Chapter 13: The Law Tournament

During that day's Mana Class, the students of the demonstration class were sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, circulating their breathing techniques.

The cameras in front monitored every move the students made, recording whether they opened their eyes, scratched an itch, fidgeted with their hands, or shifted their buttocks... any slight abnormality would be recorded one by one.

All this data was unified and recorded as the "Distraction Rate."

The class with the highest weekly distraction rate would be publicly criticized by the entire school.

The students of the demonstration class were indifferent to this; no matter how the assessment went, their class was bound to be number one.

However, the student with the lowest weekly distraction rate would not only receive public commendation but would also be rewarded with 500 yuan and a one-hour free rental of a Heavenly Spiritual Root.

This caused the students of the demonstration class to become intensely focused.

When Zhang Yu first learned of the existence of this "distraction rate" in his mind, he lamented that if such a thing had existed in his previous life, students would surely have called the school a bunch of idiots.

But this world was different. The students of the demonstration class stared at the daily distraction rates like rutting bulls, and the entire class was filled with a fierce atmosphere of intense competition.

At this moment, accompanied by the ringing of a bell, everyone silently practicing their cultivation in the quiet room stopped and turned their gaze toward the large screen in front, anticipating the distraction rate data for this lesson.

1st Place: Zhang Yu | Distraction Rate: 0% | Mana: 8.3 2nd Place: Bai Zhenzhen | Distraction Rate: 0.03% | Mana: 11.2 3rd Place: Qian Shen | Distraction Rate: 0.12% | Mana: 11.1 ...

Looking at the distraction rate rankings, although the students in the classroom remained silent, a hint of surprise could be felt spreading through the subtle changes in their eyes and expressions.

The instructor for the Mana Class on stage was surnamed Yan, a female teacher with her hair tied up and wearing black-rimmed glasses.

At this moment, Teacher Yan looked at the results on the large screen and said, "As for those students whose distraction rate exceeded 0.3%, I won't be calling your names today."

"It has been three months since the start of the semester. How many times have I said to focus the mind on one thing and harmonize the breath into stillness?"

"With such a high distraction rate, how can your breathing efficiency possibly compare to others?"

"Everyone cultivates for 24 hours a day. You don't have more time than others; if your breathing efficiency is low, falling behind by just a little bit every day means that after three years of high school, the gap in your mana could be 10, 20, or even 30 points."

"And how many times have I said this? Students who cannot lower their distraction rate can come to my office to buy Calming Agents. I sat in my office for three hours yesterday afternoon, and not a single person came to ask me... do you all think you have no problems at all?!"

After a bout of criticism, Teacher Yan smiled slightly and looked at the top performers on the screen, saying, "Of course, there are also students who performed very well."

"I would like to specifically commend the three students with the lowest distraction rates, especially Zhang Yu. He has maintained a 0% distraction rate for four consecutive days. Compared to before, this is a qualitative leap."

"Furthermore, his mana has increased by a full 0.5 points over these three days, which shows that he must have put in significant effort outside of class. Either he rented a spiritual root or he rented a high-grade spiritual machine cultivation room, right, student Zhang Yu?"

All the students immediately turned their gazes toward him.

They saw that Zhang Yu still had his eyes tightly closed, appearing to be in a state between sleep and wakefulness, continuing to silently circulate his Celestial Qi Gathering Method.

Teacher Yan praised, "Look, this is the attitude of a true top student. He doesn't even stop after class, seizing every minute and every second to cultivate and become stronger."

Watching Zhang Yu still diligently breathing, Zhao Tianxing found himself increasingly unable to understand this classmate. "He is clearly such a hardworking person, so why does he slack off and refuse to use medicinal patches during PE class?"

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu, whose eyes remained tightly shut, and thought to herself, "Aside from eating and using the bathroom, Yu-zi has barely stopped breathing for the past few days. To be this hardworking... could he have been driven to this by those 700,000-yuan debt collection calls?"

On the stage, Teacher Yan continued, "Of course, you get what you pay for. There is no such thing as a free lunch on the path of immortality. You cannot go far without investing money. Recently, there have been openings for Heavenly Spiritual Root rentals in the school; interested students can come find me."

Before Teacher Yan left, one thing she said caught Zhang Yu's attention.

"By the way, the city-wide Mana Competition will start next month. Basically, all high schools in the city will participate. The prize for first place is 100,000 yuan..."

"Since registration is next Friday, the school plans to select the top ten students in terms of mana level from the first year to participate in the competition..."

...

That evening, in the cafeteria.

Zhou Tianyi had to head to his cram school early today, leaving only Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen at the dining table.

Unable to take being stared at by Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu spoke up, "A-Zhen, I know my looks are very high and that I stand out like a crane among chickens in this school that only knows how to study, but you don't need to stare so intently."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "Are you saying you want to participate in the Mana Competition too?"

"It's a pity, A-Zhen," Zhang Yu shook his head. "If you, this peerless genius and top student of the grade, weren't my friend, you would probably be challenging me next, only to have your face slapped repeatedly by my astonishing performance on the stage, eventually resulting in your pupils shaking with shock for dozens of levels."

