Chapter 48: The Struggle
Inside the arena.
With the help of drones, box after box of lunch meals were being delivered.
After the first two rounds of the Mana Competition, it was already noon—time for lunch.
Yet, despite the steaming boxes in their hands, the contestants continued to chatter excitedly about the thrilling battles they’d just witnessed, their eyes flicking back and forth between their meals and the massive scoreboard overhead.
The name that had once stood in fourth place had vanished.
Now, the top ten was entirely dominated by three elite schools: Bailong High School, Ziyun High School, and Hongta High School.
Because with the conclusion of the first two rounds, the rankings displayed on the screen had shifted—from individual round scores to the cumulative total scores.
Only those who finished within the top ten of the final total score would receive cash prizes, earn official rankings, and gain recognition from universities—meaning their performance could actually influence their chances during college interviews.
And the name that had briefly cracked open the door to fourth place in the second round? It had now vanished like a ghost.
Like a small bird desperately trying to break through the sky, only to be smacked back down by the immense, unseen hands of the three elite academies.
Teacher Yan sighed silently in her heart: “Zhang Yu’s score in the first flying sword event was too low. It dragged down his total. That’s why he couldn’t make the top ten.”
But what could she do?
The wealthy simply had an insurmountable advantage in flying sword mastery. How could she blame Zhang Yu for not having a Martial Energy flying sword—something his family couldn’t afford?
“Blame it on bad luck,” she thought. “Just happened to hit a sponsorship deal with a flying sword manufacturer.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu stared at his lunch box, taking a bite with a grimace.
“This is just one meal? And they’re charging 80 yuan? Hongta High School should just go rob a bank.”
Just as he muttered, a fresh lunch box was shoved into his hands.
Zhang Yu looked up—Teacher Yan stood there, smiling warmly.
“You’ve been working hard all morning. I knew you’d be starving. Here, have this one too.”
Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen silently rolled her eyes.
“Starving? I lasted over eight minutes—eight whole minutes—before dissolving my Specialized Martial Energy. You think I’m not tired?”
Teacher Yan watched Zhang Yu devour two meals in quick succession, her expression growing increasingly pleased.
So much appetite. Definitely a good student.
Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, and He Dayou were also eating heavily.
Hah. They’re just wasting energy like that, with no chance of ranking. Just glorified food trucks.
Encouragingly, Teacher Yan said: “You did well this morning. Just give it your best in the afternoon. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Though she desperately wanted Zhang Yu to push himself to 400% focus, she knew that cultivating Martial Energy required patience. Rushing would only backfire.
So to prevent the pressure from overwhelming Zhang Yu—especially after his unexpected second-place finish in the morning—she came to comfort him, hoping to ease his mind.
In her heart, she was already calculating his score.
First round: 80 points. Second round: 93 points. Total: 173.
She glanced at the scoreboard, scanning from the first-place score of 195 down to the tenth-place score of 176.
If Zhang Yu can make up just four points in the final round… he’ll break into the top ten.
Four points—seemingly small.
But Teacher Yan knew all too well: in a high-stakes, fiercely competitive event like the Mana Competition, every point became exponentially harder to earn.
Especially with thirty elite scholars from the three powerhouse schools all vying for those ten spots.
The thought of that four-point gap made her pulse quicken.
Now it all depends on what the final round tests.
Lunchtime ended quickly.
The final round of the Mana Competition officially began.
The host stepped forward and announced:
“Learn martial arts, master Dao techniques—come to Xianyun. Three hundred labs, one hundred master instructors. Dedicated to immortal cultivation education for a century. We extend our gratitude to Xianyun Education Group for their generous sponsorship of this Mana Competition.”
Zhang Yu remembered that company.
Xianyun Group—affiliated with the Wanfa Sect. The very corporation where he’d taken his trial, earning the Zhou Tian Cai Qi Fa.
He even recalled meeting the company’s Songyang City Director at Li Xuelian’s art exhibition.
Moments later, a complex Energy Circulation Diagram was distributed to every contestant.
This was the final challenge: to transform one’s own Martial Energy into Specialized Martial Energy, following the exact route shown on the diagram.
At the same time, the Soul Cultivators’ cameras swept across the arena, monitoring each participant’s condition in real time and recording the order in which they completed the task.
As the timer started, students began immediately following the diagram’s path, channeling their Martial Energy.
Zhang Yu studied the diagram, frowning slightly.
“This… feels like a combat-oriented Specialized Martial Energy.”
Though his mastery of Martial Energy was extraordinary—thanks to the 10th Level Zhou Tian Cai Qi Fa—the path on the diagram was utterly different from the internal circulation technique he knew.
If the Zhou Tian Cai Qi Fa was a method of internal refinement, self-cultivation…
Then this diagram was a method of external application—directing Martial Energy outward for battle.
The complexity wasn’t greater than his own technique.
But the route, the movements, the underlying principles—everything was completely unfamiliar.
Especially one particular method: oscillatory refinement.
He’d never seen anything like it.
“This competition is seriously going off the syllabus.”
And yet…
Zhang Yu glanced at the Feather Scroll floating beside him.
Nothing had changed.
“Not a single technique listed?”
“Then I’ll just have to learn it by force.”
He gathered his Martial Energy from his dantian and began cautiously following the diagram’s path.
---
Meanwhile, at Ziyun High School, Lian Tianji watched Le Mulan across the room.
She looked calm, confident—like a lion about to claim its throne.
“The sacred top student will deliver. My job is just to keep our school’s total score afloat.”
Le Mulan studied the diagram, tilting her head.
“Wait… I’ve seen this before.”
“Let me think… This is the Protective Aura technique from a martial arts cultivation method.”
