Chapter 243: Rich Life, Martial Dao Holy Fetus

Inside a luxurious apartment in the heart of Songyang City.

Zhang Yu was sitting cross-legged in the quiet room on the second floor, practicing a newly learned cultivation technique. As the air circulation system operated, an airflow mixed with over ten kinds of medicinal agents was drawn into Zhang Yu's respiratory system, nourishing his physical body and stabilizing his mental and emotional state.

After the last time Mr. Wang had given them some advice, a few days later, he leased this apartment, which cost hundreds of thousands in rent monthly, to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen for free. Although Mr. Wang referred to it as just a "broken house," its facilities were actually top-tier in Songyang City. At least Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, having lived there for some time, found absolutely nothing to be dissatisfied with.

On their first day in the luxurious apartment, Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed, "It's so great to be rich, Yu Zi!"

"We'll keep climbing higher and definitely get richer! We'll eat better, live better, and cultivate to become stronger and stronger, right?"

Watching Bai Zhenzhen's joyful smile, Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He had to admit that in Kunxu, being rich was truly wonderful, while being poor felt worse than death, even leaving one too weak to fight.

At this moment, the cultivation technique Zhang Yu was practicing in the quiet room was called the "Golden Jade Abundance Art." This was a technique where the larger one's account balance, the calmer their mind would be, making them fearless of failure, indomitable, and strong-willed. Since the "Crippled Ox Sacrifice Technique" was no longer effective, Zhang Yu had switched to a cultivation method more suited to his new identity.

Each time he practiced the technique, Zhang Yu only needed to recall the number in his account. As he visualized this number in his mind, he would feel a sense of peace, and a profound courage to face any situation would well up from deep within him. It seemed that as long as this number grew larger, he would possess endless courage.

Each time he practiced this technique, Zhang Yu couldn't help but sigh, "As long as the amount in my account keeps growing each month, the effects of this technique will get better and better, right? Rich people's cultivation techniques are really effective. Much better than self-abusing techniques like the Crippled Ox Sacrifice Technique."

Regarding Zhang Yu's increasing adaptation to his new identity, Fu Ji praised him, "That's right. You're no longer poor, so you should adapt to your wealthy status as quickly as possible. Before, your state of mind was always affected by changes in the environment. I was worried your cultivation efficiency and earning potential would decrease. Zhang Yu, don't forget the insights you gained when you first started learning cultivation techniques. To live in this world, one must learn to be flexible and adapt to changing environments to go further on the path of immortality and climb higher in Kunxu. It's best to discard those habits of the poor and their perceptions of the world early on; keeping them will only hinder your progress."

After two hours of focused cultivation, the smart butler's alert sounded. Zhang Yu walked out of the quiet room, and the lights around him, on the stairs, and in the hall all illuminated, lighting his way forward.

Bai Zhenzhen was lying on the sofa in the ground-floor living room, intently watching a projected video. Hearing movement from upstairs, Bai Zhenzhen called out, "Yu Zi, come quickly! The registration test for the Foundation Establishment Exam is about to begin!"

The Foundation Establishment Exam, which was originally scheduled to open for registration in June, was delayed until July due to the overwhelming number of applicants. Subsequently, various live streams and broadcasts were arranged, turning it into a super event watched by countless people on Kunxu's first layer.

In the heart of Songyang City, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen enjoyed a luxurious apartment spanning several hundred square meters. He also had tens of millions in cash in his account, and Heavenly Spirit Root, Foundation Establishment, and the Top Ten rankings were all within reach. No longer needing to strive desperately like before, he simply practiced his cultivation technique daily and learned the free martial arts taught in high school. Living such a leisurely life, his wealth in the bank also grew monthly, steadily pushing him towards the Heavenly Spirit Root...

In these circumstances, although he couldn't change the current situation on Kunxu's first layer, he could at least treat Zhao Tianxing and Qian Shen to meals daily, lend money to friends in need, and take care of those around him. Zhang Yu mused to himself, "This must be the happiness of being rich, right? After enduring so much hardship in Kunxu, I've finally risen above others."

Meanwhile, a reporter for the live broadcast of the event was randomly interviewing several contestants before the match. Suddenly, one individual caught the attention of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise, "This guy... isn't that Yu Xinghan?"

The reporter raised the microphone, thrusting it in front of Yu Xinghan, who had just emerged from the restroom, and asked, "Hello, what do you usually do before a competition?"

Yu Xinghan, caught on camera, paused slightly, looking a bit bewildered as he replied, "Relax a bit."

"Do you mean warm-up exercises?"

