Zhang Yu had finally reached level 10 in the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique.
Now, he planned to switch his focus from the Yu Book and choose another technique to level up.
After deciding not to sign the contract with the student council and aiming to break through the competition to get into one of the top ten universities, Zhang Yu had come to realize a few things.
First, without the student council's investment, his resources would be much more limited.
Second, the pressure he would face to get into the top ten universities would be far greater than what he was dealing with now.
With fewer resources and more pressure, Zhang Yu knew he had to carefully manage and utilize what he had to grow as quickly and efficiently as possible.
To achieve this, he needed to leverage his strengths—absolute self-discipline and incredible potential.
In simple terms, he needed to practice stronger and more challenging techniques.
For Zhang Yu, the owner of the Yu Book, the stronger the technique he practiced, the better the results.
It was like comparing someone who practiced the Great Desolate Prison Heaven Finger to someone who practiced the basic palm technique.
The difference in potential was obvious just from the names.
However, Zhang Yu knew it wasn't something he could just do casually.
The stronger the technique, the higher the entry requirements.
It was like how anyone could learn the doggy paddle, but not everyone could master water ballet.
Even with the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, an expert-level technique he had, Zhang Yu still hadn't met the requirement of reaching level 3 in Dao Heart.
So, to practice powerful techniques, the first step was to meet their entry requirements.
Zhang Yu glanced at his phone screen, looking at the requirements for various powerful techniques.
"Dao Heart! Magical Power!" These were the foundations of the immortal path, as his high school teachers often said.
Dao Heart level represented a cultivator's control and capacity for immortal power, while magical power was the basic force that drove all techniques.
Most powerful techniques had requirements related to Dao Heart and magical power.
To practice them, one needed a high enough Dao Heart and magical power.
"In terms of magical power, I've already reached level 10 in the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique, which means I'm constantly absorbing spiritual energy and refining my magical power. But my Dao Heart level has been neglected for a while," Zhang Yu thought.
He checked his savings.
After paying rent, utilities, and other expenses, he had about 62,000 left.
Even if he spent all of it to boost his magical power, it would only be enough to rent a high-grade spiritual root for a dozen hours—like spending a night at an internet café.
The boost would be minimal and fleeting.
So, after much deliberation, Zhang Yu decided to buy a stronger heart technique to quickly raise his Dao Heart to level 3, then switch to the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique to further accelerate his Dao Heart growth.
After all, in the Qi Refining stage, Dao Heart levels ranged from 1 to 10, similar to magical power levels from 1 to 100. Raising his Dao Heart to level 3 wouldn't be quick, but with a stronger and more suitable heart technique, he could save a lot of time.
Once both his Dao Heart and magical power were improved, he could then practice more powerful techniques.
This was the most efficient and cost-effective path for his current situation.
Zhang Yu had spent the past few days researching and considering which heart technique to buy.
There were basic-level, advanced-level, and expert-level techniques.
The basic-level ones were the cheapest, but they wouldn't offer much improvement for him.
Expert-level techniques were powerful but expensive and had high entry requirements, making them unsuitable for him at the moment.
Advanced-level techniques, however, were just right.
For most first-year high school students, advanced-level techniques were somewhat redundant since the foundational techniques promoted by the school were developed by the top ten sects and were excellent for building a solid foundation.
Most students, even the wealthy ones, focused on basic techniques in their first year and only started learning expensive techniques in their second year.
This was why, at Songyang High, the wealthy students' grades only started to pull ahead of the poorer students in the second year, while the poorer geniuses often saw their rankings drop.
In terms of cost, advanced-level techniques were much cheaper than expert-level ones, but the subsequent expenses were still significant.
After all, self-studying techniques was difficult.
For most people, simply having a manual wasn't enough—they needed guidance from a teacher.
An advanced-level heart technique might only cost a few hundred or thousand, but the teaching, classes, and guidance could cost tens of thousands.
It reminded Zhang Yu of some games from his past life—free to play, but the in-game purchases could cost a fortune.
But these two points suited Zhang Yu perfectly.
Paying for tutoring? Not a chance.
He was confident in his own talent and ability to master techniques on his own.
Opening his shopping app, Zhang Yu looked at a heart technique he had bookmarked: the Advanced-level "Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique."
At first glance, the name sounded imposing and powerful, like a technique that could shake the soul.
But upon closer inspection, he realized that the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique required a mindset of diligence, hard work, and endurance—like an ox plowing a field.
The key to its strongest state was having someone constantly pushing and pressuring the practitioner, like a boss or leader.
The more tasks assigned, the harsher the pressure, and the longer the working hours, the stronger the technique's effects.
The Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique had been voted the best workplace heart technique for ten consecutive years and was highly favored by bosses.
It was also a technique with a user rating consistently below 1.2 stars.
Zhang Yu glanced at the user reviews:
"1 star. The company made me learn it. It's practical, I guess."
"1 star. I'll give the five-star rating in installments."
"1 star. Got scolded by my idiot boss again today."
