https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-403-Students-from-the-Alchemy-Department/13687000/
Chapter 402: Zhang Yu's Busy Days
As Zhang Yu’s refining skill for Tianqing Sand reached Level 2, a flood of refining memories surged through his mind—various martial energy pathways, the flow of Gang Qi, precise material manipulation, fire control, the fine details of spraying the fiber composite membrane, and invaluable experience in stabilizing the martial energy circuit.
Each refined technique unfolded in his consciousness like a vivid replay, granting him an unexpectedly deep understanding and insight into the art of refining Tianqing Sand.
When he tried refining the material again using only one-tenth of the usual quantity, his success rate soared dramatically.
Even more striking was the visible improvement in the quality of the finished product.
Beside him, Ye Xingli observed the newly refined Tianqing Sand with quiet surprise. “The color is bright, and the purity has clearly improved—far better than before. Is this Level 2 Tianqing Sand?”
“Was it just luck… or has he actually progressed that fast?”
She continued watching closely—only to notice soon afterward that Zhang Yu had once again recklessly compressed the refining time, causing the output to revert back to Level 1 quality.
After six hours of relentless practice, however, Zhang Yu had managed to compress the refining time down to a steady 15 minutes.
“Reducing the material to one-tenth means 0.003 Lingbi per batch,” he calculated silently.
“The rental cost for the lab and equipment is 0.7 Lingbi for six hours, split evenly with Ye Xingli—that’s 0.35 Lingbi each.”
“If I maintain a 15-minute refining cycle, I can complete 24 batches in six hours.”
He continued his mental math: “That brings the cost per refining session down to roughly 0.01758 Lingbi.”
“And that’s not even the limit,” he thought.
He recalled his Wuxiang Force and Shenhan Force.
Just as he used them to assist in construction work, why couldn’t he apply them to alchemy?
“The material and time compression are already stable,” Zhang Yu mused. “Next time… I’ll activate the Fourfold Mind and try refining four batches of Tianqing Sand simultaneously.”
“If successful, not only will the cost drop further, but my cultivation efficiency will skyrocket.”
“And as I keep refining and selling surplus Tianqing Sand for Blood, my Lingbi expenses will keep dropping.”
With that in mind, Zhang Yu turned to Ye Xingli and asked, “Senior, if I want to sell some of my practice-made products in the future, where’s the easiest place to offload them?”
Ye Xingli paused, then recalled Ciji Zhenjun’s instructions. “If you trust me, just store them here. I’ve got a decent network in the Alchemy Department—I can help you sell them.”
“But basic alchemical products won’t fetch much. At best, you’ll just break even.”
Zhang Yu nodded eagerly. “I know. That’s fine—just breaking even is enough.”
After leaving the lab, the two parted ways.
As Ye Xingli watched Zhang Yu walk away, she sent a message to Ciji Zhenjun:
Master, I’ve just left the lab with Zhang Yu.
Ciji Zhenjun: How did Zhang Yu perform?
Ye Xingli: His alchemy talent is decent—managed to produce Level 2 Tianqing Sand during the six hours.
But his attitude is problematic. Already trying to tamper with quantity and time right after starting.
She summarized what she’d observed.
Ciji Zhenjun replied: I see.
If he sells his output in the future, handle the consignment for him temporarily.
And regarding lab fees, we can split the cost with him.
Hearing this, Ye Xingli finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
She asked: Master, isn’t Zhang Yu from the Civil Engineering Department? His alchemy talent isn’t particularly outstanding. Why are you helping him so much?
Ciji Zhenjun: Director Gao of the Civil Engineering Department wants to transfer his disciple into the Alchemy Department.
Though I don’t particularly recommend it…
We’ve known each other for hundreds of years. If he insists, then even if it’s a small loss, we should help.
Reading the message, Ye Xingli couldn’t help but reflect on the depth of the bond between Ciji Zhenjun and Director Gao.
“So it’s not Zhang Yu himself who interests the Master,” she thought. “It’s all for Director Gao.”
It made perfect sense. After all, a Civil Engineering student was no different from someone in the Security Department—essentially a ‘junior college’ student at Wanfa University.
How could someone of the Master’s stature possibly care about such a person?
If Zhang Yu had spoken to him, he’d probably have to pay a red envelope first.
“But Master and Director Gao… is this ancient friendship?”
“Even though the Master keeps up with modern times, studying cutting-edge Immortal Dao technologies and following Kunxu’s trends… he’s still a man of the old era. His thoughts are inevitably shaped by ancient cultural remnants.”
Just as she pondered, another message arrived from Ciji Zhenjun:
This matter remains confidential. Even if you ask me or Director Gao directly, we won’t admit it.
You must not speak a word of this.
Ye Xingli responded: Master, you can trust my lips. Even if someone offers 1000 Lingbi, I won’t say a thing.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Zhang Yu was walking toward the 667th Floor Construction Site.
