Chapter 543: Commencing Prototype Machine Refining

Chapter 543: Commencing the Prototype Refinement

Mid-October.

Within the dormitory.

Zhang Yu, having just concluded his meditation and returned his consciousness from the Taiqing Realm, was greeted by a celebratory bulletin from Wanfa University.

Scanning the contents, Zhang Yu mused, "Has the Top Ten League concluded?"

"It seems to have ended earlier this year than in previous years."

"Dao Qiankun of the Daoist Arts Department took second in Dharma Combat. Jiu Tianliu of the Finance Department secured first in Fortune Combat, and our own Yan Qianji from the Artifact Refinement Department placed second in Treasure Combat, while Senior Sister Ye Xingli took tenth..."

Zhang Yu pondered, "Though Senior Sister’s talent for artifact design is formidable enough to rank in the top five across all schools, her prowess in direct, head-to-head artifact combat still falls a notch behind the elite students of other institutions."

Yet, this only deepened his appreciation for her design genius, making him all the more eager to replicate her Dao Seed.

Zhang Yu thought further, "As a disciple of a Transformation Deity, Yan Qianji is the face of our Artifact Refinement Department. To think he lost a match and failed to secure the top spot."

He glanced at the remaining rankings and summarized, "The first place in both Dharma Combat and Treasure Combat went to Heavenly Demon University and Netherworld University, respectively."

"Heavenly Demon and Netherworld—truly, they are, alongside Wanfa, the three strongest of the Top Ten."

Looking at the names on the leaderboard, Zhang Yu sighed softly, "The Top Ten League is truly a gathering of masters."

The thought of having to tread over so many top-tier prodigies, defeating them one by one to earn an Immortal Sect cultivation technique, filled him with a mixture of anxiety, tension, and surging excitement.

Just then, he noticed Bai Zhenzhen’s seventh-place ranking in Sword Combat.

"Zhen’s performance is quite impressive, especially considering she’s only a fourth-year..."

Zhang Yu sent a congratulatory message to Bai Zhenzhen.

After a moment’s thought, he sent another note of congratulations to Ye Xingli.

Ye Xingli: Thanks! I was lucky this time; I still need to work harder.

Reading her reply, Zhang Yu thought, "Sigh, Senior Sister used to include spirit coin transfers in her messages. Why has she stopped?"

A strange illusion even flickered in his mind: talking to Ye Xingli lately felt remarkably like chatting with the folks in the Songyang hometown group.

At that moment, an invitation from Bai Zhenzhen appeared.

As Zhang Yu accepted, his consciousness traversed the layers of the Spirit Realm, arriving in a private room.

This was the secret chamber created for them by the Seven Emotions Divine Lord, the place where he and Bai Zhenzhen had met daily for some time.

The moment they met, Zhang Yu pulled Bai Zhenzhen into a tight embrace.

Feeling his arms wrapped firmly around her, Bai Zhenzhen whispered, "Yuzi, I’m sorry. I didn’t reply to your messages; my mother wouldn’t let me contact you."

Zhang Yu felt her resting quietly against his chest, watching the rare tranquility of his usually vibrant, brotherly companion, and smiled, "As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

Bai Zhenzhen asked, "What about you? Did you encounter any Demonic Cultists?"

They remained in each other’s arms, recounting their experiences over the past period.

Of course, in the room provided by Seven Emotions, Zhang Yu could not reveal the truth of his life-or-death struggle against the Demonic Cultist’s Golden Core, so he repeated the narrative he had already provided to the Orthodox Gods.

When the topic shifted to the Top Ten League, Bai Zhenzhen shared news of the reforms planned for next year.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was startled, "You mean to say that starting next year, the results of the Top Ten League will dictate the distribution of interests for the universities, and the competition will become even more intense?"

"And there’s the matter of choosing an Immortal Sect technique," Bai Zhenzhen said solemnly. "The reward of selecting a technique from the Dao Treasury Catalog is far too alluring."

"It’s hard to say if such an opportunity will ever arise in future leagues; it’s highly likely this is a once-in-a-generation chance."

Whenever she thought of this, Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help but sigh, "The Dao Treasury Catalog was created by the Top Ten Sects to record all the world’s immortal knowledge while building the new Immortal Dao system. It is said to contain every technique in existence."

"Even if we discount that claim or assume the Top Ten Sects impose restrictions on the selection, the sheer volume of available techniques—all at the Immortal Sect level—is staggering..."

"If expert-level techniques are merely powerful, and military-grade techniques are unreasonable, then Immortal Sect-level techniques are game-changers. They exert a dimensional strike against anything below their tier; they belong to an entirely different realm."

Zhang Yu nodded repeatedly, his heart filled with infinite longing.

Bai Zhenzhen’s voice dropped, "Unfortunately, next year... time is too tight."

Zhang Yu asked, "Will the competition format change?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded, "The specifics aren't out, but according to rumors, all military competitions will be merged into a single project."

"A single project?" Zhang Yu was shocked, "Doesn't that mean students from Dharma, Treasure, Fortune, and Sword Combat will all be squeezed into the same track?"

