Chapter 830: The Stronger the Cultivation, the Greater the Power
As Magnetic Pole’s group arrived at the transportation hub of Central Apex Heaven and passed through the space station’s gates, they were immediately assaulted by an invasive Yin Qi. A chilling sensation permeated their entire beings, from their physical bodies to their consciousness and Primordial Spirits.
“So this is the Former Days Graveyard?” Magnetic Pole thought to herself. “Just as the rumors say, it’s no place for the living.”
Beside her, Divine Monarch Nether Spring took a deep breath, savoring the nourishing Yin Qi in the air. Her Primordial Spirit seemed to grow more vibrant.
As a Spirit Transformation Cultivator from Netherworld University, Divine Monarch Nether Spring’s cultivation arts, Bionic, and Primordial Spirit made her far better suited to the environment of the Former Days Graveyard.
Old Gao’s gaze shifted, and dotted arrows materialized in his Spirit Realm, pointing toward the Ethereal Communications Department.
“Let’s go,” he said. “Zhang Yu should be waiting for us.”
The three transformed into streaks of divine light, soaring across the sky and arriving above the Ethereal Communications Department in an instant.
However, as outsourced personnel, they were set to 99% transparency in the perception of many Sect Staff, rendering them effectively invisible.
Thus, even after circling above the Ethereal Communications Department and waiting for a long time at the office building’s entrance, no one seemed to notice them.
Watching this, Magnetic Pole gave a wry smile. “As expected, the cultivators in this sect completely disregard outsourced cultivators. They probably even filter us out directly.”
Just then, two figures hurried out of the office building and approached Magnetic Pole’s group.
Old Gao’s gaze shifted, recognizing them as Yu Xinghan and Ye Xingli.
The divine light surrounding them dimmed slightly as Magnetic Pole and Old Gao walked forward. “You’re here too,” Old Gao said with a smile.
Like Zhang Yu, Yu Xinghan was from the Civil Engineering Department. Although he hadn’t received Old Gao’s direct guidance like Zhang Yu, he had attended Old Gao’s classes and benefited from the former Department Head’s help. They shared a teacher-student bond.
As for Magnetic Pole and Ye Xingli, they were already master and disciple from the Artifact Refinement Department. Ye Xingli had joined Magnetic Pole’s faction several years before Zhang Yu.
Meeting within the sect, the two pairs of masters and disciples exchanged sighs of nostalgia and emotion, greeting each other and catching up on recent events.
Magnetic Pole looked at Ye Xingli and said, “I didn’t expect Zhang Yu to transfer you here as well.”
Ye Xingli replied, “If Vice President Zhang hadn’t specifically requested me, I probably wouldn’t have had this opportunity. I’d still be stuck in the Myriad Bones Pavilion doing menial, exhausting chores.”
Although Zhang Yu had told Ye Xingli not to bother with the sect’s formalities and just call him “Junior Brother,” the longer she stayed in the sect, the more she felt it was inappropriate.
So, she consulted the Celestial Inquiry Star about her hesitation.
To Ye Xingli, this High-Intelligence Artifact Spirit felt somewhat like the Poverty Simulator she had used in the Lower Realm.
The difference was that the Poverty Simulator might have had real impoverished Soul Cultivators behind it.
But behind the High-Intelligence Artifact Spirit was a true intelligence that encompassed countless pieces of sect information.
Celestial Inquiry Star: “Hmm, this is a classic sect interpersonal relationship problem. The querent already has a vague sense that something is amiss, which is why she’s seeking confirmation. Based on previous information, the querent and her Junior Brother may have more traditional values, so the response should be tailored accordingly…”
Celestial Inquiry Star: “Your current concern and hesitation about the form of address are very reasonable. Based on your previous description, your Junior Brother values old-fashioned loyalty and sentiment. The bond between you transcends the typical relationships of the new generation of Kunxu People, rooted in your shared sect history. Addressing him as you used to would indeed strengthen your bond.”
