Chapter 555: Top 50 in the School, New Bionic Eye
Seeing the message from Yan Qianji, Zhang Yu felt a pang of emotion. He hadn’t realized he had come this far.
As soon as Zhang Yu entered the Top 50 group chat, he saw Jiutian Liu, ranked first in the Finance Department and second overall in the school, speaking.
Jiutian Liu: “Shan Congning, rules are rules. Come yourself.”
Shan Congning: “I’ll be back.”
Immediately afterward, Zhang Yu saw Shan Congning, ranked 51st overall, leave the group chat.
Then Jiutian Liu sent another message: “Everyone, we have a new member joining us! Let’s welcome Zhang Yu, ranked 13th in the Artifact Refinement Department and 44th overall! 🎉🎉🎉”
Watching this unfold, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Jiutian Liu… wasn’t he the one who led the Finance Department’s boycott against me? I wonder what his true attitude toward me is now.”
Following Jiutian Liu’s announcement, a flurry of messages flooded the group chat, welcoming Zhang Yu’s arrival.
The students from the Artifact Refinement Department were particularly enthusiastic.
Yan Qianji: “Congratulations, Zhang Yu!”
Ye Xingli: “Junior Brother, welcome to the group!”
Bei Wufeng, ranked second in the Artifact Refinement Department, added: “A warm welcome! [clasped hands]”
While students from the Artifact Refinement Department were actively posting, students from other departments also chimed in sporadically.
Zhang Pianpian, ranked 26th in the entire school, sent her congratulations as well.
As messages flooded the screen, Zhang Yu replied to each one and added the academic overachievers in the group as friends.
Looking at the names from the Artifact Refinement Department, Finance Department, Dao Techniques Department, Talisman Department, and more, Zhang Yu knew these were valuable connections. Many of them would likely become his future clients, while others might see him as a potential client.
Just as the group’s welcome for Zhang Yu began to wane, Dao Qiankun, ranked first in the entire school, spoke up.
Dao Qiankun: “Welcome”
These simple words seemed to silence the group for a moment.
Immediately, the entire group’s attention shifted to Dao Qiankun.
Jiutian Liu: “Brother Dao, you’ve emerged from seclusion?”
Dao Qiankun: “Mm-hmm.”
Yan Qianji: “Brother Dao, there’s a new Bionic on the market. You might want to check it out.”
Jiutian Liu: “Brother Dao, our company is offering special installment plans for VIP clients…”
Xu Haixuan, ranked first in the Talisman Department: “Brother Dao, Spirit Realm Services can be upgraded again.”
Watching the messages flood the group chat, Zhang Yu felt as if these Heavenly Chosen of the campus had transformed into gold-medal salespeople, swarming around Dao Qiankun and relentlessly pitching their products.
Zhang Yu couldn’t help but ask his sister, Zhang Pianpian, and Ye Xingli: “Just how rich is Dao Qiankun?”
Ye Xingli: “He’s not just the top student in the entire school, he’s also the wealthiest student by far.”
Ye Xingli: “You should know that the university has tailored cultivation plans for students participating in the Ten Greats League.”
Ye Xingli: “Each student’s plan is customized based on their personality, strengths, abilities, background… to maximize their income potential.”
Ye Xingli: “But Dao Qiankun… the university’s plan for him is simply to have a teacher guide him in secluded cultivation.”
Ye Xingli: “The higher-ups believe he doesn’t need to learn how to make money, at least not during the Foundation Establishment Stage.”
Zhang Yu: “That rich?! [OMG]”
Zhang Pianpian’s reply was even simpler:
Zhang Pianpian: “Half of the Spirit Vein beneath University City belongs to the Ten Thousand Spirits Magic Power Production Group.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Dao Qiankun’s family owns a significant stake in the Ten Thousand Spirits Group.”
Zhang Yu instantly understood: “If the Spirit Vein is like oil in Kunxu, then Dao Qiankun is basically an oil prince?”
