Chapter 286: Civil Engineering Sacred Body, Ranking Soars
As Zhang Yu watched Zhang Pianpian’s Dao Seed flash briefly, he speculated, “Could it be that understanding someone’s Dao Seed requires gradually getting to know them, observing more of their abilities?”
Recalling his interactions with Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Indeed, I know Yu Xinghan inside and out, and I’ve spent a long time with Le Mulan, sharing many deep conversations.”
“Then it seems understanding Elder Sister’s Dao Seed will also require getting to know her better.”
But considering they now shared a dormitory, with plenty of time to interact, gradually understanding her Dao Seed shouldn’t be difficult. Just like today, when he caught a glimpse of the Supreme Clarity Talisman flashing briefly.
After his sister left, Zhang Yu reopened the platform recommended by Magic Power Class teacher Li Mingbo: Magic Power Treasure.
“Single magic power sales require a minimum of 1,000 units.”
“For sales under 1,000 units, you must sign a weekly or monthly supply contract, providing a stable daily supply of magic power.”
Zhang Yu examined his magic power, which had a quality of 113%, and saw that he could sell 100 units per day.
Staring at the endless string of zeros after the decimal point, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but curse, “This magic power is being sold way too cheaply.”
Fu Ji chuckled. “Heh heh, of course! With such abundant spiritual energy here, and the dorms are so much cheaper than the spirit veins on the First Layer, it means countless people can sell their low-quality magic power.”
“With so many sellers, how can the price ever go up?”
“The more Myriad Laws University students cultivate, the greater the supply of magic power becomes. The wealthy can then access cheaper magic power, which in turn forces students to cultivate even harder, constantly improving their magic power and its quality to fetch a higher price.”
Fu Ji sighed. “The students here are like magic power engines, endlessly consuming spiritual energy and churning out magic power, all while willingly paying for the privilege.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Low-quality magic power in small quantities is practically worthless now.”
“And if I can’t sell large amounts of improved magic power, I might as well focus on physical strength and prepare to earn money on construction sites.”
Zhang Yu understood that his ten years at the university were crucial. Every step of his plan mattered, impacting his grades and ranking. He couldn’t afford to be careless.
After receiving Zhang Pianpian’s advice and careful consideration, he decided to revise his cultivation plan.
“Now that I have the University Sacred Body, I can cultivate any cultivation art with exceptional speed. Whether I focus on my dao heart, magic power, physical body, or any other aspect, it doesn’t matter.”
With this realization, Zhang Yu decided to temporarily abandon his original plan to complete the Qi Meridian Everflow set.
“The Qi Meridian Everflow can only be delayed for now.”
“First, I’ll refine my body, then earn big money at the construction site. With enough funds, I can further enhance my cultivation efficiency.”
“At the same time, I need to conceal my true strength and avoid drawing too much attention…”
His previous cultivation efforts hadn’t been wasted, though. The Primordial Chaos Fetal Breath Sutra allowed him to constantly absorb spiritual energy and refine magic power. Even if he focused on physical refinement, this breathing technique would still be essential.
Zhang Yu opened the Great Library within his Bionic Eye and scanned through the volumes of expert-grade Body Refinement Techniques.
“Currently, the only Foundation Establishment Stage Body Refinement Technique I possess is the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen.”
“Level 10 Spring and Autumn Endless Zen is part of the Martial Dao Sacred Embryo.”
“Level 20 Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, on the other hand, is part of the Martial Dao Sacred Body.”
Zhang Yu speculated that the Martial Dao Sacred Body was likely the Foundation Establishment version of the Martial Dao Sacred Embryo.
“Based on the Martial Dao Sacred Embryo’s effects, its primary benefits are enhanced durability, self-healing, and increased martial dao power.”
“But right now, I need to focus on development. Chasing high attack, high defense, and high HP… it’s not really worth it.”
