Chapter 62: Bomb Kill, Friends

Inside the unfinished building, after waiting painstakingly for over two hours, Zhou Tianyi felt he had finally found an opportunity to ambush Zhang Yu.

However, in a flash, his attack was met with a surge of Gang Qi from Zhang Yu's back, catching him completely off guard.

Zhou Tianyi had kicked out, leaving him with only one foot on the ground. When the Formless Cloud Gang suddenly rebounded his leg force, he lost his footing and was sent flying backward.

"What?!" Zhang Yu had only been practicing the Limitless Cloud Hand for less than a month! How could he already project Gang Qi from his back?

As Zhou Tianyi felt the immense power surging from the Gang Qi, shock involuntarily welled up within him.

But before one wave subsided, another rose. Just as he rolled to the ground and sharply lifted his head, a fierce figure was already in hot pursuit, appearing directly before him.

Earlier, watching Zhang Yu train from a distance, Zhou Tianyi had only felt that Zhang Yu seemed imposing. Now, in direct confrontation, he truly understood what that presence was.

Savage killing intent, endless fighting spirit—looking at Zhang Yu, who, under the influence of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, was pursuing him like a fiend, an urge to turn and flee arose in his heart.

But just as Zhou Tianyi instinctively took a step back, Zhang Yu launched his full attack.

Gazing at the masked attacker (Zhou Tianyi) before him, Zhang Yu, under the influence of the Heavenly Martial Intent, had completely entered a combat state.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Grind all enemies to dust!

The Level 10 Limitless Cloud Hand was unleashed with full power.

Zhang Yu struck out with a palm, and the spiritual energy from his Dantian surged, undergoing seven rapid oscillations in an instant. This transformed into waves of tumultuous Formless Cloud Gang, which then poured forth.

Facing the oncoming Formless Cloud Gang, Zhou Tianyi knew this was a moment of life and death. He stomped his foot, and with a roar, unleashed a fierce kick with all his might.

The moment the two forces collided, Zhou Tianyi felt his spiritual energy rapidly give way. The Formless Cloud Gang struck him like a massive truck, sending him flying backward to crash violently against a concrete wall nearby.

The concrete wall was hit with a loud bang, creating a hole.

Zhou Tianyi finally fell to the ground amidst a pile of shattered mud and bricks.

He tried to struggle to his feet, but a searing pain shot through his entire body with the slightest movement. He didn't know how many bones and muscles were broken, and he collapsed back to the ground.

Zhang Yu slowly walked toward him, still immersed in the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, exuding a fierce aura. He stared coldly at the masked Zhou Tianyi and asked, "Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

Zhou Tianyi, however, did not answer. Instead, he assessed his injuries, his heart filled with despair.

With such severe injuries, he didn't know how much money it would take to recover. This would be a major catastrophe for his immortal cultivation, possibly even destroying his path entirely.

While he was momentarily stunned, Zhang Yu grabbed his mask and ripped it off.

When he saw Zhou Tianyi beneath the mask, a flicker of astonishment crossed his face. "Zhou Tianyi?"

Zhou Tianyi's mind raced. He looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Zhang Yu, do you know why you were able to get into Songyang High School?"

Seeing Zhang Yu's listening gesture, Zhou Tianyi continued, "It's because your physical body has a high compatibility with certain wealthy individuals. So, they selected you to cultivate you in high school."

"Just like many other poor students at Songyang High School, in addition to academic performance, physical compatibility has always been a hidden criterion."

Zhang Yu frowned. Of course, he didn't immediately believe Zhou Tianyi. He asked, "Then why recruit them into Songyang High School? Can't they be cultivated elsewhere?"

Zhou Tianyi sneered, "What do you think Songyang High School is? It has a complex dark side far beyond your imagination."

"Poor people in Songyang High School can be their dogs, but they can also be a spare parts repository. Of course, they must be uniformly cultivated and undergo the same training as them."

Zhang Yu suddenly thought of the Heavenly Demon Parasitic Art. Could it be that a student from Songyang High School was actually practicing this cultivation method?

Zhang Yu stared at Zhou Tianyi. "So you were sent by the Student Council?"

"I told you, Songyang is very complex..." Zhou Tianyi shook his head, but then suddenly couldn't help but cough up a large mouthful of blood.

In his Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art state, Zhang Yu had shown almost no mercy to the masked assailant, striking with full lethal intent.

Zhou Tianyi now felt the severity of his injuries. He knew that if he didn't receive immediate treatment, not only would his immortal cultivation be greatly affected, but his life might also be in danger.

A hint of urgency flashed in his eyes. Zhou Tianyi quickened his pace, "Zhang Yu! You were triggered by an evil god, gaining some kind of ability, right?"

Zhang Yu's gaze sharpened, but he offered no response. Of course, he couldn't reveal anything about himself and the evil god ritual to anyone.

Zhou Tianyi said, "You don't need to rush to deny it, you..."

A sickly flush appeared on his face. The pain from his internal injuries momentarily rendered him speechless.

"Zhang Yu...we...are on the same side..."

"Take...take me to a nearby clinic."

Seeing Zhang Yu still motionless and feeling his life rapidly draining away, Zhou Tianyi's urgency grew. He finally blurted out, "I...I also have an evil god behind me. That being...is very interested in you..."

Just then, his body temperature began to rise, and tiny sparks of light flickered on his cheeks.

A flicker of fear crossed Zhou Tianyi's eyes. He yelled, "I didn't mean to say it, I didn't really say it! Wait, I was just using him..."

