Chapter 743: Master of Ten Billion Talismans

Chapter 743: The Master of Ten Billion Talismans

Staring at the unfamiliar name in his contacts list, Zhang Yu didn’t reject it outright as he would with other strangers.

Because this Yun Zhiguang had already become his friend—without waiting for his approval.

Zhang Yu knew this wasn’t merely about spirit coins; it was a display of high authority.

Whoever she wished to befriend, she could befriend—no request needed, no consent required.

In the next moment, as a projection descended, a woman named Yun Zhiguang—bearing the appearance of a young girl—materialized before Zhang Yu.

She glared at him fiercely and declared, “My name is Yun Zhiguang, a disciple of the Myriad Dharmas Sect.”

Looking at her visage, Zhang Yu thought inwardly, *A sect disciple? Their aesthetic sense is rather classical.*

Yun Zhiguang continued, “Zhang Yu, your Shared Cloud Vault is quite impressive. I have high hopes for it—it should become a leading enterprise across Levels 2 to 5.”

“But why on earth did you decide… to triple the salaries of billions of people? And issue over ten billion spirit coins’ worth of bonds? Offering them triple interest?”

“Those paupers—just giving them decent jobs would’ve made them work themselves to death out of gratitude.”

“Don’t you think this is an outrageous waste? Spending far more than necessary?”

“And now that you’ve spoiled them with wage hikes, how will your company ever manage them properly in the future? Isn’t this sheer recklessness?”

Meeting Yun Zhiguang’s interrogative gaze, Zhang Yu silently sighed inwardly: *So it begins.*

With the Heavenly Court descending and sects re-establishing ties with the Ten Great Academies, it was inevitable they’d reach for all manner of academic assets and enterprises. Zhang Yu had anticipated this.

Yet seeing Yun Zhiguang before him, he couldn’t help but marvel at her impatience—before he’d even left the domain of the True Gods, she already treated his company as her personal property and was rushing to accuse him?

A flurry of thoughts crossed Zhang Yu’s mind as he carefully weighed his words, wondering how best to respond—

When suddenly Yun Zhiguang added, “That’s what I originally thought.”

“But later… when I saw you borrow over ten billion spirit coins from those very paupers, I gradually understood.”

“To take, one must first give—you’re playing a persona for marketing purposes, aren’t you?”

Her eyes gleamed with admiration as she looked at Zhang Yu. “And with this hundred-billion debt hanging over them, those higher-ups won’t find it so easy to seize your company.”

“By raising wages and crafting this image of a benefactor who helps everyone profit, you’ve already earned the trust of those billions—and with it, unparalleled influence. That means you can extract far more spirit coins from them later.”

“Your persona is brilliant, and this marketing strategy is excellent—give them a taste of sweetness now, then harvest them tenfold afterward.”

Zhang Yu blinked, then sighed helplessly. “I didn’t think that far ahead. I just wanted to do everything I could to resist Fu Xian Tian and help everyone survive…”

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Yun Zhiguang laughed heartily. “Keep that up! I’m going to stoke the flames further—ride this wave and promote you heavily.”

“From this moment on, you’ll be Kunxu’s most conscientious figure, the foremost philanthropist among the Ten Academies. How does that sound?”

Satisfied, Yun Zhiguang gazed at Zhang Yu, already envisioning herself wielding his influence to command winds and rains across Levels 2 to 5, manipulating the masses like puppets—and countless business plans bloomed in her mind.

*No…* she thought inwardly, *perhaps not just Levels 2 to 5. This influence could spread even farther. After all, something involving over a hundred billion spirit coins will make for spectacular publicity.*

Seeing Zhang Yu lost in thought, Yun Zhiguang assumed he worried this reputation might taint his future prospects. She quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry—anyone with half a brain will understand you weren’t foolish enough to hand out money and raise wages recklessly. No one will hold it against you.”

“Besides, even if there’s a bit of stigma, once you’ve made your fortune, it’ll just become amusing gossip.”

She patted Zhang Yu’s shoulder. “Keep up the good work. I’ll recommend you for training in our sect someday—you might even sit in the seat of Chancellor of Myriad Dharmas University. And the promotion of the ‘Dharmic Realm Divine Construction Chapter’? That can all be entrusted to you as well.”

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred slightly. “Are the higher-ups really pushing forward with the ‘Dharmic Realm Divine Construction Chapter’?”

