Chapter 438: Issuing Military Certificates
Ji Yuanshu stared bitterly at Zhang Yu’s social media post, muttering, “Damn it…”
He could already see his chances of joining another team slipping away. He wouldn’t earn a single point in this year’s competition, falling further behind Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan. As the fifth-ranked student in his class, he would ultimately be dragged into endless darkness by the weight of seven credit cards.
Just then, Ji Yuanshu received a message.
Ping Han: “Does your team still need members?”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Xiao ended his conversation with Ji Yuanshu and arrived at the construction site on the 668th floor.
When he located Zhang Yu, he was surprised to find Ying Xin already there, wielding her Gang Qi to help him with the work.
Zhang Yu said, “Little Ying, I can handle this myself.”
Ying Xin replied, “No need, no need! I love shoveling dirt. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, and I feel restless if I don’t do it for a day.”
Li Xiao, observing this scene, was slightly startled and marveled, “Ying Xin came so early?”
Gongshu Jin’s voice came from nearby, “Early? According to the security guards here, she’s been helping Zhang Yu for days.”
Gongshu Jin sighed, “Having relatives who are Soul Cultivators has its advantages. At least they’re well-informed.”
“She’s probably one of the first students in our class to know Zhang Yu would pass the Military Certificate Examination.”
On the very day the Military Certificate Examination ended, Ying Xin had learned about Zhang Yu’s performance in the Examination Field from her great-grandfather.
Since then, she had been appearing near Zhang Yu from time to time.
Ever since the examination had concluded, Ying Xin had been receiving a constant stream of messages from people offering Spirit Coins for her alternate position. Many of the prices were tempting enough to make her consider selling.
Li Xiao, standing nearby, sighed inwardly. “Without Ying Xin’s connections, I wouldn’t even be able to hold a candle to these offers. Her position as an alternate is becoming increasingly secure.”
Just then, divine power surged in the sky. Under the watchful eyes of Li Xiao, Ying Xin, and others, golden light coalesced into a staircase that materialized step by step in mid-air.
Workers in the vicinity were startled and turned to gaze curiously at the spectacle.
Deng Bingding descended slowly, accompanied by several Righteous Gods. She approached Zhang Yu with a cheerful smile. “Congratulations, Zhang Yu. I’m here to present you with your Military Civil Engineering Certificate.”
Zhang Yu maintained an air of calm detachment, while Ying Xin, Gongshu Jin, Li Xiao, and the others beside him were visibly excited.
Tu Lishan had somehow appeared at Zhang Yu’s side.
Deng Bingding glanced at Tu Lishan in surprise. “And you are?”
Tu Lishan smiled slightly. “I’m Tu Lishan, Zhang Yu’s teacher for the Civil Engineering Department’s foundational courses.”
Deng Bingding nodded. “Teacher Tu, you’ve nurtured a pillar of talent for Myriad Laws University.”
Tu Lishan chuckled. He had come specifically to stand beside Zhang Yu when he received his Military Certificate and take a commemorative photo.
Deng Bingding spread her hands, and a radiant golden certificate materialized before Zhang Yu as a Spirit Realm Projection.
“Zhang Yu, congratulations! May your future be filled with prosperity, may you advance further on the Immortal Dao, and may you continue to contribute to Myriad Laws and Kunxu.”
In the next moment, the Military Certificate transformed into a beam of light and gently landed in Zhang Yu’s outstretched hand.
As Zhang Yu accepted the certificate, he noticed his Overall Department Ranking suddenly surge.
The comprehensive score boost from the Military Certificate had propelled him from the mid-sixties to twenty-ninth place in the entire department.
Gongshu Jin, observing this, sighed inwardly, “If Zhang Yu weren’t only a third-year student, lacking the credits from upper-level civil engineering courses, his ranking would be far higher.”
“My friend’s capabilities… can no longer be measured by his overall score or his ranking in the department.”
Ying Xin, Gongshu Jin, and Li Xiao quickly gathered around Zhang Yu, who was holding his Military Certificate, for a group photo. They each posted the picture on their social media accounts.
