Recaps

Zhang Yu qualified for the citywide Magic Competition and shifted his focus to body tempering to prepare for the Monthly Exam. After nine days of punishing practice under the Ritual, the exam finally arrived.

• Zhang Yu's magical power rose to 10.5, placing him eighth in the grade and earning him a spot in the Magic Competition; Teacher Yan praised his progress.
• Bai Zhenzhen and Qian Shen watched Zhang Yu's relentless cultivation and joined him in practicing breath circulation during class breaks.
• Zhang Yu decided to train the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms for the Monthly Exam, using the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method to improve his recovery and training results.
• The Ritual forced Zhang Yu to continue body-tempering beyond his limits, and he collapsed repeatedly before managing to advance the technique to Level 3 (22/30).
• Zhang Yu ate a huge meal to support his training, then spent the following days alternating body-tempering with Spiritual Energy circulation until the Monthly Exam arrived.

Zhang Yu raised the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms to its Qi Refining limit, which optimized his body and increased his Physical Strength. On the day of the Monthly Exam, he prepared for the practical Martial Dao exam by training Freehand Fighting, reaching Level 3 before it began.

• At 3:00 a.m., Su Haifeng reviewed Zhang Yu's records and expected his Monthly Exam results to remain poor, with the school likely offering him a D-grade contract.
• At 4:00 a.m., Zhang Yu raised the Body Tempering Thirty-Six Forms to Level 10, triggering a physical transformation that increased his Physical Strength from Level 1.05 to Level 1.25.
• Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen complained about rising cafeteria prices and reduced meal allowances, while Zhou Tianyi explained that new tariffs and plans to promote Synthetic Food were driving up food costs.
• After the morning written exams, Zhang Yu switched his specialization to Freehand Fighting and trained during the break, reaching Level 2 in just over fifty minutes.
• Zhang Yu kept training despite exhaustion and raised Freehand Fighting to Level 3 before the afternoon exams.

Zhang Yu took a difficult Dao Arts exam that included spells beyond the syllabus, then headed toward the Martial Dao practical combat exam. He Dayou, convinced that Zhang Yu was an unworthy poor student, planned to use the practical exam to put him in his place.

• Zhang Yu refined his Freehand Fighting and reviewed Talisman Arts before taking the Dao Arts exam.
• Zhang Yu struggled with difficult and unfamiliar questions while He Dayou finished early and showed off his expensive Talisman Book.
• Bai Zhenzhen complained that much of the exam covered spells the class had never learned.
• He Dayou reflected on his wealthy family and his contempt for poor students, especially Zhang Yu.
• After confirming Zhang Yu was not a Golden Core True Person's disciple, He Dayou decided to teach him a lesson in the practical combat exam.

During the Martial Dao practical exam, Zhang Yu faced He Dayou and used his Level 3 Freehand Fighting to defeat him twice in a row. He Dayou activated his newly learned Little Heavenly Star Palm in the third round, leaving their clash unresolved.

• Lei Jun explained the practical exam rules, and the students drew opponents for three-round fights.
• He Dayou used his influence to draw Zhang Yu as his opponent, intending to teach him a lesson.
• Zhang Yu defeated He Dayou in the first round with a bear-hug throw that sent him out of bounds.
• Zhang Yu knocked He Dayou down again in the second round with a quick kick to the chest.
• In the third round, Zhang Yu pressed He Dayou with repeated palm strikes, and He Dayou countered with Little Heavenly Star Palm.

Zhang Yu defeated He Dayou in a contest of magical power, then trained Freehand Fighting through the night before attending the citywide Dao Heart Exam. The exam began with Zhang Yu entering the Spirit Realm, but his trial had not yet unfolded.

• He Dayou used the Little Heavenly Star Palm against Zhang Yu, but Zhang Yu endured the Yin-Cold Palm Power and forced He Dayou to admit defeat.
• Bai Zhenzhen learned that Zhang Yu had reached Level 3 Freehand Fighting, and they discovered that both had hidden their martial arts progress.
• Zhang Yu returned to the Unfinished Building and practiced Freehand Fighting through the night, raising it to level 5 and his magical power to 11.8.
• Zhang Yu arrived at the Dao Heart Exam, inspected and put on the Spirit Realm Mask, then entered another world when the exam began.

