https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-396-Receiving-the-Seven-Absolute-Arts/13686993/
Chapter 395: Zhang Yu's Victory
Inside the Ling Realm Space.
As the match time expired, the outcomes of the five confrontations were finally sealed.
Among them, the result that most surprised the crowd of teachers present was undoubtedly that of Zhang Yu’s team versus Su Yanyang’s team.
In fact, Zhang Yu and his teammates had been defying expectations ever since their victory over Ma Xuan’s squad.
Jiao Lei Immortal glanced at his own students—Zhang Yu, Gong Shuijin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan—each of whom had secured a top-seven finish in the Civil Engineering Department’s competition. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. This year’s bonus is guaranteed to be high.
But before the smile could fully settle, he caught sight of Lin Director beside him—expression calm, silent, unreadable.
His grin vanished instantly.
On the other side, Tu Lishan had no such restraint. He burst into laughter. “Looks like even if Su Yanyang throws endless Lingbi into his Intelligent Architecture gimmicks, it still can’t beat the old-school, no-nonsense work ethic of Zhang Yu and Shi Huaixu.”
He was clearly pleased with Shi Huaixu’s seventh-place finish.
Once, after Shi Huaixu had lost everything in stock trading, Tu Lishan had assumed her cultivation path was doomed, that he’d wasted his resources on her. But now? The tide had turned.
“Still, I’ll never lend her money for stocks or crypto again.”
Recalling the two times Shi Huaixu had nearly burned out during competitions, Tu Lishan sighed inwardly. I thought those losses would teach her some discipline. But it seems that fiery temper won’t be tamed anytime soon.
Lang Yougong nodded thoughtfully. “I felt it—Zhang Yu underwent a subtle breakthrough in both spirit and body during the final stretch. The more pressure he’s under, the better he performs.”
Tu Lishan agreed. “That kid’s just like that—whether it’s construction style, cultivation path, or personality, he thrives under pressure. The stronger the challenge, the sharper he gets.”
“That’s what we need in Civil Engineering.” Tu Lishan mused. To unlock his full potential, I’ll have to throw him into real hellfire—Abandoned Buildings, Forced Demolitions, Sublayer Ancient Sites, Environmental Engineering… even projects that’ve been unfinished for centuries. Might just accelerate his growth.
“But still… pushing the Xuanhuang Zhenyue Seal past Level 10, advancing Zhanmo Yunshou Gong and Jiuxiao Yun Kongjin to Level 20 in such a short time? That kind of talent is rare. Director Gao won’t risk sending him into anything too dangerous anytime soon.”
As he pondered, a flood of ideas surged through Tu Lishan’s mind—how to maximize Zhang Yu’s potential, extract every ounce of profit from him.
Meanwhile, Director Gao was scrolling through the chat logs in Zhang Yu’s competition group, stunned.
“This kid… actually paid his own Lingbi to fund his teammates? He barely has any money, yet he’s acting like a rich man throwing cash around?”
Even more shocking was that three of his classmates had followed suit—investing their own resources.
For the first time in years, Director Gao felt a strange, nostalgic emotion stir within him—a feeling long buried.
On the sidelines, Ciji Zhenjun was also reviewing the communication records from both teams.
“Su Yanyang knows exactly how to achieve maximum results with minimal cost.”
“Give him five Lingbi for a project, and he’ll deliver ten.”
“If he were under my command, I’d put him in charge of a Soul Cultivator unit.”
“But Zhang Yu…” Ciji Zhenjun mused. “He’s not wealthy. Yet his teammates trust him completely.”
“He might have a natural talent for attracting investment, securing funds.”
Ciji Zhenjun understood: compared to martial arts, alchemy, or elixir cultivation talents, the ability to inspire trust—especially under pressure, to make others willingly risk more—was far rarer.
Give him five Lingbi? He might lose it all.
But he might also generate a hundred.
Look at the great cultivators in Kunxu who became billionaires through currency creation—each of them possessed this rare gift, able to leverage a single thread of influence to pull the entire universe of resources into motion.
“Interesting.” Ciji Zhenjun thought. “But no rush. Let’s keep nurturing him. After all, it’s Old Gao’s money being burned.”
That thought made him even more satisfied.
And the best part?
Zhang Yu is free.
That’s what Ciji Zhenjun liked most about him.
At the same time, Lin Director was replaying Zhang Yu’s standout moments in the arena—fast-forwarding through the footage again and again.
“Not like Gao Chongguang’s style.”
“The one guiding Zhang Yu… either from the Architecture Department, or from Alchemy or Spellcraft.”
“And he’s throwing money to buy loyalty? Gao Chongguang must’ve given him a real fortune.”
A thought formed in Lin Director’s mind.
