Chapter 297: The Warm Current of Friendship is Flowing

Chapter 297: The Warm Current of Friendship Flows

As soon as Zhang Yu returned to the dormitory that day, he saw Le Mulan already waiting there.

Apart from the 0.05 spirit coins earned that day, Le Mulan had continued to purchase various materials from Zhang Yu over the following days—blood, sweat, saliva, and other bodily fluids from different sources—earning him an additional 0.08 spirit coins.

However, up to this point, perhaps due to the short timeframe, the company had yet to produce any significant results from the samples Zhang Yu provided.

The only surprising discovery for Le Mulan was that Zhang Yu’s sweat had become increasingly pure and uncontaminated. Not only were there no traces of medicinal toxins or impurities, but there wasn’t even the slightest hint of odor. It was as if it were purely cooling water used for dissipating heat.

In Le Mulan’s mind, the urine Zhang Yu produced now was likely cleaner than the cerebrospinal fluid of an ordinary mortal.

She thought to herself, "Since Zhang Yu stepped into Foundation Establishment, his ability to metabolize and absorb medicines, as well as his control over medicinal toxins within his body, has become even more formidable."

"Combined with his cultivation in the Endless Spring and Autumn Meditation, every time he takes medicine, he almost perfectly filters out the toxins, gathering and storing them all."

"If he used this skill to work as a drug tester for a pharmaceutical company or as a filter for purifying medicinal toxins, his salary would undoubtedly be substantial."

Of course, Le Mulan knew Zhang Yu would never take up such work.

After all, such jobs caused too much damage to the body. Even a Foundation Establishment expert, under the influence of various experimental drugs, could sustain irreversible damage in just a few weeks, cutting off their path to immortality.

But if it were just for her own small-scale use...

At this moment, Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu and asked seriously, "Are you sure... you’re really willing to let me have it for free?"

Zhang Yu gazed at Le Mulan before him, focusing on the Dao Seed in her chest—the Profound Cold Dharma Vein.

He thought to himself, "To obtain Le Mulan’s Dao Seed, I must enhance the quality of her spiritual energy. To enhance the quality of her spiritual energy, I must wait for her to reach Foundation Establishment."

But in Zhang Yu’s view, Le Mulan’s chances of passing the Foundation Establishment exam in November were still somewhat low.

He didn’t want to wait for her next attempt.

With this in mind, Zhang Yu took out a measuring cup and handed it to Le Mulan. "Try drinking this."

Le Mulan accepted it somewhat sheepishly and said softly, "This... if you sold it, you could make a lot of money."

Zhang Yu waved his hand dismissively. "We’re friends. No charge."

"Not just you—if Yu Xinghan or my sister... Senior Zhang need it, I’ll provide it to them for free too."

Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu, feeling a strange sensation welling up inside her.

She recalled the first time, during a martial arts competition in high school, when she had tried to buy his loss with money. Back then, his refusal to take the money had left her feeling confused and angry.

But now, seeing him refuse money again, Le Mulan felt no anger at all.

"Is this what good friends are like?"

Le Mulan raised the measuring cup and drank it all in one go, feeling the warm current of friendship flow down her throat.

A bloody taste also filled her throat in that instant.

Zhang Yu watched as she swallowed his blood in one gulp and asked, "How does it feel?"

Le Mulan licked her lips, sensing waves of scorching medicinal energy spreading through her limbs and bones. She replied slowly, "The medicinal potency is a bit weak, but there’s almost no toxin. I feel like I could drink a lot more."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. What he had given Le Mulan was his own blood—the only thing from his entire body that, when consumed by her, could currently enhance her cultivation efficiency. What else could it be?

Through this method, he had essentially become Le Mulan’s medicinal filter, allowing her to take more medicines to aid her cultivation.

Moreover, Le Mulan had already undergone Zi Yun’s super-metabolism modification surgery. Her ability to take medicines would undoubtedly skyrocket, and her cultivation efficiency would surge as well.

