Chapter 27: Exam Sprint

It was three in the morning.

Inside an office at Songyang High School, Su Haifeng spoke into the phone while looking at a list on his computer screen. "Hmm, his Dao Heart score shows no change."

"His mana made rapid progress recently. It seems most of his time and money must have been spent on cultivation, which pushed him into the top 10."

"Although his physical strength hasn't been tested in three weeks due to his isolation, it had already dropped to 19th place. Now that he's focusing on mana, maintaining 19th place would be a miracle."

"There haven't been any significant improvements in his martial arts or Daoist magic either. It's possible both could drop to 30th place in this monthly exam."

Looking at Zhang Yu's recent performance record, Su Haifeng shook his head. "In short, I don't expect his results in this monthly exam to improve significantly. The school will likely still offer him a D-grade contract."

"I understand. I'll do my best to persuade him to sign the contract. I don't know how he earned Li Xuelian's appreciation, but the exam is here, and he should realize his situation."

After hanging up, Su Haifeng casually closed Zhang Yu's record and moved on to the next file. For him, Zhang Yu was just one small matter among many; Songyang High School had more pressing issues and more important students requiring his attention.

It was four in the morning.

In the unfinished building, today marked the monthly exam at Songyang High School. Despite the rigorous training over the past nine days, which had led to significant improvements in his strength, Zhang Yu was still seizing the time to practice the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms, aiming to boost his capabilities even further before the exam officially began.

His panel in the Feather Scroll Prologue now displayed:

Dao Heart: Level 1Mana: 11.7Physical Strength: Level 1.05

His mana had increased from 10.5 to 11.7, thanks to passive cultivation interspersed with occasional active cultivation. His physical strength, under his intense training, had risen from Level 0.85 to Level 1.05. Of course, the greatest progress over these nine days was with the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms, which had now reached Level 9 (89/90).

As Zhang Yu delivered his final punch, the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms finally reached Level 10, the maximum attainable in the Qi Refining realm. The moment he achieved Level 10, countless memories seemed to flood his mind—visions of him practicing the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms over and over, reflecting his deeper understanding and profound thoughts about his own physical body. After countless meticulous refinements, his body finally underwent a qualitative change, beginning to adjust in a more rational way.

A roaring sound seemed to echo in his mind! As his heart pumped waves of vital energy through his limbs and bones, Zhang Yu's entire body seemed to be undergoing a transformation.

His flesh contracted and expanded, and his bones and joints emitted crisp cracking sounds. The outline of his body subtly grew larger. Muscle distribution became more suited for exerting force, bone structure became more robust and stable, and his entire body seemed more balanced and coordinated. This optimization of his physical structure, which should have been a gradual process throughout the training of Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms to Level 10, was now completed in an instant.

Physical Strength: Level 1.05 → Level 1.25

With the adjustment and optimization of his body structure, Zhang Yu's physical strength surged by 0.2 levels, a significant 20% increase. What was more, Zhang Yu could feel that this improvement, brought about by structural optimization, was not merely a one-time boost in physical strength. It had a more profound and lasting effect; his now more balanced and coordinated physical structure would make his future path of body tempering much smoother and faster.

Zhang Yu smiled faintly, his heart racing with excitement. "Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms reaching Level 10 can actually actively optimize my body structure once!"

"Does every skill get such a big boost at Level 10?"

This was information his teachers had never covered in class. But Zhang Yu knew why: reaching Level 10 in a skill, even a basic martial art like the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms, was too distant for first-year high school students, so it was normal for teachers not to mention it.

"Then next, I'll raise the Circulatory Qi Gathering Method to Level 10 and see what effect that has."

Circulatory Qi Gathering Method: Level 8 (3/160)

Zhang Yu estimated it would take him at most a week to raise this cultivation method to Level 10. However, despite this thought, he did not immediately switch the Feather Scroll's specialization to the Circulatory Qi Gathering Method, for he had other plans for today.

"Please adhere to the ritual agreement, strive to fulfill your wish, do not deliberately slack off or procrastinate. 10."

Just as Zhang Yu felt a surge of excitement and a touch of emotion about his improvements, that accursed countdown chimed again. Zhang Yu cursed under his breath a few times, but realizing that the entity had no will or intelligence, swearing at it only left him with a hollow feeling, like punching cotton. So, he settled down, meditating and cultivating while simultaneously resting his body, which was tired from another night of exertion, to recover his strength.

He was preparing to face the monthly exam.

At Songyang High School, students rushed about, a hint of unease on their faces. The campus itself seemed to be imbued with a chilling atmosphere today. Zhang Yu looked up; the old banner that read "Live to learn, learn till death" had been replaced with an anti-suicide slogan: "One Jumper, Entire Family Pays." Even the perimeter of the rooftop had been enclosed with barbed wire, making it harder for students to jump.

Bai Zhenzhen, standing beside him, commented sarcastically, "It seems those callous school leaders finally care about students. They know the monthly exam makes people want to jump, so they even made some protective measures."

But as soon as they arrived at the cafeteria for breakfast and saw notices of rising food prices, Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help but erupt in fury. "Prices are going up again? How many times is this since school started? This incompetent lot can't even manage a cafeteria; how can they manage a school?"

Zhang Yu tried to calm her. "Sigh, acting inhumanely is normal for them. Keep a calm mind; don't let it affect today's monthly exam."

