Chapter 450: The Health Club Explosion Case
In the quiet room, Zhang Yu’s fingertips flicked lightly. The metal powder before him danced with his magic power, shifting between a spherical mass and a cloud-like dispersion.
Fingertip Earth to Gold, one of the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering, was a martial art that allowed practitioners to refine metals through magic power.
For Zhang Yu, cultivating this technique proved less troublesome than for others. By repeatedly manipulating the metal powder through various transformations, he could steadily increase his practice sessions.
After several hours, Zhang Yu finally pushed Fingertip Earth to Gold to Level 10 and let out a soft sigh of relief.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Xiao Yunji’s voice.
“Zhang Yu, are you finished? We’re ready to depart!”
Zhang Yu opened the door. “Yes, let’s go!”
As they walked, Xiao Yunji suddenly asked, “Zhang Yu… why do you use your physical body instead of bionic enhancements to cultivate this technique?”
“If you prefer not to answer, you don’t have to!”
Zhang Yu pondered briefly before responding casually, “I want to maintain my physical cultivation. Later, when I obtain customized bionic enhancements, I can refine my thoroughly tempered body into bionic components and magical artifacts. That way, I’ll be able to control them with my own will - wouldn’t that be even more powerful?”
Xiao Yunji said, “But this path… it’s so expensive!”
Zhang Yu smiled and replied, “Take it slow. Refine as much as you earn!”
Xiao Yunji looked at Zhang Yu with a complicated expression. Suddenly, her brows furrowed as a sharp pain shot through her nerves. The potion inside her Bionic automatically injected itself!
Noticing the change in Xiao Yunji’s expression, Zhang Yu asked, “Still can’t improve your Bionic Synchronization Rate? Have you considered switching to a lighter Bionic?”
Xiao Yunji was taken aback. This was the first time someone had suggested she use a weaker Bionic!
Xiao Yunji said, “That would lower my strength. My scores, rankings, and income… everything would decrease!”
“You’re right,” Zhang Yu said. “But if you keep going like this, won’t you eventually reach your limit?”
Xiao Yunji gritted her teeth. Originally, she planned to replace her Transforming Bionic once she obtained her Military Certificate, then focus on cultivating the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering with increased investments!
But without the Military Certificate, she needed the Transforming Bionic even more to enhance her strength!
Especially for this Inter-University League, she had to seize the opportunity to prove herself through outstanding performance to her teachers and the school!
Zhang Yu arrived at the entrance, but Su Yanyang was nowhere to be seen. After repeated urging from the group, they suddenly witnessed divine lights descending as several Righteous Gods materialized within the establishment!
“What are the Righteous Gods doing here?” Zhang Yu wondered. “Could they possibly be here to purge this place?”
Moments later, one of the Righteous Gods approached them and asked, “Is Su Yanyang your classmate?”
Mo Shangjin’s projection responded, “He came with us for the competition. What seems to be the problem?”
The Righteous God replied, “Nothing major. His dual cultivation partner’s Yin Artifact experienced a sudden malfunction!”
“I’m merely here to verify the details with you students,” the Righteous God explained, maintaining courtesy toward the Myriad Laws University group. With a reassuring smile, they added, “Don’t worry. Once the investigation is complete, he’ll be released shortly. It won’t delay your plans.”
Inside the room, Su Yanyang stood to the side, his face etched with frustration as he replayed the incident in his mind.
“Fucking hell… How did the Yin Artifact explode halfway through?”
“And it seems the Soul Cultivator inside did it deliberately, but…”
Su Yanyang’s brow furrowed. Within the shattered remains of the Yin Artifact, he sensed the Soul Cultivator’s spirit hadn’t retreated to the Spirit Realm. Instead, it had completely dissipated, leaving no trace behind.
“Soul Cultivator dead on impact — this isn’t just a malfunction of a Yin Artifact, is it? This qualifies as a self-immolation incident!”
Su Yanyang had witnessed countless Soul Cultivators and deaths in his lifetime, but this was his first encounter with complete soul annihilation!
Meanwhile, the two Righteous Gods continued scanning the exploded Yin Artifact, their communication through the Spirit Realm rapid and urgent.
The Male Righteous God’s gaze turned grave. “The Yin Artifact was forcibly overloaded and detonated!”
The Female Righteous God beside him remarked, “So… the Soul Cultivator did this himself? He blew up the very artifact he was working on? Why would he do such a thing? Was he that desperate to die?”
The Male Righteous God spoke with solemnity, “Under normal circumstances, self-immolation should never occur!”
“Check his chat logs. See if he was under some form of bewitchment!”
A flood of text messages and images materialized before the Male Righteous God.
So tired… So tired, so tired, so tired. Don’t want to live anymore.
Debt can never be repaid.
Why won’t you let me die?
Why won’t you let me die?
Why won’t you let me die?
The Male Righteous God’s frown deepened as he read the delusional content. “As expected, his mind was compromised. This is clear evidence of bewitchment!”
“Moreover, most of his chat logs have been deleted. There’s not a single mention of today’s operation!”
“Hmph, this was likely premeditated!”
“Not only arranging for self-immolation, but also aiming to… injure students from Myriad Laws University?”
