Chapter 520: A Ghost Entered the House and You Didn't Know? (Thanks to 'Jiahua')

Chapter 520: Ghosts in the House and You Don't Even Know It? (With thanks to 'Jiahua' for the Alliance Master bounty)

Zhang Pianpian: You're an expert from the civil engineering department. Was there really nothing that caught your eye at the construction site?

Looking at Zhang Pianpian's words, Zhang Yu's heart suddenly leaped, and all kinds of ideas, inspirations, and conjectures instantly surged violently within his mind, while memories of scene after scene from the construction site flashed in rapid succession.

Zhang Yu licked his lips and replied: Actually, there do seem to be quite a few problems.

Zhang Pianpian: Logically speaking, as a dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, he could just run any laboratory, manage a bunch of projects, or secure a handful of patents, and he’d have plenty of ways to make money.

Zhang Pianpian: The fact that he still has to sit in an office and rely on this kind of exploitation to turn a profit suggests that even if he is the junior brother of the Magnetic Pole True Monarch, he’s probably nothing impressive among those of the Nascent Soul stage. Though it makes sense. A veteran Nascent Soul practitioner like him likely ascended early by riding the waves of a bygone era but didn't keep up with his studies. It's quite common for them to be outcompeted by the younger generation of Nascent Soul experts.

Zhang Pianpian: Let's investigate first. If he truly possesses an indestructible diamond body with absolutely no flaws, then so be it.

...

A few days later.

In the wilderness.

Zhang Yu channeled the Mountain-Moving Divine Power of Mount Kunlun, planting his feet upon the void as he hovered ten thousand meters up in the sky.

At this moment, Zhang Yu possessed nothing external. Let alone various magical treasures, even his ocular remains had been temporarily removed. His entire being was in a state of pure flesh and blood, a condition often referred to as an Absolute Spirit Body, which effectively shielded him from any tracking methods originating from the Spiritual Realm.

His gaze swept over the brightly lit construction site upon the earth below, and his physical form gradually began to dissipate.

This was the first time Zhang Yu had utilized the power of the Divine Spirit Root since copying Bai Zhenzhen's Green Lotus Sword Embryo Dao Seed.

Aside from her abilities in adaptation and reinforcement, Bai Zhenzhen's Divine Spirit Root possessed a hidden power that she had only gradually mastered after years of rigorous cultivation.

Particularly since her spirit root evolved from a Heavenly Spirit Root to a Divine Spirit Root, this hidden capacity had undergone a qualitative leap.

It was precisely by relying on this hidden ability that Bai Zhenzhen had not only concealed herself during the previous flying sword competition but had even masked her flying sword itself, slaughtering her way through the field with a technique of invisible flying swords to secure an impressive rank.

It was only because Zhang Yu usually resided within the university town, where surveillance equipment surrounded him at every turn and the magical remains and treasures on his person were constantly linked to the Spiritual Realm, that under these heavy constraints, he had never dared to use this ability of the Divine Spirit Root, lest he give himself away and be noticed.

But now, having flown out into the wilderness and existing in a state of pure flesh, as Zhang Yu activated the hidden power of the Divine Spirit Root, his entire body vanished between heaven and earth like a gust of empty air.

Sensing his own shadowless and formless state, Zhang Yu shifted his magical power, and his body began to drift slowly down toward the construction site.

Fuji, who was likewise sensing all of this, felt a chill in her heart: When did Zhang Yu acquire this kind of capability? Could it be because of Bai Zhenzhen's Divine Spirit Root?

She wanted to open her mouth to ask, but after some thought, she refrained, thinking to herself: This kid Zhang Yu is unwilling to share many of his secrets with me. Asking would be pointless anyway. I'd better just observe him quietly.

Controlling his speed, Zhang Yu caused almost no disturbance as he landed deep within the construction site.

Watching the workers around him look right through him as if he were invisible, a wondrous sensation welled up in Zhang Yu's heart.

"Ah Zhen's Divine Spirit Root ability is really quite suited for stirring up trouble."

However, at the thought that the sword qi Bai Zhenzhen might unleash at him in the future could also be this shadowless, formless, and difficult to detect, Zhang Yu's gaze instantly turned grave.

"After all, with that Extreme Passion Sword Dao of theirs, any major emotional swing, whether happy or unhappy, might result in a blast of sword qi."

"I still need to hurry up and raise my strength."

Next, Zhang Yu drifted through midair, penetrating deeper into the construction site. Along the way, for safety's sake, in addition to relying on the Divine Spirit Root to conceal his form, he also utilized the Evil God's detection and monitoring rituals to constantly perceive the presence of various surveillance devices and avoid them one by one.