She began channeling her Martial Energy—effortlessly guiding it along the diagram’s path, transforming it into Specialized Martial Energy.
Protective Aura—a form of Specialized Martial Energy derived from Martial Energy, classified under the martial arts branch in the top ten sects’ immortal cultivation system.
Le Mulan remembered: to convert Martial Energy into Protective Aura, one had to perform Mana Oscillation.
The higher the quality of the aura, the more oscillations were required.
“Each oscillation increases the purity of the energy—but also the difficulty of control.”
“According to the diagram, it needs seven oscillations… then follow the path.”
Suddenly, her brow twitched.
From nearby, the air filled with groans and gasps.
Some students were still recovering from injuries sustained in the previous round. Now, the moment they began cultivating, their wounds flared up.
“These students from regular high schools… don’t they even have decent healing medicine?”
“Even if they can’t afford the best, can’t they at least afford a decent painkiller?”
Then it hit her.
“They probably can’t afford it.”
“This is what poverty sounds like.”
“It’s distracting me.”
But Le Mulan knew money could silence poverty.
She reached out and pulled on a pair of noise-canceling earbuds—worth tens of thousands of yuan.
The world instantly fell silent.
A faint smile touched her lips.
She resumed her cultivation, undisturbed.
---
Back at Bailong High School, Song Hailong stared at the diagram.
His entire body was already in motion—Martial Energy flowing naturally with his thoughts, effortlessly aligning with the diagram’s requirements.
Years of training with the Celestial Spirit Root had made his control so instinctive, even without it now, he moved with flawless precision.
He’d practiced countless variations of this exact exercise.
So his movements were swift, smooth—faster than anyone else’s.
Boom!
A knot of Martial Energy in his dantian trembled violently, then shattered—and was slowly drawn back together.
“First Mana Oscillation—complete!”
“Easy. So easy. Too easy!”
“My parents handpicked the best genes. I’ve been awake since age five. At 18, I’m the strongest, highest-performing, most disciplined among my generation. The only one who’s never attempted suicide, never suffered from depression or burnout. I’m the crown prince of the Song family.”
“You fools in this arena—what right do you have to compete with me?”
In that moment, he was utterly focused—no distractions, no doubts.
He only wanted one thing: to finish this technique first, then crush the other two elite schools beneath his heel.
---
At Hongta High School, Xiong Bufan lay face-down on the table, eyes shut tight, his fluffy tail twitching rhythmically.
His trainer watched, silently nodding.
“Bufan’s batch—born in the breeding facility. From the womb, they were dosed with supplements. By the time he entered high school, his meridians were already ten times stronger than average.”
“When the school brought him from the protected breeding zone, his body could endure any cultivation strain without injury.”
“Ever since enrollment, I’ve trained him relentlessly on the speed of energy circulation.”
“And he’s already done dozens of Protective Aura drills.”
“This one’s definitely going to be the first to complete the diagram.”
“Hmm… maybe we should bring in more demonic bloodlines.”
"No—wait. I meant... more demon-human hybrids."
“One’s not enough. We could easily add four more. The old-school leaders clinging to pure human teams are too conservative. Neighboring cities already have full demon-blooded classes.”
---
Zhang Yu had to admit: without prior training, without preparation, making the top ten in this round seemed nearly impossible.
This competition wasn’t just about talent or willpower.
It was about wealth, power, and legacy.
Damn it… is this the end of my journey?
Zhang Yu… are you really going to lose to money?
---
Teacher Yan watched Zhang Yu’s frustrated expression, sighing inwardly.
Then she glanced around at the other students from Songyang High School.
They were either drenched in sweat, pale-faced, or squirming like they desperately needed to go to the bathroom.
She shook her head.
Songyang High School had never matched the elite three in competition.
After years of poor results, the school had stopped investing in the Mana Competition altogether.
No investment → poor performance → less motivation to invest.
A vicious cycle.
And Teacher Yan knew: without school support, without proper training or resources, the gap between them and the elite was already insurmountable.
Just then, a student raised his hand.
“I need to use the restroom.”
Teacher Yan groaned silently.
So you really are about to go.
“Go, go!”
Then—crack!
A sharp, resonant sound of cracking bones echoed nearby.
Teacher Yan turned.
Bai Zhenzhen was punching the air.
What in the world is she doing?
This was a Martial Energy cultivation test—not a boxing match.
Zhang Yu, too, turned, watching in disbelief.
“Ah… Zhenzhen’s lost it.”
But then—
Wait.
Something about the rhythm… the flow… it felt familiar.
The movements were simple—just six basic forms. He finished watching in seconds.
And then it hit him.
This could work with the diagram!
The Energy Circulation Diagram was about internal energy flow.
Bai Zhenzhen’s punches were external martial techniques.
Together—they formed a complete combat system.
Wuji Yunshou.
An intermediate-level martial arts technique.
But it was a method that emphasized internal cultivation over external forms.
The true essence? Mastering the transformation of Martial Energy into Protective Aura.
The six external forms weren’t techniques in themselves—just practical applications.
Now, the Mana Competition had taken only the internal energy path and made it the test.
To most, the external forms didn’t matter.
But to Zhang Yu?
Whether it was a complete, codified technique… whether it appeared on the Feather Scroll…
That made all the difference.
He didn’t know how Bai Zhenzhen had discovered the external forms.
But he didn’t care.
Right now, he had to act.
He switched the Feather Scroll’s specialization to Wuji Yunshou, and began practicing.
Wuji Yunshou Level 0 (0/1, 15.4/5 Martial Energy)
One repetition.
Just one.
Even if it was clumsy, flawed, messy—as long as he completes it once, he’ll master it.
(End of Chapter)
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