White Dragon High School.

Inside the training hall.

As the doors sealed shut with a final clunk, only two figures remained in the room: Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu.

Seeing the battle aura surging around Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow. “You called me here in such a hurry—this isn’t just about sparring, is it?”

Yu Xinghan stared at Zhang Yu, and the memory of their first meeting flashed through his mind.

Back then, he had easily outperformed Zhang Yu in the school athletics competition—only to be robbed of the championship thanks to Li Xuelian's interference.

The thought of Li Xuelian stifling him on the track made Yu Xinghan clench his fists.

But he quickly shook his head, pushing that distraction aside, and refocused on Zhang Yu.

Over the past few weeks of sparring, he had clearly felt Zhang Yu’s steady progress—how he’d been relentlessly closing the gap.

What he hadn’t expected… was that somewhere along the way, Zhang Yu might have actually surpassed him.

Especially during the Foundation Establishment exam—Zhang Yu’s physical control in the Gluttony Trial had clearly outclassed him.

And afterward, in martial arts studies, Zhang Yu had demonstrated a shocking learning speed.

Yu Xinghan finally spoke. “Recently, I’ve come to a major crossroads in my cultivation path.”

“I keep hesitating—should I press forward into difficulty or take the easier route?”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Hesitating between hard and easy, huh… In the end, it means you want to challenge the hard path, but you’re afraid of failing.”

Yu Xinghan gave a helpless smile. “You nailed it. That’s why I want to put some pressure on myself—borrow a little resolve from you.”

“Let’s fight behind closed doors. Win or lose, it stays between us.”

“All I ask, Zhang Yu, is that you go all out.”

Zhang Yu could sense Yu Xinghan’s burning will—but also saw through his true intent.

This guy came to lose.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “So he must’ve figured from the exam that my real strength is now above his.”

“And he wants to lose to me on purpose, to help make up his mind?”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Yu Xinghan, I feel your fighting spirit. I get your determination.”

“But that’s your problem.”

Go all out? Fight for real? Zhang Yu had better things to do. Whether he got injured or Yu Xinghan did, it’d be a hassle. Break a few training hall plants and it’d be another bill to pay.

As he turned to leave, Yu Xinghan clearly wasn’t surprised. After all this time training together, he already knew that Zhang Yu was just like him—born gifted in the Immortal Path, never one to take a loss-making deal, and a master of squeezing profit from any situation.

So Yu Xinghan said, “Let’s drop the act. If you beat me, I’ll pay you ten thousand.”

Zhang Yu paused mid-step. “You’re a Gold Core Disciple and the top of your year at White Dragon High.”

“You want more?” Yu Xinghan raised a brow. “Twenty thousand. That’s all my private savings. No more.”

Zhang Yu saw the resolve in his eyes and realized he probably couldn’t push for more. He nodded. “We’re friends—twenty thousand it is. I’ll give you the ‘friend discount’…”

Before the words finished, his foot exploded with a thunderous boom like cannon fire, launching him straight at Yu Xinghan.

“Nice ambush!” Yu Xinghan roared, countering with Dragon Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm.

Zhang Yu mirrored the move—palm clashed against palm, air shattering with the force of the impact.

Yu Xinghan staggered back a step. Zhang Yu stood his ground.

Yu Xinghan’s eyes lit up. “Again!”

The two clashed again with Dragon Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm. Zhang Yu held the advantage, protected by his Subdermal Qi and reinforced by his mastery of Limitless Cloud Hands and the Indestructible Seal Method, which let him redirect force masterfully.

Yu Xinghan suddenly exploded forward at lightning speed, diving into close-quarters combat.

At that distance, every limb became a weapon. Fists, elbows, shoulders, knees—Yu Xinghan’s entire body turned into a hurricane of martial assaults.

Zhang Yu responded by unleashing billows of white Formless Cloud Qi, forming swirling vortexes of mist that absorbed and deflected each blow.

Limitless Cloud Hands—Level 10, activated.

It had been over half a year since the Law Tournament, when Zhang Yu first acquired this Technique.

And in recent weeks, he’d stopped hiding its full power.

Now, his entire body surged with white mist. Each vortex manipulated force—pulling, shifting, absorbing, reflecting—breaking down every one of Yu Xinghan’s attacks and even sending subtle shockwaves through his blood and muscles, gradually damaging him.

But Yu Xinghan refused to retreat. He pressed on, trying to tear through the mist by sheer force.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

They clashed like titans, each strike a thunderclap.

Half an hour passed before Zhang Yu finally looked at the staggering Yu Xinghan and said, “You give up yet?”

