Magic Competition

That day, in magical power class, the Demonstration Class students sat cross-legged in the Quiet Room, circulating their Breathing Technique.

Cameras at the front monitored their every movement. Whether they opened their eyes, scratched an itch, fidgeted with their hands and feet, or twisted their butts around... every tiny abnormality would be recorded.

All this data was consolidated into their Distraction Rate.

Each week, the class with the highest Distraction Rate would be publicly criticized across the school.

The Demonstration Class students did not care about that. No matter how they were assessed, their class would inevitably come first.

Meanwhile, the student with the lowest Distraction Rate each week would not only receive public praise, but also be rewarded with 500 yuan and one hour of free Heavenly Spiritual Root rental time.

That made every Demonstration Class student sharpen up.

The first time Zhang Yu learned of the existence of this thing called Distraction Rate, he sighed that if his previous life had had something like this, the students would definitely have cursed the school as a bunch of fucking idiots.

But this world was different. The Demonstration Class students watched their daily Distraction Rates like bulls in heat, and the entire class brimmed with fierce competitive fervor.

At that moment, a bell rang. Everyone silently cultivating in the Quiet Room stopped and turned toward the large screen at the front, waiting for that lesson's Distraction Rate data.

First place: Zhang Yu. Distraction Rate: 0%. Magical Power: 8.3.

Second place: Bai Zhenzhen. Distraction Rate: 0.03%. Magical Power: 11.2.

Third place: Qian Shen. Distraction Rate: 0.12%. Magical Power: 11.1.

Looking at the Distraction Rate rankings, the students did not make a sound, but subtle changes in their expressions and eyes revealed a faint ripple of surprise spreading through the room.

The magical power instructor standing at the front was surnamed Yan, a female teacher with her hair in a bun and black-rimmed glasses.

Teacher Yan looked at the results on the screen and said, "For those students whose Distraction Rate exceeded 0.3%, I won't name names today."

"It has already been three months since school started. How many times have I told you to Focus the Mind on One and Unite Qi with Calmness?"

"With such high Distraction Rates, how could your Breath Circulation efficiency possibly compare to others'?"

"Everyone cultivates twenty-four hours a day. You will not have more time than anyone else. If your Breath Circulation efficiency is lower, you may only fall behind a little each day, but after three years of high school, the gap in magical power could be ten points, twenty points, or even thirty points."

"And how many times have I said this? Students who cannot lower their Distraction Rate can come to my office to buy Mind-Calming Elixirs. I sat in my office for three hours yesterday afternoon, and not a single person came to ask me about them... Do you all think there is absolutely nothing wrong with yourselves?!"

After criticizing them, Teacher Yan smiled slightly and looked at the top-ranked students on the screen. "Of course, there are also students who performed very well."

"I would like to specifically commend the three students with the lowest Distraction Rates. Zhang Yu in particular has maintained a 0% Distraction Rate for four consecutive days. Compared with before, it is a qualitative leap."

"His magical power has also risen by a full 0.5 points over the last three days. That shows he must have put in great effort outside class too. Either he rented a Spirit Root or a cultivation room with high Spiritual Energy, right, Zhang Yu?"

Every student immediately turned to look at him.

Yet Zhang Yu still had his eyes closed. He looked half asleep, half awake, silently continuing to circulate the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method.

Teacher Yan said approvingly, "Look at that. This is the attitude of a true top student. Even after class ends, he does not stop. He seizes every minute and every second to cultivate and grow stronger."

Looking at Zhang Yu, who was still diligently circulating his breath, Zhao Tianxing found himself understanding this classmate less and less. He was clearly so hardworking, so why did he slack off in PE class instead of applying the medicine?

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu's still-closed eyes and thought, Other than eating and shitting, Yu Zi has been doing Breath Circulation constantly these past few days. He has worked himself to this extent... Could those 700,000-yuan debt collection calls have forced him into it?

At the front, Teacher Yan continued, "Of course, you get what you pay for. There is no such thing as a free lunch on the path of immortality. Without throwing money at it, you cannot go far. There have recently been openings for the school's Heavenly Spiritual Root rentals. Any interested students may come see me."

Before Teacher Yan left, however, something she mentioned caught Zhang Yu's attention.

"Oh, right. The city's Magic Competition will begin next month. Virtually every high school in the city will participate in the first-year division, and the first-place prize is 100,000 yuan..."

"Registration closes next Friday, so the school intends to select the ten first-year students with the highest magical power levels next Friday to take part in the Magic Competition..."

That evening, in the cafeteria.

Zhou Tianyi had to rush to cram school early that day, leaving only Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen at the table.

Unable to endure Bai Zhenzhen looking him over from left to right any longer, Zhang Yu said, "A-Zhen, I know I'm very handsome. In Songyang High School, where everyone only knows how to study, I stand out like a crane among chickens. But you do not need to stare at me so intensely."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "You said you want to participate in the Magic Competition too?"

"What a pity, A-Zhen." Zhang Yu shook his head. "If you, the peerless genius ranked first in the year, were not my friend, you should be provoking me next, then getting slapped in the face again and again by my astonishing performance at the competition until your pupils shook at dozens of levels."

