The Next Plan

Seeing Chen Yu's expressionless face, Xu Feng suddenly found it a little unbelievable.

Becoming a Body Cultivator had been his parents' choice.

The previous generation's rulers had gathered together, arranging hundreds or thousands of children in rows. Many children were sent to different places after just one glance, where they learned different cultivation techniques and became different kinds of expendable material.

Yes, expendable material.

Sometimes, children were even more useful than employees. Employees had labor laws protecting them, but children did not.

Used-up children were struck from the records and expelled. Only useful children could be entered into the family register and become glorious members of the Xu Family.

He had been lucky. His Spiritual Root rating had been high, and he was subsequently sent to Changxia High School to become a Body Cultivator.

Later, because of his outstanding appearance and excellent aptitude as a Body Cultivator, he had been groomed into a star student, the pride of Xu Education Group.

Once, he had hated that identity.

If possible, he would still have preferred to attend Art High School, become a student there, and study the art he loved.

But today, he had let it go.

If he had not been a Body Cultivator, he would have had no reason to come here, learn of The Dreamer in the Dreamscape, or meet the author he admired.

If he had not been a Body Cultivator, he would have been unable to help Chen Yu raise his reputation and thus improve his Grades.

Mr. Chen, thank you for your Dreamscape. This is my repayment to you.

Taking his stance, he began looking forward to understanding his opponent.

Facing Chen Yu, he said softly, "Don't worry, Chen Yu. I'll be gentle."

"I won't," Chen Yu replied expressionlessly.

Standing between the two of them, Teacher Zhao asked, "What are the rules?"

"Whatever."

"Whatever."

Their identical answers brought a bright smile to Xu Feng's face, making him feel as if he had drawn a little closer to Chen Yu.

When Teacher Zhao announced the start, Xu Feng was already stepping over the dew on the ground and slowly approaching Chen Yu.

His classmates stood to the side. The battle here would be recorded and counted toward Changxia High School's Grades.

At the same time, Chen Yu, who was fighting him, would also be recorded and become the focus of others' attention.

This target was an opportunity many people fought desperately to obtain. It was also Xu Feng's gift to Chen Yu.

Therefore, he needed to fight beautifully, to make it look good, so that others would recognize Chen Yu as a genius too. This was the gift he had prepared for the Dream Maker he admired.

Tai Chi was the martial art he had started with, and it was also the one he performed most beautifully.

His nimble figure and elegant movements complemented each other, making every motion pleasing to the eye. Even someone utterly ignorant of martial arts could make it look beautiful.

Although it was not required knowledge for exams, it could produce astonishing results in actual combat.

He had thought he could easily pull Chen Yu into his rhythm, but the moment his hand brushed Chen Yu's collar, he realized he was wrong.

Wildly wrong.

Chen Yu's body was like a feather at that moment, even lighter than a feather and smoother than rainwater.

He seemed like a gentle breeze, yet also like scattered light. Even the softest touch would make him slip away.

Chen Yu's Force Dissipation had only just begun yesterday, but today it had suddenly advanced to level nine. That terrifying rate of improvement surpassed Xu Feng's imagination and drew a delighted smile from him.

Chen Yu, beautiful!

His own attacks would not work, yet Chen Yu could easily wear him down. Perfection-level Force Dissipation possessed such an exalted Trait; even a perfect-score genius like him was no exception.

He could still win if he used the Xu Family's martial arts, but he was in too good a mood now and did not want those family things to taint it.

Closing his eyes and spreading his hands, he quietly waited for Chen Yu's follow-up attack. Then a punch blasted him away, sending him skipping across the lawn like a stone over water more than a dozen times before he stopped.

Watching Xu Feng fly all the way to the far end of the field, Chen Yu gaped. After a long while, he shouted, "Why didn't you dodge?!"

Xu Feng struggled to get up from the ground, clutching his swollen face as he returned to his original spot. Chuckling, he said, "That punch was too beautiful. I couldn't bear to dodge it."

"Are you sick or something?!"

"A level-nine Straight Punch is truly rare. It would've been a shame to dodge such a good punch. Changxia High School lost this round, but the green hills remain and the rivers flow on. We'll meet again."

With that, he refused his classmates' assistance and limped into the Flying Shuttle High School. Then he piloted the flying shuttle into the sky and hurriedly departed Tianyuan Sports High School.

Watching the flying shuttle disappear into the distance, Chen Yu looked at his own fist and asked in confusion, "Did I punch him stupid?"

"Maybe." Teacher Zhao was equally confused. "I've heard that looks, talent, and intelligence can't all be had at once. He probably got shorted on intelligence."

"What about me?"

Teacher Zhao glanced at Chen Yu. "Maybe Morality needs to be added to that list."

"True."

"Alright, this joint study session is over. The Tianyuan Cultivators Committee can finally hold its head high, and a lot of matters will be easier to handle afterward. I'm going to settle accounts with the principal. I should be able to secure some funding, and you can get some rewards."

Chen Yu immediately jumped back and cried out in panic, "What rewards? I don't want any rewards! Teacher Zhao, we're so familiar with each other, don't set me up! I'm going back to reflect on myself. You keep it all. Remember, don't give me money!"

Watching Chen Yu flee at top speed, Teacher Zhao was utterly bewildered, his confusion deepening.

Why did such a generous child have such a low Moral Score?

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Chen Yu did not return directly to the dormitory. Instead, he found a secluded place to sit down, because he knew the others would not leave him alone.

He did not want his companions' admiration or congratulations right now. The moment he heard them, he would think of everything that had happened last night, and his stomach would ache faintly.

Compared with what he had experienced in the Dreamscape last night, ordinary PE class was as easy as taking a stroll.

They might even treat him to a meal. Just thinking about such an act that did not cost him money made his balls ache.

Hiding in the woods, he clenched his fists and swore there could not be a next time.

"Now, I have to review everything and reflect on where things went wrong."

"First, there was nothing wrong with the early preparations. The Negative Emotions at the beginning proved that. The occasional Positive Emotion was normal and could be ignored."

"The point where everything fell apart was Teacher Zhao. He looked so honest and upright, but who knew he had been planning how to scheme against me from the very start? That's truly despicable."

"Next time, I need to try excluding Teacher Zhao and find another path, one that suits me best. I can't let other people be happy again."

The idea was good, but carrying it out would still be somewhat difficult.

A Dreamscape that people did not find interesting was not a good Dreamscape. So, the Dreamscape he made needed to give people Negative Emotions while also making them want to keep playing.

If he factored in the Trait that allowed emotions to be converted in advance, then he would have to add spending money as another variable, allowing him to obtain mana painlessly.

"I need people to play, while also making most of them unhappy... Hmm... competitions?"

At that moment, Chen Yu knew what his next Dreamscape would be.