Chapter 52: Monthly Exam Ends, Storm is Coming

Inside the abandoned building, Zhang Yu, wearing a weighted suit, unleashed a punch. As his foot stomped on the concrete floor, a dull thud suddenly echoed through the structure.

Already drenched in sweat, Zhang Yu didn't stop, continuing to practice the 36 Body Cultivation Forms with precise punches and kicks. His entire body was burning hot, emitting faint wisps of white steam into the cold night.

A week ago, Zhang Yu had reached Level 10 in Wuji Cloud Hand while simultaneously maintaining the Barren Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique and wearing his weighted suit. Since then, he had begun to challenge himself with an even higher difficulty: practicing the Level 10 36 Body Cultivation Forms. Initially, it was indeed very difficult, a dual test of both physical and mental endurance.

Fortunately, as long as he maintained the mental cultivation method, the Barren Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique always brought Zhang Yu a trace of joy and satisfaction born from anticipation. And what about when he couldn't maintain the method? The ritualistic power would naturally guide Zhang Yu back on track to maintain it. For instance, at this very moment, as Zhang Yu's focus slightly wavered and the visualization in his mind began to blur, he knew the ritual was about to start nagging him again.

"Please adhere to the ritual's agreement. Strive to fulfill your wish. Do not deliberately slack off or procrastinate. 10."

Zhang Yu quickly concentrated, diligently maintaining the state of the Barren Ox Soul-Calming Heart Technique, and the visualization in his mind gradually became clear again. Although the chill had dissipated again, 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 heavenly music. Fortunately, this idiotic ritual had a shred of judgment, allowing him to take a brief rest while answering the phone.

Picking up his phone, Zhang Yu saw a message from Zhou Chechen, the Vice President of the Student Union.

Zhou Chechen: Zhang Yu, what have you decided?

Zhang Yu glanced at the time. "Hmm, a student union message sent at 4 AM. That's a normal routine for us Songyang folks."

Zhang Yu: I want to focus on preparing for the monthly exam first. We can discuss the contract after it's over.

Zhou Chechen: Haha, no problem. We'll talk after the monthly exam. I've prepared a contract that you'll definitely be satisfied with. I look forward to the day we sign.

Although Zhang Yu knew Zhou Chechen probably spoke this way to all potential signees, being flattered by him occasionally over the past month made it impossible not to feel a little pleased. "Too bad it's not pure friendship, devoid of any ulterior motives, just pure flattery," he thought. The thought of having to continue this pretense with the other party made Zhang Yu feel a bit uncomfortable. "I wonder if he'll change his tune if I refuse him again after this monthly exam?"

Zhang Yu looked up at his Feather Scroll.

Dao Heart Level 2 (93)Mana 18.7Physical Strength Level 1.33

After days of intense training, his strength had significantly improved again. In particular, he was getting closer and closer to Dao Heart Level 3, and his mana level was already head and shoulders above everyone else in the first year of Songyang High, surpassing even Bai Zhenzhen. Only his physical strength, having paused for over half a month and only recently resuming training, had dropped back to 7th or 8th place. However, Zhang Yu estimated that if he continued his rigorous training in his current state, his physical strength would soon achieve a dominant lead among the first-year students at Songyang High.

Even so, he was still a long way from being admitted to one of the top ten prestigious universities. With that thought, he took a deep breath and resumed his arduous training.

On the day of the monthly exam, a somber atmosphere permeated the high school campus. But for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, the monthly exam itself was no longer a cause for much concern.

After smoothly completing the morning's theoretical exam, Zhang Yu had lunch, then underwent his midday cultivation before heading to the computer lab for the Daoist Arts exam, where he finished the questions with sweat on his brow. Next came the final exam of the day: Martial Arts Combat. This time, his opponent was Qian Shen.

Qian Shen's gaze towards Zhang Yu was complex. This was because his opponent had scored six points lower than him in last month's exam, yet had scored dozens of points higher than him in the overall mana competition. So, while Zhang Yu *might* have scored lower than him, it also seemed unlikely, making Zhang Yu more complex and unpredictable in Qian Shen's eyes. He was the first person Qian Shen had faced who, despite scoring lower in the monthly exam, made him extremely cautious.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly, observing Qian Shen's cautious demeanor. "Here I come," he said. The next moment, he struck out with a palm, and in a flash, he was already in front of Qian Shen.

Although Qian Shen had been cautious enough, after a dozen moves, he gradually found himself at a disadvantage. Finally, with a gust of wind rushing past his face, he looked at the fist stopped just before his head and conceded, "I lost."

But before the second round began, he stared at Zhang Yu and suddenly said seriously, "You didn't use your full strength, did you? You didn't even use Wuji Cloud Hand." Qian Shen had watched Zhang Yu learn Wuji Cloud Hand at the competition, so he naturally knew that Zhang Yu had gained the right to use the martial art. Moreover, during the martial arts classes over the past two weeks, Zhang Yu had used Wuji Cloud Hand every time he sparred with Bai Zhenzhen.

Qian Shen said seriously, "Use Wuji Cloud Hand. Fight me with your full strength. We're in a monthly exam now, not just practicing in class. I don't want any of the points I earn in this exam to be fake. Use your full strength. Don't insult my score."

Zhang Yu took a deep breath. "I understand," he said. He sighed inwardly, "Is this rare moment of joy amidst my grueling training about to end?"

