Zhang Yu looked at Yu Xinghan beside him, his gaze sweeping over the latter’s Dao Seed. Since Yu Xinghan’s Third Eye Divine Ability had leveled up to Level 2, new upgrade requirements had appeared. To advance from Level 2 to Level 3, one needed to reach a magic power level of 1000, which meant reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Keep going, Xinghan,” Zhang Yu thought. “If you don’t cultivate diligently, how can I earn more?” Zhang Yu was still very much looking forward to the effects of the Level 3 Third Eye Divine Ability. Although he wouldn’t sponsor spiritual coins, Zhang Yu could still help by giving Yu Xinghan more blood to drink and infusing him with a bit of magic power daily. He only hoped that Yu Xinghan would thrive and upgrade his Third Eye Divine Ability to Level 3 soon.

Yu Xinghan looked at Zhang Yu and couldn’t help but think, “This guy Zhang Yu… I’m really freaking jealous.” He wished he could devour the bunker Zhang Yu had created whole. But the thought of digesting the bunker Zhang Yu built made him feel a pang of heartache, realizing he probably couldn’t even digest it. “We were all perfectly poor together. Now that you’ve gotten ahead… won’t our brotherhood turn into a father-son relationship?”

After explaining the intricacies of the bunker Zhang Yu had constructed, Tu Lishan dismissed the other candidates, telling them to return and slowly process what they had learned that day. However, Tu Lishan kept Zhang Yu behind, smiling as he said, “Director Gao wants to see you.”

Then, as a projection from the spiritual realm manifested, a figure appeared before Zhang Yu. Dressed in an ancient-style Daoist robe emblazoned with the four characters “Build the World,” the person looked as if they had traveled from an ancient world. This was Director Gao of the War Faction.

Director Gao looked at Zhang Yu and smiled faintly. “You performed exceptionally well in this exam. I’ve already reviewed your backend scores. You’ve surpassed Ji Yuanxu and have reached first place in the Foundation Establishment class. Tonight’s rankings will be updated and released.”

Although Zhang Yu knew he had definitely outscored Ji Yuanxu in this final exam, he wasn’t entirely sure if he could overtake him in the overall ranking. Upon hearing Director Gao’s revelation, a heavy weight lifted from Zhang Yu’s heart, followed by a surge of joy from deep within. The struggles and efforts of the past year and three months—scenes of working overtime and studying—flashed before his eyes, finally transforming into a feeling of ease and liberation. “It’s finally done,” Zhang Yu murmured with emotion, then silently set an alarm to remind himself to screenshot the ranking list as soon as it updated that night.

Director Gao continued, “In this exam, you didn’t just get good grades; you truly showcased the spirit of our Civil Engineering Department, securing first place solidly with the most authentic and fundamental civil engineering power.” He paused, something flickering in his eye sockets, then continued, “That’s excellent. I hope you strive to maintain this throughout your future university life. Have you been taking the discounted medicines from the School of Pharmacy all this time? I’ve just arranged for you to have access to the laboratory medicines there, in addition to the ones you’ve already been taking.”

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. He knew that the discounted medicines he had previously purchased from the School of Pharmacy—whether for daily replenishment of stamina and energy or potent drugs to unleash potential—were all conventional medications available on the market. Even if not bought from the School of Pharmacy, they could be found in external pharmacies; the School of Pharmacy simply offered him a discount. So-called laboratory medicines, on the other hand, were those not yet genuinely commercialized or sold in pharmacies, remaining exclusively within the School of Pharmacy’s laboratories.

Director Gao cautioned, “The laboratory medicines at the School of Pharmacy embody the institution’s cutting-edge technology and possess many effects that conventional drugs cannot achieve, which can significantly enhance your cultivation. However, you must also note that these experimental drugs haven’t left the lab for various reasons. Many have substantial side effects, so you need to be careful when making your selections.”

Zhang Yu clicked on the drug purchase link Director Gao sent and first filtered for medicines suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage. After all, practitioners at different cultivation stages had vast differences in physique, essentially representing distinct life forms. What was a regular medicine for someone at the Foundation Establishment stage could be lethal for a Qi Refining practitioner. Conversely, something highly beneficial for a Golden Core cultivator might be used as a weapon by someone at the Foundation Establishment stage. Therefore, Zhang Yu understood that the first step in examining medicines was to filter by applicable cultivation stage.

The next moment, a plethora of laboratory medicines suitable for the Foundation Establishment stage appeared before his eyes. Spirit Beast Serum: Taking it offered a chance to awaken bloodline Daoist techniques but could lead to demonic transformation, accompanied by intellectual decline, cognitive impairment, and other issues. Out-of-Body Pill: Taking it gradually granted the ability to have the Yin Spirit leave the body, but it could result in a division of self, where the brain and Yin Spirit each became separate entities vying for control of the physical body. Yin-Yang Self-Harmonizing Injectable: Consistent injection for one month led to the manifestation of both Yin and Yang, enabling self-dual cultivation and greatly increasing magic power refinement efficiency, but it was prone to side effects like metabolic imbalance and organ rupture. A quick scan of the list revealed the formidable power of these so-called laboratory medicines. Suppressing his curiosity and excitement, Zhang Yu temporarily closed the drug list and continued to listen to Director Gao.

