Chapter 394: End

Chapter 394: The End

The Ethereal Realm.

Watching Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan suppress Su Yanyang in a flurry of lightning-fast movements, many civil engineering professors wore expressions of astonishment; this was a turn of events none of them had anticipated.

Tu Lishan thought to himself, "In just three short months, Zhang Yu has actually cultivated his Xuanhuang Zhenyue Seal to this level?"

Lang Yougong was curious: "Did Su Yanyang’s Dharma-Skeleton malfunction? Was that Zhang Yu’s doing? And what kind of technique is that?"

Director Gao mused: "Magnetic Pole has certainly taught him a great deal. It seems this fellow really put his heart into it this time; those 30 spirit coins were well spent."

True Monarch Magnetic Pole thought to himself: "That flying sword was forged using the methods of the Extreme Emotion Sword Path."

"As far as I know, Wen Wuyai is not a disciple of the Seven Emotions God-Monarch."

"This old Gao, is he actually connected to the two Transformation-Spirit experts at Heavenly Sword University? Has he turned traitor to the Ten Thousand Dharmas, selling out the university?"

Director Gao: Thanks, you put in the effort this time.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: No need, it is you who hides your depths so well; you have trained your disciple excellently.

On the other side, Director Lin watched the scene where Su Yanyang and Xiao Qingxuan were locked in an inseparable struggle, and suddenly felt that Ji Yuanxu’s defeat was not entirely unjust.

"This kid Zhang Yu has clearly received guidance from experts, possesses support from multiple sides, and his own aptitude far exceeds his peers."

Director Lin thought: "It seems the War Faction is truly determined to push him forward; they have invested a great deal of effort."

Recalling what Ji Yuanxu said about the War Faction targeting him, Director Lin secretly thought: "What Ji Yuanxu said wasn't entirely wrong; he might have truly been caught in the crossfire of the War Faction’s support for Zhang Yu."

"And my original intention to have Ji Yuanxu block Zhang Yu... it seems I underestimated this Zhang Yu, and I underestimated the War Faction."

Meanwhile, during the time Xiao Qingxuan held off Su Yanyang, Zhang Yu had already charged toward the construction materials scattered by the shockwaves.

Seeing this, Tu Lishan’s gaze sharpened, knowing the turning point of the match had arrived.

As the defensive side in this round, Su Yanyang had to use the prepared materials to construct a bunker.

Many of the materials used for the bunker were difficult to refine on-site.

Tu Lishan thought: "In other words, if the materials disappear, that is a major problem."

And how could construction materials vanish from a site without a trace, impossible to even find?

All the civil engineering professors present shared the same answer in their hearts.

"This kid Zhang Yu is about to start eating, isn't he?"

Tu Lishan secretly thought: "After all, even if he went back to join Xiao Qingxuan in besieging Su Yanyang now, he couldn't resolve the opponent in a short time. It is better to seize the time to eliminate the materials and lower the completion rate of their bunker."

Just as they expected, Zhang Yu’s muscles bulged, his figure ballooning under the propulsion of the Mountainous True Form Chapter, and he swallowed a handful of materials in one gulp.

But immediately, Zhang Yu’s body stiffened, blood flowed from his nose and mouth, and his flesh spasmed, occasionally flashing with a bruised, purple hue.

Tu Lishan thought: "Poisoned? Did Su Yanyang poison the materials?"

Lang Yougong thought: "It shouldn't affect the construction, but it’s a toxin that takes effect after ingestion, right?"

"Well played!" Wei Huai smiled slightly: "All construction site materials should be poisoned!"

"Su Yanyang has truly learned the lesson from the previous battle; he was well-prepared."

In the image, Zhang Yu did not continue to consume the materials, as he felt that even if he could endure the poison, doing so while fighting the toxins was too strenuous.

He then rolled his Qi, processing the materials on the spot to create rows of misshapen, broken walls and ruins.

Seeing this, Tu Lishan’s eyes lit up and he said: "Good! He is using the opponent’s materials to create shoddy construction."

"Once materials have been refined and used, it is not easy to repurpose them; many things cannot even be used a second time."

Lang Yougong added: "It’s not just that. Zhang Yu is integrating these broken walls into the formation, using the formation to reinforce this shoddy work, making it even harder to dismantle and recycle."

...

Inside the arena.

Zhang Yu knew the match had reached a critical moment. With a wild roar, his muscles surged, and the War Demon Falling Life Technique, Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, Mountainous True Form Chapter... every technique capable of boosting construction efficiency was pushed to its limit.

