Chapter 514: Maintaining Personal Brand
After repeatedly reviewing the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill’s parameters, Zi Yunzhen found herself breathing heavily.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Did you really make this all by yourself?”
Could Senior Sister Ye Xingli have helped him? she wondered inwardly. How could a Civil Engineering student achieve something like this?
Faced with Zi Yunzhen’s skepticism, Zhang Yu calmly replied, “Didn’t you see the artifact’s creator listed? It was independently crafted by me. Or are you suggesting I faked it?”
In the Artifact Refining World, accusing someone of forgery was a grave offense, akin to murder or financial ruin. Zi Yunzhen naturally wouldn’t dare provoke such enmity with someone favored by True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Zi Yunzhen quickly clarified. “I’m just… astonished. I never imagined someone from the Civil Engineering Department could refine the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill to such perfection and advance the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual to Level 20.”
Zhang Yu responded matter-of-factly, “Without exceptional talent, why would True Monarch Magnetic Pole help me transfer departments?”
Zi Yunzhen bristled at Zhang Yu’s arrogant reply, but after glancing at the artifact’s parameters again, she swallowed her resentment.
After all, a magical artifact was the ultimate testament to an artifact refiner’s skill. As long as the results were undeniable, they could silence all doubters.
Zhang Yu asked, “Zi Yunzhen, do you still need the Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual service?”
Zi Yunzhen replied, “Yes.”
Zhang Yu asked, “What kind of magical artifact?”
Zhang Yu added, “Please send me the parameters so I can take a look.”
Zi Yunzhen glanced at the array flags she planned to infuse with Dragon Vein Power, her face suddenly flushing crimson.
After a moment’s hesitation, she sent them over: “Five Elements Flags”
She quickly explained, “These Five Elements Flags aren’t my best work. I’m just using them for experiments, temporary use.”
Zhang Yu replied, “3 Spirit Coins.”
Zi Yunzhen agreed, “Okay.”
Seeing the price, Zi Yunzhen immediately accepted.
This was precisely why she had chosen to commission Ye Xingli — her prices were indeed reasonable.
As a student in the Artifact Refinement Department, Zi Yunzhen had commissioned custom services from many senior students.
While large companies offered mass-produced artifacts with high cost-effectiveness, stable quality, and comprehensive Spirit Realm Services, they often struggled to meet highly personalized needs, or charged exorbitant prices for such customization.
In these cases, it became necessary to seek out skilled artifact refiners for secondary refinement, achieving effects such as enhancing the artifact’s durability, adding extra functions, or upgrading the artifact spirit’s intelligence.
Even artifacts of the same brand and model could vary dramatically after undergoing different personalized refinements.
After finalizing the agreement, Zhang Yu and Zi Yunzhen smoothly signed the contract. They now awaited the delivery of the magical artifact, after which Zhang Yu would perform the secondary refinement and return the completed artifact.
Though reluctant, Zhang Yu transferred 0.3 Spirit Coins to Ye Xingli as her intermediary fee.
Ye Xingli: “No need to transfer it. You’ve already made a name for yourself in the Artifact Refinement Department. I don’t need to cover for you anymore.”
Zhang Yu: “Senior Sister, I’ve always relied on you to bring me business. As a newcomer to the Artifact Refinement Department, I’m still unfamiliar with everything. I’ll still need your help introducing me to clients.”
Seeing that Ye Xingli had finally accepted the intermediary fee after his insistence, Zhang Yu felt a sense of relief.
“After all, my reputation is still unknown, and I have a background in the Civil Engineering Department. Without Ye Xingli’s help, it would be difficult to secure commissions in the Artifact Refinement Department.”
“I’ll still need Senior Sister to bring me more business.”
Beyond business considerations, Zhang Yu also had another motive: Ye Xingli’s Dao Seed.
“Senior Sister Ye secured a top spot in the design competition so early. Her talent for artifact refinement must be extraordinary. She likely possesses a Dao Seed as well.”
Aside from his teacher, True Monarch Magnetic Pole, Zhang Yu planned to cultivate a closer relationship with Senior Sister Ye Xingli, hoping to replicate her Dao Seed.
A few days later, Zi Yunzhen received the magical artifact Zhang Yu had returned. After testing it thoroughly, she couldn’t help but think, “It really is Level 20 Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual.”
Eager to show off, she immediately posted the artifact’s details in their group chat. Soon, her classmates began responding.
“Yunzhen, did you finally refine your Five Elements Flags?”
“Did you have someone infuse them with Dragon Vein Power?”
“This level of craftsmanship is incredible! How much did it cost?”
Zi Yunzhen’s lips curled into a slight smile as she replied, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Zi Yunzhen: “Zhang Yu refined it for me.”
Rong Xuan, ranked 8th: “Zhang Yu? That Civil Engineering dog refined it for you? You’re joking.”
Zi Yunzhen glanced at her chat history with Zhang Yu, including screenshots of their conversation about the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill. Though she wanted to share the information to show off her insider knowledge, she hesitated, realizing she should probably get Zhang Yu’s permission first.
She quickly replied, “I discussed it with Zhang Yu. His artifact refinement skills are quite impressive.”
Zi Yunzhen: “Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill: Level 20, Dragon Vein Artifact Forging Manual: Level 20”
Rong Xuan: “How is that possible? Does he even have time to study artifact refinement while working on construction sites?”
Zi Yunzhen: “If he didn’t have exceptional talent, why would True Monarch Magnetic Pole have recruited him into the Artifact Refinement Department?”
Someone replied: “Maybe it’s a result of the Spirit Transformation Bionic experiments.”
Another student replied: “Yun Ni, this guy might actually steal your top spot.”
