Chapter 770: Zhang Yu Carries Group Three
After speaking with Qu Yizhi, Zhang Yu learned that Lu Hengzhang, the 4th Rank Deputy Minister of the Review Department, had been secretly suppressing him.
And the reason for this suppression…
“The Conservative Faction?” Zhang Yu wondered inwardly. “But is this the will of the entire Conservative Faction, Lu Hengzhang’s personal agenda, or the directive of some higher-ranking figure within the faction?”
Zhang Yu immediately dismissed the possibility of it being the entire Conservative Faction’s will. After all, if that were the case, the pressure he was facing would be far greater than what he was currently experiencing.
Zhang Yu voiced his questions to Qu Yizhi, but Qu Yizhi had no answers either.
“The Conservative Faction’s internal structure is incredibly complex,” Qu Yizhi explained. “It includes cultivators who joined the Myriad Laws Sect in its early days, those who entered through the Sect Examination later on, and even cultivators who transferred from other sects. How could they possibly share a unified perspective?”
“Those who joined the Myriad Laws Sect 500 years ago, 300 years ago, and 100 years ago, these individuals hail from entirely different eras. How could they possibly share the same worldview?”
“Whether you divide them by mountain factions or historical eras, slicing them horizontally or vertically creates countless cliques,” Qu Yizhi said. “Vice Minister Lu bears the marks of many such factions, and I honestly can’t pinpoint why he’s taken such an interest in you.”
“However, I sense that even though he’s stopped closely monitoring Martial Dao Group Three’s progress, he’s likely preparing other means to deal with you.”
This was one of the reasons Qu Yizhi had made his choice: he suspected that Lu Hengzhang’s instructions to him were merely a casual move in a larger game, and that the true lethal strike against Zhang Yu was still being prepared elsewhere.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yu inquired about the head of the Review Department, Minister Luo Wuji.
Based on his studies of Sect Examination materials and Immortal Slayer’s warnings, Zhang Yu knew that within the Myriad Laws Sect, the head of a department wielded nearly absolute authority over their domain.
Minister Luo Wuji’s attitude would naturally have a profound impact on Zhang Yu’s future work in the Review Department.
Qu Yizhi said, “Theoretically, Minister Luo is considered part of the Conservative Faction. However, he personally doesn’t hold strong opinions against the University Faction…”
According to Qu Yizhi, Minister Luo had originally served as the Deputy Minister overseeing the Daoist Arts Group within the Review Department. Since the year before last, he had been temporarily acting as the Minister of the Review Department.
Because he had not yet been formally appointed as the Minister, he had not received the Void Refinement Certificate and remained at the Spirit Transformation Realm.
Qu Yizhi continued, “But from what I’ve heard, after the evaluation in March this year, he stands a good chance of being officially appointed.”
“This crackdown on our group is likely an attempt to secure another achievement before March, further solidifying his performance record and increasing his chances of official appointment and breaking through to the next cultivation realm.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, “Factional affiliation is just another form of identity. Even cultivators from the Conservative Faction may not necessarily suppress those who rose through the University system. Ultimately, a sect member’s choices are determined by their own self-interest.”
“If I want to oppose Lu Hengzhang, it seems I’ll need to seek Luo Wuji’s assistance.”
Zhang Yu then inquired about other leaders within the Review Department.
Through Qu Yizhi’s explanations, Zhang Yu gained a deeper understanding of the Review Department and the Edict Pavilion as a whole.
As Qu Yizhi spoke, he carefully observed Zhang Yu’s facial expressions, particularly the fluctuations in his Magic Power, as well as changes in signals from the Spirit Realm and Dharma Realm.
Based on his observations, Qu Yizhi felt that the information he had just provided would be of considerable assistance to Zhang Yu.
Realizing his own reaction, Qu Yizhi suddenly chuckled bitterly to himself. “Here I am, a 3rd Rank Group Leader, having to read the mood of a 1st Rank Sect Staff member? Who’s really in charge here, him or me?”
Sensing his own scattered thoughts, Qu Yizhi’s heart sank. “How can I let such distractions cloud my mind at a crucial moment like this?”
With a mental command, Qu Yizhi immediately accessed the Dharma Realm and administered a Dharma Drug to himself. In an instant, his mind calmed, suppressing all lingering resentment, defiance, anger, grievances, and other turbulent emotions.
His mind cleared further as he thought, “Right now, the entire performance of Martial Dao Group Three rests on Zhang Yu’s shoulders. The other members will have to rely on him to meet their targets. He… is the true Group Leader of Group Three.”
“But as long as he performs well, I, as the nominal Group Leader, will naturally share in the benefits…”
“Even if Zhang Yu gets promoted, it will still take years following standard procedures. During that time, our group’s top performance will all be credited to me, the Group Leader!”
