Chapter 472: Widely Noticed

Chapter 472: Widespread Attention

A moment later, 30 spirit coins were deposited into Yu Xinghan’s account.

He then distributed 3 spirit coins to Zhang Yu, who had assisted him, and sent 1 spirit coin each to Gongshu Jin and Ying Xin.

"Profit."

Gazing at the 25 spirit coins remaining in his account, Yu Xinghan mused that the trip had been worthwhile; even with the injury, the gain was substantial.

Yet, the outcome of Yu Xinghan’s encounter left True Monarch Tianzhang’s original plans in tatters.

"Yu Xinghan failed."

"That means, so far, only Zhang Yu has succeeded in the test, completing a normal dual cultivation."

"What is the difference between the two?"

"Too many; it is impossible to distinguish."

"The best approach is to have Zhang Yu continue participating in the tests to gather more data."

True Monarch Tianzhang thought to himself, "But to make him continue cooperating... the price is too high."

Thirty spirit coins were by no means a large sum to True Monarch Tianzhang; he could produce them with a flick of his wrist.

But once the testing began in earnest and the frequency increased, it would inevitably become a significant expense.

Although it was not his own money being spent, he valued the project highly and did not intend to squander the budget.

However, if he wanted to pressure Zhang Yu and drag him into further experiments...

"After all, he is an elite from the Civil Engineering Department who earned his military certification in his junior year. If I ask the department for him directly, the quote won't be cheap."

"Relying on myself alone..."

Feeling that he could not handle this alone, True Monarch Tianzhang thought of True Monarch Ciji.

True Monarch Tianzhang: Ciji, I hear you have a good relationship with the Civil Engineering Department.

True Monarch Tianzhang: Is there any way to lower the price and get this Zhang Yu to join the experiments?

True Monarch Ciji: No rush.

True Monarch Ciji: The situation is still unclear; let’s finish the next few batches of tests first.

True Monarch Ciji: Once we summarize the data, we will hold a meeting to decide whether to use this Zhang Yu.

True Monarch Tianzhang nodded slightly, thinking he had been too impatient. True Monarch Ciji’s words were those of a seasoned veteran; they should indeed collect more data, and incidentally, let Zhang Yu cool his heels for a while.

Meanwhile, Qiongjiang the Fourth-Eighth watched Zhang Yu’s departing figure, thinking, "An existence capable of triggering the non-interference list."

"I wonder what his situation is... could he be somewhat like me?"

...

On the way out of the laboratory.

Yu Xinghan kept pestering Zhang Yu about his sensations during the experiment, finally saying with envy, "Sigh, your luck is just too good, boosting your Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power so much in one go."

Zhang Yu replied, "I would rather not have had the boost that came from such luck."

He sighed, "The most important thing in cultivation is relying on oneself. Only the strength gained step-by-step through one's own down-to-earth, arduous practice is the best and most solid."

Zhang Yu returned to the construction site and resumed his work.

Although this experiment brought him no payment, it allowed him to openly display the power of his Level 15 Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.

On the site, waves of thunderous roars erupted. Under the tearing of invisible forces, the entire mountain suddenly disintegrated and collapsed, surging into the sky like a black dragon, hanging in the air and blotting out the sun.

Witnessing this cataclysmic scene, employees like Zhao Tianxing, Mo Tianyi, and Hu Yuntao were struck with awe.

Looking at Zhang Yu, who stood atop the black dragon in the sky, moving his hands to shake the earth and mountains, Zhao Tianxing lamented, "Zhang Yu... he seems to have grown much stronger again."

Recalling the days when Zhang Yu ate at the same table in high school, Zhao Tianxing felt a profound sense of melancholy: "Without realizing it, Zhang Yu has reached a level we can hardly imagine."

Zhang Yu, having pushed his Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power to Level 15, felt completely refreshed, as if his body had moved from a small cage into a larger one.

"Finally, I can be less restricted and exert more of my true strength."

Just then, Director Gao sent a message asking about the experiment.

Zhang Yu repeated the same explanation he had given True Monarch Tianzhang.

Director Gao asked Zhang Yu to see him the next day to test his cultivation level.

This was not because Director Gao distrusted Zhang Yu; after all, with True Monarch Tianzhang’s verification and True Monarch Ciji’s presence, he believed the growth was indeed a result of the experiment.

He was primarily concerned about potential side effects from such a rapid increase in power, which prompted him to test it himself.

In the following period, news of Zhang Yu’s participation in the experiment and his subsequent surge in power, with his Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power breaking through to Level 15, spread throughout the Civil Engineering Department, making him the object of everyone’s envy.

Zhang Yu, however, remained indifferent; after all, this was power he had earned through his own hard work.

He continued to study, practice, and work overtime every day, accumulating his strength bit by bit.

On this day, in the artifact refining laboratory.

Under the surge of violent lightning, tightly constrained by the surrounding equipment, a thumb-sized metallic square seal appeared before Zhang Yu a moment later.

