Chapter 24: Spiritual Roots

Leaving Su Haifeng's office, Zhang Yu walked back to the classroom.

Next week, he had to break into the top ten of the entire grade in terms of mana, earning the qualification to represent Songyang High School in the French competition.

The week after, there would be monthly exams. Only with excellent monthly exam scores could he obtain a better contract from the school.

Zhang Yu was confident that he could break into the top ten in mana within the next week. After all, his Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method was already at Level 4, and this level would only increase, leading to a more rapid increase in mana.

However, besides mana, the monthly exams also tested physical education, Dao heart, martial arts, and Dao techniques. Zhang Yu suddenly felt immense pressure to improve these four subjects drastically within the next two weeks.

As for the general knowledge education exam?

Not only did general knowledge only account for 50 points, but almost everyone in the demonstration class scored near full marks, making it impossible to differentiate.

It could be said that Zhang Yu was unsure of his final standing in the monthly exams two weeks later.

"In any case... I'll just keep grinding."

Zhang Yu felt himself burning with determination.

Who said driving a manual car wasn't still driving?

Yu Shu! Over the next two weeks, show me where your limits lie!

As soon as he returned to the classroom, Zhang Yu began to breathe in spiritual Qi, fully activating the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the first class.

"Ah, so tired."

As Zhang Yu relaxed slightly, wanting to take a break, the countdown timer filled with a chilling aura rose again, forcing him to continue his efforts.

"Damn it!"

"Stupid ritual... one day I'll kill you!"

In another corner of the classroom, Zhao Tianxing looked at the message he had received on his phone, feeling a sense of relief.

Previously, physical education teacher Wang Hai had sent him to inquire about Zhang Yu's supply channels. After the other party inquired about the results today, Zhao Tianxing told him about yesterday's art exhibition.

Wang Hai's reply was: Understood, you don't need to follow Zhang Yu for the time being. Just maintain a good relationship with him. Come to the practice field after school tomorrow, and I'll give you a body refinement lesson.

Not having to continue inquiring about Zhang Yu relieved Zhao Tianxing a lot.

And Wang Hai's reward of an extra lesson made Zhao Tianxing secretly happy.

After all, as a top teacher, the quality of Wang Hai's private lessons was beyond doubt. Not only were they expensive, but they were often hard to come by.

As for maintaining a relationship with Zhang Yu...

Zhao Tianxing looked up at Zhang Yu's seat and saw him breathing in spiritual Qi.

"After yesterday's events, I must have become a clown in his eyes."

Thinking that the other party might already be laughing at his clumsy performance last night, Zhao Tianxing felt his cheeks burn again.

However, thinking of Wang Hai's private lesson reward, he decided to find Zhang Yu for a few words when he was free after class later.

But as the morning classes passed one after another, Zhao Tianxing couldn't find a chance to say a few words to Zhang Yu.

"Still breathing in spiritual Qi?"

"Breathing in spiritual Qi during class."

"Breathing in spiritual Qi after class."

"He hasn't even been to the toilet once... what strong kidneys."

Zhang Yu's hard work at this moment made Zhao Tianxing feel anxious.

He finally waited until lunch, and Zhao Tianxing had just gotten his food, wanting to sit next to Zhang Yu.

He saw the other party gulping down his food as if he were possessed, and then running out of the cafeteria like the wind.

Bai Zhenzhen cursed inwardly: "He's even grinding during lunchtime? Is he not letting people eat properly?"

Lunchtime was the only time at Songyang High School that wasn't dominated by grades, Song Haifeng's surveillance, or Wang Hai's perversion.

It could be said to be the rare time in the school day for academic masters to relax, take a break, and even chat about gossip.

It was Songyang High School's own mental SPA time.

Bai Zhenzhen was very dissatisfied with Zhang Yu's attitude of cultivating even during lunchtime.

Brother, you're grinding so hard, how can we eat in peace?

What if you overtake us?

Is this an academic arms race?

When Zhao Tianxing returned to the classroom, seeing the other party already breathing in spiritual Qi, he muttered to himself that he was right.

For the rest of the afternoon, Zhao Tianxing couldn't find a chance to say a word to him, simply because whenever he turned his head to look, the other party was either concentrating on class or breathing in spiritual Qi.

Looking at him like this made Zhao Tianxing increasingly anxious.

"He's already at the Golden Core stage and he's still working so hard. Is he not giving us ordinary students a way out?"

It wasn't until school ended that Zhao Tianxing finally had a chance to catch up with him. He thought Zhang Yu would go to his temporary job again today.

But he heard the other party say: "Look for temporary work?"

"Little Zhao, we high school students should put our studies first. How can we go to work every day?"

"Don't think you're great just because you earn 800 an hour. Those are all temporary jobs and you can't find them every day."

Zhang Yu looked at his balance of 8300 yuan and had the confidence to temporarily not work and concentrate on cultivation.

So he returned home, took a nerve-filling agent, and continued to breathe in spiritual Qi until the next morning.