After all, Zhang Yu thought, what good is being strong when you’ve just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage? Making money is what truly matters.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the descriptions of expert-grade cultivation arts in the Great Library, revealing one Chain Method Diagram Set after another.
“Volcano Melting Bone, Kunpeng Young Embryo, Burning Blood Incinerating Body…”
Zhang Yu pursed his lips. Though he could see the names of these sets through the expert-grade descriptions, he wouldn’t know their specific effects unless he actually mastered them.
“I’ll just have to guess from the names.”
After a frenzy of browsing and careful selection, Zhang Yu finally settled on a set: Civil Engineering Sacred Body.
While the other sets looked promising, Zhang Yu’s mindset remained unchanged:
“What good is being strong? University students compete on who has the most money.”
He listed the Body Refinement Techniques under the Civil Engineering Sacred Body from lowest to highest price, then chose the cheapest expert-grade Foundation Establishment cultivation art: Earth Devouring Divine Art.
This art condensed a voracious magic power, which then decomposed and consumed materials to forge the physical body and enhance its strength.
As the cultivation art advanced, the materials consumed evolved from basic soil to cement, then concrete, and eventually steel bars and alloys. The stronger the material decomposed, the more effective the body refinement became.
Of course, this Foundation Establishment Cultivation Art’s method of strengthening the physical body through material consumption differed from true sustenance. While eating steel bars and cement could enhance one’s physique, it wouldn’t keep one alive. Regular meals remained essential.
However, just as Zhang Yu was skimming the cultivation art’s description, he noticed a line of crimson text at the bottom:
“This cultivation art is a legitimate Body Refinement Technique. We do not condone any theft from construction sites. Practitioners are advised to purchase cultivation materials through legitimate channels.”
Zhang Yu paused, then scrolled down to find a series of news reports about construction site thefts: stolen cables, stolen steel bars, stolen concrete, stolen monsterfolk…
“So, this is a warning to practitioners not to steal materials from construction sites for cultivation?”
After spending 0.3 Spirit Coins, Zhang Yu obtained the electronic rights to the cultivation art.
He skimmed through it and recalled Zhang Pianpian’s warning. This time, he didn’t cultivate at his dormitory entrance but instead hurried to the area below the 100th floor of Myriad Laws University City.
As Zhang Yu stepped through the Primordial Magnetic Channel and arrived on the 99th floor, his first impression was one of profound silence.
The streets were deserted, with only dull gray concrete underfoot.
The air was devoid of advertisements, projections, or signs.
Whether observed with the naked eye or through his Bionic Eye, the entire 99th floor was eerily quiet, as if the entire floor were uninhabited.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the buildings lining the streets, noting that most windows were dimly lit.
He wondered inwardly, “Could it be that this floor has an unusually small population?”
Though the situation felt strange, Zhang Yu had no immediate interest in investigating the cause. Activating the power of his Detection Ritual, he confirmed that the number of surveillance cameras on this floor was indeed significantly reduced.
Descending to the 95th floor, Zhang Yu found a corner free of surveillance cameras.
Throughout his journey from the 99th floor to the 95th floor, the silence remained unbroken. He hadn’t encountered a single person along the way.
“Could it be that ordinary people are concentrated in the lower floors? Are these upper floors less populated?”
Shaking his head to suppress his doubts, Zhang Yu refocused his attention on his cultivation.
He swallowed a pre-prepared piece of cement, then channeled his voracious magic power, initiating the Earth Devouring Divine Art.
As he cultivated this art, Zhang Yu felt an unparalleled surge of power erupt from his stomach. In an instant, aided by the voracious magic power’s decomposition, the cement was pulverized into dust.
Startled by this phenomenon, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The University Sacred Body… has granted me digestive capabilities at the Foundation Establishment Peak.”
“Under these circumstances, the power my stomach can unleash likely surpasses even the strength of my hands.”
Realizing this, Zhang Yu suddenly recognized how perfectly the University Sacred Body’s digestive power complemented the Earth Devouring Divine Art.
