Chapter 106: Zhang Yu, 4.95 Level

"Are you out of your mind?"

Zhang Yu was about to blurt out something like that, seeing Le Mulan casually throwing money around. But before he could speak, Bai Zhenzhen, who was beside him, nudged his shoulder and pressed, "They're offering money! What are you waiting for?"

Bai Zhenzhen turned to Le Mulan and said, "Where would you like to touch? Taking off a shirt costs extra."

Le Mulan quickly shook her head. "No need. Just... a touch of the hand will do."

Just then, Le Mulan began to vibrate slightly. She frowned, patted the bench she was on, and commanded, "Stop moving around."

The girl beneath Le Mulan gritted her teeth and stopped, her face contorted, eyes and nose seemingly scrunched up. She felt as though she could cry tears of blood.

"Why? Why would the wealthiest, most outstanding, and noblest student in our grade spend money on a poor, dirty student from Songyang High School?"

Once the chair stopped vibrating, Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu again and slowly extended her hand.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen grabbed her hand. "Hold on, hold on! What are you doing? You haven't paid yet."

After Le Mulan transferred 2000 yuan, Zhang Yu felt a cool, small hand slowly move over his. It first tentatively touched his fingertips, then Zhang Yu felt the palm glide like a snake, slowly caressing from his fingertips to the back of his hand, where it gently rested.

"Like a piece of ice..." Just as that thought crossed Zhang Yu's mind, Le Mulan quickly withdrew her hand. She nodded, exhaled, and said, "That's good."

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Le Mulan curiously. "All done? Want to touch me next? I can give you a discount."

Le Mulan's usually cool lips curled slightly at this moment, and she shook her head with satisfaction. "Not today, but perhaps next time. Next time, can I pay both of you and touch both of you simultaneously?"

After receiving an affirmative reply, a slight curve returned to Le Mulan's lips, and she departed with Lian Tianji.

Watching the 'bench' also stand up and walk away, Zhang Yu said, somewhat speechless, "Le Mulan must be out of her mind."

Bai Zhenzhen replied, "Isn't an easy way to earn money a good thing?"

Zhang Yu asked, bewildered, "Why on earth does she want to touch us?"

Bai Zhenzhen shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it's some kind of cultivation technique? Wealthy people often have unusual practices."

After finishing their buffet, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen headed to the stands. They intended to use the Heaven's Eye Talisman to gather intelligence on the three major high schools before the competition began. As for the Concealment Talisman, it had naturally been activated long before they entered Ziyun High School.

But the next moment, as the Heaven's Eye Talisman was activated, Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. In the direction of Bailong High School, a line of text appeared above every contestant's head: "Xianyun Group Company Data." Above the heads of several dark-skinned students from Hongta High School, the text read: "For business cooperation, please contact Hongta Ranch." Zhang Yu quickly turned his gaze towards Ziyun High School and saw that above Le Mulan, Lian Tianji, and others, the text read: "Ziyun Pharma Non-Public Information. Unauthorized viewing will result in legal action."

Zhang Yu sighed softly. "Their information is all hidden. The three companies backing these major high schools—Xianyun, Hongta, and Ziyun—are clearly taking this competition very seriously."

In the stands, Lan Ling watched the bustling stadium below and said coldly, "Why did you drag me here? To watch our school team get decimated?"

Zhou Chechen, standing nearby, chuckled. "Lan Ling, don't narrow your focus to just one high school or a single competition. I brought you here today to witness a new revolution in body tempering within Songyang City."

Lan Ling frowned. "What exactly are you planning? Why didn't you participate in the physique competition two weeks ago? Did you already know about Oasis Group's collaboration with them?"

Zhou Chechen smiled slightly. "Lan Ling, the three major high schools have offered us a spot — a spot to receive their body tempering technical support. Let me have this spot this year. Next year, when you're a senior, I'll fully support you in receiving technical assistance from the three major high schools. If you agree, from now on, we will be the last two students from Songyang High School to be admitted into the Top Ten academies. If you don't agree, then for the next year, I'll do nothing but harass you daily. I guarantee you won't graduate."

In the Spirit Realm, Mo Tianyi, having taken a rare half-day off, felt a strange weakness in his body and a persistent pang of guilt for not working. Watching the Ziyun High School competition venue through a live stream, he couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is this competition so important that we have to watch it live?"

A blurred figure beside him nodded. "Extremely important. It even affects the structure of the entire Sixteen Families of Songyang."

The Sixteen Families of Songyang... Mo Tianyi knew these were the sixteen wealthiest and most powerful families in Songyang. Their members not only intermarried but also forged connections within the local branches of major corporations in Songyang, acting as local power brokers who helped these large companies operate, thereby controlling vast resources.

The 'Boss' watched the live stream and explained, "The physique competition usually begins with a physical strength test, followed by agility, speed, and strength challenges. There are four events in total, and the final scores are calculated based on all of them..." At this point, the Boss paused. "It's starting. They're about to test the contestants' physical strength. Let's see just how significant the technological breakthroughs from the three major high schools are this time."

On the large screen at the venue, names and scores continuously appeared as each contestant completed their test. However, only the top 10 scores remained visible on the screen. Currently holding the first-place position was Chu Qiuhe from Bailong High School, with a level of 4.49.

