Chapter 513: Who Says Switching Departments Can’t Compare to Pure-Bloods?
“The Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual list?”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up when he saw the message from Ye Xingli.
Although he had decided to focus on creating a prototype of the Heavenly Sun Radiance God after transferring to the Artifact Refinement Department, he hadn’t immediately begun the process. Instead, he continued accumulating Artifact Refinement Prodigy points.
After all, sharpening the blade before chopping wood was never a waste. Based on his understanding of the Chain Formation Diagram’s set effects, completing the Artifact Refinement Prodigy set would likely yield long-term benefits for his future path in artifact refinement.
Moreover, he had already advanced both the Treasure Appraisal Manual and the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual to Level 20, and the Fire Control Divine Mirror had reached Level 10. He was getting closer and closer to the six cultivation arts required to unlock the first tier of the Artifact Refinement Prodigy diagram!
Zhang Yu estimated he could achieve this within two months.
The only thing troubling him was money.
“This path of artifact refinement is great, but it’s such a money sink!”
“Practicing magical artifact blueprints costs a fortune!”
“And cultivating artifact refinement techniques is even more expensive!”
To cultivate the Fire Control Divine Mirror, Zhang Yu needed to purchase Fire Seeds to condense Fire Control True Qi and acquire magical artifact refinement gloves.
After all, this technique involved manipulating True Fire to refine magical artifacts, enhancing their material strength and resistance to high temperatures!
During this process, Zhang Yu, despite purchasing second-hand magical artifacts, still spent a considerable amount of Spirit Coins.
Initially, his Fire Control Divine Mirror was too low-level, and his skills were lacking, so he only bought the worst second-hand artifacts — 3rd-tier or lower practice pieces. Their advantage was their low price, but after being refined by his low-level Fire Control Divine Mirror, these already weak artifacts became nearly impossible to sell for a profit.
To be honest, Zhang Yu never expected these practice artifacts, enhanced with his novice skills, to sell at all. Later, he discovered that Junior College Students also needed magical artifacts, though their purchasing power was extremely limited.
Zhang Yu still remembers how the more he practiced, the more Spirit Coins he spent. At his peak, his account lost nearly 10 Spirit Coins in a single day!
As his Fire Control Divine Mirror gradually leveled up, Zhang Yu began experimenting with higher-tier artifacts, such as 5th-tier, 9th-tier, 10th-tier, and 11th-tier artifacts.
After repeated testing, he found that 11th-tier artifacts, refined by his Fire Control Divine Mirror, were the easiest to sell.
This was especially true for artifacts like the Earth-Suppressing Seal and Earthly Fiend Bottle, which could be used in Civil Engineering projects.
“Level 11 magical artifacts reach Foundation Establishment level, representing a qualitative leap in performance compared to those below Level 10!”
“For construction purposes, there’s no need to pursue the absolute limit. Durability and reliability are key. Many workers would rather not use Level 20 artifacts for overtime!”
“Therefore, Level 11 artifacts strike the perfect balance for construction sites: lower cost and higher efficiency, making them the most practical choice!”
This meant Zhang Yu could more easily sell his practice artifacts to recoup some of his losses, greatly alleviating the Spirit Coin drain from cultivating the Fire Control Divine Mirror!
“Now that the Fire Control Divine Mirror has reached Level 10, besides selling half-finished practice artifacts to Civil Engineering students, I can also offer custom refinement services. I can refine artifacts for others while simultaneously cultivating my own technique!”
After calculating his prospects, Zhang Yu estimated that by earning while spending, he would only need another 15 to 20 Spirit Coins to advance the Fire Control Divine Mirror to Level 20!
Every time he thought about this, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but marvel!
Fortunately, Kunxu’s magical artifacts differed from those in the Immortal cultivation novels of his previous life. They didn’t last for decades or even centuries without breaking down. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know who to sell all these artifacts to!
In Kunxu, magical artifacts wear down with use, their durability and performance gradually declining. They require maintenance, repairs, and eventually become obsolete, outdated, and ultimately discarded.
Zhang Yu had once complained about Kunxu’s magical artifacts being too fragile, but since embarking on the path of artifact refinement, he gradually realized how narrow-minded he had been.
“If a magical artifact could last for generations without needing repairs or maintenance, would that even be reasonable? How would the Artifact Refinement Department make a living?”
“If I couldn’t recoup my costs by selling magical artifacts, I doubt even burning through 100 Spirit Coins would be enough to advance the Fire Control Divine Mirror to Level 20. The path of artifact refinement would truly be hopeless!”
“But once I complete the Artifact Refinement Prodigy project, crafting the Heavenly Sun Radiance God’s prototype will undoubtedly cost even more Spirit Coins. I need to hurry and earn more!”
Zhang Yu checked his bank account. Although he had received a 20 Spirit Coin reward, he had already spent it on the Seven Absolutes Bionic of Mo Shangjin, paying his company employees’ salaries, and burning through Spirit Coins to cultivate the Fire Control Divine Mirror.
His account balance had quickly dwindled to less than 3 Spirit Coins!
“Sigh, the more I earn, the faster my cultivation progresses. And the faster my cultivation progresses, the more Spirit Coins I spend per unit of time!”
“These Spirit Coins are never enough!”
In this financially strained situation, Zhang Yu was overjoyed to see Ye Xingli’s new commission for the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual!
Zhang Yu: “Accept”
Ye Xingli: “It’s for [Zi Yunzhen]”
Ye Xingli: “Junior Brother, now that you’ve officially joined the Artifact Refinement Department, there’s no need to keep secrets anymore.”
Ye Xingli: “Contact her directly yourself.”