He bowed deeply to Zhang Yu, saying, “True Monarch, there were too many people around earlier, so I’m apologizing to you now. The future of Martial Dao Group Three depends on your leadership.”
Qu Yizhi’s face showed no hint of negative emotion. Having suppressed all distracting thoughts, he would have knelt immediately if Zhang Yu had asked him to.
Zhang Yu quickly helped Qu Yizhi to his feet. “Group Leader, I haven’t been able to visit you sooner because I’ve been swamped with work…”
Qu Yizhi replied earnestly, “I should have come to see you sooner myself. True Monarch, please guide my work as well.”
That evening after work, Qu Yizhi accompanied Zhang Yu to the dormitory. Before the assembled group members, Zhang Yu introduced him: “Group Leader Qu Yizhi will be joining our Learning and Guidance Group starting today.”
Qu Yizhi smiled. “After work, there are no leaders here. I’m just like everyone else, learning from True Monarch Zhang. Don’t stand on ceremony, just carry on as usual.”
The group members remained silent, their eyes all fixed on Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu prompted, “Let’s welcome Group Leader Qu.”
Watching the group applaud in unison at Zhang Yu’s command, Qu Yizhi’s heart sank. He sighed inwardly, “Zhang Yu’s control over the group runs deeper than I anticipated.”
“This kid is already trying to sideline me.”
But when he saw Zhang Yu simultaneously simulate and fuse two cultivation arts, Qu Yizhi’s eyes widened in shock.
As a 3rd-tier Sect Staff member, Qu Yizhi possessed far greater insight and experience than his subordinates.
He knew that the Ten Sets of Martial Arts, Martial One to Ten, encompassed all aspects of the martial dao. By channeling them through a unified qi flow, one could form a rudimentary version of the Formless Martial Art, capable of simulating any martial technique in the world.
As a cultivator deepened their study of the martial dao, accumulated foundational knowledge, and mastered subsequent arts like Martial Eleven and Martial Twelve, their ability to simulate cultivation arts would grow exponentially stronger.
Qu Yizhi had witnessed countless martial dao experts in the Review Department deliver astonishing performances in cultivation art simulation.
Yet Zhang Yu’s ability to rapidly simulate cultivation arts while seamlessly switching between them and fusing them in real-time still left Qu Yizhi utterly astonished.
“So that’s how it is… no wonder Zhang Yu works with such efficiency?”
“This young man’s martial dao innate talent likely surpasses that of everyone else in the Martial Dao Group.”
“Is it innate? Or did someone invest heavily in him?”
At that moment, Qu Yizhi felt even more grateful for his earlier decision.
As a 3rd-tier Sect Staff member with years of experience, Qu Yizhi possessed keen sensitivity to the sect’s inner workings.
“The more wealth a sect has, the greater its power. But only by climbing the ranks and gaining authority can one accumulate more wealth and acquire more Immortal Dao resources.”
“Within the Myriad Laws Sect, mastering Immortal Dao Technology is the surest path to wielding greater authority.”
“Under the guidance of the Immortal Emperor and the planning of the sect’s Immortals, pursuing technological upgrades, advancements, and innovations is the sect’s paramount priority.”
As Qu Yizhi observed Zhang Yu, he thought, “Zhang Yu’s martial dao potential… his potential for promotion far exceeds that of anyone else present.”
“But for a Lower Realm Native to possess such potential… is that even reasonable?”
“And if someone bought this martial dao potential for him, that would be even more terrifying.”
“No, perhaps it’s even more terrifying if this martial dao potential is innate.”
From that point on, Qu Yizhi became increasingly amiable toward Zhang Yu, streamlining their communication and collaboration.
When Wen Zhiwei, also from Martial Dao Group Three, arrived, she saw Qu Yizhi acting like a student, obediently receiving guidance from Zhang Yu, his eyes glazed over as waves of memory fragments crashed over him.
“Group Leader!” Wen Zhiwei exclaimed inwardly, shocked. “We all agreed not to cooperate with Zhang Yu. Why are you here too?”
Realizing she was losing her composure, Wen Zhiwei considered accessing the Dharma Realm for a Dharma Drug to calm herself.
However, after checking her balance, she decided to conserve her resources and forgo the Dharma Drug.
Instead, she continued to stare in shock at Zhang Yu and Qu Yizhi, feeling as if the sky above Martial Dao Group Three had completely collapsed.
Meanwhile, Qu Yizhi, having completed the mental exchange with Zhang Yu through the Thought Membrane Seal, immediately mobilized the Dharma Realm’s power to copy and transmit the memories to his Internal Contractors, aiming for instant comprehension.
But just as he recalled the memories in his mind, he inexplicably forgot them moments before transmission.
“Why can’t I remember?”
