Chapter 457: President Wang

Chapter 457: President Wang

A violent tremor shook the Spirit Realm, and every teacher and student present felt a wave of astonishing pressure radiating from the spirit artifact.

Simultaneously, the spirit’s voice seemed to overlap hundreds, even thousands of times, echoing layer upon layer within their ears, their hearts, and the depths of their minds. It was like a massive boulder cast into a pond, stirring up a tempest in the lakes of their consciousness.

"What joy is there in life? What bitterness in death?"

"Dissolve the decaying husk, to be reborn in the cycle."

"Sever the path of immortal dust this day, and leap forth as a dragon of leisure amidst the clouds..."

The spirit artifact murmured, "You struggle bitterly in this world every day, all for the scraps that fall from the immortals' fingers. A hundred or a thousand years of arduous cultivation, only to end as a wisp of lingering soul; joys and sorrows, all returning to dust."

"Everything you do today is merely to render yourselves as fodder for the immortals."

"Why not enter the cycle early, be reborn, and live a new life?"

"To return to the cycle and be born into a better fate—is that not worth more than a hundred years of your grueling toil?"

Just then, a cold shout from True Monarch Magnetic Pole rang out. The Nine Heavens Origin Sun Pagoda manifested within the Spirit Realm, instantly suppressing the flow of information.

A soft, metallic chime resonated through the realm, and the students, previously dazed by the spirit’s whispers, snapped back to their senses.

Yan Qianji stared at the spirit artifact in shock, thinking, "Even after being suppressed by several teachers, it still possesses such powers of bewitchment?"

His eyes then lit up with greed as he sighed, "As expected of a spirit artifact forged by a Deity of Transformation. If I can successfully crack it, I will surely obtain the breakthroughs in spirit artifact technology that Joyous University has achieved over these years."

On the other side, Ye Xingli pondered the content of the whispers, thinking to herself, "This is..."

At that moment, the cold voice of True Monarch Magnetic Pole cut across the Spirit Realm, entering the mind of everyone present: "This creature just employed the heretical arts of the Feathered Demon Sect; its words are nothing but twisted lies."

"The spirit itself is deeply poisoned and its mind is utterly shattered. Do not be influenced by it."

As he spoke, the Nine Heavens Origin Sun Pagoda shone with brilliant light, completely shielding the spirit’s murmurs.

Meanwhile, countless strange patterns emerged on the surface of the statue, shifting like intricate talismans and revealing endless detail.

True Monarch Magnetic Pole commanded, "The spirit has sealed itself, attempting to use internal restrictions for self-preservation. Follow me and break the seals..."

In an instant, True Monarch Magnetic Pole reached out, and a flood of runes poured from within the spirit, surging toward the teachers and students.

Zhang Pianpian looked at the runes flowing toward her and immediately began to dismantle them one by one.

Yan Qianji glanced over and remarked, "Your talisman skills are quite high; you are very proficient at cracking spirit artifacts."

Zhang Pianpian replied indifferently, "Talismans were originally a method for channeling divine power. It was only after the divine power network flourished that they became the standard language of the Spirit Realm and were applied to spirit artifact technology. It is only natural that our department is adept at dealing with them."

"Your own talisman skills are quite high as well; you hardly seem like a mere artifact-forging student."

Yan Qianji laughed, "If one studies artifact forging without learning talismans, the magical treasures and shells produced lack even the most basic primary intelligence. How could they satisfy the market?"

Just then, the runes before them accelerated their transformations more than a hundredfold, and the expressions of everyone present turned grave.

...

Inside the office.

Director Gao looked at Zhang Yu and nodded with a smile, saying, "You lad, I thought you would need to practice the Kunyuan Art for several days and study the General Outline of the Seven Earth-Wood Absolutes before you could unify the seven and grasp the mysteries of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power."

"I never expected you to master the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power in a single night."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was slightly stunned and asked in surprise, "The Seven Earth-Wood Absolutes have a General Outline?"

Director Gao sighed, "Naturally. Do you think everyone possesses your aptitude, capable of forcibly unifying the seven to cultivate this peerless martial art?"

"And the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power you have mastered... do you not feel something is missing?"

"Beyond explaining the mysteries of unification, the most important part of the General Outline is the record of the applications for the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power, painstakingly researched by our predecessors."

Listening to Director Gao’s musings, Zhang Yu felt a flicker of surprise. He recalled that after pushing the Kunyuan Art to level 5 last night, he had felt the seven absolutes begin to interlink.

Zhang Yu thought, "Could it be because I reached level 20 in the other six absolutes? That my comprehension of the Seven Earth-Wood Absolutes reached the limit of the Foundation Establishment stage, allowing for this sudden breakthrough?"

As Zhang Yu pondered, Director Gao continued, "Once you obtained all seven absolutes, I applied for authorization for the General Outline, and I am sending it to you now."

"Although you have already unified the seven and mastered the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power, there are still many matters within the outline that you must commit to memory."

