Chapter 35: Choice and Cultivation Method

White Dragon High School.

As one of the three prestigious high schools in Songyang City, alongside Ziyun High School, this institution boasts a long history and immense wealth. Whether it's the number of award-winning students in competitions, the number of students admitted to the top ten universities, or even the number of students who take their own lives, it holds a dominant position in Songyang City.

Indeed, for many students at White Dragon High School, the notion of "three prestigious schools" is laughable. In Songyang City, there is only one: White Dragon High School.

At this moment, in the White Dragon High School cafeteria...

Zhang Pianpian was eating her meal while flipping through her *lu shu* (a kind of registration book for cultivators), studying a newly purchased charm textbook.

Just then, a petite girl sat down across from her, saying mysteriously, "Pianbao, I heard an interesting piece of news. Want to know? You treat me to lunch, and I'll tell you."

Zhang Pianpian didn't even look up. "Not interested."

The girl chuckled. "Your brother made quite a splash at the Central Mansion last time. It's a pity he wasn't accepted by a Golden Core cultivator in the end. Don't you want to know any news about him?"

Zhang Pianpian frowned slightly and said, "At most, it's worth a nine-yuan 'poor man's meal deal.' Any more expensive, and I'm not listening."

"Enough, enough," the girl said with a smile. "It's rare for Pianbao like you to treat me to a meal. Nobody in the class would believe it if I told them."

Seeing the impatient look on Zhang Pianpian's face, the girl continued, "I got the news from a friend of mine at Songyang High School."

"Your brother got third place in the grade in this monthly exam, with a total score of 620."

Zhang Pianpian was surprised. "620? Are you sure that news is true?"

"Guaranteed authentic," the girl said. "That score is enough to get into the top fifteen in our first year. That's impressive."

"Didn't you say your brother didn't have talent? Looks like he's not bad after all."

A hint of doubt flashed in Zhang Pianpian's eyes. "My judgment is never wrong. He doesn't have the talent to ascend the Immortal Path. Something must have happened to him during this period."

The girl asked, "Now the student council at Songyang High School is probably going to keep an eye on him. Aren't you going to help him?"

Zhang Pianpian lowered her eyes and said faintly, "It's his choice."

"If he's willing to sign a contract with the student council, at least he can relax a bit in high school."

"Are you testing him?" The girl pursed her lips. "Isn't that too strict? How many students can withstand the pressure from the student council?"

Zhang Pianpian said coldly, "If he can't withstand it, then he takes the path he can't withstand. Otherwise, helping him would only harm him."

"What kind of metal he is, in the end, depends on what kind of choices he can make."

...

Songyang High School.

Zhang Yu could clearly feel that the atmosphere of the entire school had changed.

During breaks between classes, unfamiliar classmates started greeting him.

"Zhang Yu, your physical strength is improving so fast. Is it really natural body refinement?"

"Zhang Yu, can I borrow your martial arts theory test paper?"

In the hallways, students from other classes he didn't recognize pointed at him.

"Look, that's Zhang Yu that Teacher Lei was talking about."

"Ugh, these monsters from the demonstration class really don't give people a chance to live."

In martial arts class, Teacher Lei Jun repeatedly played the video of him defeating He Dayou.

He even asked Zhang Yu to talk about his combat strategy at the time, causing He Dayou's blood to surge within his body, his heart to beat more powerfully, and to seem younger and more vigorous.

In the cafeteria, students began to deliberately walk around Zhang Yu, seemingly secretly observing what dishes he was eating.

Some students with whom he had little contact wanted to eat at the same table with him.

At dinner time, Zhang Yu simply called Zhao Tianxing over and pulled him and Bai Zhenzhen to eat together.

After all, Zhao Tianxing alone could occupy two seats, and the three of them filled the entire table perfectly.

As for that kid Zhou Tianyi, he didn't know what he was doing today. He left school as soon as class was over and didn't come to eat dinner with them.

Zhao Tianxing had eaten with them a few times during this period and gradually became familiar with both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

Zhang Yu even noticed that in front of Zhao Tianxing, Bai Zhenzhen seemed to be much more open than in front of Zhou Tianyi.

At this moment, Zhao Tianxing complained, "How long will the cafeteria's electronic screen display the monthly exam scores? It's not even convenient to look at the prices when ordering food now."

Zhang Yu took a bite of rice and sighed, "Little Zhao, you're thinking too small. The school is displaying the monthly exam scores to urge everyone to study hard. I think it's fine to display them for a few more days."

Bai Zhenzhen nodded slightly. "After all, exams are our students' duty. How can the importance of displaying scores be compared to a mere food price?"

Zhao Tianxing looked at the two people in front of him, especially Zhang Yu, speechlessly.

Then he suddenly realized that Zhang Yu was no longer the student whose monthly exam ranking was similar to his. The two were no longer in the same campus class.

Those actions that deeply stung other students, put tremendous pressure on other students, and incited students to fight fiercely internally, were now a blatant display of superiority for Zhang Yu.

"Zhang Yu was clearly complaining with me about these inhumane behaviors of the school just a few days ago."

"Now he's become like this." He thought to himself, "Could it be that when a person's score is high, they really change so quickly?"

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu and smiled. "Yuzi, you seem to be in a good mood."

More than just good.

Zhang Yu felt like he was bursting with happiness right now.

