Chapter 403: Students of the Artifact Refining Department

Chapter 403: Students of the Artifact Refining Department

Gongshu Jin followed Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli as the three of them stepped into the banquet hall.

The moment they crossed the threshold, the aroma of food wafted into Gongshu Jin’s nostrils; seeing the barrels of rice on the tables nearby, he couldn't help but marvel at Mo Shangjin’s extravagant wealth.

Beside him, Zhang Yu glanced at the tables, feeling a sudden, gnawing hunger in his gut.

After all, between his daily studies, overtime work, and cultivation, it had been a long time since he had sat down for a proper meal.

Just then, a young girl approached them.

She wore only a small vest and shorts, leaving a vast expanse of skin exposed.

Yet, across her limbs and joints, the distinct seams of mechanical assembly were clearly visible.

Even within Zhang Yu’s ocular implants, he could see the structural lines deliberately projected onto her body, along with the brands and model numbers of her various Dharma-bones.

Everything about her seemed designed to highlight these components, constantly reminding others that her arms, legs, and many parts of her body were not flesh and blood, but artificial constructs.

Zhang Yu scanned the ranking hovering above her head and thought, "15th in the Artifact Refining Department, is it?"

He also noticed that all the Dharma-bones on her body came from the same manufacturer.

"A loyal customer of the Myriad Dao Artisan Sect?" Zhang Yu speculated silently.

As soon as the girl reached Ye Xingli, she smiled sweetly. "Senior Sister!"

Ye Xingli introduced her, "This is Feng Tingting, my junior."

"Tingting, this is Zhang Yu from the Civil Engineering Department."

Feng Tingting turned to look at Zhang Yu, and upon seeing the "95th in Civil Engineering" tag above his head, she froze for a moment.

No way... 95th in Civil Engineering?

What a strange and distant number; in her memory, the last time she had spoken to a student of that caliber was years ago.

If not for the fact that he was introduced by Ye Xingli, she would have wanted to toss him out immediately.

Then, with a subtle sweep of her ocular implants, she accurately collected the data on Zhang Yu’s Dharma-bones.

"Time-Residual Demon Pupils, a model from three years ago. Including depreciation, the estimated value is 25.5 spirit coins, but he only has one..."

She silently marked a 12.75 above Zhang Yu’s head, representing his net worth in Dharma-bones.

Feng Tingting was an extremist of the Dharma-bone ideology.

By rapidly scanning a person’s components and calculating their market price, she determined their social standing—a common practice among many in the Artifact Refining Department.

To Feng Tingting, this was perfectly normal and efficient; otherwise, how could one quickly distinguish between the superior, the inferior, and the non-entities?

Feng Tingting firmly believed: "The future belongs to the age of Dharma-bones."

"Dharma-bones are the true bodies of a cultivator."

"The process of cultivation is simply earning money, learning, and increasing one’s mana to gradually replace the backward flesh with advanced Dharma-bones."

"The quantity of Dharma-bones a cultivator possesses represents their level of evolution on the path of immortality."

"Those without a single piece of Dharma-bone in this era are nothing but cripples."

After marking Zhang Yu with an evolutionary score of 12.75, Feng Tingting looked at Gongshu Jin, who stood behind him.

"No department ranking at all?"

Feng Tingting looked at Ye Xingli and asked, "Senior Sister, is this a soul-cultivator you just recruited? How is he still alive?"

Ye Xingli shook her head. "Who buys a living soul-cultivator?"

"This is Gongshu Jin from the Civil Engineering Department. Don't mind his lack of ranking; he's only a sophomore, so his comprehensive score is quite low."

Gongshu Jin lowered his head in shame upon hearing this.

Since entering the venue, he had been surrounded by students with prestigious rankings, making him feel like a cockroach from the sewers, utterly out of place.

Especially standing next to Ye Xingli and Feng Tingting, contrasted against their high-value Dharma-bones, Gongshu Jin felt wretchedly ugly.

Feng Tingting nodded at the explanation and marked a 151 above Gongshu Jin’s head, thinking, "Though he lacks a ranking, his evolutionary level is passable."

"It’s just a pity... he doesn't have a single Dharma-bone from the Myriad Dao Artisan Sect."

Feng Tingting shook her head internally; in her view, choosing any brand other than the Myriad Dao Artisan Sect meant one was evolving in the wrong direction.

As a top-tier conglomerate and a long-term partner of the university's Artifact Refining Department, the Myriad Dao Artisan Sect was, in her mind, the most advanced and orthodox representative of the immortal path.

"The Myriad Dao Artisan Sect truly masters the core technology; the others, like Tiangong or Vajra Profound Works, rely solely on marketing."

After scanning Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin, Feng Tingting turned her gaze back to Ye Xingli and the "1???" hovering above her head.

Seeing that four-digit value, Feng Tingting found Ye Xingli to be absolutely radiant.

