[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-no-money-what-cultivation":3,"chapter-no-money-what-cultivation-no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-26":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","No Money, What Cultivation?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},163375,323,"Chapter 26: Dharma Competition Registration and Monthly Exam","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-26",26,"\u003Cp>Songyang High School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, four days had passed since Zhang Yu rented the Qihai Spiritual Root.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This day was precisely when the first-year students of Songyang High School were selecting candidates to sign up for the city-wide magic competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During magic class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the bell for the end of class rang, Zhang Yu finally stopped his breathing exercises, opening his eyes to look toward the large screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After these few more days of intense cultivation, his mana had continued to surge upward, climbing from 9.5 to 10.5, a rate of improvement so rapid that it drew the attention of many classmates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Zhang Yu's Zhou Tian Breathing Technique had also advanced from Level 6 to Level 8 (3\u002F160), but only he knew about this achievement—if his classmates or teachers found out, it would likely be more than just surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, although Zhang Yu's mana improvement was rapid, there were precedents; many wealthy people who threw enough money around could see even faster mana growth than his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But raising a breathing technique to Level 8 in such a short time... at Zhang Yu's current level, at least, he didn't know anyone besides himself who had accomplished this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, as he looked at the large screen, the entire grade's mana ranking had appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First place: Bai Zhenzhen, 12.1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second place: Qian Shen, 11.9\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu continued scanning downward and quickly found himself in eighth place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighth place: Zhang Yu, 10.5\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eighth place, huh?\" Zhang Yu nodded slightly, knowing he would have no problem signing up for the magic competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, a chill surged up inside him. Listening to the countdown, Zhang Yu had no choice but to close his eyes again and seize the time to resume his breathing exercises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the podium, Teacher Yan brushed her hair aside, glanced at the rankings, and said with satisfaction, \"In the past week, the class's distraction rate has dropped another 8%, and mana improvement efficiency is 12% higher than last month. I'm very pleased.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She watched Zhang Yu once again seize the moment to continue his breathing exercises, nodded approvingly, and continued, \"Here I'd like to give special recognition to one student—Zhang Yu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not only has he maintained a 0% distraction rate for two consecutive weeks, but over the past week, his mana has seen a qualitative leap, jumping from 16th place to 8th. That's truly remarkable. Everyone, give him a round of applause.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sparse applause rang out. Teacher Yan then announced that the top ten would participate in the magic competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The competition starts next month. I'll send you the specific schedule and rules once I get them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, class dismissed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, and anyone who wants to buy Gathering Spirit Pills, remember to come to my office—there's a promotion going on...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen, sitting below the podium, seemed to have lost some weight; her cheeks were a bit sunken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Teacher Yan's radiant expression, she thought to herself, \"Everyone's been grinding this hard these days, and it's all because of...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking about it, she instinctively looked toward Zhang Yu's seat and found that he had already started his breathing exercises again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You beast! Zhang Yu, you absolute beast! Stop it now! Don't you dare keep grinding!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a string of silent curses, Bai Zhenzhen ultimately couldn't bear to watch her good brother make progress all alone. She closed her eyes in pain and began her own breathing exercises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Shen, sitting not far from Bai Zhenzhen, had been watching both her and Zhang Yu. Seeing the two of them take turns seizing the time between classes and the teacher's speaking to do their breathing exercises, his heart sank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a student in Songyang High School's exemplary class, Qian Shen had always prided himself on never fearing competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But over the past eight days, after grinding it out alongside Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, his mindset had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They don't even go to the bathroom much, don't even scratch an itch—I really can't match them at that level!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be that compared to them, I'm the one who hasn't evolved enough?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring intently at the two still doing their breathing exercises, Qian Shen finally closed his eyes in reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grind! Just freaking grind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During gym class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many students were either getting acupuncture or tempering their bodies; amid the constant roars like wild beasts, the floor kept getting stained with thick sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen wiped the sweat from her forehead and instinctively glanced at the small darkroom in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Teacher Wang Hai had previously taken the lead in isolating Zhang Yu, he had recently been practicing alone in that small room during gym class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this moment, Zhang Yu was no longer inhaling spiritual energy as he had in previous days; instead, he began practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a series of cracking pops, Zhang Yu's muscles bulged as bursts of fierce power erupted from him, and he abruptly lifted the training equipment before him, set it down, then lifted it again, set it down...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the specialization on the Feather Book was switched from the 8th-level Cyclic Qi Gathering Method to the 3rd-level Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, Zhang Yu had his reasons for doing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, due to his lack of matching spiritual roots, the amount of spiritual energy he could absorb was too limited, and the effect of further upgrading the Cyclic Qi Gathering Method was growing increasingly weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, having already obtained qualification for the tournament, his next goal was the monthly exam nine days away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Recently, my mana has increased significantly, and even if I don't actively breathe with the 8th-level Cyclic Qi Gathering Method, its passive absorption effect is 65% as effective as active breathing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My mana score for this monthly exam won't be bad already. If I keep investing heavily in it... the cost-benefit for raising my score would be a bit low.