Looking at the items being promoted in the group, Zhang Yu found them overpriced and of questionable quality. He immediately understood what these people were thinking.
“Fucking hell… they’re all trying to pad their sales figures by targeting the big spenders.”
Zhang Yu: “Brother Dao, if you need any magical artifacts repaired, feel free to contact me.”
Bei Wufeng: “Zhang Yu, that’s not quite right. Brother Dao doesn’t need to repair his artifacts. He just buys new ones when they break.”
Bei Wufeng: “No matter how well you repair a magical artifact, it can never return to its original peak condition.”
Bei Wufeng: “To achieve maximum performance, you need a brand-new artifact.”
Others immediately chimed in, mostly students from the Artifact Refinement Department.
But just then, Dao Qiankun replied: “Alright, Zhang Yu.”
Reading the messages, Dao Qiankun thought to himself, “These guys… they’re always trying to sell me something, hoping I’ll buy more.”
The idea that he only bought new artifacts and never repaired them made Dao Qiankun scoff. Though wealthy, he wasn’t about to waste Spirit Coins like that.
At most, he would replace his entire set of magical artifacts and Bionic suit before each competition to maintain peak performance.
For daily cultivation, however, Dao Qiankun still repaired his Bionic suit and magical artifacts himself.
After checking the group chat for a while, Zhang Yu felt a slight fatigue in his eyes. Lately, his Bionic Eye had been giving him this sensation more frequently.
Zhang Yu knew this was because his Time-Worn Demonic Eye was deteriorating.
Although he was a student in the Artifact Refinement Department, he hadn’t focused much on Bionic technology, let alone the creation of Bionic Eyes. His maintenance of the Time-Worn Demonic Eye was subpar, leading to accelerated wear and tear from daily use.
“Perfect timing. Now that I know so many academic overachievers in the Artifact Refinement Department, I can ask someone to replace my Bionic Eye.”
As for learning the process from scratch and refining one himself… Zhang Yu was confident he could do it, but his time was too limited. To gain the strength needed to compete at the peak of the Ten Greats League within six months, he couldn’t afford to handle every detail personally.
“Who should I ask?”
Zhang Yu decided to ask Ye Xingli directly.
Ye Xingli: “In our Artifact Refinement Department, Yan Qianji specializes in puppets, Bei Wufeng excels in flying sword refinement, and as for Bionic Eyes…”
Ye Xingli: “I’m relatively skilled in refining Bionics. If you don’t have strict requirements for major brands or Spirit Realm Services, I can refine a Bionic Eye for you.”
Midway through her explanation, Ye Xingli frowned slightly at the Poverty Simulator displayed before her.
Poverty Simulator: “The user and her Junior Brother are enjoying a lively conversation, increasingly resembling the senior sister-junior brother dynamic of ancient sects. This phenomenon is intriguing. Ancient sects relied on emotional investment and inefficient bartering to forge emotional bonds, enabling them to collectively withstand the various random risks of those times.”
Poverty Simulator: “Considering the user’s extensive prior knowledge of the magical artifacts and resources needed by the impoverished, it’s likely she intends to assist her Junior Brother.”
Poverty Simulator: “I’ve identified several possible responses: 1) Give the Bionic Eye as a gift. 2) Sell it at cost…”
Ye Xingli couldn’t bear to read further. “What gibberish is this? How can I make Bionics without profit?”
Following True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s guidance, Ye Xingli wanted to enhance her relationship with Zhang Yu more efficiently by following the Poverty Simulator’s suggestions.
But making Bionics without profit? That violated her fundamental principles. Absolutely not.
Ignoring the Poverty Simulator, Ye Xingli replied: “I’ll charge you a 10% profit margin. Take your pick.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered as Ye Xingli sent him a list of the Bionic Eyes she could craft.
“Compared to major brands, these are significantly cheaper, yet their performance is nearly identical,” he observed, his eyes scanning the various Bionic Eyes.
