Chapter 29: Spirit Root

After leaving Su Haifeng’s office, Zhang Yu made his way back to class.

Next week, he had to break into the top ten in mana across the entire grade to qualify as a representative of Songyang High School in the upcoming Mana Trials.

The week after that would be the monthly exams. Only with excellent scores could he secure a better contract from the school.

Zhang Yu felt confident about climbing into the top ten for mana in the coming week. After all, his Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique had reached level 4, and it would only get stronger from here. His mana growth would accelerate rapidly.

But the monthly exams tested more than just mana—they also covered Physical Training, Dao Heart, Martial Technique, and Dao Techniques. To boost all four within two weeks was daunting, and Zhang Yu immediately felt the pressure mount.

As for the General Knowledge exam?

That subject was only worth 50 points, and everyone in the Model Class was practically scoring full marks. It couldn’t move the needle.

So where he’d ultimately land in the monthly exams was still a big question mark.

“In any case... I just have to grind.”

Zhang Yu felt himself catching fire with motivation.

Who said a manual gear shift wasn’t a cheat code?

Feathered Tome! Show me what your limits are in the next two weeks!

The moment he returned to class, Zhang Yu began circulating spiritual energy, throwing himself entirely into the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique.

Before he knew it, the first period had ended.

“Sigh, I’m beat.”

Just as he let his guard down to take a breather, that countdown laced with bone-deep chill rose up again, forcing him to push onward.

“Damn it!”

“Stupid ritual... I swear I’ll destroy you one day!”

In another corner of the classroom, Zhao Tianxing glanced at a message on his phone and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Earlier, the P.E. teacher Wang Hai had sent him to dig into Zhang Yu’s supply sources. Today, when Wang Hai followed up, Zhao Tianxing told him about the art exhibit from the day before.

Wang Hai’s response was: Got it. You don’t need to dig into Zhang Yu anymore. Just keep a good relationship with him. Meet me at the training field after school tomorrow—I’ll give you a private Body-Refining class.

No longer having to spy on Zhang Yu lifted a heavy burden from Zhao Tianxing’s shoulders.

And getting a bonus private class from Wang Hai left him secretly thrilled.

As the school’s ace instructor, Wang Hai’s private lessons were legendary. Not only were they pricey, they were often booked solid.

As for staying on good terms with Zhang Yu...

Zhao Tianxing looked over at Zhang Yu’s seat and saw him still breathing and refining.

“After yesterday, he must see me as a complete joke.”

Just thinking about how Zhang Yu might be laughing at his pathetic performance made Zhao Tianxing’s face burn all over again.

Still, the lure of Wang Hai’s private lesson steeled his resolve. As soon as class ended, he’d find a way to talk to Zhang Yu.

But as the morning dragged on, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t find a single chance to talk to him.

“He’s still breathing?”

“Breathing during class.”

“Breathing during breaks.”

“He didn’t even go to the bathroom... what kind of kidneys does he have?”

Watching Zhang Yu’s tireless dedication made Zhao Tianxing’s chest tighten with anxiety.

Finally, at lunch, Zhao Tianxing filled his tray and approached Zhang Yu’s table.

Only to watch Zhang Yu down his food like a ghost in two bites, then bolt from the cafeteria at lightning speed.

Watching this, Bai Zhenzhen muttered bitterly, “Grinding through lunch too? Can’t you let people eat in peace?”

Lunchtime was the only stretch of the day untouched by rankings. No Su Haifeng breathing down their necks, no Wang Hai forcing drills—just a rare window for top students to unwind, nap, or gossip.

It was supposed to be Songyang High’s spiritual spa time.

But seeing Zhang Yu skip even that to continue cultivating made Bai Zhenzhen feel deeply indignant.

Bro, if you grind this hard, how are the rest of us supposed to eat in peace?

What if you grind past us?

You’re trying to start a study arms race, huh?

When Zhao Tianxing got back to class and saw Zhang Yu once again deep in meditation, he could only mutter to himself, “Figures.”

The entire afternoon, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t find a single moment to talk to him. Every time he turned to look, Zhang Yu was either focused in class or meditating with full concentration.

The more he watched, the more anxious Zhao Tianxing became.

“You’ve already taken Wang Hai as your master and reached Gold Core Cultivator... and you’re still grinding this hard? Are you trying to erase us mere mortals?”

