Chapter 85

Over the next three days, Li Yao engaged in restorative training, striving to restore his body to its peak condition in the shortest time possible.

In summary, it all came down to two words: "eat" and "sleep."

Eat: He consumed high-energy compressed food specifically designed for the military. A piece the size of a fingernail was enough to sustain a low-level cultivator for an entire day of battling demon beasts, and Li Yao forced himself to eat a whole can every hour. He then used the "Whale Swallowing Technique" to voraciously absorb and refine it, converting it into the most basic form of energy to repair his overextended body.

After eating, he slept in a "deep sleep chamber" specially designed for Peng Hai's private cultivation room. One hour of deep sleep was equivalent to a full day and night of ordinary sleep!

To quickly restore his body and enter true cultivation, Li Yao simply slept during these days, without continuing to absorb Ouyezi's memory fragments in his dreams.

Every second, Li Yao felt his physical strength increase, as if every crack in his limbs and bones was being instantly repaired, making his body even stronger!

Three days later—

Li Yao jogged leisurely in the "Little Gray Domain," occasionally jumping, squatting, or throwing punches. His punches formed a series of shadows that slowly spread out in front of him.

He had already recovered his robust physique, growing three centimeters taller than before he fell into a coma. His body was neither fat nor thin, perfectly proportioned, with well-defined muscles that were not exaggerated, forming a streamlined shape, like pebbles polished by waterfalls for tens of thousands of years, neatly arranged on his solid bones.

His skin, pale from lack of sun exposure, radiated a healthy glow, exuding a powerful aura.

"My body has fully recovered, and I feel even stronger than before the coma. If I were to test my spirit root development now, I'm confident it has increased by at least 20 to 30 percentage points!"

Li Yao took a deep breath and, under ten times gravity, leaped four to five meters in a single step.

He squinted, feeling the endless strength flowing through his limbs and bones, and was extremely satisfied with his new body.

Ding Lingdang mocked:

"Spirit root development is just a vague number. At the Great Wasteland Combat Academy, only women worry about spirit root development all day—real tough guys only believe in their fists!"

Li Yao was taken aback, slowly clenching his fists:

"You're right. Even if my spirit root development is only 1%, I won't give up! Since that's the case, I'll ignore the development and start sprinting!"

"Wait."

Ding Lingdang raised her wrist, and a light screen shot out from her micro-crystal brain. "You've forgotten the most important thing—registering for the college entrance exam! I've checked, and registering as an individual is a very complicated process. You have to go to several places and undergo a comprehensive physical examination and pass several tests."

"Is it that complicated?"

Li Yao frowned, carefully examining the information on the light screen. Ding Lingdang was right. According to the "Individual Registration for College Entrance Exam Process," even if everything went smoothly, it would take three full days to complete. If any step went wrong, it could drag on for one to two weeks.

With less than a month left until the exam, every minute was precious, and he didn't want to waste so much time on this.

"Maybe I can ask the 'Disabled Veterans Association' if they can help shorten the registration process."

Thinking of this, Li Yao opened his micro-crystal brain and prepared to send a message to President Zhao of the Disabled Veterans Association in Fuguo City, asking if he had any connections. However, he received a message from Grandpa Wang, the owner of "Old Wang's Secondhand Shop."

The old man was repairing a large magical artifact system and needed help, as he couldn't manage it alone.

Li Yao hesitated, originally intending to refuse.

But Grandpa Wang had always treated him very well, especially after his father's death, treating him like a son. During his coma, the old man visited him in the hospital many times. After he woke up, Grandpa Wang even prepared a big meal at home and invited him, but Li Yao had refused, citing his busy cultivation schedule.

Thinking about it, he felt quite guilty towards the old man.

With this in mind, Li Yao readily agreed, planning to spend half a day with the old man.

On one hand, he would help with the repairs, and on the other, he wanted to show the old man that he was now fully recovered and as strong as ever, to put the old couple's minds at ease.

He told Ding Lingdang, who excitedly offered to take him in the Red Flame Combat Shuttle. Li Yao immediately refused and escaped back to the Tianyuan Realm via the teleportation array, then took the underground crystal rail train to the address Grandpa Wang had given him.

"Fuguo City Miners' Children High School?"

After more than an hour of travel, Li Yao arrived at the entrance of a dilapidated high school in the "Gray Rock District" in the northwest of Fuguo City.

