Chapter 176: Stimulating Yu Xinghan's Potential

Chapter 176: Awakening Yu Xinghan’s Potential

Bailong High School.

Inside the training hall.

With the doors sealed shut, only Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu remained within the hall.

Seeing Yu Xinghan bristling with battle intent from head to toe, Zhang Yu asked curiously, “You summoned me in such a hurry—looks like it’s more than just a combat drill?”

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

Back then he could effortlessly outrun his opponent in the sports contest, but a suppression by Li Xuelian denied him the championship.

Recalling Li Xuelian’s crushing of him in that competition, Yu Xinghan’s fists involuntarily tightened.

He shook his head, brushed the thought aside, and turned his gaze back to Zhang Yu.

During the recent period of sparring, he had felt Zhang Yu steadily improving, constantly striving to catch up with him.

Yet he never imagined that, unbeknownst to him, his rival already showed signs of surpassing him.

Especially in the foundation‑building exam, where his physical control in the Gluttony Conflict already outmatched Yu’s.

And in subsequent martial studies, his learning speed was nothing short of astonishing.

With that in mind, Yu Xinghan spoke, “Lately on the path of the Immortal Way, I’ve faced a crucial choice.”

“Should I press forward against the odds, or take a detour? Honestly, I’ve been wavering.”

Zhang Yu understood and nodded, “The hesitation between difficulty and ease… in the end, you want to face the challenge but fear failure.”

Yu Xinghan gave a helpless smile, “You’re right. So I intend to pressure myself, to draw resolve from you.”

“Today we’ll spar behind closed doors, and whatever the outcome, we’ll keep it secret.”

“I only ask that you give it your all, Zhang Yu, and settle this once and for all.”

Sensing the fierce battle fire in Yu’s eyes, Zhang Yu could see… his opponent had come seeking defeat.

Zhang Yu thought inwardly, “He… after that foundation exam, must have sensed my true strength could already be above his.”

“So he hopes losing to me will cement some resolve within himself?”

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

“But that’s none of my business.”

All‑out strike? Deciding the fight by combat? Zhang Yu had no time for such frivolities—whether he or Yu got injured, it would be trouble, even damaging the plants in the hall would mean compensation.

Watching Zhang Yu turn and walk away, Yu Xinghan had already anticipated it; after their time together he’d recognized Zhang possessed the same formidable Immortal talent, would never engage in losing deals, and his money‑making methods were masterful.

Yu Xinghan said outright, “Let’s stop pretending. If you beat me, I’ll give you ten thousand yuan.”

Zhang Yu paused slightly, “You’re a Golden Core disciple, top of your class at Bailong High.”

“Want to raise the stakes?” Yu replied, “Twenty thousand enough? That’s all my private savings, that’s the limit.”

Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Zhang Yu knew bargaining further would be futile, so he nodded, “Friends as friends, twenty thousand it is—consider it a discount…”

Before the words finished, a thundering boom erupted beneath Zhang Yu’s feet, like artillery fire, and he surged toward Yu Xinghan like a projectile.

“What a sneak attack!” Yu roared, unleashing a Dragon‑Elephant Crashing Mountain Palm at the charging Zhang.

Zhang answered in kind with the same palm, the two palms colliding amidst a crackle of air.

Yu stepped back, watching Zhang stand unmoved, his fighting spirit reignited: “Continue!”

They first clashed ferociously with the Dragon‑Elephant palms; Zhang, protected by sub‑skin yang energy and techniques like Boundless Cloud Hand and the Immortal Seal, quickly seized the advantage.

Yu then burst forth with astonishing speed, sprinting to engage Zhang at close quarters.

In the ultra‑close combat, fists, elbows, shoulders, knees—every limb became Yu’s weapon, each martial art unleashed like a storm tearing at Zhang.

Zhang, faced with Yu’s torrent, erupted in white, formless cloud‑yang energy, swirling like misty vortices that absorbed every strike.

Boundless Cloud Hand, Level 10, activation!

More than half a year had passed since the sect’s trial awarded him the Boundless Cloud Hand technique.

In recent weeks, Zhang began to wield the Level‑10 form without reservation.

Now white clouds enveloped him, forming eddies that pulled, shifted, nullified, absorbed, and rebounded attacks, not only nullifying Yu’s offense but also reverberating into his opponent’s blood and sinews, wearing Yu down.

Yu, undeterred, kept hammering at Zhang, as if he could tear the clouds apart and expose the blue sky with his true strength.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two fought like colossal beasts tearing each other apart, each move reverberating like thunder.

After more than half an hour of fierce exchange, Zhang watched Yu retreat slowly and said, “You concede?”

Yu gulped air, feeling his muscles and meridians flood with a sour, numb fatigue, as if a massive hammer had pounded him thousands of times, leaving him unable to continue.

He stared at the still‑cloud‑shrouded Zhang and thought, “This kid is unbelievably tough.”

Recalling the battle, Yu realized each strike against those seemingly weightless formless clouds felt like hammering against reinforced steel rods.

