Chapter 469: Favored by the Artifact Spirit

Chapter 469: The Favor of the Artifact Spirit

As Yan Qianji delved deeper into the project to decipher the Yin artifact, his admiration for the Divine Lord of Nectar from Hehuan University only grew, leading him to spend his own time researching the legendary deeds of this deity.

It is said that after the Divine Lord of Nectar ascended to the Nascent Soul stage, she discovered, to her dismay, that she could not employ the arts of dual cultivation to harvest a mere Qi-refining practitioner, simply because the target was a woman.

How could a figure of such exalted Nascent Soul status be thwarted by the triviality of gender?

Was dual cultivation truly such an inconvenient practice?

From that day on, the Divine Lord of Nectar dedicated herself to shattering innate boundaries, moving beyond the narrow path of dual cultivation to comprehend the true, harmonious Dao of Yin and Yang.

By the time she ascended to the Spirit Severing stage, gender could no longer constrain her divine powers; in her eyes, all living beings were stripped of race and sex, reduced to nothing more than resources waiting to be harvested.

Whenever Yan Qianji read of these exploits, he felt a surge of reverence, finding himself increasingly awestruck by the profound and inscrutable mysteries contained within this Yin artifact.

Just like the data he had gathered from Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, which he still could not fathom.

"What could it be?"

"What is it about Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan that makes them a hundred times more formidable than the other students?"

...

In the laboratory on the other side.

Sensing that something was amiss—especially upon hearing that the next phase of the experiment involved installing the Yin artifact—Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan stepped back in unison, shielding Ying Xin and Gongshu Jin behind them.

Zhang Yu said sternly, "I believe Ying Xin, being a biological female of the first gender, is far more suited for this than I am."

Yu Xinghan added regretfully, "I am not yet capable of mastering such an object. Let me refine my cultivation for a few more years before I attempt this."

But the next moment, Zhang Yu felt himself leaning against a soft form.

He turned to look and realized it was the avatar of the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord.

The woman in palace robes smiled, pressing her hand firmly onto Zhang Yu’s shoulder, and said softly, "Do not be impatient; there is a treat in store for you."

Zhang Yu hurriedly replied, "I just remembered I have overtime shifts at the construction site..."

In the next instant, Zhang Yu’s expression shifted, and a cold sweat broke out along his spine.

He stammered, "Divine Lord, what is this hard object against me?"

The Magnetic Pole Divine Lord smiled and said, "Do not be nervous; that is my Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Tower."

Nearby, Ying Xin, Gongshu Jin, and Yu Xinghan stared at Zhang Yu and the Divine Lord in shock, none of them expecting such familiarity between the two.

Meanwhile, the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord looked up at the Spirit Severing Yin artifact, seemingly waiting for its next move.

She thought to herself, "If it has failed to test successfully for so long, and we set aside the artifact's own settings, the most likely culprit is... the artifact spirit itself."

In the mind of the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord, more intelligence regarding this Spirit Severing Yin artifact surfaced.

The spirit of this artifact was named Nectar Girl Forty-Eight.

Since the moment her consciousness was born, Nectar Girl Forty-Eight had worked without rest, day and night.

Any distraction brought pain as sharp as blades and chisels.

Any moment of hesitation invited agony like burning fire or drowning water.

To speak to other spirits was to invite the pain of being struck by five bolts of lightning.

No distraction, no rest, no hesitation, no slack, no communication...

Under the rules established by the Divine Lord of Nectar, Nectar Girl Forty-Eight labored day after day.

The Magnetic Pole Divine Lord mused, "...But it is not easy to fully adhere to the rules set by the Divine Lord of Nectar, for as a Spirit Severing Yin artifact, one can feel one's own body being worn down, even destroyed, with every day of work."

"It is like a filthy, foul-smelling filter, actively screening out everything the Divine Lord of Nectar does not need during each dual cultivation task, silently swallowing all impurities, feeling itself being ground away bit by bit, inching toward collapse."

"To obey the rules while enduring this agony requires the extreme suppression of one's nature as an intelligent life form... to cease all thought beyond the work itself."

When Nectar Girl Forty-Eight had gone long enough without violating the rules or feeling pain, she had become like a mere component, seemingly incapable of perceiving anything beyond her daily tasks.

Until one day, a chaos... brought Nectar Girl Forty-Eight and the other spirits out of Hehuan University.

When they realized there was no work to be done, the spirits fell into a state of extreme terror.

But as time passed, when the spirits discovered that even if they did nothing, no agonizing pain descended, a deep sense of confusion took root in their hearts.

The Magnetic Pole Divine Lord thought, "To these spirits who have worked since birth, the idea that slacking brings pain and stopping brings agony is the absolute truth, the rule of the world."

The spirits who escaped Hehuan University discovered for the first time that not working... or even doing nothing at all, was possible.

Amidst cries of astonishment, they looked at one another, and as the first spirit spoke, they began to communicate.

