Chapter 55: Divine Auxiliary Assessment

Listening to Zhang Pianpian’s explanation, Zhang Yu asked another question. “Why would Zhenzhen be protected if I participate in the assessment?”

Zhang Pianpian rested her chin on her hand and said calmly, “I can recommend you to take the assessment for Divine Auxiliary Personnel. Once you become a Divine Auxiliary, you can take on an intern of your own.”

Zhang Yu understood; it was like a temporary worker outsourcing an intern.

Zhang Pianpian continued, “After you become an unofficial member of the Eight Orthodox Gods, I’ll take you to Songyang High School to talk with the Student Union and give you some support. For the next six months or so, as long as I remain in Songyang City and haven’t gone off to university, they should temporarily not trouble either of you.”

Go to Songyang High School to talk? Give us support? Who are you? What’s your score? How much money do you have? Can you really pull this off?

As if sensing Zhang Yu’s doubts and worries, Zhang Pianpian didn’t say much, only stating calmly, “I’m currently the top student in the senior year at White Dragon High School, and also the strongest high school student in Songyang City.”

The *strongest* high school student in Songyang City!

If Zhang Yu from his previous life had heard those words, he would have only thought, “Oh, impressive, quite formidable.” But now, hearing Zhang Pianpian’s words, he felt as if the sister before him was radiating blinding light.

Anyone who had attended high school in Songyang City knew the weight of that title. It was a designation earned only after countless self-destructive cultivation sessions that felt like selling one’s soul, shedding buckets of blood and tears, and stepping on the remains of countless high school students.

So Zhang Yu asked again, “What exactly does this Divine Auxiliary job entail?”

“Work?” Zhang Pianpian tilted her head. “You don’t need to do any specific work. Once you have this status, you just collect your salary on time every month.”

Zhang Yu understood again. “Isn’t this like being a phantom employee? Is this kind of good fortune finally happening to him?”

Zhang Yu quickly asked, “Then what will the assessment test?”

Zhang Pianpian shook her head. “The specific content of the assessment is randomly generated; I don’t know it either. But based on my understanding of Divine Auxiliaries, the higher your Dao Heart, and the stronger your willpower, the better.”

“Dao Heart and willpower?” Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “Could the examination venue be in the Spirit World?”

“Exactly,” Zhang Pianpian stood up and said as she walked out. “The examination venue is in the Spirit World. I’ll send you the online address for the assessment registration shortly. If you register today, you should be able to take the assessment tomorrow. Remember to ask for a day off from school tomorrow. Also, I’ll have someone send you a Spirit World mask to borrow for the exam.”

Saying that, Zhang Pianpian had already reached the doorway. “Finally, remember not to reveal our sibling relationship to anyone. If anyone asks, just say I appreciate your talent.”

Watching Zhang Pianpian’s departing back, Zhang Yu thought for a moment and first sent a message to Su Haifeng, asking for a leave of absence. Then, without waiting for a reply, he temporarily put down his phone and began to consider what preparations he should make next.

“Dao Heart? Willpower? And the venue is in the Spirit World?” Zhang Yu decided to trust Zhang Pianpian’s words and began to think according to her guidance. “To improve Dao Heart and willpower, the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art is definitely the most effective. Tonight, I’ll push this cultivation method again.”

However, thinking that this matter was quite important, as it concerned his and Bai Zhenzhen’s future, Zhang Yu decided to raise the stakes, push himself hard, and ensure he could cultivate the method even more vigorously tonight. He picked up his phone and contacted Wang Hai. “Teacher Wang, I want to buy some medicine.”

Wang Hai was delighted when he heard this, almost bursting into laughter. Finally! Finally, this cultivation genius, this Golden Core disciple in his class, was willing to buy medicine from him! At this moment, Wang Hai felt deeply comforted, as if he had seen a wayward student return to the right path. He thought for a moment and said, “What kind of medicine do you need?”

Zhang Yu said, “Medicine that will allow me to train martial arts all night without rest. The side effects and damage to the body must be as minimal as possible. The quality needs to be good; the price doesn’t matter much. I only need it for tonight, so you don’t need to give me too much.”

Zhang Yu thought to himself, although his original body had overdosed on drugs before, he had recuperated for so long, and his physical strength had greatly improved. Now, to make a push for tomorrow’s assessment, taking one course of medicine shouldn’t be a big problem.

On the other side, Wang Hai, an expert drug salesman who both used and sold his own products, knew his inventory inside and out. Although he felt a bit regretful hearing Zhang Yu only needed it for one night, it also made him more eager to show Zhang Yu the benefits of taking medicine, hoping he would buy more in the future.

“Wait a moment…” Wang Hai immediately put his mind to work, considering Zhang Yu’s physical strength, and finally drew up a list including painkillers, focus agents, stimulants, and physical strength injections. He sent the list to Zhang Yu, then added, “These are all top-tier products, with the minimal side effects you requested. If you want them, I’ll give you a 10% discount.”

Looking at the list with a total price of 5,800, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, “Good medicine really isn’t cheap. Good thing I only need it for one night.” After spending on various meals, transportation, extra Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivation sessions, and the new month’s 15,000 loan, 1,500 rent, and hundreds for utilities, Zhang Yu’s savings had dropped to just over 45,000. Now, subtracting another 5,800, he would only have just over 39,000 left. “Ugh, I’m poor.”

