https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-339-Higher-Tier-Qi-Mai-Chang-Liu-88-/13686896/
Chapter 338: First Meeting at the Spa
Longtai Health Massage Parlor
Zhang Yu looked up at the sign above the spa, gave a slight nod, and thought to himself: “The Civil Engineering Department competition team’s first full-team training session… will take place right here.”
“Very reasonable. Very Civil Engineering.”
After changing into his clothes and securing his badge, Zhang Yu arrived at the room where Ma Xuan and the others were waiting.
As soon as he stepped inside, a wave of intense heat hit him—so oppressive it felt like stepping into a furnace.
Except for Cong Na, whose build was less bulky, the other four members of the team were sprawled across massage tables like four living volcanoes, their massive muscles radiating relentless heat.
Having spent months under Wang Zong’s sponsorship, frequently visiting massage parlors, Zhang Yu had developed a personal standard for judging such places.
Now, observing the female therapists beside Ma Xuan and Cong Na—those towering, almost draconic physiques, their fierce, battle-ready gazes, and the stubble that had grown from long-term performance-enhancing drug use—Zhang Yu immediately concluded: This is a truly professional establishment.
Ma Xuan lifted his head. “Zhang Yu, you’re here?”
“Lie down first,” he said. “We’ll warm up while we talk.”
Ma Xuan was a bald young man—his scalp smooth and polished like jade. Zhang Yu stared at it, wondering if it was some kind of special Spirit Armor.
His hands and feet had been removed and placed beside him—clearly, they were part of his Spirit Armor and didn’t require massage.
As the team captain, the original founder of the competition squad, and the most physically imposing figure present, Ma Xuan’s many visible Spirit Armors, combined with his habit of stretching his frame to full size without shrinking himself, told Zhang Yu one thing: This guy is seriously rich.
As Ma Xuan spoke, the other four team members turned to look at Zhang Yu.
Only Cong Na’s gaze was warm and welcoming. The other three carried unmistakable scrutiny—clearly, they hadn’t fully accepted the freshman newcomer.
Zhang Yu lay down on an empty massage table at Ma Xuan’s gesture, and the captain continued:
“Before formal training, let’s get properly warmed up. A good massage now will reduce physical strain later.”
“Did you review the competition rules, Zhang Yu?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “I’ve read them all.”
The Civil Engineering Department’s construction competition required participants to perform construction tasks under simulated high-risk battlefield conditions—while simultaneously enduring enemy attacks.
It demanded not only exceptional construction skill, but also immense durability and mental resilience.
As Ma Xuan explained the key points, Zhang Yu felt a pair of iron-hard arms clamp onto his back.
Then a voice came: “Sir, do you have any Spirit Armor on your body?”
Before any massage, it was standard practice for therapists to confirm that all Spirit Armors had been removed. Otherwise, accidentally crushing one could result in costly damage—possibly leaving the client unable to work for weeks.
Zhang Yu replied casually: “Only my eyes have Spirit Armor. The rest is clear. Go ahead.”
Instantly, a massive force surged from the therapist’s broad palms, driving deep into Zhang Yu’s flesh and blood.
But Zhang Yu only smiled and said to the therapist:
“Master, I’m tough. Push harder.”
Having been on Hulang Zhi Yao for a long time, Zhang Yu’s body had undergone constant wear and repair. His bones were reinforced by No. 20 Secret Steel, and years of endurance in massage parlors had conditioned him to handle extreme pressure. He required far more force than the average client.
The therapist’s eyes flashed with sudden recognition. Without a word, she increased her strength.
“Master, go harder.”
“Whatever weight you can handle, use it—I’m built for it.”
With a sharp exhale, the therapist activated her Hand Spirit Armor. The palms grew scorching hot, radiating intense heat, while pulses of electricity shot through Zhang Yu’s skin, penetrating deep into his muscles.
Beside Zhang Yu, Bu Ziran silently observed.
Bu Ziran ranked 48th in the entire department. If Zhang Yu had to describe his strongest impression of him… it was Bu Ziran’s previous livestream in the group, where he opened a Wandao Jiangzong lung Spirit Armor.
Now, watching the therapist activate her Spirit Armor and press into Zhang Yu, Bu Ziran thought: Ah… so he’s trying to show off his Physical Strength Level through massage?
He understood: when a student enters a new circle, proving strength is the fastest way to belong—like two dogs sniffing each other’s rear ends to establish hierarchy.
The stronger the body, the higher the endurance, the more intense the massage needed. That was what “eating pressure” meant.
In massage parlors, the clients who could endure the most were the most respected—especially among Civil Engineering students, where the strongest construction worker was often the one who could take the hardest pressure.
