Chapter 401: A Handful of College Students

Hearing what Xiao Qingxuan said, Zhang Yu nodded and replied, "I've heard a little."

Xiao Qingxuan continued, "After that ancient Golden Core cultivator seized my body, he actually didn't intend to kill me. He even taught me quite a few things, planning to return my body to me once he found a new one."

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "There are still good people in Kunxu?"

Xiao Qingxuan said, "According to that ancient Golden Core cultivator…"

"He claimed to be a righteous cultivator from the Grand Dao Sect, taking part in some righteous-versus-evil war. He was severely injured, and his fellow sect members moved him into a tomb to hibernate, slowly recovering his injuries while reducing his lifespan consumption."

"When he woke up, his original body had already decayed, so he had no choice but to seize mine."

Zhang Yu thought, "Grand Dao Sect? Never heard of it. Is it a sect that's already been eliminated?"

"If that ancient Golden Core cultivator and Xiao Qingxuan had no conflict, then how did he end up owing so much money? Where did that ancient Golden Core cultivator go? Did he already get a new body?"

Just as more doubts arose in Zhang Yu's mind, he heard Xiao Qingxuan continue, "At first, I got along pretty well with that ancient cultivator. But as he learned more about Kunxu, his mental state deteriorated more and more."

"In the end, he committed suicide."

"What?" Zhang Yu exclaimed in surprise. "Suicide?"

Xiao Qingxuan nodded. "Demons loom over the nine heavens, the Dao collapses, the sky tilts… After he said that, he left my body and said he was going to kill himself."

"What he wanted to do was none of my business, but the key point is that guy left behind some things—especially some memories, habits, and thoughts—that affected me, sometimes making me feel out of place with this world."

"Things I used to take for granted now stir up revulsion, even disgust, inside me, making me feel like some stubborn, antiquated ancient…"

By the time he said this, Xiao Qingxuan's face was full of distress.

"And then there's this Shuangxiu Sect messing up so badly—every time I see related news, my whole body feels uncomfortable, as if there's another me in my head…"

Seeing the fleeting struggle on Xiao Qingxuan's face, Zhang Yu could somewhat understand what he was feeling.

When he first arrived at Kunxu, he too was very unaccustomed to it.

But now it seemed that ancient Golden Core cultivator's maladjustment to Kunxu… was even more severe than his own.

Although Zhang Yu still had many curiosities—such as where that Golden Core cultivator ultimately went, how exactly he committed suicide, or how Xiao Qingxuan had ended up with a debt of over ten thousand spirit coins—

Seeing the distress on Xiao Qingxuan's face, Zhang Yu didn't press further. He knew that if the other party was willing to talk, he would; if not, asking would be useless.

So Zhang Yu just patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Things will slowly get better, right?"

Xiao Qingxuan gave a bitter laugh. "How could it be that easy?"

"The amount of information a Golden Core True Person has is more than ten times mine. Even if only a part remains, its influence on me is far too great."

"The only way… is the memory technology at Demon University—trying to erase the Golden Core's residual memories from my mind."

Saying this, Xiao Qingxuan sighed.

…

In the simulation lab of the spirit world.

With Zhang Yu completing another Azure Sky Cloud Pouch, he finally raised this refining skill to level 9.

As a magic tool crafting technique for the Qi Refining stage, the production skill of the Azure Sky Cloud Pouch can only be raised to level 10 at most.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Next, I'll head back to the lab in the real world and use my level-9 Azure Sky Cloud Pouch technique to upgrade the magic tool's grade."

He still remembered that his actual magic tool, the Azure Sky Cloud Pouch, was only level 1. This would be a good chance to both temper the tool and raise its grade while honing his refining skill, pushing the Azure Sky Cloud Pouch technique to level 10.

"Once I push the Azure Sky Cloud Pouch refining skill to level 10, I can train in the advanced technique that follows—the production technique of the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill."

Although the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill has the word "pill" in its name, it is actually a magic tool corresponding to the Foundation Building stage, and only after mastering the level-10 Azure Sky Cloud Pouch technique can one learn this advanced refining skill.

Moreover, among the compulsory courses in the first three years of the artifact-refining department, Zhang Yu felt this was a magic tool particularly suited to him.

But glancing at his savings of just over thirty spirit coins, Zhang Yu knew he would have a lot of spending ahead.

…

Yin Jiurao looked at Wan Sirou's image floating in her eye-socket and said flatly, "Still not successful?"

"My patience has its limits."

"You're already three days past the promised deadline for successfully stealing the seed."

Wan Sirou swallowed hard and said helplessly, "This target's Dao heart is too firm, and he also has serious mental issues."

"At first, I pretended to be a massage therapist, using my extraordinary spiritual techniques to amplify my charm, but I couldn't stir his desires."

"Later, I still pretended to be a massage therapist, under the guise of magical power massage, and while massaging, I injected aphrodisiac magic power into his body to trigger his physiological reactions... and he directly asked for a different therapist."

Speaking to this point, a flash of humiliation crossed Wan Sirou's face: "Having someone swap out after applying aphrodisiac—that's something I've never experienced before."

"That was the time when I saw the therapist he switched to, and I realized his aesthetic tastes were different from what I had expected."

Wan Sirou stated emphatically, "Years of academic pressure and cultivation pressure have probably distorted his psyche, completely alienating him, making him pursue the more unconventional and retro among college students..."

Yin Jiunao: "I'm not here to listen to your excuses."

