Chapter 180: Awakening Yu's Potential

White Dragon High School.

Inside the training room.

As the room's door sealed completely, only Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu remained inside the training room.

Seeing Yu Xinghan brimming with fighting spirit, Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Calling me here in such a hurry—looks like it's not just about combat training, right?"

Yu Xinghan looked at Zhang Yu before him, his mind flashing back to their first meeting.

Back then, he could easily surpass Zhang Yu in athletic competitions, but he was suppressed by Li Xuelian, which cost him the championship.

Thinking of how Li Xuelian had suppressed him in athletics, Yu Xinghan couldn't help clenching his fists.

But he quickly shook his head, casting aside that distracting thought, and continued to look at Zhang Yu.

Over the past period of combat training, he could sense that Zhang Yu had been improving and striving to catch up.

Yet he never imagined that the other party, unnoticed, seemed to already show signs of surpassing him.

Especially Zhang Yu's performance in the Foundation Establishment exam—at least in the Gluttony Competition, his control over his body surpassed Yu Xinghan's.

And afterward, in martial arts learning, Zhang Yu demonstrated astonishing learning ability.

Thinking this, Yu Xinghan spoke, "Recently, I've faced a very important choice on the path of immortal cultivation."

"Should I face the difficulty head-on, or should I take a detour? Honestly, I've been hesitating."

Zhang Yu understood and nodded, "Hesitating between hard and easy... In the end, you want to face the difficulty, but you're afraid of failure."

Hearing this, Yu Xinghan smiled wryly, "You're right. So I want to put some pressure on myself and find some resolve from you."

"Today we'll spar behind closed doors—win or lose, no one will know."

"I just hope you'll go all out, Zhang Yu, and settle the matter with me."

Sensing the intense fighting spirit in Yu Xinghan's eyes, Zhang Yu could tell... the other party had come seeking defeat.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This guy... after this Foundation Establishment exam, he must have sensed my actual combat strength might be above his, right?"

"So he wants to use losing to me as a way to make some decision?"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Yu Xinghan, I've felt your fighting spirit and your resolve."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

Go all out? Settle things through combat? Zhang Yu didn't have that kind of free time. Whether he got hurt or Yu Xinghan got hurt, it would all be trouble—even breaking some flowers or grass in the training room would mean compensation.

Watching Zhang Yu turn to leave, Yu Xinghan had expected this. Over their time together, he had long seen that Zhang Yu, like himself, had formidable immortal cultivation talent, never did anything that cost money, and was a master at making cash.

Yu Xinghan immediately said, "Let's stop pretending. If you can beat me, I'll give you ten thousand yuan."

Zhang Yu paused slightly and said, "You're a Golden Core disciple, the top grade of White Dragon High School."

"You want more money, right?" Yu Xinghan said. "Twenty thousand is enough? This is all my private savings—that's the max."

Sensing the determination in the other's eyes, Zhang Yu knew it would be hard to raise the price any further, so he nodded and said, "We're friends, so twenty thousand it is. I'll give you a discount..."

Before his words faded, a thunderous bang exploded under Zhang Yu's feet, like cannon fire, as he shot toward Yu Xinghan.

"Nice ambush!" Yu Xinghan roared, sending a Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm toward the incoming Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu countered with the same Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm. Palm met palm, and with a burst of air, they clashed violently.

Yu Xinghan stepped back, looking at Zhang Yu, who stood motionless, and felt his fighting spirit ignite: "Continue!"

The two first fiercely exchanged Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palms. Zhang Yu, relying on his subcutaneous protective qi and the force-dissipating techniques of Limitless Cloud Hands and Indestructible Seal Arts, soon gained the upper hand.

So Yu Xinghan suddenly unleashed his astonishing speed, charging in a single dash to engage Zhang Yu in close-quarters combat.

In extremely close combat, fists, palms, elbows, shoulders, knees... every part of his body became Yu Xinghan's weapon, as he executed one practical martial art after another, swirling like a storm to shred Zhang Yu.

Facing Yu Xinghan's furious onslaught, Zhang Yu suddenly burst out a torrent of white Formless Cloud Qi, turning into swirling mists that caught every attack.

Limitless Cloud Hands activated at level 10!

Half a year had passed since the distant competition where he obtained the Limitless Cloud Hands technique.

So in recent weeks, Zhang Yu had gradually begun to display this technique's level-10 form without any restraint.

At that moment, white clouds of mist coiled around his entire body, forming swirling eddies as he employed various techniques of pulling, shifting, deflecting, absorbing, and rebounding. Not only did he completely neutralize Yu Xinghan’s attacks, but he also caused the opponent’s qi, blood, and muscles to tremble in return, continuously damaging Yu Xinghan’s body.

Yu Xinghan, however, paid no heed and continued to blast toward Zhang Yu, as if relying on his true strength to tear through the mist and see the clear sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two sides clashed like giant beasts tearing at each other, every move and technique erupting with thunderous roars.

After a full half-hour of fierce combat, Zhang Yu looked at Yu Xinghan, who was slowly retreating, and said, “Give up?”

While breathing heavily, Yu Xinghan felt sourness, numbness, and weakness spreading through his muscles and meridians, as if they had been pounded hundreds or thousands of times by a heavy iron hammer, leaving him barely able to continue the fierce battle.

Yu Xinghan stared at Zhang Yu, who was still shrouded in swirling mist, and thought to himself, “This kid is way too tough, isn’t he?”

Recalling the just-concluded battle, Yu Xinghan felt that every time he struck the seemingly ethereal Formless Cloud Qi, it was like hitting unyielding steel tendons.

