Chapter 402: Busy Zhang Yu

Chapter 402: The Busy Zhang Yu

As his proficiency in refining Azure Sand reached Level 2, Zhang Yu felt a flood of visions flash through his mind: the intricate circulation of mana and martial energy, the delicate handling of materials, the precise control of heat, the nuances of spray-coating fiber composite films, and the hard-won experience of stabilizing mana circuits.

One memory of refining after another surfaced in his consciousness, granting him a sudden, profound understanding and insight into the craft of Azure Sand.

Consequently, when he attempted to refine the sand again using only one-tenth of the material, his success rate climbed significantly.

The quality of the Azure Sand, moreover, showed a visible improvement.

Nearby, Ye Xingli observed the finished product and felt a flicker of surprise: "The color is bright, and in terms of purity and lack of impurities, it seems much better than before... Is this Level 2 Azure Sand?"

"Is it luck? Or is he truly progressing this quickly?"

Ye Xingli continued to watch, but soon noticed Zhang Yu recklessly compressing the refining time again, causing the output to revert to Level 1 quality.

By the time the six-hour practice session concluded, Zhang Yu had managed, through repeated trials, to compress the refining time to roughly fifteen minutes.

"Using one-tenth of the material costs 0.003 spirit coins."

"The rental fee for the venue and equipment is 0.7 spirit coins for six hours, which comes to 0.35 spirit coins after splitting it with Ye Xingli."

"If I maintain a fifteen-minute refining cycle, I can complete twenty-four batches in six hours."

Zhang Yu calculated silently: "By this logic, the cost per batch is pressed down to about 0.01758 spirit coins."

"And this is not the limit."

Zhang Yu thought of his Formless Warriors and Deep Cold Warriors.

Just as he used them to labor on construction sites, he reasoned that he could apply the same logic to artifact refining.

Zhang Yu mused: "The material and time compression can be standardized. Next time... I will activate Quadruple Cognition to see if I can synchronize the refining of four batches of Azure Sand at once."

"If successful, not only will costs drop further, but my cultivation efficiency will skyrocket."

"Furthermore, if I sell a portion of the Azure Sand I refine to recoup my investment, the net cost will be even lower."

With this in mind, Zhang Yu turned to Ye Xingli and asked, "Senior Sister, if I want to sell some of the products I made while practicing, where is the most convenient place to offload them?"

Ye Xingli recalled the instructions of Master Magnetic Pole and replied directly, "If you trust me, you can just leave them with me."

"I have some connections in the Artifact Refining Department; I can help you sell them."

"However, basic refined products don't fetch high prices; at most, you'll just break even."

Zhang Yu nodded eagerly, "I know, that's fine. Breaking even is enough."

After leaving the laboratory, the two parted ways.

Watching Zhang Yu’s retreating figure, Ye Xingli sent a message to Master Magnetic Pole: Master, Zhang Yu and I have left the laboratory.

Master Magnetic Pole: How did Zhang Yu perform?

Ye Xingli: His talent for artifact refining is decent; he managed to produce Level 2 Azure Sand within those six hours.

Ye Xingli: But his attitude is problematic; he likes to mess with the proportions and timing as soon as he learns the basics.

Ye Xingli briefly recounted what she had witnessed.

Master Magnetic Pole replied: I understand.

Master Magnetic Pole: If he wants to sell his output in the future, help him consign it for now.

Master Magnetic Pole: As for the laboratory, you may split the costs with him.

Hearing that Master Magnetic Pole wanted her to assist Zhang Yu in such a way, Ye Xingli could no longer suppress her confusion.

She asked: Master, Zhang Yu is a student of the Civil Engineering Department, right? His talent for artifact refining is hardly exceptional; why help him so much?

Master Magnetic Pole: Director Gao of the Civil Engineering Department wants to transfer this disciple of his to the Artifact Refining Department.

Master Magnetic Pole: Although I do not recommend he do so.

Master Magnetic Pole: But we have a friendship spanning hundreds of years; since he insists, I must offer the help I can, even if it means taking a small loss.

Reading the message, Ye Xingli couldn't help but marvel at the bond between Master Magnetic Pole and Director Gao.

She thought to herself: "So, it wasn't Zhang Yu, a mere civil engineering student, who caught the Master's eye, but rather the favor for Director Gao."

Ye Xingli felt this made sense; after all, a civil engineering student was essentially a "vocational student" at Wanfa University, much like those in the Security Department. With the Master's high standards, how could he possibly be interested?

He would likely demand a red envelope just to speak a single word.

"But the Master and Director Gao... is this the friendship of ancient cultivators?"

"Though the Master keeps up with the times, constantly learning cutting-edge immortal techniques and following the trends of Kunxu, he is, after all, an ancient man. His thinking... is inevitably influenced by the dregs of ancient culture."

Just as Ye Xingli was pondering this, Master Magnetic Pole sent another message.

Master Magnetic Pole: This matter is currently confidential. Even if asked in person, neither I nor Director Gao will admit to it.

Master Magnetic Pole: Remember not to let it slip.

Ye Xingli: Master, you can trust my discretion. Even if someone offered me 1,000 spirit coins, I wouldn't say a word.

