Chapter 438: Military Certificate Announced

Chapter 438: The Military Certificate Announced

Listening to Director Gao, Zhang Yu felt a stir in his heart; he knew the internal department competition was a selection trial organized by Wanfa University itself, and the rule that the first-place winner would represent the Civil Engineering Department in the inter-school league was also a regulation set by the department to resolve factional disputes between the War and Peace factions.

Theoretically, the members of this team could be adjusted to a certain extent.

But this carried more than a hint of backroom dealing and pulling strings.

However, Zhang Yu reflected that by the time that moment arrived, he would already possess his military certificate, so even if they did operate in such a manner, he doubted anyone would gossip about it.

"There is something truly satisfying about pulling strings based on sheer strength."

Director Gao continued, "Alright, for now, focus on recovering from your injuries."

"If you have any issues and don't want to go to the hospital, then go to Xiao Qingxuan for treatment."

"But ancient medicine is not entirely aligned with the Immortal Path; the underlying principles haven't been fully explored yet, so take it with a grain of salt."

Zhang Yu asked in confusion, "A grain of salt?"

Director Gao replied, "If it works, believe in it; if it doesn't, stop using it."

...

After finalizing the contract, Zhang Yu now had a monthly reimbursement quota of 30 spirit coins.

On the way back to the dormitory, he began to conceive how he would spend this money.

"Spirit Realm services are definitely a necessity."

"And then there are potions and Daoist arts services."

"Sigh, materials for artifact refining aren't reimbursable... I'll have to cover other expenses with these 30 spirit coins as much as possible."

"The spirit coins I save will then be used to cultivate my artifact refining skills."

With a trace of helplessness in his heart, Zhang Yu returned to his room and once again headed to the Taiqing Realm to begin his artifact refining lessons.

He muttered to himself, "Once the military certificate comes down, I suppose I'll have to hurry up and master the Seven Wonders of Civil Engineering; I might not have much time for online classes then."

Although he was highly likely to secure the military certificate this time, Zhang Yu did not let it go to his head.

After all, his goal was to participate in the Top Ten Leagues and gain admission to one of the Top Ten Sects.

To achieve this, he still felt that his time was woefully insufficient.

Especially after witnessing the battle between Mo Shangjin and Xuan Liangtian last year, he understood even more clearly the vast gap between himself and those upperclassmen who had mastered military-grade martial arts.

Even Mo Shangjin had failed to defeat Tianyao University to seize first place in the inter-school civil engineering league.

Above Mo Shangjin were the ace students in the top universities—those who had mastered military-grade Daoist arts, military-grade Dharma skeletons, military-grade magical artifacts... and some even possessed divine spiritual roots.

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, "I am still at least three or four tiers away from the true elite level among university students, aren't I?"

"If I want to successfully transfer to the Artifact Refining Department during my university years, time is even tighter..."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu felt his entire body tense up again, and he began to seize the time during his recovery to study his online courses in the Taiqing Realm.

...

Just as Zhang Yu was busy studying in silence, on a training ground, a senior civil engineering student smiled and said to Ping Han, "Brother Han, the military certificate is in the bag this time, right?"

Ping Han waved his hand and said, "The results haven't been released yet."

The senior student said, "We've all heard from the other candidates; your performance was the best in the entire field. If you don't get the military certificate, who else could?"

Ping Han stopped him from continuing, "Don't talk nonsense. Wait for the higher-ups to announce the results."

Just then, another student asked, "Brother Han, what is your outlook on the trend of Qiongjiang coins?"

Ping Han smiled slightly, looking entirely confident, "Qiongjiang God-Monarch is a veteran of the Transformation Stage, and with the backing of Hehuan University, dual cultivation is an indispensable element of Immortal Path technology—it is a rigid necessity for countless cultivators..."

"Especially since the Qiongjiang God-Monarch's lottery begins tomorrow; with such favorable news, the coin price will surely skyrocket again after tomorrow."

"The assembly of a thousand fellow cultivators for the prize draw will even be broadcast live. It can be called a spring thunderclap, striking a new chapter for the dual cultivation industry and creating a siphon effect. Now is the window of opportunity to grab money."

"If you want my advice, it's to buy."

"No matter when, it's never too late to buy Qiongjiang coins."

The surrounding students nodded repeatedly, looking even more serious than they did in class.

When Mo Shangjin arrived, this was what he saw: everyone gathered around Ping Han, listening to him talk about Qiongjiang coins.

Seeing this, Mo Shangjin frowned slightly and coughed, "Prepare for training."

After reminding them several times, seeing the competition team members reluctantly disperse, Mo Shangjin’s brow furrowed even deeper.

Ping Han looked at Mo Shangjin and laughed, "Old Mo, have you read the materials I sent you?"

Mo Shangjin said flatly, "The volatility of Qiongjiang coins is too high; I don't play that."

Ping Han laughed, "I know, you're loyal to the school; you only buy coins from our Wanfa University."

"But you really should try it this time. From the Qiongjiang God-Monarch's lottery to the assembly of a thousand cultivators, the price of Qiongjiang coins will definitely soar for the foreseeable future. It’s practically picking up money with your eyes closed..."

Mo Shangjin waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Alright, you don't need to tell me anymore. During training from now on, don't talk to the others about coin speculation; it will affect everyone's state of mind."

But over the next few days, as rumors spread throughout the Civil Engineering Department that Ping Han had secured the military certificate, and with the continued rise of Qiongjiang coins, Mo Shangjin found the atmosphere in the team becoming increasingly wrong.

The teammates were always absent-minded during training, clearly checking the price trends of the coins from time to time.

