Chapter 50: Wuji Cloud Hands

Zhang Yu looked at his phone, which was displaying an electronic agreement.

The content of the agreement was quite simple: it granted the top ten finishers of this Mana Competition the right to use the "Wuji Cloud Hand," provided they did not disseminate it, did not use its contents for profit, and so on.

Standing beside Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen tilted her head as she looked at the agreement, complaining, "How stingy! Xianyun Group is such a massive company, how can they be so cheap with their sponsorship? They only give the usage rights to the top ten in both total and individual scores? Why not just give one to everyone?"

Zhang Yu shook his head dismissively. "If everyone got it, wouldn't that be unfair to the students who performed well in this competition?"

"In my opinion, giving it to even ten people is too much. I feel like anyone ranked fourth or lower didn't quite grasp the exam questions properly."

Bai Zhenzhen shot Zhang Yu a sidelong glance.

*You absolute...*

*Listen to that. 'Unfair to the high-achieving students'? 'Those ranked fourth or lower didn't grasp the questions'? Is that even human speech? Zhang Yu, have you forgotten how you were criticizing the flaws of the modern immortal cultivation education system just a month ago? Where did that integrity go?*

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu's ugly face with disappointment.

*Yu-zi! My Yu-zi is dead! The thing standing before me now is nothing but a walking corpse controlled by grades!*

"Haha, Ah Zhen, the prize money has arrived." Looking at the notification of the incoming funds on his phone, Zhang Yu felt his grin becoming harder to suppress than an AK's recoil.

The fourth-place prize for this Mana Competition was a whopping twenty thousand yuan in cash, which brought his savings up to over sixty-three thousand.

Zhang Yu slapped Bai Zhenzhen on the shoulder and waved his hand grandly. "Ah Zhen, I'll treat you to dinner when we get back to school."

"Good boy!" Bai Zhenzhen said happily. "I knew you were a person with roots; you definitely won't forget your origins."

Before long, the various schools began to disperse.

Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen followed the crowd from Songyang High School out through the venue gates.

Just then, a dark shadow descended from the top of the stadium.

"That's..." Zhang Yu's eyes flickered. "A person?"

Someone was falling?

Just as Zhang Yu reacted, people on the scene were already moving.

In ordinary circumstances, this jumper might have hit the ground with a sickening thud.

But at this moment, there were too many high school students, teachers, coaches, referees, and judges present...

Especially since many of them belonged to Hongta High School.

As the saying goes, protecting the campus environment is everyone's responsibility.

The moment the figure fell from above, several streaks of Astral Qi surged forth, acting like a series of cushions to catch the jumper.

Liang Qin, who had closed his eyes to await death, did not experience the excruciating pain he had imagined. Instead, he felt as though he had landed on an incredibly warm, large bed.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself being gently carried to the ground by a mass of Astral Qi.

"Why did you save me!"

Liang Qin looked at the scene in agony, feeling no joy whatsoever at being rescued.

While watching the Mana Competition earlier, he had placed bet after bet, eventually losing all his money. His father had even called to demand repayment... and so, as a gambling addict, he had made his choice.

The face of the teacher who saved him showed no joy either; he simply said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Jumping is prohibited on this school campus."

"I have already called the police regarding your situation. A specialist will discuss the specific compensation matters with you..."

Hearing this, a flash of despair crossed Liang Qin's eyes, and he hurriedly defended himself, "I didn't intend to jump! I just slipped..."

The other party replied indifferently, "Slipped? So it was an accidental jump? That still costs money."

Liang Qin was furious, but recalling the Astral Qi the man had just displayed, he could only suppress his anger.

*When I find the chance, I'll find a different place to jump.*

As he calmed down, Liang Qin began to contemplate his next jumping spot. Schools, hospitals, shopping malls, residential areas... they all required compensation.

"This damn world. It's hard to even find a place to jump for free."

On the other side, Songyang High School was nearly out of the campus.

It wasn't just the other students; even Zhang Yu wasn't particularly surprised to see the jump. He simply felt that the person wrapped in the mass of Astral Qi looked somewhat familiar.

...

Songyang High School. The Cafeteria.

Bai Zhenzhen popped a chicken leg into her mouth, swallowing it whole—bone and all—with a series of loud crunches.

In front of her was a massive table spread with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, costing Zhang Yu over four hundred yuan.

Even with the current cultivation levels and physical strength of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, this was enough for a hearty meal.

"Sigh, the school's pre-packaged meals still have the most authentic taste. One whiff and you can sense that freshness of having just been taken out of the freezer," Bai Zhenzhen remarked after a bite. "The lunch boxes at Hongta High taste off. God knows how much synthetic food they add."

Although Zhang Yu was also eating heartily, he possessed many more culinary memories from his previous life. Hearing this, he said, "Ah Zhen, when I have more money in the future, I'll treat you to better food."

Bai Zhenzhen: "You mean the nutritional supplement meals on the second floor?"

Zhang Yu understood. For most high schoolers in Songyang High... or rather, most high schoolers in all of Songyang City, "better food" meant food that could increase cultivation and boost grades.

As for the pursuit of flavor itself... that was secondary, or rather, something most high schoolers in Songyang City didn't have the means to pursue.

For high school students, taste was a luxury.

