Chapter 545: Hiring Assistants

Chapter 545: Hiring an Assistant

Late October.

Zhang Yu once again rented Ye Xingli’s laboratory.

He chose this location partly because Ye Xingli offered him a discount, and partly because he coveted the Dao Seed she possessed.

At this moment, Zhang Yu manipulated streams of true fire that soared outward, enveloping the various metallic materials before him.

As a military-grade puppet among magical artifacts, the craftsmanship and structural composition of the Heavenly Sun Radiant God were naturally incomparably complex.

The puppet’s skeleton, nervous system, control hub, mana core—each part, if taken individually, was a highly precise and profound magical artifact.

In the simplest terms, the process of refining the prototype involved crafting these individual modules and then assembling and calibrating them.

Right now, Zhang Yu was working on the skeleton of the prototype.

As a puppet containing the power of the absolute rigid and absolute yang, its skeleton had to meet requirements for high strength, heat resistance, powerful mana conductivity, and the ability to perform fire-escape transformations.

It could be said that every bone in this prototype possessed a higher technical content than the magical artifacts owned by many students in the University City.

However, for Zhang Yu, who had already mastered various artifact-refining techniques through his cultivation in the Taiqing Realm, the process of refining the skeleton quickly transitioned from unfamiliar to proficient, and from proficient to effortless.

Watching Zhang Yu’s movements from the side, Ye Xingli couldn't help but ask: "When did you become so skilled at refining bionic skeletons?"

Zhang Yu replied: "Wasn't there an economic crisis a while ago? I had plenty of free time every day, so I studied all the relevant technologies for the Heavenly Sun Radiant God, reading through materials and watching online courses."

"I didn't expect the practical application to be so straightforward."

"Of course, it must also have to do with the artifact-refining techniques I practiced previously; those methods greatly enhanced my capabilities."

This was the excuse Zhang Yu had prepared in advance. Regardless, he would proceed step by step, openly completing the prototype to prove his abilities beyond dispute.

As for why he learned so quickly? He would just attribute it to his talent for artifact refining.

Watching Zhang Yu’s operations, Ye Xingli immediately sensed his natural aptitude.

"Learning so fast?"

"This guy, Zhang Yu... he seems to possess a special keenness and instinct for the path of artifact refining; he learns everything exceptionally quickly."

Recalling the first time she saw Zhang Yu refine an artifact, and the speed of his subsequent progress, Ye Xingli sighed inwardly: "Although he has the assistance of the God-Transformation Yin Artifact, Zhang Yu’s own talent for artifact refining cannot be underestimated."

"I initially thought Zhang Yu had no talent in this area; now that I think about it, Master’s judgment was more accurate."

Just as Ye Xingli was lost in thought, she heard Zhang Yu say: "Senior Sister, thank you for lending me the laboratory during this time."

Ye Xingli waved her hand: "I’ll be spending most of my time in school training, preparing for next year's Top Ten League, so it’s perfect that the lab is rented to you."

Zhang Yu looked at Ye Xingli. Since returning from the Top Ten League with a ranking, the department ranking above her head had shifted to 3rd in the Artifact Refining Department.

Furthermore, if one looked closely at the top of her head for a moment, one could see the "3rd in Artifact Refining" flicker and jump to "10th in the University."

Watching the ranking, Zhang Yu thought with a hint of envy: "I heard that once you enter the top ten in the university, the school can approve loans of thousands of spirit coins. I wonder if Senior Sister has applied for one."

He took the opportunity to ask a question he had been wanting to know: "Senior Sister, if I want to participate in next year's Top Ten League, what is the procedure?"

In Zhang Yu’s view, this was something he needed to know early. Otherwise, if he worked hard for a long time only to miss a registration deadline, a competition process, or fail to meet some selection criteria, he would have nowhere to turn for regret.

Ye Xingli was slightly stunned at his words, thinking to herself: "Although Zhang Yu is very talented, he probably won't have a chance to participate in next year's session."

After all, in Ye Xingli’s view, next year's Top Ten League would be unprecedentedly fierce, and the school would inevitably pour all its resources into the upperclassmen who had already achieved results, supporting them in competing for Immortal Sect techniques.

"Unless Zhang Yu can surpass us in the less than one year remaining."

But after thinking about it, Ye Xingli knew that was impossible.

"If Zhang Yu can successfully refine the prototype in his senior year, that would already be quite remarkable."

"If it were in previous years, he might have been able to take a stroll through the Top Ten League."

"But next year... he probably won't make the cut."

Following her own thoughts, she should have dispelled Zhang Yu’s delusions and told him not to make such unrealistic plans.

She should tell him not to say such nonsensical things in front of her again, as it was a waste of everyone's time.

But just then, a line of text from the Poor Man's Simulator appeared on her retinas.

Ye Xingli smiled slightly and said: "You want to participate in next year's Top Ten League? Senior Sister supports you."

