Chapter 440

Floor 669.

At the corner of the construction site.

Shi Yunxiang called out to the white-haired Che Yufei in front of him, puzzled: “Old Che, how come you’ve aged so much again?”

“And recently on the site, I’ve felt like you’ve been avoiding me and Zhang Yu and the others?”

Che Yufei paused, turned around to look at Shi Yunxiang, and smiled helplessly: “I’m just… too ashamed to face you all.”

As Che Yufei slowly explained, Shi Yunxiang learned that Che Yufei had bought Qiongjiang Coins.

Shi Yunxiang couldn’t help cursing: “Didn’t I tell you to sell? Didn’t you agree?”

Che Yufei sighed: “But I kept watching the coin price go up… and up…”

“I just made a good chunk of money selling the competition team spot, and in the end I couldn’t help throwing it in.”

“I originally only planned to hold for three days and then stop…”

Shi Yunxiang said: “You used leverage?”

Che Yufei nodded bitterly: “It had been rising for so long—why did it have to fall the moment I got in?”

“Yunxiang, the Immortal Path is really hard.”

“I’ve been cultivating hard for almost thirty years now. I held on for so long, avoided so many calamities on the path, resisted so many temptations, and then just once… just that one time I couldn’t resist, and all my effort was wasted.”

Listening to Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

He too recalled his own journey: working without rest or sleep, scrimping on food and clothing, dedicating everything to the Immortal Path.

Why should someone like that, who only failed to resist temptation once, have to lose his entire path and never get another chance to climb?

Che Yufei patted Shi Yunxiang on the shoulder and said: “Yunxiang, don’t follow my example.”

“On the Immortal Path, either you hold on till the very end, till the moment your soul scatters, or you simply never set foot on this road—don’t be like me, unable to resist temptation and giving up halfway.”

The next moment, a divine light descended abruptly.

Looking at the falling divine light, Che Yufei sighed: “The true deity has come to take me.”

Watching Che Yufei disappear into the divine light, Shi Yunxiang remained silent for a long time, then finally let out a sigh.

Not long after, the others in the competition group learned of Che Yufei’s news and attended his spirit world memorial service.

…

Shi Huaiyu looked at the price trend of Qiongjiang Coin and sighed helplessly.

“Sigh, the gains are all lost again.”

“Good thing I didn’t use leverage.”

Shi Huaiyu planned to continue investing, but instead of looking at Qiongjiang Coin again, she scanned other currencies, especially the coins of the three Nascent Soul Divine Lords from Wanfa University.

“Better trade some stable coins.”

Suddenly, she glimpsed the news about Che Yufei on her eye-screen and felt a slight start, then shook her head helplessly: “Really, you can’t mess with leverage.”

“If I hadn’t lost badly before, I might have used leverage this time too, and ended up like Old Che.”

…

Su Yanyang watched the discussion about Che Yufei in the competition group but didn’t chime in—after all, he barely knew Che Yufei and felt not the slightest ripple.

Still, glancing at the content and recalling the matter of Qiongjiang Coin, Su Yanyang suddenly felt a bit fortunate.

Earlier, following Zhang Yu’s advice, he had stopped in advance and made a little money, but later, seeing Qiongjiang Coin keep rising, he couldn’t resist and tossed some in again.

He had been secretly regretting his losses, but seeing Che Yufei’s fate, he suddenly felt relieved that his own situation was still okay.

…

Upon hearing that Che Yufei had gone bankrupt and become a soul cultivator, Gongshu Jin muttered: “Sigh, good thing I spent almost all my money on the Seven Ultimate spot.”

Ying Xin sighed quietly: “Good thing father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather all stopped me from investing.”

At the same time, there were also people who hadn’t made money from Qiongjiang Coin but were still in a fairly good mood.

"Good thing I'm too poor to trade coins." Li Xiao laughed to himself, thinking, "This time the exam has a lot fewer competitors, and my class rank has jumped up two places."

……

In the following days, Zhang Yu studied and cultivated every day, and from time to time trained with Mo Shangjin's team members, preparing for the inter-school league that would start next month.

In the blink of an eye, it was already early December.

That day, Zhang Yu was using the reimbursed 30 spirit coins to place a smithing order for himself, forging a new Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill.

Just then, he suddenly received a message from Zhang Pianpian.

Zhang Pianpian: Mo Shangjin from your department, along with another teammate of his, were seriously injured in the wilderness.

Zhang Yu was startled at this: Wasn't Mo Shangjin going to a wilderness construction site for a project? He had military-grade martial arts; how could he be seriously injured?

Zhang Pianpian: A conflict broke out among the colonels, and a Golden Core cultivator joined the battle. Mo Shangjin was caught in the crossfire.

Zhang Pianpian: There are traces of other universities behind this. Mo Shangjin might have been caught up in some retaliatory actions.

Zhang Yu's eyes narrowed at this: Retaliation?

Zhang Pianpian did not answer Zhang Yu's question, but only said: In any case, you will definitely become the main player of the Civil Engineering Department's representative team next.

Zhang Pianpian: Be careful.

Zhang Pianpian: But this is also an opportunity.

A few days later, Zhang Yu indeed heard more news about Mo Shangjin's injuries.

It was said that he and another team member were severely injured and would not recover for two or three months.

Suddenly, the original representative team of the Civil Engineering Department, because two people encountered the Qiongjiang Coin crash and two were seriously injured, in the blink of an eye only Zhang Yu and another formal team member remained.

...In the Spirit Realm.

Qiyun Zhenjun looked at Director Gao, Director Lin, and the Old Director before him, and said calmly, "Mo Shangjin won't recover in a short time. What do we do next?"

Looking at the three who remained silent, Qiyun Zhenjun gave a cold snort and said, "No one speaks? Then I'll pick the generals myself."

