Several days after the martial arts competition ended, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen finally got a group photo shoot—a group photo shoot featuring all the competitors.
Walking down the street, Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Did you hear what Song Hailong said yesterday? Why did he, a third-place finisher, get an individual photo shoot, while we only got a group photo shoot?"
Bai Zhenzhen pouted and said, "I asked around, and the reason is probably... it's been half a year since school started, and we'll be in our second year of high school in another half year."
"Because they're afraid we'll collapse, no one's asking us to film individual photos."
Hearing Bai Zhenzhen's answer, Zhang Yu felt completely baffled: "Collapse? How could we collapse? Are they worried we'll mess with our fans?"
Bai Zhenzhen glanced at Zhang Yu and said matter-of-factly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Messing with fans is nothing. They're worried our grades will drop drastically after we enter our second year of high school, since we're poor."
Zhang Yu instantly understood. The collapse of the Kunxu top students meant their grades would drop—that made sense.
But then he got annoyed: "Does being poor mean you're destined to fail in your second year of high school?"
"We're already poor enough, but it's actually harder for us to make money than rich people like Song Hailong. He can get individual gigs, but we can't."
"By the way, why did they ask us to film group gigs? Aren't they afraid we'll fail?"
Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu like he was an idiot: "Are you stupid? If we fail in group gigs, they can just cut us out, right?"
Half an hour later, the two arrived at a photo studio and saw many familiar faces from the three major high schools already there.
But at this moment, these people were all intentionally or unintentionally glancing at a boy, a boy surrounded by more than ten staff members.
Bai Zhenzhen asked curiously, "Who is that? They've got quite the entourage."
Zhang Yu also felt curious: "Weren't the top eight from the martial arts competition supposed to all be eliminated together? This person doesn't seem to be one of them, does he?"
Lian Tianji appeared from behind the two and said, "That's Yu Xinghan, Xinghuo Zhenren's closed-door disciple found in another city. He should be transferring to Bailong High School soon."
Looking at the boy surrounded by assistants, makeup artists, directors… like a star being fawned over, Bai Zhenzhen's eyes flickered: "Xinghuo Zhenren? You mean the one whose Golden Core was optimized?"
Lian Tianji nodded upon hearing this: "According to Master Xinghuo, this Yu Xinghan will be his last disciple, inheriting all his mantle and wealth, and the future top scorer in the college entrance examination of Songyang City."
"Because of his title as a Golden Core disciple and such high praise, he was pulled in by the Xianyun Group to participate in this project." "
Look at Song Hailong, hehe... his eyes are practically spitting fire. After all, Yu Xinghan is transferring to Bailong High School, and he will inevitably compete with Song Hailong for the top spot in the grade."
Zhang Yu looked at Song Hailong as if he were looking at a stressed tabby cat, its back arched, its fur bristling, staring intently at Yu Xinghan.
Zhang Yu's eyes flickered, and he suddenly said: "Then Yu Xinghan will participate in the next competition, right?"
Lian Tianji nodded: "Of course, in the next sports competition, this person is probably a strong contender for the championship." In his gaze towards Yu Xinghan, a hint of challenging fighting spirit also ignited.
Just as Lian Tianji was talking with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen,
a gaze was quietly looking at the three of them.
The gaze belonged to Le Mulan from Ziyun High School.
Originally, Le Mulan had no interest in this kind of "GG" (male/female) filming, but firstly, since Golden Core disciple Yu Xinghan would be participating, she was curious about him.
Secondly… it was because of the only two poor students among the competition participants, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
While watching the two, Le Mulan thought to herself, "I've been seeing his photos on WeChat Moments every day lately, and I don't find them as disgusting as before. This is a good opportunity to take things a step further."
But the thought of approaching Zhang Yu made Le Mulan involuntarily conjure up an image of him sitting on her, his dirty, hot, and bloody body splattered all over her, sending shivers down her spine.
"Forget it, I'll start with the simplest thing."
"Anyway, I'll have to get close to them during the actual filming later."
So Le Mulan silently observed the two, her gaze constantly shifting in their direction.
…
The next part of the filming involved the competition participants recommending the tutoring institution of Xianyun Group.
During filming, people kept trying to get close to Yu Xinghan and add him as a friend, making Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen feel how sought-after a true Golden Core disciple was.
As for the central position of the entire GG (Golden Goblet) competition, it was completely occupied by Yu Xinghan, surrounded by other competitors like green leaves surrounding a central flower.
However, the top three in martial arts—Zhang Yu, Le Mulan, and Song Hailong—were like green leaves beside the flower, while Bai Zhenzhen, ranked fourth, was like the roots beneath the leaves, and Lian Tianji, ranked even lower, was like the mud beneath the flower.
