Chapter 359: Heaven-Turning Seal, Artifact Refinement Class
Seeing the Formless Warrior unleash a dragon-shaped Gang Qi attack with a single strike, Xiao Qingxuan’s brow twitched slightly.
“My Nine Dragons Heavenly Gang Palm?”
Xiao Qingxuan’s first thought was that Zhang Yu also knew this martial art.
But the next moment, as Gang Qi clashed against Gang Qi, feeling the surging, overwhelming palm force surge toward him, and hearing the sky-piercing dragon roar, Xiao Qingxuan was startled. “This is my own palm strike!”
“He reflected my attack back at me?”
A thunderous explosion shook the area.
As violent gusts of wind erupted from the point of impact, a patch of Xiao Qingxuan’s Gang Qi flickered and dissipated momentarily before rapidly replenishing and surging anew.
Gazing at the faint footprint he had left from his slight backward step, Xiao Qingxuan nodded. “He managed to borrow the power of my palm strike and redirect it back at me.”
“This cultivation art of borrowing force to counter force… if I’m not mistaken, it must be the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force, right?”
“To master this art to such a degree… it’s clear the Freshman exams couldn’t accurately assess your abilities. After all, the Civil Engineering Department doesn’t offer any related courses or exams in the first year.”
Xiao Qingxuan’s gaze toward Zhang Yu now held no trace of disdain. He declared with certainty, “I acknowledge your strength. With your mastery of using an opponent’s force against them and your exceptional physical resilience, you’re perfectly suited for the defensive position.”
Beside them, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang exchanged astonished glances at Zhang Yu’s performance.
Shi Yunxiang privately messaged, “This kid Zhang Yu has improved dramatically since the last time we met!”
Che Yufei replied, “He’s progressing faster than the wrinkles on my face! And showing no signs of wear and tear yet!”
At this, Che Yufei couldn’t help but envy Zhang Yu’s terrifying constitution, which allowed him to consume potent Tiger Wolf Medicines as casually as meals.
Standing nearby, Shi Huaiyu chimed in, “Senior Xiao, didn’t I tell you Junior Zhang was impressive?”
“Let’s assign our positions now,” she suggested.
Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang, with their extensive project construction experience, were assigned to the construction positions within the competition team.
Zhang Yu and Tian Yang were assigned to the defensive positions, tasked with protecting the construction projects, while Shi Huaiyu and Xiao Qingxuan, being the strongest members, would take on the confrontation positions, directly confronting the opposing team.
Though all positions involved combat, Zhang Yu and Tian Yang primarily focused on safeguarding the structures, while Shi Huaiyu and Xiao Qingxuan concentrated on countering the opponents themselves.
After finalizing the position assignments, Shi Huaiyu added, “I’ve uploaded the detailed competition materials, rules, and past competition videos to the group chat.”
“Everyone, go back and carefully review the research, and prepare your respective areas of responsibility. We’ll begin our first training session next week.”
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime.”
With everything agreed upon, the six members dispersed. As students of Myriad Laws University, they were all incredibly busy, constantly on the go.
On his way back, Zhang Yu received a notification on his bank account: the 3 Spirit Coin scholarship for ranking first in the first academic year had been deposited.
Unlike the student loan Director Gao had helped him apply for, this 3 Spirit Coin scholarship didn’t need to be repaid.
Looking at his account balance now exceeding 9.4 Spirit Coins, Zhang Yu let out a small sigh of relief. The anxiety he’d felt after lending out 50 Spirit Coins had eased considerably.
“But there are still so many expenses…”
“I need to keep earning money, keep studying, keep cultivating…”
“After all, I’m aiming to join one of the Ten Great Sects, and I promised A-Zhen we’d compete in the Ten Greats League together.”
With that thought, Zhang Yu’s eyes blazed with fierce determination.
As the competition team was finalized, Zhang Yu’s days became even more hectic.
Civil Engineering classes, artifact refinement courses, his own cultivation, daily part-time jobs to earn money, competition preparations… An overwhelming workload pressed down on him.