Bai Zhenzhen shook her head. "Yu-zi, the competition you want to join is the city-wide Mana Competition."

"That is where all the high schools in Songyang City send their best, most mana-rich, and wealthiest students. It is a gathering of countless rich kids."

Bai Zhenzhen said with a look of profound emotion, "What would the result be for an ordinary person like you?"

Her eyes seemed to have seen a bleak future as she said sorrowfully, "To be repeatedly insulted by countless powerhouses, to become a stepping stone for the wealthy, to become the clown of Songyang High, and to have the school's reputation fall into the dust!"

"It's too tragic. I can already see you being stepped on by the monsters from other high schools, your Dao heart shattered, looking like a dead dog."

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. "Don't exaggerate. The Mana Competition isn't a duel; there's no shame in losing."

"Besides, the first prize is 100,000 yuan."

"Even if you're just in the top ten, there's 10,000 yuan."

Looking at Zhang Yu's money-grubbing expression, Bai Zhenzhen thought to herself that Yu-zi must really be pushed to the limit by the debt collectors, to the point of being obsessed with entering the competition.

Zhang Yu was indeed in financial difficulty. Although he had earned 13,000 yuan at the Xianyun Company a few days ago, he had immediately used 10,000 of it to repay his loans and another 1,500 to cover his rent, leaving him with only about 2,000 yuan.

"If you want to compete, first think about how to raise your mana level to the top ten of your grade. Aren't you only ranked 16th right now? How much more money will you have to borrow to break into the top ten?"

Zhang Yu also did a quick calculation in his head.

His current mana was 8.3, ranking him 16th in the grade.

The student currently in 10th place had a mana level of 9.5.

To surpass them, Zhang Yu would have to raise his mana to the 9.5 level before next Friday...

"No, I have to account for the fact that everyone else will be improving too."

"To be safe, it would be best to raise my mana to the 10.0 level before next Friday."

"There are eight days until next Friday. To raise mana from 8.3 to 10.0 in eight days—a total increase of 1.7?"

"I need to increase by more than 0.2 every day... is that possible?"

Absolutely! Easily!

In the eyes of other teachers and students, Zhang Yu's rapid improvement over the past few days must have been achieved by spending huge sums of money to rent high-quality spiritual roots and training grounds.

But Zhang Yu knew that all of this stemmed from his incredible potential and extreme self-discipline.

The Level 4 Celestial Qi Gathering Method allowed him to increase his mana by as much as 0.5 in just three days. He believed that as the method continued to upgrade, his mana increase would become even more rapid.

"After all, during the Qi Refining stage, the maximum level for a skill is 10."

"A Level 4 breathing technique is something most high school freshmen wouldn't be able to achieve within their first semester."

"And as I continue my cultivation, I might be able to upgrade the Celestial Qi Gathering Method to Level 8, 9, or even 10 in a short time. That is a level many might not even reach after three years of high school."

Just as Zhang Yu was boosting his spirits, he suddenly noticed Bai Zhenzhen extending a chopstick toward his bowl.

"How dare you!" Zhang Yu barked, raising his own chopstick to block.

Then, amidst a series of clanging sounds, his chopstick was easily swept aside by Bai Zhenzhen.

Feeling a sense of familiarity in Bai Zhenzhen's movements, Zhang Yu said in surprise, "High School Basic Swordplay? You've already learned it? And you've even incorporated it into your use of chopsticks?"

Quickly snatching a few pieces of meat from Zhang Yu's bowl, Bai Zhenzhen chuckled, "Is it that hard, Yu-zi? Isn't it as simple as using your hands?"

Zhang Yu thought to himself, *Damn, she's showing off again.*

Bai Zhenzhen quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice along with the meat she had snatched and said in surprise, "I didn't expect the 5-yuan set ribs to be quite tasty. I'll buy one next time too."

Patting her slightly bloated stomach, Bai Zhenzhen let out a burp and said, "Sigh, if I eat any more, it'll affect my tutoring session."

As she spoke, she pushed her tray toward Zhang Yu. "Extra food for you, Yu-zi."

Looking at the neatly left half-portion of "leftovers" that Bai Zhenzhen had left untouched, Zhang Yu understood that she had left it for him on purpose.

It seemed that having learned of Zhang Yu's financial difficulties, Bai Zhenzhen had been frequently feeding him during dinner lately.

Zhang Yu took the tray and said while eating, "A-Zhen, you don't need to worry about my self-esteem or my pride. Given our relationship, it wouldn't even be a problem if you just sent me money directly."

Bai Zhenzhen rolled her eyes. "I'm going to my tutoring session. Enjoy your meal."

...

Outside the cafeteria.

A tall figure was standing in a nearby stairwell, his eyes fixed intently on the cafeteria entrance.

A moment later, when he saw Zhang Yu walking out of the cafeteria doors, the tall figure's spirit surged, and he immediately followed.

Following Zhang Yu out of the school gates, when he saw the boy enter the stationery store across the street, Zhao Tianxing's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself, "Could this be where Zhang Yu gets his supplies?"