Under this double insurance of the Divine Spirit Root combined with surveillance evasion, Zhang Yu moved as if entering an unpeopled realm, searching hither and thither until he finally found a few workers moving materials in a corner of the site.

"As expected, these guys are stealing things from the construction site."

Zhang Yu pulled out an old mobile phone, turned on the recording mode, and began filming.

Worried that his ocular remains might leave behind some unnecessary traces, Zhang Yu had even brought out a long-disconnected phone to record the video.

But very quickly, his eyes widened.

"Could these be... materials from the artifact-crafting factory?"

If it had been before, Zhang Yu, who knew nothing of artifact forging, probably wouldn't have been able to tell one material from another upon seeing them. But now that his artifact-crafting skills had reached a certain level, he very quickly discerned what the workers before his eyes were doing.

"These guys are replacing the artifact-crafting materials? Using inferior materials to swap out the high-quality artifact-crafting materials in the factory?"

Zhang Yu made a rough mental calculation; this single exchange yielded at least a tenfold price difference.

Zhang Yu had not expected that while he originally only intended to film some minor shady dealings at the site, he would directly catch such a massive case. He drew in a sharp breath of cold air: They are incredibly bold. This factory was invested in by the Magnetic Pole herself.

"Wait, could this be the Magnetic Pole's own doing?"

Zhang Yu shook his head, feeling that it was unlikely. After all, from what he knew, Magnetic Pole had been trying to get evaluated for the Deity Transformation stage these past few years, and she would absolutely never ruin her own reputation and lower her brand value at such a critical juncture.

"These people alone couldn't pull off something like this. There must be someone from the artifact-crafting side acting as an inside contact, and they wouldn't even feel safe unless it was handled by a trusted confidant..."

Thus, Zhang Yu filmed and tracked them all the way, and soon enough, a student suspected of being from the artifact-crafting department appeared.

Bian Hao, a disciple of the Thunder Extreme True Monarch, was exposed under the lens entirely unaware, patiently directing the entire operation.

Several hours later, Zhang Yu delivered the video into Zhang Pianpian's hands.

After reviewing the contents of the video, Zhang Pianpian gave a faint smile and said, "This is enough."

Zhang Yu asked, "Senior Sister, how do you plan to use it? Report it to the higher-ups? Or send it directly to the Magnetic Pole True Monarch?"

Zhang Pianpian replied, "Reporting it would mean making an enemy of the entire artifact-crafting department."

"If we send it to the Magnetic Pole True Monarch, her Spiritual Realm capabilities are formidable. Sending it to her means we'd have to guard against her reverse-tracking us... it's very troublesome."

"Furthermore, even if she found out about this matter, she would definitely think of a way to suppress it quietly."

"This blade... is better suited to be sent to those within the artifact-crafting department who oppose the Thunder Extreme True Monarch."

Zhang Yu asked again, "Then what about my engineering payment?"

Zhang Pianpian: Don't mention this matter yourself. Let someone else speak on your behalf.

"In front of the Magnetic Pole True Monarch, you just need to play your role well as her good disciple and her good experimental subject."

...

Inside the laboratory.

The Deity Transformation magical remains were pressed against Zhang Yu's forehead as he accompanied Zhang Yu through various tests. Looking at the test data, the Magnetic Pole True Monarch revealed a smile of satisfaction.

Magnetic Pole True Monarch: "Alright, Zhang Yu, come down and rest for a bit."

Zhang Yu: "It's fine, Teacher, I can keep going."

Magnetic Pole True Monarch: "When I tell you to come over, you come over."

Zhang Yu walked up to the Magnetic Pole True Monarch, only to see her reach out across the air. Under the sweep of several strands of astral qi, she removed the Deity Transformation magical remains from his forehead.

Following this, the magical power within the Magnetic Pole True Monarch's hands surged, and it seemed that a tiny thread of magical power had already begun to circulate between her and the Deity Transformation magical remains.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yu's heart stirred: Teacher's mastery over the Deity Transformation magical remains has deepened again. She can already conduct an exchange of magical power?

Zhang Yu spoke up, "Teacher, has the research yielded more results?"

The Magnetic Pole True Monarch nodded, saying with satisfaction, "Thanks to your testing during this period, I have gradually grasped the operational pathways of these Deity Transformation magical remains."

"These remains of the Nectar Divine Lord thoroughly investigate the principles of the body's Yin and Yang transformations. By mimicking the rhythm of the Yin and Yang transforming qi upon your body, I can now stir a few fractions of the mysteries within the remains."

"Next, it will be a matter of finding the various principles of Yin and Yang transformation, as well as the corresponding states of the remains, uncovering the patterns therein while deciphering the technology within them..."

