Chapter 324: Rank Update (Thanks to Wang Xi)

Hearing Zhang Yu's words, Gong Shu Jin's eyes were full of disbelief.

If eating life-shortening pills and working overtime more could make one this strong, it wouldn't be your turn to work overtime. When the time comes, even paying money wouldn't get you a turn.

But Gong Shu Jin also understood that even if Zhang Yu really had some learning secrets, immortal path experience, or hidden immortal path potential in his head, naturally he wouldn't easily tell him.

At the same time, Zhang Yu looked at Gong Shu Jin and said, "I'm going to work overtime, but if you're willing to pay me a few more spirit coins, I can stay and keep talking with you."

Hearing these words from Zhang Yu, Gong Shu Jin ultimately did not give the spirit coins.

Naturally, it wasn't because he couldn't afford it, but because he felt it was unnecessary.

Because after calming down, Gong Shu Jin quickly realized that Zhang Yu's kind of desperate ability... was useless to him.

His life was far more valuable than the other's; how could he just gamble it away like that?

"Even if I have money to buy life-extending elixirs, the more I take them, the larger the dosage and the worse the effect."

In Gong Shu Jin's eyes, the longer one extended life, the higher the cost of the next extension.

And when the cost of life extension begins to exceed a cultivator's income, one's lifespan gradually starts to come to an end.

"Natural lifespan has never been the maximum lifespan for cultivators at various realms."

"A person's true maximum lifespan should be the limit of life extension that their own income can afford."

"Even if Zhang Yu can extend his life later, the lifespan consumed by such desperate effort is ultimately consumed."

"His lifespan cap, income cap, working years cap... are ultimately lowered as well..."

For Gong Shu Jin, these were all unprofitable matters.

Having thought these through clearly, watching Zhang Yu's retreating back, Gong Shu Jin's mind technique circulated—the Level 15 Azure Dragon Leaping Heaven Heart Technique—constantly awakening his fighting spirit to climb upward, soar to the sky, and ascend to the higher levels of Kunxu.

"I have my own path; I just need to follow the steps methodically, accumulate steadily and burst forth powerfully. There's no need to gamble with others over temporary gains and losses..."

"Competing with money—that is the immortal path I want to walk."

Thinking of this, he already sent a message to his master: "Master, I lost."

The other side: "How much money do you need?"

Looking at his master's reply, Gong Shu Jin felt that after this defeat today, not only had he not been crushed, but the fighting spirit and immortal path potential within him surged forth endlessly.

Next time, he would become even stronger.

Zhang Yu was walking on the road to the construction site on floor 666.

Feeling the injuries inside his body and examining the various blood stains on his surface, he thought to himself: "Although the Ultimate Earth and Wood Sacred Body is powerful, it's too troublesome to use."

"The prelude is too long every time. Just to get myself injured and even weakened requires a lot of time."

"And if I get covered in blood again, I'll have to bathe and wash clothes... even more troublesome."

While pondering, Zhang Yu had already slowly circulated his inner mana and began cultivating a new breathing technique.

Heavenly Fortune Longevity Technique, Level 13

After completing the Ultimate Great Learning Sacred Body and the Earth and Wood Sacred Body, Zhang Yu had started cultivating breathing techniques again these past few days, preparing to drive the set of the Chain Diagram—Qi Pulse Eternal Flow.

The Heavenly Fortune Longevity Technique that Zhang Yu was cultivating at this moment was one of the breathing techniques of Qi Pulse Eternal Flow.

However, although this Heavenly Fortune Longevity Technique had the word 'longevity' in its name, it did not have the function of extending life. It merely used spiritual energy and mana to nourish the flesh and blood throughout the body during breathing, adding a layer of foundation to the body.

Zhang Yu thought: "These three months of cultivation at the wild construction site, although improving quickly, have also drained my body almost dry."

He felt that his current body was like an empty shell—although very powerful, it lacked the foundation to continue getting stronger.

After all, Zhang Yu understood that immortal path cultivation never came from nothing.

The human body is like a great treasure trove, and under the destructive mining of various medicines and techniques over the past three months, Zhang Yu certainly achieved huge progress, but the various medicinal powers, nutrients, energies, and other foundations accumulated in his body over time had also been largely consumed.

"Next, I need to supplement more, to restore the foundation of my body. Otherwise, the speed of progress in immortal path cultivation will likely get slower and slower."

Every time he thought of this, Zhang Yu felt that the spirit coins in his account were already stirring restlessly, eager to transform into his immortal path foundation and merge into his body.

Just then, Zhang Yu saw a message flash on his eye skeleton—it was Tu Li Shan asking to buy some body materials.

Zhang Yu: Is drawing blood enough? Do you want saliva, seeds, or hair too?

Tu Lishan: Just blood for now. If we get results, we'll ask you for other things later.

Zhang Yu shook his head regretfully, knowing that the other party probably wouldn't find anything from the results.

"After all, my potential is all reflected in my will and the Feather Book—not something this mere body can show."

Just then, Tu Lishan added: "By the way, Director Gao thinks highly of you and plans to properly nurture you."

Tu Lishan: "He'll meet you in a few days. Think carefully about what you need."

Moments later, Zhang Yu had already arrived at the construction site on floor 666.

But just as he was about to step through the construction site gate, a voice suddenly stopped him.

"Zhang Yu?"

Zhang Yu turned around and saw a security guard with aqua-blue hair walking over.

Just as Zhang Yu felt this guard looked a bit familiar, he heard the other person say: "It really is you? Don't you remember me? Sheng Jie, from Xiandu."

