Chapter 326: Dao Heart and Inner Demons

Chapter 326: The Dao Heart and the Inner Demon

Watching the figure charging wildly toward him, Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted. He abruptly turned around, unleashing a torrent of Formless Cloud Aura that surged forth in spiraling waves, crashing out with immense force.

Amidst a thunderous boom and the collision of their auras, Zhang Yu staggered back several steps, his expression grave as he stared at his opponent. “It’s you?”

Standing before Zhang Yu now, the one who had suddenly ambushed him, was none other than Tian Yang, the team leader.

Feeling the churning of his own mana and vital energy after the clash, Zhang Yu furrowed his brow slightly, thinking to himself, “My assignments were all allocated by Tian Yang.”

“This area is quite remote. I’m the only one who came, and it just happens to be a blind spot for surveillance… Did he plan this all along?”

“Did he deliberately wait for me to be alone before attacking?”

As these thoughts raced through Zhang Yu’s mind, Tian Yang spoke calmly, “Boss Wang sends his regards.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart jolted. “Wang Yin?”

He recalled that Mr. Wang from Oasis Group, the wealthy man he had clashed with multiple times on the first floor, who had later sent people to retaliate against him.

Meanwhile, Tian Yang’s assault pressed on relentlessly like a storm, one fierce attack after another, as if he aimed to crush Zhang Yu within a few moves.

The combat martial art he was now employing was called the Great Wind and Dust Palm, a technique derived from the dust pollution, particulate contamination, and dust control efforts of construction sites.

As he struck, his martial aura resembled billowing dust, unpredictable and ever-changing, each blow aimed at Zhang Yu from inconceivable angles. Like the pervasive, suffocating dust pollution on a construction site, it sought to completely engulf Zhang Yu.

Originally, this Great Wind and Dust Palm emphasized the combination of illusion and reality, with endless variations, making it exceptionally troublesome to deal with. When facing a weaker opponent, it could secure an absolute advantage, allowing the user to manipulate their adversary at will.

This was exactly what Tian Yang had thought before making his move.

“Zhang Yu shouldn’t last more than ten moves against me.”

But now, as the fight reached its fifteenth exchange, Tian Yang grew increasingly astonished.

With the combined power of the Time-Remnant Demon Eye and the Three-Eyes Divine Ability, Zhang Yu could see every single move and technique of Tian Yang’s with perfect clarity.

However, merely seeing the moves was useless. After all, Zhang Yu was just a hardworking university student in his daily life, with little experience in life-or-death combat.

Given Zhang Yu’s practical combat experience and martial cultivation, even if he could see Tian Yang’s moves clearly, it would be difficult for him to instantly devise a way to counter them.

But he didn’t need to counter them.

Ever since entering the Ten Thousand Techniques University City, Zhang Yu had held one idea in his heart: while combat abilities weren’t as important as his work skills at this stage, in a place like Kunxu, he still needed some means to protect himself.

However, amidst his continuous cultivation, he simply had no extra time to hone his practical combat skills.

That was until he obtained the Three-Eyes Divine Ability… Zhang Yu found a new solution to combat, a method that didn’t require him to invest excessive time or effort at this stage but could rapidly build his fighting prowess.

He called it the 50-50 Combat Method, meaning he could fight anyone to a standstill.

At this very moment, Zhang Yu let out a fierce shout, activating the Battle Demon Life-Sacrificing Art to forcibly enhance his physical strength.

Simultaneously, the mimicry ability of the Three-Eyes Divine Ability was fully unleashed, targeting Tian Yang before him.

Thus, to Tian Yang’s astonishment, Zhang Yu seemed to become another version of him in the mirror, clashing head-on with him again and again using identical moves.

Even so, Tian Yang remained confident that his own cultivation was sufficient to overpower his opponent in terms of strength, crushing him blow by blow.

But Zhang Yu’s Formless Cloud Aura was already profoundly skilled in dispersing force, and when combined with the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Energy’s ability to borrow and redirect force, the various resistances provided by the Earth-Wood Sacred Body, the skeletal reinforcement from No. 20 Secret Steel, and the bodily vitality brought by the Remnant Ox Body-Mind Art…

All of these factors allowed Zhang Yu to display terrifying resilience in this head-on clash of identical techniques.

