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Chapter 137: The Difficulty of Breathing
(Thank you, 'Your Dad Laughed Loudly,' for the Archlord Donation)
On the pedestrian walkway of the highway, two figures sprinted side by side, leaving behind a trail of swirling wind as they raced toward the Spirit Energy Protection Zone.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
While Zhang Yu was using his Racing Leg to propel himself forward at breakneck speed, Bai Zhenzhen’s body flickered with intermittent electric sparks—she was employing her newly learned Lightning Step to keep pace, her movements fluid and precise.
Unlike Zhang Yu, whose focus had been entirely on boosting his Physical Strength Level, Bai Zhenzhen had been dedicating most of her energy to mastering martial arts techniques, since she was preparing for the martial arts track. Alongside refining her Dao Heart, Martial Energy, and Physical Strength, she’d been training intensely in combat-focused cultivation methods.
Lightning Step was one such technique—a short-range, high-speed movement skill that allowed her to shift and dodge with explosive agility. More flexible and dynamic than Racing Leg, it was tailor-made for battle. Now, she was using it not just for combat, but also as a means of travel, practicing the technique in real time.
Under the bright sunlight, Bai Zhenzhen could feel a gentle warmth flowing through her body—Zhen Linggen was absorbing the ambient Spirit Energy from the sunlight. Fortunately, the entity had grown accustomed to the light-dark balance, now fully attuned to her will and no longer dimming her body’s glow.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt as though molten lava were coursing through his veins, devouring the sun’s radiant light and its concentrated Spirit Energy with ravenous intensity.
He mentally calculated his options.
This journey to the Spirit Energy Protection Zone was all about securing a rental spot in a Spirit Vein—via Xiong Wenwu’s connections—so he could refine his Martial Energy more efficiently. After all, while his Physical Strength Level had been skyrocketing, Dao Heart and Martial Energy were still progressing too slowly, even with constant cultivation.
It was rumored that Spirit Veins contained exceptionally dense concentrations of Spirit Energy, drastically improving refinement efficiency. Long-term exposure could even enhance one’s constitution, purify the body, and prolong life—countless benefits.
“Renting an entire Spirit Vein? Forget it. With my current funds, I just need to afford a small spot inside one—enough for both A Zhen and me to cultivate.”
True, he’d earned some money recently—through Dark Tutoring Realm, Le Mulan, Yu Xinghan, and Song Hailong, plus a 200,000 yuan first endorsement fee. But his expenses were equally steep.
Every three days, a Hunyuan Pill cost 24,000 yuan. Each set of Nine Dragons Needle Technique treatments came in at 10,500 yuan. And since he’d been focusing on body cultivation, his daily food expenses had ballooned to 1,500 yuan. By early May, he’d also paid 15,000 yuan in loan interest.
Zhang Yu glanced at his account balance—still 570,000 yuan.
“Should be enough to rent a spot inside a Spirit Vein, right?”
They continued racing forward. The landscape gradually shifted, giving way to a growing number of factories. Massive chimneys belched thick plumes of white smoke into the sky. Some bore the unmistakable logo of Hongta Pasture.
As Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the industrial sprawl, he froze.
“What the hell is that?”
Where once there had been a factory complex, only ruins remained—crumbling walls, scattered debris, as if the area had endured a brutal battle.
And there, just beyond a nearby hillside, a massive palm print—hundreds of meters wide—still gouged into the earth. Scattered around it were fragments of towering structures, broken walls, and twisted machinery.
The entire site was encased in shimmering Light Screens, their surfaces etched with warning symbols—like the crime scene tape at a murder site.
Zhang Yu asked, “Did they fight here?”
Bai Zhenzhen glanced at the wreckage and replied, “You really don’t know? This was big news online half a year ago. A factory was caught cheating on taxes.”
“Turned out the owner resisted. They summoned flying swords, talismans, and all sorts of magical weapons—killed most of the tax inspectors on the spot.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes widened. “Kunxu’s tax evaders are that powerful?”
Bai Zhenzhen continued, “The inspectors called in the divine power of Gongfu Tianjian Great Deity. One single palm strike—erased the entire factory. And then they drained the souls of nearly all the perpetrators.”
“Nearly all?” Zhang Yu asked, stunned. “What about the ones who didn’t get their souls taken? Did they die? Run away?”
“Saw the Great Deity appear,” Bai Zhenzhen said, “and they all committed suicide on the spot.”
Zhang Yu swallowed hard. He silently thanked his lucky stars he’d never been caught in Kunxu’s tax net.
They kept moving, and soon, the horizon revealed a massive, sweeping arc.
Their destination.
Long ago, this Spirit Energy Protection Zone had been a sanctuary for beasts—home to powerful ancient demons known as Great Spirits. Today, such creatures were called Yao Yi—intelligent, sentient beings capable of integrating into society, working, living among humans.
But centuries ago, the Great Spirits were defeated by corporate security forces. The Protected Zone changed hands multiple times—until Hongta Pasture finally acquired it and has operated it ever since.
It was said the zone still preserved its original natural landscapes, with wild beasts that had lived there for ages. Of course, all of them were now assets of Hongta Pasture.
Zhang Yu squinted. A colossal glass dome—vast enough to cover entire mountain ranges and rolling hills—shrouded the area.
