Chapter 441: Agreement with Zhenzhen

Chapter 441: A Promise of Truth

Wanfa University.

Outside the pharmaceutical laboratory.

Le Jingchen, weary after several days of toil, emerged slowly, intending to attend a few lectures to unwind.

Glancing at the unread notifications piling up in his ocular interface, he suddenly noticed a flurry of activity in the Songyang Hometown group chat.

Le Jingchen’s gaze swept over the latest entry.

Yu Xinghan, masseur to Zhang Yu, holder of the military certificate and 29th-ranked student of the Wanfa Civil Engineering Department: Well said.

Le Jingchen was slightly startled. He tapped on Yu Xinghan’s profile picture, only to be greeted by a freshly uploaded photo of Yu Xinghan massaging Zhang Yu.

Le Jingchen scrolled upward through the chat history, his astonishment growing with every line, until he hurriedly reached out to his sister, Le Mulan.

...

Inside the luxury dormitory.

Yu Xinghan was busy firing off replies. Ever since he posted that photo of himself massaging the military certificate holder, Zhang Yu, a stream of old clients had been contacting him, seeking advice on all manner of things.

In the two-plus years since entering university, after exploring fields as diverse as civil engineering, video production, massage, and dual cultivation, Yu Xinghan had gradually realized a truth.

"In the old days at Wanfa University, no one cared much for dual cultivation; the students were too preoccupied with their own academic pursuits."

"But as the years passed, and students exhausted every conventional method of self-improvement... some began to eye the path of dual cultivation, hoping for an edge that others lacked."

"And since the corporations and conglomerates under the Hehuan Sect struggle to penetrate this campus," Yu Xinghan mused, "dual cultivation... will have a vast market at Wanfa University in the future."

"It is a new track carved out by the changing times."

With this thought, Yu Xinghan checked the fan group he had started for Zhang Yu.

He casually posted the photo of Zhang Yu’s certificate alongside his own massage session.

"Worthy of being the dual cultivation partner of a Nascent Soul disciple. When can we schedule a session?"

"Is Zhang Yu doing a raffle?"

"Grant me some of his essence, please [drool*3]"

"I'm in!"

"A single session is worth at least 30 spirit coins now..."

Watching the messages refresh rapidly in the fan group, Yu Xinghan felt as though he were looking at a crowd of twisted, mutated creatures, crawling on the ground, drooling and howling for sustenance.

"Sigh, it’s a pity Zhang Yu only deigns to meet those with innate special mana, and only agrees to exchange mana at that."

Yu Xinghan glanced at Zhang Yu and Le Mulan on the other side of the room, thinking, "Damn it... throwing away good money to provide free service in the dorm... what a waste!"

He heard Le Mulan say from across the room, "Don't lick it like that."

Le Mulan: "Mm... let it in."

Zhang Yu: "My blood and qi are quite potent lately; the pressure might be a bit intense. Be ready."

First, Le Mulan extended her fingertip into Zhang Yu’s mouth, channeling the medicinal power generated within her body to him.

A moment later, it was Zhang Yu’s turn to extend his finger, forcing streams of blood to the tip to feed into Le Mulan’s mouth.

Le Mulan held it in her mouth, feeling the liquid surge down her throat, the pungent scent rushing into her nasal cavity and nearly making her cough.

"Zhang Yu’s blood and qi are so viscous, and the medicinal power within is incredibly concentrated."

Le Mulan slowly swirled the essence with her tongue, savoring and analyzing the shifts within it.

"Zhang Yu’s physique is becoming increasingly terrifying."

"Why? His physical strength had already reached the limit of Level 20, hadn't it?"

"Yet, in these past few days, his body has continued to improve in certain aspects."

Just then, Le Mulan saw a message from Le Jingchen pop up in her ocular interface.

After inquiring about Zhang Yu, he sighed: Zhang Yu has always looked after you both; he truly treats you well.

Le Jingchen: It seems he values old ties, so it would be wise to maintain a good relationship with him.

Shortly after Le Mulan replied to her brother, she received a message from her mentor.

Yin Jiurao: Is Zhang Yu still producing any stock?

...

Inside the office.

Yin Jiurao licked her lips, seemingly still savoring a lingering memory.

"Sigh, what a pity. It’s temporarily out of print."

"Otherwise, I could have compared the difference in the materials after his strength increased..."

Glancing at the paper before her, Yin Jiurao decided to include Zhang Yu’s military certificate scores as one of the arguments for her thesis.

She then asked Le Mulan: If the essence material is unavailable, other materials will do. Just let me know whenever you have stock.

Yin Jiurao: If you can provide it, I can include your name on this paper I’m working on.

...

Zhang Yu had just finished his cooperative exchange with Le Mulan and was watching her communicate with someone via her ocular interface.

At that moment, Bai Zhenzhen’s profile picture popped up on his own interface.

"Zhen-er." Zhang Yu smiled and accepted the communication request.

Seeing the projection descend, Zhang Yu asked, "Did you see the photo I sent you?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded repeatedly, her face beaming. "Yu-zi, with the military certificate, you’ve collected all seven wonders. You can finally master the Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power of your department, right?"

"You’re one step closer to the Top Ten Leagues."

After chatting for a while, Bai Zhenzhen leaned her projection against him and whispered, "Yu-zi, I miss you." She thought to herself, "If only we could meet soon, I could lend my Divine Spirit Root to Yu-zi. That way, his strength would grow even faster..."