As the class valedictorian, Su Yunni’s gaze sharpened slightly as she read the messages in the group chat.
Having consistently ranked first in her class from freshman to junior year, Su Yunni had already set her sights on the department-wide rankings, paying little attention to her class rank. She had absolute confidence in maintaining her position as class valedictorian.
But she never imagined that a transfer student from the Civil Engineering Department could immediately secure second place in the class and now even threaten her top spot.
Su Yunni couldn’t bear the thought of this Civil Engineering student surpassing her to claim first place. She imagined the ridicule she would face from her fellow artifact refinement students, the significant drop in her personal brand value, and the subsequent impact on her company’s revenue.
The thought ignited a fierce determination within her.
“I absolutely cannot let this Civil Engineering student surpass me.”
“I must ensure a flawless performance on this semester’s final exams.”
With this resolve, Su Yunni immediately adjusted her cultivation plan. She slightly reduced the time allocated for advanced studies and increased the focus on consolidating and reviewing her third-year coursework.
Zhang Yu, of course, remained completely unaware of the thoughts swirling among his classmates.
Zhang Yu wasn’t particularly concerned about the end-of-semester exams.
On one hand, he had already completed the first three years of the Artifact Refinement Department’s curriculum and passed True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s examination.
On the other hand, his primary focus was now on completing the Artifact Refinement Prodigy diagram. After mastering that, he planned to develop the Heavenly Sun Radiance God Prototype Mechanism. The exams? Just a formality.
That day, when Zhang Yu returned to his dormitory, he was surprised to see his sister, Zhang Pianpian, whom he hadn’t seen in ages.
Since joining the Spirit Transformation Bionic experimental project and advancing to the second level of the Supreme Clarity Realm, Zhang Pianpian had become increasingly busy. With Zhang Yu also occupied, their meetings had become rare.
Noticing Zhang Pianpian’s Talisman Department ranking at tenth place, Zhang Yu exclaimed, “Senior Sister, your ranking has climbed again!”
Zhang Pianpian nodded. “I casually participated in a recent competition to boost my score, making it easier to qualify for the Ten Greats League.”
She smiled. “You’ve transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department?”
“That’s right. I should be able to join the Ten Greats League in a couple of years, right?”
Seeing his sister’s progress, Zhang Yu’s initial complacency vanished. He redoubled his efforts to earn money and cultivate, determined to qualify for the Ten Greats League as soon as possible.
A few days after transferring departments, Zhang Yu messaged True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Teacher, has the Finance Department’s sanctions still not been lifted?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “I can’t control the Finance Department’s sanctions.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Alright, stop bothering me. There’s a project at the factory district. Have your company take it.”
Zhang Yu: “Thank you, Teacher.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Hmm?”
Zhang Yu: “[1 Spirit Coin] Thank you, Teacher.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Hmm.”
Looking at the chat history, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “It seems like after taking on this Civil Engineering project for the Artifact Refinement Department, I’ll have to give my teacher a kickback.”
When Zhang Yu arrived at the factory district True Monarch Magnetic Pole had mentioned, he realized it was an expansion project for a subordinate factory affiliated with the Artifact Refinement Department of Myriad Laws University.
Unlike the massive projects undertaken by the Civil Engineering Department, the factory construction projects handled by the Artifact Refinement Department were relatively small in scale. The portion assigned to Zhang Yu’s company could largely be completed by his own employees.
“I can get 20 Spirit Coins for this project. It’s not as much as the big Civil Engineering projects, but it takes up less of my time.”
Zhang Yu calculated that he only needed to spend a few days channeling the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power. The rest could be handled by Ying Xin’s grandfather and Zhao Tianxing.
After further research, Zhang Yu discovered that while the Artifact Refinement Department had few large-scale projects, there was a steady stream of smaller ones. This suited his current situation perfectly, allowing him to focus more on his artifact refinement path.
“The only problem is when the payment will come through.”
“Once the first installment arrives, everything else should go smoothly.”
Zhang Yu checked his savings. Despite taking on some artifact refinement commissions recently, the Spirit Coins were quickly depleted by daily cultivation practice and funding the Civil Engineering projects. His balance still hovered around 10 Spirit Coins.
As the days passed, mid-March arrived in the blink of an eye.
Streams of True Fire emitted incandescent light, swirling and dancing at Zhang Yu’s command.
That day, Zhang Yu finally advanced the Fire Control Divine Mirror to Level 20.
“Phew, now I can start practicing the fourth cultivation art of the Artifact Refinement Prodigy.”
“And with the Fire Control Divine Mirror at Level 20, I can now repair magical artifacts by refining materials.”
Zhang Yu’s spirit surged at this realization.
Magical artifact repair encompassed various domains, including shell restoration, component repair, spiritual energy circuit restoration, and Intelligent Artifact Spirit repair — each requiring specialized techniques.
The Fire Control Divine Mirror, with its ability to refine materials at extreme temperatures, was particularly well-suited for restoring the shells of magical artifacts.
“There’s no shortage of people needing artifact repairs. This should bring in a substantial income.”
Just then, Zhang Yu received another image from Wen Wuya.
After quickly decrypting the file, Bai Zhenzhen’s video popped up.
Bai Zhenzhen smiled and said, “Yu Zi? You successfully transferred to the Artifact Refinement Department?”
“That’s fantastic! Now you’re in Artifact Refinement, not Civil Engineering. It’ll not only sound more impressive but also make it easier to participate in the Ten Greats League.”
“Things are going well here. Security’s getting lax, so I might be out sooner than expected. When I get out, I’ll come find you…”
As Zhang Yu watched Bai Zhenzhen’s smile in the video, he found himself smiling back.
Suddenly, the video flickered, and a burst of seven-colored radiance erupted across the screen.