Chapter 40: The Joyful Mind Art and Mystic Arts Competition Tutoring

Chapter 40: The Joyful Mind Art and Mystic Arts Competition Tutoring

The second morning.

Since breaking through the Heavenly Cycle Qi Gathering Technique to level 10 and purchasing the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite the previous night, Zhang Yu had been constantly pushed by Ritual Force to study, cultivate, and work. He had gradually adapted to this relentless pressure. When he started practicing the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite, he found it incredibly fitting, and his progress was even faster and more intense than he had imagined.

As the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite continued to level up, Zhang Yu increasingly tolerated the tedious, monotonous, and lonely nature of cultivation.

Apart from using Ritual Force to drive himself, he hardly took a break, making steady and rapid progress in his practice of the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite.

When dawn broke, Zhang Yu slowly opened his eyes. His Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite had already reached level 7 (15/21).

To elevate this technique to such a level in a single night, Zhang Yu sometimes felt a bit scared by his own talent.

Moreover, his Dao Heart had also made significant progress. According to the new data on the Feather Codex, it had reached level 2 (1%).

"Could it be that practicing the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite has made my grasp of the Dao Heart more precise, allowing me to sense its specific progress?"

Zhang Yu shook his head. He still knew too little about the Feather Codex.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Zhang Yu continued to practice the mind art on his way to school.

At the rate he was advancing in the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite, he felt confident that he would reach level 10 by the end of the day.

...

Songyang City High School.

During the class break.

Zhang Yu, who was in the middle of practicing a mind art, frowned slightly at the approaching footsteps.

A tall, bald teenager walked up to him and said, "Zhang Yu, sorry to disturb you, but could I borrow your math test from yesterday?"

After a moment of silence, seeing that Zhang Yu was not responding, the teenager smiled indifferently. "Sorry, I guess I'm disturbing you."

"Keep practicing. I'll come back later."

However, as he turned around, a shadow of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Zhang Yu's complete focus on his cultivation, ignoring him entirely, made him feel disrespected.

He thought to himself, "Ha, no wonder you're third in the grade. You're so arrogant. Someone like me, with a score of 530, isn't even considered human by you, right?"

On the other side, hearing the teenager's departing footsteps, Zhang Yu felt a sense of relief.

"Is Liang Qin a bit too pushy?"

Liang Qin was the teenager who had just asked to borrow Zhang Yu's math test.

Since Zhang Yu's Monthly Exam results were announced, many classmates had approached him, trying to uncover the secret behind his rapid academic improvement.

However, most of them only came once or twice and then stopped. Especially since Zhang Yu was almost always studying during breaks, and with the fading interest in the Monthly Exam results, fewer and fewer people came to bother him.

Only Liang Qin persisted, approaching him after almost every class.

It wasn't just during breaks.

During Martial Arts class, Liang Qin would bring him water.

After Physical Education class, he would hand Zhang Yu a towel.

In the cafeteria, he would try to reserve a seat for Zhang Yu.

In conversation, he always flattered Zhang Yu.

He was like a diligent little bee, always buzzing around Zhang Yu.

At first, Zhang Yu thought this was a nice gesture.

But after a few days, he found Liang Qin increasingly annoying.

Especially during breaks, when he kept coming over, disrupting Zhang Yu's cultivation.

Moreover, while flattering him, Liang Qin would always try to pry into the secrets of his academic improvement, which Zhang Yu found quite meaningless.

So over the past few days, Zhang Yu had gradually stopped paying attention to him, hoping he would get the hint and back off.

Although this seemed to cause some resentment, Zhang Yu had no other choice.

...

Time flew by, and it was almost time to go home.

During the self-study period, Zhang Yu's body trembled slightly. He felt a surge of nectar-like energy from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, spreading throughout his body, making him feel incredibly refreshed.

At the same time, a low roar echoed in his mind, and the ox he had drawn in his Mind Focus Diagram came to life, its horns pointing to the sky, and a low growl emanating from its mouth, as if it had come to life.

Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite Level 10

As this mind art reached level 10, Zhang Yu felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and joy.

Just thinking about his continuous improvement and the prospect of advancing more techniques to level 10 filled him with anticipation and derived happiness.

"Is this the effect of the Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite at level 10?"

"Even if the cultivation is tedious and full of hardship, as long as there is hope for the future, one can feel joy and satisfaction."

Zhang Yu found the mind art increasingly interesting. A technique that could bring joy to the arduous process of cultivation could surely reduce the pain and increase the efficiency of cultivation. Why did so many people give it negative reviews?