He first checked the Feather Scroll:
Tianqing Sand – Level 2 (10/20)
Then glanced at another entry:
Tianqing Caiyun Dou – Level 0 (0/1, Tianqing Sand: 2/5)
This Tianqing Caiyun Dou was a spirit artifact blueprint he’d learned in the Alchemy Department—a specialized container capable of storing and rapidly dispensing large amounts of Tianqing Sand through the injection of martial energy.
Just like his own cultivation techniques, most alchemy skills had prerequisite thresholds.
Refining Tianqing Sand required a certain level of martial energy and Gang Qi mastery.
Tianqing Caiyun Dou, meanwhile, required foundational skill in refining Tianqing Sand first.
“Whether spirit artifacts or spirit armors,” Zhang Yu thought, “beyond cultivation level, Dao Heart, and martial energy, they often demand specific alchemy skills as prerequisites.”
“To eventually refine my own body into a spirit armor, I’ll need not only cultivation but also mastery of countless prerequisite alchemy techniques.”
“There’s still a long way to go.”
“But with so many alchemy skills available, I don’t need to master every single one to perfection—just enough to get by.”
As for grander dreams—like building my own alchemy lab or establishing a production line—those were still far beyond reach.
Familiar with the route, Zhang Yu arrived at the construction site.
A wave of Wuxiang Force emerged around him.
He scattered a handful of Tianqing Sand into the air, letting it settle onto the forces.
As the Wuxiang Force stirred, the swirling Gang Qi within them shimmered faintly with the light of Tianqing Sand, giving the constructs a denser, more solid appearance.
“Tianqing Sand enhances Gang Qi conductivity and reduces consumption speed,” Zhang Yu noted. “It should boost my work efficiency.”
With that, he began cultivating the 7th technique of the Martial Dao Holy Body, while simultaneously directing the Wuxiang Force to work on the construction site—himself wrapped in a mist formed by Wuxiang Yun’gang, a cloud-like aura of refined energy.
After several hours, as dawn broke, Zhang Yu checked his earnings.
“Construction efficiency has improved by about 5%.”
“Not bad. If I upgrade the Tianqing Sand to a higher level, the gains should be even greater.”
“Even if Ye Xingli’s sales don’t bring in much, I can still use the refined sand to boost my own income here.”
With renewed determination, Zhang Yu pressed on.
In the days that followed, he rented the alchemy lab once or twice a week to practice refining.
During the day, he attended classes. At night, he worked at the construction site, cultivating his Martial Dao Holy Body techniques.
He also carved out time to study alchemy courses in the Taiqing Jing, absorbed 200% quality martial energy to refine his energy quality, and visited Chui Xin Ju to forge his Dao Heart.
…
Back in the lab, Ye Xingli glanced at the three Wuxiang Force constructs beside her, her expression thoughtful.
“Such strong mental capacity.”
“But can juggling multiple refining tasks at once really improve alchemy skill? It’s not about quantity—it’s about precision and deep immersion.”
In her view, unless rushing to meet a deadline, one should focus entirely on a single batch of refining—savoring every detail: the material, the steps, the timing, the fire control, the flow of martial energy and Gang Qi. Only through such focused practice could skill truly advance.
Then, her gaze snapped to one of the Wuxiang Force constructs—its refining process had just completed.
“Level 3 Tianqing Sand?”
“Interesting.”
She mused: Despite his reckless habits, Zhang Yu’s alchemy talent seems stronger than I first thought.
But she wasn’t overly impressed—after all, her first attempt at refining Tianqing Sand had already produced a Level 5 result.
Turning away, she continued interviewing her new spirit artifact.
“You graduated from Hehuan University? May I ask your first gender?”
“You’re a cadet? Sorry, we’re only hiring top ten graduates this time.”
“Tianmo University? Welcome. Consider my right hand your own.”
…
That evening, as Zhang Yu stepped out of the lab, he received a message from Gong Shuijin.
His eyes lit up. “The buffet is starting?”
At that moment, Ye Xingli turned to him. “You’re coming to the gathering too, right? It’s basically a celebration for the Civil Engineering Department.”
Zhang Yu nodded. He already knew this was Mo Ejin’s event—mainly to celebrate their second-place finish in the Inter-School League.
Ye Xingli casually added, “We can go together. I’m attending too.”
Following her, Zhang Yu reached the 650th floor of Wanfa University. Just stepping out of the anti-gravity channel, he saw Gong Shuijin already waiting outside.
Seeing Zhang Yu walking with Ye Xingli, Gong Shuijin was stunned.
Compared to last year’s first encounter, Ye Xingli now stood in a completely different light in his eyes.
Her Alchemy Department ranking had climbed from 15th to 8th.
To rank 8th in one of the three elite departments at Wanfa University—she was now a top-tier student in Gong Shuijin’s eyes.
Watching the two walk and talk together, he thought: When did Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli become this close?
(End of Chapter)
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