Chapter 436: Mentor Selection, Future Route

Chapter 436: Choosing a Mentor, Charting the Future

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: I hear your students performed quite well in the military certification exams.

Director Gao: Word has reached even you?

Director Gao: It is true, they did well.

Director Gao: Pity there is only one certificate to go around.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Then you had better hurry and make Zhang Yu your official disciple.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: With so many eyes on him in the exam hall, if he shines, many will surely try to snatch him up.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Be especially wary of the other two directors in your department; they may have already made their offers.

Reading the warning from the True Monarch, Director Gao felt a touch of genuine concern. He thought to himself, "Though he seems unreliable at times, we have centuries of friendship after all. When it truly matters, he still stands by me."

As for the warning, Director Gao had naturally already considered it.

If it were an ordinary student, he would gladly take them on as a mentor, and the student would likely be begging for the opportunity; the whole process would require nothing more than a single word from him.

Once a mentor-disciple bond is established, the mentor gains immense leverage: assigning coursework, arranging internship projects, and directing the student’s path toward master’s or doctoral research. As long as the student seeks advancement, the mentor holds the reins.

Beyond the inherent constraints of the mentor-disciple relationship, many also sign a formal contract.

This usually occurs when a student is exceptionally gifted.

The mentor invests in the student, and in return, must ensure a future dividend.

Director Gao replied: I understand. I am already drafting the contract.

...

Watching Director Gao’s reply, the True Monarch smiled faintly, then turned his gaze to Zhang Yu in his arms, as if awaiting his response.

Coming to see Zhang Yu today, beyond clarifying what transpired during the military exam, the True Monarch’s second purpose was to confirm Zhang Yu’s intentions—or rather, his ambitions.

Hearing the True Monarch’s question, Zhang Yu paused slightly and said, "Teacher Gao is a good man."

"Indeed, Old Gao is certainly good to his own," the True Monarch said coolly. "But Old Gao is too weak; he cannot protect you."

Sensing Zhang Yu’s puzzled gaze, the True Monarch continued: "A genius like you requires sufficient freedom to unleash your talents."

"The fewer the constraints upon you, the greater the room for your growth."

"The more you are bound, the more your potential is squandered, which may even breed resentment and cause you to slacken on the path of immortality."

"It is like a star salesman in a corporation: only by granting more authority and higher commissions will they exert their full strength to create maximum profit. Otherwise, both sides suffer."

"But Old Gao... how much freedom can he truly give you?"

The True Monarch said softly: "This is not a matter of whether he wants to, but an objective fact, independent of your wills."

"After all, the less he binds you, the harder it is to stop others from poaching you. Do not tell me you would not leave if someone offered a higher price; the ultimate end for the Civil Engineering Department is to leave the construction site."

"Conversely, the more Old Gao binds you, the more he suppresses your talent, eventually obstructing your path to immortality and turning you against him."

"It is difficult for the two of you to find a balance."

"Simply because Old Gao belongs to the Civil Engineering Department; beautiful flowers cannot bloom in the barren soil of a construction site."

"The Civil Engineering Department is destined to be unable to hold a student like you for long."

On the street, held in the True Monarch’s arms, Zhang Yu listened quietly, forced to admit that the True Monarch’s words carried great weight.

Zhang Yu: "True Monarch, do you want me to make our relationship public and transfer departments soon?"

...

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: This contract is not easy to draft, is it?

Director Gao: Sigh, it is indeed difficult to gauge.

Director Gao: Others have surely made offers to Zhang Yu as well.

Director Gao: I cannot offer too little, or even if he signs now, he will inevitably harbor resentment, and his efficiency in work and cultivation will plummet.

Director Gao: Beyond that, I fear people from other departments will poach him.

In Director Gao’s view, Zhang Yu’s advancement to the Golden Core stage was a certainty, and he had a strong chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

His goal was to cultivate Zhang Yu, grow the pie, and reap greater rewards—not to waste the boy’s potential by draining him dry at the Golden Core or Foundation Establishment stage.

After all, to him, the value of a Nascent Soul far exceeds that of a Golden Core.

Thus, how to draft a contract that protects his own interests without suppressing Zhang Yu’s development... this had kept Director Gao deliberating for a long time.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: I will handle the Artifact Refining Department for you; I guarantee no one will come to poach him.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: But I cannot say the same for the Finance Department.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Those blood-sucking zombies are ruthless and accustomed to throwing money around. I fear your student might not hold out.

Reading the True Monarch’s message, Director Gao sighed. At the mere thought of Zhang Yu becoming a disciple of Director Lin or the Finance Department, his expression turned grim.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: I do have an idea.

Director Gao: What idea?

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Never mind, pretend I didn't say anything.

Director Gao: Cut the act. We have centuries of friendship; what can't you say?

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: How about I shield you two?

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: You and I form a company and sign Zhang Yu together. With me shielding you, no one will dare to poach him.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Actually, forget it.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Your Civil Engineering folks would surely say you sent talent my way.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole: Making it look like I am trying to snatch your disciple.