Not long before the physical strength testing began. High up in the stands, at the very back of the crowd, a boy wearing a Ziyun High School uniform was also watching the arena. The boy bore a resemblance to Le Mulan, and at first glance, he even looked somewhat feminine. His height, just under two meters, made him appear particularly delicate among the physically robust students of Ziyun High School. Only the incredibly intricate purple vertical pupil mark on his forehead hinted at his extraordinary nature.

Simultaneously, a burly man with bronze skin, about two and a half meters tall, approached the Ziyun student, laughing as he walked while live streaming on his phone.

"Everyone, look who it is! My good brother, Le Jingchen, the top student of the second year at Ziyun High School and Vice President of the Student Council."

The live-streaming strongman squeezed in beside Le Jingchen, ensuring both of them were visible in the broadcast frame. Feeling the strongman approach, Le Jingchen's muscles instantly tensed, but then relaxed, and he smiled, waving to the live stream audience. Although he disliked the strongman's proximity, Le Jingchen knew that this body-tempering influencer, "Gangshan," had over eight million followers. Gangshan consistently advocated for body tempering through medication, not surgery, making him a prominent figure in Songyang City's traditional body tempering community. Gangshan's signature move was always wearing nothing but shorts, wanting to showcase his meticulously honed muscles to the world. Naturally, his presence to live stream this first-year high school athletic competition was due to a company invitation.

Le Jingchen thought to himself, "What does it matter if he's a representative of traditional body tempering? Give him enough money, and he'll still promote new technology." Le Jingchen even knew that his current encounter with Gangshan, and their subsequent joint live stream, were requirements orchestrated by Ziyun Pharma.

"Today's athletic competition involves a clash of students and technologies on the field, which is one aspect. The battle of public opinion outside the arena is another major fight entirely. Hmph, I wonder how many people will try to grab attention and show off today."

Just then, "Gangshan," the influencer strongman beside him, spoke up. "Jingchen, what are your thoughts on today's competition?"

Le Jingchen smiled slightly. "Just like the second-year physique competition two weeks ago, it's primarily a clash between the three major high schools. After all, this breakthrough in body tempering technology has only been applied to students from those three schools..." Le Jingchen then, following his plan, began promoting the new technology with a seemingly objective, neutral, yet subtly persuasive attitude.

After chatting for a while, Gangshan looked towards the arena. "Oh, the competition has officially begun! First up is the physical strength test. This event is scored based on physical strength, with a maximum of 50 points, correct? Then the second event tests agility, worth a maximum of 75 points. The third event, speed, is also worth 75 points. And finally, the strength event is worth 150 points. The final ranking of the athletic competition is determined by the cumulative scores from these four events."

Gangshan first educated the audience on how the total scores for the athletic competition were calculated. Then, to give viewers a clearer understanding of the groundbreaking new body tempering technology, Gangshan offered some background information: "It's been about eight and a half months since the first year of high school began. The average physical strength for most students in regular high schools around this time is typically around Level 1.0. Elite high schools are stronger; their students' average level can now approach Level 2.0. Of course, among elite high schools, Songyang High School is particularly strong in athletics, significantly higher than others. Some top students there even have the chance to compete with the powerhouses from the three major high schools. As for the three major high schools in Songyang City, they are in a league of their own. According to past data, their students' average level can approach Level 3.0, and the most elite students even have the potential to surpass Level 4.0."

Meanwhile, as the physical tests began, contestants' physical strength levels continuously appeared on the large screen. The first-place score then quickly astonished countless people present, as well as many netizens watching the live broadcast.

Bailong High School, Chu Qiuhe, Level 4.49.

Gangshan exclaimed, "Level 4.49? Reached that level in just eight and a half months? Chu Qiuhe must be Bailong High School's ace, right?"

Le Jingchen smiled slightly. "He's not quite an ace. The strongest students in this year's class at Bailong High School are likely Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong."

Gangshan: "Level 4.49 isn't considered an ace?"

Le Jingchen: "Because the body tempering technologies of all three major high schools have made breakthroughs. You can tell from Chu Qiuhe's appearance that he underwent modification surgery, which allowed his body to mimic the physical structure of a demonic beast, breaking previous limitations and achieving explosive growth."

Gangshan: "Modification surgeries still carry risks, don't they? And many people find the altered appearance hard to accept."

Le Jingchen nodded. "This kind of direct physical modification surgery is, of course, very risky. In contrast, Ziyun's super metabolism surgery is much simpler, with low surgical risk and high efficiency..."

Just as Le Jingchen was describing Ziyun Pharma's technological breakthrough, as if to confirm his words, the big screen updated again, showing a new first place: Lian Tianji from Ziyun High School, Level 4.56.

Gangshan exclaimed, "This physical strength level is already higher than that of previous first-year athletic competition champions, isn't it?"

Le Jingchen nodded slightly. "After the breakthrough in body tempering technology, the first-year athletic competition records will undoubtedly be shattered repeatedly. There will be a world of difference between athletes who have applied the new technology and those who haven't—like modern people versus ancient people."

As Le Jingchen was expounding on the importance of the new body tempering technology, the first-place ranking on the large screen changed once more.

Songyang High School, Zhang Yu, Level 4.95.