Chapter 422: Finals Over, Getting Rich Overnight (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 422: Finals Conclude, An Overnight Fortune (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Watching Zhang Yu on the monitor, Tu Lishan mused, "That set of magical artifacts must have cost a fortune in spirit coins. Director Gao truly thinks highly of this kid."

Just then, Director Gao, having finished watching the footage, replied: Once you confirm he has taken first place, let him finish early.

Tu Lishan curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Isn't that a bit biased? Couldn't you let Zhang Yu do a little more free labor?"

Tu Lishan: Understood.

Tu Lishan: Rest assured, I am keeping a close watch.

Thus, Gongshu Jin, who was buried in his work, soon noticed that the salary statistics for Zhang Yu, who sat above him on the leaderboard, had stopped moving.

"Hm? Zhang Yu stopped working?"

Gongshu Jin initially thought some accident had occurred, but he soon received word that Zhang Yu had handed in his work early and left.

"He handed in his work that early?!"

But Gongshu Jin quickly grasped Zhang Yu's intent; even though Zhang Yu had ceased his labor, the salary figures hovering above everyone’s heads remained frozen, yet they were still more than enough to suppress them all.

Watching this scene, Ji Yuanxu offered a bitter smile: "A simple math problem, that is all."

"The remaining time, multiplied by our individual work efficiency and wages, is still not enough to surpass Zhang Yu."

At this moment, every student in the examination hall felt that the name and number looming high on the leaderboard were like a palm blotting out the sky, pressing them all down in one fell swoop, impossible to overcome no matter how hard they struggled.

...

Shortly thereafter, the final exam rankings were calculated, and after being converted into comprehensive scores, a new class ranking was formed.

Ji Yuanxu looked at Zhang Yu, who remained first in the class, followed by Gongshu Jin in second, Ying Xin in third, and Yu Xinghan in fourth, and let out a slow, heavy breath.

"The competition..."

Although he knew before the exams began that without competition points he could never surpass these four, seeing the actual rankings still made his heart twitch.

In particular, Zhang Yu’s department-wide ranking had surged from 95th to 62nd after these finals.

The remaining three—Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan—had also secured their own department-wide rankings, landing in the eighties and nineties respectively.

"Hoo..."

"It is not my fault," Ji Yuanxu whispered to himself. "It is merely the push from the War Faction that granted Zhang Yu resources beyond my imagination, and propelled Gongshu Jin and the others to positions far exceeding their true strength."

"As long as I win the upcoming Civil Engineering Competition."

The new Civil Engineering Competition was approaching, and the team Ji Yuanxu had joined was incredibly formidable, the result of a partnership between Ma Xuan and Su Yanyang.

As they stepped into their junior year, the previous top ten students had already graduated.

"The strength of this team is greater than last year's, and the former top ten have all graduated. With this, we even have a chance to break into the top five."

He believed he would surely secure a competition ranking this time, and he had to.

After all, the seven credit cards in his mind were already at his limit; if he could not achieve a breakthrough in his results and condense more destiny by the end of this year...

"It is fine, it is just a technical adjustment; this time it will surely succeed."

"Once I have the results, I can show off everywhere and re-condense my destiny."

Ji Yuanxu desperately wanted to use the common method of the Finance Department—showing off—to condense his own destiny.

Regrettably, he currently lacked the scores and rankings to do so.

...

Inside the luxury dormitory.

Zhang Yu looked at the chat logs in various groups, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile from time to time.

"Zhang Yu is too fierce. Sophomore year and already 62nd in the department. I predict he will master the Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering in the future."

"Wealth, talent, constitution... possessing even one makes you a peerless genius. I never expected someone in the Civil Engineering Department to have all three. Too strong, it’s simply too strong—damn it, he doesn't even seem human!"

"My Dao heart has collapsed. Look at Zhang Yu's grades, then look at mine; I feel like trash."

As soon as Yu Xinghan returned to the dorm, he saw Zhang Yu staring into space with a silly grin and couldn't help but ask: "What are you looking at?"

Zhang Yu licked his lips and said calmly: "I had a sudden realization in my cultivation, and my heart is filled with joy."

At this moment, the greatest pity for Zhang Yu was that he could only watch others praise him without any excuse to show off himself.

"If I go out of my way to brag, it seems a bit low-class."

"Forget it, I'll just post on my Moments."

"Sigh, the Finance Department has it so good. Once you have the strength, you can show off to your heart's content, and everyone will just say you’re doing it for cultivation or destiny."

Soon, Zhang Yu received many congratulatory messages from friends. He read them one by one, replying to those he knew and ignoring those he didn't.

Che Yufei: Fierce!

Shi Yunxiang: Old Che and I have discussed it; if you want to recruit others, just let us know.

Shi Huaiyu: Congratulations, Junior. Your fame in the Civil Engineering Department is growing; our teacher even mentioned you in class today.

Li Xiao: [0.1 spirit coin] Brother, can you take me with you for this year's competition?

Ying Xin: Senior Brother, I saw you had many artifacts today? Do you need a Soul Cultivator?

Gongshu Jin: [1 spirit coin] Grateful for the friends by my side who walk with me in silence. Sincerely sending my blessings, wishing my friends happiness and a long-lasting friendship!