Bai Zhenzhen shook her head. "Yu Zi, what you want to enter is the citywide Magical Power Competition."

"That is where every high school in Songyang City sends its best students, those with the strongest magical power and the richest families. It gathers countless filthy rich people."

With a sigh, Bai Zhenzhen said, "What do you think will happen if an ordinary person like you participates?"

Her eyes seemed to have seen through to a spectacular vision of the future. With a mournful expression, she said, "You will be repeatedly humiliated by countless strong opponents, become a stepping stone for the rich, the clown of Songyang High School, and drag the school's reputation down into the dust!"

"That is too miserable! I can already see you being ruthlessly stomped beneath the feet of freakish geniuses from other schools, your Dao Heart shattered, lying there like a dead dog." Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. "Do not exaggerate so much. The Magical Power Competition is not an arena match. Losing would not be embarrassing."

"And first place comes with 100,000 yuan."

"Even being in the top ten gets you 10,000 yuan."

Seeing Zhang Yu's money-grubbing expression, Bai Zhenzhen thought Yu Zi really had been driven crazy by the debt collectors. He had become so obsessed that he actually wanted to enter a competition.

Zhang Yu was indeed short on money. Although he had earned 13,000 yuan at Immortal Rhythm Company a few days ago, he had immediately used 10,000 to repay his loan, then spent 1,500 to make up his rent. After that, he only had a little over 2,000 yuan left.

"If you want to compete, first think about how to raise your magical power into the year's top ten. You are only ranked sixteenth right now, aren't you? How much more money will you have to borrow to reach the top ten?"

Zhang Yu rapidly calculated in his mind as well.

His magical power was currently 8.3, placing him sixteenth in the year.

The student currently ranked tenth had magical power of 9.5.

To surpass that person, Zhang Yu would have to raise his magical power to 9.5 before next Friday...

No, I have to account for everyone else improving too.

To be safe, I should raise my magical power to 10.0 before next Friday.

There are eight days until next Friday. Raising my magical power from 8.3 to 10.0 in eight days... a full increase of 1.7?

That means improving by more than 0.2 every day... Is that possible?

It was absolutely possible! Easy, even!

In the eyes of the other teachers and students, Zhang Yu's rapid improvement over the past few days must have come from spending heavily to rent high-quality Spirit Roots and cultivation grounds.

But Zhang Yu knew that it all stemmed from his astonishing potential and extreme self-discipline.

A Level 4 Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method had allowed him to increase his magical power by as much as 0.5 in only three days. He believed that as the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method continued leveling up, his magical power would rise faster and faster.

After all, at the Qi Refining Stage, the highest level a skill can reach is only Level 10.

A Level 4 Breathing Technique is already something the vast majority of first-year students could never attain in their first semester.

If I keep cultivating, I can probably raise the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method all the way to Level 8, Level 9, or even Level 10 in a short time. That would be a level many people might not achieve even after three years of high school.

Just as Zhang Yu was rousing his spirits at the thought, he suddenly saw Bai Zhenzhen's chopsticks reaching toward his bowl.

"Bold of you!" Zhang Yu shouted, raising his chopsticks to block her.

Amid a series of clangs, his chopsticks were easily swept aside by Bai Zhenzhen.

Feeling the familiar rhythm in Bai Zhenzhen's movements, Zhang Yu said in surprise, "High School Basic Swordplay? You have already learned it? And even adapted it into your chopsticks?"

After swiftly picking several pieces of meat out of Zhang Yu's bowl, Bai Zhenzhen chuckled. "Is that difficult, Yu Zi? Isn't it something you can do as long as you have hands?"

Damn it, she got to show off again, Zhang Yu thought.

Mixing the meat she had taken with her food, Bai Zhenzhen quickly shoveled down several more mouthfuls of rice. Surprised, she said, "I did not expect the ribs in the five-yuan set meal to be pretty tasty. I'll get one next time too."

Patting her slightly swollen stomach, Bai Zhenzhen let out a burp. "Sigh, if I eat any more, it will affect my cram school."

As she spoke, she pushed her tray toward Zhang Yu. "Extra food for you, Yu Zi."

Looking at the neat half-portion of untouched "leftovers" Bai Zhenzhen had left behind, Zhang Yu understood that she had deliberately saved it for him.

Perhaps because she had learned about Zhang Yu's financial difficulties, Bai Zhenzhen had frequently fed him during dinner lately.

Zhang Yu grabbed the tray and said while eating, "A-Zhen, you do not need to worry about my pride, dignity, or anything like that. With our relationship, it would be fine to just send me money directly."

Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes. "I'm going to cram school. Eat slowly."

Outside the cafeteria.

A tall figure stood in the corridor some distance away, staring fixedly toward the cafeteria entrance.

A moment later, when he saw Zhang Yu emerge from the cafeteria doors, the tall figure perked up and immediately followed him.

Following Zhang Yu out of the school gates, Zhao Tianxing's eyes flickered when he saw him enter the stationery shop across the street. Could this be where Zhang Yu gets his supplies?