Chapter 587: The Persona of Discriminating Against Demon Descendants Also Has Its Merits

Chapter 587: There Is Merit Even in a Persona of Anti-Demi-Human Prejudice

No sooner had Zhang Yu handed over the video to True Monarch Magnetic Pole than the latter tasked him with another errand.

"Go and see True Monarch Xuyang."

Zhang Yu asked, "True Monarch Xuyang? What for?"

He probed cautiously, "Besides, he is a Golden Core master. As a mere Foundation Establishment disciple, I would hardly be able to speak to him on equal footing."

True Monarch Magnetic Pole smiled. "I am not sending you to fight him, and what use is fighting anyway? Does he dare touch you now? You represent me."

The True Monarch pondered for a moment before explaining, "Zhang Yu, physical annihilation of an opponent is a last resort, the lowest form of strategy. History is littered with sects that only knew how to kill; they have all perished."

"The superior strategy is to learn how to bring others into your fold, to learn how to leverage more resources and energy."

True Monarch Magnetic Pole sighed. "And the highest strategy is to be like the Immortals themselves—regardless of whether you are their subordinate or what you harbor in your heart, every movement you make, every word you utter in this world... will ultimately become fodder for their Immortal Dao."

With that, he waved his hand. "I will lend you the Nine Heavens Primordial Sun Pagoda for now. Go and speak with True Monarch Xuyang."

"Tell him that if he is willing to name the person behind him, I can guarantee his safety."

Upon leaving the laboratory, Zhang Yu felt a layer of invisible power from the Spirit Realm enshroud him.

Within his ocular implants, a new button appeared, labeled: ON/OFF.

As Zhang Yu focused his intent on the button, a phantom of the Nine Heavens Primordial Sun Pagoda erupted behind him, giving him a start.

Simultaneously, a row of new buttons flickered into view: Ghost and Deity Evasion, Immunity to Evil, Indestructible Vajra, Spirit Realm Translocation...

Most were grayed out, clearly indicating that True Monarch Magnetic Pole had not granted him the authority to activate them.

Sensing the growing number of gazes upon him, Zhang Yu hurriedly focused his intent once more to deactivate the pagoda.

"But where is this Xuyang fellow now?"

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and messaged Zhang Pianpian: "Senior Sister, do you know the current whereabouts of True Monarch Xuyang?"

...

On the flying vessel.

Watching the university town shrink into the distance, True Monarch Xuyang’s brows furrowed ever tighter.

Today was the day he departed to take up his post at the vocational college.

He could not even remember the name of the place, referring to it only as "the vocational college."

Not a single person had bid him farewell through the Spirit Realm, let alone come to see him off as he boarded the vessel.

Thinking of this, Xuyang could not help but sigh at the fickleness of human relationships.

But the next moment, a ripple of Spirit Realm energy flickered in the air, and a figure seemed to traverse mountains and rivers, descending directly before him through the veil of the Spirit Realm.

When he recognized the figure, Xuyang’s expression shifted. "Zhang Yu?"

Appearing before him was Zhang Yu, who had utilized the Spirit Realm Translocation ability of the Nine Heavens Primordial Sun Pagoda to project himself.

A trace of hostility crossed Xuyang’s face. "What are you here for?"

Looking at the True Monarch, Zhang Yu smiled slightly. "True Monarch Xuyang, surely you remember that we first met on a flying vessel."

Xuyang’s expression grew colder at these words.

Zhang Yu continued, "Are you truly content to go to that vocational college?"

Seeing the other remained silent, Zhang Yu pressed on, "Life offers many paths, and there is no rule that says one must walk a single road to the bitter end."

"A wise bird chooses its tree. With your cultivation and talents, would going to a vocational college not be a waste of a lifetime?"

As he spoke, the radiance of the Nine Heavens Primordial Sun Pagoda manifested behind him, causing Xuyang’s expression to flicker with shock.

"The Nine Heavens Primordial Sun Pagoda..." Xuyang recognized the True Monarch’s signature artifact instantly, confirming that Zhang Yu was indeed acting as his envoy.

Xuyang’s resolve wavered for a moment, but recalling the promises made to him by the other side, he said in a low voice, "I do not know what you are talking about, and I have no interest in knowing."

"Leave. I do not wish to see you again."

Facing the blunt rejection, Zhang Yu remained unperturbed; he smiled faintly and vanished into the air.

Xuyang turned his head back toward the university town, now a mere black speck. He recalled their first meeting on the vessel, never imagining how much had changed since then.

"I will return."

...

After concluding his communication with Xuyang, Zhang Yu returned the pagoda to True Monarch Magnetic Pole and reported the response.

Shortly after, Director Gao reached out.

Director Gao: Are you alright? I had intended to visit the Inspection Team, but I did not expect Yu Xinghan to be released so soon.

Zhang Yu briefly recounted the events at the construction site, to which Director Gao replied: The site is indeed in need of a cleanup.

Director Gao: I am contacting you for this very reason.

Director Gao: I intend to mandate daily Weekend Virus testing across all construction sites in the Civil Engineering Department.

Director Gao: Your company must cooperate.

Zhang Yu: I will lead by example.

