Chapter 571: Magnetic Pole’s Treasure
True Monarch Magnetic Pole was a renowned expert in the Artifact Refining World, and her famous designs had naturally been studied in detail by many.
To True Monarch Bloodfall, Zhang Yu’s design blueprints were saturated with Magnetic Pole’s signature style.
It wasn’t just the use and combination of techniques; even the subtle habits and minor details in the design notes exuded Magnetic Pole’s presence.
A thought stirred in True Monarch Bloodfall’s mind: “I’d heard rumors that Magnetic Pole’s research on Spirit Transformation Bionics had surpassed mere vital energy and Magic Power exchange, reaching the level of memory transfer.”
“Could she have already perfected memory filtering, allowing for the exchange of specific memories?”
As True Monarch Bloodfall gazed at Zhang Yu’s design blueprints floating before him, he mused inwardly, “Could this Zhang Yu be the result of her work?”
“Did True Monarch Magnetic Pole impart her artifact refinement expertise to Zhang Yu?”
In that moment, True Monarch Bloodfall’s mind raced with possibilities, countless images flashing through his mind as he sank into deep contemplation.
Meanwhile, the judges had finished scoring, and Zhang Yu’s final score was revealed:
“488 points,” True Monarch String Tone murmured, looking at the score. “Unbelievable… Zhang Yu won this year’s Design Competition, and by such a decisive margin.”
“Did Magnetic Pole orchestrate this?”
True Monarch String Tone had been among the Nascent Soul True Monarchs Feng Yuhuan invited to study Divine Monarch Jade Nectar’s Bionic. He was familiar with Magnetic Pole’s project.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s astonishing performance, his mind raced with possibilities.
“Has Magnetic Pole made another breakthrough? Was Zhang Yu’s victory a publicity stunt?”
Recalling his earlier assumptions, True Monarch String Tone shook his head. “It seems Magnetic Pole wasn’t just doting on her disciple… this disciple has truly become her greatest treasure.”
Soon after, as the Simulation Tests for all fifteen contestants’ designs concluded, the five judges submitted their evaluations and scores.
Next came the wait for the Heavenly Court’s feedback, confirming the final rankings.
However, whether it was True Monarch Sinful Lotus of Heavenly Demon University or True Monarch String Tone of Myriad Laws University, the judges present understood that with such a clear disparity in performance, the rankings would likely be undisputed.
As the Righteous Gods concluded their recording, gathered all the data and scores, and departed, the judges seemed to relax visibly.
True Monarch String Tone turned to True Monarch Bloodfall of Netherworld University and True Monarch Eroding Marrow of White Bone University, smiled, and said, “Gentlemen, you both misjudged, didn’t you?”
True Monarch Eroding Marrow replied calmly, “We were merely evaluating the facts. Zhang Yu’s performance transcended the ordinary. As judges, it was natural for us to harbor doubts to ensure fairness and impartiality.”
True Monarch String Tone countered, “Yet the White Bone University student’s artifact refinement fundamentals didn’t seem as solid as demonstrated in their submitted design proposal.”
“And Burial Star Forge of Netherworld University — his understanding of biomimetic technology didn’t appear as deep as suggested by his previous design proposal either.”
True Monarch Bloodfall roared, “String Tone! What do you mean by this? Eroding Marrow and I judged every word fairly and impartially, upholding the honor of our sect and the integrity of the university. If you have grievances or seek revenge, come for us directly — don’t drag the students into this!”
Observing his righteous indignation, String Tone couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, cursing, “You greedy bastard! So desperate — anyone would think you hadn’t pocketed a single Spirit Coin!”
True Monarch String Tone said calmly, “Bloodfall, why weren’t you this spirited when facing the Righteous God’s camera earlier? Didn’t you have a message for True Monarch Magnetic Pole last time? Do you want me to deliver another one this time?”
As the argument escalated, True Monarch Sinful Lotus cleared his throat, silencing both sides.
The Vice-Principal from Heavenly Demon University stated coolly, “String Tone, we admit our initial judgment was flawed.”
“Please convey this message to Magnetic Pole: we congratulate her on her imminent promotion and anticipate her future Spirit Transformation. We also wish Myriad Laws University four future Spirit Transformation cultivators, enduring peace, and freedom from calamity.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu, already on his return journey, remained unaware of the judges’ deliberations or the results of the Simulation Test.
He sat cross-legged in the quiet chamber of the flying boat, silently circulating his mental cultivation technique, sensing a tempest raging within his Sea of Consciousness.
It felt as if torrents of muddy sludge were surging skyward, only to be repeatedly suppressed by the roars of the Four-Headed White Ox, yet relentlessly churning back up.
Beyond the turbulent chaos in his Sea of Consciousness, Zhang Yu also felt a subtle disharmony in his muscles and a sluggish flow of Magic Power throughout his body.
From head to toe, he sensed an unsettling feeling that something was amiss, a lack of control over every aspect of his being.
With a helpless sigh, he glanced at the dao heart data on his Feather Book:
Level 17 (88%)
To secure victory in the Design Competition and prepare for the Ten Greats League in a few months, Zhang Yu had left no room for error. He had not only used the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart to merge blueprints as efficiently as possible, selecting the optimal results, but had also repeatedly activated the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology by burning his dao heart, continuously refining the merged blueprints.
