Chapter 319: Grand Mansion and Qi Luck
“My future plans?”
Hearing Director Gao’s question, countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind before he finally replied, “I want to participate in the Ten Greats League.”
Zhang Yu’s answer stunned not only Tu Lishan, but even Director Gao was momentarily taken aback.
Director Gao had anticipated many possible answers from Zhang Yu: a straightforward desire for wealth, a wish to remain in his current position, or perhaps a declaration of loyalty to Myriad Laws University…
But he never expected the young man to aspire to join the Ten Greats League.
At that moment, Director Gao’s gaze toward Zhang Yu deepened with newfound meaning. He thought to himself, “This kid… has even greater ambition than I imagined.”
Yet Director Gao had never feared ambitious or driven students. In fact, he believed that the more ambitious and driven a student was, the greater their potential for success.
After all, without ambition or desire… why cultivate immortality? Why not just live as a mortal, eking out a life of mediocrity until death?
Originally, Director Gao had viewed Zhang Yu as merely a First Layer student risking his life for advancement. But now, upon learning of Zhang Yu’s ambition to compete in the Ten Greats League, he held him in higher regard.
Director Gao scrutinized Zhang Yu before him and said calmly, “To compete, you need to be among the top students in the entire department. Right now, you’re still far from that level.”
Zhang Yu replied with unwavering resolve, “I’ll give it my all to try.”
Seeing the determination in Zhang Yu’s eyes and sensing the unwavering resolve in his spirit under his scrutiny, Director Gao smiled faintly. This Zhang Yu was even more interesting and slightly more impressive than he had initially anticipated.
“Alright then, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance,” Director Gao said. “From now on, you must participate in at least one construction site project each semester. Serving the department will also provide you with valuable practical experience.”
“However, you may freely choose which project you wish to join.”
As he spoke, a series of Civil Engineering Department projects materialized within Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye via Spirit Realm Projection.
They included constructing War Fortresses on the front lines of battlefields, renovating ancient tombs deep in remote mountains, upgrading the Spirit Realm Network data center, expanding Joyful Union University’s amusement park, and building a flying sword laboratory…
Gazing at these projects, Zhang Yu’s mind immediately buzzed with possibilities. Staring intently at one particular project, he murmured to himself, “They even have this? I absolutely have to go!”
“Not yet, though,” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “I need to recover from my physical depletion first, then I’ll go mooch free meals at the construction site.”
Director Gao continued, “Of course, the department won’t just have you doing all the work.”
“In addition to your salary, you’ll have access to discounted medications. You can directly obtain discounted drugs from the Pharmacy Institute in the future.”
“We’ll also gradually grant you access to experimental medications not available on the market.”
As he spoke, a drug purchase list and the Pharmacy Institute’s contact information materialized as files and were transmitted to Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye.
Director Gao paused, seemingly weighing his words, before finally adding, “Starting today, this student dormitory suite on the 318th floor will be temporarily assigned to you.”
The dormitory address, condition, and access keys were immediately transmitted to Zhang Yu’s interface.
The suite was a 15-square-meter upper-tier dormitory with a living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a six-meter-high ceiling. It came with ample monthly supplies of spiritual energy and data bandwidth. The dormitory floor also offered paid services such as laundry, cleaning, practice rooms, and laboratories.
Director Gao continued, “I’ve also granted you access to the Anti-Gravity Passage. You can use it freely from now on.”
Zhang Yu knew that the central Anti-Gravity Passage was a high-speed vertical transport system spanning the entirety of Myriad Laws University City. By using the passage, one could quickly reach any floor of the city in mere seconds.
Whether it was the 318th-floor dormitory or the Anti-Gravity Passage, both significantly enhanced Zhang Yu’s convenience in daily life and cultivation, saving him considerable time.
But this wasn’t all. Director Gao gazed at Zhang Yu and offered one final enticement.
“If you manage to secure the top rank in your freshman class at the end of this semester,” Director Gao said, “I’ll accept you as my nominal disciple.”
Tu Lishan, who was standing nearby, felt a jolt of surprise. “Director Gao never mentioned this before, did he? Is this a spur-of-the-moment decision?”
Becoming a disciple of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, even just a nominal disciple, was an opportunity countless students dreamed of.
In Tu Lishan’s view, Director Gao had just showered Zhang Yu with benefits and such a monumental opportunity. Wouldn’t this push Zhang Yu to cultivate like mad, stopping at nothing until his death?
But the next moment, Tu Lishan’s “pie-in-the-sky” alarm bells began ringing in his mind. He immediately realized, “Wait a minute, Director Gao probably doesn’t actually expect Zhang Yu to defeat Ji Yuanshu and take first place in the class.”
“He’s just using this opportunity as a registered disciple like bait, dangling it in front of Zhang Yu to keep him striving relentlessly.”
Still, Tu Lishan understood that being worthy of Director Gao’s empty promises… was itself a testament to Zhang Yu’s exceptional talent. After all, ordinary students wouldn’t even have the chance to be offered such hollow rewards.