Zhang Yu's eyes flickered at the words, and he recalled the other person's identity from his memory.

"This guy... was one of the four students from my and A'Zhen's year who passed the high school Foundation Establishment exam and obtained the Foundation Establishment qualification."

"But back then I was a sophomore and he was a senior; he started university a year earlier than me."

Yet Zhang Yu clearly remembered that this guy was a lackey under Wang Yin of the Oasis Group—why hadn't he applied to Netherworld University instead of entering Myriad Laws University?

As if understanding Zhang Yu's confusion, Sheng Jie smiled slightly and said: "You know, I followed Boss Wang for a while when I was on the first floor."

"Although he really did treat his subordinates well, I could feel... that the atmosphere of Netherworld University and the Oasis Group wasn't quite right for me, so when I finally submitted my application, I thought it over and switched to Myriad Laws University."

As a Xiandu native who had crawled up from the bottom, Sheng Jie had the awareness to play the dog, but he understood even better the first rule of being a dog... picking the right master.

And during his time with Boss Wang on the first floor, he gradually felt that the other party wasn't a good choice—at least not for him.

Hearing Sheng Jie's words, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "This kid is pretty clever."

He glanced at the security uniform on the other man, then at the rank of 16th in his class above his head, and said casually: "You joined the Security Department?"

"Mm, I'm rotating through different posts this year, handling security work in the university town." Sheng Jie nodded and said: "You're in the Civil Engineering Department? Then maybe we'll have a chance to cooperate in the future."

As he spoke, Sheng Jie's gaze swept over the class rank of 28 above Zhang Yu's head, then looked at the injuries on Zhang Yu's body.

He sighed inwardly: "Zhang Yu has dropped to this rank? And all these injuries... it seems his current situation isn't great either."

Although back on the first floor, Sheng Jie hadn't had much of a relationship with the other person, seeing him here on the Myriad Laws University campus naturally stirred a feeling of being fellow townsmen.

Recalling his own experiences as a freshman, Sheng Jie sighed with empathy, looked at Zhang Yu, and said: "For people like us from the first floor coming here for freshman year, it's tough. After all, this is Myriad Laws University—it's not easy to get by..."

After chatting for a bit, Sheng Jie returned to his post, and heard a security classmate beside him say: "That guy ranked 28th is your fellow townsman?"

"That rank is way lower than yours."

Sheng Jie gave an awkward smile and said: "Maybe he's still adapting."

Another coworker laughed: "Being able to study on the second floor is already pretty good. After graduation, if he goes back to his hometown, he'll probably be a big shot among the lower levels, right?"

Facing his classmates' teasing, Sheng Jie could only keep smiling awkwardly, feeling the gap once again: "Whether it's me or Zhang Yu, we'll always have a huge chasm between us and these students from above. Entering the top of the class is incredibly difficult."

On the other side, after entering the construction site, Zhang Yu started working overtime and cultivating just like usual.

At the same time, his Remnant Ox Sacrifice Mind Art continued to circulate, and the self-healing ability brought by body activation quietly activated, gradually controlling the wounds on his body to heal.

While Zhang Yu was silently working overtime.

Many students in the Foundation Establishment class were waiting for today's ranking update.

For example, Ying Xin at this moment had already refreshed the class ranking list several times.

"Gongshu Jin said the exam time he applied for is today, so the results will come out with today's update, right?"

Watching the constantly refreshing rankings, Ying Xin seemed to see a fierce dragon-and-tiger battle erupting between Gongshu Jin and Ji Yuanshu.

Although the two weren't fighting face-to-face, Ying Xin could still imagine the intensity of their competition.

She seemed to see hundreds of spirit coins behind both sides constantly evaporating, turning into streams of terrifying immortal path potential that slammed violently into each other, all for the sake of competing for the class's top ranking.

Just then, Ying Xin's gaze shifted—a teacher from the Foundation Establishment class had sent a message.

True Man Jiaolei: Everyone's grades for the first semester have been updated. Take a look at the rankings and summarize what you've gained this semester.

True Man Jiaolei: @everyone

True Man Jiaolei: Here I want to give a special mention to a classmate whose grades this semester have shown a qualitative leap.

Seeing the class ranking posted by homeroom teacher True Man Jiaolei, Ying Xin immediately clicked into it.

First place, Ji Yuanshu, total score 1228

Second place, Zhang Yu, total score 1201

Third place, Gongshu Jin, total score 1183

Ying Xin stared at this ranking in shock, her eyes full of disbelief: "Zh… Zhang Yu?!"

"How did he jump to second? He even surpassed Gongshu Jin?!"

"And his total score isn't far behind Ji Yuanshu?!"

But the next moment, as if thinking of something, Ying Xin's eyes flickered slightly: "After all, because of that… it's understandable that Ji Yuanshu isn't that much higher than Zhang Yu."

Yet thinking that Zhang Yu had defeated Gongshu Jin and taken second place in the class still left Ying Xin utterly puzzled.

"How much did he actually earn from the project these three months?"

And thinking that she had missed this project, Ying Xin felt a pang of pain in her heart—a pain as if it were splitting apart.

…

With True Man Jiaolei tagging everyone in the class group, Zhang Yu, who was working overtime at the construction site, naturally received the message.

But busy pouring concrete, he hadn't had time to look yet, and then he noticed that many people had already sent him messages.

With a thought, Zhang Yu randomly opened one.

Li Xiao: Brother Yu, congratulations! [fireworks][fireworks]

Zhang Yu: ?

Li Xiao: Haven't you seen the rankings? You're second in the class!