Feeling that the flames showed no sign of stopping, Zhou Tianyi finally couldn't help but curse, "Idiot!!"

"This idiot!"

The next moment, streams of crimson flames erupted violently from his body.

Zhang Yu's brows furrowed tightly as he watched Zhou Tianyi turn to ash in an instant.

"Zhou Tianyi was actually an evil god's subordinate?"

But thinking of the Eight Orthodox Gods' greed for money and the evil gods' lethal ways, Zhang Yu suddenly realized that evil gods also... weren't without their advantages.

After all, Kunxu had plenty of poor people who had lives but no money.

"Thinking this way... perhaps evil god followers are not uncommon in Kunxu."

Watching the ashes gradually dissipate on the ground, he thought to himself, "Was this a backlash from some kind of ritualistic power?"

"It really feels like some kind of idiotic ritual."

Recalling today's events, Zhang Yu also wondered, "Have I caused too much trouble recently, attracting an evil god's attention? No, Zhou Tianyi knew Zhang Yu for a long time. Could he have been targeted much earlier?"

His heart sank, yet he also felt that this matter was something he couldn't discuss with anyone.

The three renowned schools, the Student Council, evil gods... Reflecting on the opponents he would face in the future, Zhang Yu finally sighed, "Ultimately, I still need to increase my strength."

Especially remembering how he had just defeated Zhou Tianyi, he understood that if he hadn't been strong enough, he would likely have fallen into his opponent's hands.

Recalling the day's events—fighting or retreating in the illusion trial, receiving Zhang Pianpian's protection, defeating Zhou Tianyi with his own martial power...

At this moment, Zhang Yu suddenly seemed to ponder deeply, then unexpectedly laughed.

Previously, when he switched between the Wild Bull Soul Suppressing Heart Art and the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art, he felt a contradiction in his thinking.

Now, he suddenly realized, "Fight when you should fight, retreat when you should retreat. Respond to different environments with different mindsets. Why was I conflicted over such a simple principle before..."

In that instant, Zhang Yu felt the Heavenly Martial Intent operate more harmoniously and smoothly. Switching to and from the Wild Bull Soul Suppressing Heart Art was also incredibly seamless, with no hindrance whatsoever.

"Keep training."

Whether facing enemies in the dark or opponents from Songyang High School and the three renowned schools, Zhang Yu needed to further enhance his strength.

In the blink of an eye, a night passed, and Zhang Yu's Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art also advanced to Level 6 (41/60).

Meanwhile.

Inside the Songyang High School office.

Su Haifeng listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, surprised. "He died from backlash? He betrayed us?"

Listening to the speaker, Su Haifeng nodded repeatedly, saying, "I will cooperate with you to process Zhou Tianyi's withdrawal."

"Don't worry, no one in the school should notice anything unusual."

"But what about Zhang Yu now?"

"To be honest, the school board, the Student Council, the patrol team... I think he's attracted too much attention now. Since Zhou, our hidden piece, has failed, it's not suitable for the rest of us to risk exposure by taking action. Perhaps we can temporarily let Zhang Yu go and look at other candidates."

"After all, Zhang Pianpian can only protect him for half a year at most..."

Songyang High School.

The school remained calm, filled with an atmosphere of study.

Zhang Yu felt this tranquility, watching students engrossed in their textbooks and cultivation. It was as if the intense conflict that had occurred in the training ground yesterday had never happened.

Even Zhou Tianyi's disappearance today went unnoticed by most of the class. They only heard that someone had processed his withdrawal, just like Liang Qin's earlier withdrawal. It caused almost no stir, as withdrawals were never uncommon at Songyang High School.

It wasn't like someone jumping off a building, which would at least give students something to talk about during meals.

However, Zhang Yu still noticed some subtle differences.

For example... no students were willing to approach him anymore.

The classmates who used to greet him, ask him questions, or seek his advice on cultivation from time to time... had all suddenly vanished.

It was as if an invisible wall had appeared around him, driving away all the surrounding students.

Of course, he knew exactly why.

"Are they all afraid of being implicated by the Student Council, so they don't even dare to speak to me?"

Bai Zhenzhen casually put down her tray and sat opposite Zhang Yu.

Looking at Ah Zhen, Zhang Yu sighed, grateful to have Ah Zhen as a good friend.

Bai Zhenzhen quickly ate her meal while looking at Zhang Yu and said, "Yuzi, lend me your Talisman Book for a few days."

Zhang Yu retracted his previous thought. "I don't have a friend who asks to borrow an expensive item worth 100,000 just like that."

With a clatter.

Qian Shen also placed his tray on the table and sat down beside Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu smiled. Although Old Qian's scores were a bit lower than his, his tinted glasses were a bit thicker, and he was a bit discriminatory towards lower-scoring students, he seemed like a reliable friend.

Qian Shen quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice, then suddenly asked, "Um... is Zhang Pianpian, who scored 699 yesterday, very familiar with you?"

"Could you introduce me? I want to add her as a friend..."

Zhang Yu glared sharply at Qian Shen.

He retracted his previous thought.

You rascal!

I considered you my brother, and you want to scheme against my sister?

Don't you even check if there's still room for you on this thigh?

However, Zhang Yu had a change of heart. He suddenly remembered that Qian Shen was also an unrooted person, and then he saw the adoring light in his eyes.

Zhang Yu understood. This was a fan wanting a friend slot, right?

Zhang Yu said, "Adding a friend should be fine."

"However, a friend slot costs 3,000. Just transfer it to me."