Chapter 445: Receiving the Fourth Absolute
Che Yufei: “Zhang Yu, I’ve made up my mind. I’m selling my spot on the Competition Team.”
Seeing Che Yufei’s message, Zhang Yu naturally chose not to interfere.
After all, whether to continue competing for a better resume and higher overall score, or to cash out now and gain more Spirit Coins to spend on other things, was a personal decision.
Especially since Che Yufei was already a senior, fully capable of independent thought and judgment, and able to decide which path best suited his future.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s reply of agreement, Che Yufei sighed inwardly: “With my current skills, staying on the team wouldn’t earn much anyway. I’d probably just become a nuisance. Better to get Spirit Coins early and leave a good impression!”
“Ah, if only I’d met Zhang Yu a few years earlier, my life might have taken a completely different turn!”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu, observing the final buyer of the team spot, asked in the competition team group chat: “Any objections?”
Shi Huaiyu: “No problem.”
Shi Huaiyu: “Highest bidder wins, right? Besides, he’s already paid me!”
Zhang Yu’s question stemmed from the fact that Su Yanyang had secured the spot. Although Su Yanyang belonged to the Neutral Faction, his inclusion had already been approved by Director Gao.
However, remembering Su Yanyang’s past conflicts with Shi Huaiyu, Zhang Yu decided to seek the group’s opinion in the competition team group chat.
Clearly, the students of Myriad Laws University believed that whoever paid the most got to call the shots. Past grievances were merely fleeting clouds in the wind.
Competition Team Group:
“Che Yufei has left the group chat.”
“Su Yanyang has joined the group chat.”
“Warning: Su Yanyang poses multiple legal and credit risks. Please safeguard your assets!”
Seeing the warning that appeared after Su Yanyang joined, Zhang Yu muttered to himself, “Just how many people does this guy owe money to?”
Su Yanyang: “Hello everyone! I’m honored to join the competition team. Thank you all for this opportunity!”
Shi Huaiyu: “Enough talk. Pay up first!”
This time, Su Yanyang didn’t delay. He quickly transferred a total of 26.7 Spirit Coins.
One-third of the money went to Zhang Yu, one-third to Che Yufei, and the remaining third was split equally among the four official teammates.
Su Yanyang felt a pang of regret as he transferred the funds. His finances had been tight for the past year, and he had only recently managed to earn some Spirit Coins through Jade Nectar Coins. Now, most of it was gone in an instant.
All that hard-earned money, and it’s just going to Zhang Yu and the others!
He hesitated. “The Jade Nectar Coin is doing well lately. Should I leverage it again?”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu watched his savings grow to 51.05 Spirit Coins, marveling at how quickly his wealth was accumulating.
“With Director Gao’s investment and my steadily increasing income from part-time jobs, my monthly surplus is growing larger and larger!”
“What should I spend it on next?”
The first thought that came to Zhang Yu’s mind was to invest in Artifact Refinement Techniques, slowly piecing together the complete Chain Formation Diagram set of the Artifact Refinement Prodigy.
In the past, such Daoist Arts cultivation methods had been too expensive for him to afford, especially while simultaneously learning various magical artifact production skills.
“I could afford to withdraw some now, but…”
Zhang Yu’s thoughts drifted to his sister Zhang Pianpian’s Supreme Clarity Realm. If he could scrape together another 100 Spirit Coins, he could directly upgrade her Supreme Clarity Talisman to level 2!
“The Supreme Clarity Realm has been immensely helpful to me. I wonder what new benefits it would bring at level 2.”
After a moment’s contemplation, Zhang Yu decided to prioritize his sister.
“Upgrading the Supreme Clarity Realm only requires 100 Spirit Coins. Once it’s done, it will undoubtedly accelerate my progress!”
“Completing the Artifact Refinement Prodigy set, on the other hand, would cost far more than 100 Spirit Coins across all the required Cultivation Arts. Who knows how long that would take!”
The competition team and his savings flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind, but his decision was already made.
His focus returned to the present, to the simulation laboratory in the Spirit Realm.
There, he skillfully manipulated various materials and equipment, practicing a new artifact crafting technique: the Hundred Treasures Box!
As his collection of magical artifacts grew, Zhang Yu had increasingly felt the inconvenience of carrying them all.
The Hundred Treasures Box was a magical artifact designed to store other artifacts. Shaped like a human-sized chest, it could fly at subsonic speeds using anti-gravity technology and launch artifacts at supersonic speeds for rapid response and support.
Time flew by, and early November arrived.
The Simulation Battlefield echoed with thunderous booms as smoke and dust billowed skyward.
Zhang Yu, standing atop his Formless Spirit General, clashed violently with Xiao Yunji, who wielded three heads and six arms.
The Formless Spirit General’s four arms moved in unison, each gripping a golden weapon forged from the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, as it engaged Xiao Yunji in a fierce melee.