Seeing the reply, Director Gao nodded and began issuing the task in the department’s work group.

In truth, Director Gao had long been aware of the virus spreading at the sites and had wanted to conduct comprehensive screenings.

But for those above, it would slow efficiency and increase costs, cutting into their profits. For those below, it would disrupt their labor hours and reduce their income.

Resistance was universal, and the proposal had been shot down by leaders, board members, and subordinates alike.

But now, leveraging the momentum of the Inspection Team’s crackdown, Director Gao pushed the matter forward once more.

While the workers remained uncooperative, the upper management finally relented.

After all, the Inspection Team had shuttered several sites recently; it was far better to screen internally and purge the carriers early than to face a total shutdown.

...

At the construction site.

Yu Xinghan stood in line with Ying Xin and the others, preparing for the daily virus test.

With Director Gao’s full-scale push, daily testing and preventative propaganda had become the norm.

The complaints of workers echoed in his ears, while the figures around him flickered in and out of his third eye.

He had been working hard to master this eye.

It was far more powerful than before; merely looking at someone allowed him to learn the martial arts they were currently practicing.

But like Zhang Yu, he had no interest in learning useless, common techniques that would only increase the risk of his exposure.

He struggled to control the eye, striving to prevent it from learning everything it saw, seeking the ability to toggle this state at will.

Yu Xinghan looked up at Shi Huaiyu, watching the flow of mana within her, and felt a surge of joy: "I’ve controlled it. No more involuntary learning."

Shi Huaiyu was his favorite subject; she possessed the Seven Absolute Arts of Civil Engineering and had mastered the Heaven Kunlun Mountain-Moving Power. Even if he did learn her techniques, it would be a gain, making her the perfect subject for practice.

Just then, a commotion erupted in the distance.

Yu Xinghan turned his head, only to behold a vast throng of demon-kin chanting slogans in protest against the mandatory dual-cultivation virus testing.

"Daily testing is nothing but a blatant discrimination against our kind!"

"This so-called preventive measure shows a total lack of respect for our culture."

"By what right do they limit our dual cultivation? How could such a practice possibly spread the virus?"

...

Within the laboratory.

Zhang Yu watched the news reports of demon-kin laborers at various construction sites staging protests, some even gathering in massive crowds to engage in public dual cultivation as a defiant stance against the health screenings.

"There must be someone pulling the strings behind this."

"I only wonder if they are the same faction lurking behind Xiang Shan and Master Xuyang."

Observing the figures in the various videos, Zhang Yu confirmed once more that his third eye could not peer through a screen to discern the flow of mana within another’s body.

"To truly witness the circulation of power through the physical meridians, one must be in the presence of the living."

He glanced at the notifications flooding his social media, where a cursory look revealed a deluge of vitriol from the demon-kin.

Xiang Shan had become a figurehead for the countless students at Sky Demon University, a symbol of the oppression suffered at the hands of humanity.

And Zhang Yu, naturally, had become the human representative of that oppression in their eyes.

The sheer population of Sky Demon University had produced a massive legion of soul-cultivators, a force so formidable in the Spirit Realm that they could drown out any comment section they chose to occupy.

"These fellows, when they meet me in reality, kneel with more reverence than anyone else the moment they see my military credentials and rank."

Zhang Yu mused to himself, "Yet, the moment they step into the Spirit Realm, their courage grows a hundredfold."

Still, Zhang Yu could sense that while few were willing to engage in a shouting match with the demon-kin on his behalf, many were secretly rooting for him.

This was evident from the steady stream of likes on his posts.

Supporters included Mo Shangjin and Xiao Qingxuan from the Civil Engineering Department, as well as Yan Qianji, Bei Wufeng, and Ye Xingli from the Artifact Forging Department.

"Especially Bei Wufeng; he has liked nearly every single one of my posts. That man is the true practitioner of discrimination."

"Yet, instead of attacking him, these demons choose to vent their rage upon me—the one who doesn't discriminate at all."

Zhang Yu clicked on Bei Wufeng’s profile, noting that the man had changed his avatar.

"Did he swap it because his previous one was too aggressive toward the demon-kin, and the current climate is simply too volatile?"

Beyond the likes, Zhang Yu noticed a surge in requests for his artifact-forging services, which he gladly passed on to Tianri Huangshen and his assistants to generate profit.

He thought to himself, "Though the demon-kin are numerous, how many can truly afford magical treasures or dharma-remains? They were never my target demographic to begin with."

"On the contrary, those who discriminate against them... many of them are quite wealthy."

"Perhaps this reputation of being anti-demon might actually bring more business to my door."

Watching the demon-kin continue their frantic efforts in the comment sections, Zhang Yu thought, "Curse away, curse away; the more you do, the more business you bring me."

After a final, casual scan of the news in the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu returned to his practice of the Heaven and Earth Ruin-Calamity Formless Heart-Weapon.

It was now June, and in the coming month, he was slated to face Bei Wufeng in a formal duel to seize the spot on the school team.

For the time being, Zhang Yu resolved to dedicate himself entirely to his cultivation, striving to push the level of his technique to its absolute limit.

(End of Chapter)