"Usually, the school team’s instructors will take the initiative to find people. If they don't, you can take the initiative to sign up with them before June next year."

"As for selection criteria, in previous years, one had to master at least two military-grade powers. If you obtain the military certification for the Heavenly Sun Radiant God, you can try approaching them." "However, next year's competition will be particularly fierce, and the selection requirements might be higher. Don't be discouraged if you don't get selected..."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, keeping the information Ye Xingli provided in his heart, and felt an even greater sense of urgency.

"If I want to participate in next year's Top Ten League, I truly cannot waste a single second."

After discussing the competition, Ye Xingli watched Zhang Yu’s movements and reminded him: "Refining the skeleton is a troublesome task. Not only are there many procedures, but the sheer number of bones required for the prototype is enormous, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive."

"But actually, the first few steps of the refining process, including material screening and impurity refinement, are relatively simple. You could consider hiring an assistant to help."

Zhang Yu had naturally already considered the issues Ye Xingli mentioned.

As an incredibly complex and precise magical artifact, the Heavenly Sun Radiant God prototype did not have every step shrouded in mystery; there were many repetitive, low-technical-content tasks.

It was enough for Zhang Yu to complete the refining process himself a few times to prove that his techniques and direction were correct. Afterward, handing the simple, repetitive preparation work to an assistant while he focused on the critical parts would greatly accelerate his efficiency.

"The initial overall refining is the most time-consuming."

"If I refine it all by myself, I’m afraid it will take three months to complete the full refining of the Level 1 prototype, and then I would need to improve the prototype’s level through repeated refining and modifications."

"But if I hire someone to help, I should be able to increase efficiency to within two months or even one month."

Thinking of Jin Jun, who had started several months before him, Zhang Yu understood that to catch up and surpass his rival, hiring an assistant was clearly the safer choice.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu asked Ye Xingli: "Senior Sister, do you have anyone you can recommend?"

Ye Xingli said: "How about Zi Yunzhen? After my project here ends, she shouldn't have joined any other laboratory yet."

Zhang Yu thought of the figure who had been busy in this laboratory a while ago and nodded slightly: "What is her price?"

He thought to himself: "I just don't know if Zi Yunzhen is capable of handling the work here? I’ll have to interview her and test her relevant abilities..."

Just as Zhang Yu was pondering, he heard Ye Xingli say: "The price I paid her was 2 spirit coins a month, working 14 hours a day. She also offered 12 hours of free overtime per week, which could be allocated at will throughout the week."

"Only 2 spirit coins?" Zhang Yu was shocked: "What kind of peerless workhorse is this? Is she really a student in the Artifact Refining Department?"

Ye Xingli said: "Zi Yunzhen is quite talented when it comes to being an assistant."

Zhang Yu thought: "This is more than just talented? At this price, plus free overtime, she sounds incredibly talented. How many students in the Artifact Refining Department would be willing to work for such low pay?"

Zhang Yu immediately said: "She’s the one!"

Although Zhang Yu didn't seem short on funds, in Kunxu, no one dared to say they didn't need money. When hiring an assistant, one naturally had to consider cost-effectiveness.

And Zi Yunzhen’s extreme cost-effectiveness made Zhang Yu feel that even if her artifact-refining skills were poor, she was worth hiring.

Ye Xingli said: "Although she is cheap, she has requirements for the project; she demands to be able to learn something from it."

...

Zi Yunzhen looked at the message in the small group chat, a trace of envy appearing in her eyes.

It was Su Yunni, the top student in the class, sharing her project experience from this period.

Ever since joining Jin Jun’s laboratory, she had been frequently posting such things.

Su Yunni: Senior Jin Jun’s mastery of artifact refinement runs so deep that a mere few words from him yield us immense insight.

Su Yunni: The project funding is truly abundant, granting us hands-on opportunities every single day.

Su Yunni: We are nearing the completion of the mana core, and soon I shall have familiarized myself with every component of the Sun-Scorching Divine Prototype.

Zi Yunzhen longed to be like Su Yunni, participating in such military-grade artifact projects.

Especially since Jin Jun was so generous with compensation, offering spirit coins that left even many senior assistants deeply satisfied.

Yet, unfortunately, every resume Zi Yunzhen sent to Jin Jun vanished into the void, met with nothing but silence.

Just then, a message from Zhang Yu flickered across her ocular interface.

Zhang Yu: Student Zi Yunzhen, would you be interested in joining my project?

At these words, Zi Yunzhen recalled that Zhang Yu had also boasted of completing a prototype within this academic year.

Zi Yunzhen, naturally, did not believe a word of it.

Though she accepted meager pay, it was only to broaden her learning; whether applying to Ye Xingli or Jin Jun, her goal was always to glean wisdom from such academic titans.

"Zhang Yu hasn't even mastered a single military-grade refinement technique, nor has he won a single award, yet he intends to begin crafting the Sun-Scorching Divine... this project is bound to fail."

(End of chapter)