Hearing the Male Righteous God’s words, the Female Righteous God who was reviewing records nearby shifted her gaze. “Senior, you seem quite familiar with this matter?”
The Male Righteous God nodded. “Forcing someone to self-immolate and scatter their soul, leaving no value behind… it’s probably the Ascension Demonic Cult again!”
The Female Righteous God asked curiously, “Ascension Demonic Cult?”
The Male Righteous God explained, “A group of demonic cultists who spread their poison everywhere, forcing people to self-immolate and scatter their souls!”
“Sigh, when Jade Nectar Coins were rising, the Dual Cultivation Sect’s followers multiplied. Now that the coins have fallen and the Dual Cultivation Sect’s influence waned, the Ascension Demonic Cult’s numbers are on the rise again!”
The Male Righteous God sighed, “With conflicts at universities becoming more frequent, these Heretical Demonic Cults grow increasingly restless!”
The Female Righteous God, however, focused more on the Ascension Demonic Cult. “A Demonic Cult that forces self-immolation and scatters souls? Who would believe such nonsense? Only fools, surely?”
The Male Righteous God nodded. “There will always be those who can’t endure hardship, refuse to work, shirk responsibility, avoid debt, and fail to contribute to Kunxu’s development. These are the ones this Demonic Cult exploits, corrupting their minds with demonic doctrines!”
“How many bad debts does the Demonic Cult create for Kunxu each year? How many capable talents does it destroy? More destructive than the Dual Rest Cult or the Unemployment Cult… even more wicked!”
The Female Righteous God turned to Su Yanyang standing nearby. “What about him? Could he be affected too?”
“I’ve reviewed his records,” the Male Righteous God said. “He’s single-minded in his pursuit of advancement, works tirelessly without rest, and has never wavered on the Immortal Dao path. Doesn’t seem like a Demonic Cult member!”
He added, “But we must consider the possibility of influence. The Ascension Demonic Cult’s methods are always seductive, easily imitated!”
“Moreover… they might try contacting Su Yanyang again in the future!”
“More importantly, we need to investigate the owner of this Yin Artifact. They could have been brainwashed by the Demonic Cult. Let’s focus there first!”
After a moment of conversation, the Male Righteous God turned to Su Yanyang, who stood nearby with a disgruntled expression. “Are you alright, young man?”
Su Yanyang nodded. “I still need to participate in the competition. When can I leave?”
The Male Righteous God smiled reassuringly. “We’ve already determined the cause. Once we finish here, you’ll be free to go. It won’t take long!”
“Is it confirmed?” Su Yanyang pressed. “Did the Yin Artifact explode on its own? How will the owner compensate me?”
“That’s between you and the owner,” the Male Righteous God replied. “If negotiations fail, pursue legal action. That’s beyond our jurisdiction.”
“I want to discuss confidentiality!”
“As a Myriad Laws University alumnus, you should know self-detonation incidents must remain classified. Officially, we’ll report a mechanical failure.”
Su Yanyang nodded, well aware Kun City strictly prohibited such matters from public disclosure.
“To prevent imitation,” the Male Righteous God continued, “this case requires absolute secrecy. We’ll need you to sign a confidentiality agreement.”
Su Yanyang paused momentarily, the image of the Soul Cultivator’s soul disintegrating within the Yin Artifact flashing through his mind. Is this why they’re asking? he wondered.
He nodded and said, “No problem!”
The Male Righteous God continued, “Also, since it was a Bionic malfunction and you had direct contact with it, if anything happens to you, remember to contact us immediately!”
Ten minutes later…
At the Health Club entrance, Zhang Yu, Xiao Qingxuan, and the others were growing impatient.
Li Zhen said, “Why are they taking so long? If we wait any longer, we’ll be late for the competition!”
Xiao Yunji suggested, “Why don’t we go ahead? Five of us should be enough to beat Golden River University’s team!”
As they were discussing, a loud bang suddenly echoed. Su Yanyang had leaped out the window, landing steadily before them!
Zhang Yu looked at Su Yanyang, who had finally come down, and said, “You’re finally here. What took you so long?”
Su Yanyang replied helplessly, “Their Bionic malfunctioned, the Yin Artifact exploded, and they tried to negotiate compensation with me!”
Zhang Yu gasped, “The Yin Artifact exploded?”
He had initially asked casually, but now that he realized the scale of the incident, he needed to understand it properly!
“Come, come!” Zhang Yu said with keen interest. “Tell me everything that happened!”
Su Yanyang replied, “We’re almost at the competition time!”
Zhang Yu, wearing an eager expression, suggested, “We can talk while walking to the arena!”
So, on the way to the competition field, Su Yanyang recounted the story he had agreed upon with the Righteous Gods.
After finishing his account, Su Yanyang concluded, “…In short, it was just a Bionic malfunction. Nothing special!”
Mo Shangjin asked, “Were you injured?”
Su Yanyang replied, “No. I maintained 12 points of caution throughout. I was determined not to let the opponent gain even a single Spirit Coin from me!”
“When the explosion occurred, I immediately withdrew!”
“However, there’s still room for negotiation regarding compensation!”
As they spoke, Zhang Yu, Su Yanyang, and the others had already arrived at the competition venue!