Chapter 405: The Mysterious Zhang Yu

Chapter 405: The Mysterious Zhang Yu

Wen Wuya’s forced manifestation via a spiritual projection was striking, noticed by nearly everyone at the gathering the moment he appeared.

Those who did not recognize him wore expressions of curiosity.

But those who knew him, aware of his status as a disciple of a Transformation-stage master, looked on in astonishment.

Ma Xuan’s gaze shifted to Wen Wuya’s figure, and he whispered to Su Yanyang: This seems to be one of the two Transformation-stage disciples from Heavenly Sword University we saw at the flying sword competition.

Su Yanyang nodded, glancing at Wen Wuya and then at Mo Shangjin not far away, sighing, "Mo Shangjin is truly well-connected; he even managed to summon this Wen Wuya to the gathering."

But seeing the subtle exchange of glances between Wen Wuya and Zhang Yu, a look of surprise crossed Su Yanyang’s face, and he thought, "Are these two communicating?"

Ma Xuan whispered: Wen Wuya... does he seem to be here for Zhang Yu?

Su Yanyang nodded slightly: Perhaps there is some matter between them?

On the other side, Xiao Yunjie was equally surprised: "What are Wen Wuya and Zhang Yu talking about?"

Xiao Yunjie had already stood up; she reasoned that if Zhang Yu could strike up a conversation with Wen Wuya, there was no reason she couldn't.

Ping Han, who had just left in disappointment, was drawn back, his eyes flashing as he looked at Wen Wuya, already plotting to pull him into his cryptocurrency schemes.

Gongshu Jin, currently busy with his massage duties, watched Zhang Yu and Wen Wuya standing together, already unfazed.

After all, he had witnessed Wen Wuya specifically seeking out Zhang Yu when the flying sword competition ended.

Seeing the confusion and curiosity of the seniors whose rankings and Dharma-remnant wealth far exceeded his own, a sense of pride welled up in Gongshu Jin.

Because only he knew of the friendship between Wen Wuya and Zhang Yu.

"Come to think of it, I am friends with Zhang Yu, and Zhang Yu is friends with Wen Wuya. If I could get Zhang Yu to introduce us one day, I too could have a friend who is a Transformation-stage disciple."

At this thought, a sense of superiority emerged in his heart, as if it were he standing beside Wen Wuya.

Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan had already silently snapped dozens of photos of Zhang Yu and Wen Wuya.

He looked at the mosaics in the photos with regret and muttered: "Damn rich people, they’d rather spend money on anti-evil talismans than let us poor students get any advantage."

The next moment, under the gaze of the crowd, a sudden change occurred in the arena.

"...How dare you!"

Wen Wuya crushed the intercepted data within Feng Tingting’s ocular remnant and began walking toward her step by step.

With every stride, vast arrays of talismanic data flashed around him—immobilization talismans, reporting talismans, and freezing talismans were triggered in rapid succession, terrifying Feng Tingting into paralysis.

Just then, two figures stepped in front of Feng Tingting, one after the other.

Mo Shangjin smiled slightly at Wen Wuya and said, "Student Wen, why disturb the True Gods over such a trivial matter?"

Ye Xingli said coldly, "Wen Wuya, this is Ten Thousand Laws University, not your Heavenly Sword University. This is not a place for you to run wild."

Wen Wuya’s gaze lingered on Mo Shangjin, and rows of data immediately popped up in his eyes—Mo Shangjin’s ranking and his placements in various annual competitions.

He then looked at Ye Xingli, where similar data regarding her competition history and her master’s identity appeared.

Wen Wuya: "Ye Xingli... I know you. A disciple of the Magnetic Pole True Monarch, you placed in the top five among a hundred schools in the last Dharma-remnant design competition."

At the same time, Wen Wuya added to himself: "Magnetic Pole True Monarch... my master said this person hides their depth well. Even many at Ten Thousand Laws University likely don’t know. If Ten Thousand Laws University produces a fourth Transformation-stage master in the next twenty years, it will most likely be her."

