Chapter 524: Ultimate - Artifact Refinement Prodigy (10/10)
One day, Zhang Yu arrived at True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s laboratory to participate in the research on the Spirit Transformation Bionic, as usual. However, True Monarch Magnetic Pole suddenly asked, “Are you planning to directly compete with Jin Jun for the Heavenly Sun Radiance God’s Military Certificate?”
Clearly, news of the matter had already reached her ears.
Zhang Yu nodded. “Yes.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole pondered for a moment before saying, “Many eyes are currently watching your master and me.”
“After all, I’m seeking Spirit Transformation, but many don’t want Myriad Laws University to gain another Spirit Transformation cultivator.”
“Since you’re my disciple, you’ll naturally be under their scrutiny as well.”
“If you participate in the prototype mechanism evaluation, you’ll likely face heightened scrutiny, even deliberate obstruction. Their standards for you will be even more stringent…”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole carefully chose her words as she explained the situation to Zhang Yu.
For her, if Zhang Yu successfully secured the Heavenly Sun Radiance God, it might slightly aid her own Spirit Transformation bid.
However, if Zhang Yu made any mistakes during the evaluation that implicated her, it would become a significant hindrance to her own Spirit Transformation efforts.
The worst possible outcome would be Zhang Yu resorting to cheating methods, such as proxy refining or forgery, in his eagerness to surpass Jin Jun.
Though True Monarch Magnetic Pole doubted Zhang Yu would stoop to such folly, the stakes were too high to leave anything to chance. She resolved to give him a stern warning.
As Zhang Yu listened attentively, his gaze drifted to True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s chest, where her Dao Seed glowed with increasing clarity. The four grand characters of “Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology” gradually revealed their hidden meaning to him.
To replicate this Dao Seed, Zhang Yu mused inwardly, do I need to refine a magical artifact above level 30 alongside True Monarch Magnetic Pole?
He realized this requirement far exceeded any previous Dao Seed’s conditions.
After all, Zhang Yu’s current artifact refinement skills only allowed him to create Level 20 magical artifacts at best.
Magical artifacts above level 30 can only be refined by cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Does this mean I have to wait until I break through to the Nascent Soul Stage to replicate Teacher’s Dao Seed?
Zhang Yu shook his head inwardly, thinking that would take far too long.
A new idea flashed through his mind: “What if I become her assistant and participate in her magical artifact refinement projects? Would that count as fulfilling the condition? Could I successfully replicate the Dao Seed that way?”
Zhang Yu thought it should count.
He began subtly probing True Monarch Magnetic Pole, but quickly discovered… there were no artifact refinement projects where he could serve as an assistant.
“The gap between my artifact refinement skills and True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s is simply too vast.”
“Sigh, is there no way to participate in artifact refinement projects without needing advanced skills…?”
As Zhang Yu pondered, his gaze fell upon the Spirit Transformation Bionic nearby, and a sudden inspiration struck him.
“Unless, like now, I become the experimental subject in a project, becoming the very thing the project needs to use…”
With this thought, Zhang Yu opened his mouth and blurted out, “Teacher, does this Bionic only have Yin Artifacts and no Yang Artifacts?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole glanced at Zhang Yu. “What are you getting at?”
She had noticed his restless eyes darting around since earlier, sensing he was plotting something.
Zhang Yu replied, “I was just thinking, Yin and Yang, balanced in harmony, is the essence of dual cultivation. Wouldn’t adding a Yang Artifact better drive the experiment forward?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Do you think I haven’t tried that? Ordinary Bionics are useless.”
Zhang Yu stepped forward and declared, “That’s why we can’t use ordinary Bionics!”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s eyes flashed. “You mean… refine parts of your body into Bionics?”
Zhang Yu froze for a moment, then quickly clarified, “That’s not what I meant! I just meant we could use my body as a reference…”
Meanwhile, True Monarch Magnetic Pole murmured to herself, “Indeed, having only one experimental subject is far too few, hindering the entire project’s progress.”
“If we could refine certain parts of your body into Bionics, then replicate them, the overall efficiency might increase dramatically.”
With this thought, True Monarch Magnetic Pole smiled slightly and reached out to grab Zhang Yu, intending to examine him more closely.
Zhang Yu quickly protested, “Teacher! What if it fails? What if the changes in my body cause the Spirit Transformation Bionic to reject me?”
“We should first try creating a prototype Bionic using biomimicry techniques and other materials, based on my data.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole considered this for a moment and conceded, “That makes sense.”
Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, “In a way… this counts as refining a magical artifact with my teacher, right?”
Late July.
Inside Ye Xingli’s laboratory, Zhang Yu’s hands flickered with arcs of electricity as he used the Five Thunder Refinement Urgency Method to etch Magic Power Circuits onto a second-hand magical artifact.
This Five Thunder Refinement Urgency Method was the tenth cultivation art Zhang Yu had mastered, solidifying his reputation as an Artifact Refinement Prodigy.
As the final cycle of the art completed, Zhang Yu successfully advanced it to Level 20, reaching the final tier of his Artifact Refinement Prodigy talent.
Ultimate - Artifact Refinement Prodigy (10/10): The more artifact refinement techniques mastered and the higher their levels, the greater the efficiency of artifact refinement, up to a maximum increase of twofold.
A thought struck Zhang Yu: “Perfect timing. I’ll be learning numerous magical artifact blueprints for the upcoming Heavenly Sun Radiance God project.”
