Chapter 294: Assisting Mulan, Going Down to the Construction Site

Chapter 294: Assisting Mu Lan, Heading to the Construction Site

After classes each day, Zhang Yu devoted most of his time to cultivating the techniques required for the Earth and Wood Sacred Body, leaving little room for practicing the specialized techniques taught in class.

After all, switching techniques with the Feather Book came with a one-day cooldown. To ensure rapid progress in the Earth and Wood Sacred Body techniques, Zhang Yu never switched the Feather Book to foundational class techniques like Concrete Aura.

With neither the time nor the support of the Feather Book, he relied solely on sporadic practice during class over the past three months to barely master the basics of several techniques, including Concrete Aura, reaching only Level 1.

Just then, a rumbling sound echoed from the distance. Under Gongshu Jin’s control, streams of concrete poured into designated points like gray dragons, eliciting gasps of amazement from the surrounding students.

"Multi-line manipulation at a distance of over 30 meters—has he mastered Concrete Aura to Level 10?"

"Is Fourth Young Master really this fast at cultivating techniques?"

"Of course! With his wealth, how could his progress be slow?"

Amid the surrounding praise, Gongshu Jin paid no mind. With one-on-one guidance from a private tutor, the auxiliary imitation mode of the Spine Bone Dharma Skeleton, and real-time technique corrections from the Spirit Realm Projection, mastering these things was all too easy for him.

Glancing at Zhang Yu’s novice-like state, he smiled wryly and thought to himself, "He shouldn’t be short on money, right? His martial talent is truly… My friend is going to have a tough few years ahead."

After finishing the day’s engineering array diagramming, Tu Lishan contacted Zhang Yu and said, "Come to the construction site after school tomorrow."

"I’ll send you the address."

"Floor 666?" Seeing the address, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Finally, I can earn some money at the construction site?"

…

In the dormitory.

Having absorbed the high-quality spiritual energy, Zhang Yu now felt it dissipate completely within him. He opened his eyes, revealing a hint of lingering satisfaction.

Suddenly, he noticed Le Mu Lan meditating nearby and thought, "I wonder if my current spiritual energy quality can help Le Mu Lan improve."

"If it works… I might get her Dao Seed, the so-called Deep Cold Dharma Vein, sooner. That Dao Seed should help improve spiritual energy quality, right? It’d save me a lot of money."

With this in mind, Zhang Yu approached Le Mu Lan and said, "Le Mu Lan, let me try to see if I can help improve your spiritual energy quality."

Le Mu Lan was slightly taken aback. "How do we do it?"

Zhang Yu explained, "I’ll channel spiritual energy into your body. Try to collide and communicate with it…"

As Zhang Yu spoke, Le Mu Lan’s mind kept drifting to the dual cultivation practices Xuan Ge had recommended these past few days.

She thought to herself, "Dual cultivation… seems to start with the communication of spiritual energy between two people."

"According to Xuan Ge, my innate special spiritual energy has remarkable effects in dual cultivation."

"Could it be… Zhang Yu wants to dual cultivate with me?"

The thought sent a shiver through her. "If that’s true… as long as the product after each session belongs to me, it might not be out of the question."

"I just don’t know how much I’d have to pay Zhang Yu."

Le Mu Lan remembered Xuan Ge saying that in dual cultivation between lower and higher realms, the lower realm usually pays the higher realm.

"If Zhang Yu charges more per session than the price of Feather Juice, I’d lose money every time."

Zhang Yu looked puzzledly at Le Mu Lan, whose face shifted through a range of complex emotions. "Is there a problem? If you’re uncomfortable with it, we can forget it."

Le Mu Lan took a deep breath. "How… how much do I need to pay you?"

Zhang Yu smiled. "No need for money. We’re fellow townsfolk, and now we’re roommates. Let’s just help each other out."

Le Mu Lan’s eyes flickered with hesitation. "Then… then…"

Thinking about what she was about to say, she felt immensely ashamed.

Taking advantage of others like this was something she’d rarely done growing up, causing her face to flush slightly.

Finally, gathering her courage, Le Mu Lan said, "Can what’s left in my body afterward… belong to me?"

Zhang Yu laughed heartily. "Isn’t that obvious? Whatever goes into your body is yours."

Le Mu Lan was taken aback. She had expected Zhang Yu to bargain, but he was surprisingly generous, agreeing without hesitation.

Reflecting on her recent behavior, she thought, "It seems I’ve exposed my flaws, and he’s noticed."

"But Zhang Yu holds no grudges and gives so freely. He truly considers me a good friend."

With this realization, Le Mu Lan decided she must still pay Zhang Yu. Otherwise, taking without giving—what kind of friend would that make?

Zhang Yu took Le Mu Lan’s wrist, and a stream of spiritual energy flowed gently into her like a trickling brook.

After a long while, Zhang Yu frowned slightly. "The effect isn’t great."

"Ah, after all, you haven’t built your foundation. It’s hard to improve spiritual energy quality."

Seeing Zhang Yu remain still for so long, Le Mu Lan couldn’t help but ask, "Is it over?"

Zhang Yu shrugged. "What else? We’ll have to wait until you’ve built your foundation."

Hearing this, Le Mu Lan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. As her spiritual energy circulated, her entire body turned icy cold.

Le Mu Lan said dejectedly, "I need to build my foundation first?"

Zhang Yu nodded. "Speaking of which, when’s the foundation-building exam?"

