Chapter 193: Layered Shackles

Inside the demonstration class classroom.

Su Haifeng stood at the lectern. As the head of grade at Songyang High School, he was a man who made even passing dogs read a few pages of a book. His mere presence kept the students on edge, sharply boosting their concentration.

And the content of Su Haifeng's current speech stirred up thoughts and even a sense of helplessness among many students.

"...Lately, some classmates have shown weak discipline awareness, especially with the frequent occurrence of unexcused absences. This not only seriously affects your own studies but also undermines the learning atmosphere of the entire class and even the school."

"The school has zero tolerance for such behavior, and strict investigations will follow. Once any classmate is found skipping class without reason, corresponding disciplinary action will be taken."

"Don't underestimate this punishment. One punishment means an indelible mark on your student record. After three accumulated punishments, the school will directly expel you."

"Some of you might think, 'So what if I'm expelled? I'll just switch schools.' But I'm warning you now: once expelled, you'll be blacklisted by the education system."

"Once on that blacklist, you can't take the college entrance exam, and no high school or university will accept you."

"That means your path of immortality will end right here..."

Qian Shen raised his hand and asked, "Do we have to attend every single general education class too?"

Su Haifeng replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. Any absence, including in general education courses, counts as truancy."

Behind his desk, Zhang Yu felt the constant sweep of Su Haifeng's gaze as he spoke, sensing that every word seemed aimed at him.

Meanwhile, Su Haifeng thought to himself while watching Zhang Yu, "The patrol team has finally shifted their attention away from us a bit. Now the urgent priority is to seize this opportunity, capture the evil god behind Zhang Yu, and enhance my master's rank."

Zhang Yu, even as a high school student and so-called top student... in Su Haifeng's eyes, was nothing to fear. Su Haifeng could easily suppress him by his own means.

"The real issue has always been the evil god behind him."

"We must never reveal our intentions; otherwise, given how cautious evil gods are, it might abandon Zhang Yu and flee directly."

"We need Zhou Chechen to gradually pressure him, push him, corner him into actively seeking help from the evil god..."

With that thought, Su Haifeng's gaze merely swept across Zhang Yu without saying anything more.

As for the changes in school rules affecting students' future grades? That never crossed Su Haifeng's mind, let alone the Zhou family elders behind him.

After all, key high school students, whom many saw as favored children of heaven, were nothing but resources to Su Haifeng and his ilk—crops that grew in large batches every year.

At most, some were homegrown, some wild, some would contribute value through labor in the future, and others through their organs.

As long as they achieved their goal—elevating the evil god's rank to greet the coming tide—what did sacrificing a few students' interests matter?

In the math class that followed, all the students obediently remained in the classroom.

When the math teacher walked in, he was a bit unaccustomed to seeing the classroom fully attended, with everyone seated attentively.

But after teaching for a while, he felt invigorated, as if he had finally had his moment of triumph.

Meanwhile, teachers patrolled the hallway, constantly checking the classroom situation.

Feeling Su Haifeng's eyes, sharp as glaring lightning, many students were tense, daring not to step out of line in the slightest.

"What a pain."

"Sitting through math class obediently—isn't that just a pure waste of time?"

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "At least I can still practice my mental method and breathing exercises."

He glanced at Bai Zhenzhen clutching her power bank nearby, knowing she was also using the time to charge up and breathe.

Zhang Yu then thought, "But for the other classes coming up, given my friendly relationships with the teachers, maybe I can get a bit more freedom?"

On the training field.

The martial arts teacher, Lei Jun, called Zhang Yu aside alone.

Zhang Yu asked, "Teacher, can I find a spot to train alone for the rest of the martial arts class?"

Hearing Zhang Yu's question, Lei Jun sighed helplessly: "No can do, Zhang Yu. The heat is on lately. If you cut class, it's not just you getting punished—I'll get in trouble too, plus a hit to my performance pay and salary."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly at this. He didn't want to practice many of his techniques in front of classmates or teachers.