With each collision, Xiao Yunji was forced to retreat, her Bionic frame and magical artifacts emitting constant warning alerts.
Remembering how Zhang Yu had been forced to flee from her just a year prior, Xiao Yunji couldn’t help but feel a pang of wistful surprise.
Meanwhile, Su Yanyang, Shi Huaiyu, and Xiao Qingxuan had broken through to the rear of Xiao Yunji’s formation. They wreaked havoc on her team’s construction site, reducing the newly erected structures to rubble.
Watching Xiao Yunji being completely overwhelmed and relentlessly battered by Zhang Yu, Su Yanyang wore a satisfied smile. “This investment was worth every penny!”
In the end, Zhang Yu’s team secured a resounding victory in the competition!
With this final match concluded, the top ten rankings for the departmental competition were officially finalized.
Zhang Yu checked the rankings and found his team in second place, just behind Mo Shangjin’s team, who claimed the top spot.
Second place is about as good as we can get, Zhang Yu thought.
Although they had the right to challenge, Zhang Yu knew it would be pointless to challenge Mo Shangjin’s team. Mo Shangjin alone, with his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, could easily sweep them aside.
“Once the challenge matches next week are over and the final rankings are set, I’ll officially secure my spot among the Seven Wonders and receive the Fourth Absolute!” Zhang Yu mused.
While Zhang Yu continued his steady routine of studying, cultivating, and participating in competitions, the price of Jade Nectar Coins continued to soar!
The university administration and the Civil Engineering Department leaders repeatedly issued warnings about the risks, urging students to withdraw their investments as soon as possible.
However, most students, already caught up in the frenzy, turned a deaf ear to these warnings.
The feverish atmosphere surrounding the Jade Nectar Dual Cultivation lottery reached a fever pitch when the results of the second round were announced, and several students from Myriad Laws University won.
Ping Han: “Junior Brother Zhang Yu.”
Ping Han: “Did you see my Moments post?”
Ping Han: “I won! I’ll be attending the Thousand Fellow Cultivators Assembly at Joyful Union University soon. I’m so excited!”
Zhang Yu clicked his tongue as he read the message. “This guy really loves to show off!” he thought.
Yu Xinghan, standing beside him, said enviously, “Damn it… I’m so jealous! I wish I could kill Ping Han and take his place!”
Zhang Yu replied, “Divine Monarch Jade Nectar has countless incarnations, and not all of them are female. Who knows? Ping Han might end up with a male partner.”
Yu Xinghan sighed. “Zhang Yu, Dual Cultivation shouldn’t be so rigidly defined by gender. We need to abandon these outdated ideas from the past as soon as possible!”
As the final departmental rankings were confirmed, Zhang Yu’s team secured second place!
With their overall score soaring, Zhang Yu’s departmental ranking skyrocketed to 25th out of the entire department ranking!
Meanwhile, the bidding for the second Seven Wonders slot had begun in the group chat.
Shi Huaiyu checked her account but ultimately decided against converting her Jade Nectar Coins into cash.
Su Yanyang had already spent a considerable amount of Spirit Coins to join the competition team, and he had recently invested his remaining funds in Jade Nectar Coins, leaving him with no money to participate in the auction.
Thus, the second Seven Wonders slot ultimately went to Gongshu Jin. Overjoyed, Gongshu Jin thought, “I never even got first place in class, and now I’m getting the second of the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering!”
The next day, under Director Gao’s guidance, Zhang Yu began learning the Dragon Vein Sensing Manual, the Fourth Wonder of Wood Removal.
This cultivation art allowed one to sense the earth’s Dragon Veins and harness the pulse of the land to amplify their strength. By staying grounded, practitioners could unleash even greater physical power and explosive force.
After more than an hour, Director Gao nodded in satisfaction as he watched Zhang Yu master the Dragon Vein Sensing Manual. “Good,” he said. “Prepare yourself well. Starting in December, you’ll be teaming up with Mo Shangjin and the others to prepare for the Inter-University League!”
“With the new format of the Inter-University League, matches will be spaced out, potentially taking several months in total. You should study diligently with Mo Shangjin and the others, and use this opportunity to learn about other universities…”
After patiently listening to Director Gao’s guidance, Zhang Yu eagerly asked, “Teacher, what about the remaining Seven Wonders?”
Director Gao replied, “For the Seven Civil Engineering Techniques, you’ll participate in the one I’m overseeing soon!”
“I’ve already arranged for another professor to take you on before the end of the year!”
“As for the final one…” Director Gao frowned. “That’s under Director Lin’s supervision, and I’m still working on a solution!”
“Don’t rush. Focus on mastering the martial arts you’ve already learned!”
After leaving, Zhang Yu didn’t return to artifact crafting practice. Instead, he went to a construction site to work while cultivating the Dragon Vein Sensing Manual!
Just then, Zhang Yu received a message from Zhang Pianpian!
Zhang Pianpian: You didn’t buy any Jade Nectar Coins, did you?