Chapter 366: Bai Zhenzhen's Dao Seed (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 366: Bai Zhenzhen’s Dao Seed (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Zhang Yu: "How long will you be staying at Wanfa University this time?"

Bai Zhenzhen: "I have to leave once the competition ends. If I manage to make it to the finals, that will be about 10 days."

Zhang Yu: "The Divine Spirit Root—I should return it to you before you leave later, you will need it for the matches."

Bai Zhenzhen tilted her head, unconcerned: "It’s fine, just give it back to me before your own match."

"Take this opportunity to make good use of the Divine Spirit Root."

"I intended for the Divine Spirit Root to bolster your strength, after all."

"However, for the time being, don't reveal our relationship to your university classmates; it would complicate the transfer of the root."

Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly as he listened, his gaze drifting to Bai Zhenzhen’s chest, where the Dao Seed she carried was inevitably visible.

Green Lotus Sword Embryo (Spirit Root) Level 2

Beyond the manifestation on her chest, he saw the same characters appearing upon his own midsection.

Green Lotus Sword Embryo (Spirit Root) Level 2

Zhang Yu mused to himself: "So... Ah Zhen’s Dao Seed is the True Spirit Root?"

"A Green Lotus Sword Embryo? And it’s already Level 2. Is that because it underwent a metamorphosis back on the first floor?"

He sensed it only briefly before putting the thought aside.

Neither he nor Bai Zhenzhen paid much mind to the presence of the Divine Spirit Root at that moment; they simply held one another, slowly sharing the details of their lives and savoring the scent of each other’s presence.

Three years of high school, surviving one life-or-death crisis after another together, had long since made them more than family.

Suddenly, Bai Zhenzhen said with a look of disdain: "Has the effect of that virility-boosting meat not worn off yet?"

Zhang Yu replied, annoyed: "That’s your fault. If I hadn't eaten the meat you sent, how could my composure have been so easily shaken? I’ve been walking on eggshells this entire time."

Bai Zhenzhen retorted: "I’m certain I didn't add the wrong ingredients. As for this matter... never mind, I’ll confirm it later."

With a sudden movement, Bai Zhenzhen darted like a flash of lightning, slipping from Zhang Yu’s embrace to appear several meters away.

She eyed him askance and said: "Let’s stop here for today; I should be going."

"Make sure you use the Divine Spirit Root to cultivate as much as you can."

Zhang Yu asked: "The competition starts tomorrow, right? When should I return it to you?"

Bai Zhenzhen said: "The opening ceremony is the first half of tomorrow night, and the first match is in the second half. Return it to me at midnight."

As she spoke, Bai Zhenzhen’s figure vanished into thin air like a stream of light, displaying extraordinary movement techniques.

Watching the direction she had disappeared, Zhang Yu turned his focus to the True Spirit Root—or rather, the Green Lotus Sword Embryo—within his own body.

Under his concentrated efforts, information regarding the Dao Seed gradually surfaced.

"The Green Lotus Sword Embryo requires the nourishment of cultivation techniques."

Zhang Yu murmured to himself: "Specifically, it requires running 20th-level techniques for 30 hours while utilizing the Divine Spirit Root, across a total of 10 different techniques."

"However, these techniques do not include mental cultivation methods."

"So that’s 300 hours in total? Once that’s done, I can replicate this Dao Seed."

Zhang Yu recalled that back in high school, the True Spirit Root had seemingly undergone its transformation through the nourishment of one technique after another.

"But for now, I can only sense the conditions for replicating the Dao Seed, not the conditions for upgrading it."

This was the first time Zhang Yu had encountered a Level 2 Dao Seed since unlocking the Dao Seed Catalog in his Feather Book.

At the same time, Zhang Yu recalled his experience using the True Spirit Root back on the first floor.

"Adaptability is the hallmark of the True Spirit Root."

"I wonder what changes have occurred now that it has evolved into a Divine Spirit Root?"

