Chapter 351: Zhang Yu’s Secret
Upon seeing Ye Xingli’s reply, Zhang Yu was mildly surprised. “What a coincidence! Ye Xingli is actually a disciple of True Monarch Magnetic Pole?”
“Does that mean she’s my senior sister?”
Then another question arose in his mind.
Zhang Yu: “Did True Monarch Magnetic Pole mention me?”
Ye Xingli: “Yes, Master said that while chatting with True Monarch Greenwood today, the latter mentioned a disciple.”
Ye Xingli: “After learning more about this disciple, Master found him very impressive and asked True Monarch Greenwood a few more questions.”
Ye Xingli: “Master told me this disciple’s name is Zhang Yu.”
Ye Xingli: “When I heard it was you, I thought, ‘I know him!’ So I told Master about you.”
Zhang Yu knew that True Monarch Greenwood was Director Gao, but as he read Ye Xingli’s reply… his face twisted into a strange expression.
He couldn’t help imagining Director Gao praising him to True Monarch Magnetic Pole, with Magnetic Pole listening intently and asking questions.
“That True Monarch Magnetic Pole is such a tease, openly toying with our Director Gao of the Civil Engineering Department right to his face, isn’t she?”
But then Zhang Yu realized he was also part of True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s game with Director Gao, and a sense of guilt washed over him.
“Does this make me a traitor to Civil Engineering?”
“Even if I’m a traitor, what if True Monarch Magnetic Pole loses interest after three years and abandons her responsibilities?”
Zhang Yu shook his head, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind.
He couldn’t control the intentions of powerful figures. His only recourse was to continuously improve himself, striving for excellence, higher grades, better rankings, and greater autonomy.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu immediately sought her guidance on the artifact refinement courses.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole had stipulated that Zhang Yu must complete all the first three years of the Artifact Refinement Department’s curriculum and pass the final assessments before the end of his Third-Year.
Ye Xingli: “You’re thinking of taking some artifact refinement courses as electives?”
Ye Xingli: “That makes sense. The materials science and Bionic maintenance and usage courses offered by the Civil Engineering Department are quite beneficial.”
Ye Xingli wasn’t surprised. After all, civil engineering construction relied heavily on understanding various materials, and the Artifact Refinement Department’s expertise in material design, processing techniques, and optimal usage was unparalleled across Myriad Laws University.
As for Bionic maintenance and usage, it was even more critical. Civil Engineering students initially endured physical wear and tear on projects, but once they installed Bionics, the focus shifted to maintaining and optimizing these mechanical bodies.
Proper Bionic maintenance, selection, and efficient usage could save significant money and drastically improve work efficiency.
Among senior Civil Engineering students, quite a few chose to take courses from the Artifact Refinement Department, a sight Ye Xingli had grown accustomed to.
However…
Ye Xingli: “You’re just about to start your second year, right? Isn’t it a bit early to be taking courses from other departments?”
Zhang Yu: “Just getting a head start and preparing for the future.”
Ye Xingli: “That makes sense. I’ll send you the Artifact Refinement Department’s course schedule. You can find the detailed course information yourself.”
Zhang Yu immediately scanned the course schedule Ye Xingli sent, but the more he looked, the more astonished he became.
Magic Artifact Engineering Drafting, Principles of Magic Artifacts, Magic Artifact Design, Fundamentals of Rune Etching, Dynamics of Magic Artifacts, Spirit Energy Materials and Forming Technology, Magical Power Transmission and Conduction, Introduction to Automated Artifact Spirits, True Fire Processing Technology…
Staring at the densely packed list of courses, Zhang Yu felt as if an entire library had suddenly appeared before him.
“Wait… do Artifact Refinement students really have so many more courses than us Civil Engineering students?”
“In the same semester, their course load is almost three times that of the Civil Engineering Department!”
“And all these lab courses… Artifact Refinement Practicum…”
“And this course schedule…”
Zhang Yu voiced his question to Ye Xingli: “Many of these courses seem to overlap. How does that work?”
Ye Xingli: “The Artifact Refinement Department’s curriculum is incredibly demanding, so many courses that they can’t stagger the schedules. You either figure out how to attend multiple classes simultaneously or catch up with online recordings later.”
Ye Xingli: “But you don’t need to take all these courses. It’s impossible to manage. Just pick the ones that are most useful to you.”
Zhang Yu chuckled wryly to himself, thinking, “But I want to learn everything.”
“As expected, True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s requirements are far from simple.”
“With so many courses, if I wait until my third year to start, I might not have enough time.”
“Good thing…”
Zhang Yu felt the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art circulating in his mind, along with the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body.
As he gazed at the roaring, double-headed White Ox looming above him, he thought, “Good thing I’ve already cultivated the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body. I can now split my consciousness.”
“Next, I must push the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body to Level 20.”
“With so much to learn in artifact refinement, it’s impossible to balance cultivation and academics without the ability to multitask.”
“Ah, right! There’s also the time acceleration in the Spirit Realm.”
Zhang Yu mused, “By leveraging time acceleration in the Spirit Realm, I can further optimize my efficiency.”
“But that costs money too.”
“And taking courses in the Artifact Refinement Department costs money too.”
Zhang Yu wasn’t a student in the Artifact Refinement Department. According to Myriad Laws University’s regulations, he couldn’t casually attend their courses… unless he paid.
“Online courses and textbooks cost a lot. If I want tutoring from a teacher, that’ll cost even more.”
Zhang Yu sighed, once again lamenting his lack of funds.
Whenever he felt strapped for cash, he couldn’t help but think of one man — a wealthy man.
