Chapter 518: You Didn’t Notice Your Home Was Haunted?
Zhang Pianpian: “You’re a master of Civil Engineering. Didn’t anything on the construction site strike you as odd?”
Reading Zhang Pianpian’s words, Zhang Yu felt a sudden surge of insight. A whirlwind of thoughts, inspirations, and suspicions erupted in his mind as memories of the construction site flashed vividly before him.
Zhang Yu licked his lips and replied: “Actually, there were quite a few odd things…”
Zhang Pianpian: “Logically speaking, a Nascent Soul True Monarch should be able to run a laboratory, manage a dozen projects, or patent a slew of inventions — there are countless ways to make money.”
Zhang Pianpian: “The fact that he’s stuck in an office, profiting from such exploitative methods, suggests that even as True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s Junior Brother, he’s likely not a formidable figure among Nascent Souls. This isn’t surprising; many Old Nascent Souls ascended early in past eras but failed to keep up with their studies. It’s common for them to be outcompeted by later generations.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Let’s investigate him first. If he’s truly invulnerable and flawless, then so be it.”
Several days later.
Outside the city.
Zhang Yu channeled the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, his feet treading on empty air as he hovered ten thousand meters above the ground.
At this moment, Zhang Yu carried nothing — no magical artifacts, not even his Bionic Eye. He was in a purely physical state, a condition commonly referred to as the “spiritless body,” which prevented any tracking from the Spirit Realm.
His gaze swept over the brightly lit construction site below, and his figure gradually began to dissipate.
This was Zhang Yu’s first time using the power of this Divine Spirit Root since replicating Bai Zhenzhen’s Azure Lotus Sword Embryo Dao Seed.
In addition to its adaptive and enhancing abilities, Bai Zhenzhen’s Divine Spirit Root possessed a hidden capability that she had gradually mastered through years of training.
This hidden capability had undergone a qualitative leap after her Spirit Root evolved from a Heavenly Spirit Root to a Divine Spirit Root.
It was precisely this concealment ability that allowed Bai Zhenzhen to not only hide herself but even her flying sword during the Flying Sword Tournament. Wielding the invisible flying sword technique, she wreaked havoc on all sides, securing a remarkable ranking.
Normally, Zhang Yu lived in University City, surrounded by surveillance devices. His Bionics and magical artifacts were all connected to the Spirit Realm. Under these heavy constraints, he never dared to use his Divine Spirit Root’s hidden ability, fearing it would reveal his true nature and alert others.
But now, flying over the wilderness in his pure physical form, activating the Divine Spirit Root’s concealment ability caused Zhang Yu to vanish completely, becoming like a wisp of air indistinguishable from the natural world.
Sensing his immaterial state, Zhang Yu channeled his Magic Power and began a slow descent toward the construction site.
Fu Ji, observing all this, felt a chill run down her spine. “When did Zhang Yu acquire such abilities? Could it be related to Bai Zhenzhen’s Divine Spirit Root?”
She wanted to ask him, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it, thinking to herself, “That boy Zhang Yu keeps so many secrets from me. Asking would be pointless. I’ll just observe him for now.”
Controlling his descent with meticulous precision, Zhang Yu landed deep within the construction site almost without making a sound.
As he watched the workers move around him, their eyes seeing him yet remaining oblivious, a strange sense of detachment washed over him.
“A-Zhen’s Divine Spirit Root ability is perfect for causing trouble.”
But the thought of Bai Zhenzhen’s sword qi, which could be equally invisible, intangible, and difficult to detect, suddenly made Zhang Yu’s expression turn serious.
“After all, the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao is prone to extreme emotional fluctuations. Whether she’s happy or upset, she’ll unleash sword qi.”
“I need to hurry up and improve my strength.”
Next, Zhang Yu floated mid-air, continuing deeper into the construction site. For safety, he relied on his Divine Spirit Root to conceal his presence and also used the Evil God’s detection and surveillance rituals to constantly sense the presence of monitoring devices and evade them one by one.
With this double-layered security of Divine Spirit Root concealment and surveillance evasion, Zhang Yu moved through the site as if it were deserted, searching until he finally found several workers transporting materials in a corner of the site.
“Just as I suspected, these guys are stealing from the construction site.”
Zhang Yu pulled out his old smartphone, opened the camera app, and started recording.
