Chapter 108

"Are you sick?"

Faced with Le Mulan's money-throwing behavior, Zhang Yu originally wanted to say this.

But before he could say it, Bai Zhenzhen beside him pushed his shoulder and urged, "They're offering you money! What are you dawdling for?"

Bai Zhenzhen said to Le Mulan, "Where do you want to touch? Taking off the top costs extra."

Le Mulan shook her head repeatedly and said, "No need, just... touch the hand for a moment."

Just then, Le Mulan suddenly trembled slightly. She frowned and patted the bench beneath her, saying, "Don't move around."

The girl lying under Le Mulan gritted her teeth and stopped, her eyes and nose scrunched together as if she was about to cry tears of blood in her heart.

"Why? Why does the top of the grade—so wealthy, so outstanding, so noble—have to spend money on a poor and dirty student from Songyang High?"

After the bench beneath her stopped shaking, Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu again and slowly extended her hand.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen grabbed her hand: "Hey hey hey! What are you doing? You haven't paid yet."

So after Le Mulan transferred 2,000 yuan over, Zhang Yu felt an icy cold little hand slowly touching him.

First, it tentatively touched his fingertip, and then Zhang Yu felt her palm slither like a snake, gradually rubbing from his fingertips to the back of his hand, gently placing it there.

"Like a piece of ice..." Just as this thought flashed through Zhang Yu's mind, Le Mulan had already quickly withdrawn her hand.

She nodded, let out a breath, and said, "That's enough."

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Le Mulan curiously and asked, "Done? Want to touch me? I can do it cheaper."

Le Mulan's usually cold lips curled up slightly at this moment, and she shook her head with satisfaction: "Not today, but I can try next time."

"Then could I give you both money and touch both of you at the same time?"

After getting an affirmative answer, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Le Mulan's mouth again, and she left with Lian Tianji.

Watching the "bench" also get up and leave, Zhang Yu said speechlessly, "This Le Mulan is crazy."

Bai Zhenzhen said, "Isn't it good to have an easy chance to earn money?"

Zhang Yu asked in confusion, "Why does she want to touch us?"

Bai Zhenzhen shrugged: "Who knows? Maybe it's a cultivation method? Rich people, plenty of abnormal cultivation methods."

After finishing the buffet, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen came to the stands. They planned to activate the Heaven's Eye Talisman to gather intelligence on the three major high schools before the match started.

As for the Concealment Talisman, they had naturally activated it before entering Ziyun High.

But the next moment, as the Heaven's Eye Talisman was activated, Zhang Yu's vision slightly paused.

Above the direction of Bailong High, all the contestants' heads displayed the same line: Xianyun Group Company Data

And above the direction of Hongta High, several dark-skinned students' heads read: For business cooperation, contact Hongta Pasture

Zhang Yu quickly looked toward Ziyun High, where Le Mulan, Lian Tianji, and others had floating above their heads: Ziyun Pharmaceutical Non-Public Information, unauthorized viewing will result in legal liability

Zhang Yu sighed slightly: "Their information is all hidden."

"The three companies—Xianyun, Hongta, and Ziyun—behind the three major high schools really take this match seriously."

In the audience stands.

Lan Ling coldly looked at the busy arena below and said, "Why drag me here? To watch our school's team get stomped?"

Zhou Chechen beside him laughed heartily and said, "Lan Ling, don't limit your perspective to just a high school or a single competition."

"I brought you here today to witness a new physical training revolution in Songyang City."

Lan Ling frowned and said, "What exactly are you trying to do? Why didn't you attend the physical competition two weeks ago? Did you already know about the cooperation between Oasis Group and them?"

Zhou Chechen smiled slightly and said, "Lan Ling, the three major high schools gave us one slot—a slot to receive their physical training technical support."

"This year, you let me have that slot."

"Next year, your senior year, I'll fully support you in receiving the three major high schools' technical support."

"If you're willing, then from now on, the two of us will be the last two students from Songyang High to get into the Top Ten."

"If you're unwilling, then for the next year I'll do nothing else but beat you every day, and I guarantee you won't graduate."

…

In the Spirit Realm.

Mo Tianyi, who had taken half a day off for once, felt weak all over, with a sense of guilt for not working continuously rising in his heart.

And watching the live stream of the competition at Ziyun High School, he couldn't help asking, "Boss, is this competition that important? You have to watch the live broadcast?"

A blurry figure beside him nodded. "Very important. It even concerns the overall situation of the Sixteen Families of Songyang."

The Sixteen Families of Songyang... Mo Tianyi knew they were the sixteen richest and most powerful families in Songyang.

Their internal members not only intermarried but also connected within the branch offices of major companies in Songyang, acting as local power brokers who helped those companies operate and controlled enormous resources.

'Boss' looked at the live feed in front of him and said, "The physical competition procedure usually starts with a physical strength test, followed by tests of agility, speed, and strength — four events in total. Finally, the total score is calculated…"

At this point, Boss's voice paused. "It's starting. They're about to test the contestants' physical strength. Let's see just how far the technological breakthroughs of the three major high schools have come." On the big screen at the venue, as contestants completed their tests, names and scores kept appearing.

However, only the top ten could remain displayed on the big screen.

The one occupying the first place at the moment… was none other than Chu Qiuhe from Bailong High School, with a grade of 4.49.

