Chapter 50: Nothingness Cloud Hands

Chapter 50: Nothingness Cloud Hands

Zhang Yu looked at his phone, where an electronic agreement was displayed.

The agreement was straightforward: it granted the top ten participants in the Mana Competition the right to use the Nothingness Cloud Hands technique, with the stipulation that they could not spread the technique or profit from it.

Bai Zhenzhen stood beside Zhang Yu, tilting her head to read the agreement. She complained, "How stingy! For a big company like Xianyun Group, they should be more generous with their sponsorship. Giving the usage rights only to the top ten participants? Why not give it to everyone?"

Zhang Yu shook his head dismissively. "If everyone got it, wouldn't that be unfair to the students who performed well in the competition?"

"From my perspective, even giving it to ten people might be too much. I feel that those ranked fourth and below didn't fully understand the exam questions."

Bai Zhenzhen gave Zhang Yu a sidelong glance.

You damn...

Listen to him: unfair to high-performing students? Fourth place and below didn't understand the questions? Is that even human talk? Zhang Yu, have you forgotten how you criticized the modern Xian Dao education system a month ago? What happened to your integrity back then?

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu with disappointment.

Feathers! My Feathers is dead. All I see now is a soulless shell controlled by scores!

"Ha, Zhen, the prize money has arrived." Zhang Yu saw the notification on his phone, and his mouth curved into a grin that was hard to suppress.

The fourth-place reward in the Magic Aptitude Competition was a hefty 20,000 yuan, bringing his savings to over 63,000.

Zhang Yu patted Bai Zhenzhen's shoulder and said, "Zhen, let's go back to school and I'll treat you to a meal."

"Good boy!" Bai Zhenzhen said happily. "I knew you were a good one, you wouldn't forget your roots."

Soon, the crowd at the venue began to disperse.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen followed the group from Songyang High School out of the main gate.

At that moment, a dark figure fell from the top of the stadium.

"That's..." Zhang Yu's eyes widened. "A person?"

Someone was falling?

Just as Zhang Yu realized what was happening, someone else had already taken action.

On any other day, the person might have landed with a thud on the ground.

But at this moment, the venue was filled with high school students, teachers, coaches, referees, and judges, many of whom were from Red Pagoda High School.

Caring for the campus environment is everyone's responsibility.

As soon as the figure began to fall, several streams of Vitality Qi rushed to the rescue, forming cushions that caught the person.

Liang Qin, who had closed his eyes, expecting the worst, instead felt himself land on a warm, soft bed.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself being gently lowered to the ground by a sphere of Vitality Qi.

"Why did you save me!"

Liang Qin looked at the scene with pain, feeling no joy at being rescued.

While watching the Magic Aptitude Competition, he had placed bets and lost all his money again. His father had even called to demand payment... So, as a gambling addict, he had made his choice.

The teacher who saved him showed no joy, only a stern face. "This campus is a no-jumping zone."

"I've already called the police. You will be responsible for the compensation..."

Liang Qin's eyes flashed with despair. He quickly protested, "I didn't mean to jump! It was a slip of the foot..."

The teacher replied coolly, "A slip of the foot? That's still a negligent jump. It will cost you."

Liang Qin was furious but, remembering the Vitality Qi used to save him, he suppressed his anger.

"I'll find another place to jump when the time comes."

Calmly, Liang Qin began to think about his next jump site. Schools, hospitals, malls, residential areas... all required compensation.

"This rotten world, even finding a free place to jump is impossible."

On the other side, the group from Songyang High School was almost out of the campus.

Zhang Yu, like the other students, was no longer surprised by the attempted suicide. He just noticed that the person wrapped in Vitality Qi looked somewhat familiar.

...

Songyang High School.

Cafeteria.

Bai Zhenzhen bit into a chicken leg, the sound of crunching filling the air as she swallowed it whole, bones and all.

In front of her was a table full of chicken, duck, and fish, costing Zhang Yu over 400 yuan.

With their current cultivation and physical strength, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were well-fed.

"Ah, the school's pre-cooked dishes have the right flavor. Just a whiff and you know it's fresh from the freezer."

Bai Zhenzhen took a bite and sighed. "Red Pagoda High School's boxed meals always taste off. Who knows how much synthetic food they use."

Although Zhang Yu was also enjoying the meal, he had more culinary memories from his past life. He said, "Zhen, when we have more money, I'll treat you to even better food."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "You mean the Adepts' Nourishment meal on the second floor?"

Zhang Yu understood that for most high school students in Songyang City, better food meant food that enhanced cultivation and improved scores.

