Grade A Contract

Looking at the cultivation methods in the recommendations, Zhang Yu grew curious. "My friends are viewing this? What kind of friends are looking at these martial arts?"

Unfortunately, after logging in under his real name, most of the classmates Zhang Yu knew in real life had become his friends on the shopping site. There were far too many of them for him to identify who was viewing them. "Nine Heavens Quick Success Eight Section Talismans?"

Thinking of his sixty-point Dao Arts Exam score, Zhang Yu immediately clicked in, only to be driven back out by the price tag of ninety-eight thousand. "Talisman Arts have terrible cost-effectiveness. I won't consider them for now."

Zhang Yu simply opened the Rankings to see which cultivation methods were currently the most popular. "Longevity Enhancing Skill, Deluxe Newly Revised Edition; Health Preservation and Disease Removal Skill; Brick Moving King's Excavating Palm Crane Claw Explained; Sports Car Legs, Uncut Version; Elevator Vertical Real Cultivation Guide..."

Zhang Yu was slightly stunned when he saw these cultivation methods being sold to those at the Qi Refining Stage. The bestsellers were first and foremost cultivation methods for extending one's life, treating illnesses, and strengthening the body. Zhang Yu understood that perfectly well. Who did not want to live a few more years? As for treating illnesses, that made even more sense. Hospitals were too expensive; if one fell ill, cultivating to endure it oneself was far more cost-effective.

But the entries after that on the bestseller list were either strength-based martial arts that imitated excavators and cranes, or movement techniques modeled after sports cars and elevators... In short, they were all martial arts meant for oxen and horses.

But after giving it another thought, Zhang Yu understood.

Compared to students like them, the true majority of people at the Qi Refining Stage were workers, especially those high-income groups at construction sites, factories, delivery jobs, and security posts, where one person did the work of dozens.

To them, Excavation Palm, Crane Claw, and Sports Car Legs were tools for earning money, cultivation methods that allowed them to establish themselves in Kunxu.

To them, these were the truly useful cultivation methods, far more reliable than breaking through realms or raising one's cultivation.

After realizing this, Zhang Yu changed the filter conditions and set the suitable age range to eighteen through twenty.

This time, the methods that appeared instantly became Magical Power Enhancement Strategy, Basic Eight Section Talismans Universal Dictionary, simplified Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms...

Looking through them, Zhang Yu felt that the high-selling cultivation methods were all too basic, too simple.

"Looks like ordinary high school students are the ones buying these."

So Zhang Yu added another filter condition—cultivation method grade.

According to what Zhang Yu had learned at school, cultivation methods were divided into five grades: Basic Level, Advanced Level, Expert Level, Military Grade, and Immortal Sect Grade.

It was said that Immortal Sect Grade cultivation methods had even finer internal classifications, but Zhang Yu did not know the specifics.

After all, Military Grade and Immortal Sect Grade methods were not things ordinary people could cultivate. One required joining military or government departments to gain cultivation authorization, while the other required joining a major sect.

As for the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method Zhang Yu possessed, he estimated that it was probably Advanced Level.

As for the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art, he estimated that it was probably Expert Level.

"Buzhou Mountain Moving Scripture, Heart Origin Great Handprint, Heavenly Cycle Star Dou Sword, Radiant Heart Sutra..."

Zhang Yu's eyes swept over these Expert-level Cultivation Methods. After a bout of longing, he could only shake his head helplessly. "Expert Level cultivation methods not only have higher cultivation thresholds and more requirements... even the cheapest usage rights cost tens of thousands. I really can't afford them."

"Unless the school's contract can really offer me a huge sum."

Zhang Yu's gaze swept over the Advanced Cultivation Methods again. Once the contract negotiations are finished, I can consider buying a few Advanced Level ones.

"Especially a mental cultivation method that suits me, so I can reach Dao Heart Level 3 faster and begin cultivating the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art."

After browsing around the shopping platform for a while and adding several decent-looking cultivation methods to his cart, Zhang Yu planned to exit for now.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that the recommendation bar had changed again.

Your competitor is placing an order: Magical Power Enhancement Strategy, Basic Eight Section Talismans Universal Dictionary, Demonic Parasitic Art...

Holy shit!

"So this is how you abuse big data? Running a cultivation arms race between users to stimulate their urge to spend?"

"No... what the hell is this Demonic Parasitic Art?"

Your competitor is placing an order for Demonic Parasitic Art... How could anyone not click on that? Even a damn dog passing by would have to click in for a look.

Zhang Yu clicked in, only to discover that Demonic Parasitic Art was an Expert-level Cultivation Method that combined abilities such as flesh regeneration, organ transplantation, devouring flesh and blood, qi-and-blood adaptation, and parasitizing human bodies.

In short, it was a martial art that could seize other people's fleshly bodies.

As a legitimate Qidian webnovel reader in his previous life, Zhang Yu had only one feeling upon seeing that name and description.

Could anyone buying this cultivation method possibly be a good person?

"My opponent? Which monster is trying to cultivate Demonic Parasitic Art?"

"Is there really such an opponent? Could this site be making things up?"

Zhang Yu was somewhat doubtful, but when he considered the various miraculous powers and ways of doing things in the Kunxu world, it did not seem impossible.

Zhang Yu checked the price. The usage rights for Demonic Parasitic Art cost a full three hundred thousand. Among the people he knew, only a handful were qualified to cultivate it, and with the added qualifier of "competitor"...

"Qian Shen?"

"Or He Dayou?"

