Chapter 702: Sharp Critique: Vocational College Student Defies the Ten Greats
In the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu watched Heavenly Demon University’s demonstration at the press conference. He observed various items being shrunk, stored in the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury, and then quickly sorted and arranged into categories.
On stage, Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus declared, “The retrieval methods for spatial equipment have always suffered from a critical flaw.”
“How can we effectively manage and quickly access vast quantities of items, whether they occupy 100 cubic meters, 200 cubic meters, or even 500 cubic meters?”
“When retrieving an item, must users sift through this mountain of possessions every time?”
“When you need medicine on the battlefield, when your supervisor demands work materials, when you’re studying or cultivating and need Immortal Dao resources… must you spend minutes searching through a mountain of items just to find what you need?”
“According to our data, the average retrieval time for all spatial equipment currently on the market is approximately 1 minute and 33 seconds.”
“Each user retrieves items an average of 14.5 times per day.”
“This means that every user of spatial equipment spends 133 hours annually searching for items within their Personal Space. What an astonishing waste of time!”
“To solve this problem, my team and I ultimately decided… item retrieval should require only one button.”
“In other words, to retrieve a specific item from the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury, among thousands of stored items, you simply press a single button.”
“From selecting the item to loading the spatial magnification and finally retrieving it, the entire process takes just three seconds.”
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus demonstrated as she spoke. “This one-button lightning-fast retrieval function is entirely thanks to our university’s independently developed and innovated Pseudo-Artifact Spirit. It effectively automates item identification and registration, automatic stacking, automatic organization, and automatic uploading of information to the Spirit Realm…”
“Maximize your spatial efficiency and time utilization, allowing you to advance further on the Immortal Dao and gain an extra 133 hours of life each year compared to others.”
“Next, I’ll introduce the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury’s trading system…”
In Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus’s subsequent demonstration, the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury was shown to connect to the Spirit Realm, allowing for real-time verification of transaction details.
When two bracelet-like Heavenly Demon Secret Treasuries touched briefly, a transaction progress bar immediately lit up.
Once the progress bar completed, it signified that the designated item had successfully jumped from one Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury to another.
Simultaneously, the Spirit Realm Network completed the Spirit Coin transfer.
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus explained, “With just a light touch, whether it’s a personal trade of one or two magical artifacts or a large-scale commodity transaction involving hundreds or thousands of tons, the item transfer can be initiated effortlessly, achieving a transfer speed of 10 cubic meters per second.”
“Trading has never been this simple…”
Watching the press conference, Zhang Yu had to admit that the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury indeed offered astonishing convenience and possessed unparalleled competitive advantages.
During the Q&A session, someone from the audience asked a pointed question: “Does ‘Pseudo-Artifact Spirit’ refer to Soul Cultivators?”
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus’s gaze flickered, and the Bionic Eye instantly displayed the questioner’s detailed information, including recent transaction records and payment history. As expected, this sharp question had indeed been planted by a rival company.
He smiled faintly and said, “Pseudo-Artifact Spirits are not Soul Cultivators. Our Pseudo-Artifact Spirits are elites meticulously selected from every layer of Kunxu. After undergoing technological transformation, they become highly intelligent lifeforms within the Spirit Realm.”
Divine Monarch Sinful Lotus cradled the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury in her hands and sighed, “And our space management fees… just 0.05 Spirit Coins per cubic meter per month. For that, elites who have received a complete Immortal Dao education, hold university degrees, have over twenty years of experience, and owe more than 100 Spirit Coins in debt serve your Personal Space around the clock…”
Tian Shengong watched the Heavenly Demon University’s press conference, feeling a growing sense of threat.
He thought to himself, “Netherworld… Heavenly Demon… they’re all coming on so strong.”
Heavenly Demon University’s new product had plunged the already cutthroat market into even more brutal competition.
Immortal Soldiers, Netherworld, Heavenly Demon… the advertisements for their products had become ubiquitous, flooding everyone’s Bionic Eyes and threatening to consume even the Spirit Realm itself.
Various subsidies and promotions were constantly emerging, leading to a surge in the number of spatial equipment users across the Ten Great Universities.
Even Divine Monarch Magnetic Pole, who had once sat high on her throne, now seemed to falter under the combined challenge from the three universities.
Amidst the external turmoil, Zhang Yu occasionally glanced at the commotion before refocusing his attention on cultivation.