Zhang Yu transferred the money to Wang Hai and waited for the delivery. With Songyang City’s courier efficiency, he should receive the goods within an hour.

Just then, he received a message from Zhang Pianpian, who had sent the website address for the assessment application. “Songyang City Inspection Department Divine Auxiliary Recruitment Registration…” The Inspection Department was one of the Eight Divine Departments. Zhang Yu saw that the recruitment requirements, job responsibilities, and benefits were also listed. He met all the recruitment requirements. The job responsibilities vaguely mentioned things like “patrols and inspections, maintaining public order.” Zhang Yu didn’t really know what the specific work entailed. As for the benefits…

“Weekly required work hours: 18 hours. Monthly salary: 1,000 yuan?” At less than 14 yuan an hour, did a job like this even require an assessment? Zhang Yu lamented, glad that he was the one drawing a phantom salary. However, based on his understanding of Kunxu, a job’s status could be entirely evaluated by its hourly wage. A job status with an hourly wage of less than 14 yuan per hour… could it really cover for him in front of the Student Union? The hourly wage itself conveyed a sense of weakness and lowliness.

Fearing Zhang Pianpian had given him the wrong website, he couldn’t help but send a message to her, raising his doubts. Zhang Pianpian simply replied, “No matter how low the status, it still belongs to the Eight Orthodox Gods. And whether a status is useful also depends on who uses it. The monthly pay is a bit low, but some hidden good benefits aren’t written in the recruitment notice. For example, after joining, you can receive a work-specific Talisman Scroll for free. Also, once you become Divine Auxiliary Personnel, you’ll get a discount if you study talismans.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up upon reading this, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. If these benefits were included, then this job was indeed quite extraordinary. So he submitted his application on the website and wrote Zhang Pianpian’s name in the recommender field.

A moment later, Zhang Yu received a notification to participate in the assessment at 9 AM the next morning.

Having done all this, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of profound realization. The channels, jobs, statuses, and information Zhang Pianpian shared with him today were all completely unknown to him in the past. This reminded him of the original Zhang Yu’s memories, how he had participated in the high school interview almost entirely ignorant, only to discover a huge gap not only in wealth, talent, and ability but also in information and intelligence compared to urban students. He hadn’t even figured out the right direction for his efforts.

Shaking off his thoughts, Zhang Yu then cultivated the Wild Ox Soul Suppressing Heart Art in meditation while waiting for the delivery. Since the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art required both punching and circulating the mental cultivation method to train, he primarily practiced the Wild Ox Soul Suppressing Heart Art when cultivating mind methods in his rented room.

In the blink of an eye, over forty minutes passed, and both the Spirit World mask sent by Zhang Pianpian and the package of medicines from Wang Hai arrived. Zhang Yu picked up the bag of medicine, wanting to rush to the unfinished building to practice. But considering the preciousness of the Spirit World mask, he decided to bring it along.

Arriving at the unfinished building, Zhang Yu successively took all the painkillers, focus agents, and stimulants Wang Hai had prepared for him, then injected a tube of stamina enhancer into his arm. A moment later, Zhang Yu felt his entire body growing hot, his vital energy surging like rolling magma, making him feel as if his physical strength was boundless and inexhaustible. He threw a punch, immediately beginning to furiously practice the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art.

Originally, it took 14 minutes to complete one set of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, but now, urged by the medication, Zhang Yu’s limbs moved with blurred afterimages, finishing all nine sets of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art’s martial arts in just 6 minutes. Moreover, during this process, his muscles felt no soreness, nor was his breathing strained.

During cultivation, Zhang Yu had only one feeling: It was too intense! Wang Hai’s medicine was truly too intense! The 5,800 yuan was well spent! Teacher Wang! Taking medicine is really better than natural body refinement!

For one hour, Zhang Yu trained furiously. Two hours later, Zhang Yu was still training. Five hours later, Zhang Yu still hadn’t stopped. He continued training vigorously, without any rest, all night long, until 7 AM when Zhang Yu suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and could no longer continue. He slumped to the ground, feeling his heart pounding as if it would fly out, and his internal organs ached with a dull pain, which gradually subsided after more than ten minutes.

“The medicine’s worn off.” Recalling the painful sensation in his body, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This effect is too strong. My internal organs haven’t fully recovered yet. As expected, this medicine shouldn’t be taken often.”

However, the results of such a night of frantic cultivation were abundant. Not only did his physical strength increase from 1.33 to 1.35, and his Dao Heart improved to Level 3 (5), but most crucially, the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art reached Level 6 (3/60). At this moment, when Zhang Yu once again channeled the Heavenly Martial Will, he felt all fear and hesitation recede, as if no matter how perilous the path ahead, he would forge straight through, tearing open a way with his own hands.

After breakfast, he returned to his rented room and rested until 8:50 AM. Zhang Yu put on the Spirit World mask, activated the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, and then connected to the assessment website. As the clock struck 9 AM, Zhang Yu felt a flash of light in the darkness, and he found himself in another world.