Chapter 252: Striving to Adapt, Sect Discord

Inside the training room of a luxury apartment.

Accompanied by bursts of qi and blood roaring, Zhang Yu and Yue Mulan's bodies were intertwined, and with the collision of muscles, smacking sounds rang out.

"Push harder here..."

"Keep pushing."

Smack!

"Lift your leg a bit higher."

Under Zhang Yu's guidance, Yue Mulan kept adjusting her posture and movements, feeling that her martial arts had improved further after today's tutoring session.

After all, Zhang Yu's strength had skyrocketed in just over a year, going from early Qi Refining to peak Qi Refining. Not only did he possess formidable power, but his mind also contained memories of numerous martial arts techniques from level 0 to 10.

Coupled with the teaching skills he had honed in the underground tutoring world, Zhang Yu's abilities in this area had reached the pinnacle.

He was confident that even in the entire first-level high school tutoring scene, he was absolutely among the top.

Over the past few months, Yue Mulan had been receiving Zhang Yu's guidance almost every week, and she could clearly feel her own progress.

As the training ended, Yue Mulan's chest heaved violently with her breath, the soaked sweat revealing a distinct outline.

"Thank you for these past few months."

Yue Mulan looked at Zhang Yu before her, knowing that having such a great master personally guide her and meticulously instruct the movement of every muscle and tendon was a huge advantage she had gained.

If the students at Ziyun High School knew that Zhang Yu's fingertips had brushed over so many of her muscles and tendons, they would probably wish they could replace her to train closely with Zhang Yu and see their results soar.

Thinking of this, she thanked him again: "With your guidance, I've improved very quickly."

"Don't be so polite." Zhang Yu waved his hand. "You've helped us a lot before. If it weren't for your apartment and tutoring fees, Ah Zhen and I would still be living under a bridge."

"But as for bodily fluids, I signed a contract with Oasis Group and can't provide them to others."

"But tutoring you is no problem."

Zhang Yu thought to himself: "I can't change Kunxu, but at least I can help the people around me."

They chatted a bit more, and when Zhang Yu went to take a shower, Yue Mulan walked over to his phone and thought to herself: "Because of his contract, it's impossible to buy his bodily fluids."

"But Zhang Yu..."

Through repeated close-contact training, Yue Mulan had conducted on-site detection and later consulted others, and she gradually confirmed one thing... Zhang Yu was very hard.

"So he hasn't been sterilized."

"According to my brother, students who haven't been sterilized are especially susceptible to being controlled by their hormones."

"I can use this to subtly influence him, and maybe in future training sessions I can obtain some materials from Zhang Yu's body..."

Thinking of this, Yue Mulan crouched down and repeatedly said into Zhang Yu's phone: "Black stockings! Beautiful legs! Photos! Curves! Contrast! Long legs! Big chest!"

"Yue Mulan! Yue Mulan! Yue Mulan!"

After repeating these keywords a few times, Yue Mulan thought that the big data should have recorded them, and it would definitely affect Zhang Yu's phone from now on.

That night, while Zhang Yu was scrolling through his phone, he frowned as he looked at the shopping website that had jumped to a stockings page: "What crappy big data."

The next morning.

Bai Zhenzhen looked at the big ball of toilet paper in the wastebasket and couldn't help saying: "That guy Yuzi, his endurance this time is a bit short."

"Life has been too comfortable lately. Has his willpower declined?"

When school let out that day, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen rushed to the office building of the Patrol Team.

After several months, they finally had another chance to get in touch with Zhang Pianpian.

Although they had successfully passed the application a few times before, it seemed Zhang Pianpian was busy with something and never talked to them.

On the way to the office building, Zhang Yu noticed that there seemed to be more homeless people and beggars on the streets than before, especially some white-haired, missing-armed or missing-legged elderly people, whose numbers were greater than what he had seen in the past year.

Zhang Yu knew that these people had mortgaged their flesh and blood because they couldn't afford food, and because they had mortgaged their flesh and blood, they couldn't find jobs. In the end, they would inevitably give up everything step by step, never having any chance to turn their lives around.

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly at this sight, but he knew this was not something he could influence.

"Am I still too backward in my thinking?"

"I still haven't fully adapted to Kunxu... I need to keep working harder."

Entering the patrol team's office building.

This time, as Zhang Pianpian's figure emerged from the screen, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen immediately began telling her about what had happened over the past few months.

Although Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were now increasingly wealthy and their lives were getting better, facing the changing situation on the first layer of Kunxu, they both felt somewhat unsettled and wanted to learn more news through Zhang Pianpian on the second layer.

After listening to their account, Zhang Pianpian paused for a moment to ponder, then said, "You can accept Boss Wang's money."

"But aside from work compensation and endorsement fees, don't get involved in the specific business of Oasis Group—don't invest in it, and don't participate in its operations..."

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback and asked why.

Zhang Pianpian chose her words carefully and said, "The matters on the first layer involve the discord among the Ten Greats."

