Chapter 420: End of Term, Overnight Fortune
Watching Zhang Yu’s performance in the video, Tu Lishan thought to himself, “All those magical artifacts must have cost a fortune in Spirit Coins. Director Gao really values this kid.”
Just then, Director Gao, having finished watching Zhang Yu’s video, replied, “Once you confirm he’s secured first place, let him finish early.”
Tu Lishan curled his lip inwardly, thinking, “Such favoritism! Can’t they make Zhang Yu do a little more free labor?”
Tu Lishan: “Understood.”
Tu Lishan: “Rest assured, I’m keeping a close watch.”
Soon after, Gongshu Jin, who was still working diligently, noticed that Zhang Yu’s name above his on the leaderboard… his salary calculation had stopped.
“Hmm? Zhang Yu stopped working?”
At first, Gongshu Jin assumed something had gone wrong, but he quickly received news that Zhang Yu had submitted his answers early and left.
“Submitted early?! So soon?!”
Gongshu Jin soon understood Zhang Yu’s strategy. Even though Zhang Yu had stopped working, the salary data frozen above everyone else’s names remained immovable, still firmly suppressing all competitors.
Watching this unfold, Ji Yuanshu let out a wry smile. “It’s just a simple math problem.”
“The remaining time, multiplied by each of our work efficiencies and salaries, still can’t surpass Zhang Yu’s total.”
At that moment, every student in the Examination Field felt as if the towering name and number on the leaderboard were like a colossal, all-encompassing hand, crushing them all beneath its weight. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t break free from its Suppression.
Soon after, the final exam rankings were calculated and converted into comprehensive scores, forming the new class rankings.
Ji Yuanshu gazed at Zhang Yu, still ranked first in the class, followed by Gongshu Jin in second place, Ying Xin in third, and Yu Xinghan in fourth. He slowly exhaled.
“Competitions…”
Even before the exam began, he knew that without competition points, he had no chance of surpassing these four. Yet seeing the actual rankings still caused a pang in his heart.
Especially Zhang Yu’s Overall Department Ranking, which had skyrocketed from 95th to 62nd after this final exam.
The remaining Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan had also secured Overall Department Rankings, placing in the low eighties and nineties respectively.
“Hah…”
“It’s not my fault,” Ji Yuanshu murmured inwardly. “It’s just the War Faction’s influence, funneling unimaginable resources into Zhang Yu and pushing Gongshu Jin and the others far beyond their true capabilities.”
“As long as I win the upcoming Civil Engineering Competition…”
The new Civil Engineering Competition was approaching. This time, Ji Yuanshu had joined an exceptionally strong team, the result of Ma Xuan and Su Yanyang joining forces.
As they entered their third year, the previous Tenth-Year Students had already graduated.
“This year’s team is even stronger than last year’s, and the original Tenth-Year Students have all graduated. With this, we might even have a chance to break into the top 5.”
He was confident that he would secure a ranking in the competition this time, and he absolutely had to.
After all, the seven credit cards weighing on his mind were already at his limit. If he couldn’t achieve a breakthrough by the end of the year and gather more Qi Luck…
“It’s fine, it’s just a technical adjustment. This time, I’ll definitely succeed.”
“Once I get results, I can show off everywhere and regain my Qi Luck.”
Ji Yuanshu desperately wanted to use the Finance Department’s common tactic, showing off, to gather Qi Luck.
Unfortunately, he currently lacked sufficient scores and rankings to boast about.
Inside the luxurious dormitory, Zhang Yu scrolled through chat logs in various groups, his lips curling into a faint smile from time to time.
“Zhang Yu is too OP! He’s already ranked 62nd overall in the department as a Second-Year. I bet he’ll master the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering in the future.”
“Wealth, talent, physique… possessing even one of these makes you a peerless genius. I never imagined someone in the Civil Engineering Department could have all three! He’s too strong, ridiculously strong — it’s like he’s not even human!”
“My dao heart is shattered. Look at Zhang Yu’s grades, then look at mine. I feel like complete trash.”
Yu Xinghan returned to the dormitory to find Zhang Yu staring blankly into the air, a silly grin on his face. “What are you looking at?” he asked.
Zhang Yu licked his lips and replied calmly, “I had a sudden realization about my cultivation. I’m just feeling incredibly happy.”
At that moment, Zhang Yu’s greatest regret was that he could only watch others praise him without any legitimate reason to flaunt his achievements himself.
“If I actively show off, it would seem a bit low-class.”
“Never mind, I’ll just post something on my Moments.”
“Sigh, the Finance Department has it so easy. If you’re strong, you can brag all you want. Everyone just says you’re doing it for cultivation or Qi Luck.”
Zhang Yu soon received a flood of congratulatory messages from friends. He scrolled through them one by one, replying to those he knew well and ignoring the rest.
Che Yufei: “Damn, you’re a beast!”
Shi Yunxiang: “Old Che and I talked it over. If you want to recruit anyone else, just let us know.”
Shi Huaiyu: “Congratulations, Junior Brother! Your reputation in the Civil Engineering Department is growing. Even our teacher mentioned you in class today.”
Li Xiao: “[0.1 Spirit Coin] Brother, can you take me to the competition this year?”
Ying Xin: “Senior Brother, I noticed you had quite a few magical artifacts today. Do you need a Soul Cultivator?”
Gongshu Jin: “[1 Spirit Coin] Grateful for the silent companionship of my friends. Sending sincere blessings for their lasting happiness and enduring friendship!”