According to the director, the words "Golden Core True Person's Closed-Door Disciple" would fill the entire screen, making him the absolute protagonist…
During filming, Zhang Yu felt that Le Mulan, who was beside him, was acting strangely, sometimes taking deep breaths, sometimes trembling slightly, finally prompting him to ask, "What are you doing?"
Seeing Zhang Yu turn around, Le Mulan couldn't help but take a step back: "You… I'm fine, it's none of your business."
Zhang Yu cursed her inwardly as a lunatic and then ignored her.
Le Mulan covered her nose, thinking to herself, "His smell is awful... Is this what Mom called the 'subway smell' of poor people?"
"This time it was definitely the right decision; I'm slowly getting used to it."
After four hours of filming, Zhang Yu took 30,000 yuan, while Bai Zhenzhen took 8,000 yuan and went home.
However, not long after arriving home, Zhang Yu's newly acquired 30,000 yuan transformed into a Hunyuan Pill, which he swallowed whole.
Feeling the violent medicinal power coursing through his body, Zhang Yu immediately seized the opportunity to cultivate the Crimson Marrow Hunyuan Qi.
As the medicinal power of the Hunyuan Pill spread throughout his limbs and bones, Zhang Yu felt as if his muscles, internal organs, and even bones were receiving rain after a long drought. During his circulation of the Crimson Marrow Hunyuan Qi, he began to frantically absorb the medicinal power.
A full half hour later, the medicinal power slowly dissipated within his body.
Zhang Yu knew the medicinal power hadn't truly disappeared; it had been temporarily absorbed into his muscles, organs, and bones.
Although he hadn't yet felt any increase in physical strength, he felt incredibly energetic, possessing inexhaustible strength.
He knew that over the next few days, the absorbed medicinal power would continue to take effect, enhancing his cultivation of the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi and further strengthening his physical body.
He eagerly resumed his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi cultivation. A
whole night passed, and with Zhang Yu's frantic cultivation of the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, he would train until exhaustion, then lie down, only to get up and continue again when the ritual urged him to.
Under such extreme training, his physical strength instantly increased from level 1.67 to level 1.70.
"What a good pill! It's truly a good pill; its high price is indeed justified."
...
Therefore, over the next few days, Zhang Yu seized every minute to continuously cultivate the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, trying to further improve his physical strength before the medicinal power truly dissipated.
Zhang Yu sometimes couldn't help but sigh, "Kunxu, you really turn people into ghosts! I've actually curled up on my own now, and I haven't heard the ritual screams for three days straight."
During this training, Zhang Yu could feel his body getting stronger bit by bit almost every moment.
"After all, unleashing the full power of level 10 Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi should normally be something only a top high school student could do." "
But now it's being used to improve my 1.7 physical strength, which is like a max-level player returning to the beginner village to level up. It's truly a vigorous and rapid improvement."
In just three days, as the medicinal power was exhausted, his physical strength increased continuously, rising from level 1.70 to level 1.87.
At this moment, Zhang Yu stood in the classroom, feeling the medicinal power completely drained, and sighed inwardly, his desire for money growing stronger.
"In Kunxu... you really can't do without money."
Just as he was thinking this, the voice of Lei Jun, the teacher of the practical class, came over, interrupting Zhang Yu who was still lost in thought.
"Zhang Yu, He Dayou, you two will spar together."
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. He was usually assigned to Bai Zhenzhen's group for practical combat classes, so why was he paired with He Dayou this time?
A king versus a stubborn bronze? What did Lei Jun mean?
Lei Jun's meaning was simple: he wanted Zhang Yu to teach He Dayou a lesson, simply because He Dayou's recent performance in practical combat classes had been too arrogant.
"Relying on his drastically increased physical strength, he charged around recklessly, completely disregarding the practical combat skills I taught him."
Therefore, Lei Jun sent out his top general, Zhang Yu, intending to let the other party know the importance of combat skills and martial arts.
He Dayou approached Zhang Yu with a gloomy face, thinking to himself, "After this period of implantation and adaptation training, my physical strength should already be far superior to Zhang Yu's. However, this kid's practical combat ability is too strong..."
Just as He Dayou was calculating in his mind, he saw Zhang Yu already strike with a palm.
He subconsciously reached out to block, only to find that Zhang Yu had actually grabbed his hand and was now sparring with him.
"What!" He Dayou was first startled, then overjoyed: "You actually dare to compete with me in strength now?"
He Dayou's other hand also grabbed at his opponent. Their hands clashed, and with the collision of their magical powers, each unleashed their inner strength.