And time flew by amid Zhang Yu’s hectic, fulfilling, and immensely stressful days.
Inside the training ground, a teacher addressed the Civil Engineering Department students: “Large-scale construction projects are incredibly diverse, and each related cultivation art requires a tremendous investment of time, energy, and patience for practice and refinement.”
“The school doesn’t require every student to master all specializations, but by graduation, you must proficiently master at least two large-scale construction cultivation arts.”
“This course focuses on earthwork compaction for large-scale projects such as highways, tunnels, dams, stadiums, and other massive structures. The representative cultivation art is the Heaven-Turning Seal…”
As the teacher explained, Zhang Yu meticulously memorized the Heaven-Turning Seal’s Magic Power circulation methods and combat techniques. These details instantly materialized on his Feather Book:
Heaven-Turning Seal Level 0 (0/1)
Seeing that the Heaven-Turning Seal belonged to the Martial Dao Sacred Body set, Zhang Yu smiled inwardly, thinking to himself, “Good thing the large-scale construction courses let us choose our specialization.”
“When I researched the Heaven-Turning Seal in the Great Library, it was described as part of the Martial Dao Sacred Body set. Today’s trial confirms that.”
“Based on the cultivation art’s principles, the Heaven-Turning Seal was originally designed for combat and slaughter. However, with the advancement of the times…”
Zhang Yu watched his teacher’s figure ahead as the instructor continued, “…remember, when using the Heaven-Turning Seal to compact loose roadbeds, first roll it over the area one or two times without activating the vibration function, then engage the vibration mode for subsequent passes…”
“When activating the Heaven-Turning Seal, you must also consider the varying properties of sandy, semi-cohesive, and cohesive soils…”
As Zhang Yu left the training ground, he received a Spirit Realm Flow payment notification.
He clicked his tongue and silently transferred the funds.
With ongoing expenses like magical artifact rentals, Spirit Stone purchases, and loan interest, his Spirit Coin balance steadily dwindled.
Spirit Coin Balance: 8.5 Spirit Coins
Supreme Clarity Realm.
Streams of talismans flowed around Zhang Pianpian like a cascading waterfall, dazzling Zhang Yu’s eyes.
Zhang Yu had completely lost track of his Elder Sister’s progress in talisman studies and manipulation. He only knew she spent increasingly longer hours immersed in the Supreme Clarity Realm each day.
Whenever he entered, she was studying talismans; when he left, she was still at it.
“She’s completely obsessed,” Zhang Yu muttered to himself. “Are talismans really that fascinating?”
Shaking his head, Zhang Yu turned his attention back to his own studies. Activating the talismans his Elder Sister had given him, he began extracting the prepared learning materials from his Bionic Eye.
But the next moment, he froze in place. “My learning materials… they’re gone?!”
Without looking up, Zhang Pianpian suddenly said, “Since you’re not practicing dual cultivation, hoarding so many Joyful Union Sect Internet celebrity videos is a waste of time. Storing them in the Supreme Clarity Realm is an even bigger waste of space. I’ve already deleted them all.”
Zhang Yu snapped, “Sis! You went through my study materials?”
He slammed his fist on the ground, raging, “I was preparing by treating Joyful Union Sect students as hypothetical enemies! What if I encounter them in the Ten Greats League later? How can I face them unprepared?”
Zhang Pianpian pursed her lips. “I recommend you get sterilized instead. It’s more cost-effective.”
Zhang Yu stiffly changed the subject. “The path of the Immortal Dao is a personal choice! You should respect every cultivator’s decision! Please don’t do this again, okay? And my browsing history too, can you please stop looking at it?”
Zhang Pianpian explained, “I was worried someone might be monitoring you or stealing your information. That’s why I often check your devices.”
“After all, you know nothing about talismans. Wandering the Spirit Realm without them is like walking around naked.”
Zhang Yu sighed helplessly. “Then at least pretend you haven’t seen anything next time, okay?”
Zhang Pianpian nodded. “I understand.”
With a flick of her fingertips, a talisman flashed and vanished.
