Chapter 506: Stay in Civil Engineering? Or Transfer Departments? (Thanks to 'Divine Skill')

Chapter 506: Stay in Civil Engineering? Or Transfer? (Thanks to 'Shentong Daxiong' for the alliance leader donation)

Observing the earnest gaze of Director Gao, True Monarch Qiyun sighed helplessly, gestured toward him, and said, "You, you are clearly younger than me, yet you live like an ancient relic."

"Students will eventually have to be let go; you should think more about yourself."

Director Gao smiled gently and replied, "Principal, Zhang Yu is a successor I value highly. The burden of the Civil Engineering Department may one day fall upon his shoulders. Any future returns he generates will include a share for me; helping him is helping myself."

True Monarch Qiyun paused, frowning, "Zhang Yu is your successor?"

Director Gao nodded, "Indeed. I have decided to guarantee his admission to graduate school and intend to announce it at the banquet shortly."

True Monarch Qiyun nodded in confusion, "Oh."

True Monarch Qiyun quickly messaged True Monarch Ciji: "What are you and old Gao playing at?"

True Monarch Ciji: Nothing.

True Monarch Qiyun: Ciji, with so many people watching today, don't you dare make a spectacle of yourselves.

Sensing the doubt on True Monarch Qiyun's face, Director Gao added, "Principal, rest assured. Based on my observations, Zhang Yu’s aptitude and character make him a worthy investment. He will undoubtedly be a key asset for the Civil Engineering Department and will earn the school a great deal of wealth."

"Mhm, mhm," True Monarch Qiyun thought to himself, "Could this be some kind of strategy I'm unaware of?"

Just then, Zhang Yu arrived before Director Gao and was pulled forward to be introduced to True Monarch Qiyun.

Simultaneously, on the other side, Tu Lishan was listening to a report from his student, Shi Huaiyu.

Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow: "What did you say?"

Shi Huaiyu: "Zhang Yu ended up transplanting the Seven Absolutes Dharma Remains..."

Tu Lishan said: "No, I meant the previous sentence. What department is Zhang Yu transferring to?"

Shi Huaiyu replied: "The Artifact Refining Department, of course. You didn't know, Teacher?"

Tu Lishan paused, looking at Zhang Yu and Director Gao in the distance, thinking to himself: "Zhang Yu is transferring to Artifact Refining? And under True Monarch Ciji?"

He was about to message Director Gao but hesitated, struck by another thought.

"Could Director Gao already know?"

"With their friendship spanning hundreds of years, are these two conspiring together?"

Across the room, Director Lin listened to Xiao Yunjie’s report, let out a cold snort, and thought: "I knew it. How could Gao Chongguang, on his own, have cultivated a student of Zhang Yu’s caliber in just three years?"

"Clearly, he has the backing of the Artifact Refining Department."

Thinking of the prematurely fallen Ji Yuanshu, Director Lin sighed internally: "Perhaps I shouldn't have been so high-profile when cultivating Ji Yuanshu. Acting in the shadows like Gao Chongguang and Ciji—that is how one achieves success."

Although the old director, True Monarch Lingyue, had exhausted his physical lifespan, his soul now resided in the Spirit Realm, and he had sent a projection to attend the banquet.

Listening to Su Yanyang’s report on the competition, the old director’s eyes flickered, and he thought: "Old Gao is likely trying to pull the entire Civil Engineering Department toward Artifact Refining, fully supporting the coming war."

He considered the friction between the Joyous University and the Dharma Remains project under True Monarch Ciji, and the conflict between the God of Myriad Transformations and the God of Nectar, feeling the undercurrents surging.

"Do they truly intend to drag the Myriad Laws into this?"

The old director sighed: "Alas, an era of great strife... Perhaps it is not a bad thing that I am stepping down early."

At that moment, the lighting in the banquet hall shifted, dimming everywhere except for the area where Director Gao stood.

The crowd’s attention converged on Director Gao and the Zhang Yu standing beside him.

Director Gao smiled with immense satisfaction and spoke slowly: "Teachers, students, today the sky is clear, much like our spirits—burning bright and hot, our blood refusing to cool."

"The Civil Engineering competition team defeated Vajra University, Heavenly Sword University, Immortal Soldier University, and Heavenly Demon University. We hacked through thorns and brambles, climbing upward until we finally seized this year's championship."

"Behind this achievement lies the investment of countless spirit coins and the expenditure of countless hours. This is not merely a victory for the team, but a victory for our school’s education..."

"And student Zhang Yu, participating in an inter-university competition for the first time, has made a significant contribution. He upheld the righteous path of Civil Engineering, leading his teammates to defeat Heavenly Demon University in a fair and square manner to win the most critical final."

"I hope he will continue to strive, using this achievement as a solid foundation to shine and excel in the Civil Engineering Department in the future..."

The crowd’s expressions were varied: Tu Lishan looked perplexed, True Monarch Qiyun appeared confused, Director Lin looked disdainful, and the old director seemed lost in thought.

The students, however, looked at Zhang Yu with envy, jealousy, and longing, already viewing him as the paragon of the Civil Engineering Department.

The next moment, Director Gao took Zhang Yu’s hand and said: "Today, I have decided to announce one more thing."