“However, you must be mindful that he is now a leader with a Rank 4 position, while you are a Rank 1 newcomer. In professional settings within the sect, especially in front of other colleagues, it is not advisable to call your leader ‘Junior Brother’…”
Ultimately, Ye Xingli decided to call Zhang Yu “Junior Brother” in private but use his official title at work.
Hearing Ye Xingli’s choice of address, Magnetic Pole felt a pang of nostalgia, recalling the days at the University when Zhang Yu used to trail behind Ye Xingli, learning artifact refinement. Now, almost imperceptibly, they had become superior and subordinate within the sect.
Watching the two pairs of master and apprentice interact, Nether Spring couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. “All four of them were promoted because of their connection to Zhang Yu.”
“Zhang Yu’s ‘Promotion Accelerator’ seems to be getting bigger and faster. Just being associated with him opens up opportunities…”
“The environment of the Former Days Graveyard is actually well-suited for my skills. That’s probably why Zhang Yu brought me here.”
Divine Monarch Nether Spring made up her mind: she would cling tightly to Zhang Yu’s “Promotion Accelerator,” leverage her strengths, and earn as much money as possible by his side.
“Wang Yin just joined the sect, so he probably needs Immortal Coins right now…”
Led by Yu Xinghan, the group arrived at a conference room. Yu Xinghan addressed the three Spirit Transformation Cultivators, saying, “Vice President Zhang is still in a meeting. He’ll be here later.”
Meanwhile, a crucial meeting concerning the reconstruction plan for the Former Days Graveyard Development Zone was being held across the Spirit Realm among the leaders of the Management Committee.
At the head of the Spirit Realm Conference Room sat Xiao Yunhe, the current President of the Management Committee and a Rank 7 Tribulation Transcendence Cultivator, who was presiding over the meeting.
Flanking him were the four Vice Presidents, including Zhang Yu.
However, unlike Zhang Yu, the other three Vice Presidents were all Rank 6 Void Refinement Cultivators.
This made Zhang Yu, a mere Rank 4 Spirit Transformation Cultivator, stand out glaringly among his fellow Vice Presidents in the Spirit Realm Conference Room.
Under the ultra-high-speed flow of information, countless texts and images were transmitted to every cultivator present as President Xiao Yunhe spoke.
Suddenly, President Xiao Yunhe paused and turned to Zhang Yu. “Vice President Zhang, what are your thoughts?”
Instantly, the other three Vice Presidents focused their gazes on Zhang Yu.
Their stares were a mix of scrutiny, probing, amusement, and anticipation of his failure.
In these high-level leadership meetings of the Management Committee, thought speed was accelerated by over a hundred times.
However, the information processing capacity of Void Refinement and Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators after this acceleration far surpassed what a Spirit Transformation Cultivator could match. Even with the same hundredfold boost, the gap between them only widened.
In the eyes of the others, Zhang Yu, with his mere Spirit Transformation cultivation, had likely already fallen behind the meeting’s train of thought and was about to make a fool of himself.
Another Vice President, Xie Lanyin, a Rank 6 Void Refinement Cultivator, watched the scene coldly and thought, Hmph, it’s not that I look down on Spirit Transformation Cultivators. But with just Spirit Transformation cultivation, their minds can’t keep up. He’s only been here from the Lower Realm for two years — what could he possibly know about sect development? And he still wants to secure his position as a Management Committee Vice President?
In Xie Lanyin’s view, the disparities in cultivation and rank meant that even if Zhang Yu had been propped up into this position, he was grasping at something he didn’t deserve. If he quietly played the role of a figurehead, he might last until the project’s end. Otherwise, he would inevitably be torn down.
But the next moment, to everyone’s slight surprise, Zhang Yu began to speak eloquently. “The reconstruction work cannot proceed blindly. According to current assessments, clearing the entire labyrinth will be an extremely complex task.”
“How should we handle the abandoned factories and defunct enterprises? Does the industrial positioning from three years ago still align with the current market? These are all questions we need to consider.”
“Furthermore, we must address the resource recovery from the ruins. While large areas of the labyrinth have been reduced to rubble by the Berserk Corpse Components, if we can systematically recover these components and sort and convert the various building materials, it would be a significant boost to our upcoming reconstruction efforts…”
Listening to Zhang Yu’s eloquent speech, Vice President Xie Lanyin sneered inwardly. He must be using some magical artifact or Spirit Realm Service.
