Chapter 315: Rankings Update
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Gongshu Jin’s eyes filled with disbelief.
“If simply consuming lifespan-shortening pills and working overtime could make someone this strong, there wouldn’t be any need for overtime. People would be paying just for the chance to work extra hours.”
However, Gongshu Jin also understood that even if Zhang Yu truly possessed some secret to learning, Immortal Dao experience, or hidden Immortal Dao Potential, he would naturally never reveal it so easily.
At the same time, Zhang Yu looked at Gongshu Jin and said, “I need to go work overtime now. But if you’re willing to pay me more Spirit Coins, I can stay and continue talking.”
Despite Zhang Yu’s offer, Gongshu Jin ultimately didn’t pay the Spirit Coins.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford them, but he simply didn’t see the point.
After calming down, Gongshu Jin quickly realized that Zhang Yu’s desperate work ethic… was utterly useless to him.
His own life was far more valuable than Zhang Yu’s. How could he recklessly throw it away like that?
“Even if I had the money to buy Life-Extending Pills, the more you take, the larger the dosage required, and the weaker the effect becomes.”
In Gongshu Jin’s eyes, the longer one extended their lifespan, the greater the cost of the next Longevity Extension.
And when the cost of Longevity Extension begins to exceed a cultivator’s income, one’s lifespan inevitably begins to approach its end.
“Natural lifespan has never been the true limit for cultivators in any Cultivation Realm.”
“A person’s true lifespan limit should be the maximum Longevity Extension they can afford.”
“Even if Zhang Yu manages to extend his life in the future, the lifespan he sacrificed by pushing himself so hard today is still gone.”
“His lifespan ceiling, income ceiling, and potential working years… they’ve all been permanently reduced…”
For Gongshu Jin, this was a decidedly unfavorable outcome.
As he watched Zhang Yu’s retreating figure, Gongshu Jin activated his mental cultivation technique. The Level 15 Azure Dragon Leaping Heaven Heart Technique surged within him, constantly rekindling his ambition to climb higher, soar into the heavens, and ascend to the upper echelons of Kunxu.
“I have my own path to follow. I simply need to proceed step by step, accumulating resources steadily until I can unleash my full potential. There’s no need to risk my life for fleeting gains.”
“Competing with wealth is the Immortal Dao I will follow.”
With this realization, he sent a message to his : “Master, I’ve lost.”
Her reply came swiftly: “How much money do you need?”
Seeing his master’s response, Gongshu Jin felt that his defeat today hadn’t crushed him at all. Instead, his inner fighting spirit and Immortal Dao Potential were surging forth with renewed vigor.
Next time, he would be even stronger.
Zhang Yu walked toward the construction site on the 666th floor.
Sensing his internal injuries and examining the bloodstains on his skin, he thought to himself, “The Ultimate Civil Engineering Sacred Body is powerful, but applying it is still too troublesome.”
“The ‘foreplay’ takes too long. Just to get myself injured or weakened requires a considerable amount of time.”
“And if I end up covered in blood again, I’ll have to shower and wash my clothes… even more of a hassle.”
As he pondered this, Zhang Yu slowly circulated his internal Magic Power, practicing a new breathing technique.
Heavenly Fortune Longevity Art (Level 3)
Having completed the Ultimate University Sacred Body and the Civil Engineering Sacred Body, Zhang Yu had recently resumed practicing breathing techniques, preparing to activate the Qi Meridian Everflow set from the Chain Formation Diagram.
The Heavenly Fortune Longevity Art he was currently practicing was one of the breathing techniques within the Qi Meridian Everflow set.
Despite its name containing the word Longevity, this technique didn’t actually extend one’s lifespan. Instead, while practicing the breathing technique, it simultaneously nourished his flesh and blood with spiritual energy and Magic Power, fortifying his body’s foundation.
Zhang Yu mused, “These three months of wilderness construction training have yielded rapid progress, but they’ve also nearly drained my body dry.”
He felt his body was like an empty shell — immensely powerful, yet lacking the foundation for further growth.
After all, Zhang Yu understood that Immortal Dao cultivation was never achieved out of thin air.
The human body was like a vast treasure trove. Over the past three months, the destructive exploitation of various medicinal herbs and cultivation arts had indeed yielded tremendous progress. However, the accumulated reserves of medicinal power, nutrients, energy, and other vital foundations that had been stored within his body over time had also been largely depleted.
“I need to replenish my reserves soon, otherwise my Immortal Dao cultivation progress will likely slow down significantly.”
Whenever this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Yu could feel the Spirit Coins in his account itching to be transformed into his Immortal Dao foundation, eager to merge with his body.
Just then, a message flashed across his Bionic Eye. It was Tu Lishan asking to buy some bodily materials from him.
Zhang Yu: “Is blood enough? What about saliva, seeds, or hair?”
Tu Lishan: “Just blood for now. If we get any results, we’ll ask for other samples.”
Zhang Yu shook his head regretfully. He knew the other party was unlikely to find any meaningful results.
“After all, my potential lies in my will and Feather Book, not some mere physical body.”
Just then, Tu Lishan spoke up again: “Oh, by the way, Director Gao is very impressed with you and plans to nurture your talents.”
Tu Lishan: “He’ll meet with you in a few days. Think carefully about what you need.”
Moments later, Zhang Yu arrived at the construction site on the 666th floor.
But just as he was about to cross the site’s entrance, a voice suddenly called out to him.
“Zhang Yu?”
Zhang Yu turned to see a security guard with sky-blue hair approaching.