“Great Void Eye: Built-in motion simulation system, capable of predicting material transformations…”
“Profound Magnetic Stardust Eye: Equipped with a Primordial Magnetic Fluid module, allowing it to unleash Primordial Magnetic Divine Lightning to temporarily paralyze Bionics. However, most military-grade Bionics have protective measures, limiting the effectiveness of this lightning.”
“Nine Nether Demon Eye: Paired with Water of Forgetfullness system and Soul Body Induction module, enabling it to sense and track Soul Cultivators, temporarily freezing their minds.”
After careful consideration, Zhang Yu’s attention settled on the Nine Nether Demon Eye. “It also has a reporting function, allowing direct access to Soul Cultivator companies for complaints and reports.”
He nodded slightly, recognizing the Nine Nether Demon Eye’s immense utility for his current needs.
As Zhang Yu’s artifact refinement skills continued to improve and his collection of magical artifacts grew — especially after mastering the military-grade Heavenly Sun Radiance God — his demands for security in the Spirit Realm grew increasingly stringent.
After all, for the powerhouses of the Artifact Refinement Department, their ultimate goal was large-scale magical artifact construction and even large-scale magical artifact warfare.
As the quantity and scale of magical artifacts continued to increase, if their defenses against Spirit Realm attacks failed to keep pace, they could easily be hijacked, effectively handing over the artifacts to their enemies.
Among the various Spirit Realm attacks, Soul Cultivator attacks were the most fundamental. The Nine Nether Demon Eye perfectly compensated for Zhang Yu’s weakness in this area.
Zhang Yu: “I’ll take the Nine Nether Demon Eye.”
Ye Xingli: “21 Spirit Coins, delivery in three days.”
After confirming the order with Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu checked the group chat for the top 50 students in the school, reading the congratulatory messages from classmates and friends.
Then, Zhang Yu began drifting through other group chats.
His purpose in flitting between groups wasn’t to flaunt his dual Military Certificates or his top 50 ranking in the school. Instead, he aimed to further enhance his reputation and promote his services.
In the Civil Engineering group chat:
Zhang Yu, ranked 44th at Myriad Laws University: “Greetings, everyone! I’ve recently achieved some success in artifact refinement. If you have any artifact refinement needs, feel free to contact me.”
Yu Xinghan: “President Zhang just obtained the Military Artifact Refining Engineering Certificate, becoming a dual Military Certificate holder in Civil Engineering and Artifact Refinement.”
Ying Xin: “President Zhang is willing to provide services despite his busy schedule. Everyone should seize this opportunity.”
Gongshu Jin: “President Zhang, from now on, I’ll come to you to repair all my damaged Bionics.”
Seeing the enthusiastic responses in the group, Zhang Yu smiled faintly and turned his attention to the Songyang Hometown Group.
Zhang Yu, ranked 44th at Myriad Laws University: “Finally passed another Military Certificate exam.”
Le Jingchen: “Two Military Certificates now?! [shocked]”
Lan Ling: “Hail to the Myriad Laws artifact refinement master!”
Lan Ling: “Songyang High School has produced a true prodigy!”
Qian Shen: “If he’s already ranked 44th as a fourth-year student, his chances of breaking into the top 10 within a few years are extremely high.”
Chu Qiuhe: “Zhang Yu, do you remember? Back in high school, you used to compete with me for rankings in martial dao competitions.”
Zhang Yu: “Heh, I remember you being carried off on a stretcher and lying there until the end of the match.”
After exchanging a few words with his hometown friends, Zhang Yu added: “If anyone needs artifact refinement services in the future, feel free to contact me.”
Hu Yuntao: “I’ve used magical artifacts refined by President Zhang before. Excellent quality, highly recommended.”
Zhao Tianxing: “Recommended.”
Mo Tianyi: “Recommended.”
Lian Tianji: “Zhang Yu, can you refine Yin Artifacts?”
Reading Lian Tianji’s question, Zhang Yu never imagined that his first order after obtaining his Military Artifact Refining Engineering Certificate would require him to admit he couldn’t do it.