Chapter 568: Magnetic Pole Treasures This Disciple Too Much

Chapter 568: The Magnetic Pole Venerable Treasures Her Apprentice

The Magnetic Pole Venerable scanned the blueprints Zhang Yu had sent repeatedly, only to find that with her profound background, cultivation, and years of accumulated experience in artifact refinement, she could not suggest a single direction for improvement.

At most, she could offer minor suggestions on details, though even those might be misplaced due to her lack of familiarity with the specific design philosophy of the vocational student market.

Furthermore, as she studied the designs, she felt a strange sense of harmony, finding every clever ingenuity perfectly aligned with her own intuition.

"At the very least, from a technical standpoint, this boot has achieved the pinnacle of performance-to-cost balance for the Qi Refining stage."

"Anything with better performance is almost certainly impossible to produce at this price."

"Anything cheaper would struggle to surpass it in performance."

"If I were to craft a similar magical treasure, I might have designed it exactly this way."

Thus, a question could not help but arise in the Magnetic Pole Venerable’s mind: "Did Zhang Yu truly design this?"

"Did he hire someone else?"

But looking at the blueprints again, she mused that achieving this level of design was likely not something one could accomplish by simply hiring a random hand.

She began to inquire about Zhang Yu’s design philosophy, engaging him in a deep discussion regarding the intricacies of his work.

As she watched Zhang Yu explain his process while simultaneously sending over further designs, a jolt of shock ran through her.

Studying those documents, she realized that these designs were, in all likelihood, the product of Zhang Yu’s own mind.

After all, even if he had hired help, no one would commission such a vast quantity of complex blueprints.

Moreover, while these designs appeared whimsical and unconventional, they possessed a distinct, inherited style.

She could even trace the evolution of his craft, sensing how the designer’s style matured as he gained a deeper understanding of the vocational student demographic and mastered the nuances of their specific needs.

"Could Zhang Yu truly be a genius of artifact refinement?"

"At this rate, if he wins a few more awards and sells a few more copyrights to major corporations, he might well be considered an expert in vocational artifact refinement within a few years."

The Magnetic Pole Venerable’s gaze was incredibly complex as she thought to herself: "To think that the student I once paid to take on would turn out to be the most talented apprentice I have received in all these years."

"Very well. In two years, I shall have Zhang Yu graduate early, secure his postgraduate recommendation, and once he attains his Golden Core certification, he can return to the laboratory to generate real value for me."

...

After receiving the Magnetic Pole Venerable’s affirmation, Zhang Yu’s confidence soared.

However, she offered a word of caution: Your product design is excellent.

Magnetic Pole Venerable: But it is perhaps too excellent. The old fogies judging the design competition might mistakenly assume you hired someone to design it for you.

Magnetic Pole Venerable: They might even suspect that I designed it for you.

Zhang Yu felt a start and hurriedly asked: Teacher, what should I do?

Magnetic Pole Venerable: It is not a major issue.

Magnetic Pole Venerable: Your work will certainly be selected for the top ten, and you will be invited to the awards ceremony.

Magnetic Pole Venerable: They will inevitably test the contestants' design proficiency then to determine the final rankings.

Magnetic Pole Venerable: Prepare yourself well and bring back a top-three finish.

Seeing her reply, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the competition was now well within his grasp.

With the blueprints submitted, he refocused his attention on the refinement of the Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword.

...

Time slipped by until the beginning of May.

In the laboratory, amidst a flurry of sword light, the Level 20 Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword struck the secret steel before him.

With a crisp sound, the entire block of steel was sliced through as smoothly as silk, split in two.

For a Level 20 Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword, cutting ability was merely the baseline; the true significance lay in the fact that the Taihao Moral Sword Intent imbued within it had finally reached military-grade potency.

Yet, sword intent alone was not enough to make Zhang Yu choose this military-grade treasure.

Only when all twelve Taihao Sacred Law Flying Swords were completed and formed into a sword array, constructing the Taihao Minor Spirit Realm, would the true power of this military-grade artifact be revealed.

For now, Zhang Yu was merely testing the performance of the Level 20 sword and the effects of its intent.

Through this period of testing, Zhang Yu had gradually come to understand the sword intent he had condensed.

"Theoretically, while morality is a human construct, it is inevitably influenced by society. Living within it, one is subtly shaped by the moral standards of the collective."

"Though I have been influenced by Kunxu, I ultimately hail from Earth, where I spent the greater part of my life."

"Perhaps I, too, will be completely transformed in the future?"

Zhang Yu was uncertain, but at this very moment, he stood backed by the eight billion people of Earth, still holding fast to a set of moral standards from his home.

In Zhang Yu’s heart... there were no good people in Kunxu, and the higher one climbed, the fewer good people remained.

Under his testing, he discovered that his Taihao Moral Sword Intent possessed far greater lethality against people than against objects.

Zhang Yu mused: "Is this a special attack against the people of Kunxu? The higher-ranking the Kunxu citizen, the more it seems to trigger the power of this intent."

Whenever he thought of this, he felt the Four-Headed White Ox in his mind let out a roar, as if calling out to something.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu temporarily ended the test and looked toward Ziyun Zhen and Su Yunni: "Are you not finished yet?"

