After leaving Su Haifeng's office, Zhang Yu walked back to his classroom.
Next week, he aimed to break into the top ten in the entire grade in terms of mana, securing a spot to represent Songyang High School in the upcoming magic competition.
The week after that, the monthly exams would begin.
Only with outstanding results could he negotiate a better contract with the school.
Zhang Yu was confident about breaking into the top ten in mana within the next week.
After all, his Zhou Tian Qi Absorption Technique had already reached level 4, and it would only continue to improve, accelerating his mana growth.
However, the monthly exams weren’t just about mana.
They also tested physical fitness, Dao heart, martial arts, and Dao techniques.
The pressure to improve in all these areas within two weeks weighed heavily on him.
As for the general knowledge exam? It was only worth 50 points, and almost everyone in the advanced class scored close to full marks, so it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Zhang Yu wasn’t entirely sure how far he could go in the upcoming exams.
“In any case… I just have to grind,” Zhang Yu thought, feeling a fire ignite within him.
Who said manual labor wasn’t work? Zhang Yu! Let’s see just how far you can push yourself in the next two weeks!
As soon as he returned to the classroom, Zhang Yu began meditating, fully activating his Zhou Tian Qi Absorption Technique.
By the time the first class ended, Zhang Yu felt exhausted.
Just as he was about to take a break, the cold, relentless countdown in his mind resurfaced, forcing him to keep going.
“Damn it!” Zhang Yu cursed silently. “Stupid ritual… I’ll destroy you one day!”
Meanwhile, in another corner of the classroom, Zhao Tianxing breathed a sigh of relief after reading a message on his phone.
Earlier, their physical education teacher, Wang Hai, had tasked him with finding out where Zhang Yu sourced his supplies.
After reporting what happened at the art exhibition yesterday, Wang Hai had replied: “Got it. You don’t need to keep an eye on Zhang Yu for now. Just maintain a good relationship with him. Come to the training field after school tomorrow, and I’ll give you a private lesson.”
Not having to spy on Zhang Yu anymore was a huge relief for Zhao Tianxing.
The promise of a private lesson with Wang Hai, a top-tier teacher, made him even happier.
Wang Hai’s private lessons were not only expensive but also hard to come by.
As for maintaining a good relationship with Zhang Yu… Zhao Tianxing glanced over at Zhang Yu’s seat and saw him meditating.
“After what happened yesterday, I must look like a clown in his eyes,” Zhao Tianxing thought, his cheeks burning with embarrassment as he recalled his awkward performance the previous night.
Still, the thought of Wang Hai’s private lesson motivated him.
He decided to approach Zhang Yu during the next break.
However, as the morning classes went by, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t find a single opportunity to talk to Zhang Yu.
“Is he still meditating?” Zhao Tianxing wondered. “He’s meditating during class, meditating during breaks, and hasn’t even gone to the bathroom once… What a strong bladder.”
Zhang Yu’s relentless effort made Zhao Tianxing feel uneasy.
Finally, during lunch, Zhao Tianxing grabbed his food and tried to sit next to Zhang Yu.
But before he could, Zhang Yu wolfed down his meal in two bites and dashed out of the cafeteria like a ghost.
Bai Zhenzhen watched in frustration. “Even lunchtime isn’t safe from his grinding? Can’t we just eat in peace?”
Lunchtime was the only part of the day at Songyang High School free from grades, supervision, or interference from teachers like Su Haifeng or Wang Hai.
It was a rare moment for students to relax, chat, and even gossip—a mental spa time for the school.
Zhang Yu’s decision to skip lunch and focus on cultivation annoyed Bai Zhenzhen. “Bro, if you keep grinding like this, how are we supposed to eat in peace? What if you surpass us? Are you trying to start a study competition or something?”
When Zhao Tianxing returned to the classroom, he wasn’t surprised to see Zhang Yu meditating again.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t find a single chance to talk to him.
Every time he looked over, Zhang Yu was either paying attention in class or meditating.
Watching Zhang Yu’s relentless effort made Zhao Tianxing increasingly anxious. “Even after reaching the Golden Core stage, he’s still working this hard? Is he trying to leave no room for us ordinary students?”
Finally, after school, Zhao Tianxing managed to catch up with Zhang Yu, expecting him to head off to a part-time job.
But Zhang Yu surprised him.
“Part-time job?” Zhang Yu said. “Xiao Zhao, as high school students, we should prioritize our studies. How can we keep running off to work every day? Don’t think just because you earn 800 an hour that you’re something special. Those are temporary jobs, not something you can find every day.”