Apart from going to the toilet and switching Yu Shu's specialty back to the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method, Zhang Yu devoted all his time to breathing in spiritual Qi.

In this way, four days passed in the blink of an eye.

After these four days of hard work, Zhang Yu's Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method reached Level 6 (45/120).

And after these days of diligent cultivation, his mana had increased from 8.3 to 9.4 in one breath, only 2 places away from the top ten in the grade.

...

Outside the first-year corridor that day.

Su Haifeng strolled to the back door of the classroom and looked at the students who were studying on their own.

As the head teacher of the demonstration class, he was deliberately wandering around even though he had no class, naturally to boost the students' mental state with his cold gaze, ruthless mockery, and the power of the grade director.

Then Su Haifeng discovered that the students in the classroom were working even harder than usual today.

There were fewer people going to the toilet.

There were more people breathing in spiritual Qi seriously, and fewer people falling asleep while breathing.

There was no one who was actually daydreaming, but pretending to stare at the book just to avoid being discovered by him.

The class's distraction rate had decreased significantly.

In fact, Su Haifeng had vaguely noticed this trend from the previous two days.

And after his observation, he found that the source of this trend was the student named Zhang Yu.

With Zhang Yu's maniacal breathing in spiritual Qi, a continuous 0% distraction rate, and the surge in mana these past few days... Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing, and others were the first to be stimulated.

And then the grinding spirit that Bai Zhenzhen and the others erupted stimulated even more people.

Those with 550 points were grinding, those with 600 points were grinding, and those with 650 points were also grinding. How could you still rest?

Even the average dining time of the demonstration class students in the cafeteria every day had decreased by more than 20%, according to the report that Su Haifeng saw.

Su Haifeng looked at Zhang Yu, who was still breathing in spiritual Qi, and sighed inwardly: "Is it because his self-esteem was hurt before?"

"Then maybe I can use this trick more often in the future."

Unknowingly, he had already thought of the topic for his next teaching and research paper, "An Exploration of Insulting Students in High School Teaching."

After a satisfied look at the learning atmosphere in the classroom, Su Haifeng nodded and left.

Not long after Su Haifeng left, as the bell rang for the end of school, Zhang Yu immediately stood up and walked towards the school's quiet room.

Because he had become the student with the lowest distraction rate in the entire grade last week, Zhang Yu not only received a 500-yuan bonus and was commended, but also had 1 hour of free use of the Heavenly Spiritual Root.

And today was the day for the school to redeem this 1 hour of Heavenly Spiritual Root.

Because spiritual root rental and quiet rooms for breathing exercises were scheduled by the school, Zhang Yu would forfeit the reward if he missed it, so he rushed to the office for renting spiritual roots without a moment's delay.

Zhao Tianxing seized the opportunity, followed behind Zhang Yu, and said, "Are you going to rent a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"

Seeing Zhang Yu nod, Zhao Tianxing continued, "You don't seem to rent Heavenly Spiritual Roots often at school, do you?"

"Would you like me to introduce you to the types of Heavenly Spiritual Roots our school has?"

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered slightly. Because of the price, the original Zhang Yu had always rented spiritual roots from various educational institutions with promotional activities. He wasn't very familiar with the types of Heavenly Spiritual Roots at school.

After all, with the development of the times, especially after the sorting and research of the Ten Great Sects, spiritual roots were no longer as superficial as the ancient classifications.

First of all, in terms of grade, spiritual roots were divided into five grades by the Ten Great Sects.

Among them, there were the lowest-grade Human Spiritual Root, the high-grade Earth Spiritual Root, and the even higher-grade Heavenly Spiritual Root. These three grades of spiritual roots could be bought as long as you had money.

And going further up, there were the military-grade Divine Spiritual Root and the Immortal Spiritual Root specially supplied by the Ten Great Sects.

Divine Spiritual Roots could only be used by the military and some special government departments.

Immortal Spiritual Roots could only be used after joining the Ten Great Sects.

And in terms of classification, spiritual roots like the ancient Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth spiritual roots... There were no such classifications in Kunxu long ago.

Because the design and manufacturing industries of spiritual roots were becoming more advanced and prosperous, spiritual roots had gradually been divided into types according to different functions, such as learning, combat, cultivation, and so on.

Zhao Tianxing said, "The most popular spiritual roots in our high school are definitely learning spiritual roots and cultivation spiritual roots."

"For example, Jiling Root..."

Zhang Yu was shocked: "Chicken Spiritual Root?"

Zhao Tianxing said, "It's Jì, as in deposit. Jiling Root can be temporarily deposited in a person's body, transferring the mana extracted by this person through the spiritual root to oneself. It's a spiritual root that many rich people like."

"There's also the Muscle Growth Spiritual Root, which is also a favorite of many people. It can extract spiritual Qi into a growth spiritual Qi during breathing exercises, directly inject it into the muscles, accelerate muscle growth, increase muscle mass 24 hours a day, and greatly improve body refinement..."