He had never felt that the scenery of Songyang High School was so beautiful, and that the students and teachers were so kind.

For him, who had to persist in arduous cultivation every day, this was simply the most beautiful scenery, a rare comfort, and a reward from the heavens for his diligence and self-discipline.

Zhang Yu waved his hand modestly. "Ah, these are all useless, empty reputations."

"I don't know why everyone likes to come to me."

"Ah Zhen, you've been the grade leader for so long, why didn't so many people come to play with you?"

Bai Zhenzhen curled her lips and said disdainfully, "Because my number one makes them unable to see any hope of catching up, and all they feel is the absolute gap in talent."

"But your sudden progress makes them feel like there's a possibility of imitating you."

"So everyone wants to be good friends with you, to peep at the secret of your score improvement."

Bai Zhenzhen swallowed a chicken leg in one bite, ruthlessly revealing the cruel reality.

"High school campus, scores are king."

"A carefully selected workbook, a charged charm skill, or even a practical experience learned from a tutoring class is enough to make countless high school students flock to it. Not to mention the secret of your 70-point improvement in a month. Even the top ten students in the grade would be tempted."

"These students who come to you aren't really here to be friends with you. They just want to obtain the secret to your score increase, preferably moving that 70-point improvement onto their own heads."

Zhao Tianxing wiggled his butt next to him, and the two chairs under him made a series of creaking noises as if they were about to give way.

He thought to himself, "I was the tenth place this time. I also deliberately approached Zhang Yu before."

"Is Bai Zhenzhen hinting at me with these words?"

"Although I really want to learn some excellent study habits from them both, and take the opportunity to ask Zhang Yu for the secret to improving his grades so quickly..."

Thinking of this, he twisted his body even more violently, feeling that the atmosphere on the table seemed to be tense, and he temporarily suppressed the idea of taking the opportunity to ask Zhang Yu for the secret to improving his grades.

Until he parted ways with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, watching one take the bus and the other take the subway, Zhao Tianxing was still thinking about this matter.

"Is Bai Zhenzhen really talking about me?"

...

On the bus.

Just as he got on the bus, Zhang Yu, who was being squeezed by the people around him, felt his phone vibrate.

He took it out and saw that Bai Zhenzhen had sent him a message.

"In the next few days, the student council may be looking for you to talk about the contract."

"No matter what the conditions are, don't agree to them yet."

"After I talk to them, we'll discuss it together."

Looking at the message sent by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, "So the advanced contract is negotiated with the student council?"

Zhang Yu had never really understood the student council of Songyang High School.

In his mind, what can a high school student council do?

But now, judging from what Bai Zhenzhen said, the student council was clearly not simple, and even had the power to negotiate contracts with students.

"I wonder what the conditions of the contract they'll give me will be."

"Judging from what Ah Zhen said, does she want to advance and retreat together with me? To raise the price together?"

After thinking for a few seconds without gaining any ground, and hearing the countdown in his mind, Zhang Yu had to temporarily put aside these wild thoughts and started browsing the textbooks stored in his phone.

However, after reading the textbook for a while, he didn't know if it was because of the feedback from the monthly exam results or the upcoming contract, but Zhang Yu felt restless on the bus today and couldn't concentrate on reading.

He simply put down his phone and pondered his current path of cultivation.

Regarding his thoughts in this area, the ritual power did not force anything.

After all, thinking about the road ahead, planning cultivation... all matched his desire to study hard, cultivate hard, get into university, work hard, and earn money to eventually buy all the antiques in his shopping cart.

"Next, I'll raise the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique to level 10 first."

"The next goal is the Tianwu Heart Refinement Art, but this martial arts mental cultivation technique requires level 3 Dao Heart. Then I can only practice the basic Heart Refinement Technique first, raise this mental cultivation technique to level 10, and at the same time raise my Dao Heart to level 3. Then I can practice the Tianwu Heart Refinement Art..."

"After that, the only things I can practice are basic breathing exercises, freehand fighting, and basic high school swordsmanship."

After confirming the future arrangements in his mind, Zhang Yu thought of his current savings of more than 70,000, as well as the income he might receive after signing the contract in the future, and he couldn't help but have an idea.

"Should I buy some more powerful, more effective cultivation techniques?"

Zhang Yu didn't have this plan before because he didn't have money.

But after receiving Wang Hai's 66,000 today, Zhang Yu couldn't help but think about how to spend the money.

For example, spiritual roots, charms, practical experience... many things he didn't dare to think about before, now he had some ideas, just waiting for the contract to be negotiated, to see how much money he had in his pocket before making specific arrangements.

And now that he was thinking about the future arrangements for learning cultivation techniques, he couldn't help but have the idea of buying cultivation techniques.

"Even if I don't buy them, I can still take a look and have an idea in my mind."

The phone screen flashed, Zhang Yu opened the shopping website, and entered his real-name account.

After another facial recognition, Zhang Yu entered the purchase website for immortal cultivation techniques, but with his current identity, he could only see the Qi Refining stage cultivation techniques.

As soon as he entered, he saw a row of recommendations written on the top: Your friends are watching: *Charming Girl Great Art* Male and Female Universal Edition, *Great Dream Heart Sutra* Can Practice While Sleeping, *Nine Heavens Quick Completion Eight-Part Talisman*...