Chapter 447: Bestowed the Fifth Absolute
The chaos triggered by the Jade Nectar Coin in Myriad Laws City persisted for several days.
Perhaps due to the demanding pace of university life, or perhaps because people had too many other concerns, the turmoil in University City gradually subsided within a few days.
The streets remained bustling with crowds, construction sites buzzed with activity, and the wounds inflicted by the Financial Storm on the city were being diligently repaired through overtime work.
The entire University City seemed as busy as ever, with no visible traces of the Financial Storm left on people’s faces or in the streets.
This even gave Zhang Yu the illusion that the Financial Storm had never occurred at all.
Only when he checked the class group chat and saw the departure notifications and dwindling numbers did he truly grasp that this was no illusion. The Financial Storm had not only struck, but had also carried many from the material world to the Spirit Realm.
Just then, a message arrived in the Songyang Hometown Group: Hu Yuntao’s memorial service had begun.
Zhang Yu clicked open the notification and saw Hu Yuntao’s black-and-white avatar floating in his Bionic Eye. Hu Yuntao began speaking, “Everyone, I apologize for disturbing you and asking you to attend my farewell ceremony.”
“I was born on the First Layer, at the breeding base of the Songyang City Protected Area. At 18, I was accepted into Red Pagoda High School, and at 20, I entered Celestial Monsters University. I worked hard my entire life, yet my passing was far from peaceful, filled with pain, resentment, and regret.”
“They say the first year after death is the most crucial. If any of you have business opportunities, I hope you’ll consider me…”
Listening to Hu Yuntao’s speech, Zhang Yu shook his head with a sigh. This wasn’t the first Spirit Realm memorial service he had attended.
Typically, the deceased themselves hosted these events, reminiscing about their past while promoting their Soul Cultivator services to fellow townsfolk and classmates, hoping to secure more work opportunities in the afterlife.
“The Immortal Dao is ever-changing,” Zhang Yu mused.
Witnessing these events, Zhang Yu silently vowed to tread the path of immortality with utmost caution. He resolved never to participate in cryptocurrency speculation without reliable insider information.
Arriving at the construction site, Zhang Yu continued working while simultaneously cultivating the Dragon Vein Sensing Manual.
Through days of rigorous training at the site, he had already advanced this martial art to level 19.
Shortly after he began working, Feng Tingting sent him a message: “Zhang Yu, have you heard? Ping Han from our department is working at Joyful Union University to pay off his debts.”
Zhang Yu had already blocked Ping Han and was unaware of his situation.
Curious, Zhang Yu replied, “What kind of work could he possibly find at Joyful Union University?”
Feng Tingting sent a photo: “[Yin Artifact]”
“What the hell…” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly. “Why are you sending me this? Is this harassment? Where’s your sense of boundaries between classmates?”
But Feng Tingting’s next message stunned him.
Feng Tingting: “That’s Ping Han.”
Zhang Yu: “Huh?”
Feng Tingting: “He posted it on his WeChat Moments. Didn’t you see? He’s even planning to attend the next Fellow Cultivators’ Assembly.”
Zhang Yu: “What exactly happened?”
Feng Tingting: “After the high-intelligence Artifact Spirits’ rampage, Joyful Union University lost a huge number of artifact spirits.”
Feng Tingting: “And there’s growing distrust towards high-intelligence Artifact Spirits.”
Feng Tingting: “So, after the new batch of Yin Artifacts was produced, they recruited a group of Soul Cultivators to temporarily serve as artifact spirits.”
Feng Tingting: “This is Ping Han.”
Feng Tingting: “To be precise, the Yin Artifact itself is Ping Han.”
Zhang Yu stared at the circled area on the diagram, utterly stunned. “Huh?”
Feng Tingting: “This is a High-Grade Yin Artifact. Ping Han couldn’t possibly control it alone.”
Feng Tingting added, “Oh, and Ping Han’s been scrambling to borrow money everywhere. Don’t lend him any — he won’t be able to pay it back.”
Feng Tingting: “If he can’t redeem his physical body by the end of Tenth-Year, he probably won’t graduate.”
Feng Tingting: “At that point, he might have to settle for the bachelor’s-to-associate’s route.”
Zhang Yu knew the “bachelor’s-to-associate’s” route was a joke referring to Ten Greats dropouts who ended up getting associate’s degrees. After all, many junior colleges would eagerly accept talent rejected by the Ten Greats.
After ending the conversation with Feng Tingting, Zhang Yu sighed deeply, once again grateful he hadn’t fallen into the Jade Nectar Coin trap due to momentary greed.
Ji Yuanshu stared at the relentless repayment reminders flashing in his Bionic Eye, his body slowly collapsing to the floor.
“I have no choice but to seek help from the Evil God again.”
“The Evil God must have a way to save me.”
Just as he was pondering his next move, several notifications materialized before him. Before he could even decipher their contents, a voice called out from beyond the door.
He glanced at the patrol officer standing outside, his mind racing with questions. The officer spoke first: “Have you been in contact with this person online?”
Ji Yuanshu’s heart sank as he saw the officer’s projected image. The profile picture was unmistakably that of the Evil God he had been communicating with in the Spirit Realm.