But Wen Wuya was only a projection, capable at most of using talismanic arts, and his presence already felt diminished compared to Ye Xingli.

He looked at her deeply and asked, "Where is Yan Qianji? As a disciple of the Myriad Transformation God, he is the one in charge among the students of the Artifact Refining Department, is he not?"

"Does he know you are shielding a student’s illegal behavior?"

Ye Xingli met his gaze without flinching, replying calmly, "Such a small matter hardly requires disturbing Senior Qianji. Furthermore, whether it is illegal or not is not for you to decide; the True Gods will gather evidence and judge."

The next moment, their gazes collided, and an invisible tension seemed to clash.

The surrounding students watched, feeling as if a silent battle were unfolding between them.

Before Ye Xingli, Wen Wuya projected a string of characters visible only to her, dancing like insects.

Wen Wuya: This is the intercepted record; I have already saved it.

Ye Xingli projected a response in the same script: Are you certain you haven't made a mistake?

Wen Wuya’s mind stirred as he scanned the intercepted data he had taken, only to find the content had been completely wiped.

His interest in Ye Xingli deepened, and he thought, "No spiritual power fluctuations—was it wiped using a Dharma-remnant? Has Ye Xingli’s level of intelligence in Dharma-remnants reached this point?"

Just then, Wen Wuya received a message from Bai Zhenzhen.

Bai Zhenzhen: Wen Wuya, where are you?

Wen Wuya: Busy with a small matter.

Bai Zhenzhen: Open a call; I have something to tell you.

Wen Wuya: Alright.

Wen Wuya: Wait for me.

Wen Wuya: Immediately.

He glanced at Ye Xingli and Feng Tingting, snorted coldly, and projected to Ye Xingli: I have other matters today. When my true self meets you in the future, we shall discuss this further.

He then turned to Zhang Yu and whispered: What type of sterilization does Bai Zhenzhen prefer? Zhang Yu: Ah Zhen likes the extreme kind.

Wen Wuya: Like gender reassignment?

Wen Wuya: Or human-sword integration?

Zhang Yu thought: "Huh? Not like that, buddy... isn't that too extreme?"

Wen Wuya: Forget it, both are easy enough; I shall try both.

After exchanging a few looks with Zhang Yu, Wen Wuya’s figure flickered and vanished from the scene.

But the moment he excitedly initiated the call request, it was hung up immediately.

Bai Zhenzhen: Why are you so late? I have already started practicing my sword; just send me a message if you have something to say.

Wen Wuya sighed internally; had he known, he would have retracted his projection sooner.

Back at the party, Zhang Yu looked at the chat history between "Bai Zhenzhen" and Wen Wuya, thinking, "This Wen Wuya is too much trouble; I’ll have to use Ah Zhen to keep him in check."

Su Yanyang, having witnessed the whole thing, thought, "To exert such pressure from thousands of miles away with just a projection—he is truly worthy of being a Transformation-stage disciple."

"He and Ye Xingli must have clashed in the spiritual realm; otherwise, he wouldn't have left so decisively."

"Judging by the result, he was only a projection, so he must have been at a disadvantage against Ye Xingli."

Ma Xuan whispered: Senior, why do I feel like Wen Wuya and Zhang Yu are quite close?

Su Yanyang frowned, recalling the glances between them, his mind filled with doubt.

Meanwhile, Ping Han had returned to Zhang Yu’s side, trying to get an introduction to Wen Wuya to discuss cryptocurrency.

The students of the Civil Engineering Department looked at Mo Shangjin with reverence, spreading the news of how he had single-handedly mediated the conflict between the Transformation-stage disciple and the Artifact Refining Department.

As for the various speculations regarding the mysterious relationship between Zhang Yu and Wen Wuya, they began to circulate in student group chats, becoming just another piece of gossip at Ten Thousand Laws University.

