Chapter 13: Spiritual Arts Tournament

Chapter 13: Spiritual Arts Tournament

During that day's Spirit Energy class, the students in the Demonstration Class were seated cross-legged in the quiet room, practicing the Contemplative Breathing Art.

The camera at the front of the room monitored every move the students made, recording whether they opened their eyes, scratched an itch, moved their hands, or wiggled their bottoms—any slight deviation from focus was meticulously documented.

All this data was compiled into a Distraction Rate.

The class with the highest Distraction Rate each week would be publicly reprimanded by the entire school.

The students in the Demonstration Class didn’t care much; no matter what the assessment, their class would always be number one.

On the other hand, the student with the lowest Distraction Rate each week would not only be praised but also rewarded with 500 yuan and an hour of free use of the Celestial Spirit Root.

This caught the attention of the Demonstration Class students.

Zhang Yu, upon learning about the Distraction Rate for the first time, thought that if this existed in his previous life, students would have cursed the school for being a fool.

But this world was different. The students in the Demonstration Class were like bulls in heat, fixated on the daily Distraction Rate, and the entire class was filled with a fierce competitive spirit.

As the bell rang, everyone in the quiet room stopped their practice and looked at the large screen at the front, eagerly awaiting the Distraction Rate data for the class.

1. Zhang Yu - Distraction Rate: 0% - Spirit Energy: 8.3

2. Bai Zhenzhen - Distraction Rate: 0.03% - Spirit Energy: 11.2

3. Qian Shen - Distraction Rate: 0.12% - Spirit Energy: 11.1

...

Looking at the Distraction Rate rankings, the students in the class, though silent, showed a hint of surprise in their eyes and expressions.

The Spirit Energy class instructor, Teacher Yan, was a woman with her hair in a bun and wearing black-framed glasses. She looked at the screen and said, “Several students with a Distraction Rate over 0.3%—I won’t name you today.”

“It’s been three months since school started. How many times have I told you to focus your mind and calm your spirit?”

“With such high Distraction Rates, how can your Meditative Respiration efficiency possibly match others?”

“Everyone practices for 24 hours a day. You won’t have more time than others, and if your Meditative Respiration efficiency is low, you’ll fall behind little by little. By the end of high school, the gap in Spirit Energy could be 10, 20, or even 30 points.”

“And how many times have I told you that if your Distraction Rate doesn’t improve, you can come to my office to buy Tranquility Elixir? I sat in my office for three hours yesterday, and not a single person asked me... Do you all think you have no problems?!”

After the criticism, Teacher Yan smiled and looked at the top performers on the screen. “Of course, there are students who have done well.”

“I want to commend the top three students with the lowest Distraction Rates, especially Zhang Yu, who has had a Distraction Rate of 0% for four consecutive days. Compared to before, this is a qualitative leap.”

“Also, his Spirit Energy has increased by 0.5 points in the last three days, which shows he’s been working hard outside of class. He must have rented a Spirit Root or a high-Spiritual Qi practice room, right, Zhang Yu?”

All the students turned their gaze toward Zhang Yu.

However, Zhang Yu kept his eyes closed, seemingly half-asleep, still silently practicing the Grand Circulation Qi Inhale Art.

Teacher Yan praised, “Look, this is the attitude of a true top student. He doesn’t stop even after class, using every second to practice and grow stronger.”

Zhao Tianxing, watching Zhang Yu’s focused Meditative Respiration, found him increasingly mysterious. “He’s so diligent, yet why does he slack off in physical education?”

Bai Zhenzhen, looking at Zhang Yu’s closed eyes, thought, “Yu-zi has been practicing almost non-stop, except when eating or using the bathroom. Could it be the 700,000 debt call that’s driving him?”

On the stage, Teacher Yan continued, “Of course, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The path of Xian Dao has no free lunches. Without spending money, you won’t go far. There are now available spots for renting Celestial Spirit Roots in the school. Interested students can come to me.”

Before leaving, Teacher Yan mentioned something that caught Zhang Yu’s attention.

“By the way, the city’s Spiritual Arts Tournament is starting next month. All high schools in the city will participate in the first-year group, and the first prize is 100,000 yuan.”

“Since the registration is next Friday, the school plans to select the top ten students in Spirit Energy to participate in the Spiritual Arts Tournament.”

...

That evening, in the cafeteria.

Zhou Tianyi had to rush to his tutoring class early, leaving Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen alone at the table.

Bai Zhenzhen’s constant staring made Zhang Yu uncomfortable. “Ah-Zhen, I know my looks are outstanding, standing out like a crane among chickens in this study-obsessed Songyang High School, but you don’t have to stare so intently.”

Bai Zhenzhen asked, “Are you thinking of participating in the Spiritual Arts Tournament?”