Just as Ji Yuanshu feared his worship of the Evil God had been exposed, the patrol officer continued: “This individual is suspected of using the guise of recruiting believers for an Evil God to commit fraud, with over a hundred victims.”
“The recent collapse of the Jade Nectar Coin exposed his scheme.”
“While reviewing his chat logs, we discovered you were one of his victims…”
Ji Yuanshu gradually lost track of the officer’s words. Only one phrase echoed in his mind: “Fraud? A victim?”
“Impossible! I performed the ritual and obtained Qi Luck!”
“How could it be a scam?”
As Ji Yuanshu reeled in shock, the patrol officer continued, “Got time? Come back to the Patrol Bureau and give us a statement.”
When Ji Yuanshu emerged from the Patrol Bureau, his mind was still in a daze, the officer’s words echoing in his head:
“This scammer graduated from the Finance Department, but with no connections or resources, he turned to fraud to make money.”
“We recovered some of the stolen funds and will return them to you. Keep them safe.”
“Go back to your studies and work hard. Stop chasing unrealistic dreams. Evil Gods are just urban legends — don’t fall for that nonsense.”
Staring at the returned portion of the stolen Spirit Coins, Ji Yuanshu felt as if the entire ordeal had been a dream.
With this small amount of Spirit Coins, he could avoid becoming a Soul Cultivator and barely manage to remain human — albeit a truly impoverished one.
Yet a nagging sense of unease lingered. He felt like a pawn in some grand scheme, but a thick fog obscured the truth, leaving him unable to grasp what had truly transpired.
Ping Han: “Brother Yu, I was wrong!”
Ping Han: “Please forgive me.”
Ping Han: “I’ll kowtow to you right now! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Ping Han: “Please… lend me some money…”
Listening to Ping Han’s apologetic voice messages sent from another account, Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly and silently blocked the number.
He had heard that Ping Han was desperately borrowing money from anyone he could find, even the freshman Qi Refining students.
Just then, Zhang Yu heard laughter beside him. Turning, he saw Yu Xinghan’s face beaming with happiness and lingering fear.
Before the Jade Nectar Coin crash, Yu Xinghan had made a small profit of 12 Spirit Coins and withdrew in time, escaping unscathed.
Noticing Zhang Yu’s gaze, Yu Xinghan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Snatching Spirit Coins from under the nose of a Spirit Transformation Divine Monarch and running away — that was thrilling!”
He sighed, “But if this happened again, I don’t think I’d dare.”
Zhang Yu shook his head. “Be careful yourself. It’s best to stay away from this kind of thing.”
A while later, Zhang Yu arrived at the construction site on the 669th floor and met Director Gao.
Director Gao said, “My Seven Civil Engineering Techniques test for you is simple. Just complete this floor within an hour.”
Hearing Director Gao’s requirement, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but marvel at how absurd this backdoor arrangement was. Completing an entire floor in an hour to pass?
But if I’m the one using the back door, then there’s no problem.
Having effortlessly passed Director Gao’s test, Zhang Yu was granted the Fifth Absolute of Civil Engineering: Point Earth to Steel.
This cultivation art allowed him to temporarily enhance the strength of mud and sand using Magic Power and Gang Qi, even transforming earth into weapons.
In addition, Zhang Yu gained the qualification to purchase a Bionic called Earth-Shaking Steel Wave, a specialized device designed to complement Point Earth to Steel.
Uninterested in the purchase qualification, Zhang Yu asked another question: “Teacher, can I buy the blueprint for this Bionic?”
“The blueprint?” Director Gao raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Yu explained, “I was thinking… if I asked a student from the Artifact Refinement Department to craft this Bionic for me directly, wouldn’t it be much cheaper?”
Director Gao nodded slightly. “That’s possible, but you’ll only be authorized for small-scale private commissions, not large-scale commercial production…”
Midway through his sentence, Director Gao chuckled and shook his head. As if Zhang Yu would ever engage in large-scale commercial production.
Staring at the blueprint he had acquired, Zhang Yu thought to himself, This involves three artifact crafting techniques I haven’t mastered yet. I can’t directly learn this blueprint’s contents for now.
Although Zhang Yu had no intention of equipping a Bionic, he was still very interested in acquiring its blueprints and production capabilities.
Firstly, he planned to modify the Bionic into a magical artifact to complement his Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering.
Secondly…
“If I ever find myself in a critical situation where I need to boost my combat power…” Zhang Yu thought to himself, “I could temporarily equip the Bionic for a temporary boost. It’s not ideal, but it’s an option.”
“At worst, I can just reattach the body parts I removed afterward.”
After Director Gao taught Zhang Yu the Point Earth to Steel Cultivation Art, he nodded in satisfaction. “I’ve already arranged another Seven Civil Engineering Techniques test for you next month with another professor. If you succeed, you’ll be able to cultivate the Sixth Absolute, Knead Earth into Gold.”
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but nod excitedly. Without realizing it, he was getting closer to gathering all the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Powers.
Director Gao continued, “Next month, you’ll participate in the Inter-University League with Mo Shangjin.”
“However, two members of Mo Shangjin’s team have lost significant value due to the Jade Nectar Coin situation. They sold many of their Bionics and are no longer strong enough to compete.”
“I’m selecting replacements. If you have any recommendations, let me know.”