The pursuit of taste itself was a luxury, something most high school students in Songyang City couldn't afford.

For high school students, taste was a luxury.

Zhang Yu didn't explain, just saying, "You'll see when I have more money."

Thinking about today's competition, he asked, "Zhen, how did you come up with that final set of punches?"

Bai Zhenzhen replied casually, "The cultivation diagram shows six moves, right?"

Zhang Yu was surprised. "It does?"

"Of course." Bai Zhenzhen recalled. "Isn't it obvious?"

You must be joking, Zhang Yu thought, still unable to understand how she could see it so clearly. It seemed that even students ranked 100+ had their strengths.

Bai Zhenzhen, looking frustrated, continued, "I was desperate, so I tried using external techniques to assist the Mana circulation method."

"It didn't work, though."

Thinking about her struggles in the competition, Bai Zhenzhen resolved to improve her Mana control.

She looked at Zhang Yu, remembering how he had shone in the competition, and felt even more motivated.

"I'll start extra classes tomorrow!"

I, Bai Zhenzhen, will never be outdone!

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Are you going to Yan Laoshi's extra classes?"

Before parting ways today, Yan Laoshi had approached Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, telling them that he would use the competition results to apply for funding from the school to start a Mana Competition tutoring program. He asked them to sign up.

Zhang Yu nodded. "Of course, I'll join."

While he had placed fourth in the competition, Zhang Yu had also felt his limitations.

If not for the insight he gained from Bai Zhenzhen's Nothingness Cloud Hands, he might not have made it into the top ten.

He hoped to become stronger in Mana control, so that in future competitions, he wouldn't rely on luck.

Moreover, with school funding, Yan Laoshi's tutoring might include benefits like Flying Swords and cultivation techniques, which Zhang Yu was eager to explore.

Bai Zhenzhen smiled. "Great, we'll go together."

...

Back at home.

Zhang Yu didn't practice the Wild Ox Soul-Soothing Technique to enhance his Dao Heart as he usually did.

Since his Technique Codex had switched to the Nothingness Cloud Hands martial art, he decided to take the opportunity to advance its level.

He thought that with only six moves, it might level up faster than Unarmed Combat, possibly reaching level 10 in one night.

So, Zhang Yu headed to the Half-Constructed Tower.

Being there felt like being at home, as he had spent many evenings practicing martial arts in this place.

It was quiet, and he didn't have to worry about noise. He could practice freely.

If not for the rent he had already paid and the lack of internet, electricity, and water in the tower, he might have moved a bed in and lived there for free.

Entering a bare, dusty hall, Zhang Yu focused his mind, and Mana began to rise from his Dantian, passing through seven layers of oscillation before emerging from his palms as clouds of Vitality Qi.

Having reached level 1 in Nothingness Cloud Hands, he could now convert Mana into Martial Arts Vitality Qi faster and more efficiently than any contestant in the competition.

Feeling the clouds of Vitality Qi enveloping his hands, Zhang Yu thought, "Formless Cloud Qi?"

After signing the electronic agreement, Zhang Yu gained access to the Nothingness Cloud Hands technique and its electronic manual.

The true name of this Martial Arts Vitality Qi, Formless Cloud Qi, was written in the manual.

Formless Cloud Qi, resembling white clouds, could be both hard and soft. It excelled at guiding and redirecting force, making it a versatile technique suitable for both offense and defense.

Zhang Yu began to practice the six external techniques of Nothingness Cloud Hands.

He punched forward, and the white Formless Cloud Qi surged with powerful force, like a massive iron hammer, roaring as it moved.

This was the aggressive move of Nothingness Cloud Hands, designed to break through enemies' defenses.

Next, Zhang Yu moved his hands, and the white Formless Cloud Qi enveloped him in layers, soft and elastic.

This was the defensive move, which could deflect and even bounce back the force of an opponent's attack.

In a short time, Zhang Yu completed the six moves, then repeated them.

With only six moves, it took him only ten minutes to practice them ten times.

Nothingness Cloud Hands 1 (0/10) → 2 (0/20)

As Nothingness Cloud Hands reached level 2, Zhang Yu felt as if he had practiced it over and over again. His ability to refine Mana into Formless Cloud Qi, manipulate it, and apply the six external techniques all improved significantly.

Zhang Yu looked at his hands.

Originally, the Formless Cloud Qi around his hands would emit wisps of white Vitality Qi, like smoke rising to the sky, as he had demonstrated in the competition.

But now, with Nothingness Cloud Hands at level 2, the wisps of Vitality Qi were much less, indicating his improved control over the technique.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end