"No need, I'm not slow when it comes to running," Bai Zhenzhen waved her hand dismissively and began warming up.
Her long legs tensed and relaxed repeatedly, showcasing the well-toned curves of someone who had been training for a long time.
"My Running Car Leg technique has reached level 10."
Under Bai Zhenzhen's astonished gaze, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from Zhang Yu's body.
In the next moment, he dashed out dozens of meters and then returned to her in a gust of wind.
"Now my lightness skill has reached the level of a top-tier delivery guy."
What does it feel like to see your best friend suddenly master the Running Car Leg technique at level 10, running faster than an electric scooter?
Bai Zhenzhen's first reaction was, of course, surprise.
"I've never seen Yu Zi practice the Running Car Leg technique! Has he been secretly delivering food every night?"
Her second reaction was similar to seeing a friend buy a car.
She thought, "Bro, you're so fast, can I ride on your back?"
With that, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly jumped onto Zhang Yu's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
"Yu Zi, take me for a ride!"
In the next instant, Zhang Yu shot forward with Bai Zhenzhen on his back, the wind whistling past them as they headed toward the Dark Study Sect's compound.
Bai Zhenzhen rested her face on Zhang Yu's back, watching the scenery fly by.
Excitedly, she said, "Ah Yu, you're so fast!"
"Is that so?"
Although Zhang Yu had mastered many level 10 techniques, he had always been cautious about showing them off.
Now, having the rare opportunity to show off his level 10 Running Car Leg technique in front of Zhenzhen, he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy.
Amid the howling wind, Zhang Yu chuckled, "I'm not even going all out yet."
Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed, "Really? Ah Yu, you're amazing!"
Zhang Yu laughed, "Haha, watch this! I'll go even faster!"
With a loud bang, Zhang Yu activated his Elevator Leap technique, leaping over a traffic light in a single bound.
Bai Zhenzhen adjusted her golden wig, which was fluttering wildly in the wind, and watched as Zhang Yu sped up even more under her praise.
She thought to herself, "Riding on my bro's back is so exhilarating. No wonder so many people prefer to hitch a ride on someone instead of taking a taxi."
As she leaned against Zhang Yu's back, feeling the warmth of his surging energy, she thought, "It's just that this heating system won't turn off. I feel like my whole body is getting warmed up..."
In the next moment, with a soft splash, a puddle of water exploded under Zhang Yu's feet, drenching Bai Zhenzhen's legs.
"Zhang Yu! Are you trying to kill me? Why did you step in a puddle?!"
Zhang Yu sighed, "This stretch of road in the outskirts doesn't have streetlights. I can't see well. Can you use your phone to light the way?"
Bai Zhenzhen took out her phone and turned on the flashlight, illuminating the path ahead.
In the darkness of the small road, the two of them moved forward under the faint light, leaving the neon-lit city further and further behind.
Suddenly, Zhang Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there something hard poking me from below?"
Bai Zhenzhen's face turned red for once, and she snapped, "That's my spiritual root!"
"It's because you wanted to borrow it to play with. I've been testing it recently, and it keeps poking my stomach."
Zhang Yu suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, don't forget to ask for a Concealment Talisman."
Seeing Bai Zhenzhen's face covered in tattoos and her body bouncing up and down in the camera, Zhang Pianpian asked, "What are you doing?"
Bai Zhenzhen replied, "Foster mother, Zhang Yu is carrying me to the Dark Study Sect's compound. I was hoping you could draw a Concealment Talisman for me."
After a moment of silence, Zhang Pianpian said, "It's good that you two are going to the sect to earn some money through tutoring and part-time work."
"But... are you planning to come to me every day to get Concealment Talismans for the two of you?"
She then asked, "Doesn't Zhang Yu have a talisman book? Hasn't he learned how to draw a Concealment Talisman yet?"
Zhang Yu took the phone and, while still running, said, "I just started tutoring to earn money, so I'm a bit tight on cash right now. I'll learn how to draw the Concealment Talisman once I have enough money."
"But I still can't draw talismans through the internet, so Zhenzhen still needs your help, sis."
Zhang Pianpian said calmly, "Why don't you two just live together and commute to work and school together?"
"Find a place to rent between the Dark Study Sect and Songyang High School. That way, you can save on rent, make it easier to go to school and work, and you can even share the talisman book to draw talismans together."
Zhang Yu quickly started calculating the time and cost in his mind.
His eyes lit up as he realized that this was indeed a cost-effective solution that could save them a lot of money.
There was just one problem.
Zhang Yu turned to Bai Zhenzhen and asked, "Zhenzhen, do you rent your place?"
Bai Zhenzhen nodded, "Of course. If my family could afford to buy a house, would I still need to cultivate immortality?"
She continued, "Foster mother makes a good point. If I can get classes at the Dark Study Sect, then sharing a place would be more cost-effective. My parents are working in another city, so I've been living alone anyway."
In the blink of an eye, the two of them arrived at the Dark Study Sect's compound.
Bai Zhenzhen was introduced by Zhang Yu to Hei Ya for an interview, while Zhang Yu went off to teach his class.
As he entered the classroom, he was greeted by rows of muscular men sitting at their desks.
They were burly, with dark skin and weathered faces that showed the toll of hard labor.
These were the students who had come to learn the Excavation Palm technique.
