https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-176-Unlocking-Yu-Xinghan-s-Potential/13686648/
Chapter 177: The Hunt Begins
After returning to his apartment, Zhang Yu didn’t have to wait long before Xiong Haohan responded.
Xiong Haohan: Thanks, Zhang Yu. The seeds you recommended were of excellent quality. The company’s payment process is already underway—I’ll transfer the fee to you today.
Moments later, Zhang Yu received a notification: 100,000 yuan had been credited to his account. His spirits lifted instantly.
Calculating his earnings from yesterday, he saw his savings now hovered just shy of 300,000 yuan.
Yet Yu Xinghan remained silent—no reply, no message. Zhang Yu sighed. “I was actually hoping to discuss the Ling Realm matter with him further. But once he gets into work mode, he never stops, does he? No wonder he’s a Golden Core Disciple.”
Several hours passed before Yu Xinghan finally messaged him.
Yu Xinghan: Zhang Yu! This job really pays off—it’s even beneficial for cultivation!
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but mutter, “Is this kid going to get addicted? Am I actually dragging him into trouble?”
Fujie replied calmly: “It was always his trial to face. Selling Protein for money is far better than him wasting it somewhere else—only to end up having to hand over Protein anyway.”
Seizing the moment, Zhang Yu asked about the Ling Realm.
He was met with an enthusiastic reply:
Yu Xinghan: No problem at all. I’ll give you a 50% discount on tomorrow’s Ling Realm training session—my thanks to you.
Zhang Yu could sense the excitement in those words.
Before he could respond, another message arrived:
Yu Xinghan: Don’t refuse. It’s just pocket change. Wait a sec…
Yu Xinghan: Done. The discounted fee is already in my account.
Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow. “This kid… his Xian Dao Potential is getting even scarier.”
After agreeing on the time to log into the Ling Realm the next day, Zhang Yu knew what came next—hunting the Evil God.
He took a deep breath.
Though he’d already made up his mind—no reckless moves without solid confidence—he still felt a knot of tension tighten in his chest.
Zhang Yu asked: “The fake intel we’ll send through the Ling Realm tomorrow—did you prepare it all?”
Fujie replied: “We’ve gone over it a dozen times. Do you think I’d be unprepared?”
“But Zhang Yu… there’s something you won’t like hearing. I have to say it.”
“About Bai Zhenzhen… are you still planning to keep the truth about the Evil God from her?”
Zhang Yu’s brow furrowed. “You’re still trying to get A Zhen to perform that Ritual with you?”
Fujie shrugged, unapologetic. “Why not?”
“We’re partners. Would I ever betray you?”
“Doing a Ritual to boost potential—what’s not to like? If I offer Bai Zhenzhen this chance, do you really think she’d say no?”
“She’s a top-tier student. With this kind of opportunity to level up, I’m certain she’d jump at it immediately.”
“And as for betraying you? With the bond you two share, that’s impossible.”
“To her, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It’ll massively increase her odds of passing the Foundation Establishment Exam.”
“And for you too. If Bai Zhenzhen had helped during my hunt last time, the success rate would’ve been much higher.”
“It’s a win-win. I don’t understand why you’re so reluctant.”
Zhang Yu’s hesitation had its reasons.
Because, as Fujie said, enhancing potential required completing a Covenant Ritual.
And the Ritual itself… it always came with demands—conditions that satisfied the Evil God’s wishes. That was the core rule, set by the Evil God Kings themselves. Fujie couldn’t change it.
So even after Bai Zhenzhen’s potential was unlocked, she’d still be bound by the Ritual.
Zhang Yu said: “What if, after the Ritual, you just grant her a few simple wishes—ones she can fulfill right then and there?”
Fujie sighed. “If I could, I’d gladly do it.”
“But Rituals are like Spells—packed with rules. You can’t just rewrite them on a whim.”
“Every surge of desire is sensed by the Evil God King.”
"If I wiped out a contractor's entire wish list in one go, it would be seen as negligence, betrayal of company interests. Both me and Bai Zhenzhen would suffer the Ritual’s backlash."
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s frown deepened. If Fujie wasn’t lying, then erasing the Ritual’s effects was far more complicated than he’d thought.
Fujie added: “Zhang Yu, I’m always right beside you. What are you so afraid of?”
“If you don’t have Bai Zhenzhen’s help, you’ll be missing a crucial combat asset. If you fail to hunt my colleague, won’t that affect her too?”
“And besides—this is about making her stronger. About giving her a real shot at passing the Foundation Establishment Exam. About letting her reach the Top Ten. Shouldn’t she be the one to decide?”
Hearing the words Foundation Establishment Exam, Zhang Yu exhaled silently.
