Chapter 465: Company Cost Optimization and Participation in Major Experimental Projects
At the remote construction site, Zhang Yu circulated his Magic Power, causing a surge of vibrant Gang Qi to erupt from his body.
He then integrated the completed Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill into the Gang Qi. In no time, the originally white energy transformed into a golden hue.
After extensive practice and final implementation, Zhang Yu had successfully modified all his Great Unity Golden Liquid Pills and merged them into a single entity.
At that moment, the transformed and fused Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill enhanced Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi, gradually blurring the distinction between the two energies.
In the next instant, with a thought from Zhang Yu, the golden Gang Qi rapidly changed form.
The golden mist-like energy swiftly transformed into cascading golden torrents, resembling roaring water dragons that surged around Zhang Yu in a deafening roar.
Moments later, the golden torrents morphed into overlapping layers of golden armor, like concentric defensive fortifications, enveloping Zhang Yu in impenetrable protection.
Empowered by the modified Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi now freely transitioned between gaseous, liquid, and solid states, granting it far superior defensive capabilities compared to ordinary Body-Protecting Qi.
Moreover, this transformation was far more swift, agile, and versatile than the original Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill alone.
As Zhang Yu unleashed a palm strike, surging Gang Qi carved a massive crater in the earth, leaving behind a golden palm imprint.
With the enhanced Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, Zhang Yu thought, even my Gang Qi can persist in the world for an extended time, even after leaving my control.
With these transformations of Gang Qi, Zhang Yu was confident his defensive capabilities had greatly improved. Even against Chan Rong’s Great Sun Manifestations, he now had more control over space, ensuring his injuries would be significantly reduced.
Pushing his exploration further, he conjured golden humanoid forms of Gang Qi, which solidified into sturdy Formless Warriors.
After testing the enhanced Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, Zhang Yu produced a magical artifact called the Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield.
The artifact appeared as a simple sphere. But when Zhang Yu channeled Magic Power into it, fiery dragons coiled within the sphere, swirling around him before coalescing into a massive Blazing Flame Shield that enveloped him completely.
Then, as Zhang Yu manipulated the artifact, the fire dragons dissipated, transforming into icy mists that condensed the air around him, forming a Profound Ice Shield.
The Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield can generate both the Blazing Flame Shield and the Profound Ice Shield for defense, Zhang Yu thought.
“Both defense modes not only resist physical attacks, but more importantly, they protect against extreme temperature fluctuations.”
“If I had this Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield during my battle with Chan Rong, combating his Great Sun Manifestations would have been much easier.”
Zhang Yu understood that before the Vajra University match, he hadn’t even secured project funding, leaving him no time to upgrade his magical artifacts.
Even now, with his savings just reaching 140 Spirit Coins, he had immediately lent 100 to Zhang Pianpian, leaving him short on funds and only able to update these two artifacts.
“With an upcoming match against Heavenly Sword University, I need to prepare more usable magical artifacts.”
The thought of the competition against Heavenly Sword University stirred a slight excitement in Zhang Yu, not because of their strength, but because visiting Heavenly Sword University meant he could see Bai Zhenzhen again.
“Unbelievably, it’s been over a year since I last saw A-Zhen.”
“This time, when I see her at Heavenly Sword University, I must have a proper conversation with her.”
After testing the updated magical artifacts, Zhang Yu turned and returned to the construction site to resume work.
As he activated the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, streams of earth and stone rose toward the sky. The ground split apart, mountains disintegrated, and the entire construction site resumed efficient operation.
Zhang Yu felt like the most expensive, core, and productive piece of heavy machinery on the construction site, with all the magical artifacts and employees working around him.
Just then, Fu Ji sent him a document and said, “This is the latest company financial report. I sent it to you yesterday. Have you reviewed it?”
Zhang Yu nodded casually. “Yes, what’s the matter?”
Although he had glanced at it, Zhang Yu wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about finance. He simply saw that the company was operating smoothly and figured they should just keep working hard.
But Fu Ji said, “Costs are rising!”
“Have you seen the wear and tear on the magical artifacts and the rate of magic power consumption?”
Zhang Yu replied, “It’s normal for magical artifacts to wear down, right? And using them naturally consumes magic power.”
Fu Ji countered, “The wear and tear on the artifacts is up 1.2% from last month, and magic power consumption has increased by a staggering 5%!”
“We lack proper control over these resources, do you understand?!”
“It’s like the toilet paper in the company building. If you don’t monitor it, employees will use ten, even a hundred times more than necessary!”
“Magic power consumption is the same. I know you have a fast recovery rate, but that’s no excuse for the employees to abuse it.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across the construction site, taking in Zhao Tianxing, Mo Tianyi, Hu Yuntao, Che Yufei, and several Ancestors from the Ying Family.
He remarked, “Everyone’s working diligently. There’s no real misuse, right? At most, Zhao Tianxing and the others are inexperienced and causing a bit more waste.”
“And given the increased difficulty of the new projects, some extra waste is understandable.”
