Chapter 546: Taking Human Shape Initially (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 546: Taking Human Form (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Even after Zi Yunzhen politely declined, she saw another message pop up from Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu: If you are willing to join the project, you can ask me anything regarding the technical aspects of the Sun-Radiance God.

Zhang Yu: If your magical artifacts run into trouble, I can also repair and maintain them for you free of charge.

Zi Yunzhen had little interest in the first incentive Zhang Yu offered.

Although his artifact-refining skills were impressive, how long had he even been in the Artifact Refining Department? How long had he been studying the Sun-Radiance God technology?

Zi Yunzhen had spent plenty of time in the lab watching Zhang Yu practice all sorts of haphazard refining techniques.

She did not believe that in just a few months, he could have mastered the intricacies of the Sun-Radiance God.

However, the promise of free maintenance and repairs did pique her interest.

She thought to herself, "I'll join temporarily, let Zhang Yu fix my worn-out artifacts, and then I'll find an excuse to quit."

With that in mind, Zi Yunzhen agreed to Zhang Yu's proposal.

The two settled on a one-week trial period, with Zi Yunzhen serving as Zhang Yu's assistant to observe each other, with the option to withdraw if things didn't work out.

...

One day, just as Zi Yunzhen arrived at the lab, a file from Zhang Yu appeared in her ocular interface.

"You have experience with processing alloy materials, right?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Follow the requirements in the file I sent, prepare the preliminary screening, and refine the impurities. That is your task for today."

Zi Yunzhen looked at the workload requested in the file and gasped, "This much in a single day?"

Zhang Yu nodded. "This is just the beginning. I have high expectations for you. Your efficiency affects the progress of our entire project team, and I hope you can push yourself to grow as quickly as possible..."

Watching his retreating back, Zi Yunzhen muttered to herself, "You want me to prepare this much material... can you even use it all?"

She glanced at the few finished bones on the workbench and thought, "Is that all he's finished? This is nowhere near the pace of Jin Jun's team."

Zi Yunzhen shook her head, though she kept her complaints to herself. She obediently began preparing the materials, planning to find an excuse to leave as soon as Zhang Yu repaired her artifacts.

Half an hour later, just as she finished the second batch of materials, she realized that more than half of the first batch had already vanished.

"Huh?"

"Used up that fast?"

She paused, frowning. "He couldn't have wasted them all, could he?"

In Zi Yunzhen's eyes, Zhang Yu had only just begun refining the Sun-Radiance God; using materials this quickly surely meant he was failing repeatedly.

She turned to look at Zhang Yu's workbench, only to find a mass of milky-white material taking shape amidst rising flames of true fire.

Simultaneously, the surrounding refining equipment fired off bolts of lightning and flame, which Zhang Yu manipulated to etch mana circuits into the material.

Watching his incredibly skillful movements, Zi Yunzhen felt that in the blink of an eye, he was nearly finished refining that section of bone.

"So fast?!"

Zi Yunzhen was shocked as she looked at the new finished product sitting on the side. "He's already done? How could it be this fast?"

She remembered hearing Su Yunni talk about the skeletal refinement of the prototype in their small group chat.

"Jin Jun's team isn't this fast, are they?"

With that thought, Zi Yunzhen sent a message to Su Yunni: How long did it take you guys to fully refine a single bone back then?

Seeing the reply, Zi Yunzhen thought, "Two to three hours?"

She looked back at Zhang Yu's workbench. "This is several times faster, isn't it?"

"Is this even normal?"

She couldn't help but suspect that the puppet bones Zhang Yu was refining might have quality issues.

Over the next few days, Zi Yunzhen was even more stunned to discover that as her proficiency increased and she prepared materials faster, Zhang Yu's refining speed accelerated even further.

It turned out that his previous speed hadn't been his limit; her own slow pace had been holding him back.

"Zi Yunzhen, not ready yet?"

"Hurry up with the next batch."

"I'm almost done on this end."

Zi Yunzhen felt as if Zhang Yu were holding a whip, constantly lashing her on. Every time she felt her preparation speed had finally met his demands, his refining speed would increase just a little bit more.

Then, Zi Yunzhen would have to gasp for air, channeling her mana with all her might to push her speed to the limit once again.

She felt that the moment she entered the lab, Zhang Yu drained her of all strength and thought; beyond the materials in front of her, she had no capacity to think of anything else.

After more than a week of such grueling work, Zi Yunzhen stared at the humanoid skeleton in front of her in disbelief. "It's... finished?"

Zhang Yu nodded. "Yes. A bit slower than I expected, but it's not bad."

"Slower?" Zi Yunzhen thought to herself. "This is considered slow?!"

She couldn't help but check the chat history with Su Yunni in her ocular interface again.

Zi Yunzhen asked: How long did it take you guys to finish the skeletal system?

Su Yunni: About a month or so.

