Chapter 321: Large Mansion and Luck

Chapter 321: The Grand Mansion and Fortune

"My future plans?"

Upon hearing Director Gao's question, countless thoughts flashed through Zhang Yu's mind in an instant. Finally, he replied, "I want to participate in the Ten Great Leagues."

Hearing this, not only was Tu Lishan taken aback, but even Director Gao was slightly stunned.

Director Gao had anticipated many possible answers from Zhang Yu—such as a straightforward desire to make money, staying in the upper levels, or even pledging to serve the University of Ten Thousand Laws...

But he never expected that Zhang Yu would actually aim to compete in the Ten Great Leagues.

At that moment, Director Gao's gaze toward Zhang Yu grew profound. He thought to himself, "This kid... is even more ambitious than I imagined."

However, Director Gao had never been afraid of students with ambition and desire. In fact, the more ambitious and driven a student was, the more likely they were to succeed in his eyes.

Without ambition or desire... why even cultivate immortality? Wouldn't it be better to live as an ordinary mortal, idling away one's life?

Originally, in Director Gao's eyes, Zhang Yu was merely a first-year student risking his life for a future. But now, knowing that Zhang Yu intended to compete in the Ten Great Leagues, Director Gao actually viewed him in a higher regard.

Examining Zhang Yu before him, Director Gao said calmly, "To compete, you must be among the top in the entire department. You're still far from that level."

Zhang Yu replied calmly, "I will give it my all to try."

Seeing the determination in Zhang Yu's eyes and sensing his unwavering resolve under scrutiny, Director Gao smiled faintly. This Zhang Yu was more interesting and slightly more outstanding than he had initially anticipated.

"Alright, I won't say I'm not giving you a chance," Director Gao said indifferently. "Starting next semester, you must participate in at least one construction project each term. This will serve both the department and as an opportunity for you to hone your skills."

"However, you may freely choose which project to participate in."

As he spoke, various projects from the Civil Engineering Department were projected into Zhang Yu's vision through the spiritual realm.

There were the construction of war fortresses on the front lines, the restoration of tombs deep in the wilderness, the renovation of spiritual realm network data centers, the expansion of the Joyful University amusement park, and the construction of the Flying Sword Laboratory...

Looking at these projects, Zhang Yu's mind immediately flooded with ideas. Fixating on one of them, he thought to himself, "They even have this? I must go there at least once!"

"But not now," Zhang Yu mused. "I need to replenish my physical deficiencies first, then go to the construction site to take it easy."

Director Gao continued, "Of course, the department won't just make you work."

"In addition to your salary, you'll receive discounts on medications. From now on, you can directly purchase discounted drugs from the Pharmacy College."

"Some experimental drugs unavailable on the market will also gradually become accessible to you."

As he spoke, a list of medications for purchase and contact information for the Pharmacy College were compiled into a document and sent to Zhang Yu's vision.

After saying this, Director Gao paused, as if weighing his words, before finally stating, "Starting today, this student dormitory suite on the 318th floor is temporarily lent to you."

The address, condition, and access key for the dormitory on the 318th floor were sent to Zhang Yu.

It was a 15-square-meter upper-class dormitory with one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a ceiling height of six meters. It came with a generous monthly supply of spiritual energy and data, and the dormitory floor offered paid services such as laundry, cleaning, training rooms, and laboratories.

Director Gao added, "I've also granted you access to the anti-gravity channel. You can use it freely from now on."

Zhang Yu knew that the central anti-gravity channel was a high-speed vertical passage connecting the entire University of Ten Thousand Laws. Through it, one could reach any floor of the university within seconds.

Both the dormitory on the 318th floor and the anti-gravity channel significantly enhanced the convenience of Zhang Yu's daily life and cultivation, saving him considerable time.

But that wasn't all. Director Gao looked at Zhang Yu and presented one final temptation.

Director Gao said, "If you can achieve first place in your freshman class by the end of this semester, I will take you on as a nominal disciple."

Upon hearing this, Tu Lishan, standing nearby, felt a slight tremor in his heart. "Director Gao didn't mention this earlier, did he? Was this a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Being a disciple of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, even if only nominally, was an opportunity countless students dreamed of.

In Tu Lishan's view, with Director Gao offering so many benefits and such a significant opportunity, Zhang Yu would undoubtedly be driven to cultivate relentlessly, pushing himself to the limit.

However, the next moment, Tu Lishan's internal alarm for empty promises began to ring, and he immediately realized something. He thought to himself, "Wait, Director Gao probably doesn't actually expect Zhang Yu to surpass Ji Yuanshu and take first place in the class."

"He's just dangling the opportunity of becoming a nominal disciple like bait in front of Zhang Yu, urging him to continue pushing himself without stopping."

But Tu Lishan also understood that for Director Gao to make such a promise... it was enough to prove Zhang Yu's excellence. After all, ordinary students wouldn't even have the chance to receive such an offer from Director Gao.

Watching the changing expressions on Zhang Yu's face, Director Gao patted his shoulder and smiled. "Don't get too excited. What I promise, I will deliver. Just give it your all."