In the time that followed, under the expectant gaze of Fu Ji, Zhang Yu began to cultivate using the Divine Spirit Root.

The content of his practice was simple; he had mastered far more than ten 20th-level techniques, so choosing any ten to cycle through was effortless.

"If I want to finish this before Ah Zhen leaves Wanfa University, time is very tight."

"Fortunately, I have multiple streams of thought now; it’s not impossible."

With this in mind, Zhang Yu seized the time to cycle his techniques, nourishing the Green Lotus Sword Embryo while savoring the miraculous utility of the Divine Spirit Root.

...

The following evening, at the construction site.

Ying Xinghan massaged Ying Xin’s shoulders and remarked: "Why does it feel like there are so many more people on the road today?"

"And they all seem to be from other universities?"

Ying Xin replied: "It must be the Flying Sword Tournament. Since our school is hosting it this year, students from many universities—even vocational colleges—have come. Of course it’s crowded."

Meanwhile, a stream of information flickered across Zhang Yu’s ocular interface, consisting of discussions about the Flying Sword Tournament in various group chats.

Zhang Yu glanced through them, but it was mostly idle chatter; none of his acquaintances seemed to be participating.

"True enough, the barrier to entry for flying swords is too high. Most of those capable of competing in inter-school matches are upperclassmen."

"But Ah Zhen is only a sophomore and she’s already competing. It seems that under the guidance of the Seven Emotions God-Monarch, she has truly made leaps and bounds."

Just then, Zhang Yu saw screenshots of the opening ceremony popping up in several groups.

"Has the opening ceremony started?"

Zhang Yu searched for a live stream of the event, clicked on one at random, and watched as rows of university delegations marched into the arena.

There was the Heavenly Demon University delegation, represented by only a single contestant. There was the Vajra University delegation, whose members were covered in dharma-armor, appearing like statues.

There was also the Hehuan University delegation, which made Zhang Yu’s expression grow solemn as he sensed their immense power.

As each delegation entered, the host of the broadcast would occasionally introduce the contestants.

However, Zhang Yu didn't recognize any of these students from other schools, so the information went in one ear and out the other, leaving little impression.

But when the Heavenly Sword University delegation appeared, Zhang Yu’s gaze immediately locked onto Bai Zhenzhen.

She was dressed in a white-and-gold competition uniform, looking spirited and heroic, radiating a sharpness he had never felt before.

Her long, black hair had turned a platinum hue, shimmering with layers of sword light.

The host introduced her: "Bai Zhenzhen of Heavenly Sword University. If you’ve been following the flying sword competitions over the last six months, you’ll have noticed her."

"As the personal disciple of the Seven Emotions God-Monarch, Bai Zhenzhen’s progress has been unimaginably fast. She is a top-ten favorite for this competition."

"Look at her hair; the color comes from the constant manifestation of refined metal energy."

"It is said that every single strand of her hair has been refined by the Seven Emotions God-Monarch, and when needed, each strand can be wielded as a flying sword of refined metal."

Simultaneously, Zhang Yu noticed screenshots and discussions about Bai Zhenzhen appearing in several group chats.

In the class group, someone posted a screenshot of her, expressing envy and awe toward the disciple of a God-Monarch.

Even Ji Yuan-shu, looking at Bai Zhenzhen’s introduction, couldn't help but show a look of longing: "A disciple of a God-Monarch... that hair alone is worth more than the net worth of ninety percent of the students at Wanfa University."

"To be that wealthy—wherever she goes, fortune follows. Just being her friend is enough to increase one's own luck."

In the Songyang hometown group, many students tagged Zhang Yu, eager to inquire about Bai Zhenzhen, yet he offered no response.

Qian Shen from Tianhai University: @Zhang Yu, do you know what Bai Zhenzhen’s current comprehensive score is?

