Chapter 274: Zhou Family Evil God, Sprint Before the Exam

Inside the Zhou family mansion.

Everywhere were patrol team members coming and going.

The entire mansion had been searched from top to bottom, and each Zhou family member being taken away had a pale face and a heart like dead ashes.

"It was Zhou Yang who went mad! We have nothing to do with this!"

"We didn't collude with the Oasis Group..."

"Where is your captain? I know your captain."

Zhang Yu stood to one side, watching the Zhou family members being taken away one by one. At this moment, he felt both emotional and somewhat tense.

"I wonder if the inspection team will uncover the evil god behind the Zhou family, and whether it will implicate Zhen and me."

Possibly because Zhou Yang had hidden the evil god too well, after a thorough search, the inspection team failed to find any information about the evil god but instead discovered one of Zhou Yang's secret hideouts.

Arriving deep within the Songyang City sewer system, Yun Ni looked at the underground fortifications before her and explained, "This is a place Zhou Yang secretly funded and built. If we hadn't conducted a full sweep of all his personal belongings this time, we never would have found it..."

With a bang, the underground fortifications in front were forcibly opened by the patrol team members.

The crowd swarmed in and began a thorough search of the interior.

Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yun Ni made their way to the deepest part, where countless coils, antiques, chains, and other objects were arranged in a circle, with a hard drive at the very center.

Seeing this, Fuji immediately transmitted to Zhang Yu's mind, "It's a ritual! A ritual that can suppress an evil god!"

"That bastard Zhou Yang actually suppressed his evil god here?"

"Damn it, this dog has some serious guts."

At the same time, Yun Ni walked around the hard drive and said, "This looks like a ritual?"

Fuji reminded him, "Zhang Yu! Touch that hard drive. I'll try to eat the evil god."

"If these patrol team guys take away my colleague, and if that guy knows about our existence... we'll be in trouble."

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen first used the power of the detection ritual within their bodies to check for cameras around them.

After confirming the locations and angles of the surrounding cameras...

The two exchanged a glance, and the next moment Bai Zhenzhen pointed at a camera in the corner and said, "What is that? It seemed to move!"

Just as everyone turned to look, Zhang Yu had already activated the time-frozen ability of his Time-Crippling Demon Eye. To him, the entire world seemed to slow down all at once.

The expressions, gazes, and movements of everyone around him were now vividly reflected in Zhang Yu's eyes.

The camera's field of view was also factored into his calculations.

Taking advantage of the blind spot created by everyone turning around, and at an angle not captured by the cameras, Zhang Yu gently reached out his hand and pressed it against the hard drive.

With Zhang Yu's skills at the Foundation Establishment realm, aided by the Time-Crippling Demon Eye, when Yun Ni and the others turned back, they detected nothing unusual at all.

Yun Ni said with excitement, "That must be the camera Zhou Yang installed."

"Have someone download the recordings immediately and see if there's anything useful."

At the same time, Fuji's somewhat weakened voice reached Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's minds: "I forcibly dragged this guy over to me."

"Next... I'm going to suppress him slowly... and digest him... I'll probably need to sleep for a while..."

After saying these words, Fuji's voice vanished completely, with no further response.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Once Fuji wakes up this time, Feather Scripture should unlock a new chapter, right?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but feel expectant, though he didn't know how long Fuji would be asleep this time.

He mused, "This time I forcibly pulled the evil god over; digesting him will probably take even longer than last time."

Next, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen continued the search with the patrol team. Yun Ni had already confirmed Zhou Yang's identity as a cult follower by examining the traces of the ritual.

But to Yun Ni's regret, the cameras on site only recorded the last seven days of surveillance, and nothing useful was found in the footage.

Nor was any trace of the evil god found in the entire base; Yun Ni suspected it had already left.

Seeing that Zhou Yang had left behind no information about himself or Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that he wouldn't have to go out of his way to destroy evidence.

The Zhou family affair was temporarily settled. Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen continued to devote themselves to cultivation while waiting for Fuji to awaken.

…

Inside the training ground at the city center.

With a crackling sound, Starfire Sage’s finger gently pressed against Zhang Yu’s chest, and the latter was instantly sent flying.

At the same time, Starfire Sage’s other hand flicked against Bai Zhenzhen’s palm, sending her hurtling back over a hundred meters.

Seeing their movements slow down, Starfire Sage frowned and said, “Don’t stop moving. Speed it up.”

Bai Zhenzhen’s figure flickered, and as the Formless Wind Demon activated, she rode a gust of wild wind and once again charged at Starfire Sage.

Starfire Sage reminded them, “Don’t stop the body-tempering technique. Keep channeling force to the limit at all times.”

“After the college entrance exam, you’re going up to the second layer.”

“And right now, every single day, the geniuses up there are widening the gap with you.”