A moment later, however, listening to the cafeteria auntie announce new regulations, Zhang Yu indignantly retorted, "Why can we only get one five-yuan set meal per person per day? Yesterday I could get ten! Why can't students just eat their fill?"

"Alright, alright, Yu-zi," Bai Zhenzhen patted Zhang Yu's shoulder, comforting him. "Don't be impulsive, a teacher is looking this way. I'll just buy you an extra pauper's meal."

Carrying their food, they found a seat. Zhang Yu checked his bank balance. Although he had once again received the 500 yuan reward for 0 distraction rate, his savings had dwindled to 6,000 yuan due to the substantial food consumption required daily for body tempering, the continuous use and purchase of nerve stimulants, and miscellaneous expenses like transportation. A new month was about to begin, meaning new loan payments were due, along with rent and utility bills.

Then there were food expenses. After starting high-intensity body tempering, Zhang Yu felt his appetite growing immensely; eating ten pounds of food a day was normal, which meant hundreds of yuan daily in food costs, easily over ten thousand yuan a month. Zhang Yu increasingly realized that cultivation indeed became more expensive the further one pursued it.

"I hope I can score well on the monthly exam and get a good contract," he thought. "Otherwise, I'll have to go back to part-time work."

Just then, Zhou Tianyi sat down next to them with his food, shaking his head helplessly. "Do you know why the cafeteria prices went up?"

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen instantly looked up in unison, staring at Zhou Tianyi, waiting for him to continue.

"To promote Oasis Company's synthetic food, the city government has increased tariffs on ingredients imported from other cities. In the future, it's likely that all food prices in Songyang City, except synthetic food, will continue to rise."

"I heard the principal is also considering replacing the cafeteria's pre-made meals with synthetic food in the future."

The original Zhang Yu had actually eaten a lot of synthetic food before starting cultivation, as it was much cheaper. Fried insects, plant protein, along with recycled water and oil – the taste could only be described as something even pigs wouldn't eat.

"We won't even be able to get pre-made meals anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sighed again, angrily condemning both Oasis Company and the city government for their inhumane actions.

After breakfast, as it was the monthly exam day, the three did not return to their classroom as usual but headed to their respective examination halls. The morning consisted of the General Education exam and the theoretical Martial Arts exam, both written tests. The former was worth 50 points, and the latter 20 points. The afternoon would feature the Daoist Magic exam, worth 100 points, and the Martial Arts practical exam, worth 80 points. These 80 points for practical combat, combined with the 20 points from the morning's martial arts theory, totaled the full 100 points for the Martial Arts course.

Both morning exams were written tests, and the original Zhang Yu had already mastered this aspect. After finishing his exams, Zhang Yu didn't busy himself comparing answers with other students. Instead, he quickly ate lunch and then rushed to the small garden to start training.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Level 1 (0/10)

Zhang Yu switched the Feather Scroll's specialization to Hand-to-Hand Combat. This was also why he hadn't switched it to the Circulatory Qi Gathering Method earlier. After pushing Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms to Level 10 yesterday, no matter how much he cultivated the Circulatory Qi Gathering Method with the remaining time, he wouldn't gain much significant improvement. However, if he used his daytime break to improve the Level 1 Hand-to-Hand Combat, Zhang Yu estimated he could at least raise this martial art to Level 2. This would undoubtedly provide a considerable boost for the afternoon's martial arts practical exam.

With this thought, Zhang Yu trained even more earnestly. As he executed his moves, propelled by his Level 1.25 physical strength, his muscles and bones resonated throughout his body. Each punch and palm strike carried the sound of wind and thunder. Simultaneously, a wisp of mana, with each strike, circulated to different parts of his body, enhancing the power of the move.

Hand-to-Hand Combat was a fundamental practical martial art. Although it only comprised 15 moves, including punches, palms, kicks, and throws, each move not only addressed different combat situations but also had a corresponding mana circulation route. Zhang Yu was now repeatedly practicing these 15 moves.

As a practical martial art, the intensity of Hand-to-Hand Combat training was far lower than Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms. Combined with Zhang Yu's current Level 1.25 physical strength, his Level 8 Circulatory Qi Gathering Method's mana circulation, and the body optimization brought by Level 10 Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms, his speed in practicing Hand-to-Hand Combat moves was incredibly fast. In just over fifty minutes, he had elevated Hand-to-Hand Combat to Level 2.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Level 1 (0/10) → Level 2 (0/20)

In an instant, Zhang Yu felt the 15 moves of Hand-to-Hand Combat flash repeatedly in his mind, becoming perfectly ingrained in his memory. But Zhang Yu didn't stop. Although he felt a degree of fatigue, he decided to continue practicing this martial art.

"There are two and a half hours until the afternoon exams begin."

"I'll see if I can push Hand-to-Hand Combat to Level 3 before the exam."

Zhang Yu continued to practice the 15 moves of Hand-to-Hand Combat repeatedly, sweating profusely. His body grew increasingly fatigued, his arms and legs gradually became sore, and his movements started to slightly lose their form. But whenever Zhang Yu thought of his mountain of debt and the increasingly heavy expenses, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

More than two hours later, large drops of sweat splattered onto the ground. Zhang Yu was steaming, his muscles hot from over three hours of high-intensity exercise. Yet, a faint smile appeared on Zhang Yu's face. He had finally succeeded in pushing this martial art to Level 3.