Zhang Yu entered the Spirit Realm to take a Dao Heart Exam that measured how much pain he could endure. As he struggled to raise his pain level, the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art rekindled his fighting spirit, and he resolved to punish whoever designed the test.

• Zhang Yu arrived in the Spirit Realm and found himself among students taking the exam.
• Proctor Li Xingyu recognized Zhang Yu from the Heavenly Human Martial Arts Diagram and decided to record his exam performance.
• Li Xingyu explained that examinees would use controllers to endure increasing levels of pain for sixty minutes, with fainting resulting in a score of zero.
• Zhang Yu used the Basic Heart Refining Method to steady himself and raised the pain level until it reached 37.
• When the method no longer suited his temperament, Zhang Yu recalled the Heavenly Martial Heart Refinement Art and regained his resolve to endure the pain.

Zhang Yu endured the Dao Heart Exam, completed the Magical Power test, and prepared for the Physical Education Exam. Wang Hai suspected Zhang Yu’s score would reveal whether he had really become a Golden Core True Person’s disciple and considered expelling him if he threatened Wang Hai’s supply business.

• Li Xingyu watched Zhang Yu endure the Spirit Realm’s pain test for the full sixty minutes, then posted information about him online as a martial arts genius.
• Zhang Yu left the Spirit Realm, rejected Dao Heart Buffers, and hurried to the Magical Power examination hall.
• Zhang Yu completed the Magical Power test with high circulation efficiency, surprising the assistant teacher who recorded his results.
• Zhou Tianyi told Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen that harsh Dao Heart Exam rules had caused students at several schools to break down.
• Zhang Yu practiced the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method before heading to the afternoon Physical Education Exam.
• Wang Hai recalled Zhang Yu’s defiance and the rumor that he was a Golden Core True Person’s disciple, then resolved to judge him by his score and expel him if he threatened Wang Hai’s supply business.

Zhang Yu impressed the physical education exam judges with his strength and body structure, convincing Wang Hai that he was likely a Golden Core Disciple. Wang Hai tried to repair their relationship with a cash gift and complete freedom to skip physical education class, which Zhang Yu accepted with pleasure.

• Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing applied Vajra Ghee before the Body Tempering Exam.
• Zhang Yu displayed remarkable strength and a refined body structure, drawing praise from the Sports Teachers and suspicion from Wang Hai that he had become a Golden Core Disciple.
• Wang Hai decided to mend his relationship with Zhang Yu by giving him a gift rather than risking a low score.
• Wang Hai transferred Zhang Yu 66,666.66 and apologized for his poor teaching and past treatment.
• Wang Hai told Zhang Yu he could do whatever he wanted in physical education class and skip whenever he wished, and Zhang Yu welcomed the freedom.

Zhang Yu’s Monthly Exam results revealed a dramatic rise to third place, prompting teachers and classmates to reconsider his potential. As the school celebrated his achievement, an unnamed caller planned to act before the Student Union approached him about a contract.

• Zhang Yu told Bai Zhenzhen that improving his grades and abilities would bring him more friends, then trained and raised his cultivation method to level 8 and his Magical Power to 11.9.
• Su Haifeng saw that Zhang Yu had placed third with 620 points and called Wang Hai to question his high Physical Competition score; Wang Hai defended the score and praised Zhang Yu’s potential.
• Su Haifeng told an unnamed caller that Zhang Yu might qualify for a Grade B or Grade A contract, and the caller asked him to delay the Student Union while he tried another method.
• Zhang Yu saw the school publicize his third-place finish and entered a classroom where Qian Shen resolved to compete with him and Bai Zhenzhen, while He Dayou focused on improving his own scores.
• Bai Zhenzhen wondered whether Zhang Yu had awakened like her.

Zhang Yu’s exam success drew attention from classmates and the Student Union, while he planned his cultivation and considered buying stronger methods with his new savings. The chapter ended with him browsing an Immortal Dao cultivation website and seeing its recommended methods.

