“You’re insane, aren’t you?”

That’s what Zhang Yu wanted to say in response to Le Mulan’s lavish display.

But before the words left his mouth, Bai Zhenzhen nudged his shoulder and urged, “She’s offering money! What are you waiting for?”

She turned to Le Mulan. “Where do you want to touch? If it’s taking the shirt off, that’ll cost extra.”

Le Mulan quickly shook her head. “No need, just… touching the hand is fine.”

At that moment, Le Mulan suddenly trembled slightly. She frowned, gave the bench beneath her a pat, and said, “Stop moving.”

The girl beneath her gritted her teeth and went still. Her face scrunched as though her eyes and nose had collapsed into each other, her expression steeped in the kind of anguish that felt like crying blood.

“Why? Why would someone so rich, so talented, so noble—the top student of her grade—spend money on someone from a filthy, poverty-stricken place like Songyang High?”

As the bench stopped shaking, Le Mulan turned back to Zhang Yu and slowly extended her hand.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen slapped it down. “Hey hey hey! What do you think you’re doing? Pay up first.”

Only after Le Mulan transferred 2,000 yuan did Zhang Yu feel a small, icy-cold hand slowly come to rest on his.

It first brushed lightly against his fingertips in a tentative touch. Then, like a snake, her hand slithered gently across his skin from fingertip to the back of his hand, where it came to rest.

Feels like ice… The thought had barely formed in Zhang Yu’s mind when Le Mulan swiftly withdrew her hand.

She nodded and exhaled. “That’s enough.”

Bai Zhenzhen gave her a curious look. “All done? Want to touch me next? I can give you a discount.”

Le Mulan’s normally cold lips curled into the faintest smile. She shook her head in satisfaction. “Not today. But maybe next time.”

“Could I pay for both of you at once and touch you together?”

After getting a yes, Le Mulan gave another small smile, then left with Lian Tianji in tow.

Watching even the “bench” get up and leave, Zhang Yu muttered, “Le Mulan’s got a screw loose.”

Bai Zhenzhen said, “She’s handing you easy money and you’re complaining?”

Zhang Yu asked, “But why does she want to touch us in the first place?”

Bai Zhenzhen shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe it’s some kind of Heart Technique. Rich people have plenty of weird ones.”

…

After finishing their buffet meal, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen went up to the stands. They were planning to use a Heavenly Eye Sigil to gather intel on the three elite high schools before the match began.

As for the Concealment Sigil, that had been activated well before they even entered Purple Cloud High.

But as soon as Zhang Yu activated the Heavenly Eye Sigil, he froze.

Over in White Dragon High’s section, every contestant had the same line of text floating above their heads:

Xianyun Group Corporation Data

In Red Tower High’s area, the few jet-black students had this above their heads:

For business inquiries, contact Red Tower Pasture

Zhang Yu quickly turned to Purple Cloud High’s side and saw this above Le Mulan, Lian Tianji, and the others:

Non-public data from Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals. Unauthorized viewing will be prosecuted.

He sighed. “All their intel is locked down.”

“Seems like the companies behind the three elite schools—Xianyun, Red Tower, and Purple Cloud—are taking this competition really seriously.”

…

In the audience stands—

Lan Ling stared coldly at the bustling field below. “Why’d you drag me here? To watch our school’s team get crushed?”

Zhou Chechen let out a loud laugh. “Lan Ling, don’t focus on just one high school or one competition.”

“I brought you here to witness the beginning of a new Body Refining revolution in Songyang City.”

Lan Ling frowned. “What exactly are you trying to pull? Why didn’t you attend the body competition two weeks ago? Did you already know Oasis Group was backing them?”

Zhou Chechen gave a subtle smile. “Lan Ling, the three major high schools offered us a slot—a chance to receive their Body Refining tech and compete for the top ten.”

“I want you to give me that slot this year.”

“Next year, when we’re seniors, I’ll back you with everything I’ve got to win that spot.”

“If you agree, then the two of us will be the last students from Songyang High to make it into the national top ten.”

“If you don’t, then I won’t lift a finger next year—except to beat the crap out of you every day until you fail to graduate.”

…

In the Spiritual Realm—

Mo Tianyi, for once having taken a half-day off, felt an odd sense of guilt gnawing at him for not being at work.

Watching the livestream of Purple Cloud High’s competition, he asked, “Boss, is this competition really that important? Worth watching live?”

Beside him, a hazy figure nodded. “Very important. It could reshape the power structure of the Sixteen Clans of Songyang.”

The Sixteen Clans of Songyang—Mo Tianyi knew they were the wealthiest and most powerful families in the city.

