Chapter 416: Artifact Refinement Examination
In their dormitory room, Le Mulan cautioned, “Wait, I haven’t squeezed it all out yet.”
Zhang Yu replied, “Isn’t that enough?”
“No,” Le Mulan insisted. “Every drop is precious. We need to get every last bit.”
“How about now?” Zhang Yu asked.
“Let me try again,” Le Mulan said, applying slight pressure. Several more strands of blood shot from her fingertips into Zhang Yu’s mouth.
Only then did Le Mulan nod. “The potion should be completely extracted now. How do you feel?”
Zhang Yu pursed his lips. “Not bad. The medicinal power feels gentler than before.”
Since Le Mulan began studying self-produced medicine techniques, she had started producing drugs within her own body.
From that point onward, her blood, sweat, saliva, and even her Magic Power gradually carried traces of the newly produced medicinal power.
Especially after Zhang Yu began cultivating with the Blazing Sun Meridian alongside Le Mulan’s Profound Cold Meridian, the medicinal power within her body underwent various miraculous transformations.
During this period, Le Mulan had been experimenting with generating various potions within her body.
Zhang Yu, with his robust physique and high drug tolerance, became Le Mulan’s ideal experimental subject.
Of course, Zhang Yu wasn’t losing out either. After all, Le Mulan spent a considerable amount of money on raw materials for each batch of medicine, and most of the final product ended up in his stomach.
Just as Zhang Yu was testing a new drug, a message from Yu Xinghan appeared in his Bionic Eye.
Yu Xinghan: “Someone’s offering 3 Spirit Coins for a joint cultivation session.”
Yu Xinghan: “Are you in?”
Zhang Yu had to admit, the mention of 3 Spirit Coins made him waver for a moment.
But that flicker of temptation quickly turned into anger.
“Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu, how has Kunxu twisted you like this?”
“Not everything can be bought and sold.”
Zhang Yu: “Stop asking. I wouldn’t sell it for any amount of Spirit Coins.”
Yu Xinghan: “Got it. So, at least 50 Spirit Coins or more, right?”
Zhang Yu: “You fucking idiot! Can’t you understand plain language? I said I wouldn’t sell it for any amount of Spirit Coins!”
Yu Xinghan genuinely didn’t understand. He couldn’t imagine anything being worth so much that it couldn’t be bought at any price. Did such a priceless thing even exist in this world?
Turning his attention to the group chat, Yu Xinghan decided to start promoting his platform’s massage services.
At the construction site on the 668th floor, with the completion of the 667th floor, Myriad Laws University City had reached the 668th floor.
Zhang Yu’s Earth-Suppressing Seal floated in mid-air, emitting an invisible energy field. Wherever the field passed, the ground vibrated and leveled out. The billowing dust that had risen into the air froze in layers within the field, as if suspended in time.
Meanwhile, Mo Tianyi’s voice echoed from within the seal: “What a formidable magical artifact!”
Mo Tianyi: “Zhang Yu, you’re really rich now, aren’t you? Can you even afford to use a Level 20 magical artifact?”
Zhang Yu smiled faintly. “It’s alright, I guess.”
“How’s the control going?”
Mo Tianyi: “No problem at all.”
Mo Tianyi: “Zhang Yu, rest assured. Since you’ve given me the chance to be your artifact spirit, I’ll even sacrifice my Spirit Realm Calculation Pool if necessary to avoid embarrassing you.”
Zhang Yu quickly interjected, “No, no, no! There’s no need to go that far. How are we supposed to make money if you’re sacrificing everything?”
Mo Tianyi: “You’re right. As Soul Cultivators, we don’t have lives to spare. The more we sacrifice, the more we lose.”
Simultaneously, the Azure Cloud Gathering Pouch floated nearby, steadily pouring Azure Heaven Sand into the Formless Warrior.
Zhao Tianxing thought to himself, “Zhang Yu entrusted the Level 20 Earth-Suppressing Seal to Old Mo?”