With the completion of the Level 20 Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword, his mastery of the blueprints had long since reached Level 20.

He now only needed to refine eleven more Level 20 swords to complete the Taihao Sacred Law Sword Array.

However, while his own skills had advanced by leaps and bounds, his assistants’ progress could not keep pace, beginning to drag down the project’s timeline. "It seems I must poach some more experienced assistants."

Time was of the essence for Zhang Yu this year; as long as he could accelerate the project, he did not mind spending more spirit coins.

As for targets for poaching, Zhang Yu had already locked onto several candidates with the help of intelligence from Feng Tingting and Ye Xingli.

Opening his friend interface, Zhang Yu greeted each target one by one, awaiting their replies.

Just then, he saw a video sent by a vocational student.

Zhang Yu thought: "Honestly, didn't I say I had stopped accepting videos?"

But seeing the "Urgent" tag on the title, he glanced at the still-silent poaching targets and opened the video, watching it at double speed.

The video was recorded by Shui Haiyu of the Shanhai Vocational University. Zhang Yu remembered him as the one who had quit the "Dual Cultivation Club" after realizing it was secretly spreading illicit ideologies.

In the subsequent footage, Shui Haiyu was seen repeatedly urging classmates to quit the club; when that failed, he tried to stop them from taking leave, urging them to focus on work and study instead.

He soon discovered that the club was a den of iniquity, using intoxication, drugging, and deception to force members to take leave and engage in "dual cultivation."

In the video, Shui Haiyu was seen shouting in anger: "Following them to 'dual cultivate' is no different from walking to your death! You will be ruined!"

The argument ended in a bitter stalemate.

In the final shot, Shui Haiyu appeared, facing a mirror.

His face looked haggard as he whispered: "I feel like they have been tracking me lately."

"My reports have been useless; they have already bribed the school leadership."

"They may come to seize me soon and force me into 'dual cultivation'."

"I will do my best to gather evidence. If anyone receives this, please report it to the Righteous Gods..."

As the final frame of Shui Haiyu’s video faded, Zhang Yu sat lost in thought, only to be interrupted by a new incoming message.

It was from Liu Xiangqiao, a seventh-year student in the Artifact Refining Department—one of the prime targets he hoped to poach.

Liu Xiangqiao: Is there something you need, junior?

Zhang Yu: I am currently forging the Taihao Sacred Law Sword Array. Would you be interested in joining the project?

Liu Xiangqiao: No thank you. I am quite satisfied with my current position and have no plans to jump ship.

Zhang Yu: Senior, has Senior Brother Wufeng truly been able to fulfill your potential?

The person Zhang Yu was attempting to recruit was a lead assistant in the laboratory of Bei Wufeng, the second-ranked student in the Artifact Refining Department.

As the department’s foremost expert in flying sword construction, Bei Wufeng had long since completed his own Taihao Sacred Law Sword Array and had already iterated upon it several times.

Having been a key participant in that work, Liu Xiangqiao possessed a wealth of experience, exactly the kind of seasoned assistance Zhang Yu desperately craved.

Zhang Yu: Don’t you feel a sense of emptiness, spending your days performing menial tasks on his project?

Zhang Yu: Come work with me, and I can offer you a twenty percent raise.

Zhang Yu: You would have full authority over all other assistants.

Zhang Yu: I can guarantee you an experience you would never find under your current senior.

Staring at the messages, Liu Xiangqiao felt a flicker of temptation.

Bei Wufeng’s laboratory had been established for years, teeming with talent; many of her peers had already moved on to lead their own independent projects, shedding the title of mere assistant. How could she not harbor her own ambitions?

To jump to a new lab and ascend to a management role—that was precisely what she craved.

Yet, Zhang Yu’s credentials were too thin, his year too low, and he lacked even a private laboratory, let alone substantial funding.

Even if Zhang Yu was undeniably gifted and backed by the formidable Master Magnetic Pole, potentially destined to reach the heights of Bei Wufeng or even Yan Qianji, Liu Xiangqiao was already in her seventh year. With graduation looming, she could no longer afford to wait.

In her eyes, Zhang Yu was far from a premium employer.

Conversely, once Bei Wufeng’s fame skyrocketed further after the upcoming Top Ten League, his laboratory would inevitably expand once more.

As for the salary, it was secondary; if a titan like Yan Qianji had come to poach her, she would have jumped at the chance even for a pay cut.

After receiving yet another rejection, Zhang Yu let out a weary sigh.

...

While Zhang Yu scoured the campus for talent to accelerate his project, the judges of the design competition had begun the task of sorting through the entries.

Naturally, given the immense responsibilities of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, they could not possibly review every single submission.

The designs were first screened by staff before being presented to the judges.

At that moment, True Monarch Xuanyin sat before a stack of floating blueprints.

As he silently reviewed them, a message from a fellow judge flickered into his field of vision.

True Monarch Tianzhi: Xuanyin, take a look at that Zhang Yu’s design [chuckle].

"Zhang Yu?"

Xuanyin’s gaze shifted; he opened the file, scanned it briefly, and could not help but shake his head in resignation. "Magnetic Pole... isn't he coddling this disciple a bit too much? Did he step in and do all the work himself?"