“You have to seize every second, just to barely shorten the distance between you and those geniuses above.”

At this moment, Starfire Sage was not engaging in actual combat training with them; instead, he was using himself as training equipment to temper their physical strength.

He was like an endless ocean, exerting tremendous pressure on them, and as they cycled their body-tempering techniques, he wildly increased the resistance, boosting the burden and effectiveness of their training.

Zhang Yu felt the man repeatedly strike his body’s weak points, constantly raising the difficulty of his body tempering and enhancing the training effect. It was as if a massive iron hammer was pounding every muscle, tendon, and bone in his body, removing impurities and forging him ever purer and stronger.

Spring-Autumn Endless Zen Lv.18 (98/180)

Physical Strength Lv.10.52

Starfire Sage looked at the two of them lying on the ground, gasping for air, and thought to himself, “What terrifying speed of progress.”

“Especially that kid Zhang Yu—if he keeps cultivating his Spring-Autumn Endless Zen like this, he’ll reach Lv.20 before graduating high school, right? Such comprehension of this technique… it’s simply incredible.”

“Even if he’s not the legendary Martial Saint Physique, he probably isn’t far off.”

“I really look forward to seeing him step into Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul in the future.”

Thinking this, Starfire Sage let out a quiet sigh: “But with the few years I have left, I probably won’t live to see the day they fully rise.”

“Still, the seeds I’ve sown in them over these nine months should one day have a chance to take root and sprout.”

If Starfire Sage claimed that his guidance of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen was entirely selfless and purely out of appreciation, even he wouldn’t believe it.

It was just different from the investment he’d made in Yu Xinghan, which was bound by a contract.

In Starfire Sage’s view… what he had invested in Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen was something held together by a thing called human sentiment.

“These days… in Kunxu, there are fewer and fewer people who still value old ties.”

Starfire Sage thought to himself, “It’s so different from when I was young. Now, in Kunxu, cultivators almost exclusively care about benefits, not feelings.”

“Those who still cling to the old ways have either died of old age or been weeded out—like an old fogey like me…”

“But maybe Zhang Yu is an exception.”

“Even though I won’t live to see them rise, I hope that my investment in them will one day help Xuelian and Xinghan.”

…

Time flew swiftly by as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen continued their training; only half a year remained until the college entrance exam.

In the apartment one day, Zhang Yu suddenly opened his eyes, and the Remnant Bull Self-Sacrifice Heart Art roared within his mind.

Remnant Bull Self-Sacrifice Heart Art Lv.20

Dao Heart Lv.11 (43.8%)

Zhang Yu felt that at this moment, his mind seemed to reach every single cell in his body, and his blood and flesh were more alive than ever before.

“Finally reached Lv.20.”

He looked at his hands and thought, “After Lv.20, even if I lose an arm or a leg, I feel like my will can linger in the severed limb.”

“This Lv.20 effect can be called Residual Vitality—even flesh that falls off my body can retain my will for a few minutes.”

“As long as I pick it back up within those few minutes, it can reattach and regrow.”

“And as my Dao Heart level continues to rise, the effect of the Remnant Bull Self-Sacrifice Heart Art should get even better.”

Sensing that his self-healing ability was becoming stronger and stronger, a hint of a satisfied smile flashed across Zhang Yu's mind, after all, this meant he was less and less afraid of getting hurt and less and less likely to need to go to the hospital.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Zhang Yu opened the apartment door, looked at Le Mulan standing outside, and said, "You're here?"

After leading Le Mulan inside, Zhang Yu asked, "Are you sure you don't want the money?"

During the 1.3-times donation earlier, Le Mulan had lent Zhang Yu five million.

But later, when Zhang Yu tried to repay, Le Mulan returned it, saying she didn't want the money, only something else.

After repeatedly confirming with her, Zhang Yu found out that, like the Hongta Group, she also wanted his seeds.

Although money from the First Layer was useless in the Second Layer, five million could still be exchanged for some resources.

For Zhang Yu, this five million was definitely more useful than his seeds, and also more valuable than his seeds.

After all, he knew very well that his strength had nothing to do with bloodline—it was a strength of the soul and will.

But as an old friend, Zhang Yu kindly reminded Le Mulan, "This thing... I don't think it's very useful. You should think it over carefully."

Le Mulan bit her lip and insisted, "I want it."

Zhang Yu nodded. "Alright then, wait a moment."

Le Mulan watched Zhang Yu walk away, and after waiting for a long time, she found he still hadn't come back.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Le Mulan opened it and looked.

Le Jingchen: Got the Yu Juice yet?

Le Jingchen: Remember to make sure with your own eyes that it's genuine. Over at Hongta, they've been delayed in getting results—I suspect Zhang Yu might have given them fakes.