Chapter 132: Finding Channels, Image Design
Hearing Zhang Yu’s question, Fu Ji thought with a sigh of annoyance, What a hassle. This guy really does care about his sister.
Fu Ji knew that giving a vague answer would only make him more curious.
So, after a moment of thought, Fu Ji said, “The so-called Divine Dao is when you are noticed early by the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods, and then you sign a contract to be cultivated by them.”
“Not only do you receive resources, but you also receive the guidance of a god.”
“Especially in the Dao of Talismans, they can truly master talisman-related cultivation techniques, modify various parameters of talismans, even customize their own exclusive talismans, and directly borrow the power of the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods.”
“It’s not like you lot who can only dumbly trace over a Talisman Tome. Once the money runs out, all you can do is stare blankly at it.”
“I once saw a true talisman master fight another who used talismans. With a single Reporting Talisman, he froze the opponent’s bank account, leaving them to just stare blankly at their Talisman Tome.”
“Does stepping onto the Divine Dao mean you can use talismans without money?”, Zhang Yu asked,.
“Of course not. What god would you pray to without money?” Fu Ji said. “But people who have stepped onto the Divine Dao have a high credit limit. They are all postnatal Sacred Bodies of Borrowing, with unfathomable potential.”
Fu Ji sighed. “Every time you think you’ve finally bankrupted them, they somehow manage to borrow another sum of money and their combat power skyrockets on the spot. They get stronger after borrowing. That’s why these guys are best at breaking through in the middle of a fight.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu began to understand. Was this the difference between an insider and a regular user? And talismans had actual cultivation techniques? And being noticed early by the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods…
Zhang Yu recalled the memories of his sister from the original owner’s mind.
The Zhang Pianpian of the past seemed to have changed starting from elementary school, becoming more mature, smarter, and more assertive.
But the Zhang Yu of that time was too young, spending his days either being criticized or beaten by his sister, and hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
And now, although more curiosity and doubt welled up in his heart, the point he cared about most was…
“So many benefits?” Zhang Yu said grimly. “Then what’s the price? What is it?”
This was Kunxu. Zhang Yu didn’t believe in stories where righteous gods admired a mortal’s talent, took them as a disciple, and nurtured them to success.
In the world of Kunxu, any gift from a wealthy person or a god surely had its price marked long in advance.
Fu Ji had a ready answer for this. “All talents who sign a contract with a righteous god and step onto the Divine Dao must join the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods after graduating from university, working for free as a divine official for several decades to several centuries, depending on the contract.”
Zhang Yu gasped. Working for free for that long? His sister had been downgraded from a mere worker to a true beast of burden.
Fu Ji continued, “Of course, people who want to step onto the Divine Dao need to have a certain talent.”
Zhang Yu asked, “What talent?”
Fu Ji chuckled. “They must be poor.”
“After all, it’s not just the rich who are born that way.”
“Those who serve as beasts of burden are also born to it. If your family isn’t poor enough, you can’t be one.”
Damn it… Zhang Yu was speechless, only able to lament his family’s exceptional talent.
Observing Zhang Yu’s expression, Fu Ji knew she had deflected him for now. He should be more concerned about himself, she thought.
Recalling Zhang Pianpian’s performance, Fu Ji mused, From that woman’s behavior, the righteous god she signed with is likely a major deity, involving a divine post arrangement above the 10th layer.
Once Zhang Yu goes to university, he’ll realize this isn’t something he should be concerned with.
Not long after Zhang Yu finished speaking with Fu Ji, Bai Zhenzhen called him over.
They met the contact person from the Immortal Resonance Group and were then led to a makeup room.
Inside the makeup room, Yu Xinghan and Song Hailong were already waiting.
This time, it was a joint advertisement shoot for the top-ranked students in the sports competition who also had connections with the Immortal Resonance Group.
Yu Xinghan was scrolling through ads on his phone. He glanced at the two who had just walked in and greeted them, “Yo, you’re here too.”
Song Hailong, who was seizing the moment to perform a breathing exercise, nodded at them and then resumed his ascetic training.
It was only because of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s current achievements that they warranted a greeting.
If it had been Zhao Tianxing who walked in, these two ‘White Dragon people’ would probably have ignored him, both transforming into cold icebergs.
Zhang Yu, however, struck up another conversation, asking, “Do you guys have any channels for spirit veins or the Spirit Realm?”
Yu Xinghan’s eyes lit up. He stopped scrolling through ads and asked, “What? You want to rent one?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “You have connections?”
Yu Xinghan chuckled. “Spirit veins are a no-go. That stuff is in high demand; every single spot is occupied. You can only rent them, and you have to get in line. I don’t have any connections to offer you.”
Song Hailong suddenly chimed in from the side, “For spirit veins, you should look for Xiong Wenwu and Hu Yuntao. Red Pagoda Husbandry is the biggest landowner in Songyang City.”
“The three large spiritual energy ecosystem protected areas within a hundred-kilometer radius are all managed by Red Pagoda Husbandry.”