Concerned about leaving unnecessary traces with his Bionic Eye, Zhang Yu even used a disconnected phone he hadn’t used in ages to film the video.
But his eyes quickly widened in shock.
“Could this be… materials from the Refining Factory?”
In the past, Zhang Yu, who knew nothing about artifact refinement, wouldn’t have been able to tell one material from another. But now that he had gained some proficiency in the craft, he quickly discerned what the workers were doing.
“These guys are replacing the refining materials? Swapping out the factory’s high-quality materials with inferior ones?”
Zhang Yu mentally calculated the price difference: at least tenfold between the cost of the inferior materials and the value of the factory’s premium resources.
Zhang Yu had only intended to document some shady dealings on the construction site, but he had stumbled upon an even bigger scandal. He gasped inwardly, “They’re incredibly audacious! This factory belongs to Magnetic Pole!”
“Wait a minute… could this be Magnetic Pole’s doing?”
Zhang Yu shook his head, dismissing the idea. To his knowledge, Magnetic Pole had been focused on achieving Spirit Transformation in recent years. She wouldn’t risk damaging her reputation or devaluing her brand at such a critical moment.
“These workers couldn’t pull this off alone. There must be someone from the Artifact Refinement Department involved, perhaps even a trusted confidant… otherwise, they wouldn’t risk such a scheme.”
Zhang Yu continued filming and tracking, and soon spotted someone who appeared to be a Refinement Apprentice.
Bian Hao, a disciple of True Monarch Thunder Pole, unknowingly exposed himself to the camera, patiently overseeing the operation.
Several hours later, Zhang Yu handed the footage to Zhang Pianpian.
After reviewing the video, Zhang Pianpian smiled faintly. “This will suffice.”
Zhang Yu asked, “Senior sister, how do you plan to use it? Report it to the authorities? Or send it directly to True Monarch Magnetic Pole?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Reporting it would mean making enemies of the entire Artifact Refinement Department.”
“Sending it to True Monarch Magnetic Pole… her Spirit Realm abilities are formidable. We’d have to guard against her counter-tracking — too much trouble.”
“Even if she learned of this, she’d likely try to suppress it quietly.”
“This blade… is better suited for those within the Artifact Refinement Department who oppose True Monarch Thunder Pole.”
Zhang Yu asked again, “What about my payment for this task?”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Don’t mention it yourself. Let others bring it up for you.”
“In True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s presence, just play your role as her devoted disciple and valuable test subject.”
Laboratory.
The Spirit Transformation Bionic was affixed to Zhang Yu’s forehead, accompanying him through various tests.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole observed the test data with a faint smile of satisfaction.
“Alright, Zhang Yu,” she said. “Come down and rest for a while.”
“It’s fine, Teacher,” Zhang Yu replied. “I can keep going.”
“Come when I tell you to.”
Zhang Yu approached True Monarch Magnetic Pole, who reached out with a telekinetic gesture. Gang Qi swirled, detaching the Spirit Transformation Bionic from his forehead.
Magic Power pulsed in True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s hand, and faint strands of energy began to flow between her and the Spirit Transformation Bionic.
Watching this, Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “Teacher’s mastery over the Spirit Transformation Bionic has deepened,” he thought. “Is she already capable of exchanging Magic Power with it?”
“Teacher,” Zhang Yu asked, “have you made another breakthrough in your research?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole nodded, her voice pleased. “Thanks to your tireless testing, I’ve gradually grasped the operational principles of this Spirit Transformation Bionic.”
“Divine Monarch Jade Nectar’s Bionic delves into the fundamental principles of Yin-Yang transformations within the human body. By emulating the Yin-Yang energy dynamics within your own body, I’ve managed to unlock some of the Bionic’s latent mysteries.”
“Next, we need to unravel the principles of yin-yang transformation and the correspondence between the Bionic and the physical body. By identifying the patterns, we can decipher the underlying technology…”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole was genuinely pleased. After all, her recent attempts to evaluate Spirit Transformation candidates had been less than successful. Any progress with this Spirit Transformation Bionic would significantly boost her assessment.
After all, among the Ten Great Universities, how many Nascent Soul cultivators could even comprehend the intricacies of a Spirit Transformation Bionic? And how many Nascent Soul cultivators had such a Bionic at their disposal?
Both the opportunity and the ability were exceedingly rare.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole was ravenous for progress.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “My teacher is truly remarkable in artifact refinement. Can she really unravel the mysteries of a Spirit Transformation Bionic?”
