Chapter 361: Heaven-Turning Seal, Artifact Refining Class

Chapter 361: The Heaven-Turning Seal and the Art of Artifact Refining

Watching the Faceless Warrior before him unleash a dragon-shaped aura in a single stroke, Xiao Qingxuan’s brows arched ever so slightly.

"My Nine-Dragon Heavenly Aura Palm?"

Xiao Qingxuan’s first instinct was that Zhang Yu had mastered this martial art as well.

But the next moment, as the auras collided, feeling the surging, overwhelming force of the palm strike and hearing the dragon’s roar erupting in his ears, Xiao Qingxuan was startled: "This is my own palm power!"

"He reflected the strike I just delivered right back at me?"

With a thunderous boom, a gale of wind erupted from the point of impact. The aura surrounding Xiao Qingxuan flickered and dissipated, only to be replenished and surge forth once more.

Looking at the footprint where he had been forced back a step, Xiao Qingxuan nodded and said, "To be able to borrow the power of my own strike and return it in kind..."

"This technique of borrowing force to strike—if I am not mistaken, it must be the Nine Heavens Cloud-Void Force, correct?"

"To master this art to such a degree... it seems the freshman exams truly limited your potential, given that the Civil Engineering department offers no such curriculum or assessments."

Xiao Qingxuan’s gaze toward Zhang Yu was now devoid of any condescension. He stated firmly, "I acknowledge your strength. With this ability to redirect force, coupled with your resilient physique, you are more than qualified for the defensive position."

Nearby, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang exchanged surprised glances at Zhang Yu’s performance.

Shi Yunxiang whispered: This kid Zhang Yu has improved by leaps and bounds since we last met.

Che Yufei: He’s growing faster than the wrinkles on my face, and without any signs of aging, either.

At this, Che Yufei couldn't help but envy Zhang Yu’s terrifying constitution, which allowed him to consume all manner of potent elixirs as if they were mere meals.

Shi Huaiyu stood by and said, "Senior Xiao, didn't I tell you Junior Zhang was impressive?"

"Let us proceed to assign our respective roles."

Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang, owing to their extensive project experience, were assigned to construction.

Zhang Yu and Tian Yang were tasked with the defensive roles to protect the construction projects, while Shi Huaiyu and Xiao Qingxuan, being the strongest, were assigned to the confrontation roles to engage the opposition head-on.

Though both involved combat, Zhang Yu and Tian Yang’s primary objective was the protection of the structures, while Shi Huaiyu and Xiao Qingxuan focused on neutralizing the opponents.

Once their responsibilities were settled, Shi Huaiyu added, "I have uploaded the specific competition materials, rules, and videos of past competitions to the group."

"Everyone, please review them carefully and prepare for your respective duties. We begin our first training session next week."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me at any time."

With everything decided, the six of them departed. As students of Wanfa University, they were all perpetually busy, never finding a moment of respite.

On his way back, Zhang Yu received a notification from his bank account: his scholarship of 3 Spirit Coins for ranking first in his freshman year had arrived.

Unlike the student loan Director Gao had helped him apply for, this scholarship was his to keep.

Looking at his balance, which had now surpassed 9.4 Spirit Coins, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, the tension he had felt since borrowing those 50 Spirit Coins easing significantly.

"But there are still so many places where money is needed."

"I must continue to earn, continue to study, and continue to cultivate..."

"After all, I am destined for the Ten Great Sects, and I have promised Ah Zhen that we would participate in the Ten Great Leagues."

At this thought, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in Zhang Yu’s eyes.

With the competition team finalized, Zhang Yu’s days grew even more hectic.

Civil engineering courses, artifact refining classes, his own cultivation, his daily part-time jobs, and competition preparations—the weight of it all pressed down upon him.

Time slipped away rapidly amidst this busy, fulfilling, and high-pressure life.

...

Inside the training grounds.

An instructor addressed the civil engineering students: "Large-scale construction takes many forms. Each relevant technique requires a great deal of time, energy, and patience to cultivate and refine."

"The school does not require every student to master every discipline, but by graduation, you must be proficient in at least two large-scale construction techniques."

"In this course, we study the filling and compaction operations for highways, tunnels, dams, and large-scale venues. The technique we represent is the Heaven-Turning Seal..."

As the instructor explained, the flow of mana and the execution of the Heaven-Turning Seal were etched into Zhang Yu’s mind, manifesting on his Feather Tome.

Heaven-Turning Seal: Level 0 (0/1)

Seeing that the Heaven-Turning Seal belonged to the Martial Dao Saint Body set, Zhang Yu smiled inwardly: "It is fortunate that we choose our own specializations for large-scale construction courses."

"When I read the introduction in the Grand Library, I suspected this technique belonged to the Martial Dao Saint Body set. Testing it today confirms it."

"From the content of this technique, it seems the Heaven-Turning Seal was originally created for slaughter and combat, but as the era progresses..."

Zhang Yu watched the instructor, who continued: "...Remember, when using the Heaven-Turning Seal to crush soft roadbeds, you must first compact it one or two times without vibration, and only then apply vibration..."

"When activating the Heaven-Turning Seal, you must also account for the differences in sandy, semi-cohesive, and cohesive soils..."

As he walked out of the training grounds, Zhang Yu received a notification for his Spirit Realm data usage fees.

He pursed his lips and silently transferred the payment.

Between the rental fees for various magical artifacts, the cost of purchasing spirit stones, and loan interest, his Spirit Coins were steadily dwindling.

Spirit Coin Balance: 8.5 Spirit Coins

...

Inside the Taiqing Realm.

