"
Zhang Yu quickly interrupted, "Boss, we’re brothers. We’ve sworn to take on any job together, whether it’s for one person or a group."
The driver frowned, looking between Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing.
Finally, he asked Zhang Yu, "I’ll give you 400 an hour, four hours total. Deal?"
Zhang Yu nodded eagerly.
"Deal! Deal! Deal!"
Zhao Tianxing was dragged toward the van by Zhang Yu.
He whispered awkwardly, "I’m not here to work. My mom will worry if I’m out too late. I should tell the boss…"
Zhang Yu quickly said, "Didn’t you have something to talk to me about? Let’s work together, and you can chat all you want."
Thinking about Wang Hai’s task, Zhao Tianxing reluctantly said, "I need to call my mom first."
The van drove them toward the city center, with the driver explaining their job along the way.
"Ms. Li Xuelian is hosting an art exhibition at the Cloud Hall on the 999th floor. Security is already tight, but Ms. Li isn’t satisfied with the looks of the current guards. She’s worried it’ll affect the viewing experience, so she wants us to find some young, handsome guys. Once you’re there, change into the security uniforms and follow the team leader’s instructions. Remember, absolutely do not offend Ms. Li."
Zhang Yu asked curiously, "This Ms. Li must be really rich, huh?"
The driver snorted.
"Rich? She’s more than rich. Ms. Li is the daughter of a Golden Core cultivator!"
(End of Chapter)