Zhang Yu said, "Alright then. From now on, if you need to take any medicines, buy more and give them to me. I’ll take them first and then pass them to you. That way, you can take several times more to boost your cultivation efficiency."

Le Mulan nodded, looking at Zhang Yu with excitement. "Zhang Yu, thank you."

She remembered what Xuan Ge had said and took a deep breath. "If you ever want to dual cultivate in the future, I can pay you more."

For Le Mulan, paying more during a transaction was the only way she could think of... to thank a good friend.

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking? Who said anything about dual cultivation? Stop talking nonsense and hurry to class."

Le Mulan said, "Other transactions are fine too. Right now, because I’m preparing for the Foundation Establishment exam, I’m a bit tight on funds. But after I reach Foundation Establishment, my family—"

Zhang Yu waved it off casually. "Alright, alright. We’ll talk about it after you reach Foundation Establishment."

He looked at her Dao Seed, wanting nothing more than to replicate the Profound Cold Dharma Vein.

So, Zhang Yu brought over the measuring cup again and said, "Let me prepare some more for you. Remember to drink it daily, cultivate diligently, and make sure you pass the Foundation Establishment qualification exam."

Afterward, Le Mulan reminded him, "If you ever plan to sell your blood, be careful..."

In response to Le Mulan’s warning, Zhang Yu simply waved his hand. He hadn’t considered the idea yet.

Utilizing the peak Foundation Establishment metabolic ability granted by his University Saint Physique, he could at most provide blood to the three people in his dormitory.

As for outsiders... he had no connections, nor did he have immunity certificates, health permits, business licenses, or other necessary documents. Selling blood would involve too many complications.

Besides, selling small amounts wouldn’t earn much, and selling large amounts would strain his body, ultimately affecting his cultivation.

Moreover, he now had a legitimate income from the construction site, and it was time to work hard and earn more.

That noon, after class, Xuan Ge walked through the corridor of the Pharmacology Department building, searching for Le Mulan.

"Where did she go?"

When he reached a corner, he spotted her. Just as he was about to call out to her, he saw her drink something in one go.

Looking at the empty measuring cup in her hand, Xuan Ge was momentarily stunned, recalling the fleeting glimpse of a measuring cup in her hand a few days earlier.

"Have they... have they already reached this stage?" Xuan Ge’s body trembled repeatedly as an idea involuntarily surged in his mind.

Is this still Wanfa University? Have they turned it into some kind of Hehuan University for me?

They’re only freshmen! I haven’t even formed a team yet, and they’ve already cultivated to this extent?

Gazing at Le Mulan’s turned face, Xuan Ge mustered his courage and spoke the words he had held back for so long.

"Classmate Le, I want to join too. I also want to advance further on the path of immortality."

"Can I move into your dormitory?"

...

In the days that followed, Zhang Yu became increasingly adept at his work on the construction site. He simultaneously practiced the War Demon Life-Consuming Art and the Limitless Vibration Meditation. His body wore down with each exertion but repaired itself through the revitalization of his flesh and blood.

Especially after gaining proficiency, Zhang Yu could always maintain his body’s wear and tear at a recoverable level.

This made Zhang Yu feel that his body wasn’t being harmed by the long hours of construction work. Instead, it was becoming more resilient and stronger. The efficiency of his physical strength improvement was even faster than when he cultivated alone.

"I can cultivate and earn money at the same time. The Civil Engineering Department truly suits me."

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed on the construction site. As Zhang Yu’s efficiency increased, so did his income. Over the past half month, he had earned a total of 0.59 spirit coins.

However, after checking his account balance of 10.7 spirit coins after purchasing high-quality spiritual energy, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "I still need to work harder."

That morning, watching the faint rays of sunlight gradually spread across the horizon, Zhang Yu reluctantly welcomed the end of his shift.

