Chapter 53: Tianwu Refines the Heart

The moment Zhang Yu finished practicing the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art, countless images of his own cultivation flashed through his mind. These were scenes of repeatedly comprehending the nine sets of martial arts, feeling their essence, and discerning their aura.

The next moment, nine different intentions simultaneously emerged in his mind.

The killing intent to break through armies, the fighting spirit of no regrets even facing death, the fearless resolve to push forward—these intentions seemed to have been forged countless times in his mind, finally converging into a single figure.

This was the martial will that Zhang Yu had condensed in his Sea of Consciousness after mastering the first level of the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art.

Its outline somewhat resembled Zhang Yu, but its face was blurry, exuding an aura of fighting against heaven and earth.

"Heavenly Martial Will..."

As Zhang Yu's thoughts stirred, the Heavenly Martial Will in his Sea of Consciousness began to move, demonstrating the nine sets of martial arts from the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art, move by move, under his mental guidance.

With the activation of the Heavenly Martial Will, an unprecedented aura surged from Zhang Yu.

At that moment, Zhang Yu felt as if he had become a god of war, fighting against heaven and earth, ready to crush everything in his path with pure violence.

Blood vessels surfaced in his eyes, and the circulation of his vital energy and magical power subtly accelerated throughout his body.

Zhang Yu could feel his physical condition gradually adjusting, becoming more and more suited for combat.

He exhaled and temporarily halted the circulation of the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art, thinking to himself, "Is this Heavenly Martial Will really so violent? The mindset required to match it must be that of a battle fanatic, right?"

"That True Immortal Xinghuo... an old geezer kicked out by a major sect, actually created such a martial arts cultivation method?"

"Damn it... could he have been kicked out for assaulting his superiors?"

How could Zhang Yu describe this feeling? It was like a greasy middle-aged man, fired from his company, suddenly revealed to be a secret battle maniac.

"Logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case."

After all, in Kunxu, fighting like that means paying compensation if you kill a passerby, even more if you destroy a building. The greater the destructive power, the more easily you incur costs.

So, fighting in the ownerless wilderness? In Zhang Yu's memory, he really couldn't think of any land that hadn't been bought by a company; at least, there was none around Songyang City.

If a powerful individual were to fight frequently, they'd have to pay to prevent law enforcement from arriving if they won, and even more to accelerate their arrival if they lost. Treatment for injuries would cost money, and even without injuries, they'd need to buy insurance as a precaution. If they bought insurance for themselves, wouldn't their various magic treasures and magical remains also need annual insurance...

"The better one fights, the more money they spend. The more money they spend, the poorer they become. The poorer they become, the less they can fight."

"So, the better one fights, the less they can fight."

"True Immortal Xinghuo might have been kicked out precisely because that old geezer was too belligerent."

Zhang Yu sighed, "The path of cultivation isn't solely about fighting and killing."

However, overthinking was useless at this moment. Zhang Yu continued to practice the cultivation method, intending to advance the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art to Level 2.

Cultivating the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art required the external physical body and the internal Heavenly Martial Will to gradually synchronize their movements, executing the nine sets of martial arts together.

If he were to merely circulate his martial will in his Sea of Consciousness, it would only activate the effects of this mental art.

With the renewed activation of the Heavenly Martial Will, Zhang Yu also felt the effects of this mental art more profoundly.

Only one mental art could be circulated at any given time.

Therefore, at this moment, Zhang Yu did not feel the effects of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Art; only the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art was active.

Normally, without the effects of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Art, Zhang Yu's endurance would have significantly decreased.

However, under the influence of the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art, he felt his fighting spirit soar to the heavens, fearing nothing and backing down from nothing.

Whether it was a formidable enemy or any hardship, he just wanted to smash it to pieces with a single punch!

Even the arduousness of cultivation was suppressed by this fighting spirit, making Zhang Yu feel equally motivated even without the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Art.

"So invigorating! So passionate."

Feeling the subtle acceleration of vital energy throughout his body, Zhang Yu realized that the Heavenly Martial Will not only boosted his combat abilities but also promoted his cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, over two hours passed. Zhang Yu, radiating heat and with surging vital energy, had practiced this martial art a full ten times.

Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art Level 1 (0/10) → Level 2 (0/20)

In an instant, Zhang Yu felt his thoughts transcend days and nights, deeply immersed in the intent of the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art through repeated practice.

Simultaneously, the figure formed by the Heavenly Martial Will in his Sea of Consciousness became increasingly clear, its face faintly revealing a hint of Zhang Yu's own features.

Overnight, Zhang Yu intermittently practiced, finally advancing the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art to Level 3 (12/30).

Then he received a call from Wang Hai, learning that he had not been selected for the school's athletic competition team due to the Student Council.

"Is this meant to intimidate me?" Zhang Yu thought to himself. "If I refuse to sign again, will they use even more tactics against me?"

Soon after, he received another invitation from the Student Council to discuss the contract.