…

Just a short while before the physical strength test began.

At the highest point of the bleachers, at the very back of the crowd, a male student wearing Ziyun High School's uniform was also looking toward the arena.

The young man looked somewhat like Le Mulan; at first glance he even seemed a bit like a girl. Especially since he was less than two meters tall, which made him appear even more delicate in Ziyun High School, where everyone had a strong physique.

Only the incredibly complex purple vertical pupil mark on his forehead seemed to tell of his extraordinary nature.

At the same time, another burly man with bronze-colored skin and a height of about two and a half meters, who was livestreaming on his phone, walked over laughing to the side of this Ziyun student.

"Everybody, look who this is! My good buddy, Ziyun High School's second-year top student Le Jingchen, also the student council vice president."

The livestreaming burly man squeezed next to Le Jingchen, bringing both of them into the livestream frame.

>

Feeling the burly man approach, Le Jingchen's muscles instantly tensed, but the next moment they relaxed again, and he smiled and waved at the livestream audience.

Even though he disliked the burly man's closeness, Le Jingchen knew that this body-forging influencer named 'Gangshan' had over eight million fans, and had long insisted on only using drugs (medicine) without surgery, being a representative figure of traditional body forging in Songyang City.

And Gangshan's signature behavior was to never wear a single piece of clothing except shorts, to show the world his meticulously trained muscles.

This time, the reason he came to livestream this first-year physical competition was naturally because he was invited by some company.

Le Jingchen thought to himself, "So what if he's a representative of traditional body forging? As long as the money is enough, he still has to come promote the new technology."

Even the meeting between himself and the other person at this moment, and the subsequent joint livestream, Le Jingchen knew were requests from Ziyun Pharmaceutical behind the scenes.

"Today's athletic competition — the clash on the arena between students and their techniques — is one aspect."

"The clash of public opinion outside the arena is another major battle."

"Hmph, I wonder how many people will jump out today to do something that grabs attention and steals the spotlight."

Just then, the internet-famous burly man 'Gangshan' spoke up: "Jingchen, what do you think of today's competition?"

Le Jingchen smiled slightly and said, "Just like the second-year physical competition two weeks ago, it's mainly a clash among the three major high schools. After all, the breakthrough in body forging technology this time has only been applied to students of the three major high schools…"

Le Jingchen then followed the previous plan and began to promote the new technology in a seemingly objective and neutral, intentional or unintentional manner.

After chatting for a while, Gangshan looked at the arena and said, "Oh, the competition has officially started. First is the physical strength test. This event is scored based on physical strength, with a maximum of 50 points, right?"

"Then the second event tests agility, with a total of 75 points; the third event tests speed, also 75 points; and the final strength event has a total of 150 points."

"The final ranking of the athletic competition is calculated based on the total score of these four events."

Gangshan first explained the total score calculation of the athletic competition to the audience.

Then, to let the audience more intuitively understand the breakthrough nature of the new body forging technology, Gangshan also explained: "It's been about eight and a half months since the first-year students started school."

"The average physical strength of most ordinary high schools in the same period is about 1.0 grade."

"Key high schools are slightly better; the average level of their students by now can approach grade 2.0."

"Of course, among the key high schools, Songyang High School has a stronger sports program, much higher in level, and some of its top students even have the chance to compete against the strong ones from the three major high schools."

"As for the three major high schools in Songyang City, they are on a whole other level. According to previous years' data, the average level of students can approach 3.0, and the most top-tier students might even break through level 4.0."

At the same time, as the physical test began, the contestants' physical strength levels kept appearing on the big screen.

Then, very quickly, the result of the first place shocked countless people present, as well as many netizens watching the live broadcast of the competition.

White Dragon High School, Chu Qiuhe, Level 4.49

Gangshan exclaimed in surprise, "Level 4.49? He reached this level in eight and a half months? This Chu Qiuhe must be White Dragon High School's ace player, right?"

Le Jingchen beside him smiled slightly and said, "He's not really an ace player. The strongest of this year's students at White Dragon High School should be Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong."

Gangshan: "Level 4.49 isn't considered an ace player?"

Le Jingchen: "Because the body refinement techniques of the three major high schools have all achieved breakthroughs. You can tell from Chu Qiuhe's appearance that he has undergone a modification surgery, which allows his physique to mimic the physical structure of demon beasts, breaking through original limits and gaining explosive growth."

Gangshan: "Modification surgery still carries risks, right? Many people also find the appearance hard to accept."

Le Jingchen nodded: "This kind of direct modification surgery on the body naturally has great risks. In comparison, the super-metabolic surgery at Ziyun is much easier, with low surgical risk and high efficiency..."

Just as Le Jingchen was introducing the technological breakthrough of Ziyun Pharmaceutical, as if confirming his words, the big screen changed again. The first place became: Ziyun High School, Lian Tianji, Level 4.56.

Gangshan exclaimed in surprise, "This physical strength is already higher than the champion of previous years' freshman physical competition, right?"

Le Jingchen nodded slightly: "After the breakthrough in body refinement techniques, the results of the freshman physical competition will inevitably be broken again and again. There will be a world of difference between players who apply the new technology and those who don't, like modern people versus ancient people..."

Just as Le Jingchen was elaborating on the importance of the new body refinement techniques, the first place on the big screen changed again.

Songyang High School, Zhang Yu, Level 4.95