Chapter 10 :Struggle for Survival: Jobs, Training, and Opportunity

Zhang Yu found a random spot to sit down, gazing at the crowd in the square also waiting for work. He couldn't help but feel a wave of exhaustion.

"This place is too tough. Isn't there anywhere that isn't so cutthroat?"

Just as he sat down to rest, a chilling sensation surged through his heart.

"Please adhere to the ritual agreement, strive to fulfill your wishes, and do not deliberately slack off or procrastinate. 10."

"Damn it."

Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, but under the compulsion of the ritual's power, he had no choice but to push himself.

Considering his body hadn't fully recovered yet and the upcoming work might require physical strength, Zhang Yu decided not to practice the "Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques." Instead, he chose to refine his spiritual energy using the basic breathing method.

With each breath, faint strands of spiritual energy from the surroundings gathered and gradually converged into his dantian, being refined bit by bit into his spiritual power.

Time passed slowly as Zhang Yu continued his breathing exercises, and an hour went by.

During this hour, three groups of people came to recruit workers. Some were looking for temporary security personnel, others urgently needed cultivators for heavy labor at construction sites, and there was even a courier company hiring cultivators for sorting packages.

Zhang Yu gradually realized that most temporary jobs hiring Qi Refining cultivators were related to physical labor.

After all, Qi Refining cultivators didn't have a significant qualitative difference in intelligence or knowledge compared to ordinary people. However, their physical abilities were far superior, allowing them to excel in construction sites, factories, security, and other labor-intensive jobs, far surpassing the productivity of ordinary people.

Thus, many places in urgent need of extra hands would come to hire cultivators.

Although the compensation demanded by cultivators was much higher than that of ordinary people, it was still cost-effective.

If one cultivator could do the work of 30 ordinary people, they would only need to be paid ten times the amount.

The people waiting in the square were all capable of enduring the grueling "007" work schedule (working from 12 AM to 12 AM, 7 days a week).

Compared to them, Zhang Yu, who still needed four to five hours of sleep each day, was just an ordinary high school student who could still manage to get some rest.

Seeing the crowd rush to compete for jobs each time, Zhang Yu maintained his breathing exercises and didn't join the fray.

He knew that as a high school freshman, he couldn't compete with those who had already graduated.

He was waiting for the job Old Wang mentioned, specifically targeting high school students.

There were a few other high school students like Zhang Yu, some reading, some practicing breathing exercises, and others doing martial arts. None of them competed for the jobs, quietly waiting instead.

Another hour passed in the blink of an eye.

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*

Accompanied by the faint sound of cracking in the air.

Feeling that his body had rested enough, Zhang Yu began practicing the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques.

The people around him glanced over but quickly lost interest. It was common to see people practicing while waiting for work, and the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques, being a basic exercise, didn't attract much attention.

**Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques Level 2 (18/20)**

**Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques Level 2 (19/20)**

After completing two rounds of the techniques, Zhang Yu felt his muscles beginning to ache, but his spirit was invigorated. He was just one round away from reaching Level 3 in the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques.

This was something even Bai Zhenzhen, the top student in their grade, hadn't achieved.

And he had only spent two days to get this far.

Just as Zhang Yu began his third round of the techniques, a temporary job specifically for high school students finally appeared.

A car pulled up in front of the square, and the driver rolled down the window, shouting, "Any first or second-year high school students? We need two martial arts sparring partners."

A martial arts sparring partner is someone who accompanies a cultivator during combat training, following specific requirements.

Hearing the driver's call, the high school students who had been quietly waiting suddenly sprang into action, leaving afterimages in the air as they rushed to the car with the sound of wind and thunder.

"I'm a second-year!"

"My physical strength is at Level 2.15!"

The second-year students had a significant advantage in physical strength over the first-years. By the time Zhang Yu rushed over, he found that the spots in front of the driver were already occupied by burly figures, leaving him no room to squeeze in.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Even getting beaten up is so competitive. Don't these high school students have any self-respect?"

The driver scanned the students raising their hands and asked, "Any from key high schools?"

The number of raised hands immediately dropped by more than half.

Zhang Yu quickly raised his hand. "I'm from Songyang High!"

The driver then asked, "Anyone with Level 3 or above in practical martial arts?"

Looking at the remaining three students, the driver added, "Three hundred an hour. Interested?"

A student with a buzz cut complained, "Three hundred is too low, isn't it?"

But another student next to him quickly said, "I'll take three hundred!"

As the car sped away with the student inside, the buzz-cut student cursed, "Three hundred an hour? What a joke."

"Three hundred for a sparring session? If you can't afford it, don't hire anyone!"