Unless most people who practiced this technique didn't feel joy even at level 10 because they had no hope for the future?

Thinking about the current state of the Kunxu First Layer, Zhang Yu shook his head in resignation.

"The Wild Ox Soul Stabilizing Rite is a good technique."

"But no matter how good a technique is, the future ultimately depends on the person."

Just as Zhang Yu was reflecting, a female voice called out, "Yu?"

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu's content and joyful face, scanning him from head to toe, and said with a skeptical tone, "Yu, did you spill something in the classroom?"

Zhang Yu opened his eyes and looked at Bai Zhenzhen, who was giving him a disapproving look, and said, "Sigh, I was just marveling at the beauty of cultivation and the futility of life, but your coarse words have ruined the atmosphere."

Bai Zhenzhen didn't care about Zhang Yu's philosophical musings and dragged him out of the classroom. "Stop talking nonsense. Don't you remember the Mystic Arts Competition tutoring after school today? We already paid 3000 yuan."

After Zhang Yu's Magic Power ranked in the top ten of the grade last month, he and Bai Zhenzhen were selected for the first-year high school Magic Power competition team.

However, the content of the Magic Power competition was far beyond what they had learned in school, far exceeding the curriculum.

So, Teacher Yan organized tutoring sessions to teach them about the Mystic Arts Competition.

...

In the classroom.

Apart from Teacher Yan, who was wearing a black-framed glasses, only Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were present.

Teacher Yan explained, "Apart from you two, the others have private tutors with their own tutoring arrangements, so they didn't come."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "So, in the top ten for Magic Power in the grade, we are the only two poor students?"

Bai Zhenzhen clenched her fists and thought, "I didn't expect that participating in this tutoring would lower my reputation in school."

Teacher Yan's eyes flashed with fierce determination. "These rich kids are so disrespectful, they all believe in private tutors and not in me?"

"Those private tutors are just smooth talkers, only out to make money. How can they compare to my 30 years of solid teaching experience at a key high school?"

"Only two out of ten students came, which greatly lowers my reputation in school."

"Fine, if they don't come, they don't have to pay for the tutoring either?"

If students from Class 2 or Class 3 behaved like this, Teacher Yan would definitely call their parents and have them come to school to show them the consequences of underestimating a Magic Power teacher.

But thinking about the parents of the eight students in the Model Class...

Hey, their parents are so busy, we teachers should be more understanding.

She looked at Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen and thought, "You two poor students better do your best and surpass those eight, so they will come to tutoring obediently in the future."

With various thoughts swirling in her mind, Teacher Yan kept a calm expression and began, "The content of the Mystic Arts Competition is completely different from what you usually learn. The total amount of Magic Power is just the foundation; the key is controlling it..."

She projected a diagram of the human body's energy flow and started explaining, "The Magic Power in your body is in its most basic form."

"By controlling the flow and path of Magic Power, you can change its form."

"For example, one advanced direction is martial arts techniques like sword qi and palm force..."

"Further advancements can cause heating, cooling, and electrical phenomena..."

As she explained, she extended a finger, which emitted a sharp wave that easily cut through a piece of paper.

A moment later, her fingertip turned slightly red, and a small flame appeared.

"This is the most basic form of Magic Power transformation."

"Of course, this basic transformation relies on fundamental skills and control of Magic Power, and its power is quite limited."

"Truly advanced and practical techniques involve specialized forms of Magic Power..."

Listening to Teacher Yan, Zhang Yu suddenly remembered the cold palm force He Dayou used against him during the Monthly Exam.

He guessed that was a specialized form of Magic Power derived from a certain technique.

On the podium, Teacher Yan projected an animation of an energy flow diagram and said, "This is the simplest route for transforming Magic Power into a sharp sword qi."

"Try to follow what I just taught and see if you can do it."

Bai Zhenzhen watched the animation for a while and felt a bit dizzy.

"The energy flow route is too complex!"

She tried it herself but felt frustrated.

The Magic Power circled in her left arm but failed to transform into a sharp aura.

Is this the simplest sword qi transformation route?

Is this the level of difficulty for the competition?

She felt like she had just learned addition, and the teacher had given her a linear equation to solve.

Just then, Bai Zhenzhen heard Zhang Yu's voice.

"Ah Zhen, come and look!"

Bai Zhenzhen turned around and saw Zhang Yu's finger lightly tapping on a notebook, effortlessly cutting through a linear equation.

"Yu, your unfamiliar face is making me feel nauseous."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end