And this resilience was now keenly felt by Tian Yang.

At first, he thought his opponent was imitating his martial arts.

“Has he studied the Great Wind and Dust Palm before?”

“Or is he relying on his formidable talent to steal my techniques right in front of me?”

But soon, he realized that Zhang Yu only mimicked his movements and stances, while the circulation of mana and aura within his body was entirely different.

His opponent’s aura focused primarily on dispersing, neutralizing, and redirecting force.

“He’s not stealing my techniques, just imitating my movements? But how is he so damn tough?”

Watching Zhang Yu remain spirited and show no signs of weakening, feeling the incredible hardness of his strikes and the sensation of each blow sinking like mud into the sea… the more Tian Yang fought, the more he felt a sense of disgust.

“This kid is way too fucking tanky.”

“Fighting him is even more exhausting than overtime on a remote construction site.”

“Who the hell designed his combat system? This is purely meant to annoy people.”

“Whatever, this is about enough…”

Thinking this, Tian Yang rolled his eyes, stomped the ground explosively, and in a blur of afterimages, flashed dozens of meters away.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s stop here,” Tian Yang waved his hand, a flicker of something peculiar in his gaze as he looked at Zhang Yu. “As expected of a freshman valued by Director Gao. With a physique like yours, you’d absolutely leave everyone in the dust working overtime on a construction site.”

Zhang Yu looked somewhat surprised at Tian Yang, who had ceased his attacks. “Aren’t you here on Wang Yin’s behalf to get back at me?”

Tian Yang laughed heartily. “I have a friend at Netherworld University. From him, I heard that Wang Yin indeed wanted to find someone to teach you a lesson.”

At this point, Tian Yang thought to himself, “But this friend of mine… isn’t exactly looking to help Wang Yin.”

Tian Yang declared righteously, “We’re both from Ten Thousand Techniques University, both in the Civil Engineering Department, and both under Director Gao. How could I possibly help an outsider against you for some petty benefits?”

“But using the pretext of teaching you a lesson to squeeze some rewards out of Wang Yin… now that interests me.”

“So I came to record a combat video with you.”

“I was worried your acting might be poor, so I staged a sudden ambush.” Thinking this, Tian Yang shook his head. He had originally intended to casually strike a few moves, pushing Zhang Yu into a perilous situation, but he hadn’t expected Zhang Yu to be so resilient, enduring dozens of his attacks.

Although things hadn’t gone as planned, Tian Yang felt this video might actually be more effective than he had initially imagined.

Zhang Yu, however, was slightly taken aback. “What do you mean?”

Tian Yang explained, “I pretend to teach you a lesson, then extort benefits from Wang Yin.”

“Like the combat video we just recorded. Once I send it to him, I can ask for something in return.”

“After the transaction is successful, whatever we get, I’ll split half the spirit coins with you at market price.”

“To be honest, I really need certain things from Netherworld University. If you’re willing to keep cooperating, we can squeeze more benefits out of Wang Yin together.”

Watching the other man wave and leave, Zhang Yu still couldn’t determine whether what he said was true or false.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “I’m here at Ten Thousand Techniques University. Has that guy Wang Yin still not given up?”

Fu Ji chuckled slyly. “Usually, such persistence stems from either enmity, conflicting interests, or another possibility… Could it be that your existence affects his Dao Heart?”

“Come to think of it, your actions on the first floor strongly conflict with Wang Yin’s way of doing things, and you ruined his major plans there. He must hate you to the bone.”

“And if you’ve disrupted the circulation of his heart technique, becoming his inner demon, then his obsession makes even more sense. It’s not just about enmity between you two; it’s also tied to his path of immortal cultivation.”

Not long after, Zhang Yu received 0.5 spirit coins sent by Tian Yang.

“I’ve already earned 0.5 spirit coins just like that?”

Especially considering these spirit coins were earned from Wang Yin—the super-rich man who had repeatedly suppressed him—Zhang Yu felt even more motivated.

