Chapter 469: Yu Xinghan’s Speed
True Monarch Celestial Seal said in surprise, “Did Yin Jiurao really give you 25 Spirit Coins in one go?”
“Are you sure you didn’t give her 25 Spirit Coins instead?”
From True Monarch Celestial Seal’s perspective, the idea of Zhang Yu paying Yin Jiurao for a single cultivation session was utterly absurd. It defied the natural order of the Yin-Yang Great Dao and completely contradicted the laws of heaven.
Zhang Yu hesitated slightly, glancing at his classmates nearby.
True Monarch Celestial Seal raised his hand and cast a Silence Talisman, saying, “Speak. They won’t hear a thing.”
Beside them, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan sighed deeply, lamenting their inability to hear the details that followed.
Although they were vaguely aware of Zhang Yu selling seeds to the professors in the Pharmacology Department, even Yu Xinghan hadn’t heard the full details from Zhang Yu himself. How could he not be interested in such a lucrative business?
Yu Xinghan looked at the projected text before him and thought, Ah, the poorer you are, the less you know about how the rich make their money.
The text projected by the Silence Talisman read:
“Pay 30 Spirit Coins to Zhang Yu to hear the silenced conversation.”
Zhang Yu said, “What Teacher Yin Jiuyao bought was…”
“Inspected in person…”
“Pinched in one hand…”
“Squeezed out in an instant…”
“That’s what 25 Spirit Coins gets you.”
Zhang Yu declared proudly, “If it were a Yin Artifact, it would require more time and effort, so the price would likely be even higher.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s response, True Monarch Celestial Seal frowned inwardly.
He knew that Zhang Yu’s calm demeanor, even offering to have him contact Yin Jiuyao to verify the price, suggested he was probably telling the truth.
Nevertheless, verification was still necessary.
To avoid alerting the subject, True Monarch Celestial Seal didn’t directly ask Yin Jiuyao about Zhang Yu’s price. Instead, he planned to review her latest research papers to see if he could find any clues.
After all, for a professor of the Pharmacology Department to purchase materials from Zhang Yu’s body, personally harvest them, and inspect them, it must be related to her research.
And her most recently published papers would best reflect her current research direction.
Large chunks of text and images flashed rapidly through True Monarch Celestial Seal’s Bionic Eye. In the blink of an eye, he had skimmed the entire paper.
With his swift intellect and formidable comprehension, he quickly finished reading Yin Jiurao’s latest published paper.
To be honest, he didn’t fully understand it.
After all, different fields of study were like different mountains. As an expert in the Talisman Department, it was only natural that he couldn’t immediately grasp a paper from the Pharmacology Department.
True Monarch Celestial Seal understood that this wasn’t the ancient era, where Great Powers and Immortals could effortlessly comprehend profound Immortal Dao principles.
In the modern era, research into Immortal Dao technology had become increasingly specialized and complex. Even university professors, despite their utmost efforts, could only achieve breakthroughs in narrow, specialized fields.
If the Great Powers and Immortals of the past could be compared to those who carved out entire mountain peaks through their insights into the Immortal Dao… then today’s university professors were more like those who studied why a particular blade of grass on that mountain peak grew crooked.
It’s difficult to say which approach is superior. The only certainty is that contemporary research will no longer produce earth-shattering breakthroughs with every single discovery, as it did in the past.
Though he couldn’t fully grasp all the details, True Monarch Celestial Seal could generally understand that the paper discussed research on drug adaptability, genetic material, bloodlines, and certain aspects of the Immortal Dao.
The research materials came from Zhang Yu.
Clearly, Zhang Yu had likely told the truth when he sold something to Yin Jiurao.
This is troublesome, True Monarch Celestial Seal thought. He looked at Zhang Yu and said, “25 Spirit Coins is too expensive. We can’t possibly pay that.”
“Furthermore, we don’t need the byproducts of each experiment. You can take them back and sell them to whomever you like.”
Zhang Yu replied, “They’re already here and no longer fresh. Who would want to buy them now?”
True Monarch Celestial Seal countered, “At most, 3 Spirit Coins.”
He reminded Zhang Yu, “Once our experiments begin, we’ll be conducting them on a large scale. 3 Spirit Coins is a generous offer.”
Zhang Yu naturally disagreed, and after a prolonged round of bargaining, no agreement was reached.
True Monarch Celestial Seal simply stopped looking at Zhang Yu and turned his gaze to Yu Xinghan standing nearby.
There’s more than just you, Zhang Yu, here to be tested, he thought.
True Monarch recalled the recent assessment data. Yu Xinghan was just as exceptional as Zhang Yu.
He put away the Silence Talisman and looked at Yu Xinghan. “Were you… about to withdraw just now?”
Zhang Yu didn’t take this personally. With so many test subjects, what could he do if True Monarch Celestial Seal simply chose someone else?
Yu Xinghan, however, felt a jolt at these words. Remembering the progress Zhang Yu had just achieved, he abruptly stepped forward from behind Ying Xin and Gongshu Jin.
With solemn resolve, Yu Xinghan declared, “For the school, and for the advancement of Immortal Dao Technology, I have no choice but to accept this duty.”
The next moment, True Monarch Celestial Seal channeled his Magic Power, and the Yin Artifact, which had been dormant, began to stir once more.
Meanwhile, Jade Nectar Maiden Forty-Eight, who had been anxiously fretting over her recent failure, now worried about the terrifying consequences that might follow.