Zhang Yu, however, began to worry about something. "Damn... if I perform too well in the Civil Engineering Department, will they try to prevent me from transferring to the Artifact Refining Department later? Will they force me to become a disciple? I don't want to spend my whole life on construction sites!"

Looking at Director Gao's smile, Zhang Yu finally asked, "Can I share this dormitory with my current roommates?"

This was clearly a trivial matter for Director Gao. He replied casually, "The dormitory is assigned to you. Do as you see fit."

After leaving the Civil Engineering Department building, Zhang Yu suddenly realized that no contract had been signed for this agreement.

Fu Ji chuckled and said, "For someone of his stature, signing a contract with you... would only be a constraint on himself. On the contrary, without a contract, he has plenty of ways to ensure you adhere to the agreement. But if he decides not to honor it, there's nothing you can do."

Zhang Yu took a deep breath and thought to himself, "I must continue to grow stronger, wealthier, and keep climbing upward."

He then sent the news about the new dormitory to the dormitory group chat.

Yu Xinghan: "A 15-square-meter grand mansion?!"

Le Mulan: "This place is much closer to the classrooms."

Zhang Pianpian: "The upper-class dormitory provides a lot of data each month."

That evening, Zhang Yu moved into the dormitory on the 318th floor with Yu Xinghan, Le Mulan, and Zhang Pianpian.

Looking at the dormitory, which had expanded from 5 to 15 square meters, Zhang Yu felt that he could finally relax his muscles without excessive restraint. His arms and legs could finally stretch out a little.

Zhang Yu then sent a copy of the discounted medication list to Le Mulan and asked, "Mulan, could you help me see which medications are more cost-effective and suitable for me?"

At that moment, someone in the Foundation Establishment class group chat tagged him.

"Is it Ji Yuanshu?"

...

University of Ten Thousand Laws.

In a 100-square-meter suite on the 450th floor.

Ji Yuanshu's consciousness returned from the depths of the spiritual realm, concluding a one-on-one finance course.

Over the past semester, although he was a student in the Civil Engineering Department, he hadn't paid much attention to its courses. Instead, he focused on finance courses.

After all, according to his plan, his time in the Civil Engineering Department was merely a transitional phase. The Finance Department was his true future destination.

And the prodigies in the Finance Department were his real future competitors.

For Ji Yuanshu, as long as he could secure first place in his class, he should devote more energy to finance courses to prepare for future competition in the Finance Department.

Just then, a message appeared in his vision—a message from his mentor, Deputy Director Lin of the Civil Engineering Department.

Director Lin: "What's going on? Why did you only lead the second-place student by 26 points in this semester's final ranking?"

Sensing the reproach and disappointment in his mentor's message, Ji Yuanshu quickly explained, "Because I spent more time on finance courses."

Director Lin: "Are you saying that studying finance has made you perform worse than if you had only studied civil engineering?"

Director Lin: "Is that what I meant when I asked you to study finance?"

Ji Yuanshu didn't reply. Instead, he recalled what his mentor had once told him.

"Yuanshu, the Civil Engineering Department... is like picking up leftovers from a mud pit."

"If you only focus on construction projects in civil engineering without considering finance, you'll spend your whole life eating dirt on construction sites."

"Even if you seize opportunities during university wars to generate income, it's merely scraping by, surviving on scraps."

"Only by grasping fortune and relying on the momentum of humanity can you advance further."

Memories flashed through Ji Yuanshu's mind in an instant.

At this very moment, Director Lin continued to send messages: This year, no matter which grade it is, we must surpass them and completely crush their stock prices.

Director Lin: Make good use of the skills you learned in the Finance Department.

Director Lin: For the final comprehensive score of the freshman year, I want you to lead the second place by over 100 points.

Looking at Director Lin's demands, Ji Yuanshu did not refuse.

Because he knew that in this battle over the direction of the Civil Engineering Department, his position was merely a small part of the struggle, and he had no right to refuse.

Moreover... he also believed he could do it.

"The art of manipulating fortune in the Finance Department—I have indeed grasped the basics."

"Since that's the case, let me test the waters a little."

After glancing at the current class rankings, Ji Yuanshu lightly tapped his fingertips, and the fortune-telling service of the Finance Department appeared in his mind's eye.

Data on Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin—their rankings, grades, spending records, loan statements, work hours, classroom performance, health status, addresses, income, savings, and more—all surfaced.

Next, predictions about their interests, personalities, potential, lifespan, and other details emerged one by one.

Ji Yuanshu murmured, "According to the final fortune prediction, these two have no chance of surpassing me."

Then, data on all his classmates surfaced one after another, helping Ji Yuanshu anticipate each person's thoughts.

"In the eyes of the vast majority, victory will undoubtedly be mine."

"Both public sentiment and the prevailing trend are in my hands."

Having confirmed the prevailing trend, Ji Yuanshu understood that the next step was to further guide public sentiment and harness fortune.

(End of Chapter)