Chapter 119: Peerless Genius
On the audience stand, Lan Ling took a deep breath and spoke slowly: “He actually did it? With the current weight of 12,531 kilograms and the gap between him and Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu really could claim the top spot in total score.”
As a second-year student specializing in physical cultivation and a veteran of the Sports Competition, Lan Ling fully grasped the sheer difficulty behind Zhang Yu’s performance at this moment.
“To reach this level with his Physical Strength Level, he’s not just pushing his body to the limit—he’s mastered both the raw power and the technical finesse far beyond what’s typical for a freshman.”
Beside him, Zhou Chichen frowned, clearly stunned by how things had unfolded.
“Which means… the speed contest against Yu Xinghan last time wasn’t due to some stimulant drug?”
“And this level of bodily control… no wonder, after receiving Bailong High School’s New Physique Enhancement Technology, he could regulate his physical appearance just like Yu Xinghan.”
Zhou Chichen watched Zhang Yu walk down from the platform, regret gnawing at him. He bitterly thought: I should’ve signed him up myself. Now not only has Zhang Pianpian snatched him away, but our family’s deal with Ziyun High School is now in jeopardy.
Lan Ling, a physical cultivation prodigy himself, couldn’t help but admire Zhang Yu’s talent. Yet the more he admired him, the more he wanted to crush him.
He spoke coldly: “This Zhang Yu must be stopped. If he keeps promoting Bailong’s Artificial Demon Muscle technology, it’ll sabotage our upcoming collaboration with Ziyun. This isn’t just a personal grudge anymore—it’s a strategic threat.”
Zhou Chichen shook his head. “You’re getting too worked up again.”
“Zhang Yu is now in the spotlight, but he’s backed by Bailong High School and Xianyun Group. They’ll protect him at all costs—why should we throw ourselves into the fire and become the villains?”
“Even if we’re in a rush, it should be Ziyun and Hongta who act first.”
He sighed. “Besides, in about two months, Zhang Pianpian will be leaving.”
“Once she’s gone, the publicity value of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen will fade. Then, when they’re just two ordinary students with no big names behind them… dealing with them will be easy. There’ll be plenty of ways to make them work for us.”
…
In the live stream room, Gang Shan watched Zhang Yu descend from the platform and sighed with admiration. “This year’s Songyang City Freshman Physical Fitness Competition was totally worth watching.”
“To challenge 12,531 kilograms and succeed—not through brute force alone, but through the perfect fusion of strength and technique… incredible. Today’s high school students really are getting more intense, more terrifying by the day.”
Beside him, Le Jingchen casually glanced at his phone. Someone had just sent him the list of supplements Zhang Yu had ordered via delivery.
He skimmed it quickly. All common, mass-market drugs—nothing special.
Le Jingchen’s eyes narrowed. A Physical Strength Level of 4.95 couldn’t possibly lift 12,531 kilograms using raw power alone. And the supplements? Nothing out of the ordinary.
So this Zhang Yu… did it all through extreme self-mastery. He pushed his muscles and tendons to their absolute limit, channeling every ounce of strength with precision.
With that realization, Le Jingchen exhaled quietly, a small sense of relief washing over him.
Good… good. Just a peerless genius after all.
Geniuses weren’t dangerous. Even the most extraordinary ones were just individuals—singular, one-off exceptions.
To most students, teachers, and spectators, such talents might seem legendary.
But from Le Jingchen’s vantage point, geniuses were merely investable assets. What truly frightened him wasn’t talent—it was unknown technology.
His real fear had been whether Xianyun Group could mass-produce people like Zhang Yu—those capable of breaking the 12,531-kilogram Sky Column barrier.
But the good news? It seemed Zhang Yu was just a natural-born genius, not the result of some scalable breakthrough.
Still, the thought of the top two spots in the rankings being taken by Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan—both representing Bailong’s technology—left him deeply unsettled.
It meant Ziyun Pharmaceutical’s promotional campaign would be diluted, and their return on investment would suffer.
So when Gang Shan voiced his praise, Le Jingchen nodded along, adding: “Absolutely. Zhang Yu’s talent is terrifying.”
Flattery? Everyone can do that.
Le Jingchen decided to go all in on the praise—focusing entirely on Zhang Yu’s supernatural gifts.
After all, if his success was solely due to innate talent, then any future attempts by Xianyun Group to use him as a showcase for their new technology would ring hollow.
He said: “Gang Shan, did you notice? When he lifted the Sky Column, his whole body was covered in blood—multiple injuries across his frame.”
“But look—he’s walking normally now. No major wounds. That’s terrifying.”
