Chapter 389: True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s Mid-Match Guidance
When Zhang Yu saw the message from Director Gao, he was momentarily stunned. His first thought was that his relationship with True Monarch Magnetic Pole had been exposed.
But after rereading Director Gao’s message twice and pondering it carefully, Zhang Yu realized, “Director Gao doesn’t seem angry, nor does he sound sarcastic.”
“Could he really have introduced me to True Monarch Magnetic Pole?”
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yu decided to send a message to True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
Zhang Yu: “True Monarch, Teacher Gao told me to contact you?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Old Gao wants to give you a hand and asked me to guide you.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Little does he know that his highly praised Registered Disciple had already secretly become my disciple before even becoming his?”
Zhang Yu: “True Monarch, what do you plan to do?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Naturally, I’ll guide you.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Don’t worry. As long as you obey me, I guarantee no one will get hurt.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Come to the address below.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “This is the training room Old Gao prepared for us.”
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yu found himself in the training room.
The four large characters “True Monarch Magnetic Pole” appeared, projected along with a text box.
“We only have fifteen minutes between rounds, so I’ll speak at ten times the normal speed.”
The True Monarch’s voice suddenly accelerated, becoming a rapid stream of incantations that rippled through the air.
Zhang Yu calmed his mind, activating the Time-Worn Demonic Eye to accelerate his thinking. Simultaneously, the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body drove his Fourfold Thinking to cross-check and refine his understanding, allowing him to fully keep pace with the True Monarch’s accelerated speech.
“To defeat Su Yanyang’s team in the next round, the key lies in neutralizing their advantage in smart architecture.”
“While smart architecture sounds impressive, it’s ultimately just a gimmick. The underlying technology remains the same: Civil Engineering, Formations, and Soul Cultivators.”
“You already possess Civil Engineering expertise, so I won’t elaborate further.”
“As for Formations… every function of a Formation can be replicated by a magical artifact.”
“The main difference lies in efficiency. Magical artifacts typically offer faster response times and greater portability, while Formations occupy larger spaces but require comparatively less resources.”
“You could say formations are the magical artifacts of the poor, trading space and inconvenience for the Immortal Dao power of a magical artifact.”
“In reality, even the wealthiest must make trade-offs. Ultimately, they often combine formations and magical artifacts, just as they use Bionics and magical artifacts together.”
“In short, the weakness of formations lies in their space requirements and inconvenience…”
As True Monarch Magnetic Pole spoke, she sent Zhang Yu a file.
When Zhang Yu opened it, he found formation diagrams for the Two Realms Separation Great Formation, the Myriad Ghosts Bewildering Great Formation, and the Thousand Mountains Heavy Peaks Great Formation.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole explained, “Su Yanyang deployed three great formations in total. The Two Realms Separation Great Formation severs communication with the Spirit Realm, the Myriad Ghosts Bewildering Great Formation disrupts vision and communication, and the Thousand Mountains Heavy Peaks Great Formation reinforces structures while channeling Spirit Veins.”
“Moreover, these three great formations have been modified by a Civil Engineering Department professor, interlinking and nesting within each other to form a cohesive whole.”
“I have the authority to share these formation diagrams. Consider this a free lesson from me today.”
Although Zhang Yu had studied Engineering Formation Drafting, he only knew the most basic formation diagrams, such as those commonly used on construction sites to reinforce buildings or foundations.
Having already fought against Su Yanyang’s three great formations, Zhang Yu still knew very little about them.
When he opened the formation diagram, he discovered it contained hundreds of densely packed pages, covering various fields such as Civil Engineering, Spirit Veins, Geology, and Engineering.
As Zhang Yu’s scalp tingled with apprehension, True Monarch Magnetic Pole spoke simultaneously, “You must memorize these three formation diagrams before the battle begins.”
“I’ve also marked the key points, the critical elements for breaking the formations. You must repeatedly commit these to memory.”
Zhang Yu was inwardly shocked. “I haven’t even finished reading the table of contents, and True Monarch Magnetic Pole has already marked the key points? Just how fast does her mind work?”
At the same time, True Monarch Magnetic Pole continued, “Only after you’ve mastered the formation diagrams can you devise a method to break the formations.”
Zhang Yu’s spirits lifted. “Is there a way to break Su Yanyang’s formations?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole scoffed. “Merely breaking someone’s formation hardly counts as ‘breaking’ it. That’s just brute force demolition. True mastery lies in stealing and hijacking the enemy’s formations.”
“Before you engage, remember to find two reliable Soul Cultivators to assist you in breaking the formation.”
“Soul Cultivators are the artifact spirits of the poor. If your opponent uses artifact spirits and you don’t, it’s like having one fewer equipment slot. You’ll be at a disadvantage before the battle even begins.”
Zhang Yu asked curiously, “You know about equipment slots?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole replied dismissively, “Of course. I was one of the first game developers. It’s just a shame the wealthy stopped playing games, leaving only the poor. The games became less profitable, so I withdrew long ago.”
After this casual remark, True Monarch Magnetic Pole explained the key techniques for breaking the formation, instructing Zhang Yu to study the formation diagram and internalize its principles.
