“No need, I’m pretty fast on foot.” Bai Zhenzhen waved her hand and began warming up. Her long legs tensed and relaxed in rhythm, their lean lines a testament to years of training.

“My Sports Car Leg is already level 10.”

Then, under Bai Zhenzhen’s astonished gaze, a surge of mana roared from within Zhang Yu’s body. In the blink of an eye, he shot forward dozens of meters, then streaked back with a gust of wind.

“My lightfoot technique’s already at first-rate deliveryman level.”

What does it feel like to watch your best bro hit level 10 in Sports Car Leg and run faster than a scooter?

Bai Zhenzhen’s first reaction was, of course, disbelief.

“I’ve never even seen Yuzi train in Sports Car Leg! Don’t tell me he’s been secretly doing food deliveries at night?”

Her second thought, though, was more like seeing your buddy just bought a new ride. What she really wanted to ask was: bro, you run this fast—can I get a ride?

With a sudden leap, Bai Zhenzhen hopped onto Zhang Yu’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

“Yuzi, take me for a spin!”

And just like that, Zhang Yu bolted forward with Bai Zhenzhen on his back, the wind howling as they sped toward the Dark Studies Gang's compound.

With her cheek pressed against Zhang Yu’s back, Bai Zhenzhen watched the cityscape whizz by and said with excitement, “Ah Yu, you’re so fast!”

“Am I?”

Though Zhang Yu had mastered many level 10 techniques, he’d always kept them under wraps.

Now that he finally had the chance to show off a bit in front of Ah-Zhen, his mood was surprisingly light.

Amid the roaring wind, Zhang Yu chuckled. “And I’m not even going all out.”

“Really? Ah Yu, you’re amazing!”

“Heh, see? Even faster now!”

“So fast! So fast! Ah Yu, can you go even faster?”

“Haha! Watch me kick it up another notch!”

With a booming whoosh, Zhang Yu launched into the air using Elevator Leap and leapt clean over a red-light intersection.

Bai Zhenzhen pushed aside her golden wig whipping in the wind. Watching Zhang Yu run faster and faster in response to her praise, she muttered to herself, “Riding this bro really gives you a rush. No wonder people would rather catch a person than a cab.”

Leaning against his back and feeling the blazing blood and qi surging from within him, Bai Zhenzhen thought, “But damn, this body heat won’t turn off—it’s like I’m being slow-cooked…”

Suddenly, with a wet slap, a splash of water exploded under Zhang Yu’s foot, soaking Bai Zhenzhen’s leg.

“Zhang Yu, are you trying to kill me? Why’d you step in a nasty puddle?!”

“Come on, this stretch near the outskirts barely has streetlights. I can’t see a thing. Help me out with your phone light.”

Bai Zhenzhen pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the path ahead.

In the dim beam, the two continued down the dark path, getting farther and farther from the neon-lit city.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu blurted out, “Why’s something hard poking me from under you?”

For once, Bai Zhenzhen’s face flushed red. “That’s my Spirit Root!”

“You’re the one who wanted to borrow it for testing! I’ve been practicing with it nonstop—it keeps pushing into my stomach!”

Zhang Yu suddenly remembered, “Oh, right—don’t forget to request a Concealment Sigil.”

In the shaky video feed, Zhang Pianpian saw Bai Zhenzhen bouncing up and down on Zhang Yu’s back, her face covered in tattoos. She frowned. “What are you doing?”

“I’m riding Zhang Yu to the Dark Studies Gang compound. We’d like you to activate a Concealment Sigil for me,” Bai Zhenzhen replied.

Zhang Pianpian fell silent for a moment before saying, “If you two are going to make money by tutoring for the gang, that’s commendable. Working while studying is a good thing.”

“But… are you planning to come to me every day for a Concealment Sigil?”

She added, “Doesn’t Zhang Yu have a Talisman Book? Hasn’t he learned Concealment Sigils yet?”

Zhang Yu took the phone and, still running, said, “I just started tutoring, so funds are tight. I’ll learn the sigil myself once I’ve saved up a bit.”

“But I still can’t draw them through the network yet, so Ah-Zhen’s side will need your help for now.”

Zhang Pianpian replied flatly, “Why don’t you two just live together?”

“Find a place to rent between the Dark Studies Gang and Songyang High. That way you save on rent, commute easily for both school and work, and can even share the Talisman Book.”

Zhang Yu immediately started calculating time and cost in his head, and his eyes lit up. It really did seem like a cost-effective option—he could save a lot this way.

There was just one question. He asked Bai Zhenzhen, “Ah-Zhen, are you renting a place right now?”

“Of course I am,” she replied. “If my family could afford to buy, how would I have money to cultivate?”

She continued, “My godmother’s right. If I get lessons at the gang, let’s split a place. It really would be cheaper. My parents are off working in another city anyway—I’ve been living alone this whole time.”

