Chapter 551: Artifact Refining Is Just the Faster the Better

Chapter 551: In Artifact Refining, Speed Is Everything

"How could Zhang Yu possibly refine it so quickly?"

Staring at the intelligence report sent by Su Yunni, Jin Jun’s first instinct was disbelief.

"To reach this stage in just over a month? He has truly abandoned all sense of shame."

At this moment, Jin Jun deeply suspected the legitimacy of Zhang Yu’s results.

He had seen this scenario play out too many times in the laboratories of the Artifact Refining Department. Some individuals, possessing only mediocre skills themselves, would hire elite assistants to perform the bulk of the labor, pushing quality and speed to their absolute limits, only to claim the final product as their own.

"Zhang Yu might have some talent, enough to forge a Tier 1 prototype, but it is absolutely impossible for just two people to achieve this in a month."

"He must have spent a fortune hiring a massive team to assist him."

Jin Jun reached his verdict: "Only then could he have reached this point in such a short time."

"Releasing such news... is he trying to rattle my resolve?"

Yet, Jin Jun had to admit that his composure had indeed been shaken by Zhang Yu.

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as his internal mana circulated, a steady Daoist heart gradually soothing the turbulent thoughts within.

Jin Jun understood that the reason his nerves were so easily frayed was the sheer scale of his own investment.

"Nearly half of my net worth is tied up in this project. If it fails, not only will recovering the capital be a nightmare, but it will also be a devastating blow to my reputation as an artificer."

The mere thought of failure—of others adding notes to his communication profile like "The man defeated by a transfer student from Civil Engineering"—made him envision a future where loans, funding, and investments became impossible to secure, leaving his path to immortality fraught with insurmountable obstacles.

"I must not admit defeat."

Regardless of who was helping Zhang Yu, Jin Jun had no intention of conceding.

He knew that once a Tier 1 prototype was forged, the next phase involved iterative improvements to gradually elevate its tier.

"At this stage, it comes down to Zhang Yu’s own competence."

"Unless his refining skills have reached Tier 11, no matter how hard he works or how much he spends, he cannot possibly elevate the prototype to that level."

"If he tries to outsource the work at this point, he will never pass the review."

"With my long-standing technical accumulation, based on current calibration parameters, this prototype will reach Tier 5 the moment it is assembled."

"My subsequent progress will surely outpace his."

Thinking this, Jin Jun’s heart finally settled.

Of course, while he regained his calm, he did not intend to remain idle.

"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. This project has cost me too much in spirit coins and time; I will not accept failure."

That very day, Jin Jun mortgaged his Dharma remains and organs to max out his loans. With the spirit coins in hand, he leased more advanced refining equipment and hired a Golden Core-level mentor to provide one-on-one guidance, offering insights and identifying flaws during his refining process.

Beyond accelerating his own progress, Jin Jun also intended to stir up trouble for Zhang Yu to drag down his pace.

He sent out a message.

Jin Jun: Senior Brother, I have a favor to ask of you.

...

Inside Ye Xingli’s laboratory.

Zhang Yu’s body was wreathed in surging Earthly Fiend gravity, holding the prototype suspended in mid-air.

Simultaneously, streams of mana erupted from his hands, mixing with the powdered materials prepared by Zi Yunzhen, injecting them into the refining equipment before manifesting as layers of restrictions etched into the prototype.

As the number of restrictions stacked, the prototype’s heat resistance gradually strengthened.

Zhang Yu knew that to elevate the prototype’s tier, he had to do more than repeatedly stack restrictions on the internal and external mana circuits to boost performance; he had to optimize the runes, refine the materials, and raise the ceiling of the mana core.

Beyond enhancing basic attributes, he needed to integrate additional functions.

For instance, to upgrade the current Tier 1 prototype to Tier 2, he had to install a new cultivation module, granting the machine fire-manipulation capabilities.

Zhang Yu thought: "The Tier 1 prototype already has interfaces for various functions. All I need to do is improve and add modules."

"To achieve this, my blueprint mastery must reach a certain level."

He glanced at the "Heavenly Sun Radiant God Prototype Tier 1 (6/10)" on his Feather Tome.

"Every time I refine the prototype as a whole, it not only boosts its basic attributes but, with the blessing of the 'Refining Prodigy' talent, advances the progress on my Feather Tome by two points."

"Once I push the blueprint to Tier 2, I will have the technical prowess to add the fire-manipulation function that only Tier 2 allows."

With this in mind, Zhang Yu’s movements became even more rapid. Mana from within and materials from his side were poured into the prototype as if they were worthless. Zi Yunzhen watched this, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably. She couldn't help but say, "Boss, isn't this too fast?"

