In the audience stands—

Lan Ling took a deep breath and slowly said, “He really pulled it off? With 12,531 kilograms, the gap between him and Yu Xinghan… Zhang Yu might actually take first place overall.”

As a second-year student specializing in Body Refining—and one with athletic competition experience—Lan Ling understood just how difficult Zhang Yu’s feat truly was.

“For him to reach this level with his current physical strength… whether it’s his ability to tap into raw power or his mastery of force manipulation, it’s far beyond what’s expected from a first-year.”

Beside him, Zhou Chechen furrowed his brows, clearly not expecting things to escalate this far.

He muttered, “So that means, in the last match with Yu Xinghan, he didn’t rely on some kind of high-powered drug?”

“And that kind of bodily control… no wonder after undergoing Bai Long’s new Body Refining modifications, he could conceal his physical features just like Yu Xinghan.”

Zhou Chechen glanced at Zhang Yu, who was stepping down from the platform, feeling an even deeper regret that he hadn’t signed the kid earlier. Now, not only had Zhang Pianpian snatched him up, but it had also affected their family’s dealings with Xianyun Group.

As someone with a Body Refining focus, Lan Ling deeply appreciated Zhang Yu’s raw talent.

But the more he admired it, the more he wanted to crush it.

He said coldly, “That Zhang Yu needs to be suppressed. If we let him keep promoting Bai Long’s pseudo-demonic muscle technique, it’ll only hinder our future cooperation with Xianyun. This is no longer just a personal feud.”

Zhou Chechen shook his head and said, “You’re too hasty.”

“Sure, Zhang Yu’s in the spotlight now, but behind him stands Bai Long High School and Xianyun Group. They’ll definitely shield him to promote the new Body Refining technique. Why should we be the bad guys?”

“If anyone should panic right now, it’s Purple Cloud and Red Tower.”

Zhou Chechen sighed. “Besides, Zhang Pianpian will be leaving in about two months.”

“By then, the buzz around Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen will die down too.”

“When that time comes, taking down two broke kids will be easy. We’ll have plenty of ways to make them earn us money.”

…

In the livestream chatroom—

Gangshan watched Zhang Yu walk offstage and commented with feeling, “This year’s high school athletics competition in Songyang City? Worth every second.”

“Pulling off 12,531 kilograms—successfully—and not by brute strength alone, but a seamless blend of force and technique.”

“Impressive. These high schoolers keep getting more intense. Scary, even.”

Next to him, Le Jingchen glanced at his phone, where someone had just sent him Zhang Yu’s recent order of supplements.

One quick look was enough—just basic, cheap-grade stuff.

Confirming that, Le Jingchen’s gaze sharpened as he thought to himself, “With a physical rating of 4.95, it’s impossible to lift 12,531 kilograms just by sheer force.”

“And those meds? Totally ordinary.”

“So that means what got Zhang Yu here… was a terrifying degree of bodily control and self-mastery. He’s pushed his muscles to their absolute limit.”

At that, Le Jingchen let out a small breath of relief.

“Good… good. Just a peerless genius, nothing more.”

Geniuses weren’t scary. No matter how monstrous a talent might be, at most they’d become a single powerhouse.

To students, teachers, or spectators, geniuses mattered.

But from Le Jingchen’s vantage point, a genius was nothing more than a small, investable project. What was truly terrifying was new, unknown tech.

What had really rattled Le Jingchen just now… was the fear that Xianyun Group’s technology might be capable of mass-producing students like Zhang Yu—students who could challenge 12,531-kilogram Sky Pillars.

Fortunately, for now, it seemed it was just this one student who had freakish talent.

Still, the thought that the top ranks would now include Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen—representatives of Bai Long’s technology—and that the overall champion and runner-up would be split between Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan left Le Jingchen feeling deeply frustrated.

Because it meant Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals’ marketing campaign had been diluted—and their investment returns had taken a hit.

So when Gangshan sighed again in admiration, Le Jingchen chimed in: “Absolutely. Zhang Yu’s talent is downright terrifying.”

If others could hype him up, so could he.

Le Jingchen decided he’d blow Zhang Yu’s horn himself—emphasizing nothing but the boy’s unparalleled natural genius.

That way… if Xianyun Group tried using Zhang Yu to push their new tech, the message would be muddled. If everything was due to “raw talent,” then the tech couldn’t take credit.

He continued, “Did you notice, Gangshan, when he lifted the Sky Pillar, he was covered in blood, injuries all over?”

“But he’s walking normally now. That means although his whole body took damage, none of it was severe.”

