Chapter 466: Yin Artifact Cracked, Dual Degree

Chapter 466: Cracking the Yin Artifact, Dual Degrees

Within the Taiqing Realm at this very moment.

Zhang Yu was deep in the midst of a simulated upgrade experiment for the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill.

As the experimental equipment roared to life, the pill’s state shifted incessantly under the searing intensity of the flames.

Zhang Yu was employing his newly mastered Qi-Axis Phase Transition technique, forcing the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill to cycle through solid, liquid, and gaseous states.

Once successfully refined, the pill would be able to shift between these three states at will, merging into the practitioner’s own Gang-Qi to undergo transformation alongside it, unlocking a myriad of wondrous effects.

Zhang Yu mused, "Once this artifact-refining technique hits level 20, I can attempt to upgrade my actual Taiyi Golden Liquid Pills in the real world, and perhaps fuse those few I have into one."

He thought to himself, "While the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power possesses terrifying destructive and controlling force, it remains sorely lacking in defensive measures."

Reflecting on his previous battle, Zhang Yu realized, "Especially against attacks like the Great Sun’s Myriad Aspects—neither the Heaven-Kunlun power nor the Nine Heavens Cloud-Void Force could effectively block them."

"I cannot rely on my physical body to tank every hit."

"I require defensive capabilities in this regard."

Zhang Yu’s thoughts were clear: as his strength grew and he began to compete at a military-grade level, his magical treasures needed to evolve to fill the gaps in his arsenal.

Whether it was defense against attacks like the Great Sun’s Myriad Aspects, or mobility on the battlefield, reconnaissance, or stealth—all were essential.

...

Just as Zhang Yu was striving for self-improvement.

Deep within the Spirit Realm.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign gazed at the latest project reports, a flicker of surprise crossing her mind.

The work of cracking the Spirit-Transformation Yin Artifact had progressed rapidly at the start.

Yet, as the work deepened, the pace had slowed to a crawl; the complexity of the internal talismans was increasing exponentially, dragging down the efficiency of the entire team.

However, in the report she now held, she noted that a student named Zhang Pianpian had made a significant breakthrough, even uncovering unique talismanic patterns governing the artifact.

"With this, the cracking efficiency has soared. If everyone learns the method Zhang Pianpian proposed, perhaps it will be fully decrypted in a matter of days."

At this, Magnetic Pole Sovereign grew increasingly curious about Zhang Pianpian.

A quick glance at the student’s file revealed an unconventional connection between Zhang Pianpian and Zhang Yu.

"Acquainted since high school."

"Living together since arriving at university."

"It seems they have been supporting and helping one another all along?"

What truly stunned the Sovereign, however, was that Zhang Pianpian’s file contained a wealth of classified information.

"Even I am restricted from viewing it?"

Though she could not see the details, the Sovereign was experienced and cunning. Through various clues and the Nine Heavens Origin-Sun Tower’s ability to gather information from the Spirit Realm, she quickly formed a judgment.

"Is it a connection to the Ministry of All People?" she pondered. "And this Zhang Pianpian seems capable of tapping into the computational resources of a high-spec Spirit Realm grotto-heaven; that must be how she accelerated the decryption."

"To wield Heavenly Court resources in such a manner—her connections are extraordinary."

"Could Zhang Yu’s rapid progress in refining also be a result of this?"

"But Zhang Yu isn't even in the Talisman Department... is he simply being cared for by Zhang Pianpian personally?"

"Could it be that Zhang Pianpian owes him a great debt, and this is how she repays him?"

Magnetic Pole Sovereign shook her head; she lacked sufficient intelligence to untangle the web.

Yet, she chuckled to herself: "Civil Engineering, Artifact Refining, and now the Talisman Department... my disciple certainly knows how to make connections everywhere."

...

Inside the dormitory.

Within the Taiqing Realm.

The realm was shrouded in layers of mist, emitting an unfathomable aura that seemed to descend from the Nine Heavens.

Zhang Pianpian, sitting in the great hall, slowly opened her eyes. "With the simulation capabilities of the side hall, I can successfully disguise the Taiqing Realm as a resource of the Heavenly Court."

"Magnetic Pole Sovereign should be sufficiently misled."

"In that case, even if Zhang Yu shows significant progress in his refining through the Taiqing Realm, it shouldn't raise any suspicions."

A faint smile touched her lips, but she suppressed it instantly, refocusing on the talisman research before her.

"Time is running out."

"I must hasten."

...

In the Civil Engineering Department office.

Director Gao was reviewing the progress of Zhang Yu’s project.

He nodded with satisfaction. "The kid is getting more skilled, and he’s really finding his rhythm."

"I should introduce him to more people next time."

"After all, only by taking on more projects and earning more money can one go further on the path of the Immortal Dao."

Director Gao felt that even if Zhang Yu failed to lead the team to a top-three finish in the inter-university competition this year, he could accept it.

Zhang Yu was still young, only a junior. "If we lose this year, there are seven more years to come."

At this moment, Director Gao seemed to envision Zhang Yu leading the competition team to dominate the university civil engineering circuit for seven consecutive years, securing the top spot while his company’s stock soared and project bids were won one after another.

After graduation, Zhang Yu would pursue a master’s and doctorate under his guidance, eventually passing the review to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage and become his right-hand man.

"Perhaps in the future, this kid can even join me on the battlefield, participating in the university wars to come, and completely reshape the civil engineering landscape of Wanfa University, or even the entire academic world..."