Su Yunni: We were only that fast because Senior Jin Jun hired several upperclassmen to assist.

Su Yunni: But even then, in the rush for speed, a lot of material was wasted.

Su Yunni: Why do you ask?

Zi Yunzhen replied: I'm working on a project with Zhang Yu.

Zi Yunzhen added: Just curious about the differences between the two sides.

Su Yunni: Zhang Yu's side definitely can't compare to Senior Jin Jun's. Don't be discouraged; if a spot opens up here, I'll recommend you to Senior Jin Jun.

On the other side, Zi Yunzhen turned her gaze to the humanoid skeleton, seeing dense mana circuits flickering with golden radiance.

With every flicker of light, the bones seemed to shift between the physical and the ethereal, with faint traces of fire flashing in and out of existence.

"Join me for the testing," Zhang Yu said.

"If there are no quality issues, we'll begin refining the nervous system next."

Watching the bones pass strength tests, heat tests, and mana conductivity tests, and seeing them shift into streams of fire under Zhang Yu's command... Zi Yunzhen felt increasingly astonished.

She looked at the scene in disbelief. If she hadn't spent the last few days watching Zhang Yu refine these bones piece by piece with her own eyes, she would have suspected he had hired someone else to do it for him.

Unknowingly, Zi Yunzhen had completely forgotten her plan to leave after a week.

"Zhang Yu... he might actually be able to surpass Jin Jun, pass the Sun-Radiance God evaluation first, and secure the military certification."

"Even if he doesn't beat Jin Jun, following Zhang Yu through the Sun-Radiance God project should be worth it."

"And if he does defeat Jin Jun..."

Thinking of the results and impact of two seniors—Zhang Yu and herself—defeating Jin Jun to win the military certification, along with the experience, fame, and resume boosts, Zi Yunzhen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

In that moment, Zi Yunzhen decided to stay under Zhang Yu and learn in earnest.

Zhang Yu looked at Zi Yunzhen's focused face, as if he had expected this all along.

He had long since foreseen that Ziyun Zhen’s initial participation in the project was born of ulterior motives.

Yet Zhang Yu possessed the confidence to sway her.

After all, he too was a student of the Crafting Department; he understood her thoughts and intentions all too well.

More than mere coin, she craved the rapid accumulation of experience, the honing of her craft, and the acquisition of a project portfolio of genuine weight.

All of which she could obtain under his command.

Zhang Yu mused to himself, "I suspect I shall not need to raise her wages for her to remain."

And so, in the days that followed, Zhang Yu led Ziyun Zhen in a relentless push to refine the prototype, her daily hours stretching from fourteen to sixteen, then twenty, until she reached a state of perpetual, round-the-clock labor.

Watching the project’s progress surge forward, Ziyun Zhen never once broached the subject of overtime pay or a salary increase.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

By the middle of November, Ziyun Zhen gazed at the prototype, now beginning to take on a humanoid form, and felt a lingering tremor of awe in her heart.

"More than a month in, and the first assembly is nearly complete?"

She glanced at her chat history with Su Yunni, thinking, "It seems Jin Jun’s side is also nearing their first assembly."

Though both projects were at similar stages, Ziyun Zhen knew that completion was not merely completion; the velocity at which Zhang Yu’s team had closed the gap was terrifying.

"But why has Zhang Yu been stepping out so often these past two days?"

She could not help but wonder, "This is the critical moment—how can you afford to be distracted?!"

"We must seize the time, surpass Jin Jun in one fell swoop, and secure that military certification; that is the only sensible path."

With this thought, she decided it was necessary to speak with Zhang Yu and urge him to focus.

...

Meanwhile.

Outside the Research Office.

Zhang Yu sat on a waiting bench, a flicker of impatience gradually surfacing on his face.

After a long while, he was summoned inside by Feng Yuhan, who remarked with measured deliberation, "Young man, why such a lack of patience?"

Zhang Yu frowned. "Professor Feng, I am currently occupied with my project..."

Feng Yuhan waved a hand to silence him. "No matter how important your project is, can it compare to the university’s own?"

"Do you not know how much the Principal values the matter of the Nascent Soul Remnant?"

"From here on, you are to cooperate fully with the project team’s inspection; set aside whatever else you are doing."

Zhang Yu stared at Feng Yuhan and suddenly asked, "Professor Feng, are you targeting me?"

Feng Yuhan offered a faint smile. "Why would a professor target a student?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Go now. Do not forget to follow the work schedule provided to you. If you delay the university’s affairs and the Principal lays the blame, even your mentor will be unable to protect you..."

Watching Zhang Yu’s retreating back, Feng Yuhan could certainly sense the young man’s dissatisfaction, resentment, and irritation.

But to him, what did the grievances of a student matter? Once the boy had stewed in them long enough, he would naturally learn to digest them.