"But there is a silver lining. To boost performance, the school has designed a special subsidy plan for outstanding students like you."

"For instance, during martial arts class, to help you solidify your foundation and strengthen your roots, the school has arranged for me to teach you basic techniques for free."

When he said this, Lei Jun actually felt a bit guilty.

With his many years of experience as a high school martial arts teacher, he knew very well that one should not cultivate too many basic cultivation methods.

That practice of a person cultivating many basic cultivation methods, the so-called "solidifying the foundation and strengthening the roots," was something only ancient sects emphasized, something done only when planning cultivation over ten or twenty years—it had long been phased out by the times.

Nowadays, the high school stage is a race against time, and there are countless methods better and faster than basic cultivation methods to consolidate one's foundation; cultivating too many basic methods is just a waste of time.

"Zhou Chechen letting Zhang Yu practice basic cultivation methods in martial arts class every day is essentially making him waste time and fritter away his youth."

Even so, Lei Jun ultimately did not stop it.

He thought to himself: "After all, this time Zhou Chechen directly convinced the principal and the school board."

"This shows that in order to deal with Zhang Yu, Zhou Chechen probably borrowed the power of the Zhou family."

"Faced with a behemoth like the Sixteen Great Clans, I'm nothing but an ordinary wage earner, and Zhang Yu is just a student—what power does he have to resist?" As for transferring schools, Lei Jun sighed inwardly—that would require Songyang High School to be willing to let him go. Just the matters of school records and compensation alone would be a hassle. If the school then tallied up its investment in the student and, with some creative accounting, demanded a high compensation fee, which high school would be willing to take him in?

Lei Jun had heard that during the previous competition, the coach of the White Dragon team had invited Zhang Yu, but at that time Zhou Chechen had declared he wouldn't let him go. Word was that after Zhang Yu stopped participating in any competitions, it became even less likely that any high school would pay a large sum to take him on.

Having worked and cultivated in Songyang City for so long, Lei Jun understood all too well the weight of the Zhou family—they were not opponents an ordinary student or teacher could contend with.

"If I go against them, I'll probably end up as a middle-aged man 'optimized' out of my job, wandering the streets looking for work, and finally, because of my age, unable to find a regular job, forced to deliver packages or run food orders."

"Then, under 360-degree surveillance, I'd work like a dog, with every trip to the bathroom, every meal, and even my step count strictly monitored, wearing a forced professional smile, trampled under the feet of customers, security guards, merchants, and station managers—a piece of trash who can't even pay off his loans without working over 200 hours of overtime a month..."

"If I'm lucky, I'll work hard to earn money, use that money to maintain my cultivation, and eventually work safely until the end of my life."

"If I'm unlucky—say, I accidentally injure someone while delivering food, or get beaten up by a security guard—then in the end, unable to work enough hours to repay the loans, I'll keep selling my flesh and blood."

"Watching helplessly as I gradually turn back into an ordinary old man, enduring the humiliation of other mortals toward me, a former cultivator, and finally rotting to death in some sewer..."

Just thinking about it filled Lei Jun with immense fear.

"No... I've cultivated for so many years, how could I end up like this?"

No mistake—every word, every line, is right there to see!

On the other hand, if he followed Zhou Chechen's instructions, not only would he not be "optimized," but the other party would also help Lei Jun pay off his college loans.

Thinking this, Lei Jun let out a long sigh inwardly, not daring to meet Zhang Yu's eyes.

Although as a teacher, Lei Jun admired Zhang Yu's talent and results, as a man of Kunxu, he knew that money in hand was what mattered most.

Lei Jun thought to himself: "Sorry, Zhang Yu. But since you can't get into the Top Ten anyway, what difference does it make whether your grades are good or bad? You might as well help me out."

Still, to give the other party some consideration, Lei Jun intended to grant him a bit of freedom of choice.

He then continued toward Zhang Yu, saying: "As long as it's a basic cultivation method that Songyang High School has the authority to teach, you can pick any one you want. Whichever you choose, I'll teach you, and the school will issue you permission to use it."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked: "What other basic cultivation methods can we learn at this high school?"