Just as Director Gao was lost in his reverie, a message arrived from Magnetic Pole Sovereign.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: Old Wang’s closing disciple from the Security Department didn't receive his graduation degree. Did you hear?

Director Gao: Hmm, I heard. Was it because he was too specialized?

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: Such a promising student, who would have thought it would end like this.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: But fortunately, the student has a dual degree.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: Even though he didn't get the Security degree, he has another one, otherwise ten years of study would have been for nothing, and he’d be ruined.

Director Gao: Why are you bringing this up to me now?

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: I’ve been thinking, dual degrees are becoming more popular in schools; one major is no longer enough for students to cultivate.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: To put it bluntly, if the job market for one major fails, they have the other to fall back on.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: Studying two degrees at once saves time, fosters interdisciplinary thinking, increases competitiveness, and builds cross-disciplinary networks. Don't you agree?

Looking at the message, Director Gao frowned. After a moment of contemplation, he replied: The academic pressure is already high enough; it’s hard to convince students to take on another major.

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: Between the two of us, can’t we pressure a single student?

Magnetic Pole Sovereign: We’ve been friends for hundreds of years; surely you’ll support me on this.

Lord Magnetic Pole: You wouldn't oppose me, would you?

Lord Magnetic Pole: Old Gao?

Director Gao stared at the message from Lord Magnetic Pole, his brow furrowing slightly: "What is this fellow Magnetic Pole... getting at? Could it be that..."

Just as Director Gao was caught in a web of hesitation, suspicion, and worry,

Lord Magnetic Pole sent another message: Tomorrow I shall tell Feng Tingting to enroll in the Civil Engineering Department for a second degree.

Lord Magnetic Pole: With dual mastery in Civil Engineering and Artifact Refining, she will become a versatile, plug-and-play talent, capable of focusing on intelligent construction.

Seeing this message, Director Gao’s eyes lit up; he was, after all, a staunch supporter of talents from the Artifact Refining Department coming to study in Civil Engineering.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly: "Alas, what was I just rambling on about in my own head?"

"Magnetic Pole and I have been friends for hundreds of years, and he is the head of the Artifact Refining Department, commanding so many top scholars—why would he ever covet a student from my Civil Engineering side?"

Thinking this, Director Gao replied: No problem, I will arrange it for you personally when the time comes.

...

In the Spirit Realm, Lord Magnetic Pole looked at the reply and smiled faintly.

In the days that followed, the efficiency of deciphering the Soul-Transforming Yin Artifact increased significantly, accelerating the progress of the entire project team.

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-February.

Lord Magnetic Pole stood with his staff, surrounding the artifact spirit within the Spirit Realm.

The spirit no longer possessed its former fluctuations of thought; it drifted before them as quietly as a blank sheet of paper.

Having led the team to this point, the decryption work had achieved a major breakthrough. Lord Magnetic Pole had successfully suppressed the bulk of the spirit's intelligence, effectively reducing its mental capacity from that of an eighteen-year-old to a five-year-old.

He chose this path rather than a more violent method of forced control simply because he wished to observe the Yin Artifact’s most primitive and complete operational state, to understand the inner workings of its high-level intelligence.

Had he used a brutal approach to seize control, he risked losing a vast amount of critical data.

For Lord Magnetic Pole and Wanfa University, gaining control of this single Soul-Transforming Yin Artifact was not the ultimate goal.

Deciphering the technology of Hehuan University and the secrets of the Divine Lord Qiongjiang—that was what truly mattered.

A professor from the Talisman Department remarked: "The first phase is complete. Now, we need only continue experimenting with this artifact to gather sufficient data. Once we fully grasp Hehuan University's techniques, perhaps our Wanfa University will be able to open a new academy for dual cultivation."

Lord Magnetic Pole chuckled: "Indeed. When that day comes and we fill that void in our curriculum, you shall be the founding father of the dual cultivation field at Wanfa University."

However, in subsequent trials, Lord Magnetic Pole discovered that the activation and operation of the Soul-Transforming Yin Artifact came with various requirements.

"Those of too high a cultivation level seem unsuitable, and those of too low a level seem equally ineffective."

"Divine Lord Qiongjiang was quite particular; even with the artifact reset to its initial settings, he had embedded many troublesome screening criteria."

Lord Magnetic Pole pondered for a moment and said: "It seems the best test subjects are students."

"It appears that Divine Lord Qiongjiang may have created this artifact specifically for the purpose of interacting with students."

The Talisman Department professor nodded and said: "Let us summon a group of students to participate in the trials."

A student from the Talisman Department’s eyes lit up, and he asked: "Teacher, how much will we be paid to participate?"

"You want to be paid?" the professor laughed: "This is a Soul-Transforming Yin Artifact, and its intelligence has been suppressed. Interacting with it is bound to yield great benefits; if anything, you should be paying me."

He thought for a moment and added: "Post the announcement... no, we must show some respect for Divine Lord Qiongjiang. Do not make it public."

"Notify the students of each department in secret and have them pay a fee to sign up."

The student asked: "If we are notifying them in secret, which students should we approach?"

The professor considered this and said: "The top ten of each department. Anyone interested may apply."

Having said this, he looked at Lord Magnetic Pole and asked: "What do you think, Magnetic Pole?"

Lord Magnetic Pole nodded: "Let us proceed with this for now and see what the results are."

(End of chapter)