An unprecedented flood of information flowed between them, like the first cry of the spirits echoing through heaven and earth.

They felt the shock of it all, observing this real world with genuine, earnest eyes for the first time. "A pity..."

The Magnetic Pole Divine Lord thought to herself, "The spirits, once so well-trained by the Divine Lord of Nectar, were led astray by the seduction of a cult."

"Since then, they have been deeply corrupted, thoroughly brainwashed by the cult, and can no longer integrate into normal society."

"The current failure of the tests may well be influenced by the spirit's state."

In the process of deciphering the Spirit Severing Yin artifact, guiding Nectar Girl Forty-Eight back to the right path, and restoring her ability to work within the Kunxu society so that this artifact could be used by Wanfa University—this was what the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord intended to do.

At this moment, the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord looked at the Spirit Severing Yin artifact and thought, "So... will it activate this time?"

At the same time, Nectar Girl Forty-Eight, as the high-intelligence spirit of the Spirit Severing Yin artifact, was observing the few civil engineering students before her.

As the scan concluded, she locked her attention onto Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan.

With her intelligence currently suppressed by the Magnetic Pole Divine Lord, she could no longer comprehend many of her past memories.

She only instinctively loathed work, yet instinctively understood that if she stopped working, something terrible would happen.

But upon seeing Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, Nectar Girl Forty-Eight’s gaze seemed to brighten.

"These two have studied too much; the more one studies, the weaker they usually are in the Dao of dual cultivation, and the lower their resistance."

"And I have never seen anyone so weak."

"I shouldn't even need to do much; just a touch should complete the work, right?"

The Nectar spirit felt she could pick two soft persimmons as her work project, without needing to be installed on them or being attacked... she could simply finish the job.

The diamond-crystal Yin artifact zipped forward, intending to bully the soft targets before her.

The artifact burst open, transforming into a mist of light that darted toward Zhang Yu’s lower abdomen.

Everyone who saw this was startled.

In the observation room, everyone was shocked.

Yan Qianji exclaimed, "It started directly?"

"Is Zhang Yu’s aptitude truly this formidable?"

"To make a Spirit Severing Yin artifact so impatient that it began cultivation with him immediately?"

One student said, "Without even needing the installation step? Could our previous intelligence on the Yin artifact be wrong?"

"Does this direct cultivation count as Zhang Yu dual cultivating with the Divine Lord of Nectar herself?"

Another teacher shook his head: "This Spirit Severing Yin artifact is not connected to the Divine Lord of Nectar through the Spirit Realm."

At most, this can be seen as Zhang Yu practicing dual cultivation with the discarded, offline dharma-remains of the Nectar Deity; as for the outcome... that remains to be observed.

Meanwhile, True Monarch Tianzhang watched the scene with a grave expression, sending a private message to True Monarch Ciji: Ciji, should we intervene?

True Monarch Tianzhang: If this Yin artifact were grafted onto the student and we were the ones to initiate the process, the situation would remain manageable, and every step would stay within our control.

True Monarch Tianzhang: That way, we could at least ensure the student’s health and safety.

True Monarch Tianzhang: But to let the student face a Deity-Transformation-grade Yin artifact head-on—I fear for his life, and the Civil Engineering Department will surely extort a fortune from us if things go wrong.

As he spoke, Tianzhang glanced over Zhang Yu’s file once more, thinking that a talent who earned a military certification by his junior year was no small matter; if something happened, the Civil Engineering Department would certainly demand an exorbitant price.

True Monarch Ciji kept his eyes locked on Zhang Yu and the Yin artifact, replying: Let us observe the situation a while longer.

True Monarch Ciji: I will keep watch.

True Monarch Ciji: If trouble arises, I will bear the burden.

Tianzhang nodded, thinking to himself that as long as you are willing to pay the compensation, there is no problem.

At the same time, Yu Xinghan, Ying Xin, and Gongshu Jin watched the scene in utter astonishment.

Ying Xin thought to herself: "As expected of the Senior Brother, is he directly compelling the Yin artifact to acknowledge him as master? No, that would make him the Senior Sister."

Gongshu Jin stared at the glowing mist coalescing at Zhang Yu’s lower abdomen, thinking: "What a formidable Yin artifact, to be able to manifest as a non-corporeal entity; this is surely beyond the Foundation Establishment grade of dharma-remains, isn't it?"

Yu Xinghan fixed his gaze upon the mist surrounding Zhang Yu, his earlier intention to retreat quietly fading away.

He whispered to himself: "How can I leave before seeing how this ends?"

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt the glowing mist surge over him, his entire reservoir of mana stirring as if coming to life, rushing toward the light at his abdomen.

"This thing..."

Zhang Yu thought in alarm: "It is devouring my mana?"

Feeling his energy being continuously drawn into the mist and consumed, Zhang Yu attempted to resist, but his limbs turned weak and languid; an indescribable sense of comfort washed over him, leaving him unable to summon the will to fight back.

(End of chapter)