Chapter 443: Zhang Yu, On What Grounds Do You Fight Me? (Thanks to 'Wang')

Chapter 443: Zhang Yu, what makes you think you can challenge me? (Thanks to 'Wang Zi' for the grandmaster donation)

Though the arena appeared empty, the spiritual realm and the live broadcast had drawn the collective consciousness of a vast multitude.

Su Yanyang was also watching the competition, thinking to himself: "A clash between two titans of the coin-path; it’s a battle of who holds the deeper pockets. Either way, it’s bound to drive even more people to buy Nectar Coins."

He then glanced at Ji Yuan-shu, standing beside Ping Han, and mused: "A man who aspires to the finance department—his gambling spirit is truly formidable."

Just then, Su Yanyang overheard the exchange between Zhang Yu and Ping Han. Hearing Zhang Yu once again deny his involvement in coin speculation, a flicker of doubt crossed his face.

"Is this guy being sincere, or is he just putting on a show?"

Behind Ping Han, Ji Yuan-shu stood with the other four teammates.

Watching Ping Han confront Zhang Yu, Ji Yuan-shu had actually considered quitting the team when Ping Han first joined.

But he soon realized one thing: "Who wins or loses this battle no longer matters."

"Both sides are invested in Nectar Coins. Whoever triumphs, it will be like pouring oil on a fire, ensuring the currency burns even brighter throughout Wanfa University."

Realizing this, Ji Yuan-shu’s first act was to exhaust his remaining wealth, going all-in on Nectar Coins with 100x leverage.

Having depleted his final potential for immortal cultivation, Ji Yuan-shu knew he couldn't transfer to another team; he no longer had the funds to buy a substitute slot elsewhere.

"It doesn't matter. As long as this Nectar Coin wave pays off, I can slowly recoup my overall score."

"After all, the competition happens every year, but such a golden opportunity to make money is rare."

Many harbored similar thoughts, until the moment Zhang Yu spoke to Ping Han, declaring he did not speculate in coins...

Zhang Yu felt a sense of helplessness regarding the rumors that had been circulating for days.

"I don't know who the hell started the rumor that I'm speculating in Nectar Coins, let alone using 100x leverage."

Recalling Director Gao’s instructions, Zhang Yu raised his voice and declared: "The value of Nectar Coins is unstable; it relies too heavily on market confidence and is overly concentrated in the hands of Hehuan University, making it easily manipulated."

"I will not touch such high-risk investments."

"Ping Han, I advise you to take your profits and exit now, before you go bankrupt again."

"The Nectar Coin has been rising for so long; the risks are mounting."

As Zhang Yu’s booming voice faded, Ping Han had yet to respond, but the spiritual realm had already erupted into chaos.

Some immediately spent money to project lines of text directly above Zhang Yu’s head.

"You didn't warn us when the Nectar Coin was fluctuating for years, but now that everyone is making money, you come out to issue warnings?"

"If you don't speculate, why are you spouting nonsense? Can you stop speaking on subjects you don't understand?"

"It’s a tragedy for Wanfa University that such a person holds a military certificate!"

"The Seven Emotions Coin has skyrocketed without you mentioning risks, yet the Nectar Coin has only been up for a while and you’re already crying wolf?"

"Does Zhang Yu dare to show his own holdings?"

If the students watching had been laughing and chatting moments ago, the spiritual realm had now transformed into a tempest. Countless waves of malice converged upon Zhang Yu, as if to tear him to shreds.

Zhang Yu looked at the lines of text floating above him, then at the information scrolling through his ocular implants, and shook his head helplessly.

Fu Ji chuckled: "You were bound to get flamed for stepping on the brakes at a time like this."

Zhang Yu: "It doesn't matter. Director Gao wanted me to do it, so I gave the warning. Whether they curse me or not doesn't hurt me."

Conversely, as Ping Han raised a hand, the vitriol in the spiritual realm subsided by more than half.

Ping Han pointed at the price chart above his head with one hand and at the Nectar Coin price on his chest with the other, saying: "While Zhang Yu was busy spouting nonsense, our Nectar Coin just rose another 0.01 spirit coins."

Ooh!!!!!

The cheers of countless people surged through the spiritual realm.

Ping Han spread his arms wide, as if embracing the void, and said with a confident smile: "Everyone, when the Nectar Coin was at 0.1 spirit coins, some didn't believe it would rise."

"At 1 spirit coin, some said it would crash."

"At 10 spirit coins, many told me it was time to cash out."

"But facts have proven them all wrong."

"And we have won until now, and we will continue to win!"

As Ping Han spoke, the projection for his investment guidance group lit up.

The cheers in the spiritual realm grew even more fervent.

Above Ping Han, a flurry of text projected by paying audience members appeared.

"To 10,000 spirit coins!"

"Go Ping Han! Beat this black-mouthed cynic into the dirt."

"I want to see Zhang Yu forced to his knees!"

In an instant, the tide had turned. The audience’s support for Ping Han was matched only by their fury toward Zhang Yu.

Soon, the attacks on Zhang Yu expanded to target his entire competition team.

Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, and the others were all watching the rapidly scrolling information in their ocular implants.

At this moment, both teams felt the immense hostility of the audience.

Shi Yunxiang felt a numbness in his scalp, thinking: "Why did Zhang Yu have to provoke them?" Yu Xinghan scanned the spiritual realm, noting to himself: "There are clear traces of paid trolls here."

The next moment, following the referee’s signal, the two teams, who had been standing at the entrance, marched onto the field.

To cut costs, the increasingly intense competition had been condensed from two halves into a single session.

Both sides would build and defend simultaneously, with the final judgment based on the completion of their respective structures.

Upon reaching the construction site, Ping Han addressed the four members: "You five stay here and build; leave the rest to me alone."

Without waiting for their response, he flashed forward, hurtling toward Zhang Yu’s position.

Ping Han had no interest in bringing his teammates; he wanted to crush Zhang Yu single-handedly, and his teammates along with him.

He wanted those experts, those professors, and those school leaders to see clearly that he was the most deserving recipient of this year’s civil engineering military certificate.

Meanwhile, watching the constant stream of group-joining notifications, he realized this was a golden opportunity to promote himself and his guidance group.

"Zhang Yu, thank you for attacking the Nectar Coin."

"Against such a trend, the more you attack, the more you accelerate the growth of the Nectar Coin, and the more you accelerate my own growth."

On the other side, Ji Yuan-shu watched Ping Han’s retreating back, feeling the rolling momentum of destiny—the support of an ever-growing crowd.

He sighed inwardly: "I am merely a teammate, yet I share in this fortune. If I were a true titan of the finance department, or someone like the Nectar God, how much fortune could I draw upon at every moment?"

...

When Ping Han arrived on the field, he saw Zhang Yu standing there alone.

Ping Han said coldly: "Just you?"

Zhang Yu replied calmly: "I am enough."

Zhang Yu knew this was also Director Gao’s intention.

If he still needed the help of teammates to defeat Ping Han, how could he prove the true value of his military certificate?

Zhang Yu watched Ping Han across the expanse, sensing that his opponent harbored similar intentions.

Ping Han, aware that countless eyes were fixed upon the live broadcast, deliberately raised his voice to thunder: "Zhang Yu, they say you bested me in the military certification exams only because your kill count was higher."

"Today, I shall not compete with you in construction; let us see instead who is the superior warrior."

With those words, Ping Han pressed his palms together and unleashed a ferocious strike.

The earth beneath them surged like a tidal wave, rushing toward Zhang Yu in an overwhelming, suffocating deluge.

Facing this onslaught, Zhang Yu shifted his hand seals, retaliating with the same Small Triad technique.

As he pressed his palm downward, the incoming wall of sand and soil was struck by an invisible, colossal force, detonating with a deafening roar and scattering into a towering cloud of dust that billowed in every direction.

The moment the clash began, it became a contest of the Small Triad.

The ground trembled, sand soared into the heavens, and amidst the thunderous echoes, the center of the battlefield resembled two great beasts locked in a savage struggle, churning up endless sandstorms that cast the world into chaos.

"Good!"

Ping Han let out a roar, and the swirling dust was suddenly blasted away.

"It was worth the effort I spent preparing for you."

"This money was not spent in vain."

Several streaks of light pierced through the dust, darting directly toward Ping Han’s position.

With a sharp crackle, the lights revealed a dazzling metallic luster, coiling around Ping Han’s body like living creatures.

"Armor?" Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened as he recognized the gear.

Armor was a type of equipment passed down through the ages, something Zhang Yu knew of, yet rarely encountered in Kunxu.

It was a magical artifact designed solely for combat, its utility too narrow to concern most in the realm.

Ping Han said coldly, "Indeed, this Abyss Armor was prepared specifically for this battle."

Now, Ping Han was encased in thick plating, the black surface etched with the glowing patterns of celestial orbits, corresponding to the thirty-six meridians of the human body; as his mana flowed, it surged with streams of protective energy.

At the joints of the armor, sinewy, dragon-like veins pulsed, radiating waves of intense, vital heat.

Watching this, Zhang Yu understood that every structural element of the armor meant greater bulk and weight, but also higher mana reserves, modular capabilities, and superior immortal power—advantages that the human-sized bone relics could never possess.

Hoo!

With a single breath, Ping Han exhaled a torrent of heat that raised the temperature of the surrounding air.

At the same time, the currency prices and trend charts previously projected onto his skin were now adjusted to display on the exterior of his armor.

As the price of 16.88 flashed once more across Ping Han’s chest, cheers erupted throughout the Spirit Realm, with countless souls rooting for Ping Han and the Qiongjiang Coin.

"Zhang Yu, the path of the Immortal Dao is paved with coin; you who do not speculate are inherently inferior in your ability to generate wealth, and thus your potential is capped. How can you hope to contend with me?"

Thanks to 'Two-Faced Coin' for gifting Mu Lan 4 Zhang Yu.

Thanks to 'A Different Kind of Fireworks li' for the ten-thousand-coin reward.

(End of chapter)