"Especially the application methods summarized by our predecessors, known as the Ten Phases of the Suppressing Star. While they are merely techniques rather than true cultivation methods, they will be of great benefit to your execution of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power. You must study them carefully..."

Director Gao offered further guidance, teaching Zhang Yu the nuances of the General Outline for over two hours before finally letting him go.

Before Zhang Yu left, Director Gao added, "One last thing before you go."

"Now that you have mastered military-grade techniques, you can take on projects you couldn't handle before. I will arrange these for you, and your income will certainly see a significant increase."

"But remember, do not squander your earnings, and do not participate in investments you do not understand. Pinghan is a cautionary tale..."

Having finally finished listening to Director Gao’s instructions, Zhang Yu walked away, reviewing the General Outline. He thought, "Unifying the seven and coordinating them allows for the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power."

"And the average level of the seven absolutes is roughly the level at which the Mountain-Moving Power can be driven."

"Based on my current levels, the power I can exert is roughly equivalent to level 17 or 18."

Zhang Yu looked at the application methods, thinking, "The Ten Phases of the Suppressing Star... it is a pity they are only techniques, not a true cultivation method."

"It seems I will have to practice them while working at the construction site."

Suddenly, Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered: "I forgot to ask about the magical shells."

Zhang Yu quickly sent a message: Teacher Gao, can I apply to purchase the blueprints for the remaining four Seven-Absolute magical shells?

Director Gao: The procedure must still be followed.

Director Gao: However, since you have already mastered the Seven Earth-Wood Absolutes, I will arrange the remaining four tests for you as soon as possible.

Director Gao: For every test you pass, you may apply for one more type of magical shell.

...

Netherworld University.

In the leather-tanning factory, Ye Lingxiao was channeling his mana to operate the equipment, refining the "human skin" before him.

Ye Lingxiao knew that the factory did not use real human skin, but rather fake skins the boss sourced from somewhere, passing them off as authentic to manufacture immortal treasures.

Ye Lingxiao had no intention of reporting it; after all, if there were no dark secrets, a report might be harmless, but this was a genuine operation of illicit dealings.

Just then, he received a message on his ocular device and felt a surge of joy: "Zhang Yu led a surrender at the Earth-Wood Competition and lost?"

This was a message from a friend at Wanfa University, and Ye Lingxiao deemed it highly credible.

He thought to himself, "President Wang should be pleased to hear this."

Ye Lingxiao sent the message over, expecting the other party to be delighted, but Wang Yin replied: Is there anything to be happy about in this?

Ye Lingxiao: Zhang Yu lost.

Wang Yin: That is why I am asking, why should Zhang Yu losing be a cause for joy? Only if he wins can the value of my own defeat be proven.

Wang Yin: The more he wins, the more he inspires my Dao heart and accelerates my immortal cultivation.

Hearing this, Ye Lingxiao secretly admired the firmness of Wang Yin’s Dao heart, while feeling a twinge of shame for his own petty glee.

Wang Yin: Besides, do you think I need you to tell me about Zhang Yu’s affairs?

Wang Yin: I can see his social feed myself.

Ye Lingxiao was struck by a fresh wave of astonishment, and then Wang Yin sent another message: Your information is already outdated.

Wang Yin: Zhang Yu has mastered the military-grade martial art, the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.

Ye Lingxiao stared at the screenshot sent by the other party, which showed Zhang Yu suspended upside down in the sky, announcing on his social feed that he had mastered the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.

Gazing at this scene, Ye Lingxiao drew a sharp breath, never imagining that the country bumpkin he had once looked down upon from the first tier had now become a figure he could only gaze up at from afar, a man he might never be able to catch.

Wang Yin: Do not use your own level of attainment to speculate on my state of mind in the future.

Wang Yin: There is no need to inform me of any bad news regarding Zhang Yu.

Wang Yin: Only tell me of his victories.

Reading Wang Yin’s reply, Ye Lingxiao could not help but marvel at the formidable strength of the CEO’s resolve.

“Zhang Yu… CEO Wang…”

Witnessing Zhang Yu’s achievements and observing Wang Yin’s reaction, Ye Lingxiao reflected on his own recent behavior and felt nothing but a fool.

“I must elevate my own mental state as well.”

“Otherwise, the gap between us will only continue to widen.”

With this thought, Ye Lingxiao summoned his courage, intending to add Zhang Yu back as a friend.

However, recalling how the other party had previously tried to reach him to contact CEO Wang, only to be blocked by him, Ye Lingxiao began to ponder how he might offer an apology.

Just then, lines of notification flickered across his retinal display.

“Your work efficiency has dropped for over five minutes; please focus your mind and attend to your duties.”

Seeing this, Ye Lingxiao snapped back to reality, casting aside all distracting thoughts to devote his full attention to the work before him.

“For now, I had best focus on the present and see this overtime shift through to the end.”

(End of chapter)