“That’s terrifying. It means he used impeccable technique to distribute the force evenly across his body, without any part exceeding its breaking point.”

“He truly maxed out his physical potential.”

“In terms of power control… he’s probably already at the peak of Qi Refinement. Neither of us could match that.”

Gangshan gave Le Jingchen a sideways glance. “Bro… seriously? Blowing him up that hard? You guys at Purple Cloud got a stake in him too?”

But Gangshan was a seasoned veteran in the livestream biz—he’d pushed loan-shark products and high-interest mom-mortgaging schemes before. He quickly caught on to Le Jingchen’s angle.

So he played along: “Exactly. The kid’s physical technique is basically flawless. He can turn a single point of strength into ten. You can’t describe his true power with just muscle mass, physique, or medication anymore.”

…

“Nice hype!”

In the Songyang High rest area—

Zhang Yu listened to the livestream with satisfaction. “Who’s that streamer? Keen insight, spot-on analysis. Tell me his name—I need to follow him later.”

Watching the feed, He Dayou replied helplessly, “Gangshan.”

Wang Hai next to him grumbled, “He Dayou, if Zhang Yu’s interested, can’t you just bring your phone over and share? What happened to school spirit?”

He Dayou sighed again. He never remembered top students being this annoying. At least when he was ahead in grades, he hadn’t been this smug.

Luckily, Zhang Yu waved it off. “No need, Teacher Wang. Don’t disrupt ordinary students’ lives just for my curiosity.”

Zhang Yu added, “I’m just a humble student who happened to take fourth in the Law Tournament, first in the Martial Arts Competition, and might be taking first in Athletics. I just want to blend in—not end up like Bai Long or Purple Cloud, with clear hierarchies.”

Wang Hai turned to the other students. “You hear that? That’s humility! That’s how Zhang Yu got to where he is. Put him in Bai Long High and you’d all be kneeling to hear him speak.”

Then he randomly pointed. “Zhao Tianxing, why are you just standing there? Go grab a few energy drinks for Zhang Yu! Can’t you see he needs to recover after the match?”

Zhao Tianxing understood immediately—if Wang Hai could pinpoint the worst-performing student with such precision, it clearly wasn’t random.

Once again, his "pathetic-loser-theory" was proven true. He sighed and ran off to fetch drinks for Zhang Yu.

At that moment, the Sky Pillar on stage lit up. The final athletics scores and rankings were about to be revealed.

Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Wang Hai… all eyes turned to the glowing pillar as names floated up one by one.

1st place: Songyang High – Zhang Yu – 341 points

2nd place: Bai Long High – Yu Xinghan – 338 points

3rd place: Purple Cloud High – Le Mulan – 324 points

4th place: Bai Long High – Song Hailong – 322 points

5th place: Songyang High – Bai Zhenzhen – 320 points

6th place: Red Tower High – Xiong Wenwu…

Bai Zhenzhen didn’t bother looking past sixth. To her, only the top five were worth anything. The rest were just junk fish—not even worth a glance.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was still staring at his name at the top of the pillar when his phone rang. It was Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Yu picked up. “I got first.”

Zhang Pianpian replied, “Yeah. I’ve already spoken to Bai Long. As long as you admit you underwent their pseudo-demonic muscle modifications, they’ll offer you sponsorships and endorsements. They’ll also help shoulder pressure from other companies.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “How much money?”

Zhang Pianpian sighed. “Could’ve been more. But ever since Le Jingchen and Gangshan started hyping up your talent, Purple Cloud’s been doubling down on pushing the ‘peerless genius’ angle. If that continues, it’ll reduce your ad and endorsement value.”

Zhang Yu was furious.

The praise that had just sounded so sweet now rang unbearably harsh.

For the first time, Zhang Yu realized—he actually hated being flattered.

He asked again, “What about Ah-Zhen? She’s fifth. Can you help her get some endorsement deals too?”

Zhang Pianpian said, “Got it. Wait for updates.”

“And whatever money comes in today, don’t spend it. Especially don’t use it to pay off all the loans.”

“In less than two months, I’ll be off to university.”

“Let’s meet tonight. I’ve got a few things we need to talk about.”

From her tone, Zhang Yu could feel her urgency like a tidal wave.

Without even realizing it, less than two months remained before Zhang Pianpian would leave the first floor of Kunxu.

When that time came, he and Bai Zhenzhen would lose her protection—and be left to face the full pressure of high school, the Student Council, and the corporations… alone.

That thought alone scattered the joy from his athletics victory, replacing it with a deep, rising sense of urgency.