Zhang Yu dashed towards Qian Shen again, then powerfully struck him with a palm enveloped in the Formless Cloud Aura. Having already witnessed the power of Wuji Cloud Hand in combat class, Qian Shen naturally chose not to meet it head-on. He dodged to the side while simultaneously delivering a fierce kick towards Zhang Yu's lower body. However, Zhang Yu's other palm, layered with cloud-like qi, blocked his kick. Qian Shen's kick felt as though it hit a light, yielding cloud of mist, but the next moment, a powerful force rebounded from it, sending him flying out of bounds.

The second round ended. The third round began. After that last fight, Qian Shen really wanted to take back what he had just said. While he might have looked cool shouting it, getting a low score in the combat exam was genuinely upsetting.

Not far away, Lei Jun's gaze shifted from Zhang Yu and Qian Shen to Bai Zhenzhen and He Dayou on the other side. Watching He Dayou being knocked to the ground by Bai Zhenzhen in just a few moves, Lei Jun thought to himself, "The skill gap is too wide. Next monthly exam, we should just skip the lottery for Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen and arrange for them to spar with each other for the combat exam."

The next morning was the Dao Heart and Mana exams. Stepping into the spiritual realm once more, this time, Zhang Yu found himself tied to a hospital bed, with a syringe on his left and a button on his right. A female voice on the intercom announced: "For good elixirs, choose Ziyun! Ziyun Medicine for all ages, with all your heart and soul! One dose cures all ailments! We thank Ziyun Company for co-sponsoring this magical arts competition..."

Listening to the rules explained over the intercom, Zhang Yu finally understood that the Dao Heart exam this time was about—happiness. Every time he pressed the button, the syringe would inject a drug called "Joy Powder" into his body. And once the exam began, a dose of Joy Powder would automatically be injected into the examinee. The requirement for examinees was to press the button as few times as possible and inject as little of the drug as possible. The less drug injected, the higher the ranking and the higher the score. This was because the drug, newly developed by Ziyun Company, could relax the mind, stimulate the brain, and induce supreme happiness. Of course, according to Ziyun Company's own promotion, the drug claimed to have no side effects, no addictive properties, and had passed clinical trials...

Zhang Yu, of course, didn't believe any of it. "A bunch of damn scumbags," he muttered. "Running this kind of advertisement during a monthly exam, huh? The person who designed this Dao Heart exam is getting more and more outrageous. One day, I'm going to smash him..." Although he was currently in a virtual world within the spiritual realm, and the injected Joy Powder would only be a virtual sensation, Zhang Yu still couldn't help but curse profusely before reluctantly feeling the Joy Powder being injected into his body.

Intense pleasure constantly assailed Zhang Yu's brain. Even with his willpower and cultivation of mental techniques, he still couldn't resist pressing the button twice before the exam ended, which showed just how potent the Joy Powder was.

Compared to the stimulating Dao Heart exam, the Mana and Physical exams seemed rather unremarkable. However, after the physical exam concluded, when Wang Hai once again applied to the school leadership for Zhang Yu to join the competition team, he was denied yet again. The reason given for the refusal was that Zhang Yu's physical performance had declined, and he still needed time to improve. Privately, however, Wang Hai was informed that it was all related to the Student Union. After thinking it over, Wang Hai sent a message to Zhang Yu the next day. "Do you have some conflict with the Student Union? It seems they don't want you on the school's sports competition team."

Inside the abandoned building, Zhang Yu, still in his weighted suit, stood silently, sensing the changes within his Sea of Consciousness. At this moment, he had finally reached Dao Heart Level 3. His control over his physical body became more precise, the mana in his Dantian became more vibrant and controllable, and even every piece of flesh and every strand of strength throughout his body felt increasingly coordinated and comfortable in his perception. Even the mental fatigue of the past few days seemed to vanish at this moment, replaced by an immense sense of ease.

Dao Heart Level 3 (0)

This was how Zhang Yu felt after reaching Dao Heart Level 3: his control over himself and his own strength had become much greater. "Finally, Dao Heart Level 3!" he exclaimed. "Now I can cultivate the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, right?" Zhang Yu had long been looking forward to this expert-level cultivation method passed down by a Golden Core True Immortal. Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art! Let me see your limits!

Almost immediately after his Dao Heart reached Level 3, he eagerly switched his Feather Scroll specialization to this cultivation method. The Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art was a martial arts mental cultivation method encompassing a total of nine sets of martial arts: fists, palms, legs, fingers, claws, sabers, swords, spears, and staves. These nine sets of martial arts included combat techniques and body tempering methods, but neither was the key. The true essence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art lay in comprehending the artistic conception contained within these nine sets of martial arts, thereby solidifying one's own martial arts will.

At this moment, Zhang Yu, just like at the art exhibition, began practicing all nine sets of martial arts—fists, palms, legs, fingers, claws, sabers, swords, spears, and staves—from beginning to end. As Zhang Yu performed each move, strong winds reverberated around him, and the concrete floor thudded with his steps. After raising his basic-level Loose Hand to Level 5, cultivating the basic-level 36 Body Cultivation Forms and the advanced-level Wuji Cloud Hand all to Level 10, and engaging in hundreds of real combat sessions with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu's perspective was now entirely different from before. The more he cultivated, the more he felt that it contained both combat techniques and body tempering methods, covering a very comprehensive range. Once mastered, it could be used for both refining the body and fighting enemies.

"...It just takes a bit long."

Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art Level 1 (0/10)

Zhang Yu, wearing his weighted suit, spent almost 14 minutes completing all nine sets of martial arts. Realizing this, Zhang Yu subtly felt a pang of weariness. He knew this set of cultivation methods would require a lot more practice.