“So, in Zhang Yu’s eyes, I’m still just a latecomer, not a true Soul Cultivator like Old Mo?”
Initially, Zhao Tianxing had been thrilled and proud to become the artifact spirit of the Azure Cloud Gathering Pouch.
But now, watching Mo Tianyi operate the Level 20 Earth-Suppressing Seal, he suddenly felt his own control over the Azure Cloud Gathering Pouch seemed rather clumsy.
Just then, Zhang Yu tossed out the Level 20 Earthly Fiend Bottle.
“Old Zhao, give this a try.”
Zhao Tianxing replied excitedly, “Got it!”
The Earthly Fiend Bottle swirled gently, sucking in the swirling sand and dust that filled the sky. It then refined the material into Coagulated Earth, which was poured into the designated target area nearby.
Zhang Yu thought, “With Old Zhao and Old Mo as the artifact spirits for the Earthly Fiend Bottle and Earth-Suppressing Seal, I can focus on controlling the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill and Formless Warriors, only needing to occasionally adjust the Azure Cloud Gathering Pouch.”
As the end-of-semester exams for his second year approached, Zhang Yu’s mind was elsewhere. He was completely confident in his ability to pass the exams, so he had no need to worry.
“If I take first place in the class again during the final exams, I’ll be able to cultivate the Third Absolute of the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering and master the Minor Threefold Combination.”
“After that, the Military Certificate Examination will be in October.”
“With my current progress and mastery of the Minor Threefold Combination, will I be ready to pass the Military Certificate Examination?”
Zhang Yu turned to look at the Feather Book. Approaching his third year, his strength was formidable. In terms of basic stats alone, his physical strength had reached Level 20, and his Magic Power had reached 1,000 units, both at the Foundation Establishment Limit.
His dao heart had already reached Level 19 (55.3%), and he was certain it would reach Level 20 before the Military Certificate Examination.
Furthermore, his Magic Power Quality had steadily increased to 195%, just 5% short of the Foundation Establishment Limit.
His Gang Qi Conduction Rate had reached 99%, and his maximum Gang Qi transmission distance had reached 100 meters, both at the Foundation Establishment Limit.
Beyond these basic stats, Zhang Yu had unique progress tied to his Azure Lotus Sword Embryo.
“The Azure Lotus Sword Embryo’s enhancement of the Chain Method Diagram Set lies in its gradual adjustments, influenced by how I distribute my time using the various sets.”
Through repeated testing, Zhang Yu had developed a mental estimate of the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo’s ability to retain the effects of the Chain Formation Diagram in its normal state.
“I’ve used the University Sacred Body and Civil Engineering Sacred Body the most during the first half of this year. The Azure Lotus Sword Embryo can now retain nearly 9% of their effects.”
“Although the Martial Dao Sacred Body was the last one I completed, I’ve used it extensively in recent months. The Azure Lotus Sword Embryo can now retain 5% of its effects.”
“Qi Meridian Everflow is only used when restoring Magic Power, so its usage time is the shortest. The Azure Lotus Sword Embryo can only retain 4% of its effects.”
Zhang Yu clenched his fist, watching the Formless Cloud Gang gather and disperse at will in his palm, its form constantly shifting. He thought to himself, “I’m… incredibly strong now.”
After confirming his strength once more, Zhang Yu resolved, “I must obtain the Military Certificate.”
His confidence grew with each improvement and confirmation of his power, solidifying his resolve.
However, Zhang Yu’s first examination wasn’t the final exam or the Military Certificate Examination, but True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s Artifact Refinement Examination.
Artifact Refinement Laboratory.
Ye Xingli was grading Zhang Yu’s exam papers.
The papers were the final exams for all subjects in the Artifact Refinement Department’s Third-Year curriculum. True Monarch Magnetic Pole had retrieved them and assigned Zhang Yu to take the exams, with Ye Xingli grading them.
The more Ye Xingli graded, the more astonished she became.