Seeing the silence from Zhang Yu in the chat, Zhao Tianxing mused, "Has the bond between Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen truly frayed? Just like my own relationship with him, which is surely not what it was back in high school."

"Should I reach out? Offer him some comfort?"

"Better not. If things have indeed grown cold between them, he might think I am mocking his misfortune. Wouldn't that only deepen his misery and further sour our connection?"

"Alas, university is a crucible that widens the chasm between people, turning old classmates into mere ghosts as we drift ever further apart."

Zhao Tianxing recalled how the group once pulsed with over nine hundred messages a day, yet as time wore on, it often lay dormant for days; were it not for Bai Zhenzhen’s sudden, meteoric rise, it would never have stirred to life again.

In the Civil Engineering Competition group.

Ying Xin: To reach the top ten as a sophomore? Even for a disciple of a God-Transformer, that is simply preposterous.

Gongshu Jin: That is a God-Transformer we are talking about, the very issuer of the Seven Emotions Coin.

Xiao Qingxuan: With such immense wealth, they can reshape the heavens and earth with a single thought; there is little they cannot achieve.

Che Yufei: Sigh, I would trade every penny I own just to become a disciple of a God-Transformer.

Shi Yunxiang: Shall we attempt to apprentice under Bai Zhenzhen? If we became her disciples, wouldn't we be the grand-disciples of a God-Transformer?

Shi Huaiyu: As if it were that simple. A disciple of such standing is surely cloaked in layers of protection, far beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

Shi Huaiyu: You would be cast out by the faculty supervisors before you even drew near.

Che Yufei: How would you know?

Shi Huaiyu: I tried it at their dormitory yesterday.

Yu Xinghan, reading the transcript, suddenly noticed a message from Zhang Yu, requesting that he keep their acquaintance with Bai Zhenzhen a secret for the time being.

Beyond Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu—uncertain of how much Li Xiao knew of his history with Bai Zhenzhen—sent a similar warning to ensure no unnecessary words were spoken.

Yu Xinghan replied: You have my word, my lips are sealed.

Yet, he sighed inwardly: "Alas, I had hoped to ride the wave and film an interview with her, but that seems impossible now."

"The distance between us and Bai Zhenzhen has become truly insurmountable."

"Zhang Yu’s request for secrecy is likely Bai Zhenzhen’s own decree."

"After all, she is a disciple of a God-Transformer; every move carries weight. If she wishes to keep her ties to us hidden, we must yield to her will."

Yu Xinghan understood well that while they were friends in high school, they were now worlds apart; any favor would depend entirely on her choice, and it was not for him to demand.

"Hm?"

Just then, Yu Xinghan realized Zhang Yu had vanished from the construction site.

"Where did he go?"

"Is he skipping overtime?"

It was the first time he had ever seen Zhang Yu abandon his post midway through a shift.

"It seems Bai Zhenzhen’s influence on him is profound indeed."

...

After the opening ceremony concluded.

In a secluded corner on the 66th floor.

Zhang Yu embraced Bai Zhenzhen, returning the True Spirit Root to her.

In an instant, Bai Zhenzhen began to tremble violently: "Yu... you... please, take it slow..."

She gasped in surprise: "Why am I... so unaccustomed to this?"

Zhang Yu replied: "We have been apart from our True Spirit Roots for too long; the divergence between us is immense. It is not just I who struggle with your essence; you, too, must be reeling from the change I bring."

"The process of integration is therefore volatile, and the reaction is bound to be intense."

"Zhen, you must endure it. We cannot delay; you have the competition ahead."

"Yes." Bai Zhenzhen furrowed her brow, nodding. "Proceed."

The next moment, as she gritted her teeth and her body shuddered, she felt the True Spirit Root settle back into her dantian.

Simultaneously, a surge of intense stimulation radiated from the root, coursing through her entire being and bringing forth a cascade of miraculous transformations.

Seeking monthly votes.

(End of chapter)