Chapter 417: Rapid Progress, Limit of Foundation Establishment, Snatching Food

Chapter 417: Rapid Progress, Foundation Establishment Peak, Snatching Meals

On the Magneto-Channel.

A female student suddenly blocked Le Mulan’s path, looking at her and declaring, "Le Mulan! Please, let us engage in dual cultivation!"

Hearing the girl’s sincere plea, passersby turned their heads, casting curious glances at the pair, their thoughts drifting in various directions.

"Sigh, youth is a wonderful thing, to have so much spare time to devote to cultivation."

"Don't you dare agree! Everyone, slow down your progress; let me have fewer competitors."

"Both are Foundation Establishment seniors; if only one of them would take me in..."

Le Mulan looked at the girl before her and offered a faint, firm refusal.

On her way back to the dormitory, she encountered two more classmates—one wishing to share medicinal pills, another hoping to conduct drug experiments—all of whom were decisively turned away.

Watching Le Mulan retreat into her luxury dormitory, the rejected male student sighed, "Is Le Mulan really that wealthy? No wonder she has no interest in my experiments."

Just then, another man’s voice drifted over: "It is not that Le Mulan is wealthy, but that her dual cultivation partner, Zhang Yu, is."

The student turned to see Yu Xinghan approaching and asked, surprised, "Who are you?"

Yu Xinghan replied coolly, "I am Yu Xinghan of the Civil Engineering Department, well-versed in the arts of dual cultivation, health, and longevity."

"By my observation, you are not the first student to seek dual cultivation with Le Mulan these days."

"You must all be from the Pharmacology Department, aware that Le Mulan possesses unique mana and has apprenticed under Professor Yin to master proprietary drug techniques, hence your desire to advance alongside her?"

The student nodded slightly, looking at the Civil Engineering student with newfound astonishment, impressed by his breadth of knowledge.

Yu Xinghan smiled enigmatically and continued, "But you must realize, compared to Le Mulan’s partner, these things are trivial."

Seeing the student’s skepticism, Yu Xinghan explained, "Zhang Yu, Le Mulan’s partner, is a figure of immense stature."

"It is rumored that a disciple of the Deity Transformation stage traveled thousands of miles from Sky Sword University just to cultivate with him once."

"Even your own Professor Yin once spent a fortune—twenty-five Spirit Coins—to purchase his seeds."

"And beyond Le Mulan, another classmate of yours, Xuan Ge, has achieved breakthrough after breakthrough under his guidance..."

Yu Xinghan sighed, "This man possesses a peerless talent for dual cultivation; he is likely to change the status quo of Wanfa University, filling the void in that field."

The student’s eyes flickered; he had indeed heard rumors of Professor Yin’s recent breakthroughs, and Le Mulan and Xuan Ge did seem to be improving constantly.

At that moment, Yu Xinghan suggested, "Shall I add you to the group? It is filled with those who wish to enter that dormitory, sharing the latest intelligence."

The student replied without hesitation, "Add me!"

Once inside the group, the student saw seven or eight others already there, messages scrolling rapidly.

"I can't imagine how blissful Le Mulan is inside that room right now."

"Damn it, I’m so jealous of her!"

"She must be clinging to Zhang Yu the moment she enters, speeding down the fast lane of the Immortal Path."

"Sigh, I don't even hope for Zhang Yu anymore; I’d be satisfied just cultivating with Le Mulan."

"I’d be satisfied with Xuan Ge."

"Cultivating with Xuan Ge—that’s practically indirect cultivation with a Deity Transformation disciple..."

Yu Xinghan: Have you tried throwing money at Zhang Yu?

Yu Xinghan: Have you forgotten? In Kunxu, there is nothing that cannot be bought with money.

"The problem is, we have no money."

"How could we possibly move a wealthy man like Zhang Yu, who lives in a luxury dormitory?"

Yu Xinghan: Name your price; I will find a way to inquire for you.

Yu Xinghan: No group buying.

...

Inside the luxury dormitory.

Zhang Yu and Le Mulan sat facing each other, palms pressed together, each channeling the mana of the Deep Cold and Blazing Sun meridians into the other’s body.

Though Zhang Yu had once tried to assist Xuan Ge with the Deep Cold meridian, Xuan Ge had not yet fully activated the Blazing Sun meridian, limiting the effects.

Now, having truly replicated the Dao Seed of the Blazing Sun meridian, Zhang Yu felt a profound change as they cultivated together.

The ice-and-fire mana surged back and forth between them, tempering their meridians and refining their mana, silently enhancing their speed of mobilization and conversion.

Under the impact of these two forces, Zhang Yu felt his mana becoming increasingly balanced—firm yet supple, yin and yang generating one another—birthing an unprecedented resilience.

Bolstered by this resilience, the intensity of his condensed Qi soared to new heights.

His cultivation of mana volume, quality, and control also accelerated.