Someone else chimed in, "Taking three hundred? What a scab! When that kid gets injured, he'll realize three hundred isn't even enough for medical bills."

With the employer gone, the students around dispersed, grumbling as they returned to their practice or studies.

Zhang Yu also went back to continue practicing the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques.

Given the current situation, he felt that he might not find a job today.

About ten minutes later, another car arrived looking for high school students, specifically first-years.

But this time, the job was to test a new drug developed in a lab for beginner cultivators.

Considering his physical condition, Zhang Yu decided not to apply and continued with his 20th round of the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques.

Shortly after, with a cracking sound, Zhang Yu executed the final move of the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques, successfully advancing the skill to Level 3.

**Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques Level 3 (0/30)**

At this moment, countless memories of practicing the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques flooded Zhang Yu's mind, making him feel as if he had practiced it thousands of times.

These memories weren't just about muscle memory; they also included the subtle circulation of spiritual energy within his body.

"Reaching Level 3 in the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques allows the practitioner to circulate spiritual energy throughout their body during the exercises, accelerating physical recovery and enhancement."

If Levels 1 and 2 of the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques were about damaging muscles during practice to forcibly extract spiritual energy for training, then Level 3 was about using the movements to guide spiritual energy through the body, nourishing the muscles and significantly improving the effectiveness of the training.

As Zhang Yu began another round of the techniques, warm currents flowed through his limbs with each movement, silently increasing his physical strength and gradually transforming him from an ordinary person into something more.

Under the influence of these warm currents, the aching and soreness in his muscles seemed to ease, allowing Zhang Yu to continue his practice more comfortably.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu felt his muscles contract and expand.

**Physical Strength: Level 0.84 → Level 0.85**

Glancing at the change in his physical strength on the Yu Book, Zhang Yu felt a flicker of joy.

Even without the ritual's compulsion, he was now motivated to continue practicing.

While Zhang Yu was engrossed in his training, the drug testing recruitment continued on the other side.

However, not many first-year students were willing to take on such a job.

Although the recruiter wanted five students, after much shouting, only two were hired before they left.

As the night deepened, fewer employers came to recruit, and Zhang Yu still hadn't found a job. He could only continue practicing the Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques.

**Thirty-Six Body Training Techniques Level 3 (6/30)**

By the time Zhang Yu completed his sixth round, he felt he couldn't keep waiting any longer.

He returned to the human resources company and saw Old Wang still sitting behind his desk, as if he hadn't moved for hours.

Zhang Yu took out a pack of cigarettes he had bought and handed it to Old Wang, asking, "Brother Wang, is there any job I can do?"

Old Wang glanced at the cigarettes and said indifferently, "I told you, if there's a job, they'll call outside."

Zhang Yu persisted, "I mean, besides those outside."

"Not all temporary jobs in Songyang City come here to recruit, right? Are there any others?"

After being pestered for a while, Old Wang impatiently said, "Fine, take a look yourself. It's not that I don't want you to work, but those other temporary jobs aren't easy."

Zhang Yu looked at a screenshot Old Wang sent to his phone, listing various long-term recruitment jobs.

Some involved signing contracts for long-term drug testing.

Others required participants to engage in long-term cultivation technique research.

There were also jobs exploring the depths of the Kunxu Underground as part of a support team.

And some involved assisting the police in combating criminals.

As Zhang Yu scanned through the list, he realized that these long-term jobs were either too dangerous or both dangerous and beyond his capabilities.

"These long-term jobs that can't fill their quotas are all traps."

Suddenly, Zhang Yu noticed one entry and asked, "Brother Wang, what's the danger in this cultivation technique research job?"

Old Wang casually replied, "They want you to test the latest cultivation techniques developed by big companies. They'll record any side effects, injuries, disabilities, or even deaths that occur during your practice..."

Zhang Yu gulped, then his eyes fell on another temporary job. "What about this beginner technique testing? Ten thousand for one session? Why only first-year high school students?"

Old Wang thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, that one. It seems the Xianyun Group developed a technique that's already been tested. It has no side effects and won't kill you."

"But the initiation process is too difficult. If you fail, you might suffer internal injuries, so they're constantly looking for testers."

"Since it's a technique meant for beginner cultivators, they specifically want first-year high school students to test it..."

At this point, he looked at Zhang Yu, who was listening intently, and frowned. "You're not thinking of doing this, are you? Last time, a student went and ended up with uncontrollable spiritual energy, suffering internal injuries. He took two weeks off school and still hasn't recovered."

"That ten thousand isn't easy to earn."

Zhang Yu shrugged helplessly. "I have no choice. I need the money, so I'll give it a try."

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