Yun Zhiguang laughed. “Of course! Such a marvelous thing should be promoted throughout all of Kunxu! Look at us now—we still need these cumbersome Eye Relics just to communicate. Once the Dharmic Realm is fully built, we won’t need them at all. Sight itself will become truth.”

“Moreover, Levels 2 to 5 have just endured great wars—it’s the perfect time to launch massive reconstruction. Infrastructure needs rebuilding everywhere.”

“And with your current influence across the Ten Academies, this is the ideal opportunity to promote the ‘Dharmic Realm Divine Construction Chapter.’”

“It’s also one of the three tasks I’ve come down to accomplish this time.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. “Senior Yun…”

“Senior? Don’t call me that,” Yun Zhiguang said. “Myriad Dharmas University and the Myriad Dharmas Sect are of the same lineage—just different divisions. Call me Senior Sister.”

“Senior Sister…” Zhang Yu asked, “One task is promoting the ‘Dharmic Realm Divine Construction Chapter’—what are the other two?”

Yun Zhiguang pondered briefly. “Hmm… the higher-ups haven’t moved yet, so I shouldn’t tell you prematurely. But don’t worry—they’re all good things.”

She grinned joyfully. “All great boons for both academies and sect.”

Meanwhile, as Zhang Yu spoke with Yun Zhiguang, elsewhere Xin Chou Gui was conversing with Deng Bing Ding.

In the Spirit Realm, their consciousnesses clashed, exchanging information at blinding speed.

Xin Chou Gui said, “Zhang Yu is indeed formidable. Pouring in over ten billion spirit coins—that alone was earth-shattering. He actually reversed a hopeless, Heaven-condemned situation.”

“But there are still many doubts surrounding him.”

Deng Bing Ding replied, “Doubts are just doubts. From what I gather, the higher-ups intend to let it go.”

Xin Chou Gui retorted, “How can that be? Failing to clarify these doubts would be irresponsible toward the lives and property of Kunxu’s students and faculty.”

Deng Bing Ding thought inwardly, *You’re just afraid you’ll be blamed if something goes wrong later.*

He understood perfectly: for this True God from Level 9, whether Levels 2 to 5 profited or suffered mattered little—but whether Zhang Yu would collapse in the future directly concerned him, since he was handling the matter now.

As the two True Gods conferred, another consciousness interjected—Geng Chen Yi.

Like Deng Bing Ding, Geng Chen Yi—a Fifth-Rank True God who once governed the Myriad Dharmas campus—also wished to finalize the matter of Zhang Yu’s hundred-billion-spirit-coin windfall without stirring further trouble.

The True God declared plainly, “Zhang Yu’s case is closed.”

Xin Chou Gui was startled. “But he might have committed infringement.”

Geng Chen Yi replied coolly, “He handed over a hundred billion spirit coins.”

Xin Chou Gui pressed, “He might also have evaded taxes…”

Geng Chen Yi waved it off. “The Spirit Realm was severed for over a year—oversights are understandable. Besides, he paid over a hundred billion spirit coins.”

Xin Chou Gui persisted, “He was captured by a heretic god—he’s still suspected of colluding with the Righteous Qi Alliance…”

Geng Chen Yi shot him a sharp glare. “Zhang Yu spent over a hundred billion spirit coins on talismans—what problem could he possibly have? The Ten Academies are saved, the Righteous Qi Alliance members are captured, Levels 2 to 5 are secure, and the collected funds not only covered losses but yielded surplus. What more do you want?”

“Xin Chou Gui, let me make this clear—you’d better not exploit this to sabotage the greater plan.”

“I’ve already reported this to the Great God Shengsheng Tian Sheng. The matter ends here.”

At that very moment, a private voice message slipped into Xin Chou Gui’s consciousness—a warning from Geng Chen Yi: *If you really uncover something, can you bear the consequences?*

Xin Chou Gui’s expression turned grave. Suddenly, a cascade of terms flashed through his mind: Righteous Qi Alliance, Heretic God, Heretic God King, Reincarnation Immortal Emperor, Ying Xin Tian…

In that instant, he realized—he’d long been dragged into a vast, swirling vortex without noticing.

His face twisted in bitterness, and he sighed deeply. “I understand.”