Sensing rue Monarch Celestial Seal’s command, Jade Nectar Maiden Forty-Eight immediately sprang into action, lunging at Yu Xinghan like a rabid dog.
Driven by her loathing of work and fear of idleness, Jade Nectar Maiden Forty-Eight now had interest only in simple, low-cost tasks. And Yu Xinghan clearly fit that description.
“His data shows he must have very low resistance.”
“But we must prevent any mishaps…”
The Yin Artifact transformed into a luminous mist, swiftly enveloping Yu Xinghan entirely.
This confirmed beyond doubt that he couldn’t trigger the mutual non-interference list.
“Watch me dispatch him instantly!”
Yu Xinghan, feeling the light mist enveloping him, thought with pride, “The efficiency I’ve honed for years has finally reached its moment of application.”
Since his part-time job selling seeds in high school, Yu Xinghan had gradually refined his Dao Heart, overcoming the influence of desire and gaining better control over his impulses. Through relentless practice and continuous learning, he had come to understand certain principles.
For instance, when selling seeds, the faster and more efficient he worked, the more money he could earn per unit of time.
Moreover, the faster he worked and the less time he spent on each task, the less it would interfere with his studies and cultivation.
For example, when cultivating together, was it more beneficial to complete one session per hour or ten sessions per hour?
The answer was obvious.
Yu Xinghan thought to himself, “This is why, when cultivating together, payment should be based on the number of sessions, not the time spent!”
“This is what they mean by ‘speed overcomes all laws’!”
So, through repeated tempering and accumulation, Yu Xinghan relentlessly pursued breakthroughs in speed.
In the past, when he had harbored high expectations for Joyful Union University, he had dreamed of one day attending the Thousand Fellow Cultivators Assembly with his companions.
He had dreamed of… the moment when Zhang Yu proudly announced he had completed five cultivations at the assembly, Gongshu Jin said enviously he had only managed three, and Li Xiao felt ashamed for failing to complete even one. At that moment, Yu Xinghan could proudly stand up and say: “Ten!”
But now, feeling the warmth radiating from the luminous mist, his consciousness drifting between wakefulness and slumber, Yu Xinghan thought, “Zhang Yu has made such rapid progress… If I could succeed a few more times, how much stronger could I become?”
As Yu Xinghan daydreamed, he felt his magic power surge through his body, converging towards the Yin Artifact.
In mere breaths, Jade Nectar Maiden sensed she had completely drained Yu Xinghan’s magic power.
She looked at Yu Xinghan in surprise, thinking, “This guy… he’s so fast. His resistance is low, but not this low.”
“This is a complete release of self, a profound mental relaxation, and a sincere heart.”
“This kid… perhaps through repeated self-study, he has already accumulated tiny strands of progress on the Yin-Yang Great Dao.”
Although Jade Nectar Maiden Forty-Eight had just finished her assessment and deemed Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan weak, this low resistance… did not necessarily mean inferior.
For example, Jade Nectar Maiden knew that in normal, reciprocal Dual Cultivation, speed was crucial. After all, accomplishing tasks more efficiently within a given time has always been a key metric.
And in one-sided exploitation, speed became even more critical.
Take Yu Xinghan before her eyes, for example. In the Jade Nectar Maiden’s view, he was a far more suitable target for work than Zhang Yu.
However, this speed was primarily altruistic. Only when both parties worked at high speed could they both benefit.
In a situation of one-sided exploitation, high resistance became the true advantage.
While the Jade Nectar Maiden pondered, she had already completed two rounds of work. Not only had she devoured all of Yu Xinghan’s Magic Power, but she had also swallowed a large portion of his vital essence in a single gulp.
Satisfied, she returned to her original position and activated the spiritual energy circuit within her body to digest her recent harvest.
With a soft thud, Yu Xinghan collapsed to the ground, his face pale and cheeks sunken, under the shocked gazes of the onlookers.
Zhang Yu and the others quickly helped him up, shouting, “Xinghan! Are you alright?”
True Monarch Celestial Seal, who had been observing the scene, also showed surprise. Unlike Zhang Yu, there was no backflow of Magic Power. Wasn’t this supposed to be a normal, reciprocal Dual Cultivation? But… it seems to be one-sided exploitation.
“The rules governing this… may be closely tied to Divine Monarch Jade Nectar’s insights into the Yin-Yang Great Dao.”
As True Monarch Celestial Seal pondered this, Zhang Yu called out, “Yu Xinghan can’t hold on much longer! You need to do something!”
“Rest assured,” True Monarch Celestial Seal replied, “we’ll arrange for a medical team to treat him immediately.”
Yu Xinghan, struggling to speak, rasped, “This experiment is far too dangerous. It poses a grave threat to all the test subjects.”
“Don’t worry,” True Monarch Celestial Seal continued, “if you have any further issues, come to us at any time. We’ll help you.”
“This isn’t just my problem!” Yu Xinghan insisted.
“That’s right!” Zhang Yu stepped beside Yu Xinghan. “This affects all of us, not just Yu Xinghan.”
Gongshu Jin and Ying Xin moved to stand behind the pair.
Observing the coordinated response from the Civil Engineering Department students, True Monarch Celestial Seal said calmly, “Enough. We’ll compensate you.”
Yu Xinghan’s eyes lit up, his pale face flushing with color. “How much?”