"These six moves of the Infinite Cloud Hand are so easy to practice. Could I really level it up to level 10 by tonight?" Zhang Yu thought to himself.
But after practicing five more times, Zhang Yu felt his internal energy becoming thinner and thinner, making it difficult to continue practicing the Infinite Cloud Hand.
He realized his earlier assumption was wrong.
"It seems I can't level up the Infinite Cloud Hand to level 10 in one night," Zhang Yu muttered.
Unlike basic techniques like the Loose Hand, the Infinite Cloud Hand consumed much more energy.
Even with the passive energy recovery from the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique, he couldn't practice for hours on end like he could with the Loose Hand.
So Zhang Yu simply sat down cross-legged, allowing the passive energy recovery to continue while he practiced the Desolate Bull Soul-Calming Technique to improve his Dao Heart.
After practicing on and off throughout the night, Zhang Yu managed to level up the Infinite Cloud Hand to level 6 (7/60).
The coverage of the Formless Cloud Aura, which originally only enveloped his hands, now extended to his arms and shoulders, churning like rolling clouds.
The previous phenomenon of the aura shooting up like a column of smoke had disappeared.
Now, only faint wisps of smoke rose a few centimeters before dissipating into the air.
This was because, as his control improved, the energy consumption of the Formless Cloud Aura had significantly decreased.
...
The next day, at Songyang High School.
In the student council office, Zhou Chechen looked at the message on his phone and smiled slightly.
"He actually got fourth place in the energy competition? That's a bit unexpected."
Lan Ling, who was lifting dumbbells, chimed in, "I heard the competition coach from Bailong High School talked to him, trying to poach him."
Zhou Chechen laughed.
"Of course they want to poach him. They lost a competition spot, and now one of their students has one less achievement on their resume."
"Do you think if we sign Zhang Yu and train him specifically for competitions, we could snatch a few more spots? Make the top three schools lose a few awards?"
For the wealthy families in Songyang City, the spots in the top ten universities were limited.
The fewer awards someone had on their resume, the higher the chances for others to succeed.
Lan Ling grumbled, "Maybe in the first year, but by the second year, I don't think Zhang Yu can beat them."
Zhou Chechen chuckled, "Even so, it's still good."
"Then it's settled. We can't let Bailong High School poach him."
"After this month's exams..."
Zhou Chechen clenched his fist, as if grasping something tightly.
"Zhang Yu must sign."
Lan Ling understood the implication: after the exams, Zhang Yu would have no choice but to sign.
...
Outside the school gate, Zhao Tianxing was on the phone.
"Got it, Mom, I got it..."
A woman's voice came through the phone, "Spend more time with Zhang Yu. Look how fast his grades are improving..."
"Got it, got it," Zhao Tianxing replied perfunctorily before finally hanging up.
As he walked into the school, he saw a line of text scrolling on the electronic screen: "Congratulations to Zhang Yu from Class 1, Grade 1, for winning fourth place in the city-wide energy competition for first-year students."
"It's really true..."
Although he had heard rumors in several school group chats yesterday, seeing it on the screen confirmed it.
Thinking about how Zhang Yu, who used to eat at the same table as him, had suddenly surpassed a bunch of top students from prestigious schools and won fourth place in the energy competition, Zhao Tianxing couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
Then came a wave of shame.
"Zhao Tianxing, your classmate achieved such a great result, and you're jealous? How ugly! Where's your virtue?"
"Sigh, I can't compare to Zhang Yu. He's a Golden Core disciple, after all. He's not even the same species as us."
"Winning fourth place in the competition must be thanks to that Starfire True Person putting in a lot of effort."
"Mom even told me to hang out with him more..."
Zhao Tianxing laughed bitterly in his heart, "With such a big gap, can we even hang out together?"
The rumors about Zhang Yu being a Golden Core disciple were further confirmed by his fourth-place finish in the competition.
As someone who often considered others' feelings, Zhao Tianxing couldn't help but feel inferior when he thought about Zhang Yu's dazzling aura.
"He's a Golden Core disciple, after all. His grades are pulling further and further ahead of mine. Does he already look down on me? In his eyes, I might just be an ordinary student by the roadside."
"If I try to get close to him now, to hang out with him... wouldn't it seem too sycophantic? Wouldn't people think I'm just trying to bask in his Golden Core disciple's glory?"
It wasn't that Zhao Tianxing was overthinking things.
As a city kid, he had seen too many similar situations in school.
When the gap in grades between friends widened, their friendship often deteriorated.
Things like, "Ever since your grades improved, you've changed," or "Your grades are so low, I feel embarrassed taking you out," or "I helped you improve by 10 points, so don't come looking for me anymore..."