• At White Dragon High School, Zhang Pianpian learned Zhang Yu had placed third in his grade with a score of 620 and decided to let him choose whether to sign with the Student Union.
• At Songyang High School, students and teachers focused on Zhang Yu after his exam results and his victory over He Dayou, while Bai Zhenzhen explained that they wanted to learn the secret behind his improvement.
• Zhao Tianxing wondered whether Bai Zhenzhen’s remarks about people seeking Zhang Yu’s study methods were aimed at him.
• On the bus, Zhang Yu received Bai Zhenzhen’s warning not to accept a Student Union contract before she had spoken with them.
• Zhang Yu planned to improve his cultivation methods and considered spending his savings on stronger ones after contract negotiations.
• Zhang Yu opened an Immortal Dao cultivation-method website and browsed Qi Refining Stage recommendations.

Zhang Yu browsed cultivation methods online, grew wary of a supposed competitor ordering Demonic Parasitic Art, and continued advancing his cultivation. At Songyang High School, Student Union vice president Zhou Chechen offered to take over Zhang Yu’s debts and presented him with a generous Grade A Contract.

• Zhang Yu reviewed popular cultivation methods, filtered them by age and grade, and found Expert-level techniques too expensive to afford.
• Zhang Yu saw a recommendation claiming his competitor was ordering Demonic Parasitic Art, then favorited it and several anti-demon methods while suspecting the platform was manipulating him.
• Zhang Yu’s Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method reached level 8 (95/160), and his magical power rose to 12.1 after a day of cultivation.
• Lan Ling invited Zhang Yu to meet the Student Union about a contract, and Zhang Yu met Lan Ling and vice president Zhou Chechen at the office.
• Zhou Chechen told Zhang Yu that he had bought up Zhang Yu’s debts and would hold the seven hundred thousand without interest or immediate repayment.
• Zhou Chechen presented Zhang Yu with a Grade A Contract offering fifty thousand in monthly cultivation expenses, discounted school resources, and a private dormitory room.

After rejecting Zhou Chechen’s contract, Zhang Yu learned from Bai Zhenzhen that it could bind his future and help wealthy students keep poor applicants out of the Ten Great Top Universities. Though he realized joining a great Sect required reaching the Top Ten, he left the choice uncertain until Bai Zhenzhen declared her plan and he decided to pursue it with her.

• Zhou Chechen told Lan Ling he would give Zhang Yu another month to consider the contract and might improve its benefits if Zhang Yu’s grades rose again.
• Bai Zhenzhen warned Zhang Yu that the contract could give the Student Union control over his debt, assets, university, and major, with enforcement backed by the Law Department.
• Bai Zhenzhen explained that wealthy families used contracts and other means to reserve the Top Ten’s limited places for their own students, while ordinary university graduates could not join the Ten Great Sects as disciples.
• Zhang Yu realized that reaching the Top Ten was necessary for his goal of joining a great Sect, despite the crushing competition and his uncertainty about the contract.
• Bai Zhenzhen declared that she would not sign and would apply to the Top Ten, and Zhang Yu told her they would do it together.

Zhang Yu trained intensely while preparing for the Magic Competition and considering Bai Zhenzhen’s plan to apply to the Ten Great Top Universities. After raising his Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method to Level 10, he reached second place in his grade and gained continuous passive cultivation.

• Bai Zhenzhen told Zhang Yu to focus on improving himself before the Magic Competition, where she planned to introduce him to people who might help them apply to the Ten Great Top Universities.
• During Martial Arts Class, Zhang Yu defeated He Dayou and revealed that his Freehand Fighting had advanced to level 4; Lei Jun invited him to the Songyang City Martial Arts Combat Competition.
• Zhang Yu watched Bai Zhenzhen suppress Qian Shen and wondered how the wealthy students would react if they learned that he and Bai Zhenzhen intended to apply to the Ten Great Top Universities.
• Zhang Yu increased his cultivation time, sparred with Bai Zhenzhen, and restocked medicines at the stationery shop while promoting the Zhang Yu Original Cultivation Package.
• After five days of intensive cultivation, Zhang Yu raised his Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Method to Level 10, reached magical power 13.3 and second place in his grade, and wondered whether Bai Zhenzhen had a hidden advantage too.