Midway through the explanation, Zhang Yu asked, “You want me to insert my Soul Cultivators into their great formation? But I don’t have such advanced Talisman Department abilities.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole retorted, “This isn’t about remote manipulation. You’ll already be inside the formation. Just make physical contact to transfer it. Study the formation diagram later and identify the transfer points.”
Having finished explaining the formation-breaking method, True Monarch Magnetic Pole continued, “Finally, I’ll teach you the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand, a technique I created myself, to deal with Su Yanyang’s Bionic.”
“A Bionic is essentially a part of the body, but its core remains a magical artifact, requiring Magic Power to operate.”
“The human body channels Magic Power to the Bionic through its meridians.”
“By striking specific acupoints to sever these meridians, you can temporarily reduce the Bionic’s efficiency, or even disable it completely with sufficient cultivation.”
“The Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand was originally a cultivation art I developed for adjusting and maintaining Bionics. Using it in combat requires two key conditions.”
“First, the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand is a meridian severing technique with no inherent destructive power. You must first break through the opponent’s Body-Protecting Qi and inject Primordial Magnetic Magic Power into their body for it to take effect.”
“Second, successful meridian severing requires precise identification of acupoints and meridians, as well as knowledge of the specific acupoints and meridians connected to different types and models of Bionics.”
“I’m sending you the meridian and acupoint connections for Su Yanyang’s Bionic now. For future opponents, you’ll need to find ways to research and learn these connections yourself.”
After receiving the file detailing the Bionic’s meridian connections, Zhang Yu was granted access to the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand cultivation art.
“Alright, now I’ll guide you through the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand.”
“First, you must condense a strand of Primordial Magnetic Magic Power. This magic power, akin to the magnetism of the Primordial Magnetic Channel, excels at penetrating flesh and blood. Once circulating within the meridians, it can block the flow of Magic Power, rendering it incapable of piercing Body-Protecting Qi…”
After explaining, True Monarch Magnetic Pole demonstrated the technique for Zhang Yu. “These Thirty-Six Paths of the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand correspond to the thirty-six major meridians in the human body. To achieve the desired effect, you must infuse Primordial Magnetic Magic Power in specific ways for each meridian. Time is short; you must master this before the competition begins…”
As Zhang Yu continued practicing, he remarked, “True Monarch, I feel like I’ve almost grasped it.”
At that moment, the Thirty-Six Paths of the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, each movement as familiar as if he had practiced them for years.
In truth, as True Monarch Magnetic Pole assigned Zhang Yu increasingly demanding tasks, requiring him to complete them all within a mere fifteen minutes, Zhang Yu’s anxiety grew.
Yet Zhang Yu reasoned that if True Monarch Magnetic Pole had set such a challenge, she must believe he had a high chance of succeeding.
After practicing the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand once, Zhang Yu realized the cultivation art wasn’t as complex as he’d initially thought. He stopped pretending and declared he had mastered it.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole responded skeptically, “You’ve mastered it already?”
Having just witnessed Zhang Yu’s first demonstration, riddled with errors, she found it hard to believe he had truly mastered the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand.
As Zhang Yu continued practicing, his movements grew increasingly fluid and precise. “True Monarch,” he said, “I’ve practiced it countless times in my mind. I feel like I’ve truly grasped it.”
Watching Zhang Yu’s growing proficiency, True Monarch Magnetic Pole was astonished. “He’s actually learned it?”
“I only intended for him to master the few paths of the Primordial Magnetic Meridian Severing Hand needed for the competition. Yet he’s mastered all Thirty-Six Paths in one go?”
“No wonder Old Gao values this kid so highly. His martial art aptitude is truly exceptional. If he spent a few years in the Security Department, he could probably become one of their top students.”
“Even if he doesn’t pursue artifact refinement in the future, his innate talent for refinement is undeniable.”
“Even if he’s not a genius, he’s certainly a prodigy.”
After a moment’s thought, True Monarch Magnetic Pole said, “Now that you’ve mastered the Meridian Severing Hand, hurry and study the formation diagrams. Don’t forget your preparations for Soul Cultivators and other methods to break formations.”
Zhang Yu bowed respectfully. “Thank you for your guidance, Teacher.”
“Time is short. Spare the formalities and get going,” True Monarch Magnetic Pole replied. “You may leave.”
Within the Spirit Realm Space, True Monarch Magnetic Pole glanced at Director Gao beside her.
Director Gao smiled faintly and sent a private message: “How’s it going?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “How’s what going?”
Director Gao: “How’s Zhang Yu performing? Can he win?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “He’s doing alright. I’ve taught him the method; the rest depends on his own performance.”
Sensing the True Monarch’s nonchalant tone, Director Gao thought to himself, “So Zhang Yu’s performance is just average?”
Director Gao pressed further: “Just alright?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “What else would you expect? I’ve seen countless geniuses.”
Detecting a fleeting hint of disappointment in Director Gao’s message, True Monarch Magnetic Pole thought to herself, “Old Gao, don’t blame me later. Your disciple came to me first, I didn’t make the first move. If you want to blame someone, blame your Civil Engineering Department for lacking the appeal to keep him. I’ll take good care of him in the future.”