"Sigh, if Zhang Yu doesn't invite me to lunch today, I won't take the initiative to ask him. I don't want to be rejected."
When the bell for the last class of the morning rang, Zhao Tianxing couldn't help but glance in Zhang Yu's direction.
Seeing Zhang Yu chatting with Bai Zhenzhen, he felt a pang of envy.
If only he had grades as good as Bai Zhenzhen's, he could chat and laugh with Zhang Yu so naturally.
Then he saw Zhang Yu talking to Zhou Tianyi, and he felt envious of Zhou Tianyi too.
Even though Zhou Tianyi's grades were lower than his, he could still chat with Zhang Yu without any awkwardness.
Zhao Tianxing wished he had that kind of ease.
Just then, Zhao Tianxing noticed Zhang Yu and the other two standing up and walking towards him.
Zhao Tianxing quickly looked down, pretending to organize his desk, moving books back and forth as if he couldn't get them right, completely ignoring Zhang Yu and the others.
But in his heart, he was paying close attention to Zhang Yu's movements, wondering: "Will he invite me to lunch?"
"Old Zhao! Let's go eat," Zhang Yu called out.
Zhao Tianxing quickly stood up and smiled, "Yeah, let's go."
As they walked to the cafeteria, Zhou Tianyi laughed, "Zhang Yu, do you feel like the school atmosphere is a bit different today?"
"Really?" Zhang Yu thought for a moment.
"The teachers are still as kind as ever, the students are still friendly, and the air is filled with the scent of learning. Everything seems fine."
Zhou Tianyi said, "You got fourth place in the competition. Now most of the school believes you must be a Golden Core disciple. Haven't you noticed people treating you with more respect?"
Zhang Yu thought back and realized that the students' attitudes towards him did seem... a bit more distant.
Bai Zhenzhen added calmly, "Yeah, I overheard some girls in the restroom talking about you. They said you must have been boosted by a Golden Core True Person, that you had connections and got lucky."
Zhou Tianyi chimed in, "I heard some guys in the men's room saying you must have cracked the code to rich women. Otherwise, how would an ordinary person like them even know where the Golden Core disciple selection exhibition was held, let alone get selected..."
Zhang Yu sighed, "Sigh, I didn't expect that after bringing honor to the school, all I got in return was alienation and jealousy."
Zhou Tianyi laughed, "Zhang Yu, the higher your grades, the more achievements you have, the more people will envy you."
He continued, "They won't think about your hard work or talent. They'll just assume you had better conditions and attribute all your success to luck."
Seeing Zhou Tianyi's thoughtful expression, Zhang Yu mused, "I didn't expect someone ranked 25th in the grade to know so much."
Zhou Tianyi stumbled and retorted, "Hey... there are over 500 students in our grade. Being 25th means I'm still ahead of a lot of people."
Zhao Tianxing, watching Zhang Yu chat and laugh, gradually relaxed.
"I didn't expect Zhang Yu to still be so approachable after winning fourth place in the competition."
But a moment later, Zhao Tianxing changed his mind.
Zhang Yu had changed a bit after all.
At the cafeteria window, Zhang Yu said to the lunch lady, "Auntie, I got fourth place in the city-wide energy competition. Can you give me a bit more meat?"
The lunch lady replied, "Sure thing! This biggest piece of pork rib is for our city-wide competition fourth-place winner."
At Songyang High School, where the learning atmosphere was intense, even the lunch ladies judged people by their grades.
...
That night, in the suburbs of Songyang City.
With a whooshing sound, a black shadow darted through the night sky, rapidly approaching Zhang Yu's rented apartment.
With a soft thud, the shadow paused briefly at the apartment's front gate before slipping inside like a wisp of smoke.
In the blink of an eye, it reached Zhang Yu's floor and appeared ghost-like at his door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Zhang Yu quickly got up to answer the door.
Standing there was a middle-aged man with a commanding presence, exuding an air of authority.
"Are you Mr. Zhang Yu?"
Zhang Yu nodded, "Express delivery? You got here in just over twenty minutes. That's fast."
The man smiled and pulled a package from his large backpack, handing it to Zhang Yu.
"Mr. Zhang, here's your order. Please sign for it."
After a moment, Zhang Yu closed the door and unpacked his purchase.
Through the energy competition, Zhang Yu had realized the gap between himself and the top students from prestigious schools.
This made him even more eager to improve himself.
Currently, his energy was steadily replenished by the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique, and his Dao Heart was a daily focus for improvement.
However, his physical strength had stagnated, leaving him at a disadvantage.
With the martial arts competition next month, where he would likely face off against the wealthy students from top schools, Zhang Yu felt an urgent need to boost his physical strength.
After careful consideration, he had ordered something online to help with that.
(End of Chapter)