“Each new blueprint I master will further accelerate my artifact refinement speed, significantly speeding up the future refinement of the prototype mechanism.”
Reviewing the layered enhancements of his Artifact Refinement Prodigy talent, Zhang Yu mused inwardly: “The First Layer doubles my blueprint learning speed.”
“The Second Layer improves artifact refinement quality while effectively reducing costs.”
Glancing around the laboratory, Zhang Yu thought, “It’s time to leave this place and start studying the Heavenly Sun Radiance God.”
Meanwhile, nearby, Ye Xingli finished another set of experiments and removed her Hand Bionic, handing it to Zi Yunzhen beside her.
This Hand Bionic was a safety measure Ye Xingli used during research on fiend energy purification magical artifacts.
Zi Yunzhen accepted the Hand Bionic, gazing at it as if it were a work of art, appreciating its supreme beauty.
As a Heavenly Chosen of the Artifact Refinement Department, Ye Xingli’s Bionics were objects of study and admiration for her peers. Each viewing revealed new layers of charm and sophistication.
After changing her Hand Bionic, Ye Xingli took a break from her experiments and pulled out a piece of concrete, taking a disdainful bite.
Zhang Yu asked, “Senior sister, are you filming a video?”
Ye Xingli nodded after taking two more bites of concrete. “Mm-hmm. My fans are mostly Lower College and Junior College students. They love watching me eat concrete.”
Next, Ye Xingli began filming her legs, carefully showcasing their shimmering starlight radiance to highlight the Bionic’s extravagance and allure — another type of content her fans adored.
After spending some time with Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu learned that she had over three million followers on the Spirit Realm Network, making her a true internet celebrity.
In the past, cultivators aspired to become Sword Cultivators, Pill Masters, or Talisman Masters…
But in the modern era, the most coveted profession among cultivators was that of an internet celebrity.
After all, it was a career that offered both quick wealth and effortless ease.
According to Ye Xingli, she had no idea why her fans were so foolish. She could simply post a video of her Bionics, and those idiots would automatically like, share, and promote it with paid ads.
Ye Xingli remarked, “In the real world, Lower College Students and Junior College Students are best avoided.”
“But if you want to become an internet celebrity, then Junior College Students are the key to success.”
“After all, they make up the largest demographic in universities and are the most eager to idolize the wealthy, desperately seeking spiritual and dao heart anchors.”
After casually sharing these thoughts, Ye Xingli turned her attention to her Bionic Eye.
Ye Xingli’s regard for Zhang Yu stemmed entirely from True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s high opinion of him.
Having heard True Monarch Magnetic Pole praise Zhang Yu’s loyalty and sentimentality, she began experimenting with the most effective ways to communicate with him.
Whenever Ye Xingli input Zhang Yu’s words and the current situation into the Poverty Simulator, the Bionic Eye would generate numerous appropriate responses.
Poverty Simulator: “Offer the cement to the other party and ask if they want to try a bite.”
Poverty Simulator: “Reminder: This simulator is for entertainment and research purposes, simulating the mindset, speech, and reactions of the poor. Do not accept its suggestions wholesale, lest you truly become poor.”
Poverty Simulator: “Warning: Once you become poor, there is no turning back.”
Ye Xingli handed over the cement. “Want to try a bite?”
Zhang Yu shook his head. “Senior Sister, I plan to leave the laboratory for a while. I need to start studying the design blueprints for the Heavenly Sun Radiance God.”
To master the design blueprints and the underlying technology, Zhang Yu had chosen to learn various magical artifact diagrams, thereby acquiring all the necessary techniques for the Heavenly Sun Radiance God.
Unlike cultivating martial dao techniques, practicing artifact refinement diagrams could be accelerated through simulations in the Spirit Realm.
Naturally, Zhang Yu intended to go to the Supreme Clarity Realm to expedite this process.
As he bid farewell to Ye Xingli, his gaze briefly swept over the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart flashing on her chest.
He thought to himself, “Spending almost every day with my senior sister for the past two months hasn’t been a waste of time after all.”
However, Zhang Yu knew that he likely wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Ye Xingli in the near future.
Refining the prototype Heavenly Sun Radiance God involved three main steps:
First, studying the magical artifact blueprints and mastering all the necessary techniques.
Second, refining a Level 1 prototype mechanism.
Third, gradually upgrading the prototype mechanism level by level.
Zhang Yu thought, “To obtain the Military Certificate, I need to upgrade the prototype mechanism to at least Level 11, preferably Level 15 or higher, to increase my chances of passing the review.”
“I also need to consider the timing of my application for the review.”
“If Jin Jun applies for the review before me, I’ll have to apply at the same time.”
“Otherwise, if he passes the review first, he’ll secure the Heavenly Sun Radiance God Military Certificate quota for the next academic year, and I’ll have to wait until the following year.”
With this in mind, Zhang Yu quickened his pace. After bidding farewell to Ye Xingli, he left the Laboratory.
On the other side, Zi Yunzhen watched the scene unfold, thinking to herself, “Zhang Yu is actually going to compete with Jin Jun?”
“It’s been two months since their last meeting, and he’s only just starting to study the blueprints? Will he have enough time?”
A few days later, Jin Jun thought of Zhang Yu again. “That kid still hasn’t shown up.”
He asked Zi Yunzhen, “Is Zhang Yu still in your laboratory?”
Zi Yunzhen replied, “He left a few days ago. Said he was going to study the blueprints for the Heavenly Sun Radiance God.”
Jin Jun stared at the message, then chuckled softly. “He’s only starting now?”