Zhang Yu didn't bother explaining, merely saying, "You'll know when I have the money."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu remembered the events at the competition today and asked curiously, "Ah Zhen, that set of punches you used in the final round—how did you realize it?"

Bai Zhenzhen said casually, "Looking at that technique diagram, didn't it just have six moves?"

Zhang Yu was shocked. "It did?"

"Yeah." Bai Zhenzhen thought back. "Isn't it obvious at a glance?"

*She's kidding, right?* Zhang Yu looked at the girl before him, still unable to fathom how she could see it at a glance. It seemed that even students ranked 100+ in the competition had their merits.

After speaking, Bai Zhenzhen added with a face full of frustration, "I was just pushed to the limit and had to try seeing if I could use external martial moves to assist the mana circulation method."

"It really didn't work out."

Thinking about how she had struggled throughout the Mana Competition today, Bai Zhenzhen made a firm resolution to focus on improving her mana control.

Then, looking up at Zhang Yu and remembering how much he had stood out in the arena today, she felt even more frustrated.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to extra classes!"

*I, Bai Zhenzhen, shall never be inferior to anyone!*

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Are you going to Teacher Yan's extra classes?"

Before they parted ways today, Teacher Yan had approached Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, telling them that based on the competition results, he would apply for school funds to open mana competition remedial classes and asked them to sign up.

Zhang Yu nodded. "Of course I'm going."

Although today's competition yielded a great fourth-place result, it also made Zhang Yu realize his own limitations.

If he hadn't realized the "Wuji Cloud Hand" from Bai Zhenzhen at the last moment, he likely wouldn't have even made the top ten in total score.

He hoped to become stronger in his control of mana, so that when he participated in future competitions, he wouldn't have to rely on luck to win.

Furthermore, once the school invested funds, Teacher Yan's remedial classes might even include perks like flying swords and cultivation techniques, which made Zhang Yu look forward to it.

Seeing Zhang Yu nod, the corners of Bai Zhenzhen's mouth curled up. "Alright then, we'll go find Old Yan for extra classes together."

...

After returning home.

Zhang Yu did not practice the "Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Heart Sutra" to improve his Dao heart as he usually did.

After all, his *Yu Shu* specialization had switched to the "Wuji Cloud Hand" martial art.

So, he decided to take this opportunity to push the level of the Wuji Cloud Hand further.

He thought to himself that since the Wuji Cloud Hand only consisted of six moves, perhaps it would level up even faster than his Unarmed Combat, maybe even reaching level ten in a single night.

Thus, Zhang Yu returned to the unfinished building.

Coming here felt like coming home; after all, he had spent countless nights practicing martial arts here.

It was quiet and there was no fear of disturbing anyone, allowing him to practice with full abandon.

If it weren't for the fact that his rent was already paid, and that this building lacked internet, electricity, and water, he would have moved a bed here to live in this wonderful, free location.

Walking into a bare, dusty hall.

With a thought, Zhang Yu felt waves of mana rise from his dantian, vibrating seven times before transforming into clusters of mist that surged from his palms.

Because he had already mastered Level 1 of the Wuji Cloud Hand, the speed and quality with which he circulated his mana into Martial Astral Qi far surpassed any contestant in today's arena.

Feeling the mist enveloping his hands, Zhang Yu thought to himself, *"Is this the Formless Cloud Astral Qi?"*

After signing the electronic agreement, Zhang Yu had gained the usage rights to the Wuji Cloud Hand as well as the electronic manual.

The true name of this Martial Astral Qi was written in the manual.

*Formless Cloud Astral Qi: Resembling white clouds, it can be both hard and soft. It excels at pulling and redirecting force, making it a versatile Astral Qi for both offense and defense in combat.*

Next, Zhang Yu began to practice the six external moves of the Wuji Cloud Hand.

He threw a punch forward, and the white Formless Cloud Astral Qi carried a surging power, whistling through the air like a massive siege hammer.

This was the fierce, aggressive move of the Wuji Cloud Hand, specifically designed for frontal assaults.

Then, Zhang Yu shifted his hands, and the white Formless Cloud Astral Qi surrounded his body like layers of mist, possessing a soft, elastic quality.

This was the defensive move of the Wuji Cloud Hand. At this moment, the highly elastic Formless Cloud Astral Qi could not only deflect the force of an opponent's move but could even bounce back a portion of that power.

In this manner, Zhang Yu completed the six moves of the Wuji Cloud Hand in a short time, then repeated the cycle.

The moves were far too few—only six in total—so Zhang Yu finished ten repetitions in just over ten minutes.

Wuji Cloud Hand Level 1 (0/10) → Level 2 (0/20)

As the Wuji Cloud Hand rose to Level 2, it felt as though Zhang Yu had experienced the practice over and over again in an instant. Whether it was the process of refining mana into Formless Cloud Astral Qi, the manipulation of the Qi, or even the application of the six moves, he gained massive improvements instantly.

Zhang Yu looked at his hands.

The Formless Cloud Astral Qi that originally enveloped his hands now had wisps of white, smoke-like Qi drifting upward, shooting toward the sky like signal smoke—this was how he had appeared on the competition stage.

But now, as the Wuji Cloud Hand reached Level 2, those drifting wisps were much fewer, reflecting his increased control over this specific Astral Qi.

(End of Chapter)