Yu Xinghan replied somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, something like that."

The reporter pointed to a bottle of milky white liquid in his hand and asked curiously, "Is this a drink?"

Yu Xinghan quickly tucked the bottle into his arms and stammered, "Uh... yes... this is... this is a functional drink."

Watching this scene, Bai Zhenzhen sighed, "That Yu Xinghan, he doesn't forget to make money even before a competition. It seems the news from Bailong was right; since we both obtained our Foundation Establishment qualification certificates, that kid has been working even harder."

In the subsequent tests, Yu Xinghan's performance was outstanding, immediately making him one of the popular contenders. Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Yu Xinghan's stats are now approaching the peak of Qi Refinement. Yu Xinghan has a very high chance of winning this Foundation Establishment Exam. So when the time comes... he'll probably join the Oasis plan and endorse products with me, right?"

After watching the competition, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, dressed in their finest, followed their plan for the day and headed back to Oasis Tower to attend the evening's gathering. The building's security system had already registered them, and as they walked, doors opened directly without any hindrance, as if they were in an unpopulated area.

Shortly after arriving at the gathering, a high school student from Xiandu suddenly got into an argument with another student from out of town.

"You stinking outsider, do you even deserve to drink with me?"

"Don't think you're so great just because you're from Xiandu!"

As they argued, they climbed onto the arena. In just a few moves, the Xiandu high school student knocked his opponent off the stage, leaving him severely injured and spitting blood. The Xiandu high school student then transferred medical expenses to his opponent and said with a proud expression, "Now hurry up and get out to treat your injuries."

Mr. Wang smiled slightly at the sight, directly tipping the Xiandu high school student 100,000 yuan. Seeing this, more people's expressions stirred. They leaped onto the arena to challenge him, but were all swiftly defeated by the Xiandu high school student in a few moves, further heating up the atmosphere of the entire venue.

Watching this scene, Bai Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and thought, "Battle Spirit Root, Hand Bone Artifact, and several top-tier expert-level martial arts. This guy is practically armed to the teeth. His raw strength isn't much worse than Yun Jing's a year ago, is it?"

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen remembered seeing this person in a live broadcast of the Foundation Establishment Exam; he was also a popular contender, apparently named Ye Mantian. "He's from the same family as Ye Lingxiao, right?"

With the college entrance exam over, Ye Lingxiao, Sheng Jie, Yun Jing, and others had already gone to the second layer and entered university. And the strongest batch of students in Xiandu's high school circle had now been replaced by the new cohort. Watching this scene, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly felt a surge of emotion. When she first participated in the Foundation Establishment Exam, Ye Lingxiao and Yun Jing had seemed so impossibly out of reach. But in the blink of an eye, they had graduated from high school, and new geniuses had emerged in Xiandu, taking their former places. Bai Zhenzhen sighed inwardly, "There are truly so many generations of geniuses in this world."

Just then, Ye Mantian let out a roar, pointing in Zhang Yu's direction, and shouted, "Zhang Yu! Do you dare to come up and fight me?"

Mr. Wang smiled slightly at the sight. He knew Ye Mantian was trying to seize an opportunity to impress him. But Wang Yin had no intention of stopping him. After all, who doesn't enjoy watching their cats and dogs vie for their owner's affection, squabbling and wrestling with each other?

Ye Mantian's idea was also simple: while Zhang Yu had not yet established his Foundation, if he could exchange a few moves with him, he would surely leave an impression on Mr. Wang. Ye Mantian secretly thought to himself, "We're both at the Qi Refinement stage, so I might not be much worse than him. Besides, he doesn't have a bone artifact, and attending a party... he probably hasn't rented a Battle Spirit Root either. If we really fight, I have a decent chance of winning." At this moment, Ye Mantian's only worry was that his opponent wouldn't accept the challenge. Fortunately, to his expectant gaze, Zhang Yu slowly walked onto the arena.

To be honest, ever since he had propelled the Martial Dao Holy Embryo to its complete form, Zhang Yu had almost lost interest in Qi Refinement level opponents, unless they possessed military-grade power.

Ultimate Martial Dao Holy Embryo (10/10): Any martial art at the Qi Refinement stage, when displayed in your hands, will significantly increase its actual combat power.

In the past six months, Zhang Yu had also engaged in practical combat training with Bai Zhenzhen, Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and others. How to put it... various martial arts, which had already reached the peak of Qi Refinement, would see their combat power surge even further when performed by him. Not only would their power break through original limits, but even ordinary moves could display the effect of turning decay into magic during combat. He was now even confident that by merely circulating a body-protection technique and executing a basic martial art set, he could defeat any high school student. This always made Zhang Yu exclaim, "The complete form of this Martial Dao Holy Embryo is truly powerful in both offense and defense."