As they drew closer, he noticed intricate runes constantly flickering across the dome’s surface—arrays actively sealing the boundary between worlds.
And scattered across the dome were bold red warnings:
“Hongta Pasture Private Territory. Purchase tickets. Enter only through main gate.”
Bai Zhenzhen cursed under her breath. “Seriously stingy. They’re not even letting a single breath of Protected Zone air escape?”
She’d hoped to sneak a bit of the ambient Spirit Energy from outside the boundary. But now it was clear—Hongta Pasture had already anticipated that.
They reached the ticket booth at the main entrance.
The price? Five yuan.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen both stared in disbelief. Five yuan? Was this some kind of charity?
Bai Zhenzhen instantly revised her earlier judgment. Hongta Pasture wasn’t stingy. They were ridiculously generous.
They opened their phones to check for discounts—only to find the zone’s rating was just 1.3.
But then, as the ticket agent affixed devices to their bodies—Protect Zone Air Meter, Spirit Energy Monitor, Weight Monitor—everything clicked.
“Inside the Protection Zone,” the agent said, “air costs 1,999 yuan per cubic meter. Water: 2,888 yuan per liter. Spirit Energy: 3,999 yuan per unit.”
“And all price lists—plants, animals, soil, rocks, everything—are in the User Manual. I’ll send it to you now.”
Zhang Yu opened the manual. Rows upon rows of prices stretched across the screen.
“Everything—air, water, food, even a single stone—comes at a cost.”
He felt numb. A normal person could go bankrupt just by picking up a few rocks.
Bai Zhenzhen nervously whispered, “Yu, be careful how much you breathe in. This place is insane.”
After buying their tickets, they stepped into a sealed chamber. As the rear door sealed shut, they were completely cut off from the outside world.
Then, the front door opened.
A wave of crisp, pure air rushed in.
Zhang Yu took a deep breath—and instantly felt his entire body relax, every muscle unwinding. His blood sang.
“This… is air?”
“What have I been breathing all this time?”
He realized his normal air—everyday city air—was nothing but exhaust fumes in comparison.
“Have I been living in such terrible air all along… and just gotten used to it?”
Stepping out of the chamber, Zhang Yu fully immersed himself in the Protected Zone.
Another breath—his body felt cleansed, as if every cell had been reborn. His blood, his Martial Energy—everything surged with vitality.
Even at this outer edge, the concentration of Spirit Energy was already comparable to that of the Meditation Chamber at Songyang High School.
As they walked along the scenic path, the air grew denser with Spirit Energy. Bai Zhenzhen’s Spirit Energy Billing shot past 500—she panicked and immediately suppressed Zhen Linggen, halting any further intake.
Zhang Yu felt his Great Sun Qi Sea drawing in far more concentrated Spirit Energy from the sunlight. Just one day here could equal days of cultivation outside.
Bai Zhenzhen exhaled sharply, clutching her chest. “This place is a financial death trap. Let’s meet Xiong Wenwu and leave as soon as possible.”
Zhang Yu nodded. Being here felt even more dangerous than being caught in a gang war.
“Just breathing here is so expensive. What would it cost to actually enter a real Spirit Vein?”
Suddenly, doubt crept in.
He opened the map. The Protected Zone had three Spirit Veins—stretching across seven major zones and over twenty mountain peaks. But none were accessible to tourists.
Most were leased long-term to private individuals. Others were used as ranches, factories, or plantations.
Tourists could only access the outer zones—the fringe areas where a trickle of Spirit Energy leaked out.
And even that came at a price Zhang Yu couldn’t afford.
“Damn. Ordinary tourists can only come here to steal a whiff of Spirit Energy from the outskirts. No real access.”
At this point, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had given up on renting a Spirit Vein spot. Just getting a cheap corner to absorb the outer edge’s air would be a victory.
“First, we meet Xiong Wenwu. Let’s see what he says.”
Xiong Wenwu had arranged to meet them at the Breeding Base—located on the remote edge of the Protected Zone.
They followed the map. Each time they passed a mountain, they felt the raw power of Spirit Energy bursting from within—visible in the form of radiant beams shooting into the sky, so dense they looked like they’d trigger a Spirit Energy storm.
Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu even saw actual rain falling—tiny droplets shimmering with Spirit Energy, vaporizing as they touched the ground.
These mountains were the true Spirit Veins.
The area they were walking through—meant for tourists—was just the outer fringe, a thin layer where Spirit Energy seeped through.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen could only imagine what it must be like to live on those peaks—what kind of cultivation required such massive, constant intake of Spirit Energy. How much did it cost per second?
Below the mountains, beyond the Light Screens separating tourists from the inner zones, Zhang Yu spotted people—backpacks strapped with oxygen tanks, water bottles in hand—huddled at the foot of the slopes like tiny fish clinging to a whale, greedily inhaling the overflow of Spirit Energy.
They were getting cultivation efficiency far beyond anything outside.
But then Zhang Yu shook his head.
“No… these aren’t poor people. At this rate of consumption? They’re rich. In fact, they’re probably richer than us.”
“Kunxu’s rich people are insane.”
Bai Zhenzhen sighed. “We should’ve brought oxygen tanks too. Breathing here is a waste of money.”
Zhang Yu nodded in grim agreement.
After more than ten minutes, they finally arrived at the Breeding Base.
(End of Chapter)
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