Hearing the conversation between Bai Zhenzhen and Miao Yun, Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered slightly. Although he had been in Kunxu for almost half a year, much of the knowledge and information still lay buried in the depths of his mind, never fully surfacing.

Now, as he listened to the two talk, it suddenly came back to him—your looks could be sold in Kunxu too. Being good-looking was something that could literally be quantified in currency.

He quickly pulled out his phone and logged into the FaceMod website to see how much his face might be worth.

But as soon as the facial recognition scan was complete, he got a notice: this face mod had already been sold.

He checked the transaction history—just 2,000 yuan. Worse still, it was a one-time buyout with a 20-year license.

One user review: "Handsome but forgettable."

Zhang Yu muttered inwardly, “Knew it. My original body already sold it off.”

“Sigh, what a bargain sale. If I had waited until I got a little more famous, that face mod license would’ve been worth so much more.”

He casually searched for high-value face mods and realized that even celebrities and influencers didn’t fetch much—they were just pure appearance mods.

The ones that truly fetched a premium were functional face mods. For instance, faces of the Eight Righteous Gods gave a bonus when using sigils.

Then there were charm-enhancing mods, used as tools of the trade in certain... specialized professions.

Or bizarre, non-human face mods that required surgical procedures and structural alterations—those were expensive too.

Just then, Miao Yun approached Zhang Yu. As her fingertip touched him, he felt a cold burst of mana enter his body. But it was quickly met with resistance from his internally circulating Great Sun Qi Sea.

As his mana flowed in reverse, Miao Yun abruptly withdrew her hand, thinking, “So it’s a passive breathing mana loop?”

“I didn’t learn passive breathing until senior year…”

“Sigh, another rich brat. So jealous.”

She blew on her fingertip and said, “Hey, handsome, you scorched me. Reel in that mana, will you?”

Zhang Yu promptly ceased the passive breathing from his Great Sun Qi Sea.

Several hours later, the commercial shoot wrapped. The first payment—200,000 yuan—of his 600,000-yuan after-tax endorsement fee landed in his account. Watching his balance jump to over 480,000 yuan, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel giddy.

…

A few days later.

By the end of April, the effects of the new body-forging technologies were already visible—Songyang High’s campus had begun to show occasional purple-skinned, black-skinned, and beastman students.

At that moment, in the Class 1-A demonstration room…

Homeroom teacher Su Haifeng’s eyes glinted with electricity as he passionately promoted Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals’ “Super-Metabolism Surgery.”

“To help students improve their grades, Purple Cloud Pharma and the school are launching a discounted Super-Metabolism Surgery package—so students can inject with ease, peace of mind, and zero stress.”

“If your family’s struggling and can’t afford the surgery, come see me for a loan…”

Down below, Zhao Tianxing looked at the surgery application form and hesitated. “Should I go for Synthetic Demon Tendon Muscle… or Super-Metabolism?”

“Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen both used Synthetic Demon Tendon Muscle. But Super-Metabolism isn’t just a surgery—it demands long-term medicine expenses. It’d be a heavier burden on the family.”

All around him, classmates were deep in similar debates. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one torn.

Zhao Tianxing turned to Qian Shen. “Which one are you choosing?”

Qian Shen glanced at him, thinking this guy’s test scores might be trash, but at least his moral score was decent.

He answered plainly, “Originally I planned to get Synthetic Demon Tendon Muscle first, then do Super-Metabolism, and finish off with Black Dragon bloodline. All proven ways to boost my scores…”

Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help cursing inwardly. Damn rich kids.

Qian Shen continued, “But after some research, I found out these full-body modification surgeries conflict with each other. So I had to go with Super-Metabolism.”

At that moment, Su Haifeng’s voice rang out again: “Other body-forging methods are shortcuts at best—temporary boosts to physical strength. But Super-Metabolism Surgery improves your lifelong cultivation rate and expands your future ceiling.”

“If you don’t get this surgery now, you’ll fall behind. Eventually, you’ll be left out of the demonstration class altogether…”

Looking around at more and more classmates signing the forms, Zhao Tianxing saw a pack of purple-skinned students sprinting ahead, leaving him in the dust. One foot already outside the class door.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Tianxing gave up on trying to save his family some money. He signed the form for the Super-Metabolism Surgery.

On the podium, Su Haifeng watched the students signing en masse, picturing a future Songyang High—and maybe all of Songyang—filled with purple-skinned, black-skinned, and beastman students…

He thought, “Oasis, Xianyun, Purple Cloud, Red Tower… what exactly are they planning? Could it really be what the master said—they’re scheming something?”

Just then, he noticed two empty seats. “Where are Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen?”

He Dayou immediately answered, “They skipped class!”