He Dayou roared, trying to lift Zhang Yu up and throw him out of bounds.
But the next moment, He Dayou felt that his opponent's hands were as solid as rocks, completely unmoved by his exertion.
Facing He Dayou's burst of power, Zhang Yu smiled slightly, already knowing
what was going on. He thought to himself, "The competition team is indeed powerful. They've improved so much these past few days. He Dayou's physical strength is even slightly higher than mine, but..."
Zhang Yu chose to compete in strength because he wanted to test the results of his training over the past few days.
At this moment, with a sudden exertion of force from all the muscles in Zhang Yu's body, his body seemed to be twisted into a rope, each muscle pressing and prying against the others, ultimately transforming into a terrifying explosive force that was transmitted from his entire body to his hands.
With the support of the level 10 Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, and with Zhang Yu's control over all the muscles in his body, the physical strength he could instantly unleash... far exceeded that of opponents with similar physical strength.
With a loud bang,
He Dayou felt an irresistible force slam into him, throwing him off balance, and finally landing on the ground with a thud.
The familiar camera angle shifted again, revealing the hard, cold ground and the pain coursing through his body. He
Dayou dazedly got to his feet.
The feeling was so familiar.
Had he been defeated again?
Just like his last encounter with Zhang Yu, had he lost again despite his greatly increased physical strength?
He abruptly raised his head, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Zhang Yu, still unable to believe it: "How could he be so much stronger than me? Has his physical strength surpassed mine?"
Not far away, Qian Shen and Zhao Tianxing also looked over, their eyes gleaming with astonishment as they watched He Dayou being thrown back.
Qian Shen: "Has Zhang Yu improved more than He Dayou?"
Zhao Tianxing thought to himself: "How did he do that? How much has Zhang Yu improved his physical strength in such a short time? Even more than the special training program?"
That day after school, He Dayou went to the sports team's practice field and told Lan Ling about what had happened that day.
Lan Ling frowned and said, "His physical strength can't be higher than yours."
"The reason he was able to beat you is probably because his power generation technique is stronger than yours, while you..."
Lan Ling glanced at him, then casually lifted and shook He Dayou, who felt as if he had lost control of his entire body.
Lan Ling put the other person down and said calmly, "Your control over your own muscles, especially the transplanted muscles, is too poor. You haven't been able to unleash your true power at all."
"Continue with the next surgery and training. Once you have more muscle fibers transplanted and can exert more power from the transplanted muscles, you won't lose to Zhang Yu anymore."
...
At the same time after school,
Zhang Yu walked towards his rented room while circulating his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi.
But the moment he opened the door, he was slightly stunned when he saw the tattered rag doll on the bed.
"An evil god?"
It was a tattered rag doll with two button eyes that looked like two dark holes, staring intently at Zhang Yu who had opened the door. Who else could it be but the evil god he had wished for earlier?
And just as Zhang Yu was slightly stunned, the rag doll spoke: "My good servant, kneel before me. This is my wish."
Accompanied by the wailing ritual in his mind, Zhang Yu could only kneel down on the ground with a thud.
The doll on the bed laughed heartily, "Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!"
"In just two or three months, that casual rascal has really grown up."
"If I hadn't heard the news that you, a student from Songyang High School, won first place in the martial arts competition, I probably would never have imagined you'd improve so quickly..."
At this point, the gloom in her heart dissipated considerably.
The reason she returned to Zhang Yu was partly due to his achievements, but another reason was... she realized she couldn't go back. She
thought of herself, once standing at the pinnacle of the evil god realm, having achieved financial and cultivation freedom, only to be forced back into the workforce after a failed investment after retirement.
But she didn't care. Since she couldn't hold onto her peak, she'd simply walk the same path again!
With her years of experience in the fraud industry, she initially thought it would be a story of a supreme evil god's urban adventure, a max-level account reorganizing the workplace.
Little did she expect that the anti-fraud measures of major sects would evolve so rapidly, causing even this treasure of the Evil God Realm to suffer heavy losses. Coupled with being betrayed, she is now even stranded on the first level of Kunxu, her power plummeting to rock bottom, beyond any hope of recovery.
"Damn it... if I get caught and deported, I'm finished... who betrayed me?"
"My power is consuming so quickly, and my intelligence is declining again. If this continues... I'll really become a stupid toy."
So, at this moment, she sought out Zhang Yu again, hoping to capitalize on this potential to rise again.
"To win first place in the martial arts competition despite being a poor wretch, I must have unlocked incredible potential."
"Hehe... I thought it was a losing proposition, but it turned out to be a winning stock I bought at the bottom."
Thinking about the wish Zhang Yu still owed her, the doll became even more excited.