As Zhang Yu felt the guard looked vaguely familiar, the man said, “It really is you? Don’t you remember me? Shengjie from Immortal Capital.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered, and he recalled the man’s identity.
“This guy… he was one of the four students from my and A-Zhen’s high school cohort who obtained the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.”
“But I was a sophomore back then, while he was a high school senior, so he entered university a year ahead of me.”
Yet Zhang Yu distinctly remembered Shengjie being a lackey under Wang Yin of the Oasis Group. Why hadn’t he enrolled in Netherworld University and instead chosen Myriad Laws University?
As if sensing Zhang Yu’s confusion, Shengjie smiled faintly. “You know, I worked for President Wang on the First Layer for a while.”
“Although President Wang treated his subordinates well, I could sense that… the atmosphere at Netherworld University and Oasis Group wasn’t a good fit for me. So when registration came around, I thought about it and switched to Myriad Laws University instead.”
Having climbed his way up from the bottom in Immortal Capital, Shengjie understood the first rule of being a “dog”: choose the right master.
During his time with President Wang on the First Layer, he gradually realized the man wasn’t a good choice — at least, not for him.
Listening to Shengjie’s explanation, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This kid’s pretty sharp.”
He glanced at Shengjie’s security guard uniform and the Class 16 ranking displayed above his head, then casually asked, “You joined the Security Department?”
“Yeah, I’m doing rotational assignments around University City this year, working security,” Shengjie replied with a nod. “You’re in the Civil Engineering Department, right? We might have opportunities to collaborate in the future.”
As he spoke, Shengjie’s gaze swept over Zhang Yu’s Class 28 ranking and then lingered on the injuries covering his body.
He thought to himself, “Zhang Yu’s rank has dropped to 28? And all these injuries… Looks like he’s not doing so well either.”
Although Shengjie and Zhang Yu hadn’t been particularly close back on the First Layer, seeing him here in Myriad Laws University City stirred a natural sense of kinship within Shengjie.
Recalling his own struggles as a freshman, Shengjie sighed with empathy and said to Zhang Yu, “It’s tough for us First Layer folks when we start university here. After all, it’s Myriad Laws University, not an easy place to coast through…”
After a brief chat, Shengjie returned to his post, where a fellow security guard remarked, “Is that guy ranked 28th from your hometown?”
“His ranking is way lower than yours, though.”
Shengjie forced an awkward smile. “He’s probably still adjusting.”
Another colleague chuckled. “Just getting into the Second Layer is already impressive. When he graduates and goes back home, he’ll probably be a big shot among the locals, right?”
Faced with his colleagues’ teasing, Shengjie could only maintain his awkward smile, the gap between them weighing on his mind. “Whether it’s me or Zhang Yu, we’ll always be worlds apart from these students at the top. Climbing to the top of our class is nearly impossible.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu entered the construction site and resumed his usual routine of overtime and cultivation.
His Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art continued to circulate, silently activating his enhanced healing abilities derived from his body’s heightened vitality, gradually mending his injuries.
While Zhang Yu was silently working overtime, many students in the Foundation Establishment Class were eagerly awaiting today’s ranking update.
Ying Xin, for instance, had already refreshed the class leaderboard multiple times.
“Gongshu Jin said he applied for the exam today, so the results should be released today, right?”
Watching the constantly updating rankings, Ying Xin seemed to witness a fierce clash between Gongshu Jin and Ji Yuanshu, like a dragon-tiger battle.
Although the two hadn’t fought face-to-face, Ying Xin could vividly imagine the intensity of their competition.
She could almost see hundreds of Spirit Coins evaporating behind each of them, transforming into terrifying surges of Immortal Dao Potential that collided fiercely, all for the sake of claiming the top spot in the class rankings.
Just then, Ying Xin’s eyes flickered — a message had been sent by a teacher in the Foundation Establishment group chat.
True Person Scorching Thunder: “The first semester’s grades have been fully updated. Please check your rankings and reflect on your achievements this semester.”
True Person Scorching Thunder: “@all”
True Person Scorching Thunder: “Here, I want to give special praise to one student whose performance this semester has shown a qualitative leap.”
Seeing the class ranking posted by class teacher Scorching Thunder, Ying Xin immediately clicked on it.
1st Place: Ji Yuanshu, Total Score 1228
2nd Place: Zhang Yu, Total Score 1201
3rd Place: Gongshu Jin, Total Score 1183
Ying Xin stared at the ranking in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief. “Zhang… Zhang Yu?!”
“How did he jump to second place? He even surpassed Gongshu Jin?!”
“And his total score is barely lower than Ji Yuanshu’s?!”
But a moment later, something seemed to dawn on Ying Xin, her gaze flickering slightly. “Considering what happened… it’s understandable that Ji Yuanshu didn’t outperform Zhang Yu by much.”
Still, the fact that Zhang Yu had surpassed Gongshu Jin to secure second place in the class left Ying Xin utterly baffled.
“How much did he actually earn in that project over the past three months?”
The thought of missing out on that project caused a sharp, tearing pain in Ying Xin’s heart, as if it were about to split open.
As True Person Scorching Thunder pinged everyone in the class group chat, Zhang Yu, who was working overtime at the construction site, naturally received the notification.
However, busy pouring concrete, he didn’t have a chance to check it right away. Then he noticed a flurry of messages had already been sent to him.
With a thought, Zhang Yu casually opened one.
Li Xiao: “Brother Yu, congratulations! [Fireworks][Fireworks]”
Zhang Yu: “?”
Li Xiao: “Haven’t you checked the rankings yet? You’re second in the class!”