Chapter 506: Finance is Finance, Myriad Laws is Myriad Laws
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “The loans were originally intended to provide funds for the various departments to expand production, but some people have treated them as their personal piggy banks…”
True Monarch Chain Nexus snorted coldly. “Magnetic Pole! Your departments only know how to blindly expand, and when you lose money, you expect the university to cover your losses. Isn’t it the Finance Department that’s been scrambling to fill the gaps? Who’s really thinking only of their own piggy bank? Who’s actually considering the university and Myriad Laws?”
“I just don’t understand. The Finance Department has been working tirelessly for the university, pouring their heart and soul into it. How many Spirit Coins have we poured into subsidizing you? Yet the more money we spend, the more resentment we receive?”
As True Monarch Magnetic Pole and True Monarch Chain Nexus clashed head-on, the Spirit Realm reverberated with roaring light and shadow.
The Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Pagoda suppressed the Spirit Realm’s information flow, freezing the once-freely flowing data like amber.
Meanwhile, Spirit Coins surged, with vast swathes of the Spirit Realm Network being directly contracted. Consequently, Spirit Realm traffic fees skyrocketed.
As the Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Pagoda and the countless Spirit Coins resonated, it was as if ice and fire each occupied half of the banquet hall.
Within this space, everyone felt their thoughts and intentions become utterly immobile in the Spirit Realm, unable to send or receive any messages to the outside world.
The crowd dared not resist.
Watching the clash between the Artifact Refinement Department and the Finance Department, they remained silent as cicadas in winter, terrified of making any unnecessary noise that might draw the attention of these two powerhouse departments’ influential figures.
Suddenly, layers of cloud seas materialized within the Spirit Realm. The crowd felt as if they had been instantly transported from the banquet hall to an altitude of tens of thousands of meters, their feet now treading upon the stacked layers of clouds.
At the same moment, True Monarch Cloud Haven cleared his throat. Within the cloud-formed Spirit Realm Projection, his lightning-like gaze swept across True Monarch Magnetic Pole and True Monarch Chain Nexus with a thunderous roar.
“Enough!” True Monarch Cloud Haven declared. “This is the Civil Engineering Department’s celebration banquet. What kind of spectacle are you two making with your bickering? Speak your minds, but stop resorting to violence.”
Glancing at his data usage bill, True Monarch Cloud Haven thought to himself, “Just the aftershocks of these two’s brawl have already caused my data fees to skyrocket!”
After all, while the other teachers and students present could temporarily disconnect from the outside world, as the Vice-Principal and a Spirit Realm Projection, he couldn’t afford to lose connection for even a second.
Meanwhile, deep within the Spirit Realm, the Old Director stared at the severed Spirit Realm Projection and cursed under his breath, “Who raised the Spirit Realm Network fees?”
He sent a message to Su Yanyang: “What’s the situation on-site?”
Across the way, True Monarch Chain Nexus nodded slightly. “The Principal is right, Magnetic Pole. I won’t lower myself to your level today.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole scoffed. “Hmph.”
With that, True Monarch Chain Nexus turned to Zhang Yu and said calmly, “Zhang Yu, there’s no need to rush your decision.”
He opened his palm, and streams of light and shadow from the Spirit Realm seemed to flow from afar, coalescing into a shimmering golden card in his hand.
“This is an invitation I just had Divine Monarch Golden Citadel sign, inviting you to visit the Finance Department.”
Feeling True Monarch Chain Nexus’s piercing gaze, Zhang Yu was about to refuse again when he felt a hand press down on his shoulder.
A message from Director Gao flashed in his Bionic Eye: “Don’t offend him too much. It could harm your future prospects on the immortal path at Myriad Laws University.”
Meanwhile, Director Gao sighed inwardly, “If this were just about Zhang Yu himself, it wouldn’t have gone this far… It must be about the Spirit Transformation Bionic.”
Nearby, True Monarch Cloud Haven frowned slightly upon seeing the invitation, but still said, “Zhang Yu, since the Divine Monarch signed this invitation, you should accept it.”
The crowd watched the Spirit Realm Projection of the invitation in True Monarch Chain Nexus’s hand, their eyes widening with surprise. None of them had expected him to secure an invitation signed by a Divine Monarch.
Everyone sensed True Monarch Chain Nexus’s unwavering determination to secure Zhang Yu.
As Zhang Yu accepted the invitation through his Bionic Eye, True Monarch Chain Nexus smiled faintly. “Once you receive the invitation, your consciousness can travel directly to the Finance Department through the Spirit Realm. All expenses will be covered by the department; you won’t have to pay a single credit…”
As the invitation shattered into fragments, the world around Zhang Yu trembled violently, the entire landscape transforming dramatically.
In the next moment, his consciousness seemed to have soared through the Spirit Realm, hurtling toward the Finance Department.
Zhang Yu opened his eyes, taking in the somewhat familiar surroundings. The ground beneath his feet was paved with Spirit Stones, and he thought to himself, “The Finance Department?”
This wasn’t Zhang Yu’s first visit to the Finance Department, and he recognized some of the landmarks.
At that moment, a figure materialized before him: Jiutian Liu, the Finance Department’s strongest student and ranked second overall in the university.
Seeing Zhang Yu appear, Jiutian Liu smiled faintly. “Zhang Yu, long time no see. I’ll be your guide to the Finance Department today.”
Without waiting for Zhang Yu’s reaction, Jiutian Liu led him deeper into the department.
“This is the Virtual Currency Trading Center. Want to try your hand?”
