Chapter 618: Zhang Yu, the Object of Everyone’s Desire
“Zhang Yu, since my brother couldn’t finish you off, I’ll crush you myself in this match and make you swallow the bitter fruit of your discrimination against monsterfolk.”
As Ying Zhoufan finished speaking, the human race participants surged forward, nearly trampling each other to get in front of Zhang Yu and Ying Zhoufan.
Ling Pojun was the first to speak, shouting, “Hold on… I can’t let that remark go unchallenged!”
Someone else interjected, “Impudent! Ying Zhoufan, this isn’t your place to spew such nonsense!”
Another chimed in, “Zhang Yu, don’t worry, I’ve got your back in this match! Stick with me, and I guarantee no one will lay a finger on you.”
Even Xue Jiuyou from Netherworld University approached Zhang Yu, intending to say, “Zhang Yu, discriminating against monsterfolk is wrong. The greater good of human-monster relations must come first. You should apologize to the monsterfolk you’ve wronged.”
Zhang Yu glanced at Xue Jiuyou, remembering him and the other White Bone University student he and Bai Zhenzhen had defeated in the previous match.
Observing the reactions of Ling Pojun, Xue Jiuyou, and the others, Zhang Yu’s mind became crystal clear.
How adept at making money were these elite students from various universities? How keenly did they understand the importance of viral buzz and internet traffic?
Almost the instant Ying Zhoufan spoke, they realized that the impending confrontation between him and Zhang Yu would inevitably ignite extraordinary hype, unleashing astounding Immortal Dao opportunities.
Ling Pojun roared inwardly, “We cultivators of the Immortal Dao! How could we not contend for such a celestial opportunity? How could we not seize it?”
Observing the surrounding students — some radiating righteous indignation, others gaping in awe, their faces contorted with ferocious determination, their bodies tense and glowing with dazzling special effects — Ling Pojun felt like he was witnessing a pack of wild beasts, driven mad by the scent of blood, tearing toward Zhang Yu, and he was one of them.
But just as they surged forward to steal the limelight, just as their minds raced with viral-baiting rhetoric, just as their mouths were about to open to speak—
A soft yet forceful shout cut through the air, abruptly silencing the crowd.
Then, a golden figure descended from the heavens, countless advertisements streaming through its body, coalescing into waves of Immortal Light and ethereal melodies, radiating an overwhelming aura of opulence, nobility, and divine authority.
A voice, accompanied by subtitles, emanated from the golden figure: “Magic Power, the nexus of daoist arts, the Comprehensive Manual of Myriad Laws. Only by mastering Myriad Laws can one wield Myriad Laws.”
“Everyone, rather than engaging in pointless arguments before the competition, let’s focus on preparing our Magic Power to facilitate its deployment during the competition.”
Seeing the three large characters “Magic Power Treasure” projected onto the screen, Zhang Yu immediately understood that the newcomer had accepted the advertisement for Magic Power Treasure.
Ling Pojun, on the other side, looked at the figure with a jolt of recognition: “Jiutian Liu, second-ranked student at Myriad Laws University, Finance Department.”
Ling Pojun recalled the data on the eleven teams from earlier. He knew Jiutian Liu had also ranked among the top eleven in captures and was one of the captains, having just formed a team with Finance Department students from various universities.
As Jiutian Liu’s sudden appearance cut off the group’s conversation, Ling Pojun felt as if something had been stolen from him, leaving an empty hollowness in his heart.
Ling Pojun’s heart sank further as he cursed inwardly: “This bastard! Not only did he steal the spotlight and momentum from us, but he’s even seizing our Qi Luck!”
“If we’re going to compete with him for Zhang Yu’s popularity now, the difficulty just shot up dramatically.”
Just then, another coquettish laugh echoed through the sky. A towering figure descended from the heavens, landing gracefully on the sandy beach.
Zhang Yu turned his head, his gaze sharpening as he took in the imposing figure: “Mu Qiansi, the top student from Joyful Union University. Fucking hell… is this guy even male or female?”
A second glance at Mu Qiansi flooded Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye with a barrage of photos, videos, and tutoring advertisements.