But the next moment, she suddenly froze. Zhang Yu, who should have knelt down after she made her wish... slowly stood up?
"What are you doing?"
"Are you crazy? Kneel down now, or do you want to die from the backlash of the ritual?"
Zhang Yu silently sensed the changes in the ritual power within his body.
After the other party made the wish for him to kneel, the chill from the ritual dissipated as he half-knelt.
But just a few seconds after he knelt, the idiotic ritual started yelling again.
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback, then realized, "Is this urging me to cultivate?"
"But the other wish is to kneel?"
"Is there a conflict between the wishes?"
Zhang Yu wondered, "Then... in this situation, which wish takes priority?"
So he tried to stand up, and immediately a ritual voice rang out, urging him to kneel down quickly.
Zhang Yu could feel the ritual power split into two streams, one urging him to cultivate quickly, and the other urging him to kneel down immediately.
"It really is a conflict."
When he circulated his Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi and entered a state of cultivation, all the wailing stopped.
"But in the end, cultivation took priority over kneeling, is it because... is it the order of making wishes?"
Looking at Zhang Yu standing up, Ragdoll initially thought he had gone crazy and was reckless.
But seeing his calm appearance, she immediately realized something was wrong.
But Ragdoll was different from Zhang Yu, who had been accompanied by the ritual day and night and cared for 24 hours a day for the past two months.
Although the doll remembered the two wishes she had given him, she hadn't immediately realized that the ritual's power had integrated the plans for fulfilling those wishes—getting into a good university, joining a major sect, working hard to earn money and buying the antiques in his shopping cart—into Zhang Yu's daily life.
However… while she hadn't immediately grasped the details, or the contradiction between those details and the 'kneeling' wish, she quickly made her next wish after realizing something was wrong.
"I command you not to hurt me!"
But the moment the doll uttered these words, accompanied by a booming sound, a large hand, enveloped in layers of white energy, gripped the doll tightly.
The doll roared, "I command you! Release me immediately!"
Zhang Yu's grip loosened slightly, but the next moment, an even more surging energy swept over, jostling the doll around like a training tool.
As Zhang Yu felt the chill shift within him, he thought to himself, "So, when desires conflict, the key is the order of those desires?"
"Studying, practicing martial arts, taking the university entrance exam, entering a major sect… these plans, triggered by these desires, have higher priority than subsequent desires because of their order." "
In other words, as long as I maintain my state of cultivation and study, the subsequent desires that contradict 'cultivation and study' can be temporarily suppressed…"
At this moment, Zhang Yu was using a tattered rag doll as a prop to practice the Formless Cloud Qi. Under these circumstances… he noticed that the ritual didn't urge him to kneel or release the rag doll.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu looked at the doll, who still wanted to speak, and said calmly, "Shut up."
With each breath of the Formless Cloud Qi, he gently pressed against the surface of the rag doll, as if he could tear it to shreds at any moment.
At the same time, Zhang Yu's voice continued to come.
"You just said you weren't allowed to hurt… you."
With the friction of the Formless Cloud Qi, the rag doll felt the force pressing against it gradually increasing, as if it was about to truly harm and attack it at any moment.
"So, you're saying that if I destroy this doll now, I can hurt you, right?"
Sensing Zhang Yu's gaze, filled with killing intent and fighting spirit yet utterly calm, the doll's heart sank. "Damn it… he reacted so quickly? No, has my intelligence level decreased again?"
The doll hurriedly warned, "Zhang Yu, if you really hurt me now, you will definitely be killed by the backlash of the ritual!"
"You should be able to feel it, right? The ritual power is already monitoring you."
Zhang Yu didn't speak, but after his recent attempts, he discovered that whenever he intended to harm the doll, the ritual would scream again.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "The rule against harming evil gods seems to take precedence over wishes."
But he understood that he couldn't show weakness at this time, so he immediately continued to fully activate the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, unleashing waves of fighting spirit.
He had to adopt a roof-breaking attitude to possibly get a window opened.
Then Zhang Yu continued, "Then we might as well die together. Otherwise, what's the point of living if I'm your servant for life?"
Feeling Zhang Yu's fearless aura under the influence of the Level 10 Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Technique, the little girl's heart sank again.
In his gaze, she seemed to truly sense a fighting spirit willing to risk her life.
Facing Zhang Yu's aura full of fighting spirit and determination, Wawa thought to herself, "This Zhang Yu has changed so much in just over two months? What kind of potential has been unleashed on him?"
If it were the Wawa of the past, she would not have cared about Zhang Yu's threat; she would have had plenty of ways to deal with him.
But at this moment, she was extremely weak, and she had an even stronger desire to climb Kunxu again and reclaim everything that was hers.
