Chapter 353: The Bond Between Siblings
Faced with Zhang Pianpian’s question, Zhang Yu glanced at the Dao Seed on her chest and then at Yu Xinghan, who was chatting animatedly with Li Xiao nearby. He sent her a private message: “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I don’t need the Spirit Coins right now. Just take them.”
Zhang Pianpian felt a pang of emotion. When she had initially helped her younger brother, it was merely a fleeting impulse, sparked by his evident talent.
Who could have predicted his meteoric rise? Now he not only attended Myriad Laws University alongside her but was also willing to lend her such a substantial sum of Spirit Coins.
His reply struck her particularly hard.
“I don’t need them. Just take them…” It was almost inhuman. Would a normal person say such a thing?
Yet, for some reason, hearing this absurd statement stirred an unprecedented feeling within Zhang Pianpian’s heart.
She nodded slightly, gazing earnestly at Zhang Yu as she messaged back: “Alright, lend me 25 Spirit Coins. I’ll repay you within six months at the earliest, a year at the latest — I promise.”
Zhang Yu: “Is 25 Spirit Coins enough? Should I just lend you 50?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Over the past few months, through repeated probes and casual conversations, the Dao Seed’s demand for 50 Spirit Coins has remained unchanged.”
“It seems it really requires exactly 50 Spirit Coins.”
Zhang Yu had always deeply felt his Elder Sister’s strength.
Especially after arriving at Myriad Laws University, he first witnessed her modifying the spiritual energy consumption data in their dormitory, then saw her shutting down the network in the underground tomb, hijacking surveillance systems, and manipulating others’ Bionics.
Combining this with the 50 Spirit Coin cost of the Supreme Clarity Talisman, Zhang Yu was convinced that Zhang Pianpian’s Dao Seed must be exceptionally powerful.
“Very well… Supreme Clarity Talisman! Activate now!”
Meanwhile, on the other end, Zhang Pianpian saw the message from Zhang Yu and was momentarily stunned, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.
For her, 50 Spirit Coins was naturally better than 25, but he only had 56 in total. Lending so much at once…
Just as Zhang Pianpian was still pondering this, she noticed Zhang Yu had already transferred 50 Spirit Coins to her account.
Zhang Pianpian: “Are you insane?”
Zhang Pianpian: “Who borrows that much money and transfers it immediately?”
Zhang Pianpian’s gaze at Zhang Yu was practically that of someone looking at an idiot.
After all, in Kunxu, such an act of lending money could only be described as foolish.
Money was paramount — it represented potential, strength, future, and even life itself.
Lending money, especially 50 Spirit Coins in one go, was akin to lending one’s life, transferring one’s own potential to another.
Having decided to lend Zhang Pianpian 50 Spirit Coins to activate her Dao Seed, Zhang Yu saw no point in dragging things out.
“Since I’m lending it anyway, might as well get it over with,” he thought.
So he replied: “Senior Sister, please accept it.”
Zhang Yu: “I know you’re short on funds.”
Zhang Yu: “And if you get stronger, it benefits me too, right? You can protect me better.”
Zhang Pianpian gazed at Zhang Yu, her heart stirred by the thought that her younger brother was lending her the 50 Spirit Coins he had painstakingly saved. An unprecedented wave of emotion surged through her chest.
Though she had witnessed thousands upon thousands of Spirit Coins before, none of them, no matter how numerous, could compare to the preciousness of the 50 Spirit Coins Zhang Yu was giving her now.
“Is this the bond of family?”
Silently accepting the 50 Spirit Coins Zhang Yu transferred, Zhang Pianpian felt a warm current flow from his body into hers.
It was his Immortal Dao Potential, his very life force, his future.
And now… he was pouring these precious things into her.
“Brother, I’ve sensed your potential, I understand your intentions.”
“I will make good use of all of this…”
Zhang Yu had just seen his sister accept the 50 Spirit Coins when he received an electronic contract from her.
Reading the contract, Zhang Yu was mildly surprised. “A repayment agreement? Starting next month, I’ll receive 5 Spirit Coins each month? For a total of 12 installments?”
Zhang Pianpian: “I’ve received the money. Right now, the more money I have, the better.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Sign this contract.”
Zhang Pianpian: “If you lend me money, I’ll repay you with interest. That way, our friendship won’t be for nothing.”
Zhang Pianpian thought to herself, “You’re willing to lend me money, and I’m willing to repay you with interest. That’s what true family is. This repayment contract is the bond between us, brother and sister.”
Zhang Yu, of course, had no idea about Zhang Pianpian’s inner thoughts. But since she insisted, he signed the contract.
With the contract finalized, Zhang Pianpian felt her sibling bond with Zhang Yu deepen.
Zhang Yu, meanwhile, curiously observed Zhang Pianpian, eager to witness how the Supreme Clarity Talisman Dao Seed would be activated.
All he saw was Zhang Pianpian closing her eyes, her consciousness seemingly journeying deep into the Spirit Realm.
Moments later, when Zhang Pianpian reopened her eyes, silently and imperceptibly… the Dao Seed had been fully ignited.
Supreme Clarity Talisman (Spell) Level 1
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “It’s done?”
Just then, Yu Xinghan, standing beside him, pulled Zhang Yu, saying, “Let’s go! What are you still standing around for? Class is starting.”
“We can’t be late for the first class of Second-Year.”
Having no time to fully experience the effects of the Level 1 Supreme Clarity Talisman (Spell), Zhang Yu had no choice but to head to class with Yu Xinghan and Li Xiao.