“What’s with all this filth?!” Zhang Yu cursed inwardly, immediately turning away to avoid seeing any more.
The top student from Joyful Union University chuckled coquettishly, sweeping the crowd with their gaze before finally locking eyes on Zhang Yu.
Mu Qiansi licked their lips, thinking to themselves, “Isn’t this the Zhang Yu that Kuang Tianqing tried and failed to devour? If I could swallow him whole, wouldn’t that perfectly showcase Joyful Union University’s prowess? Plus, I’d rake in massive publicity.”
Thinking this, Mu Qiansi raised her muscular arm, covered her mouth with a soft laugh, and said, “Little brother Zhang Yu, care to relax a bit before the competition?”
Ying Zhoufan let out a fierce roar, his entire body vibrating with draconic might, and bellowed, “Woman, are you trying to steal my prey?”
Mu Qiansi replied coolly, “Eagle Monster, people are talking here. What’s with the interruption?”
Jiutian Liu added coldly, “You two, I won’t stand by while you bully our Myriad Laws University students.”
Feeling the oppressive aura of these three top academic overachievers, the other students wore solemn expressions, knowing that these three were the most formidable opponents they would face in the upcoming round.
Zhang Yu, standing between them, felt like he had become the Tang Monk’s flesh, coveted by all [1]. Not just Ying Zhoufan and Mu Qiansi, but others like Ling Pojun, Xue Jiuyou… nearly everyone seemed eager to take a bite, to devour his heat and momentum.
“Is this how Kuang Tianqing and Brother Dao feel? Everyone coveting them… no…”
“They have the strength to make others fear such audacity.”
“In their eyes, I’m neither strong enough nor wealthy enough. I rely entirely on others’ help, even risking my life, just to restrain Kuang Tianqing.”
“In their minds, I’m all hype but lacking in true strength, which is why they dare to act so recklessly.”
A faint smile crept across Zhang Yu’s lips as he thought, “So you want hype, do you?”
Having devoured massive hype and traffic from Kuang Tianqing in the last team battle, Zhang Yu now felt a new surge of ambition and desire.
“Then let’s start the hype.”
“Let’s see who devours whom in the end.”
“I want to defeat Kuang Tianqing, surpass Dao Qiankun, and seize first place among the ten universities.”
“How can I ever catch up to them? How can I realize my ambitions if I don’t devour you all?”
With this, Zhang Yu’s lips curled slightly as he gazed at Ying Zhoufan before him. “You…”
Hu Yuntao’s voice boomed from the sword casket: “You little beast.”
Zhang Yu: “You really think you’ve already won?”
Ying Zhoufan froze, almost believing he had misheard. “You!”
Hu Yuntao: “Little beast.”
Zhang Yu declared, “I’ve already won this round. Anyone who stands in my way will die.”
Mu Qiansi chuckled lightly. “How arrogant, little Zhang Yu. Let this elder sister…”
Zhang Yu snapped, “I have no interest in ugly people. Don’t bother me.”
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, the crowd fell silent in shock.
Ling Pojun thought to himself, “He aims to take first place in this round?! What makes him so confident?”
Ying Zhoufan inwardly roared, “Scum! This piece of trash dares to spew monsterfolk prejudice right in front of me?!”
Mu Qiansi’s eyes widened in fury: “I… I’m ugly?!”
Then, the group realized simultaneously, “He’s doing this on purpose! He’s using us to amplify his own fame!”
Jiutian Liu’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Deliberate self-promotion? Arrogant. A Human Race Immortal Daoist who can’t tell beauty from ugliness… that’s quite the character setup.”
“Of course, that hinges on him not getting completely crushed in the following rounds.”
“Can Zhang Yu pull it off?”
As Zhang Yu spoke, Ying Zhoufan, Mu Qiansi, and the others fixed increasingly fervent gazes on him, eager to devour his newfound fame in the next round.
Moments later, as the competition officially began, a luminous screen projected before the crowd, displaying the first stage of the trial.
Contestants charged forward, breaking through the encirclement of eighteen Hercules Demons.
Yan Qianji took the lead in this stage. Under his modifications, the Heavenly Sun Radiance God transformed into over a hundred fiery puppets that swarmed and slaughtered the demons.