He knew that by continuing to advance the level of his Immortal Sect Daoist Art, the Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier, he could master more Spatial Technology, guide future technological advancements, and influence the strategies of the Ten Great Universities and the overall course of the war.
Unbeknownst to him, as time passed, Zhang Yu had unknowingly advanced the Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier to Level 25.
One day, while continuing his cultivation, he received a message from Feng Tingting.
Feng Tingting (Actively Seeking Business Collaborations): “True Monarch, thank you for your guidance. I wouldn’t have gotten this advertisement without your help.”
Zhang Yu clicked on the video link she sent and found it was an advertisement for the Great Void Cloud Repository.
He knew that Feng Tingting had recently taken on a part-time job as a political commentary streamer, occasionally posting videos summarizing news and sharing gossip.
In Zhang Yu’s opinion, this part-time work suited Feng Tingting perfectly.
Zhang Yu: “The Great Void Cloud Repository has a monthly promotional budget. You got the ad because your qualifications matched, not because of me.”
Feng Tingting remained grateful and then asked, “True Monarch, the Heavenly Demon, Netherworld, and Immortal Soldiers factions have been acting too arrogantly lately. They’re spreading all sorts of slander about the Great Void Cloud Repository online. Should we make some videos to counter their attacks?”
Zhang Yu was already aware of the situation Feng Tingting described.
Recently, the spatial products from the Heavenly Demon, Immortal Soldiers, and Netherworld universities had been fiercely competing. After a period of intense rivalry, they seemed to have reached a tacit agreement, turning their collective ire toward Myriad Laws and Magnetic Pole, aiming to dethrone this established leader.
Feng Tingting then inquired about the release date of the Great Void Cloud Repository’s second-generation product. Zhang Yu naturally feigned ignorance.
In the following days, Zhang Yu noticed numerous viral videos related to the controversy circulating in the Spirit Realm.
The videos featured Tian Shengong criticizing various aspects of the Great Void Cloud Repository’s performance.
“Let me summarize my week-long experience using the Great Void Cloud Repository.”
“The volume tiers are too coarse, completely disregarding the needs of ordinary students.”
“The space lacks even basic partitioning. It’s normal to spend half a day just searching for an item.”
“It’s supposed to deflect attacks, but the activation speed is too slow and the handling is terrible. It’s only useful against the most rigid, predictable attacks — the kind you could easily dodge yourself…”
“How long has it been since Myriad Laws updated their products? Their research into spatial technology has fallen behind, bloated with the arrogance of a corporate giant.”
After listing all the Great Void Cloud Repository’s flaws, he tossed it into the trash and picked up the Void Box.
Beyond videos criticizing the Great Void Cloud Repository, rumors about it spread like wildfire.
Wang Yin posted on his social media: “I heard the Great Void Cloud Repository secretly scans users’ stored items and uploads the data to Myriad Laws University. Is this true?”
Similar rumors quickly proliferated. Despite Myriad Laws University’s vehement denials, some believed them while others remained skeptical.
In the Dark Spirit Realm, many cultivators from the Righteous Qi Alliance also participated in this viral spectacle.
In the video, True Monarch Calculated Deduction picked up the Great Void Cloud Repository and remarked, “The Ten Greats’ decision to audit all Personal Spaces is inevitable. Whether it’s Myriad Laws, Heavenly Demon, Netherworld, or Immortal Soldiers, they’re all the same. Your data is undoubtedly leaking everywhere.”
“Returning to the Great Void Cloud Repository itself, as the first-generation Personal Space product, it was indeed epoch-making. However, in terms of competitiveness, it has already been completely outclassed by the products from Heavenly Demon, Netherworld, and Immortal Soldiers.”
“Over the past month, the Great Void Cloud Repository’s market share has been steadily eroded by the other three factions. It’s likely to be dethroned soon.”
“But the products from Heavenly Demon, Netherworld, and Immortal Soldiers are merely optimizations and functional improvements built upon the foundation of the Great Void Cloud Repository.”
“The fundamental problem remains: the Ten Great Universities have reached a bottleneck in their Spatial Technology.”
“This is because our Righteous Qi Alliance’s technological blockade has proven effective. After multiple rounds of internal purges and technological upgrades, neither Magnetic Pole nor her subordinates can steal our Spatial Technology to advance their own progress.”