Most of them were from construction sites, hoping to gain an edge in the job market by improving their skills.
Zhang Yu had heard that with more and more high school graduates entering the workforce each year, the competition for jobs on construction sites had become increasingly fierce.
The requirements for Excavation Palm-related positions had risen to at least level 6 just to get an interview.
Through his teaching and casual conversations during breaks, Zhang Yu had come to understand his students better.
They were, on average, over 2 meters tall and weighed more than 300 pounds.
Some of the students had large, round bellies that looked like inflated balloons.
Zhang Yu knew this was the result of intestinal modification surgery, allowing them to survive on a diet of grass.
Others had large, dark pupils, the result of night vision surgery to compete for night shift jobs on construction sites.
Most of them had flushed cheeks, rapid breathing, and were optimistic but not particularly intelligent.
These were the side effects of long-term use of low-quality stimulants.
It was said that the Ziyun Company had considered improving the flaws in these stimulants, but the product was so popular in the market that they decided to keep it as it was.
Some construction sites even secretly added these stimulants to their workers' drinking water, claiming it boosted productivity while effectively preventing workers from running away or delaying wages.
Although the responsible supervisor was fired and bankrupted, the incident was still cited as a classic case study in corporate management.
At this moment, as Zhang Yu entered the classroom, many of the students were still loudly chatting.
Some were complaining about the rising prices of synthetic food.
After all, while synthetic food was unpalatable, it used to be cheap.
Others were discussing moving to other cities for work.
It was said that the corporate wars in the north had sparked a new wave of infrastructure construction, creating a land of opportunity where jobs were plentiful, overtime was easily approved, and rent was free.
It was a place where everyone could find work and a place to live.
There were also those who excitedly talked about the high wages at the Oasis Tower construction site.
The Oasis Tower was planned to be 1,111 stories tall, making it the new tallest building in Songyang City.
This had caught the attention of many students.
But with a single cough from Zhang Yu, most of the students quieted down.
Those who were still talking mindlessly didn't bother him.
Zhang Yu didn't blame them.
They weren't stupid; they had just had their intelligence worn down by work.
"Alright, stop talking. Class is about to start. If I have to wait for you to quiet down, the time lost won't be refunded."
Zhang Yu knew that for these students from construction sites, mentioning money was the most effective way to get their attention.
After all, aside from spending on mental stabilizers, most of them were very frugal.
Sure enough, as soon as he mentioned this, the room immediately fell silent, leaving only the sound of Zhang Yu's lecture filling the air.
The quality of Zhang Yu's teaching was, of course, beyond question.
Especially considering that these students had had their intelligence dulled by work, he made sure to explain things in the simplest terms possible.
Combined with his deep understanding of physical strength and muscle control, his students always left each class feeling like they had gained a lot.
After class, Zhang Yu stepped outside the small building and saw Bai Zhenzhen practicing her techniques while waiting for him.
When she saw Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen smiled and said, "All the teachers who could give trial classes were available today, so I got to try out a class. I can start teaching tomorrow, and I'll get 2,000 per class!"
Although it was much less than what Zhang Yu earned, Bai Zhenzhen was still thrilled.
After all, this was a long-term part-time job, and it was the highest-paying gig she had ever landed in her life.
Hearing this, Zhang Yu was also pleased.
With Zhenzhen earning more money, her chances of improving her physical strength and competing in sports events would increase.
On the way back, Zhang Yu once again carried Bai Zhenzhen on his back as they ran.
Bai Zhenzhen had one arm around Zhang Yu's neck and the other holding her phone as she leaned against his back, searching for rental listings.
She frowned and said, "It's hard to find a place that meets our requirements."
Zhang Yu asked curiously, "What are your requirements?"
Bai Zhenzhen listed them one by one, "First, it has to be small and cheap. After all, we'll only be using it to store things and won't be spending much time there."
"Second, it has to have electricity and internet. Otherwise, it would be too inconvenient."
"Preferably, it should be a basement. That way, if we want to train, it would be convenient, and we wouldn't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors..."
"Damn, good places like that are in high demand. They're hard to find."
As they spoke, the sky began to brighten without them noticing.
The sun rose from the direction of Songyang City's downtown, illuminating the road ahead for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
"Before we knew it, it's already dawn. Well... today's tutoring session did run late."
Along the roadside in the outskirts, ordinary people began to appear.
Zhang Yu saw the long lines in front of the stalls distributing synthetic food, and memories from his past life surfaced in his mind.
To these ordinary people, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were like a gust of wind, flashing by in an instant, leaving behind a trace of envy in their eyes.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "If I hadn't gotten into high school, I would probably be like these people, or like my old middle school classmates, lining up for food rations and working low-paying jobs, just scraping by."
But as he thought about the ordinary people lining up for food, he suddenly recalled the students from today's class.
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether the middle schoolers in front of him or the high school graduates in his class were happier or more content.
Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, was still focused on finding a place to rent.
She was thinking about what kind of place would suit their needs if she and Zhang Yu were to live together, going to school and working together.
As she pondered this, she suddenly felt a strange emptiness in her lower abdomen.
Bai Zhenzhen was shocked, "Holy crap! My spiritual root is gone!"
At the same time, Zhang Yu, who was carrying Bai Zhenzhen at high speed, also felt a sudden shock, "Holy crap! What just entered me from behind?"
(End of Chapter)