Director Gao: “Tomorrow, same place. I’ll teach you the Third Absolute.”
Seeing Director Gao’s message, Zhang Yu’s heart raced with excitement. “Finally, the Third Absolute!”
“With this, I can complete the Minor Threefold Combination.”
Zhang Yu had been utterly envious the first time he saw Ma Xuan use the Minor Threefold Combination.
After the grueling battles of the Civil Engineering Competition, he realized that in Kunxu’s Civil Engineering Realm, the Minor Threefold Combination was an essential skill for any true master.
“Mastering the Minor Threefold Combination will greatly improve my chances of passing the Military Certificate Examination.”
In the days that followed, Zhang Yu continued attending classes, working part-time, and quietly anticipating the next day’s cultivation art lesson.
As the final exams concluded, results for each department and year level began to surface, and Zhang Yu wasn’t the only one making waves.
Every department had its legends, and every year level had its top performer.
In the Civil Engineering Department, besides Zhang Yu, another figure had emerged after the exams: “Ping Han, who had graduated from the previous class and now ranked second overall in the department as a Tenth-Year Student.”
Feng Tingting: “Junior Brother, I heard Ping Han from your Civil Engineering Department struck it rich?”
Feng Tingting: “They say he made a fortune trading Spirit Coins.”
Feng Tingting: “He showed up for the exam decked out in top-tier magical artifacts and Bionics.”
Feng Tingting: “Later, he even started contacting everyone who had refused to lend him money for trading Spirit Coins before.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered as he noticed Ping Han had sent him a message.
Ping Han: “Screenshot of Spirit Coin trading profits. [Image file]”
Zhang Yu stared at the numbers in the screenshot, momentarily stunned. “Over 400 Spirit Coins in profit?”
“He made that much?”
Ping Han: “Ah, Junior Brother, when I asked you for money, I was genuinely broke.”
Ping Han: “So broke I could barely afford my medicine.”
Ping Han: “If you had lent me the money back then, you’d be sharing in these profits now.”
Reading Ping Han’s message, Zhang Yu finally understood what Feng Tingting had meant.
Soon, Zhang Yu began seeing Ping Han’s chat logs and comments circulating in various group chats.
Ping Han: “Mo Shangjin, have you seen my profits?”
Ping Han: “Regret not lending me money now, don’t you?”
Ping Han: “You could have earned even more if you had.”
Ping Han: “Xiao Yunji, are you regretting it now?”
Ping Han: “If you’d lent me money back then, I could have helped you earn well over 1000 Spirit Coins.”
Ping Han: “Now I’ve earned all the money myself. I’m definitely getting the Military Certificate this time — no share for you.”
Ping Han: “@everyone, screenshot of my crypto profits. [Image file]”
Ping Han: “Where are all the people who used to tell me not to trade crypto?”
Ping Han: “As proven by the facts, my crypto trading skills are top-tier in the Civil Engineering Department.”
Ping Han: “My earning potential now surpasses 99.99% of you.”
Ping Han: “Construction site, once I get my Military Certificate, I’m never going back.”
Ping Han: “Because a far grander world awaits me — the Investment Circle.”
Su Yanyang’s heart sank as he read the various messages Ping Han had been screenshotting. He clenched his fist tightly.
“This guy… he actually made so much money?”
“Damn it!”
Su Yanyang thought, “Ping Han was already incredibly strong, but his massive debt and lack of Bionic and magical artifact support had severely hampered his abilities.”
“Now that he’s earned so many Spirit Coins, his strength will likely skyrocket… he might truly become the second strongest in the department ranking.”
The thought of having to compete against such a monster in next month’s Military Certificate Examination filled Su Yanyang with bitterness.
He sighed deeply, muttering to himself, “My chances of getting the Military Certificate this time are probably slim to none.”
“Brother Ping, can you teach me how to trade crypto?”
“Senior Ping Han, I want to learn crypto trading from you.”
“Senior, take this money. If we lose, I’ll cover it.”
Ping Han glanced at the messages flooding his inbox, a faint smile playing on his lips. The pent-up frustration he’d been harboring for so long seemed to dissipate in an instant.
He replied to each message individually, adding everyone to his investment group.
“Mo Shangjin, Xiao Yunji, and… Zhang Yu, haven’t replied yet?”
Ping Han thought to himself, “Hmph, probably don’t know what to say.”
“Just wait until I get my Military Certificate next month. I’ll show you then.”
“Then I’ll ask you to invest again. Let’s see if you’ll still refuse.”
Zhang Yu scanned the screenshots circulating in various group chats, thinking to himself, “Ping Han… was he suppressing himself too much before?”
Fu Ji commented, “Some people are just like that, especially those who speculate on Spirit Coins. When they’re poor, they feel looked down upon, as if everyone is belittling them. But once they strike it rich… they often start showing off aggressively, flaunting their wealth everywhere.”
“And by flaunting their wealth, they can attract even more Spirit Coins, gain control of more capital, and then start snowballing their gains…”
Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. “You mean he could keep making money?”
Fu Ji replied uncertainly, “I’m not a Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch, nor am I a Great Power in the Finance Department. How would I know?”
“We don’t even know how he made so much from this Spirit Coin speculation.”
“But if he really wants to raise capital next, he’ll definitely start bragging about how he made his fortune.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, then sighed. “To strike it rich at this exact moment…”
“That means we can’t underestimate Ping Han in next month’s Military Certificate Examination.”