Wan Sirou said, "This is not an excuse, but an objective analysis of the target." "Later, I also tried using the excuse of being a long-term user of Bliss Union videos, pretending to invite him to try a product, disguising my Dharma skeleton as the product and sending it to him to experience..."

Yin Jiunao's heart stirred. She knew that the Dharma skeletons of Bliss Union cultivators had special structures, all being Yin-Yang Dharma skeletons produced by the company Yin-Yang Dao—for them, they were important cultivation tools, work tools, and production tools.

These Dharma skeletons were not only immensely powerful in the path of Yin-Yang harmony, but also part of the cultivator's body.

Once Zhang Yu used Wan Sirou's Dharma skeleton, Wan Sirou could remotely harvest Zhang Yu's seed.

But then Wan Sirou said, "Yet even so, he never used it even once. Instead, it was his roommate Yu Xinghan who used it a few times."

At this point, Wan Sirou shook her head: "Facing the latest product of Bliss Union University, a man with spiritual roots could actually never use it—this shows that his suppression of inner desires is extremely strong..."

Next, Wan Sirou recounted one by one the attempts she made, and finally concluded: "This man's Dao heart is like iron. Ordinary methods won't work to trick him into giving his seed."

"In the great path of Yin-Yang, the superior method cultivates emotion, the inferior method seeks desire."

"To take him down, one must cultivate emotion—but that takes time..."

Yin Jiunao frowned: "How much time?"

Wan Sirou answered: "Half a year to a year. If you're willing to accept that, I can start a new plan next week, but I'll have to charge more."

"Of course, if you can't accept it, I can refund part of the payment."

After ending the communication with Wan Sirou, Yin Jiunao thought to herself: "This Zhang Yu is so cautious and careful—he probably really does have secrets on him."

"Should I go with a long-term plan?"

Yin Jiunao thought of several research projects in her hands that had been making no progress, and her brows unconsciously furrowed deeper and deeper.

As a professor at Wanfa University, she also had performance evaluations to meet, and many times the pressure was even greater than that of the students.

Especially with the tense situation, the pharmaceutical company was continuously expanding production and markets. If she still couldn't produce results...

Thinking this far, a sharp glint flashed in Yin Jiunao's eyes.

"No time to waste on this."

"Looks like I'll have to use more brutal methods."

…

Inside the artifact refinement laboratory.

Zhang Yu was alone, tempering his Azure Sky Plunder Cloud Pouch.

The reason he was alone, without asking Ye Xingli to share the lab rental fee, was that Zhang Yu didn't want to reveal his progress speed.

At that moment, he was operating the lab equipment, infusing magical power into it, and using his own gangqi to repeatedly temper the first-grade magical artifact, the Azure Sky Plunder Cloud Pouch.

"After a magical artifact is forged, it can be further refined to increase its grade."

"But there are many refinement methods—there are tempering methods that strengthen or even replace materials, methods that adjust magical power circuits to enhance the artifact's restrictions, and even methods that use dragon veins, sun and moon, luck, or even blood sacrifice and ritual refinement."

Zhang Yu thought to himself: "Now, using the tempering method inherent in the craft of the Azure Sky Plunder Cloud Pouch itself to improve this artifact's quality, can I..."

After completing one round of tempering, Zhang Yu looked at the Azure Sky Plunder Cloud Pouch on his Feather Book and saw that the count behind it had increased by one.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and thought, "Just as I thought—besides the initial artifact forging, subsequent artifact tempering can also be used to raise the level of my artifact refinement skill."

Just as Zhang Yu was diligently practicing his artifact technique, Feng Tingting sent another message.

Feng Tingting: "Did you hear? A student from the Artifact Refinement Department lost a betting agreement with his advisor."

Zhang Yu asked curiously: "Betting agreement?"

Feng Tingting: It’s about forging your own dharma remains. If you don’t meet the mentor’s requirements, all those dharma remains of yours will be taken by the mentor and turned into magical treasures.

Feng Tingting: Sigh, so you can’t just sign any betting agreement.

After chatting casually with Feng Tingting for a bit, Zhang Yu suddenly noticed someone named Yin Jiuyao requesting to add him as a friend.

Seeing that the other party claimed to be a professor of pharmacology from Wanfa University, Zhang Yu directly chose to accept.

Then the very first sentence the other party sent directly stunned Zhang Yu.

To put it in Zhang Yu’s own summary… one shot, 5 spirit coins.

Zhang Yu firmly refused: I’m not doing this kind of business.

Yin Jiuyao: 10 spirit coins.

Zhang Yu refused with difficulty: Really can’t.

Yin Jiuyao: 20 spirit coins, but I need to inspect the goods first.

Yin Jiuyao: Let me remind you, 20 spirit coins are absolutely enough for me to forcibly blast you and then pay the fines and compensation.

Yin Jiuyao: I want to do a legitimate business, a long-term deal, and considering you’re from our school, I’m talking nicely with you.

Seeing this message, Zhang Yu couldn’t help cursing inwardly: “This crappy place Kunxu… does it have any morals at all? For a dual cultivation break, a bunch of people are grabbing each other, yet a teacher can snatch a student’s seed and only needs to pay fines and compensation.”

Zhang Yu: If you dare to force things, Director Gao behind me won’t let you off.

Yin Jiuyao: So what if it’s Director Gao? If the money is enough, wouldn’t he sell too?

Yin Jiuyao: 30 spirit coins, and it must include blood and other materials. This is my final offer.

Yin Jiuyao: Think it over carefully. With this one shot of yours, how many college students can that price crush? This opportunity doesn’t come around all the time.

Zhang Yu: I need to think it over.