Breaking through that misty yang energy was hard enough, yet Zhang replenished it instantly; his inner power showed no sign of depletion. Moreover, every time Yu struck, Zhang’s counter‑shock battered Yu’s blood and muscles, leaving him exhausted and bereft of strength.

Though he’d known Zhang’s leverage‑based technique was formidable, the all‑out effort now returned nothing, flooding Yu with a sharp sense of defeat and… shame.

“I was the one the master chose to become a Golden Core disciple.”

“I received the master’s investment and training, became a student of Bailong High, and yet… I lost to Zhang Yu?”

Seeing Yu’s dejected expression, Zhang said, “Um… are you alright?”

“If you’re okay, could you send the money?”

Yu glared at Zhang, and with the Tianwu Refine‑Heart Technique circulating, a fierce battle spirit surged within him.

He forced himself to recall the lingering resentment, humiliation, and frustration, intending to transmute those negatives into pressure for the challenges ahead.

He whispered to himself, “Still stubborn? You’ve already lost to Zhang Yu—what right do you have to keep your pride?”

In that instant Yu made a painful resolve: with supreme will he would conquer his fleshly instincts and renounce that desire from this day forward.

He opened his phone and logged: “Day 1 of conquering instinct.”

Just as Yu was sending money to Zhang, Fuki interjected, “Did that kid undergo a sterilization‑recovery surgery?”

“Did you notice something different about his fighting style?”

Zhang thought, your eyes are too sharp…

But then he recalled the foundation exam, when Yu seemed to have been scheduled by the True Gods for a procedure before resuming his cultivation.

“Perhaps the art he chose is something like the Yin‑Yang Union method, requiring a restorative surgery before practice?”

“He might have taken advantage of the exam to get a free recovery operation.”

Given Zhang’s knowledge of Yu, he believed Yu could indeed pull such a stunt and reap the cheap benefit.

While Zhang mulled over this, Fuki added, “Take this chance to introduce him to Hongta Group to sell seeds, you could earn a referral fee.”

“With Yu’s money‑hungry nature, he’ll likely agree.”

“The director who showed keen interest in you yesterday will surely turn his attention to this Golden Core disciple, for truly his seed quality must outshine yours.”

“you’ve shed a trouble and can earn a referral fee— isn’t that a win‑win?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes brightened at the words, yet a worry lingered in his heart about whether Yu Xinghan might be bound by the contract of the Starfire Immortal.

Sensing Zhang Yu’s hesitation, Fu Ji chuckled and said, “targeting bloodlines, scheming the fate of offspring—that is business for the upper echelons of Kunxu. Their control over blood‑line descendants is the strictest; otherwise the entire Kunxu would already be flooded with the progeny of immortals.”

“The reason I set aside a hand for you in advance is that I am convinced you can climb to the upper tiers of Kunxu.”

“As for those low‑level scum, even a discarded Starfire Immortal— a worthless golden elixir— would never bother with such matters.”

“When Yu Xinghan becomes more renowned and his strength reaches a certain level, perhaps the Starfire Immortal will voluntarily perform a restorative surgery for him, then whisk him away to sell his protein.”

Zhang Yu still decided to give it a try, and looking at Yu Xinghan asked, “Xinghan, I have a way to make money with ease— would you like to give it a shot?”

Yu Xinghan raised an eyebrow, wary, “Easy money? Does such a thing still exist in this world?”

……

A few hours later.

Inside the Red Tower building.

Having completed the medical exam, Yu Xinghan sat nervously in the quiet room.

Staring at the screen where countless beautiful, delectable men and women flickered, he hastily waved his hand and said, “don’t assign me a real person.”

He thought to himself, “compared with other students, I now carry an extra curse, like a cripple.”

“If I come into contact with a real person and happen to fall in love early, won’t my whole life be ruined?”

A voice from the screen replied, “our company is dedicated to providing the most comfortable working environment for every seed‑provider. May we arrange a puppet for you?”

Yu Xinghan waved his hand, about to refuse, when the other side of the screen said, “puppets can have their appearance freely adjusted…”

After a moment of silence, Yu Xinghan asked, “can we upload a photo and have you adjust it according to the picture?”

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

An hour later, a weary Yu Xinghan collapsed onto the floor, discovering that the clutter of thoughts in his mind had vanished, leaving no lingering discomfort.

He tried to cultivate the Tian‑Gang Qigong, and found that without intrusive thoughts, the pure Yang energy condensed effortlessly, propelling his practice to a rapid breakthrough.

After practicing for an hour, feeling desire stir within him again, he summoned the puppet once more.

Thus, whenever stray thoughts arose he earned money; when they were gone he cultivated. In this way, earning and cultivation went hand in hand, and Yu Xinghan felt his spirit sharpen, though his body was being drained.

“Hahaha, does such a marvel truly exist in the world?”

“It’s a bit tiring, the protein consumption is high, but for this profit I can simply eat more beast‑powder to replenish.”

(end of chapter)