Chapter 40: Joyful Heart Method and Dharma Competition Tutoring

The next morning at dawn.

Since breaking through to level 10 in the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Technique last night and starting to cultivate the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra...

Zhang Yu, who had been constantly compelled by the ritual’s power to study, cultivate, and work, and had gradually adapted to it, found that practicing the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra felt incredibly fitting—it progressed even faster and more fiercely than he had imagined.

Especially as the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra leveled up repeatedly, Zhang Yu became increasingly able to endure the dryness, monotony, and solitude of cultivating a mental cultivation method.

Except when he resorted to the ritual’s power to force himself, he hardly stopped at all, forging ahead relentlessly on the path of cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra.

When the sky began to lighten, Zhang Yu slowly opened his eyes; his Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra had also risen to level 7 (15/21).

Having advanced this mental cultivation method to such a state overnight, Zhang Yu sometimes felt afraid of his own talent.

Beyond that, his Dao heart had also made significant progress—especially when Zhang Yu saw new data on the Feather Book: Dao Heart Level 2 (1%).

“Could it be that after cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra, my grasp of the Dao heart became more precise, enabling me to perceive its specific progress?”

Zhang Yu shook his head; he still knew far too little about the Feather Book.

After getting up, brushing his teeth, and washing his face, Zhang Yu continued to silently practice the mental cultivation method on his way to school, seizing every moment.

Given the rapid and fierce pace at which he was cultivating the Desolate Ox Soul-Calming Heart Sutra, he felt he could probably push this mental cultivation method to level 10 today.

…

Songyang High School.

During the break between classes.

Zhang Yu, who was cultivating his mental cultivation method, heard footsteps growing closer and frowned slightly.

A tall, shaven-headed youth walked up to him and asked, “Zhang Yu, sorry to bother you.”

“Could I borrow yesterday’s math exam paper to take a look?”

After waiting a moment and seeing Zhang Yu’s delayed response, the youth smiled nonchalantly: “Sorry, looks like I disturbed you.”

“You go ahead and cultivate. I’ll come find you later.”

But after the youth turned around, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Yu’s complete focus on cultivation and utter disregard made him feel a lack of respect.

He thought in his heart, “Heh, as expected of third place in the grade—so arrogant. A 530-scorer like me isn’t even considered human in his eyes, right?”

On the other side, listening to the receding footsteps, Zhang Yu felt a sense of relief that he was finally gone.

“That Liang Qin kid—isn’t he a bit too familiar?”

Liang Qin was the youth who had just asked Zhang Yu to borrow the math exam paper.

Ever since Zhang Yu’s monthly exam results came out, classmates had often approached him, probing for the secret behind his rapid improvement.

But most people came once or twice and then stopped—especially since Zhang Yu spent almost every break cultivating; the other students saw he didn’t respond, and as the buzz over the monthly exam gradually faded, fewer came to crowd around.

Only this Liang Qin came to find him almost every class break.

And not just during breaks.

During martial arts class, Liang Qin would come to hand him water.

When PE class ended, he would come again to offer Zhang Yu a towel to wipe his sweat.

In the cafeteria, he would try to reserve a seat for Zhang Yu in advance.

In conversation, he also habitually flattered Zhang Yu.

Like a diligent little bee, he would hover around Zhang Yu from time to time.

At first, Zhang Yu thought this person was decent.

But after a few days, he found Liang Qin increasingly annoying.

Especially since he kept coming to find him during breaks, disrupting his cultivation.

And while flattering, he always beat around the bush about the trick to improving grades, which Zhang Yu found pointless.

So for the past two days, Zhang Yu had gradually stopped acknowledging him, hoping the other would back off after realizing the difficulty.

Although this process seemed to provoke some resentment from the other party, Zhang Yu had no other choice.

……

Time quickly came to the end of school.

During self-study class, Zhang Yu's body trembled slightly, then he felt as if a stream of sweet dew gushed out from the depths of his sea of consciousness, moistening his entire body, bringing him immense pleasure.

At the same time, a light roar came from the mindful concentration diagram in his mind, and the old ox he had sketched was not only vivid but also had its horns raised to the sky, letting out a low roar from its mouth, as if it had come to life.

Wild Bull Soul-Calming Heart Technique: Level 10

When this mental technique reached level 10, what Zhang Yu felt in his heart was incomparable satisfaction and happiness.

As long as he thought about his strength continuing to rise steadily, and that one technique after another would be pushed to level 10, Zhang Yu's heart was filled with great anticipation, and happiness derived from that anticipation kept surging forth.

"Is this the effect of reaching level 10 in Wild Bull Soul-Calming Heart Technique?"

"As long as there is anticipation for the future in one's heart, even if it's boring bitter training, even if it's constant hardship, one can still feel joy and satisfaction."

Zhang Yu felt that this mental technique became more and more interesting the more he practiced it. A technique that allows one to feel happiness amidst bitter training—doesn't that reduce the pain of cultivation and improve its efficiency? Why do so many people give it bad reviews?

