Chapter 328: Hot-Blooded Civil Engineering
Zhang Yu switched to Qi Meridian Everflow, feeling his Magic Power rapidly replenish. “Don’t worry about it,” he said casually. “Just focus on improving your Magic Power Quality.”
“You should be able to sense it — your Magic Power is about to break through a bottleneck.”
Le Mulan nodded. Recently, she had felt her Magic Power becoming increasingly cold and dark. While it didn’t harm her directly, it occasionally leaked out uncontrollably, causing various strange phenomena in the outside world.
She had a feeling that if she continued at this pace, her Magic Power would undergo a qualitative transformation within the next week or two.
This rapid improvement in Magic Power Quality was largely thanks to Zhang Yu.
The enhanced Magic Power Quality had also made her cultivation more efficient, accelerating her progress and prompting the Le Family of the Second Layer to invest even more resources in her.
Thinking of this, Le Mulan glanced at Zhang Yu and sighed inwardly. She never imagined that the money she had once spent on him would return to her, doubled, in this unexpected way.
Just then, Zhang Yu handed her another measuring cup. “Oh, by the way, here’s your share of the goods too.”
Le Mulan nodded. “I’ll transfer the Spirit Coins to you as soon as they’re credited.”
Feeling the warmth emanating from the measuring cup, Le Mulan immediately deduced from her extensive experience, “This must have been produced shortly before I arrived. That’s incredibly fast.”
“Zhang Yu’s recent production efficiency has been remarkably high… Could it be due to taking too many tonic pills?”
After replenishing his Magic Power, Zhang Yu wasted no time leaving his dormitory and hurrying back to the construction site.
With the cemetery’s renovation already more than half complete, he felt an increasing urgency to make the most of the remaining time, aiming to absorb as much spiritual energy as possible through breathing techniques while working on the site.
“It’s a shame I won’t have President Wang’s company for the rest of this project.”
Navigating the familiar underground passages, Zhang Yu arrived at his assigned work area for the day.
As usual, he activated the Detection Ritual within his body and scanned the locations of nearby surveillance cameras.
Having accumulated numerous secrets, Zhang Yu had made it a habit to meticulously check and memorize camera positions to avoid unnecessary complications.
But this time, as the ritual’s feedback pulsed through him, he glanced at the wall to his left and suddenly frowned slightly. “There’s a hidden camera here?”
“Could they be here specifically to film me?”
With that thought, Zhang Yu activated the power of his Surveillance Ritual, attempting to control the camera. In the next moment, he gained access to the camera’s monitoring view.
“This is…”
Looking at the surveillance footage, Zhang Yu discovered it was a multi-angle camera capable of simultaneously capturing the construction site and a hidden passage behind a wall.
“There’s a secret passage here?”
Controlling the camera, Zhang Yu examined the haphazardly dug tunnels behind the wall, thinking, “This doesn’t look like an official engineering project. It’s more like someone’s been secretly digging.”
Curiosity piqued, Zhang Yu wondered who had excavated this hidden passage.
But after considering it, he decided to ignore it.
Who knew what secrets it might hold, what interests it might implicate, or what dangers lurked within?
For the next few days, Zhang Yu acted as if he hadn’t discovered the passage, continuing his usual work and breathing exercises.
One day, he received a message in the class group chat from True Person Scorching Thunder, addressed to everyone:
True Person Scorching Thunder: “Students interested in participating in this year’s construction competition can now register. If you’re interested, please let me know.”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered as he read the message. He knew that the various competitions provided students with additional avenues to improve their overall academic scores. Relying solely on grades from coursework would no longer be sufficient to maintain a top ranking in the university.
To learn more about the construction competition, Zhang Yu sought out True Person Scorching Thunder for clarification.
He discovered that this annual event was a crucial competition for architecture and civil engineering students, encompassing both architectural design and civil engineering aspects.
The competition’s format involved an initial selection round within Myriad Laws University’s colleges. The selected teams would then represent the university and compete against teams from other universities.
“This year’s finals will be held at Celestial Monsters University at the end of the year.”
“However, the internal selection rounds will begin in the second half of the year.”
“Although the official competition doesn’t start until after the end-of-semester exams, team registration and formation are already underway. After all, competition teams need time to gel and develop synergy.”
Soon after, Tu Lishan also sent Zhang Yu a message.
Tu Lishan: “Have you heard about the construction competition?”
Tu Lishan: “There’s a team recruiting members. You should give it a try.”
Tu Lishan: “You’re just a freshman, so don’t worry about the outcome. Focus on gaining experience.”
Following Tu Lishan’s recommendation, Zhang Yu made time the next day to visit the construction site on the 667th floor.
Upon arriving at the agreed-upon location, he saw a slender girl warming up.
Observing her less muscular build and the ranking displayed above her head, Zhang Yu thought in surprise, “Are there girls with physiques like this in the Civil Engineering Department?”
Cong Na, a fourth-year Foundation Establishment Student from the Civil Engineering Department ranked fifth in her class, said coolly, “You’re Zhang Yu, right? Here’s the situation…”
Through her explanation, Zhang Yu learned that the competition team already had five members and was now recruiting a Civil Engineering student to oversee the project’s implementation.