The doll sighed inwardly, "Alas, those with nothing to lose are fearless. There's no need to waste my breath on this poor wretch. I'll devise a clever plan, find a carrot to dangle him forward."
After a moment's thought, the doll's tone softened, "Don't be nervous, Zhang Yu. I've come to you because an incredible stroke of luck has befallen you."
Zhang Yu, however, asked a question that had been nagging at him: "Did you send Zhou Tianyi?"
"Zhou Tianyi? Who's that? I don't know him."
The doll seemed unaware of who Zhang Yu was referring to, and didn't seem to care. Instead, it continued its previous topic: "After I unleashed your potential, you achieved what you have today. Don't you want to further enhance your potential?"
Further enhance his potential?
Zhang Yu suddenly thought of the table of contents of the Feather Book. He had previously felt that the current Feather Book only had a prologue, which might mean there was more content to come.
Now, hearing the doll's words, his guess seemed to be confirmed.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Indeed, my potential is far greater than this. If Yu Shu hadn't failed to fully unleash my potential, my scores and performance in competitions would be much higher and stronger." "
Sigh, in the end, I'm still being dragged down by Yu Shu."
Zhang Yu's slight silence was interpreted by the doll as a sign of interest.
So she quickly said, "Let's cooperate and climb Kunxu together. With my assistance, you will surely stand atop Kunxu, become an immortal, achieve wealth and freedom of cultivation."
Zhang Yu had been wary of this evil god from beginning to end, and naturally wouldn't be easily fooled.
In comparison, he was more concerned about the wish: "Can the wish be revoked?"
The doll naturally said no, but Zhang Yu didn't believe her.
After a brief back-and-forth, Zhang Yu threatened suicide repeatedly, finally saying, "This ritual power is so rigid, like a stupid program. How could you not have left a backup plan?"
The evil god sighed softly, "Then you should know that if I withdraw my wish, wouldn't I be at your mercy?"
"Do you think I'd agree to that? Don't make such unrealistic demands. We're in the same boat now, let's talk about something practical."
After that struggle, the doll understood that Zhang Yu was no longer as easy to talk to as before.
The current Zhang Yu was no longer the helpless student she could bully; he was not only of steely will and decisive, but also possessed the means to take her down with him, and had enough power to carry it out.
The doll understood… under the current circumstances… he had the right to negotiate with her, so she decided to make some concessions.
Doll: "How about this, to show my sincerity, I withdraw the wish I just made while kneeling."
Zhang Yu: "And the wish to be released."
Doll: "Okay, okay, withdraw both."
It's unclear what the doll did, but a moment later, Zhang Yu exited his cultivation state and indeed found that the two wishes were no longer binding him.
The doll continued, "Now you can put me down and we can have a proper talk, right? Holding me like this is very disrespectful."
Zhang Yu chuckled and said, "Holding you in my hand is the only way I can threaten you. Do you think it's appropriate for me to let go?"
The doll sighed inwardly, "You really haven't let your guard down at all."
Zhang Yu continued, "Since you refuse to withdraw your wish and still want to use the ritual to control me, then I will have no choice but to carry you with me at all times, ensuring that I can perish together with you at any moment."
The doll: "You..."
The next moment, she was suddenly startled, because she saw streaks of formless cloud energy emerging from Zhang Yu's body, like clouds of mist surging out from within him.
The doll exclaimed in surprise, "This is the performance of a level 10 Wuji Cloud Hand? Your Wuji Cloud Hand is level 10? It's only been two months, how is this possible?"
Zhang Yu said calmly, "I hope you understand that with this move, as long as you are by my side, I can attack you with Wuxiang Cloud Qi at any time."
The doll's gaze towards Zhang Yu became increasingly different. She thought to herself, "This kid's potential seems even more terrifying than I originally expected, but in this way... it's good. With him... I might really be able to go up there and retrieve what's mine."
If Zhang Yu were still the weak and incompetent person he once was, even if the doll gained his complete loyalty, she wouldn't respect him.
But now that Zhang Yu had demonstrated his strength and potential, even if she couldn't completely control him, the doll looked at him with new respect.
So she proposed her cooperation plan again: "I'll help you enhance your potential and help you climb Kunxu, and you just need to take me up with you along the way."
Zhang Yu squeezed the doll in his hand and said, "Is there any way for me to carry you with me?"
The doll chuckled, and in the blink of an eye, her figure shrank, shrank, and shrank again, from a cat-sized rag doll into a black prayer bead about the size of a thumb.
Zhang Yu casually found a rope, put the thumb-sized black prayer beads around his neck, and asked, "You won't be detected as an evil god usually, will you?"
