Chapter 373: Zhang Yu, the Desperate Genius
Above the arena, Spirit Realm Projections materialized, hovering invisibly to the students below as they observed the competition.
These projections belonged to Director Gao and Director Lin of the Civil Engineering Department, along with numerous teachers and professors.
Their physical bodies remained elsewhere, engaged in various duties, some even outside University City, yet each had sent a fragment of their consciousness to monitor the competition’s outcome.
Even True Monarch Sacred Mountain, the Civil Engineering Department Head who had just delivered a speech on the stage, had dispatched a Spirit Realm Projection to facilitate communication with his colleagues.
Though the projections stood separately, they subtly clustered into three factions: the War Faction, the Peace Faction, and the Neutral Faction within the Civil Engineering Department.
Tu Lishan frowned imperceptibly as he noticed the Neutral Faction’s slight lean toward the Peace Faction.
“A bunch of fence-sitters,” he thought bitterly. “When I handed them projects, they were as obedient as dogs. Now that the Finance Department has approved a few extra loans, they’ve scurried over there.”
Glancing down at the arena, Tu Lishan mused, “If the Peace Faction wins this competition, even more Neutral Faction faculty and students will likely gravitate toward them.”
The interface displaying his stock portfolio popped up in his Bionic Eye. “If that happens, the stock price will plummet,” he thought. “Should I sell now?”
But a glance at Director Gao beside him made him realize that any attempt to sell would immediately draw the director’s attention. He reluctantly abandoned the idea.
“Besides… it’s not necessarily a loss,” Tu Lishan mused. “At least Mo Shangjin has a high chance of taking first place. Director Gao has poured most of the department’s resources into nurturing him.”
“If we secure first place, even if we lag behind in other rankings, it won’t matter much.”
“After all, only the winner of the Departmental Competition gets to represent the school in the Inter-University League.”
Tu Lishan knew that the Inter-University League offered more Comprehensive Points, allowing Mo Shangjin to quickly surpass his rivals and become the top student in the All-Attribute Department Ranking.
Meanwhile, the other teachers were commenting on the arena’s progress.
“Mo Shangjin’s mastery of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power is becoming increasingly refined.”
“I still think Xuan Liangtian’s Mountain-Shifting Divine Power cultivation is deeper, and he’s achieving it in less time.”
“Hmm… is that a second-year student? How can he be so fast already?”
Tu Lishan followed the teacher’s pointing finger and saw Zhang Yu charging headfirst into the gravity field.
Zhang Yu let out a low roar as his Magic Power surged, causing his muscles to bulge and veins to throb. His body temperature rapidly increased, radiating waves of heat that gradually flushed his skin crimson.
With the activation of the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art, Zhang Yu’s physical strength instantly surged by 0.5 levels, reaching the level 17 threshold.
But this was merely the beginning for Zhang Yu. This time, he had resolved to unleash the full power of the Level 20 Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art.
“After all, I’ve been cultivating this art for over a year now. Reaching Level 20 shouldn’t be a problem.”
Before making this decision, Zhang Yu had consulted the Spirit Realm Network. He discovered that achieving Level 20 within a year was not unheard of. At least several students at Myriad Laws University had accomplished this feat in the past two decades, even without many geniuses cultivating the art.
“Given my demonstrated talent, revealing Level 20 of the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art shouldn’t raise any eyebrows.”
“This cultivation art can temporarily enhance my physical strength, perfectly compensating for the gap between me and the senior students in this aspect.”
At that moment, Zhang Yu took a slow breath, waved his arms, and stretched his legs in a simple warm-up before continuing to push the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art.
As veins bulged on his forehead and sweat poured from his body, his heart pounded violently, as if a giant hammer were ceaselessly striking a drum within his chest.
Physical Strength +1.0 Level!
Physical Strength +1.5 Levels!
Physical Strength +2.0 Levels!
In one breath, he pushed the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art to the limit of its second-stage eruption.
This was a technique Zhang Yu had always been reluctant to use lightly.
The reason was simple: it inflicted tremendous damage on the body. Using it during regular studies or overtime work would be far too costly.
But the current elimination match only required a brief burst of power, and Zhang Yu believed he could endure it.
With the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art’s second eruption, Zhang Yu’s physical strength temporarily surged to over Level 18.5, his skin glowing crimson as if dripping with blood.
“Huff…”
Zhang Yu exhaled slightly, the scorching air distorting the surrounding space.
Sensing his body operating beyond its limits, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Thank goodness I activated the Civil Engineering Sacred Body and the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art’s body activation, which is constantly healing me. Otherwise, this life-force drain would be catastrophic.”
Though he could still unleash the Pill Toxin eruption with the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen art, Zhang Yu decided to reserve the accumulated Pill Toxin for the later stages of the competition.
In the next instant, Zhang Yu’s figure flashed, accompanied by an explosive roar beneath his feet. He tore through the atmosphere, shattering the sound barrier with a sonic boom, and plunged headfirst into the gravitational field.
Boom!
The moment he entered the gravitational field, Zhang Yu felt as if countless invisible hands were pressing down on him from all directions, pulling him upward, dragging him downward, and shoving him sideways…
The chaotic, constantly shifting gravitational field tore at his body, threatening to rip him apart.