A spark flickered in Su Haifeng’s eyes. If it were any other student, he’d make them understand exactly how his thesis ‘The Prospective Applications of Electric Shocks in High School Pedagogy’ came to be.

But Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen…

They’d just flash some competition awards, pull out endorsements from their mana studies or martial arts teachers—and even Su Haifeng would be helpless.

“Forget it. Zhang Pianpian will be gone in another month and a half. Someone else can deal with those two.”

Below, He Dayou looked at Su Haifeng in disappointment. Even this legendary teacher, this so-called “First-Year Demon King,” turned a blind eye to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s truancy. Even a school director’s son couldn’t help but feel it was unfair. So good grades really let you do whatever you want?

…

Meanwhile—

On the rooftop.

In Zhang Yu’s mind, the phantom of a battered ox roared skyward. His Sacrificial Oxheart Technique had finally reached Level 10.

With this breakthrough, a surge of unwavering resolve welled up inside him—a willingness to march forward even through torment, to keep pushing despite wounds and setbacks. It mirrored his own current mindset: staking everything on passing the Foundation Establishment exam and breaking into the Ten Great Academies.

As he activated the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, everything felt smoother. His Dao Heart grew firmer and more polished, his willpower noticeably strengthened.

At the same time, insights into body mastery flooded his mind—a reward from mastering the Level 10 Sacrificial Oxheart Technique. He gained a new awareness of his body’s potential.

Now, he could empty his thoughts at will, reduce mental load, increase metabolism, accelerate healing, and significantly boost body-refining efficiency.

“Both my Breathing Technique and Heart Technique are now maxed at Level 10…”

Feeling the constant flow of the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique in his mind and the natural mana circulation of his Great Sun Qi Sea, Zhang Yu sensed he was getting even closer to his Foundation License.

He checked his stats on the Feathered Tome. His Dao Heart and mana had steadily risen these days.

Dao Heart: Level 4 (89%)

Mana: 48.1

Body Strength: Level 4.96

“These past days, I’ve focused entirely on breathing and heart techniques. I haven’t had a chance to train my body.”

“But now that the Great Sun Qi Sea and Sacrificial Oxheart Technique are maxed out, I can shift my focus to body refining.”

Since Zhang Yu planned to go the athletic route for the Foundation Establishment exam, naturally, his training would now prioritize body strength.

But he also knew—just grinding solo wouldn’t cut it in Kunxu.

Fortunately, he already had a full plan and preparation for body forging.

…

After school, in the rental room—

Bai Zhenzhen leaned against the door, hearing the dull thuds inside. “Two hours, huh? Might as well find a quiet place to cultivate myself,” she thought.

Inside, Zhang Yu and Le Mulan were engaged in intense close-quarters combat, both faces deadly serious.

Le Mulan’s icy legs twisted toward Zhang Yu with deadly force. Their skin-to-skin contact transferred frightening levels of power.

Despite still feeling the heat of his body through her legs, Le Mulan had managed to stop showing disgust. She focused purely on the clash of physical strength, using the sparring to study Zhang Yu’s technique.

Zhang Yu was just as serious. While fending her off, he rubbed against the medicine on her body with practiced precision.

As the fight intensified, he noticed the more heated it became, the better Le Mulan absorbed the medicine. And the more she absorbed, the more the medicinal oils seeped out of her pores.

Especially her thighs—now slightly pliable under his strength, cool and slick to the touch. The more he rubbed, the more medicine emerged.

Sometimes the strange sensation of her legs made him lose focus, but he’d quickly bring his mind back to the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique and cut away all distractions.

Two hours passed.

Bai Zhenzhen knocked on the door. “You guys done?”

“Hang on, Ah-Zhen,” Zhang Yu replied. “Le Mulan’s still in the shower.”

A few minutes later, Le Mulan emerged, freshly showered and dressed. She glanced at Zhang Yu, still lying on the floor soaking in the medicine, and said flatly, “Getting used to it, I see.”

Zhang Yu’s entire body was now coated in a fragrant layer of Purple Cloud Pharmaceuticals' solution. As his skin absorbed the liquid, he felt his muscles, mana, and even brain become increasingly energized.

He replied to her question: “Drinking it or something like that... I’d never do.”

“But deliberately washing it off? I’m not doing that either.”

To save money, improve efficiency, and pass the Foundation Establishment exam, Zhang Yu had decided to fully utilize Le Mulan’s medicine in his training.

Le Mulan smiled faintly. A spark of curiosity flickered in her eyes.

She thought of how she’d had to adapt herself—change who she was—for the sake of grades, for her future on the Immortal Path, for the money invested in her.

Could this poor kid really cling to his principles? Would he really leave her high-grade medicine unused?

If it were those low-tier students from Purple Cloud High, they’d be licking the floor clean by now.

She wondered, “Can he really hold out?”

“What if the value were even higher?”