“I’ve restored your study materials. You can continue reading now… Oh, no, I know nothing.”
Watching his Elder Sister lower her head and resume studying talismans, Zhang Yu took a deep breath, thinking, “In this broken Kunxu, it’s impossible to have any privacy.”
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Zhang Yu activated his multi-threaded thinking, immediately diving into learning Magic Artifact Engineering Drafting, Principles of Magic Artifacts, Magic Artifact Design, and Fundamentals of Rune Etching.
These courses were packed with extensive knowledge of artifact refinement, not cultivation arts, so his Feather Book couldn’t accelerate the learning process. He had to progress methodically, chapter by chapter.
However, with a 20x time acceleration and parallel learning through multi-threaded thinking, vast amounts of information flooded into Zhang Yu’s mind, gradually giving him a grasp of artifact refinement, a field he had previously known nothing about.
Even after a 20% discount on the textbooks and online lectures from the Artifact Refinement Department, the four courses still cost Zhang Yu nearly 1 Spirit Coin in total.
Spirit Coin Balance: 7.5 Spirit Coins
Inside the training room, a resounding thud echoed as Zhang Yu stomped his foot on the ground, infusing the shattered rocks beneath his feet with black-gold Profound Yellow Qi.
With a mighty exhale, he sent the debris soaring into the sky like goose feathers, where they drifted down slowly like snow.
Director Gao nodded slightly, commenting, “Not bad. To advance the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal to the 3rd-tier in such a short time… you’ve inherited some of my former prowess.”
“Keep pushing yourself. Don’t grow complacent or slack off. You’re still a long way from reaching the true pinnacle of the Civil Engineering Department.”
Zhang Yu glanced at his Feather Book, where the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal had already reached the Level 10, and nodded repeatedly. “I understand, Master.”
At Level 10, the Profound Yellow Qi he condensed could exist independently outside his body.
He had secretly tested it and could now launch Profound Yellow Qi attacks remotely, or channel it through the Formless Warrior and Profound Cold Warrior.
After Zhang Yu left, Director Gao’s expressionless face broke into a smile, as exhilarated as when he’d struck gold with a winning stock years ago. He immediately wanted to brag to someone.
But Zhang Yu hadn’t fully matured yet, and premature exposure could attract trouble.
After mulling it over…
“Ah, Magnetic Pole, don’t blame me. We’ve been friends for years, and you’ve never hesitated to flaunt your Bionics, magical artifacts, flying boats, mounts, Immortal Abodes, and savings to me.”
So Director Gao photographed the scattered rubble and sent it to True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
Director Gao: [Image]
Director Gao: “Zhang Yu’s Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal is already 3rd-tier!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Really? That fast?! [Surprised]”
Seeing her response, Director Gao took a deep breath, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Who dares say our Civil Engineering Department lacks a Heavenly Chosen?”
At the construction site on the 667th floor, as Zhang Yu struck his palm upward, a surge of Gang Qi soared into the sky. In the next instant, as his palm pressed downward, the Gang Qi crashed down with the force of heaven and earth collapsing. Compressed by the Gang Qi, the air became as heavy as lead and mercury, ultimately slamming onto the ground like a massive square seal.
With a thunderous boom, the undulating terrain was instantly flattened into a smooth, compacted surface.
Watching this unfold, Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking, “Although my Heaven-Turning Seal has reached the 10th level, I can only use its level 3 strength to work for now. What a pity.”
With the Heaven-Turning Seal reaching the level 10, its effective range had increased. At full power, Zhang Yu could now flatten dozens of square meters of ground in a single application.
“Even though I can only use it at level 3, at least I can switch back to Qi Meridian Everflow during recovery, which replenishes my Magic Power quickly. I can use the Heaven-Turning Seal for a long time in a single night…”
In the blink of an eye, the night passed, and Zhang Yu earned his first significant wage from the large-scale construction job.
Over the next few days, Zhang Yu continued to work each night, simultaneously cultivating his Heaven-Turning Seal.
Spirit Coin Balance: 7.9 Spirit Coins