Director Gao said, “Since you achieved first place in the Foundation Establishment class, you should also receive a scholarship loan.” Immediately, Zhang Yu received an electronic contract from Voidling, a member of the Department of Finance. Zhang Yu remembered Voidling as the Golden Core Perfected Being Tu Lishan had introduced him to in the Department of Finance, seemingly always in charge of lending matters for the Civil Engineering Department and responsible for every student loan disbursement. Zhang Yu thought, “Although the War Faction and Peace Faction of the Civil Engineering Department don’t get along, and the Peace Faction has allied with the Department of Finance, not everyone in the Department of Finance is hostile to the Civil Engineering Department’s War Faction, right? Are there also factions within the Department of Finance itself?” Thinking this, Zhang Yu chuckled to himself, “Is there any organization without factions? That’s obvious.”

He reviewed the contents of the student loan electronic contract: a total of 10 spiritual coins, with a monthly interest of 0.01 after disbursement, and the principal due for repayment in ten years. Zhang Yu’s heart brightened upon reading it. He thought, “They’ve actually offered another charitable, low-interest loan like this. Now my savings can exceed 50 spiritual coins!” Zhang Yu promptly signed the electronic contract, while Director Gao continued, “At the end of last semester, I made a promise to you: if you could achieve first place in your freshman year, I would accept you as a registered disciple. Since you’ve secured first place today, I will honor that agreement and take you as my registered disciple.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu remembered Magnet Pole True Monarch, who had already secretly taken him as a disciple. However, he couldn’t reveal that information at this moment and could only respectfully nod in affirmation.

Director Gao continued, “Since you are my disciple, your previous dormitory is no longer suitable. I’ve upgraded it for you again. The room key has been sent to you; please accept it.” Zhang Yu glanced at the room details, and his heart filled with joy once more. “A 30-square-meter luxurious dormitory?” “Not only does it have a dedicated spiritual energy circuit, but it can also adjust the gravity within the room, and the air circulation system offers dozens of different medicinal agents to choose from…” “On the same floor, there are also shared artifact refining rooms and alchemy chambers available for use…” As he looked at the descriptions of the various facilities in the room, Zhang Yu thought about how his living conditions had improved with each move as his ranking rose, feeling both delight and emotion. “In university, it’s truly grades and ranking that determine a student’s treatment.”

After sending the key to the luxurious dormitory, Director Gao’s expression turned slightly serious as he stated something even more important. “After securing first place for the academic year, the most significant thing is that you will be taught the first of the Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates: the Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Seal. As you probably know, all the techniques, cultivation methods, and knowledge you learned in your freshman year primarily focused on small-scale construction. However, the most profound, valuable, and lucrative methods in the Civil Engineering Department involve large-scale construction, which is what you will begin learning in your sophomore year. And the Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates represent the pinnacle of large-scale construction techniques.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this, recalling his first time working at an outdoor construction site. At that time, several wealthy senior civil engineering students, personally nurtured by Director Gao, were engaged in large-scale construction projects such as breaking open mountains, altering terrain, and digging tunnels.

Director Gao continued, “The Profound Yellow Mountain Suppressing Seal is the foundation of all large-scale construction abilities. Only by mastering this cultivation method thoroughly will your future practice yield twice the results with half the effort. In a couple of days, I will personally come to teach you its key principles…” He added, “Also, since you are now my registered disciple, I will be able to recommend you in the future, granting you the qualification to test for the Military Civil Engineering Certificate. If you can obtain this military certificate, you will then be eligible to participate in the department’s Seven Civil Engineering Trials. Once you gain the approval of the seven professors, you will not only be imparted with the Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates but also be able to purchase the Seven Ultimates Relics.”

Zhang Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this, and he couldn’t help but ask, “So, if I pass the Seven Civil Engineering Trials, I won’t have to get first place every year to directly learn the Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates?” Director Gao smiled faintly. “The Seven Civil Engineering Trials are extremely difficult. To pass any one of them, you’d likely need to study until your fourth or fifth year to even have a chance. Furthermore, the Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates are profound and extensive; any one of them requires at least a year of study to achieve even minor success. What good would learning them early do?” Director Gao reminded him, “The key to the Seven Civil Engineering Trials lies in the Seven Ultimates Relics. Each relic is matched to one of the Seven Ultimates cultivation methods and can unleash its ultimate power.”

Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He knew that many university students, to enhance the power of their expert-level cultivation methods, would implant matching relics specifically designed to boost the power of particular methods. The Seven Civil Engineering Ultimates and their corresponding Seven Ultimates Relics clearly shared such a symbiotic relationship, capable of elevating an originally expert-level cultivation method to a power beyond expert-level, existing between expert-level and military-grade.

Director Gao continued, “And if you ever have the opportunity to inherit the Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, and then use the Seven Ultimates Relics to propel this divine art, you will be able to unleash truly supreme divine might. Even when facing the top students from the three ace majors, you would have nothing to fear from your opponents.”