"Simply put..."

"Some people up above believe that the first layer is already finished—especially the vast poor class here, which has become a useless class."

"Rather than letting it rot like this, they might as well make use of the waste and transform the entire first layer into a breeding farm, a pure raw material supply base."

"Some immortals... might even think the same."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Yu's heart sank, and he suddenly felt suffocated.

The phrase "useless class" hit his chest like a heavy hammer, trying to wake him from the comfortable life he had been living.

Zhang Pianpian continued, "I have a lot on my plate right now."

"If you run into trouble you can't solve, you can contact the righteous gods."

"The righteous gods you added as friends..."

Zhang Pianpian seemed to be very busy with many matters, so the call with Zhang Yu ended not long after.

On the way back, Zhang Yu looked at the disabled beggars by the roadside and seemed to already see what the future of the first layer of Kunxu would look like.

"It's none of my business."

"This is the tide of the world."

"What can a high school student like me do?"

Thinking of his powerlessness in this regard, Zhang Yu sighed and suddenly grew irritated: "Why the hell can't I just adapt?"

"Zhang Yu, from now on, you're going to be rich."

Zhang Yu kept telling himself: "If you want to be wealthy, want to take care of the people around you, want to live a good life, then you damn well need to adapt to this crappy world of Kunxu!"

"Otherwise, what do you want to do? What can an ant that hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment do?"

Just as Zhang Yu's thoughts were churning, Fuji suddenly said, "Repeat everything Zhang Pianpian said to you to me."

To avoid exposure, Fuji had chosen to completely conceal herself before entering the patrol team's building.

Only after Zhang Yu came out and woke her up did he recount what Zhang Pianpian had said.

Now hearing Fuji's question, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen repeated what Zhang Pianpian had said once more.

Fuji murmured, "Hmm... she was very cautious in her words. Someone was probably monitoring your conversation."

Zhang Yu was startled: "Monitoring? Is someone targeting us?"

Fuji said, "It's not unusual for cross-layer calls to be monitored. But Zhang Pianpian being so cautious might relate to the hidden information in her words."

Fuji analyzed, "She said 'some people up above believe the first layer is finished, and even some immortals think so.'"

"She said 'some people,' not 'everyone.'"

"She told you to only take work compensation and not get involved in Oasis Group's business."

"Doesn't that mean..." Fuji mused, "Some up above think the first layer is finished, but others don't think so?"

"If some immortals support Oasis Group's approach, doesn't that mean there are also immortals who don't support it?" "That's why she thinks Oasis Group might be caught up in a struggle between the two sides, so she told you not to get involved in the business."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "Oasis Group, Netherworld University, Netherworld Palace's methods... they're like demonic sects. Could it be that Kunxu has righteous paths as well?"

Zhang Yu said, "So you mean other orthodox sects might not stand by and watch such demonic behavior, and might try to stop them?"

Fuji said, "Orthodox or demonic, if any other sect's power really comes to stop them, it would definitely be to limit the expansion of Netherworld Palace's strength."

"Just like how many upper zones ban mortals from farming and set resentment emission standards—isn't that because other sects' celestial techniques in this area are inferior, so they use this method to restrict Netherworld Palace?"

"Even if another sect were to stop the Oasis Group now, it would certainly be out of their own self-interest."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu gave a bitter smile and thought to himself, "That's right—this is Kunxu after all. I still haven't fully adapted, and I actually had that delusion just now."

Bai Zhenzhen asked doubtfully, "But so far, the Oasis Group hasn't been stopped, has it? Their plan is going very smoothly."

Fuji murmured as she thought, "Maybe… they just haven't stopped it yet."

"After all, as the Oasis Group makes its moves, a large number of powerful clans are eliminated, massive resources are concentrated, and the Foundation Establishment exam is widely spread… What if that's exactly what another faction wants to see, so they're going along with it?"

Zhang Yu didn't know whether Fuji was right or wrong, but he firmly remembered what Zhang Pianpian had said.

!

…

In the blink of an eye, it was August, and in just one month Zhang Yu would become a senior in high school.

Songyang City had entered the scorching summer.

The number in Zhang Yu's bank account had reached a staggering 44 million.

But Zhang Yu discovered that as prices in Kunxu's first layer rose, the price of the Heavenly Spirit Root he wanted to buy had also skyrocketed, now reaching 58 million.

However, given Zhang Yu's current income, the price increase was still acceptable to him; he just needed to save for a few more months and he could buy the Heavenly Spirit Root for Foundation Establishment.

That evening, his phone rang.

Zhang Yu saw it was a call from Zhao Tianxing, and next to Zhao Tianxing's name was the note Zhang Yu had added: "Everyone laughs at you, but you're the funniest of all."

Seeing this line, Zhang Yu recalled the Joker theory Zhao Tianxing had told him about, and a smile couldn't help but curl at the corners of his mouth.