The Magnetic Pole True Monarch was indeed happy at this moment. After all, her evaluations for the Deity Transformation stage over the past few years had never been quite smooth. If she could just produce some results from these Deity Transformation magical remains before her, it would serve as a massive bonus.

After all, among the top ten elite universities, how many Nascent Soul practitioners could comprehend Deity Transformation magical remains? How many Nascent Soul practitioners even had Deity Transformation magical remains on hand?

Whether in terms of opportunity or ability, such instances were exceptionally rare.

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign hungered for this with a ravenous intensity.

Zhang Yu mused to himself, "My master is truly formidable in the art of artifact forging; to think she could unravel the mysteries of a Deity-Transformation remnant."

His gaze swept over the fleeting characters upon her chest, and he thought, "Heavenly Craft and Creative Works... that Dao Seed sounds immensely powerful."

Through constant proximity in the laboratory, combined with his prior knowledge, Zhang Yu could finally discern the name of the Magnetic Pole Sovereign’s Dao Seed.

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign stroked Zhang Yu’s body and remarked, "Sigh, your progress in forging techniques has improved again, hasn't it?"

"A Deity-Transformation is a Deity-Transformation; the dual-cultivation path stored within the remnant brings you such bountiful benefits."

Zhang Yu replied submissively, "It is all thanks to Master’s brilliant research."

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign smiled; to have achieved such renown with a Deity-Transformation remnant while still at the Nascent Soul stage, it would be impossible for her not to feel a sense of pride.

Just then, light flickered within the Spirit Realm, and the projection of the Thunder Pole Sovereign descended.

Looking at the Magnetic Pole Sovereign, the Thunder Pole Sovereign greeted warmly, "Senior Sister, you summoned me?"

As he spoke, he cast an imperceptible glance at Zhang Yu standing beside her.

Faced with the greeting, the Magnetic Pole Sovereign remained silent, the smile on her face gradually fading away.

She traced the scars on Zhang Yu’s hands and said indifferently, "Sustained during your practice?"

Zhang Yu nodded, "Accidental injuries."

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign sighed, "I heard everything from Sovereign Tianzhang. You purchased substandard materials, and the backlash from your forging practice caused these wounds, didn't it?"

"Are you short on funds?"

"Has the project funding been withheld from you again?"

Zhang Yu said softly, "The funding follows standard procedure; the department has its difficulties. Some come before others; I cannot be the only one considered."

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign nodded, ruffled Zhang Yu’s hair, and sighed, "If only everyone in the forging department were as sensible as you."

Observing this, the Thunder Pole Sovereign’s eyes flickered as he thought, "Has this brat Zhang Yu been complaining about me to Senior Sister? Hmph, it seems she has grown quite fond of this new disciple."

"But what is the meaning of dragging me here to listen to this? Does she expect me to show weakness in front of a junior? Senior Sister is truly growing senile with age..."

Just as the Thunder Pole Sovereign was silently fuming, the Magnetic Pole Sovereign spoke, "The factory I co-invested in with the Myriad Dao Artisan Sect—how much did you embezzle?"

The Thunder Pole Sovereign shuddered, only then noticing the icy chill in her gaze.

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign said coldly, "Vacate the seat you occupy; you are no longer fit to sit there."

The Thunder Pole Sovereign exclaimed, "Senior Sister!"

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign continued, "Hand over your disciple, Bian Hao, as an account to the department."

The Thunder Pole Sovereign shouted, "Senior Sister, my disciple has invested so much capital, and he is on the verge of reaching the Golden Core stage..."

"To hell with your Golden Core!"

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign reached into the void, firmly pinning the head of the Thunder Pole Sovereign’s projection.

In an instant, the light of the Spirit Realm flared violently. Across the layers of the university city, within the Thunder Pole Sovereign’s office, his glass-like head trembled as it surged in temperature, forming a charred handprint.

"Has your brain turned to stone? Embezzling money is one thing, but you would tarnish the reputation of the forging department? Do you have any idea what I am up for evaluation for these past years?"

The Thunder Pole Sovereign gasped, "Senior Sister, you... what are you saying? I don't understand!"

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign thrust a finger into the projection’s head, instantly transmitting a video file.

"Sovereign Xianyin sent this to me. Had I not suppressed it, it would not be me speaking to you right now."

Watching the contents of the video, the Thunder Pole Sovereign struggled desperately, "It wasn't me! I never ordered them to do such things!"

The Magnetic Pole Sovereign scoffed, "Then you are even more of a fool! You have ghosts in your own house and you didn't even know it?"