Outside the illusion.

Song Xu watched the scene unfold with visible surprise. "You're saying Zhang Yu is cultivating the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique?"

Mo Tianyi found it equally strange. "That’s the technique he registered with. And look, Boss—he’s transformed into a gravely ill employee, still forcing himself to work on the assembly line. Isn’t that exactly the effect of the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique?"

Song Xu stroked his chin, puzzled. "Isn’t that technique designed for the lowest rungs of society? Get them to work more, see doctors less, claim fewer compensations—basically a trash technique for trash cultivators."

"Zhang Yu wants to use that to temper his Dao Heart?"

"Isn’t he afraid he’ll end up fully resonating with the technique—turning into someone who only knows how to take a beating, never fights back, and swallows his pride day after day?"

"But this Bai Zhenzhen…" Song Xu continued, "Her mastery of the Frost Abyss Technique is clearly deepening in this kind of setting. She’s bound to shine in the next exam."

As Song Xu and Mo Tianyi discussed, the illusionary scene inside shifted again.

…

On the assembly line.

With Bai Zhenzhen in high spirits, she pushed all the workers to their limits with ruthless efficiency.

In that oppressive atmosphere, Zhang Yu felt the last threads of hope slowly disintegrate. Pain burned through him like fire, breaking his focus and pushing him to the brink.

"It hurts… so much..."

Zhang Yu didn’t want to keep hurting.

He knew the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique would only keep working—only keep suppressing the pain—if he still held on to even a sliver of hope.

Even if it was just the hope of getting off work a little early.

So he stepped forward, looked at Bai Zhenzhen, and said, "Boss, I’d like to request a day off."

Bai Zhenzhen's gaze swept over him. When she saw Zhang Yu’s face, her expression flickered briefly.

Upon hearing that the request was due to pain, Bai Zhenzhen gave a small nod. "So you don’t want to do overtime?"

When Zhang Yu nodded, Bai Zhenzhen responded, "You really must be exhausted."

Then she looked at the others and asked, "Anyone else here not willing to do overtime?"

The workers looked tempted but too afraid to speak. Bai Zhenzhen asked again, "Look at yourselves—meek and submissive, saying yes to everything. I hired people, not machines."

"If you have a demand, speak up. Grow a backbone."

As more and more workers, including Zhang Yu, stepped forward saying they didn’t want overtime, Bai Zhenzhen smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent. Refusing the factory’s work assignments? You’re all fired."

She turned to her secretary. "Perfect timing—there’s a new crop of graduates ready to be hired. Replace this batch of old and sick workers, no compensation needed..."

Under the influence of the Frost Abyss Technique, every worker appeared in Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes as nothing more than bargaining chips—fodder for her to manipulate for greater profits.

As her technique ran ever more smoothly, her Dao Heart grew stronger—unyielding and invincible.

Meanwhile, for Zhang Yu, every word she said was another nail in the coffin. His last shred of hope disappeared. All was lost.

When all hope has been stripped away, what then?

How does one find hope again?

How does one suppress this searing pain?

…

Song Xu watched and sighed. "The Sacrificial Oxheart Technique really is trash. Why pick something like that?"

"Understanding and aligning your thoughts with this kind of technique... what’s the point?"

"It’s nothing but dead weight."

Mo Tianyi, however, remarked, "Still, enduring like this—it really might temper your Dao Heart."

"Zhang Yu’s a poor kid, no shot at the Ten Great Academies. He’s just like us… Sometimes all you can do is endure."

He added with some sympathy, "Compared to fighting or rebelling, maybe endurance really is the only choice poor people have."

Song Xu looked at Zhang Yu within the illusion and murmured, "Just keep enduring, huh? But when does it end?"

"No wonder he eventually broke under the pressure and signed under a rich family." Fresh chapters posted on novel✦fire.net

"At least you guys didn’t invest too much into him."

"This kind of person’s already poor in spirit. Even his chosen technique is pathetic—no point in investing."

But just then, the illusion shifted again, and both men were caught off guard.

…

Zhang Yu stood frozen, dazed by the total loss of hope.

Over the groans of his coworkers and Bai Zhenzhen’s commands, he seemed to hear something faint.

"Is that... the voices of protesting workers outside?"

"Protests?"

The thought sparked a faint glimmer in Zhang Yu’s eyes.

At that moment, the technique that had been nearly dormant in his mind began to stir again.

The Sacrificial Ox in his mental image—previously stuck in the mire, unable to move due to despair—suddenly shone with cold light on its broken horn.

"There’s only one hope left: to fight."

"When every hope has been crushed, when only darkness remains, when even prayers go unanswered… then you must lower your horns and fight for justice—carve out that last sliver of hope with your own body!"

A sudden realization struck Zhang Yu.

"The Sacrificial Oxheart Technique isn’t a pain-suppressing skill meant for laborers."

"It was originally created to comfort disabled cultivators—to relieve their suffering."

"But at its core, it embodies the will to resist in hopelessness! To fight for that last glimmer of hope!"