His gaze swept across the fleeting characters on her chest, and he mused, “Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology… This Dao Seed sounds incredibly powerful.” [^1]
Through frequent interaction in the Laboratory and his accumulated knowledge, Zhang Yu could now faintly discern the name of True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s Dao Seed.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole ran her hand over Zhang Yu’s body, sighing, “Ah, your artifact refinement technique has improved again recently, hasn’t it?”
“Spirit Transformation is truly Spirit Transformation. The accumulation of the Dual Cultivation Dao within the Bionic has brought you such benefits.”
Zhang Yu replied obediently, “It’s all thanks to Master’s excellent research.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole smiled. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, she had made a name for herself with the Spirit Transformation Bionic. It was impossible for her not to feel a sense of pride.
Just then, a flash of light and shadow rippled through the Spirit Realm as True Monarch Thunder Pole’s projection descended.
Looking at True Monarch Magnetic Pole before him, True Monarch Thunder Pole greeted warmly, “Senior Sister, you called for me?”
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at Zhang Yu beside her.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole remained silent in response to Thunder Pole’s greeting, though the smile had gradually vanished from her face.
She touched the several scars on Zhang Yu’s hand and asked casually, “From your cultivation?”
Zhang Yu nodded. “Accidentally left behind.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed. “I heard from True Monarch Celestial Seal that you bought cheap materials. The aftereffects of practicing the artifact refinement technique must have caused these injuries, right?”
“Are you short on funds?”
“Has the project’s engineering payment been delayed again?”
Zhang Yu replied softly, “The engineering payment follows the standard procedure. The department has its own difficulties; some get paid earlier, others later. It’s not just about me.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole nodded, ruffled Zhang Yu’s hair, and sighed, “If only everyone in the Artifact Refinement Department were as sensible as you.”
Watching this scene, True Monarch Thunder Pole’s eyes flickered, his thoughts churning. This brat Zhang Yu is complaining about me to Senior Sister? Humph, she seems quite fond of her new disciple lately.
But what’s the point of dragging me here to listen to this? Does she expect me to show weakness in front of a junior? Senior Sister is getting more muddled with age…
Just as True Monarch Thunder Pole was inwardly grumbling, True Monarch Magnetic Pole spoke up: “How much did you exchange for at the Refining Factory we jointly invested in with the Myriad Paths Artisan Group?”
True Monarch Thunder Pole stiffened, only then realizing the icy glint in True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s eyes.
She said coldly, “The seat you’re sitting on? Give it up. Don’t occupy it again.”
True Monarch Thunder Pole exclaimed in shock, “Senior Sister!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole replied, “Hand over your apprentice Bian Hao. Consider it an apology to the department.”
True Monarch Thunder Pole shouted, “Senior Sister, this apprentice of mine has invested so much money! He’s practically on the verge of reaching the Golden Core stage…”
“Golden Core my ass!” True Monarch Magnetic Pole snapped.
With a swift, empty-handed grab, she clamped her hand tightly around the holographic projection of True Monarch Thunder Pole’s head.
In that instant, the Spirit Realm’s radiance flared violently. Through layers of University City’s towering structures, True Monarch Thunder Pole’s office shuddered violently as his glass-like head suddenly heated up, leaving a charred handprint scorched across its surface.
“Has your brain turned to stone? Pocketing a little money is one thing, but undermining the Artifact Refinement Department’s reputation? Don’t you know what I’ve been evaluating these past few years?”
True Monarch Thunder Pole exclaimed in panic, “Senior Sister, what… what are you talking about? I don’t understand!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole thrust a finger into the projection’s head, instantly transmitting a video file.
“True Monarch String Tone sent me this. If I hadn’t suppressed it, I wouldn’t be the one talking to you right now.”
Watching the video, True Monarch Thunder Pole struggled desperately. “It wasn’t me! I never asked them to do anything like this!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole scoffed. “Then you’re even more foolish! You didn’t even notice a ghost had infiltrated your own household?”
[^1] The Name of the Dao Seed is a reference to 《Exploitation of the Works of Nature》 (天工开物), a 17th century encyclopedia on technology. It documents the use of technology across 18 different fields like agriculture, textile production, metallurgy and weaponry with diagrams and comprehensive descriptions. You can see some pages here https://books.google.com/books?id=fM2Bh6WifHQC