In the next moment, he was already fully focused on his cultivation once more.
Earth Devouring Divine Art Level 1
Fu Ji surveyed the surroundings, thinking, “This place is deserted, with blind spots beyond surveillance. It’s perfect for setting up a ritual.”
“Since ascending to Level 2 Evil God, I’ve been stuck in Myriad Laws University City without a chance to establish a new ritual. This might be my opportunity…”
After a moment’s thought, Fu Ji decided to observe further, ensuring the area was sufficiently secure before suggesting Zhang Yu prepare the ritual.
In the following days, Zhang Yu spent his time outside of classes on the 100th floor below, cultivating the Earth Devouring Divine Art.
The Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art and Primordial Chaos Fetal Breath Sutra operated continuously, aided by the University Sacred Body, constantly enhancing his dao heart and magic power.
As for his performance in class and the basic data checks, he used the Counter-Detection Ritual to subtly conceal his progress, making his improvements appear less astonishing.
Outside the Bionic Rental Center, Li Xiao, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin and others walked out, chatting and laughing.
“I’ll head back now.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow.”
“No problem. I can definitely afford the Spirit Coins.”
After joking around with his classmates for a while, Li Xiao cheerfully headed toward the dormitory. As he walked, the current class rankings popped up within his Bionic.
Seeing that he had maintained his 10th-place position with 295 points, his smile widened.
Looking down the list, he was suddenly surprised. “Zhang Yu moved from 19th to 18th place? 272 points… Is he finally starting to improve?”
Li Xiao shook his head. Half of the three-month foundational course had already passed, making it impossible for Zhang Yu to catch up to him now.
A few days later, Li Xiao checked the class rankings again at dawn. He saw that he remained in 10th place with 296 points, while Zhang Yu had climbed to 16th place with 275 points. Li Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly.
“His score is increasing so quickly?” Li Xiao thought to himself. “It seems he’s stopped wasting time on those basic cultivation arts.”
If Zhang Yu had suddenly surpassed Li Xiao in one fell swoop, causing his ranking to skyrocket, Li Xiao might have given up on competing.
But seeing Zhang Yu steadily climb the ranks day by day, Li Xiao only felt more determined to invest even greater effort and Spirit Coins to crush Zhang Yu completely.
Just then, a message popped up from Ying Xin on his Bionic: “Want to go to the Divine Soul Cloud Sea together today?”
Li Xiao immediately replied, “Yes! Let’s train for ten hours today.”
In the days that followed, Li Xiao cultivated with even greater intensity. His account balance dwindled, his debt on the lending platform grew, and his cultivation advanced steadily.
Every morning, the first thing he did was check his and Zhang Yu’s rankings.
14th place: Zhang Yu, 279 points
Li Xiao thought, “How much money is this guy spending?”
12th place: Zhang Yu, 284 points
“His debt is probably no less than mine.”
11th place: Zhang Yu, 296 points
10th place: Li Xiao, 301 points
“The official start of the semester is only a month away. I can’t afford to lose here…”
Watching Zhang Yu gradually close the gap in Comprehensive Points over the past few days, Li Xiao grew increasingly anxious.
“Once I get into the construction site… only by getting into the construction site can I repay my loans!”
“The competition in the Immortal Dao is all about seizing the initiative! Fall behind even one step, and you’ll fall behind at every turn.”
“If I can’t get into the construction site first, the pressure from my loans will severely hinder my cultivation progress.”
“Zhang Yu… wants to compete in Immortal Dao potential?”
“Then bring it on!”
“Teacher Tu will definitely take me to the construction site first!”
With this thought, a ruthless glint flashed across Li Xiao’s face as he opened the collateral function on the lending platform.
Several days later, Li Xiao checked the newly updated leaderboard at dawn.
His eyes were fixed on the rankings.
9th place: Li Xiao, 308 points
8th place: Zhang Yu, 309 points