Finally, when school ended, Zhao Tianxing managed to catch up to Zhang Yu, thinking he’d be heading off to another gig.

Instead, Zhang Yu said, “A gig?”

“Xiao Zhao, we’re high school students. Studies come first. We can’t be running off to work every day.”

“Don’t let that 800-an-hour gig go to your head. That’s temp work—you won’t find it every day.”

With a quick glance at his ¥8300 balance, Zhang Yu finally had enough of a cushion to stop working and focus solely on cultivation.

Back home, he popped a Neural Filler and resumed meditation, continuing all the way until morning.

Aside from bathroom breaks and switching his Feathered Tome specialization back to the Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique, every second went into breathing.

And so, four days passed in a flash.

After this stretch of brutal cultivation, Zhang Yu’s Zhou Tian Qi-Gathering Technique had reached level 6 (45/120).

His mana also surged from 8.3 to 9.4, just two spots away from cracking the grade’s top ten.

…

In the hallway outside the first-year classrooms—

Su Haifeng strolled to the back door and looked in on his class.

Though he had no class today, as the homeroom teacher for the Model Class, he’d dropped by just to hover and let his cold stare, ruthless sarcasm, and weighty authority as grade chair stir the students into peak performance.

To his surprise, the students were grinding even harder than usual.

Fewer bathroom breaks.

More focused cultivation. Fewer people nodding off mid-session.

Not a single kid fake-staring at their book to hide zoning out.

Distraction Rate across the class had visibly dropped.

Su Haifeng had noticed this trend starting two days ago.

After close observation, he’d traced its source to a single student: Zhang Yu.

With Zhang Yu grinding like a madman—zero Distraction Rate, nonstop breathing, mana soaring day by day—he had clearly lit a fire under the rest.

Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing... they’d all been the first to get dragged into the vortex.

Then their grinding radiated outward, infecting more students.

When kids scoring 550, 600, and even 650 points are grinding their brains out, how can you justify slacking off?

Even the cafeteria’s average meal time for Model Class students had dropped by over 20%, according to the reports Su Haifeng reviewed.

Looking at Zhang Yu still in meditation, Su Haifeng mused, “Is it because I hurt his pride the other day?”

“Maybe I should use that tactic more often.”

Before he knew it, he’d already brainstormed the title for his next pedagogical paper: “On the Role of Insults in High School Education.”

Satisfied with the charged classroom atmosphere, Su Haifeng nodded and walked away.

Not long after, the bell rang for dismissal. Zhang Yu instantly rose and made his way to the school’s Meditation Room.

As the student with the lowest Distraction Rate last week, he’d been rewarded with ¥500, a public commendation, and one free hour of Heavenly Spiritual Root use.

Today was the redemption day.

Since both the Meditation Room and Spirit Root rentals were on school schedule, missing the time slot would void the reward—Zhang Yu didn’t waste a second.

Zhao Tianxing seized the chance to tag along and asked, “You’re going to rent the Heavenly Spiritual Root?”

When Zhang Yu nodded, Zhao Tianxing continued, “You don’t usually rent Spirit Roots from the school, do you?”

“Want me to give you a rundown of our school’s Spirit Root models?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. The original Zhang Yu rarely used school Spirit Roots due to the high prices, relying instead on promotional deals from outside training centers. He really wasn’t familiar with the school’s models.

With modern development—and classification efforts led by the Major Sects of the Immortal Dao—Spirit Roots had long moved past the old elemental types of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Nowadays, Spirit Roots were categorized by function: learning, combat, cultivation, and so on.

Zhao Tianxing began, “Our school’s most popular Spirit Roots are definitely the learning and cultivation types.”

“Like the Hosting Root—”

Zhang Yu blinked. “Chicken Root?”

Zhao Tianxing corrected him, “Hosting, not chicken. The Hosting Root lets you temporarily store it in another person. Then you extract the mana they refine using the Spirit Root and transfer it to yourself. It’s a favorite among rich kids.”

“And there’s also the Muscle-Boosting Root—a huge favorite too. When meditating, it converts spiritual energy into growth energy and injects it directly into your muscles. Full 24-hour muscle growth mode. Greatly boosts Body Refining effectiveness…”