Over a hundred years ago, the northwest of Fuguo City had several rich crystal mines. Several mining companies from various sects joined forces to develop the Gray Rock District into a prosperous mining area.

At its peak, it was home to 100,000 miners and several hundred thousand family members, with its own schools, hospitals, and various public facilities.

This miners' children high school was established during that time.

However, the good times didn't last. As the mines gradually depleted, all the sects withdrew, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of unemployed miners and their families. Those with connections left, leaving only a few tens of thousands of unemployed miners with no other skills, struggling to survive.

The miners' children high school became the worst school in Fuguo City, a world apart from private high schools like Chixiao No. 2 High School.

Li Yao walked into the school, feeling as if he had entered a wasteland ravaged by cultivators. The buildings were old and in disrepair, the playground was uneven, and in a corner stood a dusty strength testing machine, an antique from over a hundred years ago that would fall apart with a single breath.

The school's various infrastructure systems were built over a hundred years ago and had long exceeded their service life, causing various problems.

Grandpa Wang was repairing a large crystal tube system used to regulate the temperature in the classrooms.

The crystal tubes, like long snakes, ran through the ceiling of each classroom and converged in the array room behind the teaching building.

In the array room, there were two sets of completely opposite array systems. In summer, the "Ice Array" was activated, and the crystal tubes sprayed cold air. In winter, the "Fire Array" was activated, and the crystal tubes emitted warm air, keeping the classrooms at a comfortable temperature year-round.

Due to the alternating cold and heat, the crystal tubes were prone to cracking. Although the repairs were not complex, the tubes ran through dozens of classrooms, making the entire inspection process time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Grandpa Wang, being old and with poor eyesight, always called Li Yao to help with such projects.

Both of them were familiar with this simple repair work, so there was no need for much discussion. Li Yao rolled up his sleeves, bent over, and, together with Grandpa Wang, inspected each classroom, working hard for half a day and getting covered in dust. Finally, they managed to clean the crystal tubes from inside out and replace the broken ones.

Li Yao pressed his ear to the crystal tube and listened for a while. The sound was normal, and the array was running smoothly. The job was done!

Li Yao grinned, showing a row of white teeth on his blackened face: "Done, Grandpa Wang. I won't charge you this time. Consider it my way of showing respect to Grandma Wang. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way!"

"Wait."

Grandpa Wang smiled like a sly old fox, pulling Li Yao outside the teaching building. On the playground stood a chubby old man.

"Let me introduce you. This is Principal Mao of the Miners' Children High School, and he's also my old classmate."

"Hello, Principal Mao."

Li Yao blinked, feeling a bit puzzled. Repairing crystal tubes was not a major project, costing at most a few thousand credits. Why did Grandpa Wang bring the principal into this?

Principal Mao and Grandpa Wang exchanged a glance, both looking a bit awkward. After a moment of silence, Principal Mao forced a smile and said:

"Li Yao, this is the situation. I heard from Old Wang that you dropped out of Chixiao No. 2 High School and want to register for the college entrance exam as an individual. However, you may not know that the registration process for individuals is very complex. Moreover, you might not find a suitable place to cultivate on your own. So, if you don't mind, why don't you join our Miners' Children High School? The school will handle the registration process, and you can cultivate here. The cultivation equipment here, though old, is well-maintained and better than you practicing alone at home. As for the fees, don't worry. Old Wang and I have been friends for many years, and I won't charge you a penny!"

"What, Grandpa Wang, you're..."

Li Yao finally realized the true intention behind Grandpa Wang calling him over, feeling a warm sensation in his heart.

Grandpa Wang cleared his throat:

"Little Monster, I've heard about your situation. You offended someone at Chixiao No. 2 High School, and they have a lot of power, forcing you to drop out. Your body... has also had a small accident, making it difficult for you to get into a key university. But don't give up. Work hard here and aim for a good technical school. After graduation, come back and work with me. I don't have a son, and my grandchildren aren't interested in magical artifact repair. When I kick the bucket, my secondhand magical artifact shop will be yours. Whether you make money or not, at least you'll have a way to earn a living, right?"

Li Yao took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions.

Grandpa Wang didn't know that he had already recovered his strength or about the astonishing changes in his brain domain. He still thought Li Yao's spirit roots were torn and he had become a complete waste.

Even so, Grandpa Wang didn't give up on him and was doing his best to help, even finding him a school!

Although it was the worst school in Fuguo City, Li Yao knew that Grandpa Wang had done his best.

A warm feeling slowly filled Li Yao's chest.