Zhang Yu immediately felt that He Dayou was highly suspicious. After all, Teacher Lei Jun had replayed the battle footage between him and He Dayou many times, and Zhang Yu remembered that He Dayou had looked at him with considerable ill will.

"Either way, I need to be careful around these rich people nearby."

"Cultivating something like Demonic Parasitic Art... human-faced beasts with animal hearts."

But soon, in the recommendation bar beneath the purchase page, he saw... People viewing this cultivation method also viewed: Anti-Parasitic Art, Purification Divine Skill, Demon Slaying Magic...

Seeing those highly targeted names, Zhang Yu immediately began doubting his earlier judgment. "Could this platform really be messing around, trying to trick me into placing an order?"

Based on Zhang Yu's understanding of the Kunxu world, companies in this world were absolutely capable of doing something like that.

For the moment, he could only keep the matter in mind. Still, before leaving the platform, Zhang Yu thought it over and added Anti-Parasitic Art, Purification Divine Skill, Demon Slaying Scroll Art, and several other cultivation methods to his favorites.

A while later, he simply reopened the platform and added Demonic Parasitic Art to his favorites as well.

"Heh heh, it'd be best if that guy placing the order could also see: Your competitor is viewing Demonic Parasitic Art, Anti-Parasitic Art, Purification Divine Skill, Demon Slaying Scroll..."

In the blink of an eye, another night had passed.

Zhang Yu's Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method improved again, reaching level 8 (95/160).

After a day of arduous cultivation, his magical power had also risen with the tide, reaching 12.1.

The next day.

Inside Songyang High School.

Zhang Yu received a friend request from an account with a barbell avatar.

"Hello, Zhang Yu. I'm Lan Ling from the second-year Demonstration Class, and also the Physical Education Department Head of the Student Union. There is something I would like to discuss with you. Please add me as a friend."

After Zhang Yu accepted, the other party quickly sent another message.

"Hello, Student Zhang Yu. In order to promote the development of society's Immortal Dao, help the students of our school scale new heights on the Immortal Path, and achieve even more outstanding results, in accordance with the principles of voluntary participation and mutually beneficial cooperation, we are greatly honored to invite you to discuss signing a contract, in hopes of reaching a deeper value-added partnership..."

The other party arranged to meet him at noon that day in the Student Union office to discuss the contract.

"Has it finally come?"

So at noon that day, Zhang Yu washed his face, combed his hair, straightened his clothes, and arrived outside the Student Union office.

He had barely knocked when the door opened, revealing another door behind it.

Oh... it was not that there was another door behind the door. Rather, there was a person who looked remarkably like a door.

A student with the build of a door panel opened the door for Zhang Yu, smiling as he stepped back. "You're Student Zhang Yu, right?"

Zhang Yu glanced at the dumbbell still held in the door panel man's hand and greeted him, "Student Lan Ling?"

As the two exchanged greetings, a burst of laughter came from behind the door panel man, followed by the thump-thump-thump of running footsteps.

"Is Zhang Yu here?"

A young man who had not even had time to put on his shoes leaped off the sofa and trotted all the way over to Zhang Yu. Grasping both of Zhang Yu's hands, he said excitedly, "Hahaha, I heard yesterday that our Songyang High School had produced another peerless genius. I've finally been waiting for you today."

With that, he grabbed Zhang Yu and pulled him inside.

Lan Ling followed beside them and introduced him, "Student Zhang Yu, this is the vice president of our Student Union, Zhou Chechen."

Zhang Yu remembered. This person seemed to be the top-ranked student in the second year.

After the Monthly Exam, his name had been one Zhang Yu, like himself, often saw in various places around the school.

Zhou Chechen pulled Zhang Yu over to the sofa, and the two sat down together.

Feeling his hand being tightly gripped by the other man, as well as that gaze filled with appreciation, excitement, and agitation, Zhang Yu's heart tightened.

Holy shit, he isn't a fencer, is he?

Zhou Chechen reached out and grabbed through the air. A stack of documents flew over from the desk and landed in his hand.

"After seeing your results, I immediately looked into your information."

"That was when I discovered that collection calls regarding you had actually been made to the school."

Zhang Yu's heart sank. Are they going to use my debts to drive down the price?

But Zhou Chechen waved the documents in his hand and smiled. "As soon as I heard, I had someone buy up your debts."

"More than ten platforms, seventy hundred thousand in debt altogether—it's all here."

"How could a Heavenly Prodigy of our school have debts weighing on his head? If word got out, other high schools would think Songyang High School was so poor that we did not even have the money to invest in our own students."

As he spoke, magical power surged from his hand, turning all the debt documents into ashes.

Under Zhang Yu's astonished gaze, Zhou Chechen continued, "From now on, you won't need to repay debts every month."

"I'll put these seven hundred thousand in debts under my name for now. There's no interest, and you don't need to rush to repay me."

"For the rest of your time at Songyang High School, just study and cultivate in peace. Once you graduate from university, join a major sect, and earn money in the future, you can repay me slowly."

Zhang Yu stared at him in astonishment. He had not expected the vice president of the Student Union to make a move and temporarily suppress the loan problem that had been his most urgent concern.

Then Zhou Chechen picked up another document and said, "This is the Grade A Contract that I set for you after discussing it with the president."

"Fifty thousand in cultivation expenses every month. Spirit Roots, Quiet Rooms, the Spirit Realm, Talisman Arts, the cafeteria, medicinal agents... everything at the school will be twenty percent off... The school has also prepared a single room in the dormitory for you..."

Listening to the preferential terms one after another, Zhang Yu's heart began pounding faster. He felt an urge to sign the document immediately.