The doll laughed and said, "Although I'm not at my peak, my concealment skills are beyond what those lowly level guys can detect."
Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Then come on, enhance my potential."
The doll smiled awkwardly, "Of course, it's not something you can just do on a whim, but it's not difficult. Just help me hunt down another evil god on this level, and after I absorb his power, I can enhance your potential."
Zhang Yu immediately grabbed the doll in his palm: "Are you kidding me?"
"I'm only a first-year high school student, and you want me to deal with another evil god?"
the doll quickly explained, "I didn't tell you to act immediately. Gather your strength a little longer, and you can act when you're strong enough."
But Zhang Yu became curious: "Where is that evil god? What's its strength? Does it have any followers?"
The doll said, "There should be one hidden behind Songyang High School, and another one behind Bailong High School."
"As for strength, the most powerful evil god kings all accept faith in the eighteenth underground level. The evil gods who rise up are stronger the higher they climb; those stuck on the first level aren't that powerful." "
However, the specific situation of these two high-level evil gods hiding—where they're hiding, who their followers are—still needs to be investigated together."
Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. This evil god wanted to improve his potential, then wanted him to deal with another evil god and investigate the specifics himself.
"This evil god is full of boasting; he can't be easily trusted."
So Zhang Yu stopped listening to the other's empty talk and instead opened his phone, intending to quickly find some money-making work.
After enjoying the effects of the Hunyuan Pill, Zhang Yu no longer wanted to cultivate naked without any food.
"If I had the money to use the Hunyuan Pill every day, my physical strength would increase, and my speed would definitely be 80% or 90% faster than before."
"That difference is too big. How can I cultivate in peace?"
He sighed inwardly, "It's really hard to go from luxury to frugality."
After talking for a while, the evil god realized that Zhang Yu was no longer paying attention to him, so he simply climbed onto Zhang Yu's shoulder to see what the other was doing.
The doll thought to itself, "No, I have to make Zhang Yu rely on me more and realize my importance before I can start the next plan."
So after watching for a while, the doll suddenly said, "You want to make money?"
Isn't that obvious? Who in the entire Kunxu doesn't want to make money? Zhang Yu responded indifferently.
The doll asked again, "Hehe, how easy is it to make money through legitimate means? You'll just be played around by those big companies, skinned alive, and toil your whole life, only to end up with a pittance."
"If a poor person wants to make money, they have to break the rules and go down the dark path."
Zhang Yu frowned, "The dark path?"
He thought of all sorts of pornographic, violent, and vicious things.
Just as Zhang Yu was about to refuse outright, Wawa continued, "I have connections in the shady tutoring industry. Want to give it a try?"
"Shady tutoring industry?"
Zhang Yu hesitated. "How shady can tutoring be?" "
Scamming students? Taking money and running away? Making students take out loans for memberships?"
Wawa scoffed at Zhang Yu's claims. "What kind of nonsense is that? How many tutoring institutions haven't done that?"
"The shady tutoring industry I'm talking about is illegal tutoring!"
"They don't buy the rights to disseminate techniques! They don't buy the rights to teach! They don't buy any rights at all, they just take the money and give students tutoring!"
"Illegal tutoring… although the price is much lower than regular tutoring classes, because they don't buy any rights to disseminate techniques or teach… they actually earn more!"
"You have level 10 Wuji Cloud Hand; in terms of skill, you're absolutely qualified to tutor and teach others Wuji Cloud Hand."
"But you usually don't dare reveal your level 10 Wuji Cloud Hands, right? Then the dark tutoring world is perfect for you. You can hide your identity and sell courses there."
But Zhang Yu was no longer a newbie to Kunxu; he knew a lot about the situation there.
Hearing this, cold sweat poured down his forehead.
"Are you crazy? Not buying the distribution rights for this kind of dark tutoring... wouldn't that offend large tutoring institutions and cultivation technique development companies?"
"Damn, even if I went to rob someone, it would be as safe as a picnic compared to this."
Wawa chuckled dismissively, "If you're not willing to take risks in Kunxu, how can you make big money? Can the profits from mere robbery compare to illegal tutoring? Or are you going to work poor your whole life?" "Let
me tell you, there are quite a few big shots in the dark tutoring world who earn tens of millions a year."
Hearing the large number mentioned by the doll, Zhang Yu's heart skipped a beat, and a look of longing appeared in his eyes. He really wanted to make more money.
After all, in Kunxu, money is potential, future, and power. Without money, you can't even pay next month's loan interest. A poor person has no sense of security at all.
The doll continued to persuade him: "And the risk of this matter is not as great as you think."