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu calculated in his mind: \"So if I want to improve my monthly exam score next, I'll have to focus on Dao Heart, Physical Education, Martial Arts, and Dao Arts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for Dao Heart... although I haven't yet mastered the Heavenly Martial Heart Training Technique, I've fully comprehended its mysteries. I should be able to get a decent score on the Dao Heart exam with it.\" \"As for martial arts, apart from the 20 points for theory, the remaining 80 points all depend on actual combat. This—I'd need to hire someone to feed me moves and spar with me, so improvement won't be fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dao Arts are even harder; there's no way to improve in a short time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking it over, Zhang Yu felt it was better to spend the next nine days mainly on improving the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening and his physical constitution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, while practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening, he discovered an additional benefit brought by the Cyclic Qi Gathering Method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he exerted force throughout his body, his muscles contracting and expanding with his effort, the mana circulation inside him continued to operate, converting traces of spiritual energy into mana as it flowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this process, as the mana circulation passed through the worn tendons and torn muscles, it began to nourish those parts damaged by training, replenishing flesh and blood, accelerating repair, and enhancing training effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, once the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening reached the third level, it could induce mana to achieve similar effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, under the operation of the Cyclic Qi Gathering Method, a more complex and refined mana circulation continuously covered Zhang Yu's entire body, greatly improving his recovery and body-tempering efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt that if he could only practice the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening twenty to thirty times a day at most, now with the assistance of the Cyclic Qi Gathering Method, he could practice at least fifty to sixty times a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, for the time ahead, Zhang Yu decided to start grinding the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these thoughts flashed through his mind, a wave of emotion suddenly surged in Zhang Yu's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I seem to be getting more and more used to grinding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sigh, this damn Kunxu really turns people into ghosts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after consecutively practicing the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening fifteen times, Zhang Yu realized he was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lay on the ground, drenched in sweat, the floor soaked through by his sweat, a faint human shape visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Physical Education teacher Wang Hairuo had seen this scene of hard training, she would have certainly said: \"Hard work, take a break.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this moment, the one supervising Zhang Yu was not a person, and only one thing would happen... the ritual: Keep training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please abide by the ritual agreement, strive to fulfill the wish, and do not deliberately slack or delay. 10.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu lamented: \"Moron! I've reached my limit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, misery!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This body-tempering drudgery is really much harder than breathing exercises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhang Yu felt his lungs wheezing like a bellows, and every inch of flesh and blood in his body ached with a tearing soreness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was too young, thinking I had already adapted to this damn world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to the constant countdown in his ears, Zhang Yu still lay on the ground like a dead fish. Only when the countdown was about to reach its final moment did he suddenly leap up, enduring the soreness and fatigue all over, and continue the practice of the Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty-Six Forms of Body Strengthening Level 3 (22\u002F30)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After barely managing another round, Zhang Yu collapsed again onto his own sweat, listening to the chilling countdown while feeling the ritual power's momentum as if it were about to tear his body to shreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this world something a person can adapt to?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it... before I'm driven to jump off a building, I've got to break this damn ritual!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that day at noon, going against his usual behavior, under the surprised gazes of Bai Zhenzhen and Zhou Tianyi, Zhang Yu spent over 100 yuan in one go to order a large bucket of rice and dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the growth of mana cannot be separated from absorbing more spiritual energy, then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, improving the effect of body refinement requires eating more and more nutritious food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to eat ten jin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the amount of Zhang Yu's lunch today, Bai Zhenzhen knew just how hard he had been drilled in physical education class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Feeling that you've grinded mana enough for now, so you're going to start grinding physical strength again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did this guy start working so hard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be the extra competitiveness from not being neutered?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhang Yu stuff an entire chicken leg into his mouth and chew the bones into pieces in a few bites before swallowing, Bai Zhenzhen unconsciously sped up her own eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Tianyi said helplessly, \"Eat slower, no one is scoring your eating speed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, Su Haifeng, who was also eating in the cafeteria, watched some students eating slowly and muttered to himself, \"The lunch break is still too long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been saying that the school should install more surveillance cameras in the cafeteria, and anyone who takes more than 10 minutes to eat should be publicly criticized and fined.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he drafted a proposal to send to the principal, presenting this valuable suggestion for cafeteria reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the following days, besides each regular class, Zhang Yu practiced the Thirty-Six Body Strengthening Techniques whenever he had time. When he reached his limit and could no longer train his body, he was forced to breathe and absorb spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being tormented day after day, time finally arrived at the monthly exam nine days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to \"Wind Dance Wild Song\" for the ten-thousand reward.\u003C\u002Fp>",1983,"2026-05-29T04:54:22.303Z","2026-06-01T04:29:11.989Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","450e62a79d34c389674025e3ed7974e9639c016e9a901ddecc56bf1163d7eff7","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-27","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-25",711,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fno-money-what-cultivation-cover.jpg"]