“Because he distributed the force perfectly across his body, never overloading any single point beyond its limit.”
“He didn’t just push his strength to the edge—he mastered it. Truly reached his peak.”
“This level of control? It’s already at the pinnacle of cultivation. Even we couldn’t match it.”
Gang Shan glanced at Le Jingchen in surprise. Damn… you’re really going all out. Does Ziyun have a stake in this kid?
But Gang Shan had been a seasoned broadcaster for years—had sold high-interest loans to people pledging their mothers’ lives. He quickly figured out Le Jingchen’s angle.
He nodded, playing along: “You’re right. Zhang Yu’s physical technique is nothing short of legendary. A single unit of force in his hands becomes ten. Pure Physical Strength Level, body structure, supplements, technology—none of those can fully describe his true power.”
…
“Nice job selling it,” said Songyang High School’s rest area.
Zhang Yu listened to the live stream, nodding thoughtfully. “Who’s that host? Sharp eyes, deep analysis. Tell me his name—I’ll follow him.”
He Dayou sighed, looking up from his phone. “Gang Shan.”
Wang Hai grumbled from beside him: “He Dayou, if Zhang Yu’s curious about the guy, why don’t you just hand over the phone so we can all watch together?”
He Dayou groaned. Why do smart students always act like this? Back when I had better grades, I never acted so full of myself.
But Zhang Yu waved his hand. “No need, Wang Teacher. Don’t disturb the other students for my little curiosity.”
He smiled. “I’m just a regular student—placed fourth in the Mana Competition, first in Martial Arts, and now possibly first in the Sports Competition. I just want to stay close to everyone. I don’t want things to get as rigid and divided as they are at Bailong or Ziyun.”
Wang Hai turned to the crowd. “Look at this! Look at Zhang Yu’s humility. That’s how he reached this level. If this were Bailong High School, you’d all be on your knees just listening to him speak.”
Then he pointed at a random student. “Zhao Tianxing! Still standing there? Go get Zhang Yu a few energy drinks. Didn’t you see he just finished competing? He needs recovery!”
Zhao Tianxing knew better than to think Wang Hai had picked him randomly. Being pointed at meant he was the weakest performer here—another confirmation of his self-proclaimed “weak, poor, and pitiful” status. He sighed and hurried off to get the drinks.
Just then, the Sky Column on stage flashed brightly. The final scores and rankings of the Sports Competition were about to be announced.
Everyone in the room turned their eyes toward the screen—Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Wang Hai, all watching as the names began to appear.
1st Place: Songyang High School – Zhang Yu – 341 points
2nd Place: Bailong High School – Yu Xinghan – 338 points
3rd Place: Ziyun High School – Le Mulan – 324 points
4th Place: Bailong High School – Song Hailong – 322 points
5th Place: Songyang High School – Bai Zhenzhen – 320 points
6th Place: Hongta High School – Xiong Wenwu…
Bai Zhenzhen didn’t bother reading further. To her, only the top five mattered. The rest were just worthless competition—no point in wasting time on them.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu stared at the number one name on the screen. His phone rang.
It was Zhang Pianpian.
He answered. “I got first place.”
Zhang Pianpian replied: “Good. I’ve already talked to Bailong. If you’re willing to acknowledge you received their Artificial Demon Muscle enhancement, they’ll give you endorsements and advertising deals. They’ll even shield you from pressure from other companies.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “How much?”
Zhang Pianpian sighed. “It was supposed to be more, but ever since Le Jingchen and Gang Shan started hyping your ‘peerless genius’ status, Ziyun has been pushing you as a one-of-a-kind prodigy. If this keeps up, the ad fees and endorsement money will drop significantly.”
Zhang Yu’s blood ran cold.
The praise that had sounded sweet moments ago now felt like needles in his ears.
For the first time, he realized how much he hated being praised—especially when it came with strings attached.
He asked again: “What about A Zhen? She’s fifth. Can you try to get her some deals too?”
Zhang Pianpian said: “Got it. I’ll keep you posted.”
“And one more thing—no matter how much money you get today, don’t spend it. Don’t even think about paying off your debts.”
“Less than two months left—I’m heading to university soon.”
“Meet me tonight. There are some things I need to talk to you about.”
From her tone, Zhang Yu sensed urgency.
In just two months, Zhang Pianpian would be leaving Kunxu Layer.
After that, he and Bai Zhenzhen would lose the protection she currently offered—left to face the pressures of high school, the student council, and corporate forces alone.
The joy of winning the Physical Fitness Competition suddenly felt hollow.
All that remained was a growing sense of urgency.
(End of Chapter)
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