Limitless Vibration Meditation Level 20

At Level 20, the Limitless Vibration Meditation allowed Zhang Yu to perform ultra-frequency vibrations beyond his limits, unleashing unparalleled destructive power within seconds.

"It’s not very useful. It can only be used to kill enemies, not for work."

Walking out of the construction site, Zhang Yu was somewhat dissatisfied with the Level 20 effects of this cultivation technique.

Beside Zhang Yu were Li Xiao and Yu Xinghan, who were also finishing their shifts.

However, compared to Zhang Yu, who remained spirited and vigorous even after working through the night, Li Xiao and Yu Xinghan appeared rather weary.

Particularly Li Xiao, whose muscles occasionally twitched with a dull ache, causing his gait to frequently falter.

As for Yu Xinghan, he seemed to have grown even thinner, his cheeks slightly sunken.

Upon reaching the construction site entrance, Yu Xinghan sighed, "Finally off work—time for a massage."

Rubbing his arm, he added, "Exhausted every day... I really need this."

Li Xiao shot Yu Xinghan a disdainful glance, wondering how he could ever save enough money for cultivation if he spent it all on daily massages.

Zhang Yu waved to Yu Xinghan and left ahead of him, knowing that unlike himself, Yu Xinghan lacked such rapid recovery abilities and needed daily massages to repair bodily wear and tear.

Yu Xinghan walked familiarly into the massage room, where someone called out, "Director Yu is here? Still going with No. 38?"

Yu Xinghan smiled and said, "Don’t forget to turn on the projection service."

As the spiritual realm projection activated, a technician resembling Li Xuelian entered. Yu Xinghan lay back and said, "Start with a foot massage, please."

...

Zhang Yu walked back to his dormitory, messages occasionally flashing in his vision.

Some were tasks assigned by teachers in the class group chat.

Others were advertisements pushed by nearby stores.

And then there were the intermittent messages from the Songyang group chat.

Speaking of the Songyang classmate group, three months ago, when everyone had just entered the second year, the group was bustling with activity. Zhang Yu could easily see 999+ messages every day just by glancing at it.

But as time passed and everyone focused more on their studies, the messages in the group grew fewer and fewer.

Still, Zhang Yu would check it from time to time, as it was a way to learn about news from other universities.

And today, a particular message in the group caught his attention.

Chu Qiuhe from Jin Gang University: "Many postgraduate majors have reduced enrollment, some even suspended it. Have you all seen this?"

Zhao Tianxing from Fengdu University: "You’re already worrying about postgraduate entrance exams this early?"

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Old Zhao... vocational college is vocational college. Why follow Mo Tianyi’s example and call it Fengdu University? Still too vain."

Lian Tianji from Hehuan University: "Shouldn’t postgraduate exam prep start from the first year?"

Lian Tianji from Hehuan University: "Many of the majors with reduced enrollment are popular ones. The Yin-Yang Emergency Medicine major I wanted to apply for had its enrollment cut in half."

Lian Tianji from Hehuan University: "Sigh, who knows what it’ll be like by the time I take the exam."

Qian Shen from Tianhai University: "The university evaluation system is vast and profound. Although I haven’t fully grasped it yet, changes in enrollment quotas must have their reasons."

Seeing the news about reduced postgraduate enrollment, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but search online and found that Wanfa University had indeed experienced changes in postgraduate enrollment quotas as well.

However, upon noticing that the Civil Engineering department’s postgraduate quota hadn’t decreased but had actually expanded, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but laugh.

"Enrolling so many—are they trying to drive down wages at construction sites even further?"

"Good thing I’m not in Civil Engineering for my postgraduate studies."

Zhang Yu planned to follow the path laid out by Master Xinghuo, switching to the Artifact Refining department in his third year and pursuing postgraduate studies in that field.

But the next moment, seeing the news that the Artifact Refining department’s postgraduate enrollment quota had been reduced by 40%, the smile vanished from his face.

(End of Chapter)