...

Seeing that Director Gao had not replied for a long time, the True Monarch was not anxious. He turned to Zhang Yu in his arms and said, "There is no rush to transfer departments."

"Since you have already passed the Military Civil Engineering certification, stay in the Civil Engineering Department for now and learn the 'Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power' first."

"With this military-grade technique as a foundation, your physical body will become the finest treasure, which will yield great benefits when you refine your Dharma-skeleton in the future, putting you a huge step ahead of others."

"Combining this technique with artifact refining will also have many marvelous uses. If you can integrate the technologies of both fields in the future, it will be a tremendous asset..."

Zhang Yu asked: "What about the 'Heavenly Ruin Formless Heart Weapon' and the 'Great Void Divine Artifact Strategy' from the Artifact Refining Department? Didn't you tell me earlier that I should transfer to the Artifact Refining Department early to have a chance to learn those two military-grade techniques?"

The True Monarch said: "If you miss the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, it is gone forever. You can wait until you pursue your master’s degree in the Artifact Refining Department to learn their military-grade techniques; it will not be too late."

"It won't take much extra time. While you spend these two years mastering the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, you can finish your Civil Engineering credits early, graduate ahead of schedule, and then apply for a master’s in Artifact Refining."

"Arriving at the Artifact Refining Department two years late in exchange for a military-grade martial art... it is well worth it."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and asked: "If I do this... will I still have a chance to enter the Sect in the future?"

"Hm?" The True Monarch looked at Zhang Yu with surprise and said, "You wish to join the Sect?"

Zhang Yu met the True Monarch’s gaze and said frankly, "If one wishes to climb to the peak of the immortal path, how can one not enter the Sect?"

"A commendable ambition," the True Monarch sighed. "I will not hide the truth from you, so you do not resent me in the future."

In this day and age, sects are becoming increasingly difficult to enter; not to mention the baseline requirement of a doctoral degree and Nascent Soul cultivation, even your undergraduate accolades must at least include awards from inter-collegiate leagues, preferably the Top Ten.

Yet none of this concerns you at this moment, for in the eyes of those arrogant sect elites, a civil engineering bachelor’s degree is no different from a vocational diploma—they would glance at it once and toss it aside.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole remarked, "If you truly wish to enter a sect, you must seize the chance to transfer departments by your junior year."

"But to be honest... by the time you finish your doctorate, the sects' requirements will likely have surged even higher; this path..."

True Monarch Magnetic Pole weighed his words carefully before finally concluding, "It was never meant for ordinary people, but for the reincarnations of great powers."

"Don't ask for specifics. My advice is that since you have the opportunity, stay in civil engineering, master the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, and broaden your horizons. If you attain the Nascent Soul stage in the future, you will never regret today's choice."

The True Monarch left his words unfinished, yet the implication was clear: he held little faith in the prospect of transferring to artifact refining and testing into a sect as a junior.

Zhang Yu asked, "Then what if I master the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power within my junior year, and then transfer to artifact refining?"

A flicker of light crossed the True Monarch's eyes: "Impossible. Setting aside whether you could even master it, simply obtaining the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering..."

He paused mid-sentence, then continued, lost in thought, "Though, perhaps it is not entirely impossible."

True Monarch Magnetic Pole explained, "As the university wars intensify, more schools are preparing, and various competitions are gaining prominence due to the rising strength of the students; the tournament formats have even changed every year recently."

"The inter-collegiate competitions for the civil engineering department are naturally held in higher regard than in the past."

"This time, Director Gao might just arrange for you to join Mo Shangjin’s team to make a push for the inter-collegiate league."

"Under normal circumstances, to be granted the Seven Absolutes of Civil Engineering, even if you pass the seven trials, you cannot avoid the various restrictions of seniority, years of study, and cumulative scores."

"But by leveraging this inter-collegiate league, it is indeed possible to have the civil engineering professors make an exception, lowering the requirements to grant you the chance to learn the full Seven Absolutes."

Hearing this, a thought surged in Zhang Yu’s mind: "Chaos is a ladder; this is truly my opportunity."

Seeing Zhang Yu’s moved expression, the True Monarch said indifferently, "Then give it a try."

"But if you fail, then settle down and stay in the civil engineering department, and wait until you have mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power before considering anything else."

Zhang Yu nodded firmly, then asked, "And what about Director Gao..."

Just then, a message pulsed before Zhang Yu’s ocular implant—it was a message from Director Gao.

Director Gao: Zhang Yu, what do you think of True Monarch Magnetic Pole?

At this very moment, the surrounding spirit world had been suppressed by the True Monarch’s Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Pagoda, and the flowing spirit-messages appeared before her eyes as clear as if under a microscope.

Zhang Yu felt his body gripped tightly by the True Monarch, restricting all movement.

The True Monarch reached out, snatched the message appearing in Zhang Yu’s ocular implant, and said with a beaming smile, "Don't move, let me reply to him."

Zhang Yu: Who is True Monarch Magnetic Pole?