Zhang Yu finally understood why the students stumbled and swayed as if they couldn’t walk properly after entering the arena.
“It’s because they have to constantly adjust their posture to resist this chaotic gravity field…”
In the next instant, Zhang Yu let out a low growl, immediately shrinking his body to reduce his height and volume, minimizing the surface area affected by the chaotic gravity field.
Simultaneously, the Four-Headed White Ox roared in his mind, activating his Fourfold Thinking.
With one primary consciousness in control, the remaining three consciousnesses took charge of his torso, hands, and feet respectively, adapting to the shifting gravity field.
Since Bai Zhenzhen’s guidance and Zhang Yu’s conscious training, he had grown increasingly skilled at controlling his body with multiple consciousnesses.
Now, as he activated this technique, not only could his body smoothly adapt to the gravity field’s changes and rapidly adjust his movements, but each part of his body also coordinated perfectly, propelling him forward with increasing speed.
Zhang Yu’s figure paused momentarily, then surged forward in a sprint, swiftly overtaking one student after another.
Above the arena, the teachers’ Spirit Realm Projections marveled.
“Zhang Yu is only a Second-Year student, yet his physical strength is already this high?”
“Look closely. This isn’t his true physical strength; he’s activated the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art.”
“Judging by the intensity of his activation, it seems he’s already advanced this art to Level 20?”
One teacher checked Zhang Yu’s cultivation art purchase history and exclaimed in surprise, “He only started practicing it last August? That’s remarkable talent for this particular art.”
Another teacher added, “What’s even more impressive is his body control. He barely faltered upon entering the gravity field and continued accelerating. This shows he’s completely adapted to the sudden surge in physical strength, indicating exceptional martial arts aptitude.”
Just then, a teacher from the Peace Faction remarked dryly, “What’s the point of mastering the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art? The better you use it, the faster you die. The more you practice, the poorer you become. The poorer you become, the more you practice.”
Tu Lishan glanced at the speaker and recognized Wei Huai, the geology teacher.
He looked at Director Gao beside him and saw the director’s previously upturned lips suddenly droop.
Tu Lishan knew that Wei Huai was ostensibly criticizing Zhang Yu, but his real target was the ideological clash between the two factions.
He immediately stepped forward and countered, “That’s a flawed argument. People’s constitutions vary greatly; we can’t apply a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“Zhang Yu possesses an innately robust physique. Even as a freshman, he consumed multiple doses of life-shortening medicine daily.”
“What would be an unbearable burden for others is nothing to him when it comes to the Battle Demon Life-Shattering Art.”
“Desperate measures are his best path forward. By pushing himself to the limit, he managed to secure the top spot in his class at the end of the freshman year with minimal financial resources…”
Midway through Tu Lishan’s rebuttal, a crimson streak flashed across the entire arena.
Zhang Yu felt a slight flicker in his Bionic Eye, and a red projection materialized before him, stretching like a racetrack across the entire gravity field.
Simultaneously, a male voice echoed through the arena.
“This is my trajectory.”
“Please remain still while I pass through at five times the speed of sound to avoid collisions.”
In the next instant, a fiery streak shot skyward, and a crimson shadow pierced through the gravity field like a meteor streaking across the sun. With a thunderous roar, it slammed into the field, leaving only a red afterimage as it reached the finish line in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
Zhang Yu slapped away the surging shockwave and watched the figure come to a halt. “Su Yanyang? The guy who injured Shi Huaiyu.”
“This guy’s really arrogant.”
“And his Bionic gear must have cost a fortune. How can someone so rich refuse to compensate Shi Huaiyu?”
Su Yanyang paid no attention to the onlookers’ opinions, merely glancing at the time he’d spent and thinking to himself, “Not bad.”
With a wave of his hand, an iron coffin flew toward him from the distance.
As the coffin opened, several rectangular beams of light shot out, clicking and whirring as they transformed into the various components of his Bionic Body.
Simultaneously, Su Yanyang’s existing Bionic Body contracted and reshaped itself, automatically flying into the iron coffin as the new components replaced it.
In an instant, he had switched from his speed-type Bionic Body to his daily-use set. After a brief moment to adjust, he turned and walked toward his teammates.
The iron coffin, now containing his discarded Bionic components, floated silently beside him.
Within Su Yanyang’s Bionic Eye’s vision, lines of text scrolled across his field of view — messages from the Soul Cultivators he had recruited to assist with his Bionic functions.
In Su Yanyang’s view, these Soul Cultivators were far cheaper and more efficient than artifact spirits of comparable intelligence.
The Soul Cultivator assisting with his Hand Bionic asked, “Boss, how’s it going? Are our support operations satisfactory?”
Su Yanyang replied, “Not bad. Keep up the good work. Out of the five of you, I’ll only be keeping one as a full-time employee.”
Hearing this, the five Soul Cultivators controlling the Bionic components redoubled their efforts.
Su Yanyang smiled faintly, though he knew… he wouldn’t be keeping any of them full-time.
He preferred Soul Cultivators on probation to those with permanent positions.