...

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu was on his way to the construction site on the 667th floor.

He first checked the "Azure Sand Level 2 (10/20)" entry on his Feather Book, then looked at another artifact refining skill.

Azure Cloud-Gathering Pouch Level 0 (0/1, requires Azure Sand Level 2/5).

This pouch was an artifact blueprint Zhang Yu had learned in his refining courses, specifically designed to store Azure Sand.

By channeling mana into it, one could spray and recover Azure Sand on a large scale.

Just like his cultivation techniques, many artifact refining skills had prerequisites.

Refining Azure Sand required specific levels of mana and martial energy, while the Azure Cloud-Gathering Pouch required mastery of Azure Sand refining techniques.

"Whether it is a magical artifact or a Dharma corpse, beyond the requirements of realm, Dao heart, and mana, there are often various prerequisites in refining skills," Zhang Yu thought.

"To reach the level where I can refine my own body into a Dharma corpse, I must master a vast array of prerequisite skills in addition to my cultivation."

"There is still a long road ahead."

"But with so many refining skills, there is no need to push every single one to the absolute limit; as long as they are sufficient, that is enough."

As for more distant goals—like owning his own laboratory or establishing a production line—Zhang Yu could only dream for now.

Arriving at the site, Zhang Yu summoned his Formless Warriors.

He reached out and scattered a handful of Azure Sand over them.

As the martial energy surged within the warriors, a faint azure luster appeared on their forms, giving them a more solid, tangible presence.

Zhang Yu mused: "Azure Sand increases the efficiency of martial energy conduction and reduces consumption; this should boost my work efficiency."

With that, Zhang Yu controlled his warriors to labor on the site while he sat shrouded in a mist of Formless Cloud Energy, beginning his practice of the seventh technique of the Martial Saint Body.

Hours passed, and as the sky began to pale with dawn, Zhang Yu calculated his daily wages and thought: "Construction efficiency has increased by about 5%."

"Not bad at all. If the grade of the Azure Sand improves further, the efficiency gains should be even greater."

"In this way, even if Senior Sister Ye Xingli doesn't sell much of my consigned sand, I can still use it to increase my income at the site."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu felt more motivated than ever.

In the days that followed, Zhang Yu would rent an artifact-refining laboratory once or twice a week to hone his craft.

The rest of his time was consumed by daytime lectures and manual labor at construction sites by night, all while practicing the techniques of his Martial Dao Saint Body.

Beyond that, he had to carve out hours for refining courses in the Taiqing Realm, absorb mana of 200% purity to elevate his own, and visit the Heart-Hammering Abode to temper his Daoist resolve...

...

Inside the laboratory.

Ye Xingli cast a glance at the three Formless Laborers nearby, thinking to herself, "Such formidable cognitive capacity."

"But to multitask like this, churning out multiple batches of Azure Sand simultaneously... is it truly beneficial for refining mastery? Skill is not cultivated merely by piling up repetitions."

In her view, unless one were racing against production quotas, it was far better to focus intently on a single batch of Azure Sand, savoring the nuances of materials, steps, timing, heat, mana, and aura, learning and adjusting with every movement.

Yet, the very next moment, Ye Xingli’s gaze sharpened as she looked at the Azure Sand successfully refined by one of the laborers.

"Grade 3 Azure Sand?"

"How intriguing."

She mused, "Though he tends to be reckless, Zhang Yu’s talent for artifact refining appears to be greater than I had initially anticipated."

Still, she remained largely indifferent; after all, when she had refined Azure Sand for the first time, she had produced a Grade 5 specimen immediately.

Turning away, Ye Xingli resumed interviewing her new potential artifact spirits.

"You graduated from Hehuan University? May I ask what your primary gender is?"

"You are a student from the Colonel Academy? My apologies, I am only looking to hire soul-cultivators from the Top Ten universities."

"Tianmo University? Welcome aboard; feel free to treat my right arm as your own home."

...

Emerging from the laboratory that day, Zhang Yu received a message from Gongshu Jin.

Reading the contents, his eyes brightened: "Is the buffet about to begin?"

Simultaneously, Ye Xingli looked at him and said, "You’re heading to the gathering, aren't you? It is, after all, a celebration for the Civil Engineering department."

Zhang Yu nodded, already aware that the event was organized by Gongshu Jin to commemorate their second-place finish in the inter-university league.

"Let’s go together, then," Ye Xingli added casually. "I’m attending as well."

Zhang Yu followed her to the 650th floor of Wanfa University, and as they stepped out of the anti-gravity corridor, they found Gongshu Jin waiting for them.

Seeing Zhang Yu arrive in the company of Ye Xingli, Gongshu Jin was struck by a wave of surprise.

Compared to when he first met her last year, Ye Xingli seemed vastly different in his eyes now.

The title hovering above her head had shifted from 15th in the Artifact Refining Department to 8th.

To hold such a rank within one of the three ace departments made her, in Gongshu Jin’s estimation, a top-tier student of Wanfa University.

Watching them walk and chat with such ease, he wondered, "Since when did Zhang Yu become so close with Ye Xingli?"