In the small grove behind the school, the moment Zhang Yu activated his Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy, wave after wave of spiritual essence surged toward his flesh and blood.

Especially after the Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy began tempering every inch of his muscles, organs, and bones.

His True Spirit Root also seemed to be adapting, constantly channeling spiritual essence into the areas he was training, cooperating with the Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy to accelerate the growth of Zhang Yu’s body.

In the old days, cultivation was the privilege of those with Spirit Roots.

Only now, using one to truly cultivate, did Zhang Yu feel the enormous difference. The surge of spiritual essence into his flesh provided a significant bonus to his physical growth when combined with his body-refining technique.

And beyond that...

“Huh?” Zhang Yu felt tendrils of spiritual essence pouring into his spine and the areas surrounding it, like invisible little hands stimulating and nourishing something deep inside.

“Is this... my nerves? Is the spiritual essence stimulating and nourishing my nervous system?”

“But Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy shouldn’t have any effect on the nerves, right?”

“Could this be a function of the True Spirit Root itself?”

This unexpected bonus effect during cultivation filled Zhang Yu with joy.

Even when he wasn’t actively cultivating Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy, the Spirit Root continued to channel spiritual essence into his body.

And perhaps because he’d used it for long enough this time, when school ended and he returned the Spirit Root to Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu could still feel the lingering effects—his body still undergoing accelerated growth, much like after using the Muscle-Boosting Root.

…

On Bai Zhenzhen’s side, after retrieving her Spirit Root, she immediately felt a wave of discomfort, like her body had been filled with something slightly ill-fitting.

At the same time, she felt spiritual essence pouring into her muscles, organs, and bones, nourishing them at a unique rhythm and gradually strengthening her body.

“The spiritual essence is hitting places I normally don’t train…”

“This isn’t how my usual body-refining works. It’s more like the effects of Yuzi’s Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy.”

“So the True Spirit Root really did adapt to Zhang Yu’s body… and changed.”

Bai Zhenzhen tried circulating her own body-refining technique—Thunderquake True Body.

In her path to Immortality, almost all of Bai Zhenzhen’s money, beyond debt payments, medication, and food, had gone into purchasing techniques.

Thunderquake True Body alone had cost her 120,000 yuan—a technique that used mana to temper the body with lightning.

It strengthened not just the body, but specifically honed the cultivator’s nerve reactions, movement speed, and explosive power.

Now, as she activated Thunderquake True Body again, she could feel the Spirit Root reacting—guiding spiritual essence into her body and assisting with the technique.

“What? Seriously?”

A flicker of joy appeared in Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes. “So the Spirit Root, after adapting to Zhang Yu, also adapted to me? That means the spiritual essence infusion from his Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy… is now being duplicated onto me?”

At that moment, Bai Zhenzhen felt an extra layer of enhancement beyond her usual Thunderquake True Body effects—her muscles, organs, and bones strengthened even further.

“Then logically… if I lend the Spirit Root back to Yuzi, he’d also benefit from part of my technique’s effects, right?”

“If we keep swapping like this every day, wouldn’t the stacked benefits just keep growing stronger and stronger?”

“That would be like getting the training effects of two people in one body!”

“My scores and competition rankings would skyrocket!”

“Punch Song Hailong, stomp Le Mulan, and rule Songyang alongside Yuzi!”

Bai Zhenzhen was fired up just thinking about it.

“But if we’re going to make this work, we have to live together. That way we can go to school and work together, and swap the Spirit Root anytime.”

With that thought, she made up her mind: “Alright. Tomorrow, we’re apartment hunting!”

…

After school the next day, Bai Zhenzhen took Zhang Yu house-hunting.

They started at Songyang High in the city center and worked their way toward the outskirts where the Dark Tutoring Corps’ district was located, searching along that path.

At the edge of the city, in a basement, a real estate agent said, “This basement unit is hot property—got electricity, internet, running water, and the sewer exit leads straight to the subway. No sunlight to interfere with cultivation. Only problem is, the rent’s a bit high—20,000 a month.”

Further out in the suburbs, they checked out a decent-looking garage.

The landlord said, “This is a prime spot. Normally I’d charge 5,000 a month, but since you’re students, if you’re serious about renting, I’ll waive the rent. Just leave a deposit of one million.”

“Too much? You could always take out a loan. Or since you’re from Songyang High, I’ll take one arm from each of you as collateral.”

Still not satisfied, they reached a residential complex on the city’s outskirts.

The landlord, jingling a ring of keys, grumbled, “You’re just renting a place to store your stuff, not to cultivate. Go practice at a gym or training hall. And don’t ask for a rent cut—I’ve got a kid in college. You know how expensive that is?”

Outside a site filled with shipping containers, the ground was littered with cigarette butts and empty bottles.

Before they even got close, Zhang Yu smelled a strong wave of Mind-Stabilizer in the air—obviously, all the residents here were heavy users.

Zhang Yu shook his head. “No way. I’ve quit Mind-Stabilizers. If I live here, I’ll relapse.”

They continued along the elevated road. Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen said, “Yuzi, poor people can’t afford to waste money.”

“But from all these years living broke… I’ve learned one thing: the more you chase the perfect apartment, the harder you get fleeced. If you don’t want to get fleeced, there’s only one solution…”

Zhang Yu was curious. “What’s that?”