Bai Zhenzhen nodded and sighed, "It’s a pity. If we had two or three more years, we could have vied for the top."

"But next year..."

Thinking of the top three prodigies in Sword Combat and the other titans from different tracks, Bai Zhenzhen sighed again.

With her current strength, there was a gap between her and these upperclassmen.

She was confident that given time, she could catch up, but one year was simply too short—especially with the tensions between the universities and the bait of the Immortal Sect techniques. These upperclassmen would undoubtedly receive full support from their schools and the backing of their Transformation Deities.

Catching up under such conditions would be incredibly difficult. Zhang Yu nodded slightly, yet a fighting spirit ignited within him.

He looked at Bai Zhenzhen and said, "Regardless, it would be a shame to give up such an opportunity."

"For the next year, we will give it our all."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Bai Zhenzhen nodded in agreement.

Just then, the voice of the Seven Emotions Divine Lord echoed in the room, "In this year’s Top Ten League, eleven students died across all military competitions. Any one of them was stronger than you."

"Next year’s league will only be more intense and cruel."

"Furthermore, the caliber of next year’s participants will be higher; it may well be the strongest cohort in the history of the league."

"Zhang Yu, if you participate rashly, you may die."

"And your death might trigger a backlash of the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao within Zhenzhen."

Zhang Yu paused, then looked at Bai Zhenzhen, "Zhen, don't worry. I won't die. Neither you nor the prodigies from other schools can kill me."

Bai Zhenzhen nodded slightly, though she thought to herself, "If Yuzi is in danger during next year’s competition, I will intervene to protect him, even if it means disqualification."

After further discussion, Bai Zhenzhen reminded him before leaving, "Yuzi, try to take on fewer off-campus projects."

"After this economic crisis, the Demonic Cult’s influence has surged. You know they’ve mastered the technology to hijack the Spirit Realm; there will surely be more actions."

"With the severe conflicts between schools, the coming year will be filled with schemes and strife surrounding the Top Ten League."

"The wilderness will certainly become more dangerous..."

...

After ending his connection with Bai Zhenzhen, Zhang Yu focused entirely on his studies and cultivation.

With less than a year until the next Top Ten League, even with his peerless talent, time was precious; he had to seize every second.

Days later, as he had anticipated, his simulated training in the Taiqing Realm brought his production skills for over a dozen artifacts to Level 20.

These artifacts contained the very techniques required to refine the prototype of the Heavenly Sun Radiant God machine.

At last, Zhang Yu could begin the formal refinement of the prototype.

And for this process... he no longer intended to remain buried in the simulations of the Taiqing Realm.

The refinement of the Heavenly Sun Radiant God prototype must be a steady, measured climb, with every step of my crafting, every incremental upgrade, and every refinement process meticulously documented.

Only in this way can I ensure the path to approval remains clear and unobstructed.

If I were to push the production technique of the prototype to level 20 within the Taiqing Realm, and then stun the world by manifesting it at that same level on my very first attempt in reality...

The shock would be undeniable, yet the lack of a tangible paper trail in the real world would invite accusations of fraud, creating a mountain of unnecessary complications.

Even if I were to eventually clear my name after endless scrutiny, it would inevitably draw unwanted attention, with many questioning how a novice could master a level 20 prototype in a single stroke.

Zhang Yu mused that this Heavenly Sun Radiant God prototype would be far too difficult to attribute to the remains of the Jade Nectar Divine Lord.

I shall let them all bear witness, proving that it was my own absolute genius that elevated the prototype step by step.

With his resolve hardened, Zhang Yu decided to first refine a level 1 Heavenly Sun Radiant God.

He would then subject it to repeated cycles of refinement and improvement within the laboratory until it reached level 20.

Throughout this iterative process, he could leverage the convenience of the Feathered Tome to elevate his own mastery of the blueprints to level 20 as well.

However, before commencing the work, Zhang Yu took stock of his finances.

Due to the economic crisis, his income had plummeted; beyond the 40 spirit coin subsidy from the lab, he had earned almost nothing, even dipping into his savings to cover the salaries of his employees.

Fortunately, his recent cultivation had been conducted entirely within the simulations of the Taiqing Realm, sparing him the heavy expenses that had once drained his coffers during his early training in artifact refinement.

Even so, his current bank balance stood at less than 120 spirit coins, clearly insufficient to complete the prototype.

Zhang Yu calculated internally: The refinement of the prototype requires at least 300 spirit coins, and accounting for potential overruns, as well as the costs of repeated modifications and trials, 400 or even 500 spirit coins would be the safer margin.

Of course, that is for others; for a prodigy of artifact refinement such as myself, I might be able to shave off a significant portion of those costs.

But all in all, my current reserves are undeniably lacking.

I must find a way to earn more.

Yet, despite the shortfall in spirit coins, Zhang Yu remained undeterred.

On one hand, 120 coins were enough to break ground, allowing him to refine artifacts and earn money simultaneously.

On the other hand, with the economic crisis finally waning, the university town was once again teeming with opportunities for profit.