“Therefore, the Ten Greats can only revert to competing over existing resources, returning to their state of infighting and mutual sabotage. This is the fundamental flaw of the Ten Great Universities’ system, forever draining their strength through internal strife and dragging each other down.”
“Even after we’ve pushed them back to the Third Layer, they’re still obsessed with who’s earning more and who’s earning less. This is the Ten Greats’ fatal weakness, a flaw they can never overcome.”
“Before long, the infighting over Space products will impact the battlefield, further accelerating the Ten Greats’ collapse…”
Zhang Yu, quickly skimming through the video, thought to himself, “They really can spin anything into the Ten Greats’ impending collapse.”
He glanced at the comments section below the video and found the usual speculation about when the Ten Great Universities would collapse and when the Righteous Qi Alliance would completely occupy the Second to Fifth Layers.
After his routine scan of the Dark Spirit Realm’s news, Zhang Yu’s consciousness returned to the physical world, where he resumed his cultivation.
Unbeknownst to him, his Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier had silently reached Level 27.
Immortal Armaments University.
Projections of celebratory banners floated throughout the laboratory.
With a surge in purchases of the Void Box developed by Immortal Armaments University among Foundation Establishment Students, the Void Box’s market share had skyrocketed, surpassing the Great Void Cloud Repository and poised to claim the top spot.
Reviewing the data from the past month, Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets seemed to already envision the day when the Void Box would dominate the market, establishing the largest Personal Space Ecosystem and becoming an indispensable tool for every cultivator.
This prospect had transformed Divine Monarch Thousand Puppets, who had been gloomy since Myriad Laws launched the Great Void Cloud Repository, into a beaming figure who entered and exited the laboratory with a smile.
On this particular day, he announced to the laboratory team, including Tian Shengong and the others, “Everyone, thank you for your hard work in fixing the vulnerabilities and updating the product these past few weeks.”
“You’ll have half a day off. Whether you want to study, take exams, work part-time, or just relax, do whatever you please…”
Hearing about the half-day break, the researchers who had been toiling in the laboratory erupted in excitement.
Tian Shengong let out a relieved sigh, feeling the pressure that had been weighing on him gradually dissipate.
He glanced at Zhang Yu’s profile picture in his contacts, thinking to himself, “Now it’s your turn to feel the pressure.”
Tian Shengong imagined Zhang Yu currently pacing anxiously, just as he himself had been doing recently, nervously monitoring market data fluctuations day after day.
Then, Tian Shengong noticed other updates on his social media feed.
A cultivator from Heavenly Demon University shared news that the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury’s daily sales had surpassed the Great Void Cloud Repository, now claiming the top spot.
A cultivator from Netherworld University mentioned that the Profound Nether Pearl had become the most widely used magical artifact on the battlefield.
Inside Netherworld University, Wang Yin reviewed the latest reports and sighed in relief. “Mom, has our Profound Nether Pearl finally established a solid foothold in the market?”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring nodded. “Whether it’s our Profound Nether Pearl, the Immortal Soldiers’ Void Box, or the Heavenly Demon’s Secret Treasury, each has carved out its own path, built its own technological barriers, and secured its own niche customer base.”
“You could say that the market, once dominated by Magnetic Pole alone, has now been fiercely contested by our three factions. We’ve taken a significant bite out of her share, and she must be feeling the pain.”
Wang Yin asked, “But Magnetic Pole won’t give up so easily, will she? She’ll likely retaliate with her next product update.”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring smiled faintly. “Whatever she updates, we’ll simply update in response. Now that we’ve established our foothold, even if we lag behind her in spatial technology, as long as our three factions maintain product differentiation, continue building our moats, and deepen our expertise in our respective domains, we’ll remain competitive.”
“Magnetic Pole… she’ll be losing even more market share to us.”
Kunxu’s Third Layer.
Inside the Research Association near the Grand Void.
Zhang Yu had just advanced his Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier to Level 29, bringing him ever closer to mastering this cultivation art at the Nascent Soul Realm.
At that moment, his gaze flickered as he received a message from his Monsterfolk Avatar.
He and Fu Ji’s consciousnesses converged in the Dark Spirit Realm, quickly scanning news about True Monarch Junior College.
“True Monarch Junior College Encounters Ten Greats League Competitor on Battlefield: Vocational College Student Slices Through Ten Universities Elite — A Personal Triumph or a Failure of the Kunxu Education System?”