“I wonder… what would it cost to recruit him into my faction?”
Since gaining the backing of the Finance Department, Lin Director had grown bolder, richer, more powerful.
“I’ll have Jiao Lei negotiate. At least 2.5 times the value of Ji Yuanchi would be a good deal. Anything higher? We’ll have to consider other terms…”
As the results were finalized, the post-match rankings emerged, based on each team’s Construction Completion Rate.
Rank 1: Xuan Liangtian’s Peace Faction
Rank 2: Mo Ejin’s War Faction
Rank 3: Neutral Faction
Ranks 4 and 5: both claimed by Peace Faction
Rank 6: War Faction
Rank 7: Zhang Yu’s team
Of the top seven, three belonged to the War Faction, three to the Peace Faction, and one to the Neutral Faction.
For now, the Peace Faction held the upper hand. The Neutral Faction lagged far behind.
The Neutral Faction teachers all turned to Su Yanyang. If only he’d made it into seventh… the overall score would look much better.
Lin Director watched, thinking: We’re currently ahead, but in the next round, Mo Ejin will surely challenge Xuan Liangtian.
Director Gao thought the same: Next, the opposing side will try to drain Mo Ejin’s strength, prevent his challenge from succeeding.
Ciji Zhenjun sent a private message to Director Gao:
"Time to wrap it up. Let’s go."
In an instant, Ciji Zhenjun’s figure vanished without a trace.
Director Gao quickly replied:
"Don’t forget the next match timing…"
Outside the arena, chaos erupted in celebration.
“Seventh!!”
Yu Xinghan clenched his fists, then burst into laughter, high-fiving Ying Xin beside him.
Gong Shuijin exhaled deeply, relieved. My Lingbi wasn’t wasted.
Then, without hesitation, he started borrowing money.
“We’ve got two of the seven elite spots secured—one’s definitely Zhang Yu’s.”
“The other? Shi Huaixu was the most likely candidate… but she’s broke for sure.”
“If I offer enough, I can snatch it—probably won’t cost much.”
Gong Shuijin realized: This is a test of Xian Dao potential, Bloodline bonds, and family wealth.
Around them, Che Yufei, Shi Yunxiang, Tian Yang, and others—though battered and bruised—were filled with joy. Some took screenshots, others posted on social media, and a few updated their resumes.
Shi Huaixu turned to Zhang Yu. “Your steel reinforcement at the end? It was so bad… I mean, so good. Made it hell to dismantle and nearly impossible to recycle.”
“Stop, stop!” Zhang Yu cut in, waving his hands. “We won, yes—but I broke every principle of a true Civil Engineering practitioner. I swear, unless absolutely necessary, I’ll never do something like that again.”
Shi Huaixu stared at him, impressed. “This guy… just like Tu Teacher. Has no shame at all. Must’ve eaten a lot of scraps from construction sites.”
Just then, a loud argument erupted in the distance—Su Yanyang was shouting with his teammates.
Shi Huaixu smirked, glancing over. Seeing Su Yanyang surrounded by furious allies, she couldn’t help but grin.
“Ha… Su Yanyang might have to rebuild his team next year.”
A furious voice roared:
“Why are you fining me?!”
“You’re the one with the worst command decisions!”
“I said just charge in and end it!”
“They couldn’t even fight back! We could’ve crushed them with sheer numbers!”
“It’s all your fault—forcing us to use that dumb Intelligent Architecture, that overcomplicated array…”
Su Yanyang stared coldly. “My strategy was flawless. Your attitude is the problem. Especially you—your combat duration and construction scale were the lowest in the team. By team rules, you’re fined.”
“You’re the one who sent me to clean up the spirit corruption at the start!”
“And tell me—was my cleanup effort even logged in the data?”
“Then answer me—was your Soul Cultivator Operation error recorded?”
“Answer me!”
At that moment, a message popped up on Su Yanyang’s Eye Armor:
Soul Cultivator: Boss, payment still pending.
Su Yanyang replied: You call this work? I’ve already applied for a refund.
He blocked the message.
Then, before he could even breathe, another notification arrived—this time from the Intermediary Company behind the Soul Cultivator.
Intermediary Company: Mr. Su Yanyang, if you persist in withholding payment, we will have no choice but to initiate legal proceedings.
Another message surfaced in his Eye Armor—this time from the Spirit Armor Company.
Wandao Jiangzong Customer Service: Mr. Su Yanyang, our investigation confirms no fault in the Spirit Armor. The issue originated from internal meridian penetration. Your claim has been rejected.
Then, the substitute team members swarmed him, demanding refunds.
Su Yanyang’s fury boiled over.
“Useless fools… every single one of you is dragging me down.”
Without another word, he slammed through the crowd and stormed off.
(End of Chapter)
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