“The memory I need to send to the Internal Contractors is…”
As he frowned slightly, repeatedly trying to recall the details, a single line flashed through his mind: “Your membership has expired. Please renew to continue using the high-speed memory transfer function.”
Qu Yizhi pursed his lips, immediately renewed his membership, and then transferred the memories to the outsourced contractors, assigning them to handle the paperwork tomorrow.
After finishing these tasks, Qu Yizhi resumed chatting with Zhang Yu about memory transmission, lamenting that Zhang Yu’s Thought Membrane Seal remained insufficiently convenient. He recommended Zhang Yu use the Dharma Realm’s memory transfer service, which could directly infuse memories, a method far faster and more convenient than the Thought Seal’s mind-to-mind communication.
Zhang Yu, unwilling to allow the Dharma Realm to access his memories so casually, naturally declined, offering only a polite smile without further response.
Just then, the spiritual energy in the air began to thin. Everyone grumbled, “Another spiritual energy outage?”
After some inquiry, Zhang Yu learned that over the past year, intermittent interruptions in the Sect Layer’s spiritual energy supply had become increasingly common.
Upon hearing this, Immortal Slayer remarked, “Spiritual energy interruptions?”
In his view, the Sect Layer, having extracted vast resources from the lower ten layers, possessed such abundant spiritual energy and resources that interruptions should be impossible.
Immortal Slayer continued, “Moreover, with the sect’s Immortal Dao Technology, any faults occurring once or twice should have been promptly resolved.”
“The prolonged interruptions… there’s only one explanation: the spiritual energy supply is truly running short.”
Zhang Yu exclaimed, “Even spiritual energy can run out?”
Immortal Slayer sighed. “Any resource, no matter how abundant, is ultimately finite. Spiritual energy is no exception.”
“But under normal usage, considering the current Cultivation Realms and the number of Cultivators, there should be enough to go around.”
Immortal Slayer’s expression turned grave. “I suspect… there’s an unknown variable within the sect consuming vast quantities of spiritual energy.”
Though curious, Zhang Yu recognized that the spiritual energy disruption was beyond his immediate understanding. After a brief exchange with Immortal Slayer, he returned to his duties.
With the capitulation of all members of Martial Dao Group Three, including Group Leader Yi Quzhi, the entire group, under Zhang Yu’s guidance, transformed into a relentless performance-enhancing machine, driving the group’s output to unprecedented levels.
This surge in productivity gradually shifted the members’ reactions from shock to admiration, then to fear, and finally to outright terror…
“True Monarch! We can’t keep pushing ourselves like this! It’s too much!”
Qu Yizhi pleaded with Zhang Yu, grabbing his sleeve. “This month’s performance is already over 30% higher than last month! If we keep pushing like this… we won’t be able to sustain this level of work in the future!”
Zhang Yu glanced around at the others present and saw Chu Wangji, Wen Zhiwei, and the rest staring at him with worried expressions, as if they feared he would continue pushing himself to the limit.
Over the past few weeks, the members of Martial Dao Group Three had been completely overwhelmed by Zhang Yu’s relentless drive, and they were now terrified of his ambition.
They understood all too well that their current performance relied entirely on Zhang Yu’s efforts. If the group’s output continued to surge, it would far exceed their own capacity to manage.
Under the crushing weight of Zhang Yu’s monumental achievements, the group felt suffocated by the sheer pressure of his ambition.
Faced with their collective plea, Zhang Yu immediately agreed to ease off.
In truth, he hadn’t intended to maintain such a feverish pace indefinitely. After all, he couldn’t possibly sustain this level of intensity every month, constantly burying himself in work. He needed to preserve some breathing room, to ensure he had time for activities outside of work each day.
However, he also planned to seize this opportunity to use the momentum of his recent achievements to exert some pressure on the group members, making them easier to manage in the future.
And so, Martial Dao Group Three gradually returned to its original rhythm. Before they knew it, February had slipped away, and March had arrived.
At the monthly meeting, the leaders of the Review Department proceeded with the agenda as usual, systematically reviewing reports and discussing each group’s performance.
What surprised some leaders was the presence of Zhang Yu, a Level 1 Sect Staff member, at the meeting.
Everyone secretly speculated that this was related to Zhang Yu’s promise from the previous month.
When the February data for the three Martial Dao Groups were projected onto the screen, the leaders’ gazes sharpened, their eyes betraying undisguised shock.
Under Luo Wuji’s guidance, both Martial Dao Group One and Martial Dao Group Two had shown modest improvements, with respective gains of 12% and 8%.
However, these figures paled in comparison to Martial Dao Group Three’s staggering 32% surge.
The leaders exclaimed inwardly, “How could they achieve such a massive leap?”
“How did they manage this?”
“Did the entire group take out loans to work overtime?”