Often, members would stand there in a daze, or ask Ping Han about coin speculation whenever they had a spare moment. Several even approached Mo Shangjin to borrow money, wanting to increase their positions in Qiongjiang coins.

Even Ping Han... Mo Shangjin could feel that he was putting less and less heart into training, spending his time either chatting with people in guidance groups or posting various propaganda about Qiongjiang coins online.

So, one day, Mo Shangjin finally couldn't help but confront him.

But facing Mo Shangjin's accusations, Ping Han retorted righteously, "We’ve clearly taken first place in the internal competition; there's no need to be in such a rush to train, is there?"

"With this time, it's really better to borrow some money and buy some Qiongjiang coins."

"Isn't the improvement brought by solid coin speculation much more reliable than your superficial training?"

After multiple failed negotiations, a more intense argument broke out between them.

Finally, with a loud bang, Ping Han was struck by Mo Shangjin's palm and sent flying.

Mo Shangjin said coldly, "If you want to continue ruining the team's morale and leading everyone to study Qiongjiang coins all day, then quit the team."

Quietly standing up, Ping Han gave Mo Shangjin a deep look and said slowly, "Mo Shangjin! I have the opportunity to lead everyone to make money together; what is wrong with that?"

"You have missed the opportunity yourself, do you want us to earn less too?"

Mo Shangjin: "Get out."

An invisible force sent Ping Han flying with a bang, like a shooting star, flying a full hundred meters before landing heavily on the ground.

Mo Shangjin looked at the other members and said coldly, "If anyone else has the same thoughts as him, leave on your own."

"If not, then focus on training."

On the other side, Ping Han slowly stood up, his heart boiling with rage: "Mo Shangjin, you are stronger now because you have mastered military-grade martial arts; it doesn't matter that you kicked me."

"Once the military certificate comes down and I master the Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power... I will wait for you to beg me to come back."

Inside the dormitory.

Zhang Yu threw a few punches and kicks, gauging the state of his own flesh and blood.

"The injuries have healed seven or eight parts out of ten."

"It looks like I can head back to the construction site tomorrow."

Just then, a message arrived from the Magnetic Pole Monarch.

Magnetic Pole Monarch: From now on, you will receive a monthly cultivation stipend of 30 spirit coins; you may commission magical artifacts from Ye Xingli.

Magnetic Pole Monarch: Ye Xingli will assign you orders, and you shall forge the artifacts yourself.

Staring at the message, Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. If he operated this way, wouldn't both the artifacts and the funds to purchase them... end up in his own pockets?

"At most, I'll just have to cover the cost of materials."

Zhang Yu mused to himself, "This way, I can use the 30 spirit coins each month to fund my own refining."

And so, for the next few days, Zhang Yu returned to a life spent drifting between the classroom, the construction site, the Spirit Realm, and the Taiqing Realm.

Attending lectures, working, studying civil engineering, taking refining courses, and practicing the craft of the forge... these things consumed nearly every waking moment of his life.

With more abundant financial support, Zhang Yu felt his refining skills advancing by leaps and bounds, and a new thought began to stir within him.

Looking at the "Refining Prodigy" set of diagrams from the Treasure Appraisal Art, he thought, "Now that my funding is more secure, perhaps I should find some time to attempt the practice of refining cultivation techniques."

As Director Gao had predicted, the department’s civil engineering competition was indeed held ahead of schedule.

Zhang Yu and Shi Huaiyu teamed up once again, entering the first round of the qualifiers.

The content of the qualifiers remained the same as the previous year: a high-speed sprint through a chaotic force field, with the top twenty teams advancing based on their collective performance.

As for the top-twenty tournament, it was scheduled for several days later.

The bracket had already been decided, and upon seeing his opponent this time... Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback.

"Ma Xuan again?"

Recalling the bitter struggle of the previous year and reflecting on his own progress over the past twelve months, Zhang Yu thought, "This time, it should be a breeze."

...

In Ma Xuan’s competition group chat.

Ma Xuan: Who would have thought our opponent this time would be Zhang Yu again.

Su Yanyang: I’ll carry you all to victory this time.

Su Yanyang: I’ve seen Zhang Yu’s level; I fear his progress this year is nowhere near as significant as mine.

Ma Xuan: Haha, with the two of us joining forces to trigger the Lesser Triad, we are bound to best him and Shi Huaiyu.

Watching the conversation in the group, Ji Yuanshu felt a surge of excitement: "With Su Yanyang joining us, we will surely defeat Zhang Yu’s team. Then, my comprehensive score will catch up, perhaps even surpass his."

Ma Xuan: Let’s discuss our specific tactics.

Su Yanyang: Ever since our last defeat, I have meticulously studied Zhang Yu’s style and have long since devised a foolproof strategy.

Su Yanyang: His tactics are disgusting, but they have glaring flaws. As long as we keep him under control, the rest are nothing to worry about.

Su Yanyang: Besides, we’ve grown significantly stronger through our recent currency speculation.

Ma Xuan, Ji Yuanshu, and the other members listened to Su Yanyang’s confident discourse, finding his analysis exceptionally precise and his tactical preparations thorough. The more they listened, the more their confidence and spirits soared.

But suddenly, Su Yanyang stopped sending messages.

Ma Xuan waited for a while, calling out to him in the group, but there was no response for a long time.

He sent a private message: Old Su?

Ma Xuan: Where are you?

After a long while, Su Yanyang finally replied: [Cracked]

Su Yanyang: [Bitter]

Ma Xuan: Speak properly, stop just sending emojis. What on earth happened?

Su Yanyang: The results for the military certification are out.