In the abandoned building.
Zhang Yu, clad in his weighted training suit, threw a punch.
As his foot stomped on the concrete floor, a dull thud echoed through the building.
Drenched in sweat, Zhang Yu didn’t pause.
He continued practicing the 36 Forms of Body Strengthening, one move at a time.
His body radiated heat, emitting faint wisps of steam in the cold night air.
Ever since he had managed to maintain the Desolate Bull Soul-Calming Technique while wearing his weighted suit and practicing the Cloudless Hand technique up to level 10 a week ago, Zhang Yu had started pushing himself further.
Now, he was attempting to master the 36 Forms of Body Strengthening at level 10. At first, it had been incredibly difficult, both physically and mentally.
But as long as he could maintain the Desolate Bull Soul-Calming Technique, it always brought him a sense of joy and satisfaction born from anticipation.
And when he couldn’t maintain the technique? The ritual power would guide him back on track, forcing him to keep going.
Like now, when Zhang Yu felt his focus slipping and the mental image in his mind began to blur, he knew the ritual was about to start nagging him again.
"Please adhere to the ritual agreement. Strive to fulfill your wishes. Do not deliberately slack off or procrastinate. 10."
Zhang Yu quickly snapped back to attention, focusing on maintaining the Desolate Bull Soul-Calming Technique.
The mental image in his mind gradually sharpened again.
Damn it!
Though the chill had dissipated, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
Just then, his phone rang in the dark, abandoned building.
To Zhang Yu, the sound was like a heavenly melody.
At least this stupid ritual had some sense, allowing him to take a short break to answer the call.
Picking up his phone, Zhang Yu saw a message from Zhou Chechen, the vice president of the student council.
Zhou Chechen: Zhang Yu, have you thought about it?
Zhang Yu glanced at the time.
Hmm, 4 a.m.
A perfectly normal time for a student council message from someone at Songyang High.
Zhang Yu: I want to focus on preparing for the monthly exam first.
Let’s talk about the contract after the exam.
Zhou Chechen: Haha, no problem.
We’ll discuss it after the exam.
I’ve prepared a contract that you’ll definitely be satisfied with.
I’m looking forward to the day we sign it.
Though Zhang Yu knew Zhou Chechen probably said the same thing to everyone he tried to recruit, being buttered up like this over the past month had still felt somewhat satisfying.
"Too bad it’s not pure friendship without any ulterior motives," Zhang Yu thought, feeling a bit uncomfortable about having to keep up this facade.
"I wonder if he’ll change his tune after I reject him again after this exam?"
Zhang Yu looked up at his Feather Book.
Dao Heart: Level 2 (93%)
Mana: 18.7
Physical Strength: Level 1.33
After days of intense training, his strength had improved significantly.
He was getting closer to Dao Heart Level 3, and his mana level was already far ahead of his peers in the first year of Songyang High, even surpassing Bai Zhenzhen.
Only his physical strength had dropped to 7th or 8th place due to a break in training for over half a month.
But Zhang Yu estimated that with his current training regimen, it wouldn’t be long before he dominated in that area as well.
Still, even with his progress, he was still far from being able to get into one of the top ten prestigious schools.
With that thought, he took a deep breath and threw himself back into his training.
...
The day of the monthly exam.
A tense atmosphere filled the high school campus.
But for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, the exam itself wasn’t much of a concern.
After smoothly completing the morning theory exam and having lunch, Zhang Yu spent his midday break training before heading to the Dao Arts exam room.
Sweating profusely, he finished the test.
Next came the final exam of the day—martial arts combat.
This time, Zhang Yu’s opponent was Qian Shen.
Qian Shen’s gaze was complicated as he looked at Zhang Yu.
After all, Zhang Yu had scored six points lower than him in last month’s exam, but his total mana score was dozens of points higher.
So while Zhang Yu might have scored lower overall, it didn’t feel like he was truly weaker.
This made Zhang Yu a perplexing and cautious opponent in Qian Shen’s eyes.
Seeing Qian Shen’s cautious expression, Zhang Yu smiled slightly.
"Here I come."
In the next moment, Zhang Yu shot forward, appearing in front of Qian Shen in an instant.
Despite Qian Shen’s caution, after a dozen exchanges, he gradually found himself at a disadvantage.
Finally, as a gust of wind blew past, he looked at the fist stopped inches from his face and sighed.
"I lose."
But before the second round began, Qian Shen suddenly spoke up seriously.
"You weren’t using your full strength, were you? You didn’t even use the Cloudless Hand."
Qian Shen had seen Zhang Yu learn the Cloudless Hand during the competition and knew he had the right to use it.
Moreover, in the past two weeks of martial arts classes, Zhang Yu had used the Cloudless Hand every time he sparred with Bai Zhenzhen.
Qian Shen said sternly, "Use the Cloudless Hand. Fight me with your full strength. This is the monthly exam, not a practice session. Every point I earn should be earned fairly. Don’t insult my score by holding back."
Zhang Yu took a deep breath.
"I understand."
He thought to himself, "My rare moment of joy during this grueling training is about to end, isn’t it?"