"Besides Zhang Yu, let Xiao Yunji and Su Yanyang, who participated in the military certification exam this time, also join the team. You can make up the rest."

"This time, don't talk to me about this faction or that faction."

"If we can't gather enough people and get eliminated by the Thirty-six Colonels' civil engineering team, you may be able to bear the shame, but I won't be able to hold my head up in front of the Three Divine Lords."

The Old Director smiled faintly and said, "As long as Old Gao agrees, I'm just afraid he doesn't want our students to take up spots and get extra points."

Director Gao snorted and said, "Principal, now that Mo Shangjin is seriously injured and Zhang Yu has not yet cultivated the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power for the upcoming competition, I'm afraid one tree cannot support the forest."

"I think we should speed things up and let Zhang Yu cultivate the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power as soon as possible."

Director Lin raised his eyebrows and said, "The Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Shifting Divine Power is a major matter. Each of the Seven Ultimates of Civil Engineering must follow the proper procedure."

Director Gao waved his hand in anger, facing Director Lin: "Is this the time to worry about such things? For the honor of the school, for the honor of the Civil Engineering Department, shouldn't we take extraordinary measures in extraordinary times?"

Director Lin said, "Zhang Yu is only a junior, and he has already mastered five ultimates."

"I heard that Director Gao, you haven't even...?"

"Hehe, if we add the seventh ultimate, that would really be passing on four ultimates within half a year. I'm afraid it will invite criticism."

"People will think the Civil Engineering Department belongs to the Zhang family."

Director Gao shouted, "Director Lin! For the sake of the Civil Engineering Department, I have a clear conscience. But you keep making excuses. Do you want to see our department's team eliminated? Is your heart still in the Civil Engineering Department, or has it already flown to the Finance Department?"

Director Lin said angrily, "Gao Chongguang! Don't change the subject! What does this have to do with the Finance Department? It's your disciple who stirred up trouble outside and got seriously injured. You must take full responsibility for this."

The Old Director, listening to their argument, stood motionless, his mind seemingly drifting deep into the Spirit Realm, starting to handle work on the other side.

The next moment, as a Silence Talisman lit up, the two who had been speaking suddenly had no voice.

Director Gao and Director Lin both stopped and looked at Qiyun Zhenjun.

Qiyun Zhenjun, retracting the Silence Talisman, said calmly, "Passing on four ultimates in a short time is indeed not in line with the procedure."

"It just so happens that the Civil Engineering League has changed its format. Starting in December, it will last for a few months, right?"

"Old Lin, make arrangements. Let Zhang Yu participate in your Civil Engineering Seven Events in January next year, and give him the seventh ultimate."

"So these four ultimate techniques were passed down over two years, no problem, right?"

Director Lin opened his mouth, looked at the dense lightning within the cloud of True Lord Qiyun, and finally nodded, saying, "I have no objections."

Director Gao breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking to himself that now Zhang Yu would master the sixth ultimate in December, the seventh in January, and soon grasp the divine mountain-moving power of Heavenly Kunlun.

…

Mid-December.

Suddenly, a flying boat rose into the air from the Myriad Methods University City, in an instant tearing through the sky and flying off into the distance.

On the flying boat, Zhang Yu was silently cultivating the sixth ultimate—Pinching Earth into Gold—which he had only mastered a few days ago.

After all, he didn't need to perform it perfectly; even if his attempts repeatedly deviated or changed form, it would still advance the cultivation progress recorded in the Feather Book.

Soon after, the flying boat arrived at its destination—Golden River University, one of the 36 upper-tier schools, and also the first opponent of Myriad Methods University in this year's interdisciplinary civil engineering tournament.

Unlike Myriad Methods University City, Golden River University looked more like a normal city, with dense skyscrapers forming square blocks that ultimately created a city on a plain.

However, seeing the large number of teaching buildings being demolished below, Zhang Yu's face showed a hint of surprise: "What's going on here?"

Xiao Qingxuan said from the side, "Last time's financial storm reached level 3 here at Golden River University."

"I heard a lot of things and places were demolished and sold off."

Zhang Yu was astonished: "A level 3 financial storm?"

Xiao Qingxuan nodded: "It must be because Golden River University has a dual cultivation department; the financial storms here are more violent."

Looking at the vast swaths of demolished city below, he sighed, "A level 3 financial storm is already considered mild; if it reached level 8, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would risk falling."

As the flying boat descended, Zhang Yu gradually saw more clearly the scenery inside Golden River University.

Zhang Yu said, "There are so many people missing arms and legs."

Just then, Mo Shangjin's spirit realm projection appeared beside Zhang Yu and said, "After a level 3 financial storm, having part of your body decomposed and sold off is normal."

"Look over there!"

Zhang Yu looked at a crowd gathering in the distance, seemingly burning something, and asked curiously, "What are they doing?"

Mo Shangjin said, "Smashing smart devices."

Zhang Yu was stunned: "Smashing what?"

Mo Shangjin said, "The recent incident with Qiongjiang Coin triggered an anti-smart device wave in many universities that have dual cultivation departments."

"Some students are protesting on the streets, burning and smashing smart yin devices and yang devices."

"Some are also taking advantage of the chaos, falsely accusing others of using smart yin or yang devices, demanding they be removed for inspection, and then confiscating them..."

Zhang Yu exclaimed, "No one is stopping this?"

Mo Shangjin shook his head: "Behind this anti-smart device movement, there are probably soul cultivation companies pulling the strings; the waters are very murky."

Zhang Yu then asked, "So when we enter Golden River University, won't someone check our lower parts?"

Hearing this, Mo Shangjin burst out laughing: "With this crappy school... how would they dare check us?"