Faced with Zhang Yu’s aura brimming with fighting spirit and determination, the Evil God Plushie thought to herself, “It’s only been two months, and yet this Zhang Yu has changed so much—even his will and presence feel completely different. What kind of potential did I awaken in him?”

Had it been the past, she wouldn’t have cared in the slightest about Zhang Yu’s threats. She had a thousand ways to crush someone like him.

But now, she was weak—cripplingly so—and filled with a renewed desire to climb back up Kunxu and reclaim everything that had once been hers.

She sighed inwardly. “Shoeless beggars fear nothing. There’s no point fighting with some penniless brat on the First Floor. I’ll just dangle a carrot in front of him and let him run.”

Then, softening her tone, she said gently, “No need to be so tense, Zhang Yu. I came to you because an enormous opportunity has fallen right into your lap.”

Zhang Yu, however, voiced the question that had long weighed on his mind. “Was Zhou Tianyi sent by you?”

“Zhou Tianyi? Who’s that? Never heard of him.”

She seemed clueless—and uninterested—and immediately shifted back to her original pitch. “I was the one who awakened your potential. Your current achievements are all thanks to me. Don’t you want to unlock even more?”

Unlock more potential?

Zhang Yu suddenly recalled the Feathered Tome’s table of contents. It had always struck him as odd that only the prologue was available. Maybe there really was more.

Now, hearing this plushie's words, his suspicions felt confirmed.

He thought to himself, “So my potential hasn’t been fully tapped. If the Feathered Tome had unleashed everything, my scores and performance would’ve been far higher by now.”

“Sigh. Still being held back by that damn tome.”

Zhang Yu’s brief silence was all the confirmation the plushie needed.

She quickly added, “Let’s work together. If we climb Kunxu side by side, with me supporting you, you’re guaranteed to stand atop its peak—immortal and free, your cultivation and fortune completely unshackled.”

Zhang Yu never trusted this Evil God to begin with. Naturally, he wasn’t about to fall for a few sweet words.

He cut straight to what mattered: “Can I revoke the wish?”

She immediately rejected the idea—but Zhang Yu didn’t buy it.

The two of them pushed and pulled for a while until Zhang Yu, eyes sharp with resolve, declared, “That ritual of yours—it’s like a dumb program, following set procedures. You really expect me to believe you didn’t build in a backdoor?”

The Evil God Plushie let out a quiet sigh. “If I removed the wish, I’d be completely at your mercy. You think I’d agree to that? Be serious. We’re in the same boat now. Let’s talk realistic terms.”

After that exchange, she realized Zhang Yu was no longer the docile, spineless student she used to bully. Now he was steely-willed, ruthlessly efficient, and possessed the power—and resolve—to drag her down with him if he chose.

She understood that under these circumstances… Zhang Yu now had the right to negotiate.

So she relented.

“To show my sincerity, I’ll revoke the kneeling wish.”

Zhang Yu replied, “And the one where I have to let you go.”

“Fine, fine, both of them.”

He didn’t know what method she used, but moments later, Zhang Yu exited his cultivation state and confirmed that both wishes were indeed gone.

The plushie then said, “Can you put me down now? It’s really disrespectful, the way you’re holding me.”

Zhang Yu let out a dry chuckle. “You think I should just let go of the only leverage I’ve got over you? Really?”

She sighed silently. “He hasn’t dropped his guard one bit.”

Zhang Yu continued, “If you’re going to keep using that ritual to restrain me, then I’ll just carry you around. That way I can ensure we both go down together, any time, any place.”

“You…”

She stopped, suddenly alarmed. Wisps of Formless Cloud Qi began rising from Zhang Yu’s body, swirling like fog.

She cried out, “That’s Formless Cloud Qi? You’ve reached Level 10 in Limitless Cloud Hands? It’s only been two months! How is this possible?!”

Zhang Yu replied coolly, “I hope you understand—so long as you're beside me, I can unleash Formless Cloud Qi at any time.”

The way she looked at Zhang Yu shifted entirely.

She thought, “His potential… is even greater than I anticipated. But maybe that’s for the best. With his strength, I really might make it back up there and reclaim what’s mine.”

If Zhang Yu were still the weakling he used to be, she wouldn’t care how loyal he was. She wouldn’t spare him a second glance.