"The reason you feel it is dangerous is only because of the company's propaganda. This propaganda constantly implants the idea of 'don't be an enemy of the company' and 'the consequences of being an enemy of the company will be terrible' into your mind."
"The dark tutoring industry can continue to exist for a reason..."
After listening to the doll's next explanation, Zhang Yu gained a better understanding of the situation.
Taiwan Novel Network is super smooth, ttw.tw is super worry-free.
Major companies have a very deep control over the first level of Kunxu and can even invite the Eight True Gods to help them investigate information from all sides.
But not every place in this world is under their absolute control, nor is there no power that can conceal the investigations of the Eight True Gods.
"The poorer the place, the more paupers there are, the fewer people cultivating immortality there are, the worse the infrastructure, the fewer surveillance cameras there are, making it easiest to escape the company's monitoring."
"As for the Eight True Gods and the municipal government, which large gang doesn't pay taxes according to the law and have devout faith? They still have the protection of the True Gods."
Zhang Yu said speechlessly, "Paying taxes according to the law and having devout faith, does that mean you can break the law?"
The child replied matter-of-factly, "Paying taxes according to the law and having devout faith, doesn't that mean you can't break the law?"
"Moreover, behind every large gang, there are other large companies backing them. Gangs are one of the tools that large companies use to deal with other large companies. After all, the Ten Great Sects monopolize Kunxu, but the companies under the Ten Great Sects... still have to compete."
"Gangs are like chamber pots in the hands of companies, they have their own space to survive."
"Listen to me, if you were an ordinary high school student, I definitely wouldn't recommend you go, but since you possess a level 10 cultivation technique, you're perfect for hiding your identity and illegally tutoring!"
"Besides, we're in the same boat now. If something happens to you, I'll be in trouble too. Why would I lie to you?"
Zhang Yu had heard some vague rumors about gangs before, but this was the first time he had heard so much inside information.
While all of this sounded plausible, Zhang Yu still couldn't fully trust the evil god before him. So, he messaged Zhang Pianpian, inquiring about the dark tutoring industry.
Zhang Pianpian: Why did you ask about this?
Zhang Yu: A friend told me. I'm short on money, so I'm looking for ways to make some.
Zhang Pianpian: Hmm, you've certainly earned your place as the number one martial artist.
Zhang Pianpian: Try this address. If you can do it, great; if not, continue building your strength.
Then Zhang Pianpian made a video call.
When Zhang Yu answered, he saw her draw a talisman with her fingertips, and a concealment talisman landed on his head via the internet connection.
Zhang Pianpian: "Alright, this concealment talisman will keep your identity hidden for 12 hours, preventing others from recognizing your background."
"Besides that, if you want to conceal your face and figure, you can try your newly practiced Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi."
Zhang Yu watched Zhang Pianpian draw the talisman curiously and asked, "How many levels of faith do you need to draw talismans through a network cable?"
Zhang Pianpian: "Don't think about that now, just focus on what you're doing."
Hanging up, he looked at the address Zhang Pianpian sent, which was nearly 70 kilometers from the center of Songyang City—practically the far suburbs.
Reflecting on Zhang Pianpian's words, Zhang Yu's heart stirred: "My sister knows about the dark tutoring world, but she seems to think I might not be able to get classes?"
"Is it because she doesn't know I already have several level 10 techniques, so she thinks I won't be able to make it in the dark tutoring world?"
Zhang Yu's trust in Zhang Pianpian definitely exceeded that of Wawa.
Looking outside, the night was deep, neon lights hung high in the sky, it was a good time to go out, and he also had a concealment talisman to hide his identity.
"But if I'm going to the dark tutoring world, I really need to hide my identity. My sister said I could try the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi?"
Thinking of this, Zhang Yu's eyes suddenly lit up: "Does that mean I have to control all my muscles and change my appearance?"
Just as Zhang Yu was thinking about how to use the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi to change his appearance, the doll hanging around his neck exclaimed in surprise: "You have such a powerful woman protecting you? She can even draw talismans through a net, her talisman cultivation is not low."
Zhang Yu ignored the doll and tried to change the muscles on his face.
With his level 10 Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi cultivation, his control over his muscles had already reached an unprecedented peak; he simply hadn't realized he could use this technique to change his appearance before.
Now, after a brief attempt, he saw a drastic change in his reflection, transforming from a handsome, dashing figure into an ordinary one. Even his height seemed to shrink after controlling his muscles, making him look like a completely different person.
...
Half an hour later, as Zhang Yu got closer to that location, the infrastructure became increasingly poor. With over ten kilometers to go, there weren't even any bus stops.
Zhang Yu had to run. Fortunately, with his current physical strength, he wasn't too slow or tired.