"After all, this is a body worth over a thousand spirit coins; how could it not be beautiful?"

The three question marks following the "1" were there because Ye Xingli’s Dharma-bones had been self-modified, making them impossible for someone of Feng Tingting’s level to appraise accurately.

In Feng Tingting’s eyes, this only added a layer of mystery to her supreme beauty, making Ye Xingli’s form even more breathtakingly charming.

Beyond Feng Tingting, other students from the Artifact Refining Department soon approached.

Like moths to a flame, they swarmed toward Ye Xingli, each bearing their own department ranking.

The first thing these students did upon seeing Ye Xingli was to take photos.

Their ocular implants acted like precision calipers, meticulously measuring the changes in Ye Xingli’s body as if they were examining a work of art, recording every difference since they had last seen her.

The shifts in various parameters were all logged, which they considered vital data.

As the 8th-ranked student in the Artifact Refining Department, Ye Xingli was surpassed only by those in their final years.

She represented the absolute pinnacle of student-level artifact refining.

Her body was, to these students, the ultimate model for observation and study.

Immediately, a flurry of information began to exchange between the students and Ye Xingli.

Student A: [0.1 spirit coin transfer] Senior Sister, is my project recommendation letter okay?

Student B: [0.1 spirit coin transfer] Senior Ye, I want to join Professor Wang’s project team; do you have any way to help?

Student C: [0.1 spirit coin transfer] Senior Sister Xingli, have the groups for next year's refining competition been decided yet?

Others looked at Feng Tingting, asking: [0.05 spirit coin transfer] Senior Feng, are there any second-hand Dharma-bones from Senior Sister Xingli available?

Feng Tingting: Not yet. I'll let you know when there are.

As a role model for the department, the second-hand Dharma-bones that Ye Xingli had used, tempered, and adjusted were naturally highly sought after.

As for Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin, they were subconsciously ignored by the crowd.

Zhang Yu watched as the two parties exchanged glances in silence, yet he knew they were communicating through private channels.

Feeling that he couldn't get a word in, Zhang Yu rubbed his stomach and prepared to eat.

"Senior Sister Ye, I'm going to grab something to eat."

After greeting Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu turned and walked toward the dining tables.

Seeing Zhang Yu leave, Gongshu Jin hurriedly followed; he felt incredibly uncomfortable in the presence of these top-ranked students.

Just then, a wave of commotion erupted.

"The dining table has its own code; the first plate must be downed in a single gulp—it is a matter of respect for all present."

"Indeed, the culinary traditions passed down by our ancestors must not wither away in our generation!"

Zhang Yu and Gongshu Jin looked up to see a group of civil engineering students engaged in a fierce competitive eating match.

Watching those upperclassmen inhale plate after plate of rice-stuffed dumplings, Gongshu Jin drew a sharp breath, struck by the terrifying, bottomless appetites of these senior students.

"One's appetite reflects the strength of their digestion, and the strength of one's digestion signifies their wealth and physical prowess—it is a manifestation of their potential in the Dao."

Gongshu Jin understood well that this competitive eating was merely a way for individuals to showcase their innate immortal potential.

"Surely I won't be dragged into a eating contest, will I?"

Gongshu Jin glanced at the seniors nearby who were busy with massages and consuming elixirs, feeling that such a path was far better suited to him.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted; he spotted a familiar figure standing beside the seniors receiving massages.

"Is that... Yu Xinghan?"

Observing Yu Xinghan as he introduced technicians to the seniors, Gongshu Jin mused, "Has Yu Xinghan joined his mentor's massage platform and even become a manager?"

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already approached the dining table with a faint smile.

A senior spotted him and immediately grabbed his arm, exclaiming, "You must be Zhang Yu, right? Making the top seven in the departmental competition—impressive work!"

"Come, come, knock back a plate!"

Watching Zhang Yu polish off three plates of rice dumplings in rapid succession without showing the slightest strain, the civil engineering seniors erupted in murmurs of admiration.

Not far away, Su Yanyang looked up and swept a glance at Zhang Yu, but said nothing, silently clinking his rice bowl against Ma Xuan’s before they both downed a serving.

Compared to Zhang Yu, Su Yanyang was far more concerned with Xiao Yunjie and another senior civil engineering student named Ping Han.

"The examination for the Military Civil Engineering Certificate usually admits only one person at a time."

"For next October’s exam, Xiao Yunjie and Ping Han will undoubtedly be my greatest rivals."

As for Zhang Yu... though he had bested him in the recent competition, in Su Yanyang’s estimation, the boy’s raw individual strength was inferior to his own, and next year’s exam would be no place for him to shine.

"Zhang Yu is likely preparing for the certificate exam three years from now."

"Three years... that is far too late for me."

Su Yanyang thought to himself, "Next year is my best and only chance."

"But only by defeating Xiao Yunjie and Ping Han can I secure that military certificate."

(End of chapter)