Before long, they arrived at the gang’s compound.

Bai Zhenzhen went off to interview with Black Crow, while Zhang Yu headed to class.

Inside the classroom, rows of muscle-bound men filled the seats. They were broad, tanned, and visibly weathered by life.

These were students of the Excavation Palm course—mostly construction workers hoping to boost their employability by upgrading their Excavation Palm skill.

Zhang Yu had heard that with the growing number of high school grads every year, job competition at construction sites had become brutal. You now needed at least level 6 in Excavation Palm just to land an interview.

Over the past few days, through lessons and casual chats, Zhang Yu had come to understand his students—average height over two meters, average weight over 300 pounds.

Some had ballooning stomachs—results of gastrointestinal modification surgery that let them survive on grass.

Some had huge, dark pupils—night vision enhancements for night shifts.

Most had flushed cheeks, rapid breathing, and cheerful yet dim demeanors—side effects of long-term use of cheap stimulants.

Apparently, Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals had planned to fix the drug’s flaws but kept it due to sky-high demand.

Some construction sites even spiked the workers’ water with the stimulant, claiming it boosted efficiency and discouraged running off or skipping pay. The manager responsible was eventually fired and bankrupted—but the incident became a famous case study in corporate management.

As Zhang Yu entered the classroom, the room was still loud with chatter.

Some grumbled about rising prices for synthetic food, which—though disgusting—used to be dirt cheap.

Others discussed moving to other cities. Word was that corporate wars in the north had triggered another infrastructure boom—new opportunities, easy overtime approval, and even free rent.

Someone boasted about the pay at the Oasis Tower site—it was going to be 1,111 stories tall, the new tallest building in Songyang City—drawing excited murmurs from nearby students.

But with a single cough from Zhang Yu, most of the room quieted down. A few continued mumbling, but he didn’t mind.

Zhang Yu didn’t blame them. They weren’t dumb—just had their wits dulled by relentless labor.

“Alright, quiet down. We’re starting. If I have to wait for silence, I’m not giving you any makeup time—and that’s tuition out the window.”

With these students, the quickest way to compliance was money. Aside from their splurging on Dao Heart Buffers, they were otherwise frugal to the bone.

Sure enough, the room fell silent, leaving only Zhang Yu’s voice echoing through the air.

His teaching quality, of course, was beyond reproach. Especially now that he had to tailor his lessons to students whose minds had been dulled by years of toil, he made sure to explain things clearly and simply. His deep understanding of muscle anatomy made every lesson worthwhile.

After class, Zhang Yu stepped outside and found Bai Zhenzhen waiting while practicing her technique.

Seeing him, she beamed. “All the trial instructors were in today, so I got a test class. I start tomorrow! They’re paying me 2,000 per lesson.”

Though it was less than Zhang Yu earned, Bai Zhenzhen was still thrilled—it was her highest-paying long-term gig ever.

Zhang Yu was delighted, too. With Ah-Zhen earning more, she’d be in a better position to strengthen her body and join more athletic competitions.

On the way back, Zhang Yu once again carried her on his back as they ran.

One arm wrapped around his neck, the other holding her phone, Bai Zhenzhen browsed rental listings from his back.

She frowned. “It’s hard to find a place that fits.”

“What’re your criteria?” Zhang Yu asked.

“One, small and cheap. It’s just to store stuff—we won’t be home much.”

“Two, has to have electricity and internet. That’s basic.”

“Three, ideally a basement. Then we can train without worrying about disturbing downstairs neighbors…”

“Places like that are in high demand. Really hard to find.”

By then, the sky had quietly lightened. The sun rose over Songyang City, casting golden light over the road ahead.

“Didn’t even realize it’s morning already. Guess today’s tutoring ran late.”

Pedestrians began appearing along the outskirts.

Zhang Yu noticed long lines forming at synthetic food stalls. His mind drifted to the memories stored in this body.

He and Bai Zhenzhen streaked past like a sudden gust of wind, catching envious glances from the mortals.

Zhang Yu thought, “If the old Zhang Yu hadn’t made it into high school, he’d probably be in one of those lines now. Or like his old middle school classmates—surviving on welfare food and low-end jobs, just drifting through life.”

But as those faces flickered through his mind, he also remembered the students from class that day. He honestly couldn’t say who had it better—the kids in line for food, or the high school grads stuck in those classes.

Bai Zhenzhen, meanwhile, was still fixated on rental requirements. As she pictured living and working alongside Zhang Yu, her mind ticked through everything a shared space might need.

Then, out of nowhere, a strange emptiness bloomed in her lower abdomen.

Her eyes flew wide. “What the hell?! My Spirit Root is gone!”

At the same moment, Zhang Yu stiffened mid-run.

“What the hell?! Something just crawled in from behind!”