Director Gao: Same place tomorrow. I will teach you the third wonder.

Seeing the message from Director Gao, Zhang Yu felt a surge of excitement: "Finally, the third wonder."

"With this, I can complete the Lesser Triad."

When he first saw Ma Xuan perform the Lesser Triad, Zhang Yu had been incredibly envious.

Later, after the successive battles in the Civil Engineering Competition, he realized that in the Kunxu civil engineering world, the Lesser Triad was a mandatory skill for any expert.

"Once I master the Lesser Triad, my chances of passing the military certification will be even greater."

In the time that followed, Zhang Yu continued to attend classes and work, silently waiting for the next day's cultivation lesson. Meanwhile, as the final exams concluded, grades for every department and year were revealed, and Zhang Yu was naturally not the only one to steal the spotlight.

Every department had its own legends, and every year had its own top student.

After this Civil Engineering exam, besides Zhang Yu, another person had emerged out of nowhere.

It was Ping Han, who had risen to the senior year after the previous top ten graduated, now ranked 2nd in the department.

Feng Tingting: Junior, I heard someone in your Civil Engineering Department named Ping Han struck it rich?

Feng Tingting: They say he made a fortune trading coins.

Feng Tingting: When he took the exam, he was decked out in top-tier artifacts and magical remains.

Feng Tingting: Later, he even contacted everyone who had previously refused to lend him money for his trades.

Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted, and he discovered that Ping Han had already sent him a message.

Ping Han: [Screenshot of coin trading profits.image file]

Zhang Yu looked at the number in the screenshot and was slightly stunned: "A profit of over 400 spirit coins?"

"He earned that much?"

Ping Han: Alas, junior, when I asked you for money, I was truly destitute.

Ping Han: Destitute to the point where I could barely afford my own medicine.

Ping Han: Had you been willing to lend me money back then, you would have a share of the profits now.

Staring at the messages from Ping Han, Zhang Yu finally understood the meaning behind Feng Tingting’s words.

Soon, Zhang Yu encountered Ping Han’s chat logs and comments circulating across numerous group chats.

...

Ping Han: Mo Shangjin, have you seen my earnings?

Ping Han: Do you regret not lending me money?

Ping Han: Otherwise, you would have earned even more than this.

...

Ping Han: Xiao Yuji, are you regretting it now?

Ping Han: If you had lent me money back then, I could have helped you earn over a thousand spirit coins.

Ping Han: Now that I have earned it all myself, I am certain to secure the military certificate this time; there is none left for you.

...

Ping Han: @everyone, screenshot of crypto profits.image_file

Ping Han: Where are those who usually advised me against trading?

Ping Han: Facts prove that my trading skills are at the top tier of the Civil Engineering Department.

Ping Han: My ability to generate wealth has already surpassed 99.99% of you.

Ping Han: Once I obtain the military certificate, I will never set foot on a construction site again.

Ping Han: Because a much broader horizon awaits me, known as the investment circle.

...

Watching the various comments by Ping Han being screenshotted and shared, Su Yanyang’s heart sank, his fists clenching tightly.

"This guy... did he actually manage to make this much money?"

"Damn it!"

Su Yanyang thought to himself: "Ping Han’s original strength was already formidable, but because he was drowning in debt and lacked the aid of dharma remains and artifacts, his prowess had severely regressed."

"Having earned so many spirit coins this time, his strength will likely skyrocket... he could truly be called the second-best in the entire department."

Contemplating the prospect of competing against such a monster for next month’s military certificate, Su Yanyang felt a wave of bitter frustration.

He let out a deep sigh, whispering to himself: "The hope for this military certificate seems slim indeed."

...

"Brother Ping, can you take me under your wing for trading?"

"Senior Ping Han, I want to learn how to trade from you."

"Senior, take this money; if it’s lost, it’s on me."

Ping Han looked at the messages flooding in from his classmates, the corners of his mouth curling upward, feeling the long-pent-up gloom in his heart wash away in an instant.

Ping Han replied to them one by one, beginning to pull everyone into his investment group.

"Mo Shangjin, Xiao Yuji, and... Zhang Yu, none of them have replied to me?"

Ping Han thought: "Hmph, they probably don't know how to respond, do they?"

"Wait until I secure the military certificate next month, then I’ll send it to them to see."

"When I ask them to invest then, let’s see if they still refuse."

...

Zhang Yu scanned the screenshots circulating in the various groups and mused: "Is this guy Ping Han just releasing years of pent-up pressure?"

Fu Ji remarked: "Some people are just like that, especially those who trade; when they are poor, they feel looked down upon, believing everyone holds them in contempt, and once they strike it rich... they tend to show off aggressively, flaunting it everywhere."

"Moreover, in the process of showing off, they can gather more spirit coins, control more capital, and then start the snowball effect..."

Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted, and he asked: "You mean he can keep earning?"

Fu Ji said uncertainly: "I am neither a Nascent Soul deity nor a grandmaster of the financial arts; how would I know such things?"

"We don't even know how he managed to earn this much from trading this time."

"But if he truly intends to solicit funds next, he will certainly boast about how he made his fortune."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, then sighed: "And it had to be at a time like this that he struck it rich."

"It seems this Ping Han cannot be underestimated for next month’s military certificate examination."