Meanwhile, Fu Ji sighed silently in Zhang Yu’s mind. Damn… the gap in cultivation and realm makes even attending a meeting this difficult.
Zhang Yu also felt a surge of relief. If not for the multiplied thought speed granted by the Immeasurable Heart Inner Dharma Body and the True Clones provided by the Myriad Transformations Self-Sovereign Art, he would never have been able to keep up with the meeting pace set by these Void Refinement Cultivators.
But… I’m already pushing myself to the limit, while they’re handling this with ease.
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. This is the disparity in governance and productivity brought about by the gap in cultivation.
“And attending meetings is just the most basic aspect.”
Watching the Vice Presidents around the conference table snatch up various tasks, Zhang Yu thought, The stronger the cultivation, the greater the capability.
“With their Void Refinement cultivation, they themselves are the most powerful productive force they command. They can compete for tasks and seize authority without hesitation.”
Zhang Yu knew that if he allowed these Void Refinement Cultivators to take all the work, his influence on the Management Committee would plummet. Even if the Development Zone was successfully rebuilt, he would receive little to no credit.
After all, the President and Vice Presidents of the Management Committee could complete the vast majority of the reconstruction work using their own formidable cultivation. By proactively shouldering and completing these tasks, they would naturally seize the most authority and accumulate the most merit.
Under the sect’s strict surveillance, it would be all too easy to spot anyone trying to coast by.
If that happened, this “tempering” or “test” assigned to him by the higher-ups would be considered a failure.
But with his mere Spirit Transformation cultivation, how could he compete with Void Refinement Cultivators? How could he earn greater merit in the reconstruction efforts?
I’ll have to rely on the power Senior Ying gave me…
Zhang Yu’s mind replayed the giant corpse’s words:
“In Kunxu, any Immortal’s power can be extended into authority. But how effective that authority becomes and how much benefit it yields ultimately depends on the user’s skill and ingenuity.”
Zhang Yu thought, The ability Senior Ying granted me — the authority to restore the labyrinth’s chaotic space — was my ticket to becoming a Vice President of the Management Committee.
But if I simply restore the spatial structure as instructed, I’ll just become a tool for the Void Refinement Dao Monarchs, a mere instrument in their reconstruction of the Development Zone.
I need to leverage this authority to expand my influence on the Management Committee and try to bridge the capability gap between myself and the Void Refinement Dao Monarchs.
So… where should I start?
As Zhang Yu’s thoughts churned, Immortal Slayer’s voice echoed in his mind: “Corpse components.”
Zhang Yu nodded inwardly. The labyrinth contains numerous Spirit Transformation and even Void Refinement-level corpse components. With the power Senior Ying gave me, I can suppress and command them within my Immortal Grotto-Heaven.
Previously, transforming berserk corpse components into Grotto-Heaven Divine Beasts was limited by the Grotto-Heaven’s boundaries; the components had little effect on the Material World outside.
But ever since Zhang Yu’s[Immortal Descendant trait reached level 6, granting him the Grotto-Heaven Manifestation ability, he could project his Grotto-Heaven over a thousand-meter radius. This dramatically increased the Divine Beasts’ influence on the Material World.
Zhang Yu thought, If I can subdue Void Refinement-level berserk corpse components, I can significantly close the capability gap between myself and Void Refinement Cultivators.
Fu Ji reminded him, “And while these Void Refinement Cultivators possess profound cultivation and superior abilities, and can even wield the power of Law Edicts, greater power comes with greater burdens. They have their own projects to manage and assets to grow.”
“So they can’t dedicate their full cultivation to the Development Zone’s reconstruction. But we can. We’re betting everything on this, pouring all our efforts into the Development Zone.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, thinking inwardly, Just as Immortals don’t casually deploy their power downward — it must be invested in projects that maintain high growth — Void Refinement Cultivators, while not on the same level, still can’t pour all their cultivation into a single task.
