Chapter 573: Magnetic Pole's Treasure (Thanks to 'Snake Skin Second Generation Machine')

Chapter 573: The Magnetic Pole’s Treasure (Gratitude to ‘Snake Skin Second Generation Machine’ for the Alliance Leader donation)

As a renowned expert in the field of artifact crafting, the many celebrated designs of True Lord Magnetic Pole have naturally been studied in great detail by others.

Yet, in the eyes of True Lord Bloodfall, Zhang Yu’s design blueprints were saturated with the distinct essence of Magnetic Pole.

It was not merely the application and combination of various techniques, but the subtle habits and minute details in the drafting of the designs that were permeated with her signature style.

At this thought, True Lord Bloodfall’s heart stirred: "News had circulated earlier that Magnetic Pole’s research into the Dharma Remains of the Nascent Soul stage had transcended simple blood-qi and mana exchange, reaching the level of memory exchange."

"Could it be that she has even perfected memory filtering, allowing for the exchange of specific memories?"

True Lord Bloodfall gazed at the design by Zhang Yu manifesting before him, thinking to himself: "Could this Zhang Yu be the fruit of that labor?"

"Did True Lord Magnetic Pole transmit her own experience in artifact crafting to Zhang Yu?"

For a moment, True Lord Bloodfall’s mind raced, countless images flashing by, drawing him into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, the judges had finished their scoring, and Zhang Yu’s final tally was revealed.

"488 points." True Lord Stringtone looked at this score, thinking: "Truly unexpected... that the champion of this design competition would be Zhang Yu, and by such an absolute, overwhelming margin."

"Was this intentional on Magnetic Pole’s part?"

Back when Feng Yuhan had invited multiple Nascent Soul True Lords to participate in the study of the Dharma Remains of the Nectar God, True Lord Stringtone had been among them.

He was somewhat privy to Magnetic Pole’s project.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s astonishing performance now, he could not help but let his mind wander.

"Has Magnetic Pole made another breakthrough? Is letting Zhang Yu take the championship also a form of publicity?"

Reflecting on his previous judgment, True Lord Stringtone shook his head: "It seems it is not that Magnetic Pole treasures this disciple too much... it is that this disciple has truly become a great treasure to Magnetic Pole."

Shortly thereafter, as the simulation tests for all 15 contestants concluded, the five judges submitted their individual evaluations and scores.

Next came the wait for the Heavenly Court’s feedback to confirm the final rankings.

However, whether it was True Lord Wicked Lotus of the Heavenly Demon University or True Lord Stringtone of the Myriad Dharma University, the judges present understood that with such a clear gap in performance, the final ranking would likely be undisputed.

As the True Gods finished their recording and departed with all the data and scores, the judges on site seemed to relax.

True Lord Stringtone looked toward True Lord Bloodfall of the Netherworld University and True Lord Bone-Erosion of the Bone University, smiling as he said: "The two of you, you both misjudged, didn't you?"

True Lord Bone-Erosion replied coldly: "We were merely speaking based on the facts. Zhang Yu’s performance transcended the mundane; as judges, it is only natural for us to be skeptical for the sake of fairness and justice."

True Lord Stringtone remarked: "Yet, the students of Bone University do not seem to possess the solid foundation in artifact crafting that their previously submitted blueprints suggested."

"And there is Burial Star Metallurgy of the Netherworld University; his understanding of bionic technology does not seem as profound as his previous blueprints indicated."

True Lord Bloodfall, hearing this, shouted: "Stringtone! What is your meaning? Bone-Erosion and I scored impartially; every word was upright and honorable, worthy of our sects and our schools. If you harbor dissatisfaction and seek revenge, come at us directly, do not drag the students into this."

Watching the other man’s righteous indignation, Stringtone could not help but laugh, cursing inwardly: "You dog, so anxious—anyone who didn't know better would think you hadn't taken a single spirit coin."

True Lord Stringtone said calmly: "Bloodfall, why didn't you show such vigor just now in front of the True Gods' lens? Didn't you have words for me to convey to True Lord Magnetic Pole last time? Do you wish to send more this time?"

Just as the two sides were arguing, a light cough from True Lord Wicked Lotus cut off their voices.

The Vice Chancellor from Heavenly Demon University said coolly: "Stringtone, we were indeed mistaken in our previous judgment."

"Please convey a message to Magnetic Pole when you return: we wish her an early promotion and a promising future in the Nascent Soul stage. We also wish your Myriad Dharma University four Nascent Soul masters in the future, peace throughout the school, and freedom from disaster."

...

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu, who had long since embarked on his return journey, was unaware of the judges' thoughts, nor did he know the results of the simulation test.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged in the quiet room of the flying ship, silently circulating his mental cultivation method, feeling the raging storm within his sea of consciousness.

It seemed as if patches of filthy mud were surging skyward, suppressed time and again by the roars of the Four-Headed White Ox, only to surge forth once more.

Beyond the turbulence in his mind, Zhang Yu felt a slight lack of coordination in his muscles and an obstruction in the flow of his mana.

From head to toe, there was a pervasive sense that something was wrong, a feeling of being unable to fully control his own being.

He sighed helplessly and looked at the Dao Heart data on his Feather Book.

Level 17 (88%)

To secure victory in the competition, and even more so for the Top Ten League in a few months, Zhang Yu felt he could not afford any mistakes. Thus, he had not only used the Spirit Rhyme Artifact Heart to fuse the blueprints as best he could to select the optimal result.

He had also burned his Dao Heart multiple times to activate "Heavenly Craftsmanship," constantly optimizing the fused blueprints.