Not long after Zhang Yu concluded his conversation with Yun Zhiguang, Deng Bing Ding appeared before him once more.

She greeted him courteously, “True Lord Zhu Yi, it’s been a while.”

Looking at Zhang Yu, Deng Bing Ding’s heart churned with complex emotions.

She never imagined that the impoverished youth who once struggled to pass his Foundation Establishment certification exam on Level 1 would, in less than ten years, climb to Level 5 of Kunxu, become a Nascent Soul True Lord who casually spent billions—and rise to a stature she could only look up to.

During the earlier interrogation, Deng Bing Ding hadn’t had the chance to properly greet Zhang Yu. Now, after exchanging pleasantries, she returned to the matter at hand.

“The investigation into you is complete,” she said. “No issues were found.”

Zhang Yu glanced around the quiet chamber. “Then I may leave anytime now?”

“Of course,” Deng Bingding continued. “But there’s something else—we’d like to invite you to attend…”

Only as Deng Bingding explained did Zhang Yu learn that the Righteous Gods were organizing an awards ceremony to honor those who had made outstanding contributions over the past year and a half in resisting the Righteous Qi Alliance and safeguarding Kunxu’s assets.

Naturally, Zhang Yu himself was among the central figures being honored.

Zhang Yu gave a slight nod, listening to Deng Bingding outline the event’s procedures, while inwardly musing, “So the Righteous Gods are launching a publicity campaign.”

To Zhang Yu, this move by the Righteous Gods came as no surprise. After all, Layers Two through Five had endured so much warfare—they truly needed a grand spectacle to proclaim the Heavenly Court’s and the Righteous Gods’ triumphant return, to declare that order had been restored, to definitively close the chaotic chapter behind them, and to erase every lingering trace left by the Righteous Qi Alliance.

Deng Bingding added, “After you receive your award, you’ll also be expected to deliver a speech on stage. The ceremony will be broadcast live across Layers One through Ten—it carries immense influence. Please prepare well…”

…

“He summoned wealth with a single cry, cleaving open the heavens to rescue ten universities’ Nascent Soul cultivators from peril.”

“He poured a hundred billion into Heaven’s repair, tripled wages, and led countless cultivators against demonic forces.”

“He alone shouldered debts spanning eons, willingly becoming the greatest debtor of a hundred billion—all for the sake of granting trillions of lives a sliver of hope.”

“Let us welcome Zhenjun Chuyi from Myriad Arts University!”

Amidst thunderous applause, Zhang Yu slowly ascended the stage and accepted the trophy presented by the Great God Zhongsheng Tiansheng.

Meanwhile, at Songyang High School in Songyang City, Layer One of Kunxu—

Like every other high school in Layer One, Songyang High had gathered its entire student body and faculty to watch the live broadcast of the awards ceremony.

On a massive screen, footage relayed from the upper layers played—an unprecedented flow of information between the strata. This was only possible because the Heavenly Court had specially authorized it and mandated full cooperation from Layers One and Two, requiring every school in Layer One to organize viewings of the live ceremony.

The moment Zhang Yu appeared onscreen, the auditorium erupted into murmurs.

Wang Hai, formerly the star PE teacher and now vice-principal of Songyang High, gazed at the screen where Zhang Yu stood beside the Great God Zhongsheng Tiansheng, his voice trembling with excitement: “Take a good look—this is your senior alumnus.”

“The Zhang Yu of Zhang Yu Tower—that’s him.”

“The very day I met him, I knew he was no ordinary mortal. Right after school, I handed him sixty thousand to support his studies.”

A student muttered quietly, “But he owes a hundred billion—doesn’t that mean he’s dirt poor?”

Wang Hai’s ears twitched. He snorted coldly. “A hundred billion?”

He strode to the blackboard and wrote out an impossibly long string of digits. As the students stared at the number—100000000000000000—the sheer magnitude seemed to press down upon them like a physical force, the endless zeroes blurring their vision.

“Do you think that’s the same as the money in your pockets? That’s spirit coins! Converted here, it’s worth more than a hundred quintillion—he mobilized over a hundred quintillion in funds!”

Hearing and seeing such astronomical figures, the students gasped in unison.

Back on stage, as Zhang Yu accepted the trophy from the Great God Zhongsheng Tiansheng, it instantly transformed into a talisman floating beside him.