The video featured Mu Qiansi, a formidable biological female from Joyful Union University whom Zhang Yu had encountered during the Ten Greats League.
Facing Mu Qiansi stood a plain-looking middle-aged man with a buzz cut — True Monarch Junior College of the Righteous Qi Alliance.
“Heavenly Chosen of the Ten Great Universities,” True Monarch Junior College declared, “I once looked up to you. But now… it’s your turn to look up to me.”
With that, Mu Qiansi, whose cultivation was at the Golden Core Realm, shuddered violently and was sent flying backward.
She roared in defiance, attempting to flee, but an invisible force repeatedly dragged her back.
Mu Qiansi shouted, “You Vocational College dog! If you’re so capable, bury me in money! What’s the point of relying on your cultivation?”
True Monarch Junior College replied coldly, “Money… money… money… You Ten Great Universities types are all obsessed with money, completely abandoning the essence of the Immortal Dao. Today, I will reverse-slay you Top Ten Prodigies and show you what true Heavenly Chosen are, what genuine geniuses of the Immortal Dao truly are.”
In the next moment, Mu Qiansi seemed to be crushed back and forth by an invisible force.
Watching this scene, Zhang Yu understood that True Monarch Junior College’s Nascent Soul was attacking Mu Qiansi.
He thought to himself, “Nascent Soul fighting a Golden Core… How is that a reverse-slay?”
In the video, Mu Qiansi struggled against the assault, shouting, “Vocational College traitor! If I had reached the Nascent Soul Realm, you wouldn’t stand a chance against me!”
True Monarch Junior College sneered, “You’re from the Ten Universities, I’m from a Vocational College. Yet you’re still at the Golden Core stage while I’ve already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Doesn’t that prove who the real genius is?”
“I graduated from a Vocational College, yet I’ve completely crushed you, the Heavenly Chosen of the Ten Universities, in cultivation. Isn’t that a Vocational College student defeating a Ten Universities Student?”
As True Monarch Junior College’s attacks intensified, Mu Qiansi’s body quickly became a bloody mess. With a scream, she suddenly shouted, “Wait! I surrender! I surrender!”
True Monarch Junior College snorted coldly. “This is the Ten Greats? These are your Heavenly Chosen? Every Students of the Top Ten I’ve encountered has surrendered at the last moment, none willing to fight to the death.”
“Unlike the cultivators of my Righteous Qi Alliance, even Nascent Soul True Monarchs face death calmly, resisting to the very end, fighting until their last breath.”
Zhang Yu wasn’t surprised by Mu Qiansi’s surrender in the video. After all, expecting the Kunxu People to fight to the death in war was asking too much.
In the video, True Monarch Junior College glared at Mu Qiansi and barked, “Kneel!”
Mu Qiansi immediately knelt obediently, her face filled with reverence. “True Monarch, I yield. You are the true Heavenly Chosen, the true genius of the Immortal Dao. I am no match for you.”
For a Ten Universities Student — especially one who had participated in the Ten Greats League — to speak like this on camera naturally ignited a terrifying frenzy in the Dark Spirit Realm.
Countless cultivators from the Righteous Qi Alliance cheered wildly in the video’s comments, denouncing the Ten Greats’ injustice, condemning the failures of the current Immortal Dao education system, celebrating True Monarch Junior College’s victory, and reveling in Mu Qiansi’s surrender.
“I’ve watched this video ten times already, and it’s still so satisfying!”
“We Junior College Students have finally risen to power! Even wish-fulfillment novels wouldn’t dare write something this satisfying! I’m dying of satisfaction!”
“Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Keep crushing her! Humiliate her! Trample her! I’m about to finish!”
In the video, True Monarch Junior College laughed heartily and asked Mu Qiansi, “How does my strength compare to the elites of the Ten Universities?”
Mu Qiansi quickly replied, “Naturally, True Monarch is far stronger.”
True Monarch Junior College pressed further, “If I were to participate in the Ten Greats League, could I occasionally sweep aside the Heavenly Chosen of the Ten Universities?”
Mu Qiansi thought to herself, “The Ten Greats League is only for Foundation Establishment Students. What business does a Nascent Soul cultivator like you have there?”
Yet despite her inner turmoil, she answered without hesitation, “Yes.”
True Monarch Junior College’s smile widened. “Oh? Is that so? Then how do I compare to Zhang Yu and Kuang Tianqing? You’ve met them, so you should know them well.”