Fu Ji, frustrated, retorted, “But we can’t ignore this. As the company grows and more people join, how can we operate without clear standards?”
“These veteran employees are accustomed to freely using magic power, and they’ll teach new hires to do the same. Eventually, the entire company will abuse magic power, drastically increasing operating costs. By then, correcting the problem will be far more difficult.”
“The wasted magic power could have been sold for profit. We’re losing out on 1 to 2 Spirit Coins per month.”
“This loss is a massive gap that further weakens our competitive edge.”
Zhang Yu frowned slightly, yet he couldn’t deny the truth in Fu Ji’s words.
Just then, Fu Ji sent another document to Zhang Yu.
“What’s this?” Zhang Yu asked.
Fu Ji said, “Magic Power Quota Table.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll assess the amount of magic power each employee needs to use on the construction site daily. Those who consistently stay within their quotas will receive a monthly conservation bonus at the end of the month. Those who exceed their quotas will have their wages deducted.”
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback and instinctively frowned. “Deducting wages… won’t that cause discontent among the employees?”
“Discontent?” Fu Ji retorted. “The salaries you pay them aren’t exactly low, especially those two from the vocational college. They’re practically lowering the company’s standards. I’d find them an eyesore even as receptionists. If I were in charge, I would have fired them long ago.”
After work that day, Zhang Yu announced the magic power quota policy in the company group chat.
Zhao Tianxing: “Received”
Mo Tianyi: “Received”
Hu Yuntao: “Understood”
Ying Xin’s Grandfather: “About time!”
Che Yufei: “Support!”
Seeing the employees enthusiastically accept the new rules, Zhang Yu let out a small sigh of relief. Then, thinking about how the company’s profits would increase each month, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of satisfaction.
However, another thought surfaced. “I feel awkward discussing these matters directly with the employees.”
Ah, it’s a pity Fu Ji’s true identity can’t be revealed, Zhang Yu thought to himself. Otherwise, I’d have her handle these things.
Fu Ji said, “The company is still small, so we have to handle everything ourselves, big or small.”
“Once the company’s situation improves next year, we might be able to hire someone to help with the administrative tasks.”
Just then, Yu Xinghan sent a message.
Yu Xinghan: “Zhang Yu, have you been getting a lot of friend requests lately?”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. Ever since he obtained his Military Certificate and defeated Ping Han, the number of strangers trying to add him had increased. And after he mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power and defeated Vajra University, the requests had surged even more.
The requests were a mixed bag, and Zhang Yu couldn’t tell whether they were from scammers or people with ulterior motives. He simply ignored them all.
Zhang Yu: “Quite a few.”
Yu Xinghan: “If you find it troublesome and are worried about missing out on potential opportunities, how about I help you contact them?”
Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. He knew Yu Xinghan managed a group of students seeking his guidance, and over the past few months, he had encountered several among them who possessed innate special magic power. However, determining whether he could harvest Dao Seeds from them would require more time.
Hearing Yu Xinghan’s suggestion, Zhang Yu considered it feasible, though the specifics of the collaboration would clearly need further discussion.
While Zhang Yu was busy with his work, the Civil Engineering Department competition team from Myriad Laws University secured another victory over their opponents.
Amidst swirling clouds of dust, a surging mudslide swallowed vast stretches of the construction site.
Su Yanyang walked out of the competition arena with his teammates, sighing inwardly, “Being an Upper College student sure is easy.”
“If only everything could be this effortless all the time.”
Just then, Su Yanyang noticed Xiao Yunji’s gaze and asked curiously, “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Xiao Yunji shook her head. “Nothing serious. I just… feel like you’ve been a bit lax lately.”
Su Yanyang laughed. “Lax? A little relaxation isn’t bad. It’s just being an Upper College student — no need to be so focused.”
At that moment, everyone noticed the checkpoint ahead, where personnel were being inspected.
Li Zhen remarked, “The Upper College inspections have been getting stricter lately. I heard some cults are gaining momentum again, and many of their followers refuse to work overtime.”
Xiao Yunji scoffed. “They refuse to work overtime for extra pay? No wonder they need constant supervision. Upper College students will never progress far on the Immortal Dao path.”
She turned to Su Yanyang. “Don’t you agree?”
Su Yanyang nodded hesitantly. “Uh… yeah, I suppose so.”
One day, while Zhang Yu was busy at the construction site, he suddenly received a message from his class teacher, True Person Scorching Thunder.
Scorching Thunder: “Zhang Yu, there’s an excellent project at the school that requires participation from outstanding students from each class.”
Scorching Thunder: “Are you interested in joining?”
Zhang Yu: “What kind of project is it?”
Scorching Thunder: “I heard it’s research in the field of Dual Cultivation.”
Scorching Thunder: “Seems to be an exploration of new Immortal Dao Technology.”
Scorching Thunder: “Are you interested?”
Zhang Yu: “For the school, it’s my duty to participate.”