Ying Xin: “Senior Brother passed the Military Certificate Examination! Wishing him even greater success!”
Gongshu Jin: “My best friend got his Military Certificate! Celebrating with him today!”
Li Xiao: “A Third-Year student passed the Military Certificate Examination! The pride of our entire year!”
Meanwhile, Tu Lishan received a message from Director Gao.
Director Gao: “Has the Military Certificate been awarded yet?”
Tu Lishan: “Yes, Director.”
Tu Lishan: “[Photo of the Military Certificate presentation]”
Tu Lishan had already captured the certificate presentation from the sidelines, making sure to include himself and the entire construction site in the frame. The resulting image depicted a Righteous God visiting the site to award the Military Certificate to students working on the concrete pour.
Director Gao: “Well done! 👍”
Director Gao: “This perfectly embodies the spirit of our Civil Engineering Department.”
Director Gao: “Post it in the group chat first.”
Director Gao: “Remember to also send it to the university’s news website and social media channels.”
Civil Engineering Department Teacher’s group chat.
Tu Lishan: “Congratulations to Zhang Yu, a third-year student in our department, for successfully passing the Military Certificate Examination! 🎉🎉🎉”
Tu Lishan: [Photo of Zhang Yu receiving the Military Certificate]
Civil Engineering Department Faculty Teachers: “👍😲🎉”
Lang Yougong: “Isn’t he Director Gao’s disciple?”
Teacher 1: “Director Gao certainly knows how to train his students. Both students in the department who have obtained the Military Certificate are his disciples.”
Teacher 2: “Director Gao, how about a red envelope?”
Director Gao: “This wouldn’t have been possible without the collective efforts of all my colleagues.”
Director Gao: “In the future, we must continue to work together to uphold the spirit of Civil Engineering and build an even better department.”
Director Lin coldly observed the teachers’ flattery in the group chat, thinking to himself, “Hmph, a mere Military Certificate… You’d think he’d been appointed university president.”
He sent a message to True Person Scorching Thunder: “Keep digging into Zhang Yu. Tell him we’re willing to negotiate any terms.”
Director Lin thought, “Even if we can’t recruit him, at least we’ll stir up trouble. Let’s see if we can sow discord between them.”
But True Person Scorching Thunder quickly replied: “I’m afraid that’s impossible, Director. Zhang Yu has already signed a contract.”
True Person Scorching Thunder: “I checked. The company has ties to the Artifact Refinement Department. True Monarch Magnetic Pole is one of their shareholders.”
Director Lin cursed inwardly, “That sly Gao Chongguang! All that talk about departmental loyalty, and he’s just selling our talent to the Artifact Refinement Department for profit?”
True Person Scorching Thunder: “Director, should we still proceed?”
Director Lin: “Hold off for now.”
At the construction site, the holographic display of the Military Certificate had vanished from everyone’s sight, visible only within Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye.
As he reviewed the extensive details, Zhang Yu pondered deeply.
He then opened the constantly refreshing messages.
Yu Xinghan: “Did they finish issuing the certificates?”
Yu Xinghan: “I’m so pissed! I’m stuck working overtime and couldn’t make it.”
Yu Xinghan: “You absolutely have to bring your Military Certificate tonight so we can take another photo together.”
Che Yufei: “Senior, Shi Yunxiang and I discussed it, and we decided to pay you the membership fee after all.”
Zhang Yu: “You don’t need to call me Senior.”
Che Yufei: “Your grades are so much better than mine. You are a senior.”
Seeing that Zhang Yu hadn’t replied for a while, Che Yufei suddenly felt anxious.
He remembered several people offering to buy his spot on the competition team, and he grew even more conflicted.
“Do I want the prestige or the money?”
Shi Yunxiang: “I’m getting a new Bionic heart soon, Lionheart. Want to take my old one?”
Shi Huaiyu: “Junior Brother! Did you really buy Jade Nectar Coins with 100x leverage?”
Shi Huaiyu: “Holy shit! Su Yanyang said he’d pay me back for my kidney?!”