Lei Jun recited with great familiarity: "Besides the ones I've already taught you, there's High School Basic Blade Art, High School Basic Footwork, High School Basic Digestion Method, High School Basic Medicinal Intake Method..."

Listening to Lei Jun fluently list the names of one basic cultivation method after another, Zhang Yu simply opened his phone and recorded them one by one, then logged into a shopping website, searched around, and browsed the introductions of each method.

"Hmm, this High School Basic Footwork can complete the High School Saint Body within the chain method diagram."

"And High School Basic Digestion Method, High School Basic Medicinal Intake Method..."

"Not bad, not bad. Songyang High School really lives up to its reputation as a key high school. The basic cultivation methods it offers are very comprehensive—enough for me to piece together the entire High School Saint Body."

Thinking this, Zhang Yu looked at Lei Jun with excitement and said: "Then I'll learn High School Basic Digestion Method first."

Lei Jun watched the other's determined expression, sighed inwardly, but said nothing, and began to personally guide him through this basic method.

This High School Basic Digestion Method was a technique that used various basic movements and mana circulation to stimulate gastrointestinal motility, enhancing digestion and absorption abilities.

After two consecutive periods of martial arts class, Lei Jun watched as a series of rumbling sounds like rolling thunder constantly rose from within Zhang Yu's body, and thought to himself: "He's already learned it? That was fast."

"What a pity—such talent will now be spent endlessly practicing basic cultivation methods..."

Zhang Yu, however, looked with satisfaction at his Feather Book, where the High School Basic Digestion Method had already reached Level 3 (5/30).

Although the method had reached Level 3, Zhang Yu did not actively show it. Instead, he pretended over and over to be someone who had just learned it—after all, cultivating in this way still allowed him to raise the method's level.

After martial arts class ended, the students of the demonstration class headed together to the gymnasium to begin physical education class.

But this time, in the gymnasium, besides Wang Hai, there was an additional PE teacher.

Then, amid the surprised gazes of the crowd, Wang Hai said, "Students, from now on, your second-year high school PE classes will be taught by Teacher Lin Hui beside me. Teacher Lin Hui is highly skilled, so you should learn well from her."

The PE teacher beside Wang Hai, who stood two and a half meters tall and two meters wide, making it impossible to tell male from female just by appearance, smiled slightly and said, "Hello, everyone. The school places great importance on the PE classes of the demonstration class."

"To better improve everyone's athletic performance, the school has decided to distribute a free dose of Dragon-Elephant Formula during every PE class from now on."

Upon hearing these words, many students burst into cheers. Even Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up, thinking to themselves, Could this rundown Songyang High School actually do something good?

Wang Hai stood to the side, silently watching Lin Hui distribute the Dragon-Elephant Formula while the students joyfully took the medicine and injected it. In his mind, he quietly recalled the matter Zhou Chechen had explained earlier.

"Should I add addictive drugs to Zhang Yu's Dragon-Elephant Formula?"

Originally, Zhou Chechen had planned to entrust this matter to Wang Hai, offering terms so generous that even Wang Hai felt an irresistible temptation.

Moreover, Zhang Yu had been proven not to be a Golden Core disciple, and Zhang Pianpian, who had signed the contract behind him, had already left Kunxu's first layer with no further news. Meanwhile, Zhou Chechen had already mobilized the Zhou family's forces and begun to act...

All of this seemed to urge Wang Hai to agree.

But in the end, Wang Hai chose neither to oppose nor support, nor to participate.

Because he couldn't make sense of this matter.

He couldn't understand why Zhang Yu had improved so quickly, nor whether there was anyone backing Zhang Yu, nor whether Zhou Chechen was targeting Zhang Yu out of anger or for some other purpose...

As a top-tier PE coach who had worked at Songyang High School for decades, Wang Hai had always adhered to one principle.

That was: no matter how profitable something was, if he couldn't understand it, he wouldn't get involved.