Zhang Yu bought and began cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra to improve his Dao Heart, finding that Ritual Power’s constant coercion made him unusually well suited to the method. After rapid progress, his Dao Heart rose to Level 2, and he continued cultivating.

• Zhang Yu decided to prioritize improving his Dao Heart so he could meet the thresholds for stronger cultivation methods.
• Zhang Yu chose the inexpensive Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra, whose harsh-work requirements matched the pressure Ritual Power placed on him.
• Zhang Yu began cultivating the sutra and quickly reached Level 1, then Level 2, as the method made hardship feel easier to endure.
• Zhang Yu reflected that the sutra’s creator might have intended to help people endure hardship rather than turn them into workhorses.
• Zhang Yu raised his Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra to Level 3 and his Dao Heart to Level 2, then continued cultivating.

Zhang Yu advanced the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra to Level 10 and attended Magic Competition tutoring with Bai Zhenzhen. He learned that the competition required precise Magical Power control and quickly demonstrated Sword Qi conversion by cutting through his notebook.

• Zhang Yu cultivated the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra overnight until it reached Level 7, and his Dao Heart showed measurable progress.
• Liang Qin repeatedly tried to get Zhang Yu's attention and learn the secret behind his improved grades, but Zhang Yu ignored him.
• Zhang Yu reached Level 10 in the heart sutra and felt happiness from anticipating future progress.
• Bai Zhenzhen reminded Zhang Yu that they had Magic Competition tutoring, where Teacher Yan explained how controlling Magical Power could produce Sword Qi and other effects.
• Bai Zhenzhen struggled to follow the Sword Qi conversion route, while Zhang Yu used it to cut a two-variable equation from his notebook.

Zhang Yu quickly learned basic Mana Conversion Paths from Teacher Yan and prepared for the Magic Competition while repaying his loan. Liang Qin gambled away the money he earned spying on Zhang Yu, as a man plotting against Zhang Yu prepared to act before the next Monthly Exam; the chapter ended with Zhang Yu and his classmates heading to the competition.

• Zhang Yu mastered several basic Mana Conversion Paths, impressing Teacher Yan, who hoped he would outperform the students who skipped make-up lessons.
• Zhang Yu paid Zhou Chechen 15,000 toward his loan and worried about how quickly his savings were disappearing.
• Liang Qin reported on Zhang Yu to a man who paid him, then gambled away the 500 yuan and resolved to keep spying for more money.
• Su Haifeng learned that the man had sent Liang Qin to watch Zhang Yu, while the man said he intended to settle matters before Zhang Yu signed a contract with the Student Union after the next Monthly Exam.
• Over the following days, Zhang Yu raised his Dao Heart Level to Level 2 (42%) and his Magical Power to 15.4 while practicing for the competition.
• Teacher Yan led Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, He Dayou, and the others onto a bus to the first-year Magic Competition venue in Songyang City.

Songyang High School’s contestants arrived at Red Pagoda High School for the Magic Competition, where Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen met teams from several elite schools. Bai Zhenzhen introduced Zhang Yu to two students from Saintly Women’s Academy, including its top freshman, Ye Xianyun.

• On the bus, Zhang Yu learned from Bai Zhenzhen that she planned to introduce him to poor students from Mangshan High School and Saintly Women’s Academy, including Soul Cultivators attending as spectators and assistants.
• At Red Pagoda High School, Qian Shen checked the contestants’ exam scores while Zhang Yu sensed Spiritual Energy surging as White Dragon High School’s top students arrived.
• Song Hailong, White Dragon High School’s towering leader, explained that he had just acquired a Heavenly Spiritual Root and struggled to control its pressure.
• Lian Tianji arrived with Ziyun High School aboard a Flying Boat and pointed Zhang Yu out to Le Mulan, who nodded to him.
• Red Pagoda High School’s team arrived, and Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen wondered what talent its red-panda-like Demon Descendant student possessed.
• Bai Zhenzhen led Zhang Yu to meet Wu Qingqing and Ye Xianyun, whom Wu introduced as Saintly Women’s Academy’s top freshman.