“Too bad, Ah-Zhen,” Zhang Yu shook his head. “If you weren’t my friend, you’d challenge me and then get humiliated on the field, with your pupils dilating dozens of times.”

Bai Zhenzhen shook her head. “Yu-zi, this is a city-wide Spirit Energy competition.”

“It’s where all the best, richest, and most powerful students from every high school in Songyang City compete. It’s full of incredibly wealthy people.”

Bai Zhenzhen sighed. “What would happen to an ordinary person like you?”

Her eyes seemed to see the grim future, and she said with a sad expression, “You’d be repeatedly humiliated by countless strong opponents, becoming a stepping stone for the wealthy and a laughingstock of Songyang High School, destroying the school’s reputation.”

“It would be terrible. I can already see you being trampled by the prodigies from other high schools, your Dao Heart shattered, like a dead dog.”

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. “Don’t exaggerate. It’s not a martial arts tournament; losing isn’t shameful.”

“Besides, the first prize is 100,000 yuan.”

“Even just making it into the top ten gets you 10,000 yuan.”

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu’s greedy expression and thought, “Yu-zi must be desperate, driven by debt collectors to the point of trying to enter a competition.”

Zhang Yu was indeed in financial trouble. Although he had earned 13,000 yuan a few days ago from Immortal Rhythm Company, he had used 10,000 to pay off a loan and 1,500 for rent, leaving him with only about 2,000 yuan.

“To enter the competition, you need to think about how to boost your Spirit Energy to the top ten in the grade. You’re currently ranked 16th. How much more will you need to borrow to reach the top ten?”

Zhang Yu quickly calculated in his head.

His current Spirit Energy was 8.3, ranking 16th in the grade.

The 10th-ranked student had a Spirit Energy of 9.5.

To surpass this, Zhang Yu needed to boost his Spirit Energy to 9.5 by next Friday.

“No, I need to account for everyone else’s progress.”

“To be safe, I should aim to reach 10.0 by next Friday.”

“With eight days left, I need to increase my Spirit Energy from 8.3 to 10.0, a total of 1.7 points.”

“That’s an increase of 0.2 per day... Is it possible?”

Absolutely! It’s entirely possible!

In the eyes of other teachers and students, Zhang Yu’s recent rapid improvement must have come from heavy investment in high-quality Spirit Roots and practice venues.

But Zhang Yu knew it all stemmed from his incredible potential and extreme discipline.

A 4th-level Grand Circulation Qi Inhale Art had already allowed him to increase his Spirit Energy by 0.5 in just three days. He believed that as he continued to advance the Grand Circulation Qi Inhale Art, his Spirit Energy would increase even more rapidly.

“After all, in the Qi Cultivation stage, the highest level of a skill is 10.”

“A 4th-level Contemplative Breathing Art is something most first-year students can’t achieve in their first semester.”

“Continuing my practice, I might be able to bring the Grand Circulation Qi Inhale Art to levels 8, 9, or even 10 in a short time, a level many won’t reach even after three years of high school.”

As Zhang Yu was mentally preparing himself, he suddenly noticed Bai Zhenzhen reaching for his bowl with her chopsticks.

“Bold move!” Zhang Yu shouted, lifting his chopsticks to block.

With a series of clinks, Bai Zhenzhen easily disarmed him.

Feeling the familiar movements, Zhang Yu was surprised. “Fundamental Sword Technique? You’ve mastered it and even adapted it to chopsticks?”

Bai Zhenzhen quickly picked a few pieces of meat from Zhang Yu’s bowl and laughed. “Is that hard, Yu-zi? Isn’t it just a matter of having hands?”

Zhang Yu thought, “Damn, she’s showing off again.”

Bai Zhenzhen mixed the meat with a few quick bites of rice and said, “I didn’t expect the 5-yuan set meal to have such good ribs. I’ll get one next time.”

Patting her slightly fuller stomach, Bai Zhenzhen belched and said, “Ah, eating any more would affect my tutoring.”

She pushed her plate toward Zhang Yu. “Here’s an extra serving, Yu-zi.”

Looking at the neatly untouched half of Bai Zhenzhen’s leftover meal, Zhang Yu understood that she had deliberately left it for him.

Seemingly aware of his financial difficulties, Bai Zhenzhen had been feeding him during dinner for a while.

Zhang Yu took the plate and said while eating, “Ah-Zhen, you don’t need to consider my pride or face. With our relationship, you can just give me money.”

Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes. “I need to go to my tutoring class. Eat slowly.”

...

Outside the cafeteria.

A tall figure stood in the corridor, eyes fixed on the cafeteria entrance.

When Zhang Yu emerged from the cafeteria, the tall figure’s spirits lifted, and he immediately followed.

Following Zhang Yu out of the school gate, he saw him enter a stationery store across the street. Zhao Tianxing’s eyes gleamed, thinking, “Could this be where Zhang Yu gets his supplies?”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end