Ye Xingli had been acting under True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s instructions, consigning magical artifacts and artifact refinement services for Zhang Yu. The primary purpose was to conceal Zhang Yu’s artifact refinement skills before his transfer to the department.
Now that Zhang Yu had successfully transferred, she saw no further need to cover for him.
Moments later, Zhang Yu proactively added Zi Yunzhen as a friend.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s friend request, Zi Yunzhen was slightly taken aback. “What does this Civil Engineering brat want with me? Could he be trying to ask me for help with artifact refinement lessons?”
Clicking on the friend request details, Zi Yunzhen was even more surprised.
Zhang Yu: “You need Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual services?”
Zi Yunzhen thought to herself, “Is Zhang Yu acting as an intermediary? Or is he selling something? How did some big data leak my needs?”
Zi Yunzhen knew that many junior students in the Artifact Refinement Department, lacking sufficient skill, often resorted to sales or brokerage using the department’s connections.
Considering that Zhang Yu might have been recommended by True Monarch Magnetic Pole for artifact refinement materials, Zi Yunzhen accepted his friend request.
Zhang Yu: “Are you the one seeking services related to the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual?”
Zi Yunzhen: “I’m sorry, I’ve already hired someone.”
Zhang Yu: “Is that Senior Sister Ye Xingli? She’s the one who sent me.”
Zhang Yu: “What kind of magical artifact are you planning to infuse with Dragon Vein Power?”
Zi Yunzhen replied skeptically: “Do you even know the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual?”
Zi Yunzhen added: “I have very high standards. I don’t need someone with subpar skills.”
Zi Yunzhen: “Junior Brother, you just transferred from the Civil Engineering Department. You should focus on your classes first.”
Seeing her response, Zhang Yu knew he couldn’t ignore this.
In the artifact refinement industry, an individual’s reputation is as crucial as a brand’s value.
For example, was the technology of Extreme Tiger Brand truly inferior to that of the Myriad Paths Artisan Group or Vajra Profound Creation? Zhang Yu doubted it.
Yet Extreme Tiger Brand couldn’t compete with the Myriad Paths Artisan Group in terms of price, and its high-end models were largely unrecognized outside the Immortal Armaments University.
This is the difference that reputation, brand value, and brand prestige make!
The same principle applies to individual cultivators: A artifact refinement student who transferred from the Civil Engineering Department may not be inferior to a pure-blooded artifact refinement student, right?
In Zhang Yu’s opinion, absolutely not!
But he understood that many people held this prejudice.
At this moment, he had to protect his reputation in artifact refinement and maintain his personal brand value, just as one would safeguard a brand’s reputation.
After all, before transferring departments, he had remained hidden behind Ye Xingli’s shadow. Now, he needed to establish his own name!
Without properly maintaining his personal brand, how could he earn money?
And without earning money, how could he continue his cultivation?
Especially since the conversation between him and Zi Yunzhen had been recorded in the chat history!
If Zhang Yu backed down now, and Zi Yunzhen later spread the chat logs around, pointing to the contents and saying, “When Zhang Yu first transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department, he knew nothing but still tried to offer custom services! I taught him a lesson, and he obediently went back to class!”
Such a black mark could haunt him for life. Every time he made headlines, whether good or bad, someone would inevitably bring it up, severely damaging his personal brand value.
Zhang Yu couldn’t risk betting that Zi Yunzhen wouldn’t actually do it, especially since he knew nothing about her character or integrity.
Although Zhang Yu didn’t know many people in the Artifact Refinement Department, he happened to know one person who had done something similar before… though that person had since been reassigned to Civil Engineering!
That was a surprisingly high percentage!
So Zhang Yu simply replied: “My Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual is already at Level 20. I’ve also taken on several commissions from Senior Sister Ye Xingli before, so my skill level in this area is definitely not a problem.”
Zhang Yu: “Zi Yunzhen, if you have any doubts, you can check out my magical artifact, the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill.”
Zi Yunzhen clicked to view the artifact’s networked parameters and her expression immediately turned serious.
This act of sharing artifact information was akin to ancient cultivators appraising each other’s treasures — a common practice among artifact refinement practitioners.
After all, no matter how eloquently you described your skills, nothing was more convincing than showcasing a magical artifact you had forged yourself!
Given the time and effort required to craft magical artifacts, and the impracticality of dueling every challenger to demonstrate their power, appraising another’s artifact became the most reliable way to assess their refinement capabilities.
In the modern era, the process is even simpler!
After all, the Ten Great Sects have meticulously categorized and summarized the magical artifact system, clearly defining each level and parameter. A quick glance reveals the refiner’s skill level, making it more useful than a resume for artifact refinement cultivators!
What if you can’t understand the parameters?
That simply means your artifact refinement skills are far inferior to the other party’s!
Zi Yunzhen began examining the details intently, planning to offer a thorough critique afterward.
Temperature: 39 degrees Celsius
Gang Qi Conductivity: 99%
Magic Power Storage: 999
Spiritual Energy Circuits: 64 layers
Intelligent Artifact Spirit: Awaiting Dragon Vein infusion (20 units)…
Zi Yunzhen carefully scrutinized each line of data. Although she hadn’t devoted much effort to mastering the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, her current skill level at Level 10 allowed her to comprehend these parameters.
“A Level 20 Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill!”
“Refined through multiple overlapping fusion techniques…”
“And forged twice using the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual…”
The more Zi Yunzhen examined the pill, the more she realized its exceptional refinement quality.
“Could Zhang Yu really have refined this?”
At the end of all the parameters was the information about the refiner:
Refiner: Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu
Second Refinement: Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu