Chapter 519: Resolving Thunder Pole
True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s thunderous rebuke finally struck fear into True Monarch Thunder Pole’s heart.
In his memory, his senior sister had always maintained a stoic facade, rarely letting her emotions show. It was exceedingly rare for her to erupt into such a tirade, punctuated with physical aggression. After all, in Kunxu’s current climate, resorting to violence so readily was considered uncouth.
Yet Thunder Pole recalled a chilling pattern: after each of his senior sister’s rare outbursts, many people would vanish. Some would leave University City, others would depart Myriad Laws University entirely, and still others would abandon the University Realm altogether.
Each eruption served as an emotional purge. Once the emotional storm subsided, only cold calculations of gains and losses remained. Those deemed expendable would be sacrificed, those to be abandoned would be discarded, and those destined to vanish would disappear without a trace.
And this time, the one likely to vanish was his own disciple!
Hearing True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s words, True Monarch Thunder Pole meekly replied, “A ghost? Who’s the ghost?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole pressed on, “Isn’t that your disciple in the video? Did you know about these actions? Isn’t the problem stemming from you?”
True Monarch Thunder Pole said with difficulty, “He! He signed a master-disciple contract with me!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole retorted coldly, “So what if he signed a contract? Which of the Ten Greats rose to power without tearing up countless contracts along the way?”
“If contracts could truly bind us, what would be the point of the Heavenly Court?”
“Not him, not you… then it must be me? I’m the problem? I’m the demon, aren’t I?”
True Monarch Thunder Pole lowered his head, silent. His Spirit Realm Projection shrank visibly, making him appear even smaller and more helpless.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole pointed at Zhang Yu. “Or is he the problem? Did my disciple betray you?”
True Monarch Thunder Pole whispered, “How could it be your disciple, Senior Sister? He’s just a Civil Engineering worker at a construction site, barely at the Foundation Establishment Stage. How could it be him?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole glared coldly at True Monarch Thunder Pole. “Civil Engineering makes him incapable? Foundation Establishment Stage makes him impossible? I was already fighting Nascent Soul cultivators when I was at Foundation Establishment!”
With that, True Monarch Magnetic Pole took a deep breath. The entire office fell silent, and no one dared to speak another word.
As the air grew increasingly stifling, True Monarch Magnetic Pole spoke again, her face expressionless: “Besides your disciple, write down the names of five more subordinates and pin the entire blame on them!”
“How much money have you pocketed over the years? Cough up half of it!”
“All eyes are on this matter now. We must resolve this today and settle everything!”
Hearing these words, True Monarch Thunder Pole felt another sharp pang in his heart.
Sacrificing five more people wasn’t the worst part for him, but the thought of losing half of the hard-earned money he had painstakingly saved over the years felt like his internal Magic Power circuits were about to short-circuit!
True Monarch Thunder Pole choked out, “Senior Sister, that’s my retirement and longevity money!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole laughed coldly. “Do you know how many people, both inside and outside the academy, don’t want me to achieve Spirit Transformation?”
“You don’t want to pay? Fine. Then step forward and take full responsibility!”
True Monarch Thunder Pole lowered his head in silence, his form shrinking again until he was even shorter than Zhang Yu.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole said coldly, “Enough. I’m giving you one hour to resolve this!”
“Afterward, go back to your laboratory and stay out of the department’s affairs!”
Watching True Monarch Thunder Pole’s Spirit Realm Projection gradually fade away, True Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed, her expression complex.
While gently stroking Zhang Yu’s head, she murmured, “My junior brother… he’s grown more muddled with age.”
“In his youth, he was a renowned genius, his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Flower taking almost as little time as mine!”
“But ever since reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he’s gradually grown complacent.”
“Though he rallied briefly after joining Myriad Laws University, repeated failures in competitions eroded his spirit. The university reduced his resources, and he grew disillusioned. He stopped studying the latest artifact refinement techniques, abandoned the laboratory, and became preoccupied with petty concerns, ultimately degenerating into his current state!”
“He’s found comfort in this, but has he ever considered how much trouble his behavior causes me?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed. “Yet if I deal with him harshly, what will the other veterans who fought alongside me think?”
“If I abandon him over such a minor incident, many will see it as a sign of my decline, proof that I’m losing my grip!”
“Even when placed in the most foolproof position, he still manages to mess things up for me…”
Hearing True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s sigh, Zhang Yu said earnestly, “Teacher, I promise I won’t slack off. I’ll work tirelessly to climb higher and stay right behind you!”
“Good!” True Monarch Magnetic Pole smiled, patted Zhang Yu’s head, and pulled him into her embrace. “Remember what happened today, and never follow your Martial Uncle’s example!”
Meanwhile, the video footage kept replaying in True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s mind.
The camera angle was impossibly precise, as if the shooter had been tailing the group, filming them at close range. Yet subsequent investigations revealed no trace of any cameraman having been present at the scene.
This alone spoke volumes about the shooter’s skill.
“Whose man is this?”
Names flooded True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s mind, both from within the academy and beyond.
“Divine Monarch Golden Citadel?”
“Or Immortal Armaments University? Vajra University?”
“Could it even be Netherworld University?”