In his sea of consciousness, the White Ox seemed to roar, and the circulation of the Remnant Ox Body-Mind Art grew smoother. The vitality of his body also seemed to become a bit more vibrant.

Thus, the next day, Zhang Yu enlisted the help of Yu Xinghan and Li Xiao to keep watch and arrived at the agreed-upon location with Tian Yang.

“What are we recording today?” Zhang Yu asked. “Another beating from you? Should it be more severe? Do you want me to spit some blood?”

Tian Yang repeatedly waved his hands and said, "Fighting videos, at most, are like yesterday's sparring—nothing of depth can be captured."

"After all, this is within the university district. Forget killing you, I can't even film you being seriously injured. Even if I did, Wang Yin has his own channels for information; he wouldn't believe it."

"What I'm filming today is to make you work overtime..."

...

The Netherworld University District.

After leaving the first layer, Wang Yin did not head to the headquarters of the Oasis Group. Instead, he returned to where his mother worked, temporarily taking on a leisurely position to recuperate and heal the wounds to his soul.

Having lost the opportunity for a divine spiritual root, Wang Yin could only re-enter the Foundation Establishment realm with a heavenly spiritual root, gradually restoring his cultivation step by step.

Facing his mother again at Netherworld University, Wang Yin had to admit that what she had told him back then was right.

"You can't be too kind to those dogs below."

"Feed those wretched creatures too well, and they become unruly, even daring to climb onto the table."

In Wang Yin's heart, whenever he thought of the failed plan on the first layer and missing out on the divine spiritual root... a surge of intense hatred churned in his mind.

"Zhang Yu... and Bai Zhenzhen."

However, in Wang Yin's eyes, Bai Zhenzhen was no longer worth his attention. It was Zhang Yu...

The mere thought of him continuing to study and cultivate at the Ten Thousand Arts University, advancing further on the path of immortality every day, filled Wang Yin with unbearable discomfort.

Now, Zhang Yu was like a thorn digging deeper and deeper into his heart, slowing the progress of Wang Yin's cultivation of the Dao Heart realm even after he re-entered the Foundation Establishment stage.

He recalled how, in the past, he had cultivated the heart technique "Emperor's Sovereign Heart," using immense wealth to overturn a city and dominate all living beings, ultimately forging an unparalleled fist intent.

"But on the first layer, despite being immensely wealthy, I couldn't control the fate of a mere Zhang Yu."

"That lowliest of people from the first layer, nurtured by me, not only showed no gratitude but also ruined my grand plans."

"Now, my wealth is countless times greater than his, yet I still haven't been able to suppress him..."

Whenever he thought of this, Wang Yin felt a suffocating frustration, and the cultivation of his Emperor's Sovereign Heart technique began to falter.

Wang Yin understood that the matter of Zhang Yu had become his inner demon, a flaw in his heart, conflicting with his cultivation technique, his thoughts, and his will.

"Either I slowly resolve it myself, grinding away at my thoughts with patience to dispel this resentment in my heart."

"Or... at the very least, humiliate and toy with him severely to vent my hatred."

It was under such circumstances that Wang Yin, through intermediaries, established contact with Tian Yang.

Not long after, he received a video from Tian Yang.

Watching Zhang Yu's displayed strength and remarkable resilience in the combat video, Wang Yin frowned deeply.

After giving Tian Yang one spirit coin, Wang Yin made higher demands, hoping to humiliate, toy with, and torment Zhang Yu... even requesting a live broadcast.

Tian Yang, however, dismissed many of Wang Yin's demands and proposed a substantial price.

Just as the two sides reached an impasse,

Wang Yin received another video from him.

Watching Zhang Yu in the video, working overtime frantically, cultivating madly, his cultivation improving bit by bit, earning more and more money, his eyes filled with fighting spirit... Wang Yin felt the Emperor's Sovereign Heart in his mind stagnate once again.

At the same time, Tian Yang sent a message: If you don't agree to my terms, I'll make sure Zhang Yu works overtime every day, with his cultivation and savings growing nonstop.

(End of Chapter)