Zhang Yu knew that after entering university, there was an annual foundation-building exam.

In high school, the foundation-building exam was stretched over several months to give students more time to grow.

For university students, whose stats had long reached the peak of Qi Refining, the foundation-building exam concluded in just a few days. At top-tier universities like Wanfa University, the number of foundation-building qualification slots was also higher.

Le Mu Lan sighed. "This November, so about two and a half months from now."

She touched her dantian area. "I’ve already purchased a spiritual root. Once I get the foundation-building qualification at university, I can build my foundation immediately."

Although Le Mu Lan was a top student in Ziyun, consistently ranking in the top five in Songyang City—and even maintaining a top-three position excluding Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, and Yu Xinghan—her stats had long reached the peak of Qi Refining. But competing with countless top students from the ten great universities was another matter… Looking at the Dao Seed within her, Zhang Yu said, "Do your best. If you need help, just say so."

Le Mu Lan looked at Zhang Yu and mustered her courage. "I want…"

Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback. "You want what?"

Hearing her repeat the phrase, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Are you kidding me? Again?"

Le Mu Lan said, "I can pay. I don’t want to wait until after building my foundation…"

Fu Ji chimed in, "She’s offering money, so why hesitate? Aren’t you short on cash right now? If you don’t take money when it’s offered, are you even fit to be a university student?"

"I don’t know why you want to help Le Mu Lan improve her spiritual energy quality, but if you earn more money and improve your own spiritual energy quality, you can support her after she builds her foundation."

Zhang Yu frowned, feeling something was off about the situation.

That night, when Zhang Yu shared his doubts with Bai Zhenzhen, she laughed and said, "What’s there to hesitate about? Sell it quickly."

"If you don’t take money when it’s offered, aren’t you just foolish?"

Zhang Yu sighed. "Maybe I’m overthinking it."

"When Kunxu people encounter such opportunities, shouldn’t they just sell without hesitation?"

…

After ending the call, Bai Zhenzhen pursed her lips, lost in thought.

A woman’s voice whispered in her ear, "My dear disciple, your heart is unsettled."

Bai Zhenzhen murmured, "Why… do I feel a bit uncomfortable?"

Thinking about how Zhang Yu and others seemed to grow closer in her absence, Bai Zhenzhen felt a faint discomfort stirring within her heart.

The Lord of Seven Emotions remarked calmly, "Feeling unhappy?"

Bai Zhenzhen replied with confusion, "No way, right? Am I really the jealous type of friend?"

"Don’t want Zhang Yu to have other... friends who are closer to him than I am?"

"I’m not that petty, am I?"

The Lord of Seven Emotions said, "Human consciousness is woven from emotions, and their complexity often makes it difficult for even the individual to discern their true feelings."

"In the path of extreme emotion swordsmanship, this is an even greater taboo."

"If you’re uncertain, you should carefully reflect and clarify your own thoughts."

"For example, you could consider their transactional methods—if it were dual cultivation, how would you feel?"

With a crackling burst, arcs of electricity flickered around Bai Zhenzhen’s body as she replied coolly, "That would depend on how much money Zhang Yu took."

The Lord of Seven Emotions chuckled, "In the path of extreme emotion swordsmanship, only by reaching the extreme in emotion can one reach the extreme in the sword. But to achieve extreme emotion, one must first understand what feelings and intentions truly reside in their heart..."

...

Early in the morning, Xuan Ge arrived at the dormitory on the 125th floor, ready to attend class with Le Mulan.

Eager to join their group of four, Xuan Ge had been seizing every opportunity lately to build a friendship with Le Mulan.

As Le Mulan opened the door and stepped out, Xuan Ge was about to greet her when his expression shifted slightly.

He caught a glimpse of a measuring cup in her hand, quickly hidden away in her clothes.

In that moment, Xuan Ge’s hands trembled slightly, and a pang of pain pierced his heart.

"Damn it... why not me?"

"We’re both at the Qi Refining stage—why Le Mulan and not me?"

...

After school that day.

In the electromagnetic passageway.

Zhang Yu glanced at the extra 0.05 spirit coins in his account—earned yesterday from Le Mulan while Yu Xinghan and his sister were away.

"Just not sure when the next opportunity will come."

"I’m worried the second-floor company might not research anything useful and just discard it as trash again."

Yu Xinghan urged, "Hurry up, it’s our first time on the construction site—we can’t be late."

With a surge of energy, the two sped through the layers of the university district, passing bustling markets, the dusty teaching areas of the civil engineering department, the gleaming buildings of the finance department, and the temples of the charm department, resonating with divine power...

When they reached the 666th floor, they were surprised to find it transformed into a vast construction site, with the night sky overhead—a sight they hadn’t seen in a long, long time.

Gazing at the moon and stars in the sky, both Yu Xinghan and Zhang Yu fell into a daze.

Having been crammed in the honeycomb-like university city for three months, living in five-square-meter dorm rooms, a sense of suffocation had gradually built up within them.

Now, seeing the vast, open sky once more, their spirits seemed to expand endlessly, and a wave of exhilaration washed over their minds.

Just then, a voice called out, "Why are you here too?"

Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan turned to see Li Xiao staring at Yu Xinghan, asking, "Did you pay as well?"

Yu Xinghan nodded—he had indeed paid a 0.01 spirit coin referral fee.

Li Xiao thought to himself, "So it’s not just me handing over twenty percent of my monthly wages."

(End of Chapter)