So Zhang Yu sent a message to Senior Tian Yang.
This senior, who had previously been a sixth-year student and had now advanced to seventh year, was the one who had teamed up with Zhang Yu to fleece President Wang in the underground tomb.
Zhang Yu: “Have you been able to contact President Wang?”
Zhang Yu: “Freshman end-of-term rankings. [Image attached]”
Zhang Yu: “These are my freshly released grades. If you can reach President Wang, please send them to him.”
Zhang Yu: “Ah, I miss him so much.”
Over the past few months, the more Zhang Yu earned on his own, the more he realized how quickly money vanished when he needed it most. He found himself increasingly longing for the days when he could simply ask President Wang for funds.
A moment later, Tian Yang replied: “Can’t reach him.”
Tian Yang: “I miss him too.”
Tian Yang: “Send me any good visuals you create in the future. If I manage to contact him, I’ll forward them all to President Wang.”
After exchanging a few casual messages with Tian Yang, Zhang Yu scanned through the various messages from others.
Li Xiao: “Senior Brother, you were amazing this time! I shared your ranking in the Immortal Capital Hometown Group, and they couldn’t believe it at first!”
Li Xiao: “Ye Lingxiao even asked if it was a fake screenshot!”
Li Xiao: “You should have seen their incredulous expressions!”
“You little Immortal Capital traitor,” Zhang Yu thought to himself. “And knowing I can’t see the Immortal Capital group chat, you didn’t even send me a screenshot?”
Just as Zhang Yu was pondering how to subtly hint for Li Xiao to send him the chat log, Fu Ji suddenly said, “Ye Lingxiao might be able to contact President Wang, right?”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred at her words. “Fu Ji, you sly fox! Your instincts sharpen the moment deception enters the picture.”
Zhang Yu knew that Ye Lingxiao was a scion of the Ye Clan from the Immortal Capital’s First Layer. He had been President Wang’s designated lackey in the First Layer and had graduated high school and entered university before President Wang’s downfall.
“Ye Lingxiao likely attended Netherworld University. He might indeed be able to contact President Wang.”
With this thought, Zhang Yu immediately replied: “Send me Ye Lingxiao’s contact. I want to add him as a friend.”
When Li Xiao forwarded Ye Lingxiao’s information, Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up: “Netherworld University, Foundation Establishment Class, Department of Biology, 3rd place, Ye Lingxiao.”
“So he really is at Netherworld University.”
After adding Ye Lingxiao as a friend, Zhang Yu didn’t expect immediate acceptance. To his surprise, Ye Lingxiao not only accepted instantly but also sent a message:
Ye Lingxiao: “Zhang Yu, don’t contact me again.”
Ye Lingxiao: “If President Wang finds out, I’m afraid he’ll misunderstand.”
Immediately after sending these two messages, Ye Lingxiao decisively deleted Zhang Yu from his friends list.
Netherworld University.
Recalling Zhang Yu’s exam results, Ye Lingxiao clutched his chest. “That little bastard.”
“How can he learn so fast?”
In that moment, Ye Lingxiao’s elation from securing third place in the final exams vanished completely.
Seeing Ye Lingxiao’s utter disregard for their hometown ties, Zhang Yu reluctantly moved on to other messages.
Shi Yunxiang: “Zhang Yu, if you were at Celestial Monsters University, the students in the Department of Reproduction would probably be lining up to have your babies.”
Che Yufei: “Young Master Yu, have you joined the competition team yet?”
Zhao Tianxing: “👍”
Seeing Zhao Tianxing’s emoji, Zhang Yu knew he was likely still working overtime and couldn’t send lengthy messages. He replied with a thumbs-up, letting the unspoken understanding suffice.
Soon, Zhang Yu saw messages from the competition team.
Ma Xuan: “@Ji Yuanshu, have the results come out yet?”
Ma Xuan: “Next, you should be learning the first Absolute of the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering, the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal.”
Ma Xuan: “This cultivation art lays a solid foundation, not only for the Seven Absolutes but also for other large-scale construction-related Civil Engineering Cultivation Techniques, providing a significant boost.”
Ma Xuan: “If you master it, it will greatly benefit you in the competition.”
Ma Xuan: “I have considerable experience in this area. Feel free to ask me any questions anytime.”
Just as Ma Xuan was halfway through sending his message, Cong Na sent him a private message.
Ma Xuan clicked on the pop-up window in his Bionic Eye to see what Cong Na had sent.
Cong Na: “Stop talking.”
Cong Na: “Seriously, stop talking.”
Cong Na: “Freshman Year End-of-Term Rankings. [Image file]”
Cong Na: “This is the ranking list for their class. Open it and see for yourself.”
Ma Xuan clicked to open the image and was shocked to see that Zhang Yu had actually ranked higher than Ji Yuanshu.
Ma Xuan: “Impossible! How could Zhang Yu possibly surpass Ji Yuanshu?”
Ma Xuan: “Where did you get this screenshot?”
Cong Na: “From Zhang Yu’s WeChat Moments.”
Ma Xuan remembered that Cong Na and Zhang Yu were friends on WeChat.
Ma Xuan: “Since it was posted on WeChat Moments, it’s probably true.”
Ma Xuan: “But I still can’t understand how Ji Yuanshu could lose to Zhang Yu.”
Cong Na: “Who cares how he lost? A loss is a loss. It just proves that Zhang Yu’s current abilities surpass Ji Yuanshu’s.”
Cong Na: “The real question now is: should we replace Ji Yuanshu with Zhang Yu?”