Mo Shangjin smiled at Ye Xingli and said, "Junior Sister Ye, it is thanks to you being here today that this was resolved. Without you, I doubt this Transformation-stage disciple would have given me such face."

Feng Tingting added, "Senior Sister, did you just force him back in the spiritual realm?"

Ye Xingli furrowed her brows and remarked, "This man is a direct disciple of a Deity Transformation master, possessing vast wealth. Even if he could only employ talismans, he would be a troublesome nuisance. Moreover, I sensed a surge of fighting spirit in his intent just moments ago; for him to depart so abruptly... I suspect the reason lies elsewhere, not with me."

Feng Tingting felt a sudden jolt in her heart upon hearing this.

Recalling the conversation between Zhang Yu and Wen Wuyai, and the meaningful glances exchanged before Wen Wuyai’s departure, she mused to herself, "Could it be that Zhang Yu was the one who persuaded him to leave?"

"If that is the case, then Zhang Yu’s standing in Wen Wuyai’s heart must be far higher than I had previously imagined."

Observing the shifting expressions on Feng Tingting’s face, Ye Xingli asked, "What is it?"

Seeing Feng Tingting’s hesitation and the curiosity etched on Mo Shangjin’s face, Ye Xingli created a private group chat and asked: Tingting, what do you know?

Feng Tingting: It seems Wen Wuyai and Zhang Yu are cultivation partners. Could it be that Zhang Yu persuaded him to leave just now?

Hearing this revelation, Ye Xingli was shaken: "Could such a thing be true?"

She could not help but turn her gaze toward Zhang Yu, wondering: "What exactly are this man’s virtues? What benefit could there be in cultivating with him to attract a disciple of a Deity Transformation master like Wen Wuyai?"

At the thought that even Wen Wuyai coveted the benefits of cultivating with Zhang Yu, Ye Xingli found her curiosity piqued.

She then recalled Director Gao’s arrangement to transfer Zhang Yu to the Department of Artifact Refining, and began to speculate whether there was a connection between these two matters, her mind filling with ever-growing doubts and intrigue.

Beside her, Mo Shangjin was inwardly startled: "So that is it. There were rumors that Director Gao had ties to the Deity Transformation masters of the Heavenly Sword; could Zhang Yu be one of the channels for their communication?"

In an instant, the way Ye Xingli and Mo Shangjin looked at Zhang Yu changed entirely.

As the gathering concluded, Zhang Yu returned once more to the rhythm of his daily toil.

Time slipped away in the blink of an eye, and the calendar turned to the end of December.

Zhang Yu’s Dao Heart had reached level 16 (65.5%), his mana stood at 891.3 with a quality of 181%, and his physical strength had attained level 16.95.

With this comprehensive progress, his Qi conduction rate rose to 68%, and his maximum Qi conduction distance extended to 69 meters.

His martial arts progress was equally significant; the second of the Seven Earth-Wood Absolutes, the Great Wilderness Mountain-Moving Force, had been pushed to level 20.

The seventh martial art of his Martial Dao Saint Body also reached level 20, allowing him to begin the practice of the eighth.

Beyond these personal gains, what brought Zhang Yu the most joy was the progress brought about by the Green Lotus Sword Embryo.

Through repeated testing and sensing, he realized that as this divine root continuously refined his body, his commonly used University Saint Body, Earth-Wood Saint Body, and Qi-Pulse Flow could retain roughly 1% of their effects even without the use of his chain-array gear.

Though it was only 1%, Zhang Yu had not forgotten that the adaptive enhancement of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo was a process of gradual growth.

"In just one month, it has already grown to 1%..." At this thought, Zhang Yu’s anticipation for the adaptive strengthening of the Green Lotus Sword Embryo grew ever greater.

As for using it actively in combat like Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu dared not attempt such a thing at present.

And as the year turned from December to January, Director Gao’s arrangements for his work site finally arrived.

(End of this chapter)