At the same time, streaks of Faceless Warriors emerged around him; over a dozen of them acted like a small construction crew, beginning their own work.

...

"So fast," Tu Lishan sighed: "Has this kid Zhang Yu achieved such high construction efficiency without anyone noticing?"

Meanwhile, the situation in the arena shifted again.

A figure charged in—it was one of Su Yanyang’s teammates.

Just as this teammate pushed his Qi to blast Xiao Qingxuan, Su Yanyang flashed repeatedly, heading toward the iron coffin flying in from the other side.

Several streaks of light flew out, replacing the Dharma-Skeleton on his body in the blink of an eye.

Then, Shi Huaiyu arrived on the scene, kicking up a sky of mud and sand to cover for Zhang Yu.

Tu Lishan watched as the combatants arrived one after another, forming intersecting battle lines centered around the shoddy construction in progress.

And it wasn't just a fierce battle in the physical world; in the Ethereal Network, the soul cultivators of both sides were competing for control of the formations, interfering with the battlefield using the power of the arrays.

But even though Tu Lishan leaned toward Zhang Yu’s side, he had to admit the gap between the two sides was vast.

Tu Lishan thought: "It won't last long at this rate."

Wei Huai thought: "Too poor... this team has so many poor people, and after consecutive fierce battles, they can't last much longer; I fear they will be forced into elimination."

Tu Lishan thought: "Zhang Yu, can you go any faster?"

...

Inside the arena.

Listening to the intense sounds of battle around him, Zhang Yu pushed his four-fold consciousness to the limit, squeezing every ounce of flesh and every strand of mana from his body, working at the fastest speed of his life.

"Faster."

"A little faster!"

At this moment, Zhang Yu had no other thoughts; he was single-mindedly focused on consuming the materials before him at the highest possible speed.

Thus, after activating every technique he could and using every ounce of power at his disposal, he began to switch his chain-formation diagrams.

He gradually replaced the Qi-Pulse Long Flow, used for mana recovery, with the Martial Dao Sacred Body.

He didn't need digestion, learning ability, mana recovery speed, or various resistances; now, he only wanted to push his techniques to greater power.

And at this moment, as the Martial Dao Sacred Body descended, every bit of power within his body, every strike of force outside, and every wisp of Qi became crystal clear in Zhang Yu’s mind.

Under the hammering, heating, shaping, and stirring of his flesh and Qi, the various construction materials began to feel like extensions of his own limbs.

It seemed that the intuitive answer for how to execute and propel every technique to achieve the maximum effect on these materials surfaced in his mind. In an instant, driven by the Martial Dao Sacred Body, the power of the techniques he unleashed surged, and his construction efficiency jumped to a new level.

...

"Another breakthrough?"

Director Gao was startled: "This kind of all-encompassing breakthrough... is it a breakthrough in his Martial Dao realm?"

"To break through right in the middle of a construction job—how much heart and soul has this kid Zhang Yu poured into construction?"

"He might just change the Civil Engineering Department of Ten Thousand Dharmas University."

Standing to the side, the Magnetic Pole Sovereign watched this scene with a start: "To achieve a breakthrough under such conditions... it is akin to a swordsman reaching a new realm of mastery mid-duel, or a blacksmith perfecting his craft while the iron is still white-hot."

"Without a heart of absolute focus, absolute devotion, and absolute passion for one's profession and skill, such a feat would surely be impossible."

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign felt a stir of curiosity: "A student so enamored with civil engineering—why would he want to transfer departments? Will he truly go through with it?"

"No... could this lad be conspiring with Old Gao to deceive me?"

Thinking especially of Director Gao, who had managed to forge connections with two Nascent Soul Sovereigns, the Magnetic Pole Sovereign felt the man’s presence grow increasingly inscrutable.

...

Meanwhile, many of those locked in fierce combat were reaching their limits.

Red warnings flickered incessantly in Che Yufei’s ocular interface; the estimated costs for his dharma-skeleton repairs and physical treatment were nearing their breaking point.

"This is as far as I go."

He posted a screenshot of his bill in the competition group: "My apologies, everyone, I truly cannot hold on any longer."

Shi Yunxiang likewise posted his projected losses and remaining balance, adding: "[Tears] I am sorry, I have reached my limit as well."

Shi Yunxiang: I should have taken on more part-time jobs.

Shi Huaiyu’s ocular interface displayed the mounting depreciation data of his ghost-kidneys, leaving him hesitant and conflicted.