This allowed Zhang Yu to synthesize the performance of various puppets and compress costs to the extreme, creating a design blueprint that could produce puppets from materials found on-site.

But the other result... was that Zhang Yu’s Dao Heart had regressed to Level 17, diminishing his willpower and causing his control over his body and mana to slide.

Furthermore, due to the excessive application of the Spirit Rhyme Artifact Heart, his head was now throbbing with pain, his thinking felt rigid, and his mind seemed to move a beat slower, no longer able to sense any inspiration.

"The inspiration consumed by the Spirit Rhyme Artifact Heart will likely take a month of rest to recover."

"As for the regressed Dao Heart, it will probably take two or three months of cultivation to make up for it." Zhang Yu calculated silently: "But it should be enough to catch up for the Top Ten League."

Just then, a knock came at the door of the quiet room, and a voice asked: "Student Zhang Yu, are you there?"

Zhang Yu was slightly surprised—who would come to the flying ship to find him?

Opening the door, he saw a man and a woman standing outside.

The man had a rustic appearance, dressed in ancient-style robes, his depth unfathomable.

The woman’s body shimmered with the radiance of Dharma Remains, and she wore the insignia of the Inspection Team on her head.

Zhang Yu asked suspiciously: "Are you looking for me?"

The man smiled slightly and said: "I am True Person Xuyang from the Fourth Division of the Myriad Dharma University Inspection Team."

Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered; he understood the man was a Golden Core True Person.

True Person Xuyang introduced the woman beside him: "This is my colleague, Yun Yuqing."

"Student Zhang Yu, may we step inside to talk?"

Looking at the identification information the other party presented, Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself: "The Fourth Division of the Inspection Team, aren't they the ones specialized in investigating the Demonic Sect?"

Zhang Yu knew that since the end of the economic crisis, in order to purge the Demonic Sect, the Fourth Division had been searching everywhere. Whether within the university town of Myriad Dharma University or the various affiliated colleges, they had acted with impunity, pulling down countless students and teachers tainted by the Demonic Sect.

"The Fourth Division found me... could it be..."

Zhang Yu suddenly thought of the Demonic Sect Golden Core who had been killed.

"Has my involvement been exposed?"

Zhang Yu then thought of the matter with Feng Yuhan: "Or has that side been compromised?"

Although he felt a slight chill and a flurry of questions raced through his mind, Zhang Yu remained calm on the surface, ushering the two inside.

As the door to the quiet room closed, True Person Xuyang spoke again, asking: "Student Zhang Yu, do you know Shui Haiyu from the Shanhai Vocational University?"

Zhang Yu was stunned; he remembered that this Shui Haiyu was the vocational student who had been selling him daily videos for some time.

He also recalled that the man had been embroiled in the Double-Cultivation Sect incident, eventually taking his own life, becoming a soul cultivator, and being drawn into the Spirit Realm.

Hearing that they were here to ask about Shui Haiyu, the tension in Zhang Yu’s heart eased slightly. He said calmly: "For my research, I bought some daily videos from him."

Since entering the quiet room, True Person Xuyang had been sitting face-to-face with Zhang Yu, his expression gentle, as if this were merely a casual conversation.

The other woman, Yun Yuqing, remained on guard, her face full of suspicion as she listened to Zhang Yu.

She asked with a skeptical look: "Research? What kind of research requires buying videos from a vocational student?"

Zhang Yu offered an explanation: "I am entering a design competition and intend to create a product tailored for college students, which is why I need to conduct some research."

Master Xuyang spoke up: "How much do you know about Shui Haiyu's standing within the Dual-Cultivation Sect?"

Zhang Yu was momentarily taken aback: "Shui Haiyu is part of the Dual-Cultivation Sect?"

Yun Yuqing let out a cold snort and retorted: "Why play the fool? He sent you so many daily vlogs, always asking for leave or skipping class; did you never suspect he belonged to that cult?"

Zhang Yu furrowed his brow and replied: "I truly had no idea he was affiliated with the Dual-Cultivation Sect."

"To my knowledge, he has always been an opponent of the sect and has even reported quite a few students suspected of being members."

At the same time, he attempted to message Zhang Pianpian to inquire about the situation, only to find that his messages remained unanswered.

It was not just Zhang Pianpian; every message he sent to others went completely unacknowledged.

A sudden jolt of alarm struck Zhang Yu: "It is not a network outage, but a severance of my lines of communication?"

Meanwhile, he heard Yun Yuqing continue: "Zhang Yu, we have already investigated the matter of Shui Haiyu thoroughly. I advise you not to harbor any illusions; it would be best if you confessed everything you know."

Zhang Yu said coolly: "Are the two of you interrogating me?"

Yun Yuqing glared at him: "What kind of attitude is that..."

Master Xuyang quickly restrained Yun Yuqing before she could say more, looking at Zhang Yu as he said: "Student Zhang Yu, please do not be nervous or so resistant. We are merely here to gather some information; let us just have a casual conversation."

"After all, opposing the demonic cult is everyone's responsibility, and we ask that you understand our work."

The Zhang Yu of today was no longer the ordinary student he once was; watching the inspectors play their good-cop, bad-cop routine, he could clearly sense their wariness, suspicion, and a lingering trace of hostility.

"These two, one playing the saint and the other the villain, using both carrot and stick... are they trying to fish for information? What exactly are they after?"

Recalling the intelligence they had just shared regarding Shui Haiyu, a grim premonition stirred in Zhang Yu's heart: he seemed to have been dragged into something deeply troublesome.

(End of chapter)