Noticing the series of expressions flickering across Zhang Yu’s face, Director Gao patted his shoulder and smiled warmly. “Don’t get too excited. What I promise, I’ll deliver. Just give it your all and don’t hold back.”
Zhang Yu’s mind raced with worry: “Damn it… If I excel too much in Civil Engineering, will they try to block my transfer to the Artifact Refinement Department later? Will they force me to become someone’s disciple? I don’t want to spend my whole life on construction sites!”
Staring at Director Gao’s smiling face, Zhang Yu finally asked, “Can I keep living with my current roommates in the new dormitory?”
To Director Gao, this was clearly a trivial matter. He casually remarked, “The dormitory assigned to you is your responsibility. Handle it as you see fit.”
After leaving the Civil Engineering Department building, Zhang Yu suddenly realized they hadn’t even signed a contract for this agreement.
Fu Ji chuckled. “For someone of his stature, signing a contract with you… would be a self-imposed restriction. Without a contract, he has plenty of ways to ensure you uphold your end of the bargain. But if he decides not to honor the agreement, there’s nothing you can do.”
Zhang Yu took a deep breath, thinking to himself, “I need to keep getting stronger, richer, and continue climbing the ladder.”
He then sent news of the new dormitory to their group chat.
Yu Xinghan: “A 15-square-meter mansion?!”
Le Mulan: “This is so much closer to the classrooms!”
Zhang Pianpian: “The monthly data allowance for this upper-tier dormitory is generous!”
That night, Zhang Yu moved to the 318th-floor dormitory with Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and Zhang Pianpian.
Seeing the dormitory expand from 5 square meters to 15 square meters, Zhang Yu felt his body finally able to relax, no longer needing to suppress his muscles. His arms and legs could finally stretch out comfortably.
Zhang Yu sent Le Mulan a list of discounted medicines and asked, “Mulan, can you help me figure out which ones are the best deals and most suitable for me?”
Just then, someone @-mentioned him in the Foundation Establishment Class group chat.
“Is that Ji Yuanshu?”
Myriad Laws University City.
Inside a 100-square-meter suite on the 450th floor, Ji Yuanshu’s consciousness returned from the depths of the Spirit Realm, concluding his one-on-one Finance course.
Over the past semester, despite being a student in the Civil Engineering Department, he had paid little attention to his major courses, focusing instead on Finance.
After all, according to his plan, he was merely a temporary visitor in Civil Engineering, while Finance would be his true calling.
The Heavenly Chosen in the Finance Department were his future rivals.
For Ji Yuanshu, as long as he maintained his position as the top student in his class, he should prioritize Finance courses to prepare for the intense competition ahead.
Just then, a message flashed across his Bionic Eye — a message from his master, Deputy Director Lin of the Civil Engineering Department.
Director Lin: “What’s going on? Why did you only lead the second-place student by 26 points in the final rankings?”
Sensing his master’s disappointment and reproach, Ji Yuanshu hurriedly explained, “I’ve been spending more time on finance courses.”
Director Lin: “Are you saying that studying finance has actually made your Civil Engineering performance worse?”
Director Lin: “When I told you to study Finance, did I mean for you to end up like this?”
Ji Yuanshu didn’t reply. Instead, his mind drifted back to his master’s words:
“Yuanshu, the Civil Engineering Department… it’s like scavenging leftovers in a mud pit.”
“If you pursue Civil Engineering solely for construction without understanding Finance, you’ll spend your entire life eating dirt on construction sites.”
“Even profiting from the University War is just a desperate attempt to survive, eating scraps.”
“Only by grasping Qi Luck and riding the Great Tide of Humanity can you truly advance.”
The memories flashed through Ji Yuanshu’s mind.
At that moment, Director Lin sent another message: “This year, regardless of grade level, we must crush them and drive their stock prices into the ground.”
Director Lin: “Make good use of what you’ve learned in the Finance Department.”
Director Lin: “For the first-year final comprehensive score, I want you to lead the second-place student by at least 100 points.”
Seeing Director Lin’s demands, Ji Yuanshu didn’t refuse.
He understood that in this Civil Engineering Department’s ideological struggle, his position was merely a pawn in a larger battle, and he had no right to refuse.
And… he genuinely believed he could pull it off.
“I’ve indeed mastered the basics of the Finance Department’s Qi Luck Dao Technique.”
“In that case, let’s test the waters with a small-scale trial.”
After checking the current class rankings, Ji Yuanshu lightly tapped his fingertip. The Qi Luck Divination service from the Finance Department materialized in his Bionic Eye.
Data for Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin flooded his vision: their rankings, grades, consumption records, loan details, work hours, classroom performance, health status, addresses, income, savings, and more.
Predictions regarding their interests, personalities, potential, and lifespans followed in turn.
Ji Yuanshu murmured, “According to the final Qi Luck forecast, neither of them stands even the slightest chance of surpassing me.”
Data for all other classmates materialized next, aiding Ji Yuanshu in anticipating their individual intentions.
“To most, my victory is inevitable.”
“I hold both the hearts of the people and the Great Tide of Humanity in my grasp.”
Having confirmed the Great Tide, Ji Yuanshu understood that the next step was to further guide public sentiment and harness Qi Luck.