“Here, I’ll lend you 10 Spirit Coins. If you lose, it’s on me; if you win, it’s yours. There’s a market surge happening right now. Follow my instructions, and you should easily earn a few Spirit Coins in ten minutes.”
Though Zhang Yu didn’t participate, he watched as Jiutian Liu’s skillful maneuvers earned him several Spirit Coins. His heart stirred with a mix of emotions.
When he saw the traders around them casually trading hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Spirit Coins, his feelings grew even more complex.
Sensing Zhang Yu’s shifting expression, Jiutian Liu smiled faintly. “When I first visited Myriad Laws University in high school, the Trading Center left the deepest impression on me.”
“You understand that feeling, right?”
“Especially when someone works hard all month to earn just a dozen or a few dozen Spirit Coins. When they come here and see traders casually making hundreds or even thousands of Spirit Coins in profit or loss each day, they start to feel like… money isn’t really money.”
Jiutian Liu sighed. “They might even start wondering if their hard work is truly meaningful. A lifetime of toil might not even equal a single fluctuation in someone else’s investments.”
“And honestly, that feeling isn’t wrong.”
“On the Immortal Dao, there are two types of people.”
“The first type believes that by working overtime, being diligent and steadfast, they can advance step by step along the immortal path.”
“The second type doesn’t need to work hard or pinch pennies from their meager monthly salary. By using their minds, they can make Spirit Coins generate more Spirit Coins, accelerating their progress along the immortal path.”
“The first type are fools. The second type are the clever ones.”
Next, Jiutian Liu led Zhang Yu to another grand hall.
“This is the Qi Luck Monitoring Center. The entire Myriad Laws University, and even most of the Second Layer of Kunxu, converges here. Countless pieces of intelligence and information intertwine here, and the big data of all those with profound Qi Luck can be monitored here.”
“If we so choose, we can concentrate Qi Luck upon any individual, elevating a Junior College Student step by step, guiding them through the Junior College to Bachelor’s Degree Program, until they become the most esteemed and brilliant student among the Ten Greats.”
“Conversely, we can drain the Qi Luck from a Heavenly Chosen, demoting them from a Bachelor’s Degree Program to a Junior College, reducing them to the most lowly and useless Vocational College Student.”
Simultaneously, holographic projections of case studies materialized beside Jiutian Liu, depicting the fluctuating lives of various students.
In Jiutian Liu’s hands, these lives resembled fluctuating stock prices. With each manipulation by the Finance Department, the values surged or plummeted, generating waves of profit for the department.
Next, Jiutian Liu led Zhang Yu to an exhibition hall.
The outer wall of the hall was composed of massive floor-to-ceiling glass panels, revealing an expansive Medicinal Field that stretched from the horizon to the very edge of the sky.
Within Myriad Laws University’s University City, glimpses of the real world were rare. Even Zhang Yu had only caught such views from the construction site atop the highest tower.
This was the first time he had ever stood within the University City and gazed upon the vast expanse of the outside world.
Jiutian Liu smiled faintly. “What do you think? Does the world look different from here?”
Zhang Yu calmly replied, “It’s about the same as what I saw from the rooftop.”
Jiutian Liu chuckled dismissively and continued guiding Zhang Yu through the exhibition hall.
He explained, “Actually, the history of our Finance Department predates even the founding of Myriad Laws University itself.”
“And the Finance Department isn’t just the Finance Department of Myriad Laws University — it’s not even just a Finance Department.”
“Long before Myriad Laws University was established, the various financial companies that formed the department’s predecessor had already existed for centuries.”
“In even earlier eras, we were noble clans, government officials, hermits, and even members of the imperial family.”
“In ancient times, we manipulated sects, toyed with Qi Luck, and witnessed the rise and fall of countless sects.”
“During the feudal era, we invested in promising factions, controlled wars and the course of history, and determined the rise and fall of countless dynasties.”
“Now, we span every industry and every university. Our influence is omnipresent, shaping the future trajectory of countless individuals across Kunxu.”
Jiutian Liu led Zhang Yu to a massive portrait. Gazing at the majestic figures depicted within, he explained, “This is the Kunlun Industry Research Institute, jointly established by the finance departments of various universities. It’s commonly known as the Kunlun Society.”
“Besides our school’s Divine Monarch Golden Citadel, there are seven other Divine Monarchs from other schools participating.”
“Zhang Yu, you might have always thought of school as just school, believing that at Myriad Laws University, the school reigns supreme.”
“But let me tell you, the power of Spirit Coins transcends school boundaries, even sect boundaries.”
“Finance is finance, and Myriad Laws is Myriad Laws.”
Jiutian Liu turned to Zhang Yu, smiling slightly. “Are you the type of fool who wants to toil on construction sites or work overtime in the Artifact Refinement Department’s laboratory your whole life? Or would you rather use your brain, become a smart person, make money work for you, and earn more Spirit Coins than you could ever earn in the Artifact Refinement or Civil Engineering Departments?”
Sensing Zhang Yu’s gaze, Jiutian Liu shook his head. “Your desire to transfer to the Artifact Refinement Department isn’t some great secret. I know it, and Director Gao knows it too.”
Zhang Yu suddenly asked, “If you’re so powerful, can you get me into a sect?”
Seeing Jiutian Liu’s silence, Zhang Yu laughed. “Looks like the Finance Department isn’t as impressive as you claim.”
Jiutian Liu replied coldly, “It’s not the Finance Department that’s lacking — it’s you. Sect matters are beyond the reach of someone of your status.”