At this moment on the arena, Zhang Yu beckoned to Ye Mantian, "You and Ye Lingxiao are both from the Ye clan, right? He must be your older brother? Half a year ago, I fought him, and he was arguably the strongest opponent I've encountered since stepping onto the path of immortality, giving me much inspiration. Out of respect for your brother, I'll let you have three moves today, so you don't miss your chance to perform."

Seeing Ye Mantian frozen in place, Zhang Yu flicked his fingertips, urging, "Aren't you going to make your move?"

Ye Mantian snorted coldly. His muscles and spiritual power twisted into a reinforced steel spear, erupting with a thunderous roar as he fiercely lunged towards Zhang Yu. Ye Mantian thought to himself, "You brought this upon yourself with your arrogance. Don't blame me for using your name to climb higher."

With three resounding thuds, Zhang Yu remained completely still despite Ye Mantian's three consecutive heavy blows delivered with full force. Only his body vibrated slightly, and roars echoed in the air. In contrast, Ye Mantian's face flushed red, and he stumbled backward repeatedly with thudding steps, eventually falling off the arena.

Ye Mantian looked up, staring at Zhang Yu with a shocked expression. His three heavy blows had landed on Zhang Yu, but he felt most of their force being deflected, then dissolved layer by layer, like a clay ox entering the sea. Finally, a powerful counter-shock force emanated, directly pushing him off the arena.

"Is this guy really only at Qi Refinement? How can his martial arts be this advanced?"

Zhang Yu looked down at him, shaking his head and saying, "I haven't even made a move, and you've already been knocked off by yourself. You're truly far inferior to Ye Lingxiao. If he were here, he could at least withstand one of my moves."

Ye Mantian's face flushed crimson upon hearing this, but he had nothing to say. He could only cover his face and hastily leave the gathering.

Zhang Yu, meanwhile, had already returned to Mr. Wang's table. As soon as he returned, Wang Yin clapped his hands and praised, "Zhang Yu, I didn't realize your combat talent was no less than Bai Zhenzhen's. When several expert-level martial arts are performed by you, they actually show a hint of military-grade martial arts' flair. Excellent, excellent."

Wang Yin's eyes showed even greater appreciation for Zhang Yu, and he immediately tipped Zhang Yu another 500,000 yuan. Meanwhile, the other wealthy individuals, corporate figures, and scions of powerful families at the gathering looked at Zhang Yu with increasing solemnity, both because of his rising status in Mr. Wang's eyes and because the strength and potential Zhang Yu casually displayed filled them with even greater awe. Zhang Yu, on the other hand, glanced at the additional 500,000 yuan in his account and felt his Golden Jade Abundance Art technique circulate even more smoothly.

Just as Zhang Yu casually made his move, astonishing everyone present...

On the other side of Songyang City.

Li Xuelian answered the phone, and before the person on the other end could speak, she preemptively said, "Yes, I understand. Overtime, extended by another month, right? However, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen have very full schedules now, so it's not easy to arrange. My point is, you'll have to pay. Don't worry, just transfer the money to me, and I'll handle it for you."

On another side of Kunxu's first layer.

True Man Xinghuo hung up his phone and sighed inwardly, "Thankfully, Xuelian handles my logistics. She's reliable; I just need to transfer the money." Then, with a thought, the figure kneeling before him burst into a blaze of fire, turning into dust with a scream.

"Damn it, I couldn't hold back again. Xinghuo, Xinghuo, you can't just kill people indiscriminately anymore. Too much compensation has been paid out."

True Man Xinghuo secretly warned himself, then turned to the young man beside him and said, "It's fine, you can go. In the future, come less often to the company battlefield to pick up scraps. This area is all company property. If you mess around like this... you'll be caught by the corpse retrieval unit, your organs sold, and your family won't get any compensation."

The young man bowed to him, then quickly ran off.

Deng Bingding's figure appeared nearby and said to True Man Xinghuo, "Kid, you're still as impulsive as ever. Haven't you surpassed 10 accidental deaths this month?"

True Man Xinghuo replied, "If I weren't as impulsive as before, you wouldn't have had the chance to hire me. Tell me, where are we going for overtime this time?" A blazing fire surged from True Man Xinghuo, "Let me state this first: if you keep making me work overtime like this, you'll have to keep increasing my pay. Anyway, you and the people behind you... aren't short on my overtime pay, are you?"