Minister Luo Wuji chuckled heartily. “Martial Dao Group Three’s breakthrough performance has laid a solid foundation for us to achieve our quarterly targets and injected a powerful boost of confidence. This isn’t just a testament to Zhang Yu’s individual capabilities; it’s compelling proof that Martial Dao Group Three’s strategic direction is fundamentally sound.”
“I propose we invite Zhang Yu to give a thorough summary, distilling his methods into replicable and scalable techniques. He can then present them to everyone at the conference…”
As Lu Hengzhang watched Zhang Yu confidently address the assembly, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, “That kid… he really knows how to seize opportunities to climb the ladder.”
“But the higher he climbs, the harder he’ll fall.”
“These Lower Realm Natives… we’ve already granted them an unimaginable opportunity by letting them ascend.”
“Yet they’re still grasping for more, trying to usurp positions within the sect. Their greed knows no bounds.”
Lu Hengzhang knew that within the Myriad Laws Sect, the Conservative Faction generally aimed to protect the interests of the sect’s cultivators. However, within the faction itself, members held diverse opinions on how to achieve this goal, particularly regarding their views on Lower Realm cultivators.
Some believed that the sect should select the most outstanding talents from the lower layers, absorbing their Spirit Inspiration, creativity, and innate talents to enhance the sect’s Immortal Dao Technology.
Some argued that with the sect’s current birth rate at zero, they should actively recruit more cultivators from the Lower Realm to serve as bottom-tier labor.
Others proposed establishing direct channels between the Upper and Lower Realms, allowing any Lower Realm individual who met the requirements to work in the Upper Realm.
To Lu Hengzhang, all these ideas were nothing but demonic fallacies.
“It’s just a bunch of old fogeys scheming to exploit more cheap labor, further reduce cultivator costs, and hoard even more… They’re willing to sacrifice mid- to lower-tier sect cultivators to enrich themselves.”
“They’d even let the Heavenly Court’s influence seep into our affairs.”
Lu Hengzhang vehemently opposed this.
As a 4th-tier Sect Staff member and a pillar of the Myriad Laws Sect, Lu Hengzhang belonged to the faction that fiercely opposed allowing any Lower Realm Natives into the sect to compete for resources.
“This sacred Immortal domain has become increasingly like a Lower Realm company or school, utterly disgraceful!”
In Lu Hengzhang’s view, even outsourced workers should be purged entirely.
Their faction comprised a substantial number of cultivators and had spent years establishing various rules and regulations. Through outsourcing, temporary residency permits, employment tenure requirements, and other measures, they continuously eroded the benefits and privileges afforded to cultivators from the Lower Realm in the Upper Realm.
Among them were Great Powers who sought to establish a Dao Lineage that would Sever the Connection Between Heaven and Earth, permanently blocking Lower Realm Natives from passing the Sect Examination and ascending to the Upper Realm.
Originally, this Dao Lineage had grown increasingly rigid, steadily reducing the number of Lower Realm Natives who could gain entry into sects.
However, a series of events — the Immortal Rebellion, the disappearance of the Sixth Layer, the University War, and the Regularization of the Lower Realm Sect Examination — had brought this Dao Lineage to the brink of collapse, and the Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth plan had been declared a complete failure.
Lu Hengzhang understood that this involved a clash between different Dao Lineages and power struggles between rival factions.
From now on, completely isolating the lower layers would be impossible.
Fortunately, the Great Power had shifted their approach. Instead of completely severing the connection between the Lower Realm and the Upper Realm, the Dao Lineage now focused on suppressing Lower Realm Natives, seeking to erect an invisible barrier that would permanently block their hopes of advancement.
Lu Hengzhang had become a key participant in this effort.
Lu Hengzhang understood that only by aligning himself with the higher powers could he secure their support for his future breakthrough to Void Refinement.
Once he achieved Void Refinement, the magical laws he established would inevitably intertwine with the interests of the upper echelon forces that backed him, creating a mutually beneficial cycle.
Lu Hengzhang’s sidelong glance swept over Minister Luo Wuji, a cold smile forming in his heart. “Luo Wuji… I’ll drag you down with me this time.”
“The position of Minister of the Review Department, and the Void Refinement Certificate, are far better suited to me than you.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was speaking. “…I must also thank Group Leader Qu for his unwavering support over the past month.”
“And Minister Luo, if you hadn’t appointed me last month, I wouldn’t have achieved these results.”
Luo Wuji replied, “This has nothing to do with me. Don’t credit me for your accomplishments. Group Leader Qu, please share your insights from this month’s efforts.”
After Qu Yizhi finished speaking, Luo Wuji summarized, “This victory isn’t just Zhang Yu’s personal triumph, but the result of our entire team’s collaborative efforts. I hope Zhang Yu and the others will share your experiences with Martial Dao Groups One and Two, creating a constellation of shining talents.”