But now, seeing his raw power and vast potential—even if she couldn’t fully control him—she had to admit he was worth betting on.

She spoke again. “I’ll help you unlock more potential and climb Kunxu. All you need to do is take me with you along the way.”

Zhang Yu squeezed the plushie in his hand. “Got any way for me to carry you around easily?”

She chuckled, and in a flash, her body shrank—first to the size of a cat, then smaller and smaller—until she was a black prayer bead, about the size of a thumb.

Zhang Yu grabbed a random string, threaded the black bead onto it, and hung it around his neck. “You won’t get flagged as an Evil God by accident, will you?”

The plushie laughed. “Even if I’m not at my peak, my concealment skills are top-notch. No one on this floor could possibly see through me.”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Alright. Boost my potential then.”

She gave an awkward laugh. “Well, it’s not something I can just do on command. But it’s not too hard either. You help me hunt down another Evil God on this floor, I devour their power, and voilà—your potential improves.”

Zhang Yu squeezed her tight in his palm. “You messing with me?”

“You want me—a high school freshman—to take on another Evil God?”

She quickly explained, “I’m not saying you go right this second. Just bide your time. Build your strength, and when you’re ready, we make our move.”

Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow. “Where’s this Evil God? What level are they? Any worshippers?”

“There’s probably one hiding behind Songyang High, and another at White Dragon High,” she replied. “The most powerful ones—the Evil God Kings—stay down on the eighteenth floor where the faith is strongest. The ones lurking up here aren’t anything special.”

“But where exactly they’re hiding, and who their followers are… we’ll have to investigate together.”

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. This plushie was all talk—promising him power, then turning around and making him do the dirty work.

“Typical. Never trust an Evil God.”

He stopped listening to her babble and pulled out his phone. Time to find another hustle and earn some cash.

After experiencing the power of the Vitality Booster, he had no intention of going back to cultivating raw.

“If I had the money to pop one of those every day, my physical strength would skyrocket—like eighty, ninety percent faster.”

“The gap’s just too wide. How am I supposed to grind like this?”

He sighed. “No going back once you’ve had luxury.”

The plushie, realizing he was ignoring her, crawled up onto his shoulder to peek at his screen.

“I need to make Zhang Yu rely on me more,” she thought. “Only then can I move on to the next phase.”

After watching for a while, she asked, “Looking to make money?”

No duh. Who in Kunxu wasn’t? Zhang Yu gave a noncommittal grunt.

She went on, “You think legit jobs pay well? You’ll just get toyed with by big companies, have your bones picked clean, work yourself to death—and still end up broke.”

“If a broke cultivator wants to get rich, they’ve got to break the rules. They’ve got to go underground.”

Zhang Yu frowned. “Underground?”

Images of sleaze, violence, and cruelty sprang to mind.

Just as he was about to shut her down, she added, “I know a way into the dark tutoring underground. Interested?”

“Dark tutoring underground?” Zhang Yu hesitated. “What could possibly be dark about tutoring?”

“Scamming students? Taking money and running? Forcing kids to take out loans and swipe credit cards?”

The plushie scoffed. “Please. That’s standard practice. You think any tutoring center hasn’t pulled that crap?”

“I’m talking about illegal tutoring!”

“They don’t buy any of those cultivation licenses—no technique distribution rights, no teaching permits—nothing! They just take your money and start teaching!”

“Illegal tutoring might charge less than legit cram schools, but because they skip the licensing fees, they make even more!”

“You’ve got Level 10 Limitless Cloud Hands. That’s more than enough to qualify as a tutor. But you don’t want anyone knowing, right? The dark tutoring underground is perfect for you. Teach anonymously. Sell lessons in secret.”

But Zhang Yu wasn’t some wide-eyed newcomer anymore. He knew a thing or two about how Kunxu worked.

And now his forehead was slick with cold sweat.

“Are you insane? Illegal tutoring without a license… That’s a surefire way to piss off the big tutoring corps and the cultivation technique companies!”

“Hell, compared to this, straight-up robbery sounds like a picnic!”

The plushie remained nonchalant, even amused. “If you’re not willing to take risks in Kunxu, how are you ever gonna make real money? Robbery profits can’t touch what illegal tutoring pulls in. Or would you rather work minimum wage your whole life?”

“Let me tell you—there are kings in the dark tutoring scene who rake in tens of millions a year.”