However, the houses along the way became increasingly shorter, the roads increasingly worse, and the alleys on both sides were dark and quiet, with very few lights visible.
Zhang Yu felt like he had traveled from a sci-fi metropolis to a dilapidated small county town.
Compared to this, Zhang Yu felt his rented room was a good place.
Seeing the quiet night made Zhang Yu feel a little uncomfortable.
"That's right, everyone living around here is just an ordinary person, so naturally it's time to sleep at night."
Sleep, a word that had gradually become distant for Zhang Yu, made him sigh for a moment.
"But it's precisely because this place is so poor that there's a lack of surveillance and management. Companies aren't willing to invest too much in construction here, which leaves room for gangs to survive."
Continuing on, when Zhang Yu felt his body slightly warming up and started to sweat, he finally arrived at the address.
The imposing gate, the vehicles coming and going from time to time, the security booth at the entrance, and the sign for "Songyang Beiyue High-tech Service Industry Park"... everything was completely different from the dark and damp gang territory that Zhang Yu had imagined.
Zhang Yu said in surprise, "This is the territory of a gang that runs an illegal tutoring business? It looks too legitimate, doesn't it?"
Wawa said, "They pay taxes according to the law, are devout, so they are a legitimate gang."
Zhang Yu frowned, never expecting that a gang could be associated with the word "legitimate."
Zhang Yu asked doubtfully, "Aren't gangs supposed to be all about fighting and killing, something that can't be done in the light?"
Wawa chuckled, "Those you're talking about are just low-level scoundrels, tools to be used and discarded. In this world, money and connections matter. If all you know is fighting and killing, you'll end up dead on the streets sooner or later."
Wawa seemed to know this inside and out, explaining, "Look at this service industry park, that's the Dark Learning Gang's territory. They specialize in illegal tutoring, cracking and modifying martial arts techniques, distributing pirated techniques, and all sorts of other businesses. The company behind them is the Deep Sea Education Group."
Zhang Yu was surprised again, "Deep Sea Education Group?"
He remembered that the tutoring center the original owner had enrolled in was under the Deep Sea Education Group.
Zhang Yu asked疑惑地, "I remember Deep Sea Education Group is an education group that develops martial arts techniques and runs tutoring institutions, right? Why would they support the Dark Learning Gang?"
The doll chuckled again, "How novel! They're not the only company in the education business. The Dark Learning Gang is their tool for cracking rival companies' martial arts techniques, helping with technique experiments, and attacking opposing gangs… basically, it's a tool for doing all sorts of dirty work."
As he spoke, Zhang Yu entered the park and found the number plate of a small building according to the address Zhang Pianpian had given him.
Along the way, the security guards in the park were polite, and the scenery along the roadside was pleasant; Zhang Yu really couldn't tell that this was gang territory.
Looking at the small building in front of him, Zhang Yu pushed open the door and went in. After thinking for a moment, he decided to follow Zhang Pianpian's instructions and said to the receptionist, "I'm here to teach a course."
The receptionist smiled and said, "Okay, sir, please wait in room 105. Our sales staff will be there shortly."
Zhang Yu walked in the direction the receptionist pointed, and as he passed several rooms, he heard faint sounds of arguing coming from them.
"Damn it... To sell this martial arts set, two of my brothers were fined into bankruptcy, and one was dismembered and sold by the company. And now you're trying to lower the price?"
"You idiot, yelling at me won't help. That's the rule in the gang. This is the price for a level 7 course."
"Rules! Rules! I used to single-handedly raid the Golden Course Gang's place and take down sixteen of their underground tutoring centers. Why didn't you tell me the rules then? Now I'm old and can't learn anymore, and you're telling me the rules..."
As if sensing someone approaching, the door to the room was closed, and Zhang Yu could no longer hear any sounds from inside.
Entering room 105, Zhang Yu waited a moment before a refined-looking middle-aged man walked in, closed the door, and politely asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"
Just then, the voice of the doll echoed in Zhang Yu's mind: "Tell him I have a batch of lessons to sell. Inspect the goods first."
"You don't know the local gangs. Do as I say. Don't let them treat you like a newbie. Let me help you negotiate the price; you'll definitely earn more."
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback, not expecting the doll to be able to transmit its voice directly into his mind.
However, he felt there was nothing wrong with what the doll wanted him to say, and he decided to combine the information the doll had given him to communicate with the other party.
Zhang Yu lowered his voice and said, "I have a batch of lessons to sell. Inspect the goods first."
Zhang Yu's body trembled, and streams of milky-white qi surged from his body, instantly transforming into a cloud of mist that surrounded him.
It was the level 10 Wuji Cloud Hand.