Too many forces might hinder his path to Spirit Transformation. True Monarch Magnetic Pole couldn’t determine which faction was behind this incident, but her vigilance grew, making her feel even more keenly the treacherous obstacles ahead on her path to Spirit Transformation.
In the following days, True Monarch Thunder Pole proactively resigned from his administrative duties, and his disciple Bian Hao and his five subordinates vanished without a trace.
The Artifact Refinement Department remained eerily calm, with students completely unaware of the turmoil.
If Zhang Yu hadn’t been constantly observing the situation, he might have thought nothing had happened at all.
One day, just as he stepped out of the laboratory, he received a message from True Monarch Thunder Pole.
True Monarch Thunder Pole: “Junior Nephew, how have you been lately?”
Zhang Yu: “True Monarch, it’s best if we don’t address each other by our sect affiliations at the university. I’m afraid it would create a bad impression for Master.”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s reply, True Monarch Thunder Pole’s Magic Power Circuits trembled violently.
“A petty man drunk on success!”
Yet True Monarch Thunder Pole ultimately suppressed his rage. After all, his current situation was already dire.
The money he had squandered severely compromised his life-extension plan, drastically shortening his projected lifespan.
Losing his position and his registered disciple meant True Monarch Thunder Pole saw no prospect of increased income in the coming years, while his estimated lifespan dwindled day by day.
Based on his observations during his last visit to the laboratory, he realized Zhang Yu was currently enjoying favor with True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
“My senior sister spends all her time buried in the laboratory, knowing it better than her own grotto-heaven,” he thought. “She’s constantly studying her experimental disciples, so she naturally feels a certain closeness to them.”
“If Zhang Yu were willing to put in a good word for me at the experimental platform, my senior sister might remember her junior brother’s virtues!”
Suppressing his frustration, True Monarch Thunder Pole continued his exchange with Zhang Yu.
True Monarch Thunder Pole: “Student Yu, you’re right about…”
After a few exchanges, Zhang Yu immediately understood the other’s intentions.
So, he wants me to sing his praises without paying me? Zhang Yu thought. The old fool is getting more delusional with age!
He casually set the conversation to “receive notifications but no alerts” and went back to his own tasks.
Shortly afterward, Zhang Yu received another message, this time from True Person Gathering Star:
True Person Gathering Star: “Hello, Zhang Yu. I’ll be temporarily overseeing True Monarch Thunder Pole’s duties.”
True Person Gathering Star: “From now on, direct any project-related issues to me!”
After exchanging greetings with True Person Gathering Star, Zhang Yu was added to the project’s group chat.
The True Person immediately posted a message: “Everyone, I’m different from True Monarch Thunder Pole. I focus solely on work and despise all the messy politics.”
True Person Gathering Star: “As long as you all do your jobs well, there will be no corruption under my watch.”
True Person Gathering Star: “And let me be clear: don’t even think about bribing me.”
True Person Gathering Star: “I loathe such schemes. Anyone who tries it will face severe consequences.”
Someone immediately replied:
“With True Person Gathering Star here, justice prevails!”
After observing the group chat for a while, just as Zhang Yu began to doubt the sincerity of the new supervisor’s righteous declarations, he received a friend request from True Person Gathering Star’s registered disciple.
He soon learned that by spending just 1 Spirit Coin on a designated online store, his project funds would be credited to his account very quickly.
One Spirit Coin? Just one fucking Spirit Coin?
Zhang Yu marveled, “He really is an incorruptible official!”
Fu Ji explained, “They all start out like this. After all, True Monarch Thunder Pole just stepped down. He wouldn’t dare skim too much so soon!”
“But he can’t refuse it either. If he doesn’t accept, how can his superiors? And if the superiors don’t accept, how can True Monarch Magnetic Pole?”
“Still, given enough time — a few years, perhaps — he’ll likely become increasingly greedy!”
Zhang Yu replied, “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. By the time he’s amassed enough wealth to become a problem, who knows what the situation will be?”
Zhang Yu knew his ambition to compete in the Ten Greats League hinged on the next few years. He had no time to worry about distant futures.
With the arrival of the initial project payment, Zhang Yu’s account balance surged past 30 Spirit Coins!
Though upcoming payroll and taxes would quickly deplete much of it, this marked a crucial step toward financial growth.
As the days passed and the project stabilized, Zhang Yu only needed to visit the construction site a few days each month. The company’s employees generated passive income for him daily.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu continued to invest heavily in upgrading his artifact refinement technique, gradually expanding the range of refinement orders he could accept.
With artifact refinement and civil engineering progressing in tandem, Zhang Yu was soon saving 20 to 30 Spirit Coins monthly, preparing for the construction of his military-grade magical artifact prototype.
Mid-May
In their dormitory room that day, Zhang Yu was rare to see pouring Magic Power into Yu Xinghan, enhancing both his Magic Power level and Magic Power Quality!
With the breakthrough of the final bottleneck, Yu Xinghan’s Magic Power finally reached the 1000 mark, the limit of the Foundation Establishment Stage!
Feeling the robust Magic Power within him, Yu Xinghan suddenly sensed a stirring in his mind. The third eye in his mind trembled, as if beginning another phase of development!
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu noticed that Yu Xinghan’s Dao Seed Third Eye Mystic Power had advanced from the 2nd-tier to the 3rd-tier!