Zhang Yu said, "I have to participate in the inter-university league for civil engineering later. The format has changed; matches are spread out, and we’ll be competing at different university venues."

"I should be heading to Sky Sword University eventually. We can meet then."

Bai Zhenzhen’s face lit up. "Really? That’s wonderful."

"When that time comes, we must... we must see each other every single day."

Bai Zhenzhen had intended to say they would meet daily to cultivate the Divine Spirit Root together in a frenzy, but fearing the communication might be monitored, she chose her words carefully.

Zhang Yu felt her gaze and understood her intent, thinking to himself, "Zhen-er, I look forward to exchanging spirit roots with you fiercely when the time comes."

"Heh, you’ll be in for quite a surprise, won't you?"

"With two Divine Spirit Roots exchanging, who knows how much our strength will increase."

Zhang Yu replied, "Mm, we’ll see each other every day then."

Bai Zhenzhen looked into his eyes, realizing he understood her meaning, and the corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably.

"It’s a promise, then. I’ll be waiting for you at Sky Sword University."

Hardly had Zhang Yu begun his correspondence with Bai Zhenzhen when his ocular interface began to flicker with a relentless stream of messages.

Wen Wuyai: Zhenzhen, are you not finished yet?

Wen Wuyai: How much longer?

Wen Wuyai: The instructor is arriving; hurry up!

Wen Wuyai: At least acknowledge me [anxious]

Bai Zhenzhen: Mmm

……

At Heaven Sword University.

Several students watched Bai Zhenzhen, who stood embracing the empty air, and were struck by the unprecedented radiance of the smile upon her face.

Surprise flickered across their features, and one remarked, "Oh? So Zhenzhen is actually capable of smiling? I had assumed her facial nerves were excised."

Another student replied, "She is. She has a friend from the First Layer; it is said that whenever she speaks with this friend, she smiles."

Upon hearing the mention of a First Layer friend, the group exchanged looks of knowing condescension.

A First Layer friend, in their estimation, was little more than a domestic beast—a pet or a mount—and it was perfectly natural and understandable to smile at such a creature.

Wen Wuyai stood to the side, listening to their chatter, and sneered inwardly: "A pack of fools, unable to distinguish between a First Layer friend and a common pet or beast of burden."

Glancing at the message Bai Zhenzhen had sent her, Wen Wuyai thought, "Is she still finding time to reply to me while communicating with Zhang Yu? It seems my efforts are bearing fruit. At this rate... it will not be long before I win my wager with the Seven Emotions God-Lord."

She then cast a glance at Zhang Yu’s profile picture and mused, "He actually obtained a military certification?"

Though it was merely a military civil engineering license, in the eyes of a disciple of a Spirit Transformation master, the distinction between possessing a military credential and lacking one was vast; Zhang Yu’s status in her estimation shifted accordingly.

After a moment’s thought, she opened her contact list and changed Zhang Yu’s note from "Bai Zhenzhen’s First Layer friend (Civil Engineering)" to "Bai Zhenzhen’s friend (Military Certified) (Civil Engineering)."

Just then, a streak of sword light descended from the heavens, and a figure materialized before the assembly.

"I am your special training instructor, Jin Que Mingxiao."

"If you wish to join the university team and compete in next year’s Top Ten League, there are only three things that matter."

"Money."

"Money."

"And more money!"

"The first pop quiz of my special training session is simple: display your account balances."

"The lowest will be eliminated immediately."

"You have five minutes to prepare. The test begins in five minutes."

……

Having concluded his call with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu arrived at the artifact refinement laboratory to begin his day’s labor.

"Today, it is... the Taiyi Golden Fluid Pill."

This was the artifact order he had placed for himself through Ye Xingli, utilizing his monthly thirty-spirit-coin reimbursement quota.

"A single Taiyi Golden Fluid Pill is simply not enough."

After the exhaustive efforts required for his military certification, Zhang Yu had gained a deeper understanding of his current workflow.

"If I could secure more Taiyi Golden Fluid Pills, my productivity would increase significantly."

"After all, I must participate in the inter-university league; I must hasten to improve my strength."

With his base attributes having reached the limits of the Foundation Establishment stage, Zhang Yu understood that beyond the Dao Seeds of the Feathered Scriptures and the Chain-Method Diagrams, the most common path to advancement—and the one favored by his peers—lay in refining his artifacts, ocular interfaces, and techniques.

In terms of artifacts, interfaces, and techniques, the greatest gains were, of course, found in military-grade power.

Beyond military-grade equipment, however, a greater quantity of artifacts tailored to his specific needs would prove invaluable to him.

Especially since he was studying artifact refinement himself, enhancing his prowess through such tools was a perfect fit.

"I wonder how Director Gao is faring? When will I be able to take the test for the seven civil engineering disciplines and claim the remaining Seven Absolutes?"

At that moment, a message arrived from Director Gao.

Director Gao: Ping Han has joined Ji Yuanxu’s team.

Director Gao: He intends to challenge you to a duel in the next match.

Zhang Yu: What would you have me do?

Director Gao: Defeat him with everything you have.

Director Gao: I want you to wake him up.

Director Gao: Strike down the corrupt trend of speculating in foreign currencies that has infected the Civil Engineering Department.

Director Gao: Show your might, prove to everyone that you are worthy of the remaining Seven Absolutes, and make it clear that you are vital to the inter-university league.

(End of chapter)