Zhang Yu stumbled out of the Xianyun Group building. Pale. Hunched. One bad cough away from collapse.
He walked several blocks until the tower disappeared behind him. Then he got on the subway. And started to feel better.
He activated the Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method.
Mana surged through his body like streams converging into rivers. The stray, chaotic energy — the stuff that had been burning and freezing and itching through his flesh — reorganized. It fell into the complex circuit the technique carved through him, flowing smooth and steady, running on its own.
**Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method Lv. 1 (0/20)**
He smiled.
*It works. Without this technique, that stray mana would've taken weeks to dissipate.*
He'd gambled. The Feather Book was his edge — the one thing nobody knew about. In that examination room, surrounded by sensor patches and mechanical needles, he'd played the role of a desperate student failing spectacularly but refusing to quit. They'd bought it. They'd even paid extra for the suffering.
*This technique is designed for beginners, but once learned, it runs twenty-four hours a day. Even without active effort, it maintains thirty percent of full breathing efficiency. At Level 1, that's like getting seven extra hours of free cultivation every day. While I sleep.*
*And this is just Level 1.*
He knew the market. Techniques from major companies and sects were copyrighted. Purchased. Worth fortunes. If the Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method ever went public, it would be a bestseller.
Which meant Xianyun Group had enormous stakes in this project. Revealing that he'd learned it would invite questions he couldn't answer. A freshman shouldn't have been able to learn it at all — not without the magnetic needle guidance system. The difficulty was insane. He didn't want anyone looking too closely.
He switched the Feather Book's Focus from Body-Forging 36 Forms to the Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method. The 36 Forms would still progress, just slower. But the breathing technique would accelerate dramatically.
*Level 3 on the 36 Forms is enough for now. I'll pour everything into this.*
---
The thirteen thousand vanished fast. Ten thousand went to loan payments across multiple platforms. His balance dropped to thirty-seven hundred.
But the collection calls thinned. The pressure eased — temporarily. He'd bought himself time. Time was the only currency that mattered.
Then the Ritual's countdown interrupted his thoughts. Back to work.
He circulated the technique. It ran while he walked. While he ate. While he lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
---
Morning. Songyang High School. Zhang Yu walked through the gates, checking the Feather Book.
**Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method Lv. 1 (11/20)** **Mana: 7.7 → 7.8**
*I ran five circuits before bed. Woke up and it was at eight — three passive reps while I slept. Then three more on the walk here.*
The technique was worth more than the thirteen thousand. Far more.
But today brought PE class. Two periods. Back to back.
*Great. More 36 Forms. I should be focusing on the breathing technique.*
The training hall was already roaring when he arrived. Students with muscles like carved marble plunged needles into their own bodies. Explosive pops. Animal growls. Metal grinding. The Elite Class trained like livestock being prepped for slaughter — efficient, brutal, pharmaceutical.
Wang Hai stood at the center, crushing something in his fist. A syringe. He let the powder sift into the trash.
"Look at your body composition over the last two weeks. No muscle gain. No organ enhancement. Physical strength up 0.03 in two weeks — that's a natural training rate. You bought fake product."
The student in front of him looked ready to cry. Wang Hai raised his voice for the class.
"How many times? Buy through proper channels. The safest supply comes from your teachers. Counterfeit drugs waste your time. Your money. Your future."
Then his eyes swept the room. They stopped on Zhang Yu.
*Physical strength: 0.85. Up 0.02 in three days.*
Wang Hai's mind churned. That growth rate was too fast for natural training. Zhang Yu must be injecting something powerful — something that was also causing significant damage. The kind of product that came from aggressive suppliers.
*He's buying from someone else. A sophomore's teacher? A third-year? An outside tutor?*
*Is someone selling on my turf?*
The body-enhancement drug market was a bloodbath. Competitors poached each other's clients ruthlessly. Wang Hai's internal alarm screamed.
*Zhang Yu is just a pawn. I need to find who's behind him.*
He called over a student named Zhao Tianxing — a tall, massive boy whose physical strength had broken 1.00, placing him in the class top ten. A model product of Wang Hai's program. Obedient. Loyal. Pumped full of every drug the teacher sold.
"Go talk to Zhang Yu," Wang Hai whispered. "Ask him if he still plans to stop buying. And move him to the side room — say it's to avoid disrupting others."
Zhao Tianxing found Zhang Yu in the corner, running through forms.
"Zhang Yu. Teacher Wang wants to know — are you sure you don't want to buy anymore?"
Zhang Yu nodded.
Zhao Tianxing scratched his head. "So, uh... the teacher wants you to practice in the side room. So you don't affect the others. Is that okay?"
His voice was gentle. His eyes held pity. But he didn't hesitate.
*Poor guy,* Zhao Tianxing thought. *Just apologize to the teacher and come back to class. Why throw away your future over pride?*
Zhang Yu agreed without a second's hesitation. He walked to the side room, closed the door, and sat down.
*Finally. Quiet. No Wang Hai breathing down my neck.*
He started the Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method.
Spiritual energy flowed in. Refined into mana. The progress bar climbed.
**Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method Lv. 1 (16/20)**
Five circuits. Two PE periods. Done.
But he didn't stop. In Chinese class, he circulated. In math class, he circulated. Long sessions of breathing work were tedious — shoulders ached, skin itched, the mind screamed for distraction. The old Zhang Yu could barely last two hours before giving up.
But the Ritual's chill and the Feather Book's climbing numbers kept him going.
**Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method Lv. 2 (0/40)**
The circuit grew more complex. More refined. More powerful. When he stopped, the technique kept running on its own — slightly faster than before.
*Level 1: thirty percent passive efficiency. Level 2: thirty-five percent. And active circulation is far stronger than my old Basic Breathing Method.*
Day and night. Unending. Compounding.
He kept going. PE class. Academic classes. Lunch. Evening at the plaza. Even sleep — the technique ran itself.
Three days passed.
**Heavenly Circuit Qi Gathering Method Lv. 4 (5/80)** **Mana: 7.8 → 8.3**
Passive breathing efficiency: forty-five percent of active rate. Running constantly. Even when he did nothing, even when he slept, mana flowed.
*Relentless progress. That's what the Feather Book gives me. That's what the Ritual forces.*
*If I can't fight it, I'll use it.*
---
*New character: Zhao Tianxing (赵天行) — Elite Class student, physically massive, loyal to Wang Hai's drug program. Physical strength over 1.00.*