Chapter 16: Patrol

Turning back to see Zhao Tianxing still standing there dumbfounded, Zhang Yu urged, "Time to work, Little Zhao, slacking off here?"

Only then did Zhao Tianxing quickly catch up, but he couldn't help turning back to take a few more glances at Bai Zhenzhen, who was serving dishes, thinking to himself, "If I tell them back at school, they definitely won't believe it. Bai Zhenzhen is actually working a part-time job? Did something happen to her family?"

After the two made another patrol round, Zhao Tianxing followed Zhang Yu into an empty emergency stairwell nearby, where he saw Zhang Yu suddenly sit down cross-legged and say, "Don't just stand there, let's rest together."

Zhao Tianxing: "Huh? But the captain told us to keep patrolling. If he finds out..."

Zhang Yu: "The exhibition hasn't even started yet. What's there to patrol? Besides, in this Central Tower, you think anything could go wrong?"

Saying this, Zhang Yu smiled again and said, "Besides, didn't you want to have a chat with me? It just so happens I want to talk to you about your 'Way of Security'."

Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing recalled Wang Hai's instructions.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu across from him had already dropped a bombshell statement: "Being a security guard is all about slacking off!"

Zhao Tianxing: "Huh?"

Zhang Yu continued, "Whether you patrol a few more times or a few less, does your pay change?"

Zhao Tianxing hesitated and asked, "It seems... not?"

Zhang Yu asked again, "With us here or without us, does the security level of this venue drop?"

Zhao Tianxing scratched his head: "It seems... not either? But..."

Zhang Yu: "But the time we steal is our own."

"Alright, I'll rest for a bit. Later, once the exhibition officially starts, we'll go out."

Watching Zhang Yu close his eyes and begin breathing exercises, Zhao Tianxing grew a bit nervous, afraid that their superiors would catch them slacking off on the job.

Taking another look at Zhang Yu, who had fully entered a state of breathing cultivation, Zhao Tianxing both admired the other's ability to seize every moment to cultivate and thought he was way too carefree...

"Wait, wasn't I supposed to talk to him about him buying medicine? How did I get dragged into a chat about slacking off..."

Suddenly, Zhao Tianxing's eyes flickered as he recalled Zhang Yu's recent words, lost in thought.

Zhao Tianxing was the type of person not very good at socializing, yet thoughtful and sensitive, always caring about others' opinions, and easily prone to overthinking.

At this moment, he recalled what Zhang Yu had just said and realized that it all seemed to correspond to his own actions.

"Whether I ask him a few more questions or a few less, would Teacher Wang Hai stop guiding me?"

"If Teacher Wang Hai loses me to gather information, would he really not be able to find anything?"

"Could Zhang Yu have already seen through what I'm trying to do? Is he saying this deliberately to hint at me, telling me to slack off too?"

Thinking of this, when Zhao Tianxing looked again at Zhang Yu, who was breathing in cultivation, he felt that the other's breathing seemed to have become a bit unfathomable.

As spiritual power flowed through his body, after silently cycling his power through one full cycle and pushing the Zhoutian Caiqi Method to (13/80), the art exhibition finally officially began.

"As expected of Ms. Li's exhibition, the guests are all rich and noble."

Gazing at the guests attending the exhibition, Zhao Tianxing let out a heartfelt sigh.

Although he didn't know exactly who these people were, just from their luxurious clothes and accessories, he could tell each one was worth a fortune.

Even though Zhao Tianxing's father was already a minor manager at a company and their financial situation was decent, he could still recognize many of the luxury items on these people that his family absolutely could not afford.

Just then, Zhang Yu beside him whispered, "Old Zhao, look at that!"

Zhao Tianxing followed the direction the other indicated with a chin gesture and immediately saw a glittering golden figure walk in surrounded by a crowd.

He stared intently and saw that the person's skin all over was like a layer of gold leaf, reflecting faint traces of golden light.

Zhang Yu beside him asked curiously, "What is that? A robot?"

Zhao Tianxing quickly covered Zhang Yu's mouth, nervously watched to see that the golden man wasn't looking their way, and then let out a slight breath of relief.

Then Zhao Tianxing released his hand and explained, "That's the Songyang City director of Xianyun Group. You mustn't say anything out of line."

"Xianyun Group?" Zhang Yu looked at the golden man curiously and asked again, "Then why... does he look so dazzling?"

Zhao Tianxing explained, "That's a Dharma Skeleton. Don't you know?"

Seeing Zhang Yu's bewildered expression, Zhao Tianxing thought that the other's family probably couldn't access such things, so he patiently explained again, "A Dharma Skeleton... how to put it, it's somewhat like a prosthetic, but far superior to prosthetics."

"Moreover, on the technical level of the immortal path, the Dharma Skeleton has already been extended to the entire human body."

"It's like being able to replace any part of the human body with a magic treasure, and while retaining the original functionality, greatly enhance all capabilities."

"But only those with mana over 100 can implant a Dharma Skeleton in their body..."

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered upon hearing this; he knew that 100 mana was already the upper limit achievable by a Qi Refining cultivator's mana.

He asked, "Is 100 mana enough to implant a Dharma Skeleton, or does one have to reach Foundation Establishment first?"

Zhao Tianxing said, "100 mana is enough, but this person is a true Foundation Establishment cultivator, from a prestigious family, and graduated from Ten Thousand Laws University." Zhang Yu understood: a Foundation Establishment elder had graduated from university and come to the first level to smash noobs, showing off and humiliating them in front of these stubborn Qi Refining cultivators, right?