In the classroom, Zhang Yu noticed that the middle seat in the first row had been left empty.
Ying Xin waved at him, calling out, “Senior Brother, over here!”
Seeing her enthusiastic demeanor, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “As expected of a Sixth-Generation Earthmover. She’s adapting so quickly, truly a testament to her family’s legacy.”
Zhang Yu sat down, with Yu Xinghan to his left.
Li Xiao was about to sit on Zhang Yu’s right, but Ying Xin squeezed him out.
Ying Xin glanced at Li Xiao and said, “Senior Brother and I have something to discuss. You can sit elsewhere for now.”
Taking the seat to Zhang Yu’s right, Ying Xin pulled out a box containing an energy potion and offered it to him. “Senior Brother, I went to your dorm last night but couldn’t find you. So I thought I’d give it to you here.”
Zhang Yu accepted the box, initially thinking nothing of it until he opened the bottle and saw the white powder inside. He froze in shock.
“Wheat flour?!”
“Are you seriously giving me this shit in the classroom?”
But in the next moment, he realized, “Wait, could this be the ancestral bone ash Ying Xin mentioned? Why is it so white?”
Fu Ji explained, “This indicates the bone ash is of exceptionally high quality, burned with skillful precision. It may contain metallic substances, and the person cremated must have been at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage.”
Relieved that the medicine bottle contained bone ash rather than wheat flour, Zhang Yu let out a small sigh.
Fu Ji commented, “That Ying Xin probably deliberately put it in a medicine bottle to hide it from others. Quite the talent for Civil Engineering.”
As Zhang Yu unscrewed the cap, Ying Xin added, “This is from my Great-Grandfather. Just sprinkle a bit of it into the Coagulated Earth using a blood sacrifice ritual, and it’ll dramatically increase the structure’s strength.”
“Senior Brother, you’ll definitely be participating in this year’s Civil Engineering Competition, right? You can use this then.”
Zhang Yu looked at Ying Xin, hefted the medicine bottle to gauge its weight, and smiled slightly. “Little Ying, I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
Ying Xin smiled back, thinking to herself, “Now that Zhang Yu has become Director Gao’s Registered Disciple, by getting on his good side, I’ll essentially be getting on Director Gao’s as well.”
“Great-Grandfather, now that you’re in Zhang Yu’s hands, please bless me so I can rise through the ranks under Director Gao and become one of the elite in the construction industry.”
Just then, the teacher entered the classroom.
He walked to the podium and said bluntly, “My name is Wei Huai, and I’ll be your Engineering Geology instructor for this semester.”
“Starting from your second year, Civil Engineering students are required to study cultivation arts for large-scale construction.”
“To successfully wield these cultivation arts and maximize their power, you must have a deep understanding of the terrain, insight into the local geology, and…”
Sitting in the classroom, Zhang Yu tried multitasking with his Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body, listening to the teacher’s lecture while opening the Dao Seed Register in his Feather Book to carefully examine the effects of the Supreme Clarity Talisman Dao Seed.
“Upgrading to the second level costs 100 Spirit Coins for Elder Sister?!”
“Her talent really is burning through my funds.”
As Zhang Yu delved deeper into his observation, more information flowed from the Dao Seed.
“The Supreme Clarity Talisman has only one specific effect… It allows passage through the Spirit Realm, opening a Spirit Realm Grotto-Heaven?”
Feeling an itch of curiosity, Zhang Yu yearned to dive into the Spirit Realm immediately to investigate this Grotto-Heaven — what it was like and what benefits it offered.
However, he recalled his Elder Sister’s warning: it was best not to activate the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body, his black art, while venturing into the Spirit Realm. Without this black art, he couldn’t multitask, listening to lectures while simultaneously exploring the effects of the Dao Seed.
“I can’t skip class,” he thought.
“I’ll try it out later when I have time.”
As he listened to the lecture, Zhang Yu gradually gained a basic understanding of large-scale construction methods and the relationships between various terrain types and landforms.
For the rest of the day, Zhang Yu focused entirely on his studies. Only after returning to his dormitory did he deactivate the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body and put on his Spirit Realm Mask.
The moment he activated the Supreme Clarity Talisman’s power, he felt his consciousness hurtling through the Spirit Realm, countless iridescent shapes flashing past him in a blur.
When Zhang Yu regained his senses, he found himself standing before a Daoist temple shrouded in swirling mists, surrounded by towering mountains.
Gazing at the three large characters above the temple entrance, Zhang Yu murmured, “Supreme Clarity Realm?”
He entered the temple and discovered it was quite small, consisting of only a single main hall. Zhang Pianpian sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, facing an immensely tall but indistinctly featured deity statue.
The moment Zhang Yu stepped forward, Zhang Pianpian’s head snapped around, her eyes widening in surprise as she stared at him from within the hall.
But an instant later, a glint of malevolent energy flickered in her eyes as she thought to herself, “Zhang Yu couldn’t possibly be here.”
“How dare you impersonate my brother and infiltrate the Supreme Clarity Realm?”
With a swift hand seal, she unleashed a force that shook heaven and earth.
Zhang Yu felt an immense force slam into him, his body on the verge of shattering into pieces.
To his utter astonishment, his identity account, browsing history, bank accounts, transaction records, and other personal data poured out of him like refuse, floating in the surrounding air.
Staring at the scattered data, Zhang Pianpian was visibly shaken. “Zhang Yu? Is it really you?”
“How did you come to the Supreme Clarity Realm?”