Bu Ziran mused: In ancient Ling Realm times, the best way to gauge a stranger’s strength was to bring them to a massage.
After one session, you’d know their level just by how much pressure they could withstand.
But this isn’t ancient times anymore. With Zhang Yu’s stats, even under full-force Spirit Armor massage, he probably wouldn’t last more than five minutes…
Ten minutes passed. Bu Ziran glanced over, surprised.
“This guy… isn’t just faking it, is he?”
Zhang Yu felt wave after wave of power drilling into his flesh and blood, dissolving the accumulated fatigue and micro-damage from the past few days—each moment a deep, satisfying ache.
Twenty minutes in, the therapist was breaking into a cold sweat. She wasn’t massaging a person anymore—she felt like she was pressing against a series of Spirit Armors.
“His bones are impossibly hard… Is he really not wearing any Spirit Armor inside?”
Thirty minutes passed. The therapist’s Hand Spirit Armor began flashing warning signals. She had no choice but to stop and request a replacement.
“If I keep going at this pace, my armor will be damaged beyond repair.”
Zhang Yu’s performance had already drawn attention from the others.
Ma Xuan chuckled. “Zhang Yu, little brother—your Body-Protection Technique cultivation is impressive. Your physical resilience far exceeds your current level.”
Zhang Yu smiled faintly. “Just built to take a lot.”
At that moment, Bu Ziran and the others looked at Zhang Yu with new respect. His performance had earned their approval.
Later, the six of them left the spa and headed to the Civil Engineering Department’s simulated construction site for training—working together, building, getting to know each other.
Watching Zhang Yu release multiple Human-Form Qi Auras simultaneously while working, Cong Na felt another spark of admiration.
“Ma Xuan was right. His progress speed really is astonishing.”
“When we fought before, he could barely maintain a hazy Qi aura for a few seconds.”
“And now… he can sustain refined Human-Form Qi Auras with precision?”
Meanwhile, Ma Xuan swung his palm forward—and an invisible ripple spread through the air.
Then, the ground beneath him surged upward like waves in a storm, lifting and reshaping materials, swallowing them, then placing them in new positions.
Zhang Yu stared, startled.
“That power… it’s almost identical to Tian Kunlun’s Shifting Mountain Divine Power.”
Ma Xuan grinned at Zhang Yu’s reaction. “This is Xiao Sanhe—the third of the top three techniques in the Civil Engineering Seven Supreme. It lets me command the earth’s energy, manipulating the ground through invisible force fields.”
Zhang Yu asked curiously: “Can you control any material?”
“Almost any metal or mineral,” Ma Xuan replied.
With a proud smirk, he activated Xiao Sanhe again. The earth flowed like water under his command—shaping, reshaping, swallowing construction materials, forming protective first-layer walls, or reducing completed walls to rubble with a single motion.
Though the other team members each had their own unique abilities, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but envy Ma Xuan’s Xiao Sanhe the most.
“If I keep ranking first in my class for the next three years… I could learn this technique too.”
---
In the days that followed, Zhang Yu’s daily routine gained another layer—competition training. Though it didn’t take much time, it made his life richer and busier than ever.
Meanwhile, Ling Rou He Yi had repeatedly failed in her attempts to succeed. Zhang Yu had already mentally prepared himself to spend his Lingbi.
To diversify his income, he reached out to an underground martial energy broker, deciding to sell some of his own martial energy.
They met again in a deserted alleyway beneath the 100th floor—just like every previous encounter.
As always, the figure was cloaked in a First Layer black mist, obscuring their face and identity.
But this time, Zhang Yu wasn’t buying. He was selling.
The misty figure spoke: “We can find buyers for you—but a commission fee is required. First, we’ll need to test your martial energy quality.”
Zhang Yu replied calmly: “Fine. Let’s do it.”
The figure tossed a Xuanzao Relic toward him. “Inject your martial energy into it.”
Zhang Yu caught the relic and began channeling his energy—without activating the Deep Cold Mana Vein, just using his normal, steady martial energy.
After pumping in nearly 500 units, he tossed the relic back.
Moments later, the relic appeared in Li Xuelian’s hands.
She examined the energy within, murmuring:
“He’s improving so fast.”
“And now he can even sell martial energy—his total volume and recovery speed must be skyrocketing.”
“Only a year since he started…?”
“Father’s judgment was spot-on…”
Just then, a message flashed in Li Xuelian’s Eye Armor:
Yu Xinghan: Senior Sister! Any jobs available?
For a moment, Li Xuelian felt a pang of pride—Yu Xinghan had finally made a name for himself in the dark massage underworld.
But now, seeing Zhang Yu already deep into underground martial energy trading… she couldn’t help but sigh.
(End of Chapter)
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