“Zhang Yu is studying in the Civil Engineering Department while simultaneously learning the first three years of the Artifact Refinement Department’s curriculum?”
“Could Master be planning to have him transfer departments after his third year?”
“This…” Ye Xingli seemed to foresee a series of ominous future scenarios. “Director Gao is going to lose his mind.”
At that thought, Ye Xingli couldn’t help but wish Zhang Yu would perform poorly on the exams.
But contrary to her hopes, the more she graded, the more she realized Zhang Yu’s mastery of the Artifact Refinement Department’s first three years of curriculum far surpassed that of most Third-Year students.
“He must have spent a fortune on Spirit Realm Acceleration, Daoist Arts Spirit Splitting, and Memory Enhancement…”
Ye Xingli mused, “Now, all that remains is to assess his practical skills.”
She understood that theory was theory, and technique was technique. The Artifact Refinement Department naturally valued students’ actual artifact refinement abilities above all else.
The Third-Year final examination naturally included various aspects of material refinement, rune etching, and magical artifact refinement.
Tonight, True Monarch Magnetic Pole had reserved the laboratory for the entire night, with Ye Xingli supervising Zhang Yu as he completed each section of the final examination.
She watched Zhang Yu refine materials with effortless skill, expertly feeding raw materials into the True Fire Furnace and channeling Magic Power to control the True Fire within.
She observed Zhang Yu, surrounded by several Formless Warriors, constructing Magic Power Circuits around the refined materials from multiple angles, showcasing wave after wave of meticulous operations.
The more Ye Xingli watched, the more she marveled.
“It’s only been a little over half a year since I last saw Zhang Yu refine artifacts, right?”
“How has he improved so much already?”
“This guy’s talent for artifact refinement… it’s even greater than I imagined?”
The final examination required students to choose one project from a list of magical artifacts or Bionics and refine it.
Originally, students were supposed to prepare their own materials.
This time, however, True Monarch Magnetic Pole had proactively provided the materials, entrusting Zhang Yu with the refining process.
The magical artifact to be refined had been agreed upon long ago, and Zhang Yu had recently mastered the necessary Artifact Refinement Technique.
As Zhang Yu examined the materials, he thought to himself, “True Monarch Magnetic Pole is truly generous.”
Ye Xingli mused inwardly, “Ah, Master really values Zhang Yu highly.”
When Ye Xingli watched Zhang Yu successfully refine the materials into a Level 20 magical artifact, the Golden Carved Jade Wall, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Master’s judgment is flawless as ever.”
“I completely overlooked Zhang Yu’s extraordinary talent for artifact refinement.”
“If he transfers to the Artifact Refinement Department in the future, it wouldn’t be surprising if he enters the top 10 of the Department rankings within a few years.”
Zhang Yu, gazing at the Golden Carved Jade Wall he had refined, asked, “So, this jade wall is…”
Ye Xingli replied coolly, “Master will pay you a refining fee of 3 Spirit Coins.”
Zhang Yu felt a slight pang of disappointment, but he still considered the refining fee a decent reward, especially since the materials and laboratory costs had been covered by the True Monarch.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Didn’t you say your disciple’s physical strength had reached Level 20, rendering the Yin-Yang Bracelet useless?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Golden Carved Jade Wall. Image file”
Director Gao: “Are you trying to sell this to me? I’ve been a bit tight on funds lately.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “I’m selling it to you at cost.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “After all these years of friendship, how could I not?”
Director Gao: “Magnetic Pole, you’re the best.”
Inside the dormitory, Zhang Yu examined the Golden Carved Jade Wall Director Gao had delivered. “Is this… the one I refined?” he asked uncertainly.
“Is this the reward True Monarch Magnetic Pole promised me if I passed the final exam at the end of my second year?”
Fu Ji remarked, “Zhang Yu, True Monarch Magnetic Pole truly lives up to her reputation in the Artifact Refinement Department. Director Gao from Civil Engineering simply can’t outmaneuver her.”