Mu Qiansi replied, “How could they possibly be mentioned in the same breath as you?”
True Monarch Junior College tapped Mu Qiansi’s head with his foot, then asked with a sly grin, “Kuang Tianqing is still just a Golden Core True Person. He’s hardly worth my attention.”
“But I heard Zhang Yu has already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Do you think he can match me?”
Mu Qiansi quickly answered, “Absolutely not! He only reached the Nascent Soul True Monarch level because Myriad Laws University bet heavily on him and poured resources into his cultivation. How could he compare to you, who achieved this through your own innate talent and tireless cultivation?”
True Monarch Junior College laughed. “Good, Zhang Yu! Did you hear that? If we ever meet on the battlefield, you’d better retreat three steps. Don’t blame me for showing no mercy when I crush the Ten Universities’ top undergraduate!”
“Of course, you’re welcome to challenge me anytime. Just name the time and place, and I’ll be there, ready to accept your challenge.”
Although Mu Qiansi knew Zhang Yu was already a graduate student, not an undergraduate, she naturally wouldn’t point out his mistake in the moment.
In the video, True Monarch Junior College’s smile grew increasingly smug. His actions — first humiliating Mu Qiansi, then belittling Kuang Tianqing and Zhang Yu — caused the video’s popularity to skyrocket, making it a must-watch for every junior college student in the Dark Spirit Realm.
After all, only a little over a year had passed since the Ten Greats League, and the spectacle had been widely publicized. Zhang Yu and Kuang Tianqing, as the pinnacle figures among university students, were well-known to countless junior college students.
The fantasy of “trampling Zhang Yu underfoot and punching Kuang Tianqing in the face” likely flashed through the minds of every junior college student at some point.
As the video’s popularity continued to surge, it even spread to the Spirit Realm, circulating among junior college students and Lower College students alike.
Watching the video, Fu Ji remarked, “What do you think? Want to challenge him?”
Zhang Yu replied calmly, “I don’t have time to waste on such trivial matters.”
“And this video…” Zhang Yu thought to himself, “It’s practically on par with a low-budget web series — a standard provocation and propaganda piece. It’s probably just meant to pump up the Righteous Qi Alliance cultivators. Who would fall for such a cheap trick?”
Heavenly Demon University.
Kuang Tianqing, fresh from celebrating the Heavenly Demon Secret Treasury victory, sneered at True Monarch Junior College’s words in the video. “Such a low-grade provocation.”
With that, she added the incident to her Personal Records Archive.
“I’m not the Kuang Tianqing of old, holding grudges over every petty slight.”
“This is merely temporary storage as resources for the Hate Heart Art.”
Kuang Tianqing mused, “If Zhang Yu had said this, with his past-life memories as an Immortal, I could have ignored it. After all, it wouldn’t serve as resources for the Hate Heart Art.”
“But a mere Vocational College student… Excellent, excellent… Precisely the perfect resources for my mental cultivation technique.”
Joyful Union University swiftly issued an announcement regarding Mu Qiansi’s situation, declaring her guilty of disgracing the university’s reputation, betraying the Ten Universities, expelling her, and confiscating her assets.
Beneath Mu Qiansi’s social media accounts, a flurry of messages soon appeared, offering to snatch up her Dao Title, purchase her Spare Bionic, and acquire her Spare Magic Artifacts.
Watching this unfold, Zhang Yu felt that Mu Qiansi, having surrendered to the Righteous Qi Alliance, was like a corpse. Within the Ten Great Universities’ ranks, everything about her was rapidly dismantled, recycled, and ultimately vanished without a trace.
Time continued to flow, unaffected by the turmoil outside. Zhang Yu finally advanced the Three Realms and Ten Directions Great Void Barrier to Level 30, just one level away from reaching the Nascent Soul Realm at Level 31.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen returned to Heavenly Sword University to address matters related to the university.
As a former Spirit Transformation disciple, Bai Zhenzhen stood before the vice-principal’s office, waiting nearly two hours before being granted entry.
The vice-principal projected his image without allowing Bai Zhenzhen to speak, immediately issuing an order: “The university is concentrating resources to accelerate sword artifact production. The swords in the Sword Repository are university assets and cannot remain neglected any longer.”
“Considering your status as a Seven Emotions disciple, I’ll reserve three swords for you. Open the Sword Repository.”