This allowed Zhang Yu to integrate the strengths of various puppets while drastically reducing costs, ultimately creating a design for puppets that could be manufactured on-site using locally sourced materials, with the puppets themselves producing more puppets.
The other consequence… was that Zhang Yu’s dao heart had regressed all the way to Level 17, weakening his will and diminishing his control over his body and Magic Power.
Furthermore, due to the excessive use of the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart, his head throbbed with pain, his thoughts felt sluggish, and his mind seemed to move in slow motion. He could no longer sense any inspiration.
“The inspiration consumed by the Spirit Resonance Artifact Heart will probably take a month to recover,” Zhang Yu estimated inwardly. “As for the regressed dao heart, it will likely require two or three months of cultivation to restore.”
“Still, that should be enough time to prepare for the Ten Greats League,” he reassured himself.
Just then, a knock came from outside the quiet chamber. A voice called out, “Student Zhang Yu, are you there?”
Zhang Yu was mildly surprised. Who would be looking for him on the flying boat?
Opening the door, he saw a man and a woman standing outside.
The man had a simple, ancient appearance, dressed in a traditional long robe that concealed his true depth.
The woman radiated the shimmering glow of Bionics, with the insignia of the Patrol Team displayed prominently on her head.
“Are you looking for me?” Zhang Yu asked, puzzled.
The man smiled faintly. “I am True Person Rising Sun from the Fourth Division of the Patrol Team at Myriad Laws University.”
Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered slightly as he recognized the man as a Golden Core True Person.
True Person Rising Sun introduced the woman beside him, saying, “This is my colleague, Yun Yuqing.”
“Student Zhang Yu, may we speak inside?”
After reviewing their credentials, Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “The Fourth Division of the Patrol Team… aren’t they the ones who specialize in investigating the Demonic Cults?”
Zhang Yu knew that since the end of the economic crisis, the Fourth Division of the Patrol Team had been dispatched across the land to eradicate the Demonic Cults. Whether within the University City of Myriad Laws University or at its affiliated institutions, their methods were ruthless and unrestrained, toppling countless students and teachers suspected of Demonic Cult ties.
“The Fourth Division coming to me… could it be…?”
Zhang Yu suddenly recalled the slain Demonic Cult Golden Core cultivator.
“Has my involvement been exposed?”
He also thought of Feng Yuhuan’s situation: “Or has that side been compromised?”
Though a chill ran through him and a flood of questions raced through his mind, Zhang Yu maintained a calm facade, welcoming the pair inside.
As the door to the quiet room closed, True Person Rising Sun spoke again, asking, “Student Zhang Yu, do you know Shui Haiyu from Mountain and Sea Vocational College?”
Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered Shui Haiyu as the junior college student who had been selling him daily life videos for some time.
He also recalled that Shui Haiyu had been involved in the Dual Rest Cult incident, ultimately taking his own life and becoming a Soul Cultivator, now trapped in the Spirit Realm.
Hearing that they were here to inquire about Shui Haiyu, Zhang Yu, who had been tense, relaxed slightly. He replied calmly, “I bought some daily life videos from him for research purposes.”
Since entering the quiet room, True Person Rising Sun had been sitting face-to-face with Zhang Yu, his expression gentle, as if they were about to have a casual conversation.
In contrast, the other woman, Yun Yuqing, remained vigilant, her face filled with suspicion as she listened to Zhang Yu’s words.
“Research?” she asked skeptically. “What kind of research requires buying videos from a junior college student?”
Zhang Yu explained, “I’ve participated in a design competition and had planned to create a product targeted at the junior college student market. That’s why I needed to research them.”
True Person Rising Sun asked, “How much do you know about Shui Haiyu’s position within the Dual Rest Cult?”
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. “Shui Haiyu is part of the Dual Rest Cult?”
Yun Yuqing scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. Shui Haiyu sent you so many daily videos — always skipping class or taking leave. Didn’t you ever suspect he was involved with the Dual Rest Cult?”
Zhang Yu frowned. “I genuinely didn’t know he was part of the Dual Rest Cult. As far as I know, he’s always opposed them and even reported several students suspected of being members.”
At the same time, he tried sending a message to Zhang Pianpian to ask for more details, but his message remained unanswered.
Not only did Zhang Pianpian fail to reply, but none of his messages to anyone else received a response either.
A sudden chill ran through Zhang Yu’s heart. “It’s not a network outage — they’ve cut off my communication channels?”
Meanwhile, Yun Yuqing continued, “Zhang Yu, we’ve thoroughly investigated Shui Haiyu’s case. I advise you not to cling to false hope. It’s best to disclose everything you know.”
Zhang Yu replied calmly, “Are you two interrogating me?”
Yun Yuqing glared at him. “What’s with your attitude…?”
True Person Rising Sun quickly stopped Yun Yuqing from speaking further, turning to Zhang Yu. “Student Yu, there’s no need to be so tense or resistant. We’re just here to gather some information and have a casual chat.”
“After all, everyone has a duty to combat the Demonic Cults. Please understand the nature of our work.”
Zhang Yu was no longer the ordinary student he once was. Looking at the two Patrol Team Members — one with a red face, the other with a white face — he could clearly sense their wariness, suspicion, and a hint of hostility.
These two are playing good cop, bad cop, pushing and pulling… Trying to trick me into revealing something? What could they want?
Recalling the information they had just shared about Shui Haiyu, a foreboding feeling surged through Zhang Yu’s mind. He seemed to have been dragged into some troublesome affair.