Chapter 102: The Competition Arrives

Evening.By the river.Zhang Yu's muscles twitched constantly as he circulated the Crimson Marrow Primal Qi, aided by the True Spiritual Root.

Ever since joining the sports competition team and securing a spot in the physical competition, Zhang Yu had never returned to the team's training gym. Instead, he continued to cultivate in silence, just as he always had. After all, the 30,000 *Hunyuan* pills had depleted most of his income, leaving him unable to afford the Nine Dragon Needle Technique and related potions offered by the competition team.

Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, didn't need to spend money on such expensive *Hunyuan* pills, so she learned the Nine Dragon Needle Technique and bought the associated medicines from the competition team to try them out. Bai Zhenzhen's evaluation of the competition team's training method was that after the injections, she couldn't eat enough, couldn't sleep, and couldn't stop, and the body refinement effects were explosive. She told him that taking medicine was truly more effective than natural body refinement and urged him to try it as well. Of course, Zhang Yu knew that Bai Zhenzhen could undergo such injections not only because of her good drug tolerance but also because of the True Spiritual Root's assistance. Moreover, the True Spiritual Root recently began to amplify some of the effects of Zhang Yu's Crimson Marrow Primal Qi cultivation, strengthening her internal organs.

Just then, Zhang Yu's phone vibrated. He opened it to find a message from Zhao Tianxing. To his surprise, the message detailed the news that was spreading like wildfire in various Songyang High School groups: the second-year students from Songyang High School had been completely defeated in the sports competition. It also mentioned that Oasis Group had shared some Immortal Dao techniques, leading to a comprehensive breakthrough in body refinement technology for the three major high schools, and a surge in physical strength among top students across all grades.

Zhao Tianxing knew that Zhang Yu seized almost every second to cultivate and rarely checked group chats, having even muted notifications from the Songyang High School student groups he had joined. This was why he sent the message directly to Zhang Yu, wanting to alert his good friend.

After reading it, Zhang Yu was quite surprised. "Did all those second-year students from Lanling really lose?"

"New techniques? I wonder how much Song Hailong and the others have improved... Maybe I can ask my sister."

Zhang Yu knew that Lanling's standard was definitely not low. The fact that they couldn't even make it into the top ten in the physical competition clearly indicated that students' physical strength must have significantly improved after the three prestigious schools achieved breakthroughs in body refinement techniques. Feeling a hint of pressure, Zhang Yu could only calm himself and focus his attention on cultivating the Crimson Marrow Primal Qi.

A moment later, Bai Zhenzhen, now wearing a blonde wig, stick-on tattoos, padding, and a mask, ran over. She lightly leaped onto Zhang Yu's back with practiced ease, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Time's up, Yu-zi. We should head to class."

At the same time, the True Spiritual Root flickered slightly and returned to Bai Zhenzhen's abdomen, giving her a sensation of comfort. As the True Spiritual Root had been switching back and forth between their bodies for some time, Bai Zhenzhen wasn't sure if she had adapted to the True Spiritual Root's expanded form from being inside Zhang Yu, or if the True Spiritual Root had adapted to both their forms. Now, switching caused almost no discomfort, only a refreshing sensation as spiritual energy infused her body.

Zhang Yu used his Sports Car Legs technique and sped towards the campus. As his physical strength rapidly advanced, the speed of this technique grew ever faster. Feeling Bai Zhenzhen's head resting on his back, Zhang Yu said, "Ah Zhen, your speed isn't slow now. Why don't you consider practicing the Sports Car Legs yourself to travel? This technique is really useful."

Bai Zhenzhen replied, "No." Leaning comfortably on Zhang Yu's back, Bai Zhenzhen closed her eyes and calmly used her Breathwork technique to refine her magical power, making the most of the time.

Seeing that Ah Zhen didn't seem to grasp his hint, Zhang Yu decided to be more explicit. "Ah, running this far every day, I feel like my shoes are going to wear out."

Bai Zhenzhen, however, kept her eyes tightly shut, as if she hadn't heard a thing, and continued to absorb spiritual energy through her breathwork. She thought to herself, "Yu-zi is hinting at me? Does this guy want to turn the tables, make me practice Sports Car Legs and carry him, so he can use the time to cultivate? Silly boy, someone who's already ridden up will never want to get down."

Feeling Bai Zhenzhen cling even tighter, clearly determined not to get off, Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. "This Ah Zhen," he thought, "I was hoping that once she got stronger, she could carry me for a bit too. Good friends should take turns, and I could get more time to cultivate. But now she doesn't even want to be a running partner; she's purely treating me as her chauffeur, cultivating daily while I travel."

So Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said, "I always feel it's not ideal to run alone. If two people can both run, it's like a dual engine – if one gets sick or injured, the other can still run, don't you think, Ah Zhen?"

But Bai Zhenzhen seemed not to hear him, only clamping Zhang Yu's powerful thighs even tighter, with only the loud sound of her breathwork audible. Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This damn person... is she pretending not to hear me again?"

Bai Zhenzhen thought, "Good boy, you want me to get down already? You have no idea how thick your mom's skin is! I could ride on you for a year and not get off!"

In the following days, as the date of the sports competition drew nearer, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, through their continuous arduous cultivation, gradually felt a sense of urgency. Fearing they wouldn't achieve a good ranking in the competition, they always tried their best to seize every opportunity to grow stronger. And so, time passed day by day amidst their intense cultivation...