“Hmm, splitting the puppet into smaller units makes it manageable even for College Soul Cultivators, drastically reducing operational costs,” Yan Qianji thought.
“Is this the pleasure of being inferior — making something valuable on the cheap?” he mused.
Next came the second stage, Mountain-Moving. Each team member had to transport a mountain peak to the designated location.
Tian Shengong drove Living Stakes into the mountain’s base, then activated his giant puppet’s Earthly Fiend Gravity, instantly uprooting the entire peak.
“Go, Tian Shengong!” he mentally urged. “You’re a born artifact refinement prodigy! Copying comes as naturally to you as breathing, and stitching is as simple as dressing or eating. You’re destined to shine brightly in the Artifact Refining World, making everyone use Extreme Tiger Brand and become Extreme Tiger People!”
The third stage was Stealth. Under the relentless probing of flying swords, contestants had to evade detection and sneak through the course.
On the beach, the crowd watched the competition unfold while waiting for their teammates to arrive.
As a surging wave of vital energy drew closer, a black shadow slashed through the sky like a dark line, hurtling straight toward the group.
It was Kuang Tianqing, who had completed the third stage first, surpassing all rivals with her peerless speed.
She casually handed the relay ball to Xue Jiuyou, who charged into the water, leaving a trail of bloody mist in his wake.
Kuang Tianqing’s gaze swept across the scene, finally settling on Zhang Yu. She sent him a private message: “Immortal Scum, you’re my prey. Don’t get devoured alive in this stage.”
Zhang Yu replied: “Don’t worry. I’ll swallow them whole first, then come for you.”
Kuang Tianqing chuckled: “Excellent. Let’s see if you can live up to your words.”
Several minutes after Kuang Tianqing’s arrival, Bai Zhenzhen suddenly appeared before the crowd. Having harnessed the power of her Divine Spirit Root, she was the second to reach the relay point.
Bai Zhenzhen passed the relay ball to her teammate, Yu Yunzhan, ranked fourth at Heavenly Sword University. As she watched him merge with his sword and transform into a streak of sword light diving underwater, she turned to Zhang Yu, who was still waiting for his teammate.
“Yu Zi,” she said, “Yu Yunzhan told me everything.”
Her gaze swept the crowd, landing with particular venom on Ying Zhoufan and Mu Qiansi, who were awaiting their turns. Her voice dripped with murderous intent: “You two — if you dare lay a hand on Zhang Yu, I won’t let you live.”
She looked at Zhang Yu and said, “Yu Zi, if they dare to insult you, record a video and send it to me. Whatever they do to you, I’ll make them repay tenfold.”
“Remember, you absolutely must record it.”
After warning Ying Zhoufan and Mu Qiansi, and repeatedly reminding Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen reluctantly departed.
Shortly after, accompanied by a flash of light and shadow, Ye Xingli, equipped with stealth Bionics, arrived on the beach and handed the relay ball to Ling Pojun.
Ye Xingli waved at Zhang Yu, glanced at the Poverty Simulator through the live broadcast camera, and said, “Go for it, Junior Brother! You can definitely do this.”
She then made a heart gesture with her hands toward him.
Just over a minute later, Zhang Yu finally received the relay ball from his teammate, Wen Rongjue.
Without a word, Zhang Yu activated his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, seized the sword casket, and plunged into the water.
Watching Zhang Yu disappear into the depths, Mu Qiansi chuckled. “Run along first, little Zhang Yu. I’ll catch up soon enough.”
Ying Zhoufan sneered, his dragon eyes fixed silently on the figure vanishing into the deep sea.
[1] This is a reference to Journey to the West, in which Buddhist monk Xuanzang (also known as Tang Sanzang or the Tang Monk) goes on a pilgrimage to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures from India. The monk is accompanied by his three disciples, including the famous Sun Wukong (the Monkey King). The sentence specifically refers to a major plot point in the novel: throughout their journey, the Tang Monk’s flesh is believed by many demons and monsters to grant immortality if consumed. This makes him a highly sought-after and vulnerable target, constantly under threat from various supernatural beings.