Alas, Zhang Yu’s mana had reached the Foundation Establishment cap of 1,000 units some time ago; in terms of basic metrics, he had nowhere left to climb.

...

July.

Zhang Yu participated in a war fortress project. The site was located at the border between two vocational colleges, and upon arrival, Zhang Yu witnessed a massive brawl between students.

He could identify them as vocational students instantly because the words "Vocational Student" were branded above their heads.

This was a manifestation talisman placed by a master of charms; all vocational and lower-tier school students had their institutions displayed, requiring payment to hide.

Zhang Yu watched the chaos without intervening; he was paid for construction, not combat.

Still, he couldn't help but lament, "Has the vocational scene become this chaotic?"

Seeing the screenshot he posted in the project group, Che Yufei replied: Hasn't it always been like this?

However, when the fortress was halfway complete, a Foundation Establishment student from the 36th Colonel School charged toward the unfinished structure.

Zhang Yu called out lightly, "Wait until I finish the fortress, then charge; I won't stop you."

His plan was to let the man wreck it after completion so he could collect double the pay.

The man ignored him, shouting, "Get out of the way!"

Zhang Yu sighed; his contract required him to protect the site during construction.

"Sigh, more extra work."

With a sonic boom, the Colonel student broke the sound barrier, accelerating toward the site.

But in the next instant, a thunderous crash echoed as a palm slammed into his face, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Under the immense resistance and inertia, the student’s body shuddered, momentarily paralyzed.

Yet his bone-armored hands moved frantically, unleashing a barrage of powerful Qi cannons at Zhang Yu.

Face, shoulders, chest, abdomen... Zhang Yu’s body was bombarded, but each point of impact merely flickered with wisps of white mist.

Zhang Yu did not move an inch; even his head did not tilt back under the full force of the assault.

After more than half a year of cultivation, Zhang Yu’s physical strength had reached Level 20—the absolute limit of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Beyond his Level 20 physique, he possessed the support of No. 20 Dense Steel bones, layers of protective arts, the parrying and redirection abilities of the Martial Saint Body, the Nine Heavens Cloud Sky Force, protective Qi, and the partial Earth-Wood Saint Body effects granted by the Green Lotus Sword Embryo...

Under the layers of Zhang Yu’s enhancements, the opponent’s fist technique, bolstered by skeletal artifacts, felt as gentle as a breeze against his skin.

In the next heartbeat, Zhang Yu extended a single finger, a swirling mass of cloud-like energy coalescing at its tip before striking the senior student’s abdomen.

Bang!

In an instant, the twelve full-force blows the senior had just unleashed were shattered by the misty aura, redirected back to explode against his own stomach.

Under Zhang Yu’s meticulous control, those twelve pulses of force churned the opponent’s internal organs into a chaotic mess.

Watching the man tremble violently, his throat convulsing, Zhang Yu caught a faint scent and promptly pivoted the senior toward the open air.

The student retched, spewing a vast, half-digested slurry of rice into the sky.

Observing this, Zhang Yu mused to himself, "They say these schools provide a hearty meal before a fight; it seems the rumors are true."

As the rice rained down, the Qi-refining laborers nearby cheered in unison, scrambling to scavenge the half-digested remnants.

"Wow! It’s rice!"

"Is this what rice tastes like? So fragrant!"

"You fools, that’s the scent of rice mingled with the bodily fluids of a Foundation Establishment student; it’s unimaginably rich in nutrients, a top-tier cultivation resource—of course it’s fragrant!"

Even as semi-digested waste, it had passed through the mouth of a Foundation Establishment practitioner, and for these low-level laborers, a single small bite would take a long time to absorb.

Zhang Yu tossed the senior onto the ground and returned to his own practice.

...

August.

Inside the artifact refining laboratory.

A metallic rectangular block was being forged by Zhang Yu.

The object was roughly the size of a human thumb, its surface shimmering with a dim, ghostly light that revealed intricate bronze-colored mana circuits—simple and rustic, yet imbued with a touch of mystery.

This was the Earth-Suppressing Seal Zhang Yu had been practicing, a magical artifact capable of generating a stabilizing field once mana was infused.

This field could be used to level terrain or vibrate materials, but it could also create a deep-sea-like resistance against everything within its radius, serving as a tool for defense or crowd control.

Zhang Yu thought, "Although this seal isn't part of the refining department’s exam, it is incredibly useful to me."

For this project, he had asked Zhang Pianpian to purchase the materials anonymously, ensuring he could refine in secret without drawing unwanted attention.

After all, as his repertoire of artifact-crafting techniques grew, Zhang Yu had no intention of fully exposing his skills; some artifacts he would claim as his own, while others he would dismiss as second-hand finds.

Several days later, the Level 20 Earth-Suppressing Seal, forged in multiple stages, finally rested in his palm.

Looking at yet another Level 20 artifact under his command, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Zhang Yu’s mouth.

(End of chapter)