One day, in the training room of Ziyun High School.Bai Zhenzhen walked in somewhat curiously, looking at Yue Mulan, who was slightly out of breath in front of her, and asked, "You want me to train with you?"

Yue Mulan nodded. "I need to practice close combat. But I'll warn you beforehand, no spitting blood or saliva, or any moves like that."

Actually, Yue Mulan had originally intended to hire Zhang Yu as her training partner. But she felt the jump from a training dummy to a real person was too big a step. If the person then sat on her... she feared it would leave an even deeper psychological scar. "It just so happens that Bai Zhenzhen is also poor, spends all her time with Zhang Yu, and has a very low bottom line. I'll test her out first."

After a brief fight, Yue Mulan thought to herself, "As expected. The smell of another person on Zhang Yu's clothes is Bai Zhenzhen's. Bai Zhenzhen also has Zhang Yu's scent on her. These two really... must be doing practical training together every day, right? That's why they leave each other's scents. So now, I'm indirectly doing practical training with Zhang Yu too."

As she thought about this, Yue Mulan felt her breathing quicken slightly, and her spirit grew a little tense. "Indeed, I still need to practice."

An hour later, the training ended. Bai Zhenzhen looked at the 5,000 yuan deposited into her account, feeling a mix of emotions. "These guys from the three major high schools... they really have money to burn."

That day, inside the Dark Learning Gang's campus.As soon as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen entered the underground classroom, they noticed that many people they passed – security guards, teachers, salespeople – bore injuries. Upon asking, they learned that the Dark Learning Gang and the Golden Course Gang had a skirmish the previous day over student recruitment.

Zhang Yu then asked, "Where's Head Cai? Why haven't I seen him?"

Che Nü sighed, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Oh, Head Cai left."

Zhang Yu asked in surprise, "Did something happen to him during the skirmish?"

Che Nü smiled at his words. "How could that be? Head Cai is very strong; a small skirmish like yesterday wouldn't kill him. He was... fired."

Zhang Yu said, "Fired? If he's so strong, why was he fired?"

Che Nü shook her head helplessly. "What's the use of being able to fight? Can a Qi Condensation cultivator, no matter how strong, block a flying sword? It's better to teach more classes and earn more money. But Head Cai is old, and he's been taking Dao Heart Buffer for so many years. His memory has been getting worse these past few months, fewer and fewer students sign up for his classes, and his performance isn't meeting standards, so naturally, he had to leave." With a bitter smile, Che Nü continued, "Ultimately, whether in a company or a gang, if you don't get into a university and obtain a Foundation Establishment certificate, who doesn't end up like this? Leaving sooner or later is just a matter of time."

Watching Che Nü's departing, dejected figure, Bai Zhenzhen slowly pressed against Zhang Yu from behind, sending her spiritual root to him. With a determined expression, she said, "Yu-zi, we must get into the Top Ten universities and complete Foundation Establishment."

Zhang Yu nodded with equal determination. "Okay, I'll go cultivate now. You focus on your class."

In the cafeteria during lunchtime.Zhao Tianxing watched enviously as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen loudly and continuously shoveled synthetic food into themselves. Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, "I can't believe Ah Zhen and Yu-zi actually made it into the competition team. But after the three major high schools received technology sharing from Oasis Group, their momentum has been too strong."

Zhao Tianxing recalled some recent rumors and looked at Zhang Yu, asking, "Do you know about Li Yong and Ye Haitao from the competition team demanding refunds?"

"Huh?" Zhang Yu shook his head. "No, I didn't know. I haven't been to the competition team's training for the past two weeks."

Bai Zhenzhen, standing nearby, said, "Yes, I heard them arguing when I went. It seemed like they wanted their money back."

Zhao Tianxing sighed, "Alas, a strategic move by a giant like Oasis Group, unknowingly affecting the futures of countless families."

Qian Shen also nodded, stating gravely, "From now on, the three major high schools will monopolize all competitions. But that's not the most terrifying part. They already monopolized all competitions other than the physical one in the past. The most frightening thing is that with their enhanced body refinement techniques, the top students' physical scores will inevitably soar, and the average scores will rise again. I calculated yesterday that if this continues, with the double disparity in competitions and scores, only one or two students from each graduating class at Songyang High School might get into the Top Ten universities in the future."

The doll, which had been disguised as prayer beads hanging around Zhang Yu's neck, chuckled and spoke in Zhang Yu's mind, "The wealthy families in Songyang City have started their internal strife. Heh heh, these are the wealthy families behind the three major high schools. They want to completely monopolize the spots for the Top Ten universities and squeeze out all other high schools."

Zhang Yu was startled. "Internal strife among the rich?"

Seeming to sense Zhang Yu's surprise, the doll chuckled lightly and continued, "Wealth continuously aggregates. The three major high schools secure the most Top Ten university admissions in Songyang City each year. The families behind them grow stronger and stronger, and their wealth naturally increases much faster than those of other high schools. Otherwise, how do you think they gradually monopolized the annual competitions, year after year? The situation in Songyang City is still relatively good. I know of some cities on the first level of Kunxu that have tens of millions of people, yet only one key high school."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "So, we've happened to live in an era where the three major high schools are further monopolizing the Top Ten university spots, haven't we?"

Zhang Yu sighed. The longer he stayed in Kunxu, the more mentally exhausted he felt. The entire world seemed to exert an invisible pressure, constantly urging and pushing him to hurry forward.

As days turned into weeks, the day of the sports competition finally arrived.