Zhao Tianxing sent a private message to Zhang Yu: Zhang Yu, the balance in my Spirit Realm calculation pool is almost exhausted.

Mo Tianyi: I can hold for another five minutes.

Zhang Yu, who was frantically consuming building materials, felt a flicker of unwillingness in his eyes: "How can we be defeated at a time like this?"

He transferred 3 spirit coins each to Zhao Tianxing and Mo Tianyi, then dropped a 15-spirit-coin red packet into the group, his own savings instantly plummeting.

Zhang Yu: Everyone, hold on a little longer; we still have a chance to win, a chance to make the top seven!

Yu Xinghan: [0.5 spirit coins] This is all I have left, hold firm!

Ying Xin: [1 spirit coin] Everyone, keep going!

Gongshu Jin: [20 spirit coins]

Gongshu Jin: If that is not enough, I will borrow more; I still have plenty in reserve.

In an instant, the group’s fighting spirit reignited, and even Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang, who had intended to surrender, began to fight with renewed ferocity.

Zhang Yu knew that university students rarely had deep pockets, as any wealth was quickly converted into their own cultivation strength; at this moment, everyone in the group was essentially burning their own potential.

Thinking of this, under the crushing pressure, the Four-Headed White Ox in Zhang Yu’s mind let out a roar, his internal cultivation method surged with greater intensity, and he felt his thoughts, movements, and the manipulation of his techniques accelerate.

...

Many teachers in the Spirit Realm space were marveling at Zhang Yu’s performance.

Yet, many others could see that although Zhang Yu had broken through and his construction efficiency was climbing, his teammates were nearing collapse under the siege of Su Yanyang and his cohorts.

In their eyes, Su Yanyang was like a corporation flush with capital, throwing money everywhere to encircle and suppress Zhang Yu’s small engineering team.

Under such a siege, it seemed that no matter how desperately Zhang Yu labored or built, he could not escape the fate of being crushed.

Wei Huai remarked: "No matter how excellent the individual worker, when faced with the siege of big capital and the pressure of financial attrition, they are ultimately powerless..."

But suddenly, watching Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, and the others fight with the fervor of those possessed, Wei Huai frowned: "Have they gone mad?"

...

The rage in Su Yanyang’s heart grew ever more intense.

He loathed the battle before him, loathed the unnecessary wear on his dharma-skeletons, loathed the relentless rise in costs, and loathed the lack of control that followed such chaotic fighting.

In particular, the opponent’s "fight to the death" attitude, combined with the fact that he could not actually kill them, left Su Yanyang feeling severely constrained.

He had always intended to simply crush them head-on with superior construction capability.

Now, he was being forced into the mire, brawling in the mud alongside them.

Su Yanyang sent a message to the soul cultivators in his formation: Within 3 minutes, drive the opposing soul cultivators out completely, or do not expect a single cent of your wages.

In the competition group, Su Yanyang: What are you all doing?

Su Yanyang: Per team rules, the person with the lowest score this round will pay a 10-spirit-coin fine to be distributed among the others.

Driven by Su Yanyang’s relentless pressure, the team’s momentum surged, and their attacks became increasingly violent.

A moment later, Shi Yunxiang was the first to be slammed into the earth by a Xuanhuang Great Handprint.

...

In the Spirit Realm space.

Tu Lishan watched as the members of Zhang Yu’s team were subdued one by one, and the soul cultivators were forced to retreat from the battlefield, leaving only Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan.

Tu Lishan felt as if he were watching the Civil Engineering Department being swept away by a torrent of capital; despite their efforts to build and complete projects, even risking their lives and livelihoods, they still appeared precarious.

Yet, Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan displayed astonishing resilience.

Relying on one attacking and one defending, they dragged a massive pile of building materials with them, fighting as they retreated, stubbornly holding on for another ten minutes before being completely repelled.

When Su Yanyang finally drove off all his opponents, he did not pursue the retreating Zhang Yu and Xiao Qingxuan, but instead scrambled to dismantle the ruins Zhang Yu had built, desperate to recycle the materials.

In particular, many key materials that were difficult to refine on-site had been used by Zhang Yu, and they had to do everything in their power to reclaim them.

In the blink of an eye, as the competition time expired, the final results were presented to all.

"Completion rate 34%?" Su Yanyang muttered: "Impossible, how could we be lower than them? I demand a re-evaluation..."

On the other side, seeing the result, Zhang Yu felt his body lighten, and he finally relaxed.

"We should have made the top seven."

"We have reached the limit of what we could achieve; the rest of the competition is no longer our concern."