Unless many people who cultivate this mental technique, even if they reach level 10, can no longer feel happiness because there is no anticipation for the future in their lives?

Thinking about the current state of Kunxu's first layer, Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly. "The Wild Bull Soul-Calming Heart Technique is a good cultivation method."

"But no matter how good a cultivation method is, it's just a method. How the future turns out ultimately depends on the person."

Just as Zhang Yu was sighing with emotion, a female voice came: "Yu-zi?"

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu's satisfied, happy face, scanned him from top to bottom, then said suspiciously, "Yu-zi, you didn't leak out in the classroom, did you?"

Zhang Yu suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Bai Zhenzhen who was wearing a disgusted expression, and said speechlessly, "Sigh, I was just marveling at the beauty of cultivation and understanding the helplessness of the world, but then you, a vulgar person, opened your mouth and completely ruined the atmosphere."

But Bai Zhenzhen couldn't be bothered with what Zhang Yu was saying about beauty and helplessness. She grabbed Zhang Yu and headed out of the classroom.

"Stop talking nonsense. Did you forget that we have to attend the mana competition remedial class after school today? We already paid 3000 yuan."

After Zhang Yu's mana broke into the top ten in his grade last month, he and Bai Zhenzhen were both selected for the first-year high school team to participate in the mana competition.

But the things tested in the first-year mana competition were all topics that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had never studied in school, far beyond the classroom content.

So the mana teacher, Teacher Yan, organized remedial classes to teach the competition items.

! .

……

Inside the classroom.

Apart from Teacher Yan, who had her hair in a bun and wore black-rimmed glasses, only Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were present among the students.

Teacher Yan explained, "Besides you two, the others all have private tutors to help them and have their own tutoring arrangements, so they won't come to the remedial class."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Doesn't that mean that among the top ten in mana grade, only we two are poor?"

Bai Zhenzhen clenched her fist tightly and thought, "I didn't expect this remedial class would lower one's campus reputation just by attending."

A fierce fighting spirit flashed in Teacher Yan's eyes. She thought, "These rich people are too disrespectful, actually trusting private tutors instead of me?"

"Those private tutors are all smooth talkers, only know how to cheat money. How can they compare to my solid 30 years of teaching experience in a key high school?"

"Only 2 out of 10 showed up. Doesn't this greatly lower my campus prestige?"

"Fine if they don't come, but they don't even pay the remedial class fee?"

If students from Class 2 or Class 3 dared to do this, Teacher Yan would definitely call their parents fiercely, summon all the parents to school, and make them know the consequences of looking down on a mana teacher.

But thinking about the parents of these eight students in the demonstration class...

Hey, their parents are so busy at work, as teachers we should be more understanding.

She looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen and thought, "You two poor souls better work hard for me, surpass those eight guys thoroughly, and make them obediently come to remedial class from now on."

With various thoughts in her mind, Teacher Yan remained calm on the surface, slowly began to speak: "The things tested in the mana competition are completely different from what you usually learn. Total mana is just the foundation; the key is control over mana..."

She projected a diagram of the human body channeling energy and began explaining earnestly: "The mana in your bodies right now is the most basic form of mana."

"By controlling the flow and route of mana, you can change its form."

"For example, one direction of advancement is toward things like sword Qi and palm force in the martial path..."

"Going further, you can trigger phenomena such as heating, cooling, and electrification..."

As she explained, she extended a finger, and a sharp, edgy fluctuation first appeared at her fingertip, easily cutting through a sheet of paper before her.

A moment later, her fingertip turned slightly red, reflecting a faint spark of flame.

"This is the most basic form of magical power transformation."

"Of course, basic form transformation relies on fundamental skills—control over magical power—and its power is extremely limited."

"What truly goes further and has practical value are the special kinds of magical power derived from various extraordinary techniques and skills..."

Listening to Teacher Yan's explanation, Zhang Yu suddenly remembered the yin-cold palm force that He Dayou had used during their monthly exam sparring match.

He guessed that it must have been a special kind of magical power produced by some cultivation method.

On the podium, Teacher Yan projected an animated diagram of energy circulation and said to the two of them: "This is the simplest route for converting to sword Qi—it can transform magical power into a strand of sharp sword Qi."

"Try to see if you can do it, using what I just taught you."

Bai Zhenzhen stared at the animated energy circulation diagram for a while, and soon began to feel a bit dizzy.

"This energy circulation route is way too complicated!"

Then she tried it herself, only to feel utterly speechless.

The magical power swirled around inside her left arm but could never turn into even a hint of sharp aura.

Is this really the simplest sword Qi conversion route?

Is this what competition difficulty feels like?

She felt as if she had just learned addition, and then the teacher handed her a bivariate linear equation problem and said, "Solve this."

Just then, she heard Zhang Yu's voice calling out beside her.

"Ah Zhen, come take a look!"

Bai Zhenzhen turned her head and saw Zhang Yu lightly tapping at his notebook, directly cutting out a bivariate linear equation.

"Yu Zi, that unfamiliar look on your face makes me sick."