With that, Zhang Yu shot toward Qian Shen again, his palm wreathed in formless cloud energy as he struck out.
Having seen the power of the Cloudless Hand in class, Qian Shen wisely chose not to meet it head-on.
He dodged to the side and aimed a kick at Zhang Yu’s lower body.
But Zhang Yu’s other palm, surrounded by layers of cloud energy, intercepted the kick.
Qian Shen’s leg hit the cloud energy, feeling as if he had kicked a soft, weightless mist.
But in the next moment, a powerful force rebounded, sending him flying out of bounds.
The second round ended.
The third round began.
After the previous fight, Qian Shen regretted his earlier words.
Though he had looked cool making that demand, getting a low score in the practical exam was still painful.
Nearby, Lei Jun’s gaze shifted from Zhang Yu and Qian Shen to Bai Zhenzhen and He Dayou.
Watching Bai Zhenzhen effortlessly defeat He Dayou, Lei Jun thought to himself, "The gap is too big. Next month, I’ll just pair Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen together for the combat exam instead of having them draw lots."
...
The next morning was the Dao Heart and Mana exams.
Once again, Zhang Yu entered the spirit realm.
This time, he found himself strapped to a hospital bed, with a syringe on his left and a button on his right.
A female voice came over the loudspeaker: "Good medicine, choose Ziyun. Ziyun Medicine, wholeheartedly for all ages. One dose cures all ailments. Thank you to Ziyun Pharmaceuticals for sponsoring this monthly exam..."
Listening to the rules, Zhang Yu realized that the Dao Heart exam was about—happiness.
Each press of the button would inject a dose of a drug called "Happiness Powder" into his body.
At the start of the exam, one dose would be automatically injected.
The goal was to press the button as few times as possible.
The fewer doses injected, the higher the ranking and score.
According to Ziyun Pharmaceuticals, this newly developed drug could relax the mind, stimulate the brain, and bring unparalleled happiness.
Of course, they claimed it had no side effects, was non-addictive, and had passed clinical trials...
Zhang Yu didn’t believe a word of it.
"Damn these bastards," he muttered.
"Using the monthly exam to push their ads. The person who came up with this Dao Heart exam is getting more and more outrageous. One day, I’ll crush them..."
Though he was in the virtual spirit realm and the Happiness Powder was just a simulated sensation, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but curse as he felt the drug being injected into his body.
Intense pleasure flooded his brain, and even with his strong will and cultivation, he couldn’t resist pressing the button twice before the exam ended.
The potency of the Happiness Powder was undeniable.
...
Compared to the excitement of the Dao Heart exam, the Mana and physical exams were relatively uneventful.
But after the physical exam, when Wang Hai once again asked the school leadership to let Zhang Yu join the competition team, he was refused.
The reason given was that Zhang Yu’s physical performance had declined and he still needed time to improve.
Privately, however, Wang Hai was told that this decision was related to the student council.
Thinking it over, Wang Hai sent Zhang Yu a message the next day.
"Do you have any issues with the student council? It seems they don’t want you on the school’s competition team."
...
Back in the abandoned building.
Zhang Yu, still in his weighted suit, stood quietly, sensing the changes in his mind.
He had finally reached Dao Heart Level 3. His control over his body had become more precise, the mana in his dantian more lively and controllable.
Even every muscle and strand of strength in his body felt more coordinated and comfortable.
The mental fatigue of the past days seemed to vanish, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed.
Dao Heart: Level 3 (0%)
This was the feeling of reaching Dao Heart Level 3—greater control over himself and his power.
"Finally, Dao Heart Level 3," Zhang Yu thought.
"Now I can start cultivating the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique!"
He had been looking forward to this expert-level technique passed down by a Golden Core master for a long time.
The Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique! Let’s see what your limits are!
Almost immediately after reaching Dao Heart Level 3, he switched his Feather Book’s focus to this technique.
The Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique encompassed nine martial arts: fist, palm, leg, finger, claw, saber, sword, spear, and staff.
These nine arts included both combat techniques and body-refining methods, but the true essence of the technique lay in comprehending the intent behind each art to refine one’s martial will.
Once again, Zhang Yu began practicing the nine martial arts from start to finish, just as he had done during the art exhibition.
With each move, the surrounding air rippled, and the concrete floor beneath him shook.
After raising his basic-level freehand techniques to level 5, mastering the 36 Forms of Body Strengthening and the advanced-level Cloudless Hand to level 10, and sparring with Bai Zhenzhen over a hundred times, Zhang Yu’s perspective had completely changed.
The more he practiced, the more he realized that these techniques covered both combat and body-refining, making them incredibly versatile.
Once mastered, they could be used to temper the body or fight enemies.
"... It’s just going to take a long time," Zhang Yu thought.
Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique: Level 1 (0/10)
It took Zhang Yu nearly 14 minutes to complete all nine martial arts in his weighted suit.
Realizing this, Zhang Yu felt a pang of exhaustion.
He knew this technique was going to be a long grind.
(End of Chapter)