After skimming through the reviews, Zhang Yu could feel the overwhelming resentment from the practitioners.
Clearly, most of them were forced to learn this technique, which perfectly matched its requirements.
Zhang Yu then looked at the specific configuration requirements:
1. Be forced to work at least 18 hours a day.
Zhang Yu thought about it.
He was essentially being pressured 24/7 by the ritual's power, so he met this requirement.
2. The pressure should at least involve verbal oppression, with threats to pay being ideal.
The harsher the pressure, the better the effect.
Zhang Yu considered his situation.
He was being threatened with death, which definitely met the requirement.
"This 'ox and horse' technique really suits my current situation, and the price is right," Zhang Yu thought.
The Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique's usage rights were only 588 yuan, one of the cheapest advanced-level techniques he had seen.
However, to get started, the practitioner needed a "boss" to cooperate with, so the platform also offered a coaching service for 1,000 yuan per day.
After all, many jobs required this technique, but people needed to find a job and have a boss before they could practice it.
To solve this dilemma, the platform offered paid coaching services.
"Spending money to hire a boss for yourself? What a joke," Zhang Yu muttered to himself.
He knew he didn't need this service—he already had something pressuring him 24/7.
In every way—effect, price, and configuration—the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique was perfect for Zhang Yu's current situation.
At 588 yuan, it was a low-risk investment.
Even if he found that the mindset didn't suit him, the loss would be minimal.
The only thing that bothered Zhang Yu was the technique's underlying philosophy.
But he wasn't the same person he was when he first transmigrated.
Facing the harsh environment of Kunxu and the constant pressure from the ritual's power, he had learned to adapt his mindset and thoughts to the situation.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath and thought, "Ox and horse it is. When the situation forces you, you have to adapt. I'll be an ox and horse for now. With my potential, even if I have to endure and accumulate strength silently, there will come a day when I break through the heavens."
Zhang Yu was clear that practicing this "ox and horse" technique wasn't about resigning himself to a life of servitude.
It was a temporary measure to accumulate strength for a better future.
He placed the order, paid, and received the electronic version of the technique.
After carefully reading through it, the Yu Book displayed the new technique:
Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique, Level 0 (0/1, 1/1 Dao Heart).
Zhang Yu sat cross-legged and began practicing the technique.
He cleared his mind, maintaining a calm spirit, and started constructing the technique's mental image in his mind—a picture of an ox lowering its head and silently plowing a field.
But after a while, something felt off.
Suddenly, he remembered something and stopped practicing, sitting still for a moment.
A chill ran through him, and the countdown in his mind began again.
This time, when he resumed practicing the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique, it felt right.
A few minutes later, the image of the ox plowing the field was vividly formed in his mind.
At that moment, Zhang Yu felt like he had become the ox, silently working and enduring.
The dissatisfaction in his heart began to dissipate.
As he completed the mental image, memories of practicing the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique seemed to flood his mind, allowing him to master the technique in an instant.
Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique, Level 1 (0/3).
"Just three more practices, and I can level up?" Zhang Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Is it because this technique perfectly matches my current state?"
He waited a bit longer, and when the countdown in his mind started again, he resumed practicing the technique, reconstructing the mental image of the ox plowing the field.
After repeating this three times over about ten minutes, Zhang Yu felt a shift in his spirit.
His understanding of the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique deepened, and the mental image became clearer and more vivid.
Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique, Level 2 (0/6).
Especially after reaching level 2, Zhang Yu found that practicing the technique didn't feel as tedious or unbearable as before.
"Is this the effect of the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique? Making people more willing to endure hardship and work harder?"
When Zhang Yu stopped practicing the technique, the feelings of fatigue, boredom, and laziness returned.
But as soon as the ritual's power activated again, he resumed the technique, and the distracting thoughts of impatience and avoidance were swept away, allowing him to focus on his practice.
"This technique... isn't as bad as I thought," Zhang Yu realized.
He suddenly remembered a line from the technique's preface, written by its creator, the Desolate Ox Sage: "May all who face adversity find less suffering in their hearts and more hope."
Zhang Yu had a thought: "Maybe the creator of this technique didn't intend for it to be a 'ox and horse' technique."
Almost half an hour later, Zhang Yu took a deep breath and felt a tremor in his sea of consciousness.
His Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique had reached level 3 (0/9).
After a bit more practice, he felt a newfound control over both his magical power and physical strength.
"My Dao Heart level has reached level 2."
Although Zhang Yu had felt that his Dao Heart level was close to advancing, he couldn't help but marvel at the rapid progress he had made after practicing the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique.
The technique truly suited his current state.
"Then I'll keep being an ox and horse. As long as the rewards are worth it, being an ox and horse isn't so bad."
With that, Zhang Yu immersed himself in the practice of the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique.
As he continued, he found that the tedium and hardship of cultivation seemed to fade away, replaced by a growing sense of fulfillment—like an ox diligently plowing a field, watching the fertile soil beneath its hooves grow richer and richer.
(End of Chapter)