This was a custom-made gift from the Righteous Gods—a talisman endowed not only with basic inscription and network functions but also with exceptionally high authority within the Spirit Realm.

Merely by holding it, a luminous title automatically projected above Zhang Yu’s head in the Spirit Realm: Sovereign of the Hundred-Billion Talisman.

Watching the broadcast, Kuang Tianqing sighed inwardly, “The Heavenly Court has clearly decided to elevate Zhang Yu.”

He’d already read about the prize before the broadcast began, and now he reflected silently: “Immunity to low- and mid-grade talismans; Righteous Gods below Fifth Rank have no authority to investigate him; he may freely worship any deity below Third Rank…”

“And Heaven’s Favor—natural disasters and calamities will lessen in his presence, while his own influence upon Heaven and Earth is amplified…”

Kuang Tianqing thought to himself, “This fellow must surely be the reincarnation of some celestial elite. Otherwise, how could he possess such audacity to spend a hundred billion so casually? How else could he enjoy such unwavering support from the Heavenly Court?”

Besides Zhang Yu, other honorees took the stage one by one: Ciji Shenjun, Qingmu Shenjun, Nielian Shenjun, Tiansha Zhenjun, Miaoshou Zhenjun, and Bai Zhenzhen, each receiving distinct commendations.

Watching from Layer One, Wang Hai sighed with pride, “Two Nascent Souls from one school—Songyang High shall henceforth be Layer One’s strongest academy.”

Then Zhang Yu stepped forward to deliver his speech.

A group of yaoyi—young descendants of ancient beasts—rushed onto the stage bearing flowers.

Under the host’s questioning, they proudly announced their names: Zhu Kangtian, Zhu Zhuyu, Niu Jieyu…

Only then did the audience learn these yaoyi had been born on the battlefield itself.

Each time they recalled they’d come into the world for the sake of Zhenjun Chuyi, their chests swelled with pride.

After accepting the flowers, Zhang Yu faced the camera and said, “First, I wish to thank Myriad Arts University, which nurtured me…”

At Tianhai University, Zhou Yechen turned to his classmates and remarked, “He’s my junior from high school. We were incredibly close back then—practiced combat together every day. Once, he even punched me so hard I threw up.”

Zhang Yu continued, “Without the guidance of Master Ciji and Master Qingmu, I would never have reached this day…”

Qian Shen of Tianhai University watched silently, murmuring, “Grades… can no longer measure him. Has the academic grading system ceased to exist beyond university?”

Wang Yin of Youming University clapped enthusiastically, telling his peers, “Back then, I lost to Zhenjun Chuyi by just a single move.”

At Myriad Arts University, watching the broadcast, Xinghuo Zhenjun sighed, “Glory without bounds—but I fear pressure without bounds shall follow.”

Just then, a message popped up in Xinghuo Zhenjun’s ocular implant:

Xinghuo.

His eyelid twitched. He replied: What do you want from me? When we split, I paid you everything I owed. We’re even.

The other replied: Xinghuo, I had no choice back then. You misunderstand me too deeply.

Xinghuo Zhenjun: Hmph. What exactly do you want?

The reply came: Do you even know how many Nascent Soul certifications remain undistributed among the Ten Universities?

…

In a place ironically named “Overtime Courtyard”—a facility for compulsory unpaid labor—the former Tunchen Zhenjun, now renamed Hou Shuntian, sat under mandatory supervision, working overtime while watching the awards ceremony through his ocular implant.

Beside him sat Dazhuan Zhenjun, who had recently reverted to his birth name: Li Qiuxian.

Gazing at the radiant figure of Zhang Yu onscreen, Li Qiuxian sighed mournfully, “We’re both debtors—but the difference is staggering.”

Nearby, Liu Jin Zhenjun remarked dryly, “How could it be the same? He owes commoners. You owe the Heavenly Court.”

Just as Zhang Yu finished his speech, Li Qiuxian’s eyes widened—he saw his own video appear onscreen.

In it, he wept bitterly, confessing how his lack of education and naivety had led him to be deceived by a false god, causing him to join the Righteous Qi Alliance and commit countless wrongs.

Alongside him appeared Hou Shuntian, lamenting his fatherless childhood and lack of proper upbringing that led him astray, and Liu Jin Zhenjun, who despite his high academic credentials had still fallen prey to the false god’s schemes.

(End of Chapter)