Songyang High School.

Midday.

Student Council office.

With a cold snort, the temperature in the entire office seemed to plummet, making even the robust Lan Ling shiver.

But the next moment, the temperature returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

Yet Lan Ling knew it was no illusion; Zhou Chechen's mood had simply worsened.

Just minutes earlier, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had successively rejected the Student Council's signing offer, citing that the three prestigious universities could offer a higher price.

Lan Ling slowly put down his dumbbell and looked at Vice President Zhou Chechen on the sofa, asking, "President, what should we do?"

Zhou Chechen murmured, "Haven't I given them enough respect?"

"Haven't I offered them the best terms I can?"

"I just don't understand why they won't agree to something that benefits both them and the school—a win-win situation."

Lan Ling said, "Perhaps Zhang Yu's fourth-place finish in the magic power competition gave him some unwarranted ambition, leading Bai Zhenzhen to also want a higher price."

Zhou Chechen sighed, "Does he think the three prestigious universities can truly sign them if we don't let them go? And they want to raise the price... do they even consider if they're worth that much?"

"These poor devils, if you're too harsh on them, they'll resent and curse you internally, and won't work properly."

"Give them a little respect, and they'll quickly take advantage, thinking of things they shouldn't, ultimately making things unpleasant."

With that, he helplessly waved his hand, "As for what to do specifically, it's up to you."

"In any case, I want to see their signed contracts within seven days."

Inside the Class 1 demonstration classroom.

Zhang Yu was maintaining the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Art, simultaneously cultivating it and continuing his studies.

Ever since he began cultivating the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art, Zhang Yu had been alternating between the two mental arts.

While practicing this martial arts mental method and executing external martial moves, he naturally maintained the state of the Heavenly Martial Core Refinement Art.

At other times when he couldn't cultivate this martial art, such as during breaks or classes, he maintained the state of the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Art.

This process, however, made Zhang Yu feel a conceptual contradiction, which in turn affected the efficiency of both mental arts.

"One wants to fight, fight, fight, and smash everything. The other wants to endure hardship without complaint and accumulate quietly."

"Switching back and forth between these two... Sigh."

He couldn't help but scratch his head, then connected the conceptual contradiction between the two mental arts to the contract choices before him.

"I can choose my mindset, but in reality, there doesn't seem to be an option to just 'fight, fight, fight'..."

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Zhang Yu saw it was a message from Teacher Yan, his magic power instructor.

"Zhang Yu, have you offended the Student Council? I've refunded your tutoring fees, and you won't be able to participate in future magic power competitions for now."

"Quickly find a way to mend your relationship with the Student Council."

Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened upon seeing the message, realizing it was the Student Council applying pressure again.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen's voice sounded beside him, "I got kicked out by Old Yan. Were you also removed from the magic power competition team?"

After Zhang Yu nodded, Bai Zhenzhen fumed, "That bunch of bastards in the Student Council will probably keep harassing us now."

"Can you still hold out?"

Zhang Yu nodded, "I can hold out, but when will this holding out end?"

Bai Zhenzhen said, "We'll hold out until our strength is sufficient, until we master the method to get into a top university."

"And during this process, the Student Council's pressure on us will inevitably grow."

"That's how these rich people are. Once their interests are affected—no, even if it just means they earn less money—they'll immediately shed their usual hypocritical masks and start dealing with you by any means necessary."

Bai Zhenzhen held her head, saying with a bitter expression, "We'll be continuously suppressed and isolated."

"They might use combat classes as an opportunity to have teachers or senior students beat us, exploit Dao Heart classes to torment us in the spiritual realm, bribe teachers to give us low grades, and strip us of our various benefits and opportunities..."

"Their lackeys will also jump out one after another, using petty tricks like gluing chairs, splashing cold water in restrooms, or stealing homework notebooks—all sorts of despicable nonsense."

"In short, they'll use every available means to make our lives difficult."

Her eyes seemed to already envision an incredibly dark high school experience.

"We'll gradually become despised by everyone in school, fall to the bottom of the food chain, be repeatedly humiliated by the wealthy, and eventually become individuals no one even wants to eat with."

She suddenly scratched her head, "Ugh, damn it."

"This situation won't improve at all; it'll only get worse until we graduate from senior year and get into university... or until we surrender and sign a slave contract for them."

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes, "How do you know so much?"

Bai Zhenzhen replied, "An upperclassman told me a long time ago, before she committed suicide."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Zhang Yu, "If you can't hold on, you can sign early while you can still get a good price."

Zhang Yu pursed his lips, "I won't sign."

"I'm going to get into one of the top ten universities. I won't sign even if it kills me."

Seeing Zhang Yu's resolute expression, Bai Zhenzhen smiled, "Then we'll hold out together."

"But don't worry, waiting passively isn't my style."

"I'm close to finding the leader of the Pauper's Alliance. I'm determined to find a way from him to get into university without signing a contract."