This is an inevitable consequence of the profit-seeking nature of Kunxu Cultivators.
Meanwhile, the next phase of the Development Zone’s cleanup plan was nearly finalized in the meeting.
Although Zhang Yu had just demonstrated his ability to keep pace with the discussion, neither the President nor the other Vice Presidents had asked for his input since.
In their eyes, Zhang Yu, with his mere Spirit Transformation cultivation, should just quietly follow their lead on the reconstruction project and not overstep his bounds.
As the meeting neared its end, Vice President Xie Lanyin thought to herself, It seems this Zhang Yu knows his place. He should just be a good tool for restoring the spatial structure and not drag the project down.
Just then, Zhang Yu suddenly spoke up, “President, I have a few points to make regarding the cleanup of the berserk corpse components.”
President Xiao Yunhe nodded, and the other three Vice Presidents turned to look at him.
One Tribulation Transcendence Cultivator and three Void Refinement Cultivators. Even though they were meeting across the Spirit Realm and hadn’t released any pressure, the sheer density of information they naturally carried in the Spirit Realm was enough to make Zhang Yu tense, causing his magic power to quicken slightly.
Zhang Yu silently circulated his breathing technique to stabilize his magic power, then spoke calmly, “Because the labyrinth is vast, I’ll need to restore the spatial distortions in multiple stages.”
“Furthermore, many of the berserk corpse components within the labyrinth contain residual Grotto-Heaven force from the Traitor Immortal Ying Xintian. If these aren’t cleared one by one, it could cause problems with the spatial structure’s restoration, leading to unpredictable errors.”
President Xiao Yunhe asked coolly, “What are you suggesting?”
Zhang Yu replied, “During the labyrinth cleanup, I request that all berserk corpse components be sent to me. I will handle the removal of the Grotto-Heaven force.”
Across from him, Vice President Xie Lanyin frowned, her expression skeptical. “Will the small amount of Grotto-Heaven force sealed within the corpse components really affect the spatial structure’s restoration? Do you have any proof?”
While most berserk corpse components were individually of little value, the total number within the labyrinth, especially those from Spirit Transformation and Void Refinement cultivators, represented a considerable fortune.
The Management Committee was a joint venture of multiple sects, and Void Refinement Cultivators like Vice President Xie Lanyin from the White Bone Cult placed an even greater emphasis on the value of corpse components.
She would certainly be unwilling to collect berserk corpse components for Zhang Yu for free.
But in response to Xie Lanyin’s skepticism, Zhang Yu simply said coolly, “This is what I’ve sensed after mastering the Immortal Legacy. If Vice President Xie Lanyin feels it’s unnecessary, that’s fine. When the spatial structure’s restoration fails, you can bear the consequences.”
Xie Lanyin stared deeply at Zhang Yu and didn’t question him further.
The labyrinth, the spatial distortions, the Grotto-Heaven force — all were remnants left by Ying Xintian.
Aside from Zhang Yu, none of the other cultivators present could verify the truth of his claims. To restore the spatial structure, they had no choice but to follow his instructions.
Zhang Yu understood inwardly that this was another manifestation of the gap created by Ying Xintian’s higher cultivation and higher-dimensional abilities — and the influence this gap had on power dynamics.
Seeing his proposal approved at the meeting, Zhang Yu breathed a small sigh of relief. “With more berserk corpse components,” he thought, “I can further boost my productivity.”
“Once Teacher Gao arrives, he can use his advanced Civil Engineering skills to help collect materials in the labyrinth. Teacher Magnetic Pole can help me modify the corpse components and set up a production line. If I run into any technical issues with the components, I can get support from Nether Spring…”
Although the start seemed smooth, Zhang Yu knew this was just the beginning. The cultivators before him — from different sects, representing various interest groups, and possessing higher cultivation — would never allow him to expand his influence within the Management Committee and push his own agenda unchecked.
Just like with the collection of berserk corpse components, getting the proposal passed at the meeting was one thing; executing it was another entirely. He couldn’t be sure that these cultivators and their subordinates would cooperate wholeheartedly when the time came.