Yu Xinghan gasped for breath, every muscle and meridian aching like he’d been pounded by an iron mallet for hours. He could barely stay upright.

Still shrouded in cloud qi, Zhang Yu seemed untouched.

Yu Xinghan thought bitterly, “This guy’s built like steel.”

Every time he hit that mist, it felt like slamming into reinforced bars. And even when he broke through, Zhang Yu just regenerated it effortlessly. His mana hadn’t even run dry.

Worse, each attack had rebounded subtly, sapping his strength.

He’d always known Zhang Yu’s redirection skills were terrifying, but going all out and still getting nowhere—it filled Yu Xinghan with defeat and… shame.

“I was the one chosen by Master to be a Gold Core Disciple.”

“I’ve received so many resources, made it into White Dragon High—and still, I lost to Zhang Yu?”

Seeing Yu Xinghan’s crestfallen expression, Zhang Yu asked, “Hey, you okay?”

“If you’re fine, then how about transferring the money?”

Yu Xinghan shot him a glare. As his Celestial Martial Heart-Forging Technique kicked in, a blaze of fighting spirit reignited inside him.

He burned the frustration, shame, and unwillingness into pressure—fuel for the battles ahead.

He told himself: “Still holding your head high? You just lost to Zhang Yu. You got no face left to harden.”

In that moment, Yu Xinghan made a painful resolution—to overcome his base instincts through sheer willpower. From today, he would renounce desire.

He opened his phone and typed: Day 1 of conquering my instincts.

As he sent the payment to Zhang Yu, Fu Ji suddenly remarked, “Did he undergo a vasectomy recovery procedure?”

“Didn’t you notice something different in his movements?”

Zhang Yu thought, You’ve got sharp eyes, huh?

Then he remembered—during the Foundation Establishment exam, didn’t Yu Xinghan get sent for a surgery by the Righteous Gods before continuing his martial cultivation?

“Wait… is his Technique something like Dual-Compatible Maiden Technique? Needs surgery first?”

“And he used the exam as a way to sneak in a free recovery procedure?”

Knowing Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu figured that was totally plausible.

Fu Ji added, “This is your chance—introduce him to Red Tower Pasture as a seed donor. You’ll get a referral bonus.”

“With how obsessed with money he is, he’d probably agree.”

“That director who’s been sniffing around you will definitely turn her attention to this Gold Core Disciple instead. Honestly, his seed quality probably outranks yours.”

“You get rid of the burden and still make money. Win-win.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up—but he hesitated, unsure if Yu Xinghan was bound by Xinghuo Zhenren’s contracts.

Sensing his concern, Fu Ji chuckled. “Bloodline manipulation and karmic contracts? That’s for the upper levels of Kunxu. Only they bother with that. Otherwise Kunxu would be overflowing with immortal brats.”

“I only prepped you because I expect you to reach those levels someday.”

“But for someone like Xinghuo Zhenren—he’s a washed-up Gold Core, fallen from the top. You think he cares?”

“If Yu Xinghan gets more famous and powerful, Xinghuo Zhenren might even help him get another procedure—just to sell his proteins.”

Zhang Yu decided to give it a shot. “Hey, Xinghan, I know an easy way to make money. Interested?”

Yu Xinghan raised a brow, wary. “Easy money? There’s no such thing.”

…

Hours later.

Inside Red Tower Tower.

Yu Xinghan, having finished his medical screening, sat nervously in the meditation chamber.

Staring at the screen displaying a selection of attractive men and women, he quickly waved it away. “Don’t assign me a real person!”

He thought to himself, I’ve already got enough baggage—like a cripple. If I fall in love now, my life’s over.

A voice from the screen responded, “Our company is committed to offering each seed provider the most comfortable environment. Would you prefer a puppet?”

Yu Xinghan was about to refuse when the voice added, “Our puppets’ appearance can be customized…”

After a moment of silence, he asked, “Can I upload a photo for reference?”

A few minutes later, Yu Xinghan uploaded a photo of Li Xuelian.

An hour after that, Yu Xinghan lay exhausted on the floor of the chamber—his mind free of distractions, the nagging urges gone.

He began cultivating the Titanium Body Technique again—and with no stray thoughts interfering, the condensation of his Pure Yang Qi progressed effortlessly.

After an hour of steady cultivation, he felt desire rising again. So he summoned the puppet once more.

With every cycle—urge, money, cultivation—Yu Xinghan felt more energized, though the strain on his body was real.

“Hahahaha! What a wonderful thing!”

“It’s tiring, sure. I’m burning through protein—but I’ll just eat more Demon Beast Powder to recover.”