Even when he managed to shatter the mist-like qi, Zhang Yu could quickly replenish it, his magic power seemingly inexhaustible. What’s more, each time Yu Xinghan attacked… he was constantly rebounded by the opponent, shaking his qi, blood, and muscles until his entire body was fatigued, leaving him with no strength to continue fighting.

Although he had long known that Zhang Yu’s skill at borrowing force to counterattack was formidable, after giving his all and still failing to achieve anything, Yu Xinghan felt a strong sense of frustration and… humiliation.

“I was the one originally chosen by the master to become a Golden Core disciple.”

“Having received so much investment and training from the master, becoming a student at White Dragon High School… yet now I’ve lost to Zhang Yu?”

Seeing Yu Xinghan’s dejected expression, Zhang Yu said, “Uh… are you okay?”

“If you’re fine, can you pay up?”

Yu Xinghan shot a glare at Zhang Yu. As the Heavenly Martial Heart-Refining Art circulated, waves of burning fighting spirit were forcibly raised within him.

He strove to remember the resentment, humiliation, and frustration he had just felt, intending to turn these negative emotions into pressure to face the coming challenges.

He told himself in his heart, “Still being stubborn? You’ve already lost to Zhang Yu—what face do you have to still be stubborn?”

At that moment, Yu Xinghan made a firm resolve: he would overcome his physical instincts with indomitable will, and from today on, he would abstain from that desire.

Yu Xinghan opened his phone and recorded: Day 1 of overcoming instincts.

No mistakes, first release, content right here!

Just as Yu Xinghan was transferring money to Zhang Yu, Fuji suddenly said, “Did this kid have a restoration surgery for the vasectomy?”

“Didn’t you notice some differences in his combat details?”

Zhang Yu thought to himself, Your eyes are way too sharp!

But the next moment, he suddenly remembered that during the Foundation Establishment exam, Yu Xinghan seemed to have been arranged by the gods to undergo a surgery before continuing his martial arts training.

“Could it be that the martial art he chose is something like the Yin-Yang Harmony Technique? So he needed to undergo a restoration surgery first to cultivate it?”

“He took advantage of the Foundation Establishment exam to get a free restoration surgery on the side?”

To be honest, knowing Yu Xinghan as he did, Zhang Yu felt the guy was entirely capable of doing such a thing—snatching such a bargain.

While Zhang Yu was pondering this, Fuji spoke again, “Take this chance to introduce him to the Red Tower Group as a seed seller and earn yourself a referral fee.”

“With Yu Xinghan’s money-grubbing personality, it’s highly likely he’ll agree to this.”

“That board member who was extremely interested in you yesterday will definitely shift his attention to this Golden Core disciple—after all, to be fair, this guy’s seed quality definitely surpasses yours.”

“You get rid of a hassle and earn a referral fee—killing two birds with one stone, right?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up at the words, but he was somewhat worried that Yu Xinghan might be restricted by Stellar Flame True Person’s contract.

Seeming to sense Zhang Yu’s hesitation, Fuji chuckled and said, “Targeting bloodlines and scheming over the karma of descendants are matters only for the upper echelons of Kunxu to consider. They have the strictest control over bloodline offspring; otherwise, the entire Kunxu would have long been filled with the descendants of immortals.”

“The reason I prepared a backup plan in advance for you is because I believe you can climb to the upper reaches of Kunxu.”

“As for these guys at the first level—even a scrap Golden Core like Stellar Flame True Person who fell down here—would they ever consider such things?”

“Once Yu Xinghan becomes more famous and reaches a certain level of strength, maybe Stellar Flame True Person will even proactively arrange a restoration surgery for him and then take him to sell his proteins.”

Zhang Yu decided to give it a try. Looking at Yu Xinghan, he asked, “Xinghan, I have a way to make money easily. Want to give it a shot?”

Yu Xinghan raised an eyebrow, warily asking, “Easy money? There’s such a good thing in this world?”

…

A few hours later.

Inside the Red Tower.

Yu Xinghan, who had just completed his physical examination, sat nervously in the quiet room.

Staring at the array of stunningly beautiful men and women flickering on the screen before him, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't arrange real people for me."

He thought to himself, "Compared to other students, I've already got one extra root of trouble, just like a cripple."

"If I come into contact with real people and happen to fall in love early, wouldn't my whole life be ruined?"

A voice came from the screen: "This company is dedicated to providing every seed provider with the most comfortable working environment. Would you like us to arrange a puppet for you?"

Yu Xinghan waved his hand, about to refuse, when he heard the other end of the screen say, "The puppet's appearance can be freely adjusted..."

After a moment of silence, Yu Xinghan asked, "Can I upload a photo and have you adjust it based on that?"

So a few minutes later, Yu Xinghan uploaded a photo of Li Xuelian.

An hour later, Yu Xinghan lay sprawled on the floor, exhausted, and found that the distracting thoughts in his mind had cleared completely, and that unpleasant feeling was gone.

He tried cultivating the Heavenly Qi Art, and without the interference of stray thoughts, the condensation of pure yang qi came naturally, allowing his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

After cultivating like this for an hour, he felt his lustful thoughts rising again, so he called the puppet back.

And so it went—earning money when distractions arose, cultivating when they faded. Alternating between earning and cultivating like this, Yu Xinghan only felt himself growing more energetic, though his body was somewhat worn out.

"Hahaha, how can such a wonderful thing exist in this world?"

"Even if I'm a bit tired and use up a lot of protein, with this kind of money-making, I can just replenish myself by eating more demon beast powder."