Zhang Yu nodded silently, committing this to memory.
Yu Xinghan added, “I can’t help with spirit veins, but as for the Spirit Realm, I might be able to figure something out for you.”
The Spirit Realm, a spiritual world created jointly by the Ten Great Sects, was what Zhang Yu considered to be something like a virtual network world.
Because of its unique nature, the Spirit Realm had functions for teaching, examinations, and tempering the Dao heart.
It was said that the higher one’s level in Kunxu, and the more profound their realm, the greater the influence and the more functions the Spirit Realm possessed.
True Person Starfire, as a Golden Core True Person from the upper layers, also had considerable assets in the Spirit Realm, including his own Spirit Realm grotto-heaven. Even while on the first layer, he could occasionally travel to the upper layers of Kunxu through the Spirit Realm.
But for those on the lower layers of Kunxu with insufficient cultivation, especially the poor on the first layer… the restrictions of the Spirit Realm were significant. Even the daily number of access times and destinations were strictly limited. Accessing the Spirit Realm of the upper layers of Kunxu required passing through layers of approval.
One could imagine that using the Spirit Realm to train one’s Dao heart was yet another business.
At this moment, Yu Xinghan thought for a moment and said, “I need to go back and ask my master. I’ll give you an answer in a while.”
A moment later, the makeup artists for the group arrived.
The lead makeup artist was petite but stunningly beautiful. Her eyes, nose, ears… every part of her was perfectly proportioned, like a flawless statue.
The makeup artist said, “Everyone, my name is Miao Yun. I’m your image designer for today.”
“Today’s advertisement requires us to capture your transformation before and after receiving the demonic muscle.”
As a mature corporate drone and veteran beast of burden who hadn’t been fired in 50 years, Miao Yun was proficient in skills like expense reimbursement, blame-shifting, holding meetings, and making proposals. She was also the record holder for the longest meeting attendance at the Immortal Resonance Group’s Songyang branch.
Her rich experience told her that top high school students who came for ad shoots often had strong personalities, so you couldn’t give them a choice. You had to give them direct orders.
She said, “In a moment, we will first apply makeup to make you look thinner, poorer, and weaker…”
Zhang Yu understood. This was to create the feeling of being poor, ugly, and pathetic before the surgery, and tall, rich, and handsome after.
Next, Miao Yun approached Song Hailong, thinking inwardly, What a hassle. She hated changing the image of large-sized people the most. It took a long time and consumed a lot of magic power, but the performance evaluation was the same as for smaller people.
But at least he’s not as big as a body tempering influencer…
Miao Yun recalled the time she damaged a body tempering influencer’s fake muscles and had been paying compensation ever since, a wave of bitterness washing over her.
I wonder if my overtime application for next month has been approved. I can’t get by without overtime.
Though her mind was racing, Miao Yun’s movements were skilled and swift.
Her fingertips tapped repeatedly on Song Hailong’s body, pouring in streams of magic power. His muscles suddenly shrank and contracted, and even the position of his bones began to shift.
Especially after her fingers pressed over his eyebrows, eyes, and cheeks, Song Hailong’s image and temperament changed drastically. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a strong little giant to a thin, wretched-looking figure.
After finishing, Miao Yun rubbed her hands. Song Hailong’s body was quite tough, and altering it had taken a considerable amount of her effort.
Zhang Yu, watching from the side, was slightly astonished, as he couldn’t follow Miao Yun’s hand speed at all. This makeup artist’s strength was far beyond that of a student like him.
He sighed internally, As expected of a corporate drone from a big company, their combat power is stronger than a high school student’s.
Seeing Song Hailong’s sudden transformation, he mused, It’s like sculpting a person.
He also realized that Miao Yun’s own perfect, exquisite appearance was likely sculpted by herself.
Next, Miao Yun walked up to Yu Xinghan. After placing a finger on him, she said, “Nice magic power resistance. But you can turn it off for now.”
Yu Xinghan said, embarrassed, “It’s a body hardening technique. I can’t really turn it off.”
Miao Yun sighed helplessly. Even more than large clients, she hated clients who practiced body hardening techniques. The difficulty instantly went from kneading clay to bending steel bars, causing even more wear and tear on her hands.
Looks like these hands won’t last the year. I’ll have to get them replaced, she thought with an internal sigh.
When Miao Yun got to Bai Zhenzhen, she observed her features for a moment and suddenly said, “Young lady, I quite like your face shape. Are you selling the face model?”
Bai Zhenzhen, with her icy demeanor, said flatly, “With a face like mine, do you think I would have reached this age without having sold the model?”
“True enough.” Miao Yun smiled. “Tell me the name, I’ll go collect one.”
As a veteran makeup artist and image designer, Miao Yun always collected various face models to keep up with the latest trends; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to pass the company’s annual technical assessment.
In her eyes, Bai Zhenzhen’s face model was a kind of technical reserve.
As for Song Hailong and Yu Xinghan just now? They were purely the plastic surgery faces of the rich, used to maintain their image or hide their true identities.