"Zhang Yu passed the Military Civil Engineering certification in his third year and led his team to win the inter-university championship—such extraordinary achievements have been unseen in our department for years."

"I have decided to nominate Zhang Yu for guaranteed admission to the Civil Engineering graduate program, and I will personally serve as his mentor, sparing no effort to cultivate him into a pillar of strength for the Civil Engineering Department and for the Myriad Laws..."

As Director Gao finished, a buzz of noise erupted throughout the hall.

Most students merely envied Zhang Yu’s glory and his favor under Director Gao.

But for the teachers present, they understood the true weight of these words.

Such total support for a personal disciple transcended ordinary loans, bloodlines, or contractual relationships. The old director thought: "He’s treating Zhang Yu like his own son... No, this attitude is perhaps even closer than a son. It’s no wonder; if I had such a student, an investment that is guaranteed to be profitable, I would certainly invest more in him than in my own descendants."

"But... isn't this Zhang Yu supposed to be transferring to the Artifact Refining Department, under Ciji?"

The old director narrowed his eyes: "Could it be that the two sides are in conflict? Seeing the potential in Zhang Yu, are they both scrambling for the student?"

For a cultivator of the old director's age, fighting over students was not common, but certainly not unheard of.

After all, students were like stocks; high-quality students yielded greater returns the more one invested in them, making them excellent investment vehicles.

Yet, unlike stocks, they could not be invested in by many; opportunities were limited, necessitating competition.

To the old director, Zhang Yu was like a high-quality startup, and the opportunity to finance him had to be fought for.

However, this was his first time seeing the Civil Engineering and Artifact Refining departments fight over a student.

Previously, such competition usually occurred among the elite departments like Finance, Artifact Refining, or Daoist Arts, with teachers vying for wealthy students.

On the other side, Tu Lishan’s eyes widened: "What is happening? Could Director Gao... really not know?"

Ye Xingli swallowed hard, subconsciously glancing at True Monarch Ciji nearby: "What will Teacher do? Will a conflict break out right here?"

"Oh?" Director Lin broke into a smile: "Though I don't know what's going on, it seems there is a good show to watch."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu felt Director Gao’s gaze and opened his mouth, feeling unable to breathe.

Could he refuse?

Feeling the sincerity in Director Gao’s eyes and recalling the care he had received over the past three years, Zhang Yu found it impossible to speak a refusal.

But could he accept?

Thinking of the embarrassment of being unable to enter the sect through the Civil Engineering Department, Zhang Yu knew he could never pursue a graduate degree there. Never mind graduate school; in the eyes of the sect, even an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering might be considered a criminal record.

Unable to enter the sect, he would eventually die from the backlash of the ritual.

When that time came, no matter how much Director Gao had invested in him, it would all amount to zero.

Thinking this, Zhang Yu messaged True Monarch Ciji urgently: Teacher?

Zhang Yu: What do I do?

True Monarch Ciji: Just find a way to stall or brush it off.

Zhang Yu wondered why True Monarch Ciji seemed so unconcerned and calm. What exactly were her arrangements and plans?

Meanwhile, Director Gao looked at the silent Zhang Yu and asked in confusion: "Zhang Yu?"

Zhang Yu swallowed and said slowly: "Over the past three years, I have learned a great deal in the Civil Engineering Department."

The perilous conditions of the construction site forged my physique, while the grueling labor tempered my techniques, and the vast expanse of engineering knowledge I acquired has vastly enhanced my capacity to earn.

With the support of my teachers, and the countless conveniences you provided, Director Gao, these past three years have been the most transformative period of my life.

Just then, a shimmer of light flickered within the Spirit Realm, and projections of countless spirit coins flooded every corner of the grand hall.

A figure, composed entirely of these spectral coins, stepped forth from the depths of the realm and halted before Zhang Yu.

Pardon the intrusion, everyone.

I am True Monarch Chain-Pivot of the Finance Department.

Student Zhang Yu, would you be interested in joining the Finance Department? Under my tutelage?

The crowd erupted in astonishment at the sight.

True Monarch Chain-Pivot? Tu Lishan mused to himself, Is he not a disciple of the Divine Lord of the Golden Palace?

The Divine Lord of the Golden Palace was one of the three great Divine Lords of Myriad Arts University; hailing from the Finance Department, he held immense sway over the allocation of the school’s funding and investments.

Director Lin’s expression shifted slightly: The Finance Department wants to poach Zhang Yu? Why was I not informed?

Yet, unlike the turbulent thoughts of the faculty, the students watching this scene held only a single, unanimous desire.

Accept!

Civil Engineering versus Finance? Is there even a choice? It is the difference between eating filth and tasting honey.

Below the stage, Gongshu Jin, Ma Xuan, Feng Tingting, and the other students could only wish they were in Zhang Yu’s place, ready to snap up the offer to join the Finance Department in an instant.

But faced with the inquiry of True Monarch Chain-Pivot, Zhang Yu replied with ironclad resolve: My apologies, I have no interest in the Finance Department.

Seemingly caught off guard by such a blunt refusal, the True Monarch paused, then added, Rest assured, no matter the breach-of-contract penalties you owe or the agreements you have signed, if you join the Finance Department, I shall shoulder them all.

A recommendation for graduate studies is guaranteed, and I shall personally serve as your mentor.

Requesting monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)