"Sacrificial Ox… Sacrificial Ox… That’s the real meaning of ‘sacrifice’—not sacrificing your health just to work."

In that instant, the Level 10 Sacrificial Oxheart Technique subtly transformed. It began surging within Zhang Yu’s mind with newfound force.

Zhang Yu could feel his understanding of the technique deepening.

With a roar, he lunged at Bai Zhenzhen and shouted, "I’m done playing nice!"

Bai Zhenzhen’s face tightened at the sight of him and backed away. Yu Xinghan and the security guards rushed in to intercept.

Zhang Yu and the guards quickly clashed.

Though Zhang Yu was weaker, he fought like a madman—risking everything with each strike. A reckless frenzy of life-for-life forced the guards to retreat step by step.

After all, medical bills could be reimbursed—but death? Not even the best insurance could fix that.

The more desperate the situation became, the stronger Zhang Yu felt.

Empowered by the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique, his hidden potential burst forth. He grew fiercer with every exchange.

The technique’s effects now far exceeded anything before.

As the guards fell back, the other workers began to stir with rising courage.

Off to the side, Bai Zhenzhen’s expression flickered once again. Her Frost Abyss Technique hit a snag.

She felt a strange reluctance stir within her.

For the first time, she didn’t want to see Zhang Yu being beaten anymore.

That single thread of emotion disrupted her control over the technique, even affecting the projection of her Zhen Spirit Root in her dantian.

…

Watching the illusion, Song Xu clicked his tongue. "What the hell? Zhang Yu’s actually fighting under the Sacrificial Oxheart Technique?"

Mo Tianyi was baffled. "Could there be more to the technique than we thought?"

But then something even more unexpected happened.

As Zhang Yu led the workers into battle against the guards, Bai Zhenzhen stepped in to stop the fight. She announced improved worker benefits and raised their wages.

Mo Tianyi blinked. "Wait… that’s something the Frost Abyss Technique can do?"

Song Xu said, "As thoughts change, so does your understanding of the technique."

"The deeper your insight into a technique, the stronger its effects become."

"But in reality, it takes time—experience, thought, hardship—to change someone’s way of thinking."

"That’s what the Spiritual Realm Illusion is for: accelerating that process with simulated scenarios."

"From what we’ve seen, both of them have grown significantly in their understanding of their respective techniques."

"After this illusion trial, their Dao Hearts will be firmer. Their techniques—much stronger."

As he spoke, the scene in the illusion shifted again.

…

With better pay and improved benefits, the factory resumed operations.

Bai Zhenzhen still ran it calmly, but she sensed that today’s calm was different.

Before, her calm was cold calculation, void of emotion.

Now, her calm included her humanity—no longer blindly chasing profit and control.

"This is… doing what I believe in, even if it’s doomed."

Right now, she didn’t want to be Zhang Yu’s enemy. Even if profits fell, even if the risk was high—she would still calmly face it and carry it through.

She had a sudden insight into the Frost Abyss Technique.

"Suppressing emotion, reducing everything to gain or loss… That’s not true calm—it’s suppression of the human heart."

"True calm is being able to face failure and still move forward. To act with conviction, no matter the cost—that’s what the Frost Abyss Technique truly seeks."

In that moment, she felt like an assassin wielding a small blade—knowing it might not succeed, knowing death awaited, but still plunging forward without hesitation.

As the technique surged through her mind with unprecedented clarity, her body, mana, and spirit all sharpened.

She felt it. The deeper her understanding, the stronger the technique’s power.

The greater the risk, the lower the chances—yet the calmer she became. And the more alive she felt.

In the end, she, Zhang Yu, and Yu Xinghan watched as the factory collapsed—overwhelmed by high wages and benefits, outcompeted by rival companies.

…

Watching this unfold, Mo Tianyi murmured, "Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen… their intentions are good."

"If Zhang Pianpian hadn’t forced him to sign that contract, and with some guidance from you, Boss… maybe they really could’ve made it to the Ten Great Academies."

Song Xu said flatly, "Good intentions don’t matter without money. In the end, they’ll be eliminated—just like every poor person with a dream."

Mo Tianyi replied, "Still… judging by what we saw in the illusion, their thoughts aren’t far from ours."

"Maybe if we ask them directly, they’ll share the secret of their power—help other poor folks rise up…"

That belief—that the poor should help each other break through the nets cast by the rich—was something Song Xu had drilled into Mo Tianyi, and the very foundation of the Alliance of the Resentful Poor.

They had poured everything they had into Song Xu, hoping he’d be the first to break through the heavens and lead them all to the sky.

But Song Xu only shook his head. "An illusion is still just an illusion."

"No matter what they think inside, in the real world they’re still dogs of the wealthy. We can’t trust them."

"We’ll stick to my plan."

"They’re probably going back in soon—to keep tempering their Dao Hearts."

"Let me know when they’re out."

Two hours passed.

Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan finally emerged from the illusion.

Meanwhile, in a certain basement in the real world—

Song Xu knelt in the middle of a strange ritual, face masked.

He whispered to himself, "Zhang Yu is about to leave the illusion. Time to activate the ritual and find his Evil God."