Bai Zhenzhen introduced Zhang Yu to the Alliance of the Wealth-Haters and tried to secure investment, then urged him to earn a strong result in the Magic Competition. The competition began with a flying-sword challenge, leaving Zhang Yu shocked by the sponsor-backed event.

• Bai Zhenzhen told Mo Tianyi that Zhang Yu had rejected Spark True Person and introduced him as a talented student worth knowing.
• Mo Tianyi sent Bai Zhenzhen 2,000 yuan, and she pushed for more support by promising Zhang Yu’s results could justify an investment.
• Bai Zhenzhen explained that she wanted to learn how the Alliance’s boss had avoided being tied to a school or Student Union, and that competition results could help them gain influence.
• Zhang Yu saw Liang Qin watching from the stands and resisted the temptation to bet after Bai Zhenzhen warned him about gambling.
• The Magic Competition began, and the organizers announced that its first event involved flying swords sponsored by a flying-sword manufacturer.

Zhang Yu and the other students competed in a flying-sword round that rewarded familiarity with the expensive devices as much as magical-power control. After Song Hailong set a perfect score, Zhang Yu entered the arena and considered how to overcome the advantage of students who had practiced with flying swords.

• The host explained that competitors would use Nine Heavens Flying Swords to hit airborne signal plates, and Han Xingye activated his Heaven's Eye Talisman to assess the students.
• Qian Shen scored 72 points, Lian Tianji scored 90, and Le Mulan raised the top score to 95.
• Han Xingye saw Bai Zhenzhen's unusually extensive evaluation as she scored 34 points, then learned from her that Song Hailong's long hair was a removable External Spirit Root.
• Song Hailong used his External Spirit Root and flying-sword experience to score 100 points, becoming the round's top competitor.
• Zhang Yu entered the arena and realized that his lack of flying-sword experience put him at a disadvantage, so he decided he could not use a conventional flying sword.

Zhang Yu scored 80 points in the flying-sword event by using precise magical-power control to spin his sword like a disc, despite complaints from other students. The second event then began, testing how quickly competitors could dissolve Special Magical Power, with medication allowed and schools preparing an array of drugs and injections.

• Zhang Yu used a rapidly spinning flying sword to hit the signal plates and earned 80 points, while Han Xingye recognized the maneuver's difficulty and dismissed the students who called it cheating.
• Other students tried Zhang Yu's technique and failed, and Teacher Yan praised him before sending Bai Zhenzhen to fetch him water.
• The host announced that the second event would test competitors' ability to dissolve Special Magical Power and allow approved medication, including Purple Cloud Company's Magic Dissipation Pills.
• Teacher Yan gave Zhang Yu medicine, which he accepted while planning not to take it, and schools across the arena prepared competitors with drugs and injections.
• Ziyun High School used Meridian Expansion Injections, Red Pagoda High School's coach fed Xiong Bufan veterinary medicine, and White Dragon High School distributed Kang Ling Needles to its students.
• A student was carried out foaming at the mouth and convulsing, and the second event officially began after the competitors finished preparing.

Students competed to dissolve injected Special Magical Power, with the fastest times earning the highest rankings. Le Mulan took first place, but Zhang Yu’s quick finish put him in fourth and gave Songyang High School a place among the leaders.

• Judges injected contestants with heating-type Special Magical Power, and Zhang Yu countered it with low-temperature Magical Power while enduring intense pain.
• Song Hailong dissolved the foreign power in 1:29 and held first place as White Dragon High School students filled the top ten.
• Xiong Bufan of Red Pagoda High School climbed to second place in 1:35, and two more students from his school entered the top ten.
• Le Mulan of Ziyun High School took first place in 00:25, with Song Hailong and Xiong Bufan finishing second and third.
• Zhang Yu finished in 1:38 and entered the rankings in fourth place, prompting Teacher Yan to photograph the results.