With 8,300 yuan in his account, Zhang Yu felt confident enough to focus solely on cultivation for now.
He returned home, took a nerve-enhancing supplement, and continued meditating until the next morning.
Aside from bathroom breaks and switching his focus back to the Zhou Tian Qi Absorption Technique, Zhang Yu spent every moment meditating.
Four days passed in this manner.
After this intense period of cultivation, Zhang Yu’s Zhou Tian Qi Absorption Technique reached level 6 (45/120).
His mana had also surged from 8.3 to 9.4, putting him just two spots away from the top ten in his grade.
That day, Su Haifeng strolled down the hallway of the first-year classrooms and peeked through the back door at the students studying.
As the homeroom teacher of the advanced class, he often wandered around even when he didn’t have a class, using his icy gaze, sharp sarcasm, and authority as the grade leader to motivate the students.
Today, however, he noticed that the students were even more focused than usual.
Fewer people were going to the bathroom, more were meditating, and fewer were dozing off.
The number of students pretending to study while actually daydreaming had also dropped significantly.
The overall distraction rate in the class had noticeably decreased.
In fact, Su Haifeng had started noticing this trend a couple of days ago.
After some observation, he realized the source of this change was a student named Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu’s relentless meditation, his 0% distraction rate, and his rapid mana growth had first inspired Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing, and others.
Their newfound motivation then spread to more students.
Those with 550 points were grinding, those with 600 points were grinding, and even those with 650 points were grinding.
How could anyone afford to rest?
Even the average lunchtime in the cafeteria had decreased by over 20%, according to Su Haifeng’s reports.
Su Haifeng glanced at Zhang Yu, who was still meditating, and thought to himself, “Is this because I hurt his pride earlier? Maybe I should use this tactic more often.”
Unconsciously, he had already come up with the topic for his next teaching research paper: “Exploring the Use of Humiliation in High School Education.”
Satisfied with the atmosphere in the classroom, Su Haifeng nodded and left.
Shortly after Su Haifeng left, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.
Zhang Yu immediately stood up and headed for the school’s meditation room.
Last week, as the student with the lowest distraction rate in the entire grade, Zhang Yu had received a 500-yuan bonus, public recognition, and a one-hour free rental of a Heavenly Spiritual Root.
Today was the day he could redeem that reward.
Since the rental of spiritual roots and meditation rooms were scheduled by the school, missing the appointment would void the reward.
Zhang Yu didn’t waste a moment and hurried to the office where spiritual roots were rented.
Zhao Tianxing seized the opportunity to follow Zhang Yu. “Are you going to rent a Heavenly Spiritual Root?” he asked.
When Zhang Yu nodded, Zhao Tianxing continued, “You don’t usually rent spiritual roots at school, do you? Want me to introduce you to the different models we have here?”
Zhang Yu’s interest was piqued.
Due to the cost, the original Zhang Yu had always rented spiritual roots from various institutions offering discounts.
He wasn’t very familiar with the models available at school.
With the advancement of the times and the research conducted by the Ten Great Sects, spiritual roots were no longer classified as simply as they were in ancient times.
The Ten Great Sects had divided spiritual roots into five levels: the lowest being Human Spiritual Roots, followed by Earth Spiritual Roots, and then Heavenly Spiritual Roots.
These three levels were available for purchase by anyone with enough money.
Above these were Military-Grade Divine Spiritual Roots, which were only available to the military and certain government departments, and Immortal Spiritual Roots, which were exclusive to the Ten Great Sects.
In terms of classification, the ancient divisions of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth spiritual roots were long gone.
With the advancement of spiritual root design and manufacturing, they were now categorized by function, such as learning, combat, cultivation, and so on.
Zhao Tianxing explained, “The most popular spiritual roots in our school are the learning and cultivation types. For example, the Host Spiritual Root…”
Zhang Yu was shocked. “Chicken Spiritual Root?”
Zhao Tianxing clarified, “No, it’s the Host Spiritual Root. It can temporarily reside in someone’s body and transfer the mana refined by that person’s spiritual root to the user. It’s a favorite among the wealthy.”
“There’s also the Muscle Growth Spiritual Root, which is very popular. It converts spiritual energy into growth energy and injects it directly into the muscles, speeding up muscle growth and greatly enhancing physical training effects…”
Thanks to ‘Delicious Fish Tofu’ for the generous reward.
(End of Chapter)