It was precisely the pressure from those elite Xian Du elders, the urgency of the second round of the exam just two months away—these were what forced him to push forward with the Evil God hunt.
But even if he boosted his own potential… what about A Zhen?
Given her current state, could she really overcome those Xian Du elders and pass the exam?
If she were from a Songyang noble family, with her talent and strength, she’d have qualified for the Top Ten without even taking the certificate.
But as a poor girl…
Zhang Yu realized he couldn’t make this choice for her.
After a long pause, he decided: he’d give the decision to Bai Zhenzhen.
…
That night, beneath a bridge.
After hearing Zhang Yu’s account of the Evil God, Bai Zhenzhen blinked in surprise. “Evil God? Isn’t that just an urban legend? It’s real?”
The doll on Zhang Yu’s neck—Fujie—spoke in a playful tone. “Of course it’s real. It was I who awakened Zhang Yu’s potential.”
Bai Zhenzhen stared at the talking doll, eyes widening in shock.
After more explanations, once she confirmed Zhang Yu wasn’t under the Evil God’s control, and that the threat was currently contained, her expression shifted—her eyes suddenly blazing with eagerness.
She looked at Zhang Yu as if to say: You finally opened up, huh? Took you long enough to bring me in. I’ve already loaned you my Zhen Linggen for ages.
Fujie asked: “So… if we perform a Wish Ritual to unlock your potential, are you willing?”
Ever since the Foundation Establishment Exam, Bai Zhenzhen had felt an unrelenting pressure pushing her from behind. No matter how fast she trained, how hard she pushed, she always felt it wasn’t enough.
Now, hearing Fujie’s offer, her eyes sparkled with fire.
“Are you kidding? I’d jump at it right now!”
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly—of course she’d say yes.
Still, he warned: “But once the Ritual is complete, you must fulfill three wishes. Like that guy’s first wish—he asked me to grant him a thousand desires. These Evil Gods never have good intentions.”
Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu. “But you’re in control of her now, aren’t you?”
“Yu Zi… I have to get into the Top Ten.”
“If there’s a way to increase my chances, and it doesn’t cost me a cent—then I’m willing to take the risk.”
“This is my choice. If anything goes wrong later, I’ll bear the consequences myself.”
Zhang Yu nodded slowly. “I understand.”
Bai Zhenzhen turned to Fujie. “Then let’s begin. Is this place okay? Hurry up—boost my potential already!”
Fujie gave a sheepish chuckle. “Sorry… my power’s too weak right now. I can’t perform this kind of ritual.”
“We need to hunt another Evil God first—before we can enhance both of your potentials.”
…
The next day.
When Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan logged into the Ling Realm together and arrived once more at the Way of Inquiry Hall…
In a dilapidated apartment, an old computer screen flickered to life.
A cascade of data appeared—entire files, all containing intelligence on Zhang Yu.
A scruffy man—Li Quan, a 50-year-old former high school graduate, now a top-tier delivery rider after being laid off—stepped closer.
But beneath his surface, he had another identity: a Cultist of the Evil God.
At the corner of the room, the Evil God he’d made a pact with sat—its form a bear-shaped doll, absorbed in a video game.
Li Quan said, “Master, Song Xu’s Shadow Pest just sent word.”
The bear doll nodded lazily. “Mmm-hmm.”
Li Quan hesitated. “What’s next?”
The doll sighed, paused the game with a flick of its hand. “All from the Puppet Machine?”
Li Quan nodded. “It went through three layers of Puppet Machines. The target shouldn’t have detected us.”
The doll groaned. “Ugh… such a hassle. Why does Song Xu have to be so driven? What’s the point of pushing so hard?”
Its name was Huo Shan.
Though an Evil God, Huo Shan was nothing like Fujie—no ambition to climb the ranks, no dream of wealth or freedom. He was content right where he was.
Why climb up? The top rewards all went to the Evil God Kings anyway.
Staying in the lower layers? No need to work. No need for temporary jobs. When he needed money, his followers worked for him—free of charge.
Household chores? Done by his most loyal disciples.
If he needed something? His believers would work overtime to buy it.
Not rich, not famous—but for Huo Shan, just sitting at home, eating, drinking, playing games… that was paradise.
In his eyes, this life was far better than the endless grind of climbing the Evil God path—chasing promotions, risking everything.
So for years, his goal had been simple: sign up “social beasts”—delivery drivers, construction workers, any low-profile, easily manipulated people. They earned for him, stayed unnoticed, and if they died? No one mourned.
But everything changed when he signed up Song Xu.
“Song Xu… this guy is too obsessed.”
“Maybe we should just drop this hunt. Too much risk. What if it goes wrong? Look at how good life is right now…”
(End of Chapter)
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