Chapter 562: Pre-Competition Preparations
“Legend has it that Divine Monarch Spirit Rhinoceros of Joyful Union University struggled to take his first step in cultivation during his youth, his dao heart repeatedly regressing.”
“Yet through these repeated setbacks, he gradually forged a new path, ultimately comprehending the principle that only after experiencing affection can one truly feel it deeply, and only after deep affection can one transcend it.”
“To love anyone, to embrace everyone, to cherish all living beings with equal and profound affection — this is the ultimate transcendence of emotion, the essence of the Supreme Profound Affection Path.”
“This single refinement immediately caused the cultivation method’s output to surge severalfold.”
“Similar improvements have been continuous over the years. It is precisely this relentless spirit, this unwavering pursuit of progress, that laid the foundation for the Joyful Union Sect’s modern resurgence.”
Listening to Zhang Yu’s lengthy discourse on the history of dual cultivation techniques, Fu Ji remarked, “It seems you paid quite close attention to your lessons in the Illusionary Realm.”
Zhang Yu replied, “Naturally. My original purpose was to gather authentic intelligence on Junior College Students. Even within the Illusionary Realm, I would attend classes diligently, leaving no detail unexamined.”
“This Junior College Simulation Illusionary Realm has its merits. It allowed me to acquire a wealth of extracurricular knowledge.”
“Hmm… While there are some odd parts, I think it’s worth trying a few more.”
Having already paid the Spirit Coins with Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu proceeded to select and experiment with several different scenarios.
Afterward, he received a message from Ye Xingli:
Ye Xingli: “How’s it going, Junior Brother? Any insights?”
Zhang Yu: “Plenty!”
Zhang Yu: “I feel like my ‘Vocational College Quotient’ is so high now, it’s almost frightening.”
Ye Xingli: “True, these scenarios capture some of the essence of Vocational College life.”
Ye Xingli: “But they still feel artificial, too sensationalized, and overly focused on entertainment.”
Ye Xingli: “None of them truly capture the reality of Vocational College life.”
Ye Xingli: “The data in these simulations probably isn’t reliable either.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. “The reality of Vocational College life… I doubt anyone cares.”
“Or rather, among the users of the Spirit Realm Simulation Service, very few would be interested in the genuine Vocational College experience.”
“They just see Vocational College students as exotic entertainment, a novelty, or a way to temper their dao hearts.”
Zhang Yu replied: “Senior Sister, you’re right. These scenarios help us grasp some of the essence of Vocational College students.”
Zhang Yu: “But relying on these materials to design artifact refinement products would still fall far short of what we need.”
Ye Xingli: “It seems we’ll have to gather intelligence directly from real Junior College Students.”
Zhang Yu, recalling the scenes from the Illusionary Realm, his gaze flickered slightly as he said, “Let’s just buy it from them.”
“We’ll select a group of Junior College Students from all over the Second Layer, representing different regions and affiliated with various Vocational Colleges under the Ten Greats.”
“We’ll have these students record their daily lives with their Bionic Eyes and sell us the footage.”
“By fast-forwarding through their recordings, we can quickly gather a wealth of firsthand intelligence about Junior College Students.”
Ye Xingli: “Good idea! Let’s do it.”
Ye Xingli: “I can contact some people through my fan base.”
Zhang Yu: “I also know quite a few Junior College Students.”
Ye Xingli: “Then let’s each gather our own data and compile it in a month.”
Zhang Yu: “Agreed.”
Zhang Yu wasn’t in a rush to finish gathering information. After all, with the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology at his disposal, modifying design blueprints required little time.
Information gathering was the more crucial task. Only with sufficient and accurate data to feed the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology could Zhang Yu obtain the optimal design blueprints he sought.
Zhang Yu then posted a new task in the Songyang Hometown Group, offering to purchase daily life recordings from Junior College Students using their Bionic Eyes.
The announcement immediately sparked enthusiastic participation from countless Junior College Students.
“Do you want recordings from Soul Cultivator Students too?”
“My Bionic Eye’s storage capacity is limited. Can I sell just a few hours at a time?”
“Are there any quality requirements for the videos?”
Faced with a barrage of questions, Zhang Yu answered a few before realizing it was too time-consuming and delegated the task to Fu Ji.
Zhang Yu: “Fu Ji, I need you to understand this: collect the data as truthfully and efficiently as possible.”
Fu Ji: “What about the cost?”
Zhang Yu: “Junior College Students’ daily lives? How much could that possibly cost?”
“The rice rations they give me as an outstanding student at school every week would feed them for an entire year if I just dumped it out.”
Fu Ji: “Save where you can! You’ve barely earned a few Spirit Coins and you’re already throwing money around?”
Zhang Yu: “They’re our hometown folks, after all. Don’t squeeze them too hard.”
Meanwhile, many University Students in the Hometown Group were also getting restless.
Lian Tianji of Joyful Union University, Lian Tianji: “Are daily life videos from University Students acceptable?”
Mountains and Rivers College, Lan Ling: “Should we collect videos from Upper College Students?”
Zhang Yu: “No need. Just Junior College Students.”
After entrusting the specific acquisition details to Fu Ji, Zhang Yu once again immersed himself in the Supreme Clarity Realm, beginning his simulated artifact crafting practice for the day.
With relentless practice within the Supreme Clarity Realm, Zhang Yu made rapid progress. He secretly estimated, “By the end of March, I should be ready to begin refining the Great Sky Sacred Law Sword Formation.”
While Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli were jointly collecting information on junior college students, True Monarch Magnetic Pole was in her laboratory.
Staring at the brand-new Bionic before her, she frowned repeatedly. “Why does this design… feel so Vocational College-ish?”
“Has my aesthetic sense deteriorated?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole resolved to spend some time later reviewing the latest research papers on magical artifact designs to properly maintain her aesthetic sensibilities.
Just then, the laboratory’s primary Intelligent Artifact Spirit sent her a notification.
“Oh? Zhang Yu has entered the Design Competition?”
“Hmm, it’s about time I introduced him to some people.”
In Ye Xingli’s laboratory, Zhang Yu presented three assistants — Zi Yunzhen, Su Yunni, and Bai Yujing — with new contracts.
“The changes in the new contracts are minimal, mainly adding some confidentiality clauses. If everyone’s okay with them, please sign.”
Zhang Yu’s upcoming Great Sky Sacred Law Sword Formation project no longer required formal review, eliminating the need for constant public announcements and detailed documentation.
Moreover, as his artifact refinement skills improved with each refining session, his techniques grew increasingly refined.
Especially with the growing number of magical artifact blueprints he had mastered, the efficiency bonus provided by the Artifact Refinement Prodigy diagram was steadily increasing.
Zhang Yu decided to have his assistants sign confidentiality agreements to prevent them from revealing too many laboratory details, which could attract unnecessary trouble.
The three assistants glanced at the confidentiality clauses, finding them quite standard.
After all, Zhang Yu wasn’t the first laboratory they had worked for, and confidentiality agreements were commonplace in such settings. After a quick review, they each signed the new contracts under the witness of a Righteous God.
Watching this, Zhang Yu smiled with satisfaction. “Good. Now, let’s focus on studying and refining our skills.”
“I estimate we’ll begin the formal refinement of the Great Sky Sacred Law Sword Formation by the end of this month,” Zhang Yu said.
Zi Yunzhen’s heart jolted at these words, while Su Yunni exclaimed in surprise, “By the end of March? Isn’t that too soon? Can we complete the preliminary technical preparations in time?”
Zhang Yu replied calmly, “Don’t worry about that. Your task is to master the necessary knowledge by the end of March. Don’t hold the project back.”
“Once we complete the refinement of the Great Sky Sacred Law Sword Formation, I’ll distribute bonuses to everyone.”
Observing the three assistants’ mix of anticipation and overwhelming pressure, Zhang Yu remained unfazed.
Having spent over a year in the Artifact Refinement Department, observing the True Monarchs and Senior Sister Ye Xingli’s laboratory, Zhang Yu had come to understand that high-pressure environments were the norm in research settings.
Assistants always needed to be pushed and squeezed to unlock their full potential and prevent project delays.
Across the room, Zi Yunzhen and her companions took deep breaths, harboring no thoughts of protest. After all, learning and experimenting under the Boss’s relentless pressure was a fundamental skill for Refinement Apprentices.
While it’s true that laboratory assistants handle 99% of the menial tasks, tasks that even a skilled Junior College Student could perform, the remaining 1% — and knowing how to distinguish between the two — requires a deep understanding of Immortal Dao Technology and extensive knowledge.
Before formally beginning the refinement of the Great Sky Sacred Law Sword Formation, extensive study was essential.
Driven by Zhang Yu’s promise of bonuses and the allure of adding a military-grade project to their resumes, Zi Yunzhen and the others threw themselves into their work with renewed vigor.
Shortly after Zhang Yu finished motivating his assistants, he received a message from True Monarch Magnetic Pole.
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Do you have time?”
Rarely receiving messages initiated by his master, Zhang Yu immediately stopped what he was doing and replied: “Yes.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “I need to discuss the Design Competition with you.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “This year’s judges include one from Myriad Laws, one from Vajra University, and three from Netherworld University, Heavenly Demon University, and White Bone University, respectively.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “True Monarch String Tone from Myriad Laws is the judge from our faction. I’ve already put in a good word for you.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “For the remaining four judges, you’ll need to prepare gifts.”
Zhang Yu: “Gifts?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Nonsense. What kind of Design Competition doesn’t involve giving gifts?”
Zhang Yu: “What kind of gifts?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “What else would you give besides Spirit Coins?”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “She’s certainly direct…”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “I’ll send you the price list for the four of them. Tell me when you’ve prepared the Spirit Coins.”
Zhang Yu looked at the price list, his heart sinking. “Four Nascent Soul True Monarchs… they want over a hundred Spirit Coins combined? Sigh, it’s nothing to them… but it’s way too expensive for a university student.”
Zhang Yu had thought he finally had enough money, but he never imagined he’d have to bleed so much.
Zhang Yu: “Can’t you lower the price a bit?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “This is already the bottom price.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “If you weren’t a student of Myriad Laws and my disciple, you wouldn’t even have the chance to offer Spirit Coins.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “Remember, don’t give less than the amount I told you. If you do, they’ll definitely make trouble for you.”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “And don’t give too much more either. It’ll disrupt the market rate.”
Zhang Yu asked: “After giving the Spirit Coins, am I guaranteed to get the Military Certificate?”
True Monarch Magnetic Pole: “After giving the Spirit Coins, you’ll have a fair chance to compete for a spot… just like everyone else who gave gifts.”