In her view, refining was not a race. Especially when learning while refining, shouldn't every step be contemplated? Only by identifying and correcting flaws could one make progress while refining.

Zhang Yu’s blind, frantic pace seemed to her a waste of materials and money, unlikely to yield any real growth.

"Refining isn't about the number of attempts..." she thought.

Zhang Yu, however, thought: "Refining is all about volume. The more attempts, the higher my skill level, right?"

Seeing Zhang Yu ignore her, she pressed on: "Boss, what is the value of such speed? You can't just pursue velocity. Your current performance looks thin compared to Jin Jun’s team. The review board will look for your thought process, not just the number of refinements."

"I hope in future work, you can distill your reflections into daily reports to differentiate yourself and build core competitiveness."

"Work harder, Boss. If you can grow, I’m willing to take a pay cut so you have more capital to drive the project."

Watching Zi Yunzhen attempt to feed him the same "employee pay-cut" pie that bosses used to feed him, Zhang Yu thought: "Damn it... when I was an employee, the boss fed me empty promises; now that I’m the boss, the employee is feeding me the same thing?"

"This wretched place, Kunxu."

Seeing that Zi Yunzhen was about to continue, Zhang Yu waved a hand to stop her. "Yunzhen, I am disappointed in your performance. I hired you for this project hoping you would delve deep into the field of the Heavenly Sun Radiant God and become the most professional assistant in this area."

"I will not explain why I am accelerating. I want to give you a chance to grow, to force you to think, to explore, and to find the answers yourself."

"I know that accelerating like this while expecting you to grow puts immense pressure on you. But growth is always accompanied by pressure; the moments of greatest pressure are often when you grow the fastest."

"In the future, you will be incredibly grateful for this high-pressure time; it will be a crucial stage of your life’s transformation."

After pacifying her, Zhang Yu accelerated further. Soon, Zi Yunzhen could no longer keep up, forced to push herself to go faster, faster, and faster still, until there was no room left for thought.

She felt as if she were chasing Zhang Yu on a track, giving her all, running until she was exhausted, yet only able to watch his back recede further into the distance.

Just as Zi Yunzhen reached her breaking point, Zhang Yu suddenly stopped.

"I’m going to the Spirit Realm. Yunzhen, keep preparing."

Watching this, Zi Yunzhen felt as if Zhang Yu had paused on the track, allowing her to catch up.

Feeling a wave of shame, she thought: "I am dragging down the efficiency of the entire project..."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already escaped into the Taiqing Realm, activating the refining simulation to continue his practice.

Unlike the refining techniques that could only be practiced in reality, the various production skills—the mastery levels of various artifacts and Dharma remains—could be advanced in this illusory realm through repeated simulation.

"The refining process in the lab serves as a record of my work while building the prototype."

"Taking advantage of the gaps to improve in the Taiqing Realm will allow me to boost my blueprint level even faster."

Zhang Yu calculated: "With both sides advancing in tandem, I estimate that in another month or two, I can elevate the prototype to the Tier 11 Foundation Establishment level."

Just as Zhang Yu was buried in his work in the lab, a message suddenly appeared before him.

...

Within the spirit realm.

Zhang Yu gazed at the figure before him, a Daoist priest who appeared as if assembled from clockwork, and asked, "Master Guiyuanzi, is there something you require?"

The Daoist cast a glance at Zhang Yu and replied indifferently, "Why have you been absent from the recent history of artifact crafting seminars?"

Zhang Yu was momentarily taken aback. "I submitted a leave request..."

"I do not recall ever approving such a request," Guiyuanzi replied coldly.

"No matter. I shall grant you a chance: you will make up every missed hour, or you can forget about passing this course for the semester."

With that, Guiyuanzi left behind a rudimentary intelligent artifact spirit to begin a lecture at standard speed, vanishing before Zhang Yu could respond.

Zhang Yu hesitated, then sent another message requesting leave, only to be met with a sharp rebuke.

Guiyuanzi: What leave? Who gave you permission to take leave as you please?

Guiyuanzi: Do not think that because you are working on a project, you can neglect your history.

Guiyuanzi: If you have not mastered the history of technology, how can you hope to innovate without understanding the origins?

"This fellow..." Zhang Yu thought, staring at the lecturing spirit, "Is someone trying to sabotage me again?"

Just then, Ziyun sent a message: Boss, the materials are ready. When will you return?

Zhang Yu replied: Continue with the preparations; I will return once I have resolved the matter at hand.

He then pondered for a moment before messaging Feng Tingting, Ye Xingli, and Zhang Pianpian, determined to uncover what game Guiyuanzi was playing.

After some discreet inquiries, Zhang Yu began to grasp the situation. His eyes scanned his contact list, finally settling on Feng Yuhan.

(End of chapter)