Zhang Pianpian was surrounded by flowing talismans that moved like a waterfall, leaving Zhang Yu dazzled.

He could no longer comprehend his sister’s study and manipulation of talismans; he only knew that she spent more and more time immersed in the Taiqing Realm every day. Whenever he entered, she was studying talismans, and when he left, she was still studying them.

"She’s truly obsessed. Are talismans really that fun?"

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu returned to his own studies.

Activating the talisman his sister had given him, he began to extract the prepared study materials from his ocular remains.

But the next moment, his body stiffened: "Where are my study materials?!"

Just then, Zhang Pianpian, without looking up, said, "You aren't practicing dual cultivation anyway. Downloading all these viral videos from the Joyous Union Sect is a waste of time, and bringing them into the Taiqing Realm is a waste of space. I’ve deleted them all for you."

Zhang Yu exclaimed in annoyance: "Sister! You looked at my study materials?"

He slammed his fist into the ground, fuming: "I was preparing those as hypothetical scenarios against students of the Joyous Union Sect! What if I encounter them in the Ten Great Leagues? How can I go in unprepared?"

Zhang Pianpian pursed her lips and said, "I suggest you simply get sterilized; it’s much more cost-effective."

Zhang Yu stiffly changed the subject: "The path of immortality is a personal choice; one must respect the choices of every cultivator! Can you stop doing this in the future? And my browsing history, too—can you stop looking at that?"

Zhang Pianpian explained, "I am merely worried that someone is monitoring you or stealing your information, which is why I check on you so often."

"After all, you are completely ignorant of talisman arts; walking through the Spirit Realm like this is no different than walking around naked."

Zhang Yu sighed helplessly: "Then, in the future, could you at least pretend you haven't seen them?"

Zhang Pianpian nodded: "I understand."

She flicked her fingers, and a talisman flashed and vanished.

"I have restored your study materials. You may continue... oh, wait, I know nothing."

Watching his sister lower her head to resume her study of the talismans, Zhang Yu drew a deep breath, thinking to himself, "In the Kunxu ruins, privacy is a luxury one can hardly afford."

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Zhang Yu engaged his multi-threaded cognition, immediately plunging into the study of artifact engineering, design principles, and the fundamentals of rune etching.

These lessons were dense with the mechanics of artifact crafting rather than spiritual cultivation, and since his Feather Tome could not accelerate such learning, he had no choice but to progress through each chapter methodically.

Yet, under the twenty-fold time dilation, combined with the parallel processing of his multi-threaded mind, a vast sea of knowledge flooded his consciousness, gradually illuminating the craft that had once been a complete mystery to him.

However, the textbooks and video lectures, all belonging to the artifact-crafting department, cost him nearly one spirit coin for the four courses, even after a twenty-percent discount.

Spirit Coin Balance: 7.5

...

Inside the training chamber.

With a sharp crack, Zhang Yu stomped his foot against the floor, injecting a surge of black-gold Xuanhuang energy into the gravel beneath him.

He blew a sharp breath, and the scattered stones rose into the air like goose feathers, drifting down slowly like falling snow.

Director Gao nodded slightly from the side, remarking, "Not bad. To push the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal to the third level in such a short time—you possess a glimmer of my own youthful brilliance."

"Keep striving; do not grow complacent or slack. You are still a long way from the true pinnacle of the Civil Engineering Department."

Zhang Yu glanced at the Feather Tome, where the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal had already reached level ten, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "I understand, Master."

At level ten, the Xuanhuang energy condensed by the seal could now exist independently of his body.

Zhang Yu had tested it in private; he could now launch attacks with the energy or channel it through his Formless or Abyssal laborers.

After Zhang Yu departed, the usually stoic expression on Director Gao’s face softened into a smile, a thrill akin to striking gold on the stock market years ago, and he felt an urgent need to boast.

But Zhang Yu had yet to truly mature, and exposing his talent too early would only invite trouble.

He pondered for a long moment.

"Alas, Ciji, do not blame me. We have been friends for years, and you have never shied away from flaunting your magical remains, artifacts, skyships, mounts, grotto-heavens, and savings..."

With that, Director Gao took a photo of the floating gravel and sent it to True Monarch Ciji.

Director Gao: [Image]

Director Gao: Zhang Yu’s Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal has reached level three.

True Monarch Ciji: !

True Monarch Ciji: Truly? So quickly? [Surprised]

Watching the reply, Director Gao inhaled deeply, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Who says we in Civil Engineering lack prodigies?

...

On the construction site of the 667th floor.

As Zhang Yu thrust his palm toward the heavens, a surge of gale-force energy erupted into the sky.

The next moment, as he pressed his hand downward, the energy descended with the crushing weight of a collapsing sky.

Under the pressure of the gale, the very air seemed to thicken like liquid mercury, finally slamming into the ground like a colossal square seal.

With a thunderous roar, the uneven terrain was instantly flattened and compacted.

Zhang Yu nodded at the sight, thinking, "Though my Heaven-Overturning Seal has reached level ten, I can only use it at the third-level intensity for this labor—a pity, truly."

With the seal at level ten, its area of effect had expanded, and at full power, he could now compress dozens of square meters in a single strike.

"Even if I am limited to level three, at least I can switch back to the Eternal Qi Flow for recovery; my mana replenishes fast enough that I can cast the seal for most of the night..."

In the blink of an eye, the night passed, and Zhang Yu received his first paycheck for the large-scale construction work.

Over the following days, Zhang Yu spent every night alternating between practicing the Heaven-Overturning Seal and working.

Spirit Coin Balance: 7.9

(End of Chapter)