Zhao Tianxing: “Zhang Yu, can I repost your photos from your Moments?”
Feng Tingting: “Junior Brother! You’re in the news!” [Congratulations to Zhang Yu, a third-year Civil Engineering student at our university, for obtaining his Military Certificate!]
Ye Xingli: “[3 Spirit Coin Red Envelope] Congratulations!”
Ye Xingli thought to himself, “Master said he values old connections… I guess this red envelope counts as one, right?”
Zhang Yu silently accepted the 3 Spirit Coin red envelope from Ye Xingli, marveling, “How can Myriad Laws University be so full of warmth? Is this even Kunxu anymore?”
Just then, his eyes narrowed as he noticed Ma Xuan and Su Yanyang had both sent him friend requests.
Ma Xuan: “Junior Brother Zhang, are there any spots left on the competition team? I’m willing to pay for one. The price is negotiable.”
Su Yanyang: “Bro, I messed up.”
Su Yanyang: “Can I buy a spot on the competition team? I’ll pay 20 Spirit Coins.”
Su Yanyang: “Don’t worry, I made money trading crypto. I’ll definitely pay you back.”
Seeing Su Yanyang’s offer, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel a flicker of temptation.
But when he thought of his teammates, he realized he couldn’t bring himself to tell them about this. With a helpless shake of his head, he turned away.
Then, Zhang Yu noticed someone was calling him in the Songyang Hometown Group.
He clicked to check and saw that Lian Tianji had initially been promoting Jade Nectar Coins, with many members showering him with praise.
But then Zhao Tianxing began to speak.
Zhao Tianxing: “I recently took the Military Certificate Examination and successfully helped my boss obtain the certificate.”
Lan Ling: “A junior college student taking the Military Certificate Examination? [Facepalm emoji]”
Zhao Tianxing: “[Military Certificate Public List]”
Zhao Tianxing: “Zhang Yu got the Military Certificate. I was just there to help him out, doing the grunt work.”
Mo Tianyi: “Old Zhao, your control over that Level 20 magical artifact is impressive.”
Lan Ling: “Level 20 magical artifact?”
Mo Tianyi: “Both Old Zhao and I were there to control Level 20 magical artifacts.”
Mo Tianyi: “Even the Soul Cultivators we worked with were old graduates from Myriad Laws University.”
Qian Shen: “What’s Zhang Yu’s ranking now?”
Qian Shen: “Myriad Laws’ ranking system is flawed.”
Zhao Tianxing scrolled through the Songyang Hometown Group chat, reading the admiration, curiosity, and various questions from his fellow townsfolk.
He felt a surge of pride, especially when students from the prestigious 36 and 72 schools sought advice from him, a mere junior college Soul Cultivator.
Looking up at the now-illuminated Spirit Realm space before him, Zhao Tianxing felt a wave of contentment wash over him.
With another Military Certificate Examination qualification under his belt, his income had recently increased, allowing him to move from the dark, confined space he had previously occupied to this expansive Spirit Realm projection.
Staring at the pixelated walls and his own pixelated body, Zhao Tianxing smiled faintly. Life was steadily improving.
Meanwhile, his boxy, pixelated roommate sent him a private message: “Old Zhao, could you introduce me to work with your hometown folks? I’ll pay you a referral fee. I’m about to enter the Mental Melting Period and promise I won’t slack off.”
Another roommate chimed in with a private message: “Little Zhao, you’re so well-connected, even knowing Myriad Laws University students with Military Certificates. Could you help me find work too? I’m nearing the end of my lifespan and will work tirelessly.”
A third roommate messaged: “I’ll give you half the referral fee if you introduce me to Myriad Laws. I just want to see what the Ten Greats are like.”
Reading the stream of private messages, Zhao Tianxing instinctively wanted to scratch his head, then remembered he couldn’t perform such fine motor movements in this pixelated realm.
A flicker of annoyance crossed his mind as he hesitated over whether to decline. Ultimately, he replied earnestly to each message: “I can ask, but I can’t guarantee success.”