Zhang Yu struggled with the final round’s unfamiliar Energy Circulation Diagram, which tested converting magical power into Body Protecting Qi, while students from the famous schools relied on extensive training and resources. After Bai Zhenzhen’s punches revealed that the diagram could combine with her martial arts to form Limitless Cloud Hand, Zhang Yu began practicing the complete technique with the Feather Scroll.

• After the first two rounds, Zhang Yu’s total score fell outside the top ten, and Teacher Yan calculated that he needed four more points to qualify.
• The final round began with contestants using an Energy Circulation Diagram to transform magical power into Special Magical Power.
• Le Mulan recognized the diagram as a Body Protecting Qi method, Song Hailong began oscillating his magical power, and Xiong Bufan’s coach expected him to finish first.
• Zhang Yu struggled with the unfamiliar method and realized that the wealthy schools’ preparation gave their students a major advantage.
• Bai Zhenzhen practiced six martial arts moves, and Zhang Yu recognized that they completed the diagram’s method as Limitless Cloud Hand.
• Zhang Yu switched the Feather Scroll’s Specialization to Limitless Cloud Hand and began practicing it.

Zhang Yu took second place in the third round and fourth place overall in the Magic Competition, drawing attention from rival schools and investors. White Dragon High School tried to recruit him, but Teacher Yan intervened, and Zhang Yu left with his place at Songyang High School unchanged.

• Zhang Yu completed seven Magical Power oscillations and released a towering pillar of Astral Qi, placing second in the third round behind Xiong Bufan.
• The final standings put Song Hailong first, Le Mulan second, Xiong Bufan third, and Zhang Yu fourth overall with 273 points.
• Ziyun High School's coach and Lian Tianji considered recruiting Zhang Yu, but Le Mulan rejected the idea because of his school background.
• Han Xingye offered Zhang Yu a place at White Dragon High School, but Teacher Yan stepped in and led Zhang Yu away.
• Bai Zhenzhen pressed Mo Tianyi for more investment in Zhang Yu, and Mo Tianyi agreed to seek additional funding while lamenting that he had noticed Zhang Yu too late.

After placing fourth in the Magical Power Competition, Zhang Yu received the right to use the Limitless Cloud Hand and celebrated with Bai Zhenzhen. He began training the martial art at an unfinished building and raised it to Level 2.

• Zhang Yu received the Limitless Cloud Hand usage agreement and his fourth-place prize money, then promised to treat Bai Zhenzhen to dinner.
• Liang Qin fell from the stadium, but a teacher and other cultivators caught him with Astral Qi; he claimed he had lost his footing and planned to jump elsewhere.
• Zhang Yu asked Bai Zhenzhen about the six moves she had discerned, and they agreed to attend Teacher Yan's competition tutoring classes.
• Zhang Yu switched his Feather Book Specialization to the Limitless Cloud Hand and practiced its six moves at the unfinished building.
• Zhang Yu raised the Limitless Cloud Hand to Level 2, improving his Formless Cloud Gang control and reducing the wisps of Gang Qi rising from his hands.

After placing fourth in the citywide Magical Power Competition, Zhang Yu continued training and attracted attention and envy at school. He received the equipment he had ordered to improve his Physical Strength ahead of next month’s Martial Arts Competition.

• Zhang Yu practiced Limitless Cloud Hand overnight, raising it to level 6 while alternating training with recovery and work on his Dao Heart.
• Zhou Chechen and Lan Ling decided to make Zhang Yu sign with the Student Union after the Monthly Exam so they could train him for future competitions.
• Zhao Tianxing worried that Zhang Yu’s success had put distance between them, but Zhang Yu invited him to lunch with Bai Zhenzhen and Zhou Tianyi.
• Zhang Yu learned that classmates attributed his success to luck and connections, then asked the cafeteria auntie for extra meat as the citywide competition’s fourth-place winner.
• Zhang Yu received the items he had ordered to improve his Physical Strength before next month’s Martial Arts Competition.