This was his newly refined magical treasure, the Thunder-Suppressing Seal, capable of exhaling lightning to form a defensive barrier.

Especially against long-range attacks like flying swords, it could trigger an instantaneous lightning strike to deflect the sword's trajectory and neutralize its power.

If one possessed multiple Thunder-Suppressing Seals, they could form a small array to lay down layers of lightning nets for defense.

Zhang Yu refined this seal naturally to compensate for his lack of defensive capabilities against flying swords, preparing for the upcoming confrontation with Sky Sword University.

"My base stats have reached the limit of the Foundation Establishment stage."

"But in terms of strength, I am far from the limit of Foundation Establishment."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "A student who has only mastered one military-grade technique should only be considered in the third tier among the top ten undergraduate levels."

"I still need to master military-grade magical treasures, military-grade dharma remains, and more military-grade powers to be considered top-tier among university students."

However, Zhang Yu understood that for someone who had mastered the Tiankunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, the Civil Engineering Department could no longer provide room for further advancement.

"To master military-grade treasures, remains, and even more military-grade techniques, I must go to the Artifact Refining Department."

At this moment, Zhang Yu’s accumulation in artifact refining, beyond updating his treasures to enhance his strength, was also building a foundation for his future studies in that department.

"There is only half a year left before I transfer."

"I hope everything goes smoothly."

Just then, Zhang Yu received a message from True Monarch Ciji.

True Monarch Ciji: Go to the laboratory.

True Monarch Ciji: True Monarch Tianzhang has something to discuss with you.

True Monarch Ciji: Try your best to cooperate with his work.

...

Since the end of the test between Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan, the project team had arranged for many others to be tested, but none had succeeded.

Because this series of experiments had consumed a great deal of time and the project team’s decryption efforts had yet to yield results, some began to voice complaints, even suggesting that someone else should lead the project.

It was precisely at this juncture that news broke of Zhang Yu from the Civil Engineering Department advancing his Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power to the fifteenth level, a breakthrough hailed as a triumph of the Yin Artifact decryption project.

Inside the laboratory, True Monarch Tianzhang addressed Zhang Yu: "The progress you have achieved in your cultivation during these experiments serves as proof that our university’s mastery of Yin Artifact technology has reached the pinnacle of intercollegiate standards."

"Upon learning of this success, several of the university presidents have placed great expectations on this project."

"In particular, Divine Monarch Wanhua has issued a directive, urging us to press on with renewed vigor and translate this technology into practical application as soon as possible."

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred at these words; he was no longer the green freshman of yesteryear, and he had come to understand much about the inner workings and key figures of the university.

He knew this Divine Monarch Wanhua to be one of the three Soul-Transformation masters of Wanfa University, overseeing all research in Immortal Dao technology—from the filing of major projects and the formation of research teams to the commercialization of technical breakthroughs, all fell under his purview.

And Yan Qianji of the Artifact Refining Department was none other than this Divine Monarch’s own disciple.

"To think that even Divine Monarch Wanhua is keeping watch over this project?"

Zhang Yu sensed trouble brewing; his success with the Heaven-Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power had absolutely nothing to do with Wanfa University’s dual-cultivation techniques. What would happen when the deception was eventually laid bare?

True Monarch Tianzhang mused to himself: "Troublesome. How could Divine Monarch Qiongjiang’s dual-cultivation techniques be so easily decrypted? The artifact spirit is already being uncooperative, and a brute-force decryption would inevitably lead to data loss."

"I suppose we must conduct a few more tests."

With this thought, Tianzhang prepared to arrange another round of testing to gather more data.

Yet, just as the terms were settled and the test was to begin, the Yin Artifact circled Zhang Yu once and then ceased all movement.

"Hmm?"

Tianzhang, noticing this, paused in surprise and cast another surge of mana, only to find the Yin Artifact remained unresponsive to Zhang Yu.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tianzhang wondered, perplexed. "It won't activate?"

Zhang Yu, sensing something amiss, watched the artifact circling him and thought it must have malfunctioned. It seemed Wanfa University’s technology in this field was still rather immature.

Tianzhang tried repeatedly, but seeing the artifact remain dormant, his curiosity only deepened.

"It didn't even trigger its detection function? Such a phenomenon has never occurred before."

"Faced with this Zhang Yu, the artifact either performs a normal dual-cultivation to boost his cultivation base, or it fails to activate entirely. Why this strange behavior?"

At that very moment, under Tianzhang’s persistent urging, the artifact seemed to reach its limit of patience; with a sharp whistle, it dove directly into the palm of Zhang Yu’s hand.

Qiongjiang’s forty-eighth heart thought: "How annoying. Does he not realize this is a target forbidden by the non-interference list?"

"Fine, let him try it himself; once he hits the block, he will understand."

Zhang Yu clutched the diamond-like crystal in his hand, looking at True Monarch Tianzhang with confusion: "What is happening here?"

Tianzhang stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before thinking: "Could it be that this Yin Artifact wants Zhang Yu to take manual control and operate it himself?"