With a resolute look, Bai Zhenzhen declared, “Yuzi! I’ve decided not to rent!”

Zhang Yu was surprised. “No rent? Then where do we live?”

She pointed at a small stream beneath the overpass. “Can’t we live under that bridge?”

Zhang Yu: “Huh?”

Bai Zhenzhen replied, “Or don’t pick that one. Just pick whichever bridge we like.”

“I’ve thought it through—water? We can drink and bring it from school.”

“Electricity? We can charge up at the Dark Tutoring Corps or school.”

“Food? We’re eating synthetic stuff from the cafeteria anyway.”

“Sleep? We don’t need it. For bathing, we use the river by the bridge.”

“These suburban overpasses get heavy truck traffic all night. It’s noisy and chaotic—perfect for us to train without disturbing anyone.”

“We’ll train and rest here, head to school during the day, and work at night.”

Bai Zhenzhen grew more and more energized. “Instead of giving money to landlords and brokers, let’s use it for food. Don’t give rich folks a chance to exploit us!”

“We’re cultivators—our blanket is the sky, our bed is the earth. We should live under bridges, sneak into woods, and squat in unfinished buildings! Every coin should be spent on cultivation! I’ve always wanted to live like this!”

Zhang Yu mulled over the logistics. “But what about our stuff? If we just leave it here, someone might steal it.”

Bai Zhenzhen answered, “Anything important or frequently used, we carry in our backpacks.”

“Stuff that’s not important or we rarely use? Sell it, or stash it in the classroom. There’s surveillance in school, and no one’s gonna steal anything.”

Honestly, Zhang Yu found it all quite reasonable.

Both he and Bai Zhenzhen were high schoolers who didn’t need sleep and didn’t own much. They could train and rest anywhere.

So, a few days later, both of them canceled their rental agreements.

Every day after school, they’d pack some synthetic food and water, find a quiet spot to cultivate, then tutor at the district by night and attend school by day.

And so the days passed…

…

In the grove behind the Dark Tutoring Corps’ compound.

Zhang Yu was cultivating Crimson Marrow Primordial Energy. Spiritual essence surged into his body, fueling each contraction of muscle, strengthening his bones and organs, and gradually nourishing his nervous system.

At the same time, the fierce medicinal power of the Hunyuan Pill continued to bolster his physical body, allowing his technique to flow even more smoothly.

Thanks to the combination of the True Spirit Root and Hunyuan Pill, Zhang Yu’s physical strength had skyrocketed lately.

Just then, his alarm went off.

“Time for class already?” he thought.

To maximize the True Spirit Root’s potential, he and Bai Zhenzhen had been working alternating shifts at the Dark Tutoring Corps—one attending class while the other cultivated.

At that moment, in a tutoring classroom, Bai Zhenzhen rushed out the moment class ended.

A car girl in the hallway called out, “Ms. Le, off to see Mr. Ma again? You two go to and from work together every day. Ever think of buying a car?”

Le Mulan—that was Bai Zhenzhen’s alias in the world of underground tutoring.

She waved it off. “Buy a car? Riding him is faster and cheaper. I’m not letting the companies squeeze a cent out of me!”

She found Zhang Yu in the grove and ran straight to him, beaming. “My darling Spirit Root, I’m back!”

She gently pressed her stomach to his back. A warm sensation spread through her abdomen—the Spirit Root had already transferred.

A wave of comfort washed over her.

Zhang Yu, rubbing his now-vacant belly, waved. “I’m off to class. Make the most of it.”

…

Under the bridge.

Bai Zhenzhen hopped off Zhang Yu (his vehicle) and leapt into the river to bathe.

Zhang Yu, meanwhile, took off his clothes and carefully packed them up—these were to be mailed to Lian Tianji tomorrow.

Even though his tutoring income wasn’t bad these days, his expenses were still high. He needed to hold onto every income stream—including the money from selling clothes through Lian Tianji.

The next day…

Le Mulan opened her safe, took a deep sniff of the clothes inside, and frowned slightly. “These clothes have been smelling like someone else lately…”

…

In the cafeteria.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen each held a large bucket and devoured the synthetic slop within. With their bodies growing rapidly, their food expenses had soared as well.

Nearby, Zhao Tianxing watched them enviously. “Zhang Yu and Ah-Zhen go to and from school together every day. They even cultivate together after class, swapping their rented Spirit Root. Their relationship is so good… If only I had a cute girl I was that close with.”

Even though he’d been sterilized, Zhao Tianxing still appreciated beauty.

Qian Shen, watching them too, echoed the envy. “I’m so jealous of Bai Zhenzhen. She gets to train with Zhang Yu—top rank in martial arts, fourth in the Law Tournament—every single day. I wish I had such an excellent study partner.”

As for the new top scorer He Dayou? That walking pile of money-bought dead muscle? Qian Shen had zero respect for him.

Still, he couldn’t deny that He Dayou’s body was currently the strongest among all first-years at Songyang High.

“Even Zhang Yu probably won’t catch up until sophomore year.”

…

Time flew by. It had already been a month since the martial arts tournament.

Now, the day had come for the showdown between the Songyang High competition team and Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.

After school, physical education teachers like Wang Hai, and student council sports members like Lan Ling, all gathered at the stadium—to witness the gap between He Dayou’s team of five and the duo of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.