Cong Na twisted her limbs, producing a series of popping and cracking sounds, and chuckled softly. “As for me… I’m here to give you a test.”
“Although Teacher Tu recommended you and you’re ranked second in your class, you’re still just a freshman.”
Though she didn’t say it outright, Cong Na couldn’t help but think “putting a freshman on the competition team is nothing but dead weight. Once the newcomer arrives, they’ll be stuck doing menial tasks, probably just hoping to coast to a high ranking.”
Even if the newcomer truly possessed exceptional skill, Cong Na would still prefer a senior student of equal ability, given their superior practical experience.
Her strategy was simple:
“Let him realize his limitations and withdraw,” she thought to herself. “Let this kid understand that the competition team isn’t a place for freshmen.”
Zhang Yu nodded. “How will the test work?”
Cong Na sent him the blueprints, then pointed to a section of scaffolding. “I’ve sent you the blueprints.”
“Complete the reinforcement cage within ten minutes to pass the test.”
“But just like in a real competition simulating wartime conditions, I’ll periodically attack you to disrupt your work.”
“Any questions?”
Zhang Yu glanced at the blueprints, muttering inwardly, “Damn it, they’re using this ‘test’ to get free labor again, aren’t they? No surprise, considering this team was recommended by Tu Lishan — birds of a feather.”
Despite his reservations, Zhang Yu nodded. “No questions.”
As the countdown reached 3, 2, 1, Zhang Yu’s figure flashed, surging forth with a torrent of Gang Qi.
With a sweeping palm strike, he drew steel reinforcing bars from over ten meters away, guiding them swiftly to settle upon the scaffolding.
A flick of his fingertip sent ripples of Gang Qi darting outward. The binding wires, meters away, leaped into action, wrapping themselves around the steel bars with practiced precision.
Observing Zhang Yu’s swift movements, Cong Na nodded slightly. “Not bad, he’s quick.”
“Then let’s add some pressure…”
Cong Na took a step forward and unleashed a Tendon-Severing Palm strike toward Zhang Yu’s back — a technique designed to twist even the strongest rebar into scrap.
With the Tendon-Severing Palm’s force concentrated in her strike, Cong Na was confident that a single blow would twist all the steel bars Zhang Yu had just arranged, rendering his efforts utterly futile.
If she landed a few more strikes, she mused, she might even shatter Zhang Yu’s bones.
Having long been observing Cong Na through his Third Eye Mystic Power, Zhang Yu reacted instantly. As soon as she moved, he countered with a palm strike of his own, unleashing spiraling layers of Gang Qi that surged toward her.
With a thunderous boom, Cong Na shattered Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi strike with her palm, yet continued her relentless advance without pausing.
She snorted inwardly, “Such a low Gang Qi Conduction Rate. This little force… can’t even slow me down. Just as expected, freshmen are utterly unreliable.”
With that disdainful snort, Cong Na closed in on Zhang Yu, unleashing a flurry of palm strikes that forced him to turn and parry.
“This competition is called ‘Hot-Blooded Civil Engineering,’ right?” Zhang Yu thought. “Build and fight at the same time?”
But under Cong Na’s relentless assault, Zhang Yu found it impossible to continue working.
As a top fourth-year student, her strength and speed far surpassed his. Even if he employed the 5-5 Split Combat Method, mimicking her movements and trading blows head-on, he could only manage to parry, leaving him unable to maintain his work progress, let alone repel her.
At this moment, the glaring flaw in Zhang Yu’s combat system became painfully clear.
“He’s surprisingly durable,” Cong Na assessed mentally while pressing her advantage. “But durability alone won’t win a competition like this.”
Watching her relentless assault completely halt Zhang Yu’s work progress, Cong Na thought, “Just hand-to-hand combat has brought his construction to a standstill? The real competition will be a thousand times more brutal.”
Cong Na thought to herself, “The gap is too vast. Shouldn’t he know when to give up?”
Just as she was thinking this, a humanoid Gang Qi figure flashed before her eyes and lunged at her.
“What’s the point of taking human form with such a poor Gang Qi Conduction Rate?”
As Cong Na casually prepared to shatter the humanoid Gang Qi figure, she realized it was executing the exact same martial techniques as her.
“Using Gang Qi to mimic my moves?”
“How utterly pointless.”
With a thunderous crash, Cong Na’s palm collided violently with the humanoid Gang Qi figure’s. To her astonishment, she discovered that not only were the techniques identical, but even the force within the Gang Qi was identical — both channeling the Tendon-Severing Palm.
“Hm?”
After a single strike, the humanoid Gang Qi figure dissipated into thin air.
But the next moment, as Cong Na stepped forward, another humanoid Gang Qi figure materialized before her, blocking her path.
Boom!
As one humanoid Gang Qi figure vanished, another immediately materialized.
Under Cong Na’s astonished gaze, each humanoid Gang Qi figure executed the exact same techniques and palm strikes as her, forming an impenetrable barrier that completely stalled her advance.
Protected by the surging Gang Qi, Zhang Yu turned back to his work, his hands moving in blurs as he swept back and forth across the steel bars.