They intermarried, ran the local branches of major companies, and controlled a staggering amount of resources.

The “boss” stared at the screen. “The Body Competition usually starts with physical strength tests, then agility, then speed, and finally raw power. Four rounds in total. Scores are tallied at the end…”

The voice paused. “It’s starting. Time to see what kind of breakthroughs the three schools have made.”

On the big screen, names and results began to appear as contestants completed their physical strength tests.

Only the top ten stayed on display.

At the top—

White Dragon High – Chu Qiuhe – Level 4.49

…

Just before the physical strength test began—

At the highest point of the stands, in the very back, a male student in Purple Cloud High’s uniform was watching the arena.

He looked quite similar to Le Mulan. From a distance, one might even mistake him for a girl—especially since he was just under two meters tall, making him seem even more delicate in a school full of physically enhanced students.

Only the complex vertical violet eye-shaped mark on his forehead hinted at something unusual.

At that moment, a brawny man with bronze skin, about two and a half meters tall, approached while live-streaming with his phone.

“Check it out, everyone! This is my good buddy—Purple Cloud High’s top sophomore, Le Jingchen, also the Vice President of the Student Council!”

The burly streamer squeezed in beside Le Jingchen so they both appeared in frame.

Le Jingchen’s body tensed reflexively at the proximity, but he quickly relaxed and smiled, waving to the viewers.

Though he didn’t enjoy the closeness, Le Jingchen knew that this influencer—Gangshan—was a body-refining internet celebrity with over eight million followers. He was a staunch advocate of “only using supplements, never surgery,” and represented traditional Body Refining in Songyang.

Gangshan’s signature trait was never wearing a shirt—just shorts—to show off his painstakingly trained physique.

Naturally, his appearance at this high school tournament was the result of a corporate invitation.

Le Jingchen thought to himself, So what if he’s a symbol of traditional Body Refining? With enough money, even he’s here to promote the new techniques.

In fact, this meeting, their joint stream, and everything that would follow—it was all orchestrated behind the scenes by Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals.

“Today’s match isn’t just about what happens on the field. The real war is in the battle of public opinion off it.”

“Hmph. I wonder how many people will show up today trying to steal the spotlight.”

Just then, Gangshan asked, “Jingchen, what’s your take on today’s competition?”

Le Jingchen smiled. “Just like the sophomore match two weeks ago—it’s mainly a showdown between the three elite schools. The new Body Refining techniques were only implemented in those schools after all…”

Sticking to the script, Le Jingchen spoke with measured neutrality, subtly promoting the new tech.

After a while, Gangshan turned to the field. “Oh, the match is officially starting. First round—physical strength test. Max score’s 50, right?”

“Then agility—75 points. Speed—another 75. Final round is raw power—150 points.”

“Overall rankings will be based on the total across all four rounds.”

He first explained the scoring system.

Then, to help viewers better understand the significance of the new Body Refining techniques, Gangshan added, “It’s been about eight and a half months since the school year started.”

“For normal schools, the average physical strength at this point is around level 1.0.”

“Top-tier high schools are a bit better—averaging close to 2.0.”

“Songyang High’s physical program is especially strong, so some of their top students can even challenge the elites.”

“But the three elite schools are on a whole different level. In past years, their average strength is close to level 3.0, and their best students may even break 4.0.”

As testing began, the big screen rapidly updated with students’ levels.

Then a new record stunned everyone present—and countless livestream viewers.

White Dragon High – Chu Qiuhe – Level 4.49

Gangshan exclaimed, “4.49? He reached that in just eight and a half months? Must be White Dragon’s ace, right?”

Le Jingchen smiled. “Not really. The strongest in White Dragon this year are probably Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong.”

Gangshan blinked. “4.49 and he’s not their ace?”

Le Jingchen said, “The three elite schools have all made breakthroughs. Just look at Chu Qiuhe’s physique—you can tell he underwent reconstructive surgery. It altered his muscle structure to mimic that of a spirit beast, shattering his old limits and giving him explosive growth.”

Gangshan frowned. “But surgery like that carries major risks, right? Not to mention, it makes people look weird.”

Le Jingchen nodded. “That’s why Purple Cloud’s new Super-Metabolism Surgery is better—lower risk, higher efficiency…”

As he spoke, the big screen changed again.

Purple Cloud High – Lian Tianji – Level 4.56

Gangshan was shocked. “That’s already higher than past champions of the freshman match, right?”

Le Jingchen nodded slightly. “Now that Body Refining tech has evolved, records will keep falling. Those with access to the new tech and those without—it’s the difference between modern humans and cavemen…”

And then—

The big screen updated once more.

Songyang High – Zhang Yu – Level 4.95