Next, as more and more guests arrived, Zhang Yu spotted two more individuals who seemed to have Dharma Skeletons—one had eyes like gems, and the other had a halo floating behind his head, their styles completely different from the other wealthy people around.

These two, along with the dazzling golden director of the Celestial Charm Group, seemed like three centers, constantly attracting one Qi Refining kid after another, who all wished they could kneel and kowtow to them.

By now, Zhao Tianxing seemed to be gradually getting used to this security guard uniform, no longer looking so uneasy as he watched the coming and going guests.

And as the two patrolled, they inadvertently overheard some of the guests' conversations.

Some marveled at Lady Li Xuelian's wealth and generosity.

Others praised how excellent the paintings at the exhibition were and how much money they should be worth.

Naturally, there were also those discussing that Celestial Martial Arts Diagram personally painted by the Golden Core True Person.

"Brother Li? Could you also be here to comprehend that Celestial Martial Arts Diagram personally painted by Senior Spark?"

"Of course. If a young genius under 18 can master the martial arts within it, Senior Spark will directly take them as a disciple. This news has already spread throughout our Songyang Immortal Path Circle—how could I not come?"

!

"Wait, there's this kind of intel?" Zhang Yu thought to himself, "And it's spread throughout the Songyang Immortal Path Circle? Why don't I know?"

Maybe little shrimps in the immortal path aren't worthy of knowing?

But for now, Zhang Yu suppressed his doubts and decided to carry out his duties as a security guard.

He stepped in front of the person who had spoken and said politely, "Sir, are you alright?"

The young man who had just spoken had sword-like brows and starry eyes, clearly no ordinary person. He looked at the security guard with confusion: "What could be wrong with me?"

The young man said haughtily, "I'm Lian Tianji from Purple Cloud High School. Can't you see I'm chatting with a friend?"

Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing looked at each other, then at the so-called "friend" of the other.

It was a box placed on the table, its surface covered with a special wood grain, and it looked about the size of an urn.

Zhang Yu couldn't help thinking, "Schizophrenia? Driven crazy by studying?"

As for Purple Cloud High School, which the other had mentioned, Zhang Yu knew a bit about it. It was a key high school even more prestigious than Songyang High School, one of the three famous schools in Songyang City—a school that the past Zhang Yu had never even dared to think about, lacking the qualifications to apply.

It was said that the successive principals of Purple Cloud High School were notorious for their cruel methods, appalling high pressure, and hellish, strict school rules.

Compared to that, everything at Songyang High School was a mere drop in the bucket. The legendary campus caste system, poor students eating in the toilet, the rule that the weak must kneel before the strong... all these were enough to terrify students from other high schools.

Right now, looking at Lian Tianji, who was chatting with that "urn," Zhang Yu couldn't help but sigh that Purple Cloud High School really drove people crazy.

But just then, the "urn" spoke: "Brother Lian, these two security guards probably misunderstood."

"I'm Li Xingyu, a soul cultivator student from Mount Mang High School."

Mount Mang High School? Soul cultivator student?

Zhang Yu remembered—wasn't that the high school he had once tried to apply to?

Although he knew that soul cultivator students, aside from having lower requirements for the college entrance exam total score and taking a specialty route, also had the requirement of abandoning the physical body.

But seeing the "urn" on the table right now, he was still greatly shocked: "Mount Mang High School really drives people into ghosts."

Zhang Yu quickly apologized with Zhao Tianxing and left, and then saw that after Lian Tianji and Li Xingyu had talked a few more words, the "urn" extended four propeller-like things and flew away like a drone.

Watching this, Zhang Yu secretly thanked his luck that his original self hadn't chosen the path of a soul cultivator in the end—otherwise, he wouldn't even have achieved an immortal bone and immortal demeanor, and how could he be called an immortal cultivator?

"Wait, that soul cultivator doesn't even have a physical body—how does he plan to practice the martial arts on the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram?"

Then he remembered the information about the Celestial Martial Arts Diagram that those two had just mentioned.

"If that's really the case, then probably a lot of genius teenagers under 18 will come to this art exhibition? Just to try to master the peerless martial arts in that Celestial Martial Arts Diagram?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu felt even more anticipation for the art exhibition in his heart.

A wage of 400 per hour, not only do you get paid and watch a show, but you also have a chance to comprehend peerless martial arts—who says this job isn't good? This job is absolutely wonderful.

He turned his head to look at Zhao Tianxing beside him and asked, "What do you think, Old Zhao? Are you interested in the peerless martial arts from that Celestial Combat Diagram?"

Zhao Tianxing naturally shook his head.

He had a clear sense of self-awareness—how could something that sounds like it's only achievable by true geniuses or the wealthy have anything to do with ordinary people like them?

Not only was he uninterested, but at that moment he only felt a desire to retreat. Even if the Celestial Combat Diagram were to be presented later, he wouldn't even want to try it, afraid of becoming a laughingstock in front of everyone.

Moments later, Zhao Tianxing, who had just gradually gotten used to his security guard identity, now wished he could cover his face and leave, immediately shedding the security uniform.

Zhang Yu glanced at Zhao Tianxing, who had quickly turned his back, and looked in the direction the other had been facing, immediately spotting a few familiar faces.

"Hey? Isn't that Qian Shen? And the others seem to be from our school too, right?"

Qian Shen was the top student who had always been ranked second in the grade since the start of the semester, with his overall score trailing right behind Bai Zhenzhen.

Zhang Yu patted Zhao Tianxing on the shoulder and said, "Old Zhao, look, aren't those our classmates?"

Zhao Tianxing quickly pulled Zhang Yua aside and said nervously, "Turn around quickly, don't let them see us."