He answered the call and asked, "Old Zhao, what's up?"

But a strange woman's voice came from the other end of the line: "Excuse me, is this Zhang Yu?"

Zhang Yu frowned slightly, and then learned that the caller was Zhao Tianxing's mother.

The reason she called was because something had happened to Zhao Tianxing.

"After his dad lost his job, he was lured into gambling without us knowing, and secretly mortgaged Tianxing's physical body to the Oasis Group…"

"I scraped together enough money to redeem him, but the Oasis Company said the body had already been shipped…"

"You're familiar with the leaders of the Oasis Group—could you help get Tianxing's body back? We can pay the money…"

…

Floor 1111 of the Oasis Group.

President Wang listened to Zhang Yu's request and said casually, "Is he your friend?"

"A small matter—I'll have someone check for you right away."

Zhang Yu, who had thought the matter would be very troublesome, felt a slight relief at President Wang's words.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "In Kunxu, you ultimately need money and power to protect yourself and take care of those around you…"

But after a moment, President Wang frowned and shook his head at Zhang Yu: "No good—it's already been bought."

Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned: "Bought?"

President Wang nodded and pointed upward: "A demon-blood client up there bought a large batch of flesh and blood as ingredients. Your friend's body was among them, and it's already been shipped to the second layer."

Zhang Yu hurriedly said, "Can it be returned?"

President Wang was momentarily taken aback and said, "What… did you say?"

Zhang Yu said, "Can you contact the client and ask for the body back…"

Before Zhang Yu could finish, he suddenly felt a change in President Wang's demeanor.

The former gentle, kind, and innocent aura gradually faded, replaced by an icy chill that swept over him, as if a dangerous beast were staring coldly at Zhang Yu.

"Zhang Yu, business is business. The goods that have been shipped... you want me to ask the customer to return them? What were you thinking?"

Feeling the chill emanating from the other person, Zhang Yu's mind conjured the image of Zhao Tianxing. He gritted his teeth and said, "I can compensate with money..."

Boss Wang said flatly, "Is this a matter of just a bit of pocket change? If I ask the customer to return the goods, what reason am I supposed to give for doing this?"

"In business, I always keep my word. Once goods are shipped, unless there is a quality problem, I never ask for them back."

Zhang Yu, bearing the pressure emanating from the other person, continued, "I'll go apologize to the customer. He's my good friend. I can't just watch him be devoured..."

Boss Wang said flatly, "What if he is devoured? I've looked into this Zhao... Zhao Tianxing's file. What value does he have? What does it matter if such a friend gets devoured? In the future, you should make fewer friends of this sort."

He continued, "Zhang Yu, I'll teach you a saying today."

"In this world, only by eating well can you become strong."

"The poor endure hardship all their lives, but they only end up eating the bitterest of bitterness."

"If you want to be above others like me, you have to learn to eat people."

Seeing that Zhang Yu still wanted to speak, Boss Wang said impatiently, "Get out!"

"Know your place."

"You're taking my fucking money."

"When it doesn't harm the company's interests, I can give you face."

"But if you hinder the company's operations, then get the hell out and don't show up in front of me again."

Zhang Yu looked at Boss Wang in surprise, as if he hadn't expected the other to show such rage.

Boss Wang snorted coldly, "What are you standing there for?"

"Scram!"

The next moment, a golden light flashed, and countless divine power hands dragged Zhang Yu out, flinging him directly out of the office.

Outside the office, General Manager Chihe was used to this. Although Boss Wang was good to his subordinates, even joking around with them and asking for red envelopes without hesitation usually...

But if a subordinate displeased him, especially when it involved the company's interests, it was normal for them to be beaten, scolded, or humiliated at the slightest provocation.

It's just that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had been too favored before, so nothing like this had happened to them.

Chihe walked over, patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder, and said, "When Boss Wang is angry, nothing you say will help. Just take the scolding obediently."

"Wait a few days, until Boss Wang's anger passes, then come apologize. He still appreciates you; he won't stay mad at you forever."

But Zhang Yu suddenly asked, "My friend... is there really no way?"

Chihe was taken aback, then smiled helplessly. "Let him become a soul cultivator."

Walking out of Oasis Tower, Zhang Yu looked at his vibrating phone. It was a call from Zhao Tianxing's mother.

But he suddenly didn't know how to tell her.

"I'm sorry, Old Zhao."

Zhang Yu slowly clenched his fist. "It seems... I can't save you."

At the same time, the "Gold and Jade Full Hall Art" in his mind gradually slowed, and the effect of the cultivation method seemed to regress at this moment.

No matter how he visualized the cash numbers in his mind, they seemed unable to bring him the previous confidence and courage.

And just as Zhang Yu was on his way home, his phone suddenly vibrated.

"Golden Core Great Cultivator Starfire True Person has entered within one kilometer of you. He has accidentally killed 14 people in the past month and has paid all fines and compensation. Please watch your words and actions, and do not offend him."