The day of the Civil Engineering Competition began.

Inside the operating room, Ji Yuanxu looked at his new arms, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. Information about his new arms surfaced in his mind at that moment.

“Thunderfire Twin Roars, these arm spirit bones belonged to the Thunder Technique series produced by Wandao Crafting Sect, a top-tier spirit bone company. Both arms could be enhanced with high temperature and electromagnetic forces, and, through external meridian extensions, they could reshape external qi energy to create qi energy cannons with a range of over 500 meters.”

While recalling this information, Ji Yuanxu had already taken photos of the Thunderfire Twin Roars with his eye bone and uploaded them to a social media platform, adding the caption: “New day, dedicated to cultivation.”

Looking back through his past updates, one could see photos of various immortal artifacts and products, all of which Ji Yuanxu had acquired for himself after the final exams, spending a large amount of spirit coins. Among them was the Sixth Generation Soul-Tracking Eye from Wandao Crafting Sect, which could pre-set targets, lock onto high-speed targets, and link with other spirit bone reactions to achieve automatic aiming and attacking.

There was also the Impermanent Wind Low-Altitude Flight Component for the legs, which generated storms through high-speed airflow jets, allowing for low-altitude flight, instant acceleration, high-speed movement and turning, and supporting flight speeds up to three times the speed of sound. Additionally, there was the Ascension Core from Tiangong Group, which, in addition to its built-in Level 20 cultivation technique, could also provide self-contained anti-gravity augmentation, further enhancing the leg’s low-altitude flight component.

The copper coin that had suppressed his luck in his mind had now been replaced by another magic artifact. It was a card-shaped magic artifact, now quietly floating in Ji Yuanxu’s mind, suppressing his luck. The artifact was called the Platinum Luck Suppression Card. Unlike his previous luck artifact, which mimicked an ancient copper coin, this luck artifact’s design was inspired by credit cards from a century ago. Its classic card body design, along with vintage graphics on both front and back, symbolized nobility, credit, and powerful economic strength, respectively.

Under the operation of the Platinum Luck Suppression Card, the backlash of luck he experienced was weakened, and its original two-month duration was evenly distributed into a twelve-month backlash period. As he acquired more and more spirit bones, and as he repeatedly flaunted various expensive immortal products, more and more people perceived his wealth, believed in his strength, and consequently, he gathered increasingly more luck. Especially after…

Ji Yuanxu recalled the evil god ritual he had secretly performed after the final exams. Since that ritual, he had been able to accumulate luck more quickly as the number of spirit bones on his body increased. With the evil god’s assistance, his fan growth over the past three months had far surpassed his previous rates, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers. Each act of showing off his wealth could gather a considerable amount of luck. This allowed Ji Yuanxu not only to quickly recover from the various after-effects of luck backlash but also to advance vigorously all the way.

At this moment, the luck gathered under the Platinum Luck Suppression Card was so intense that it surpassed what he had during his final exams, augmenting his abilities in all aspects. And through the operation of the Platinum Luck Suppression Card, the effects of the luck augmentation were elevated layer by layer.

However, to achieve all this, to constantly flaunt his wealth and replace spirit bones, Ji Yuanxu had also spent a vast amount of spirit coins, not only almost depleting his savings but also borrowing a significant amount. Even his commonly used Wind-Fixing Pearl had long since been sold by him. Without the Wind-Fixing Pearl, he could only smell the air of Kunxu’s second layer every day.

“Unconsciously, I’ve grown accustomed to this smell of poverty in the university city.”

“This must be growth forged through hardship.”

Smelling this “poor” scent, he deeply imprinted it in his mind. He constantly told himself that the hardships he endured now were all for a better future.

“Zhang Yu was merely a beginning.”

Feeling the surging luck in his mind, Ji Yuanxu believed his future was boundlessly vast. Like many predecessors in the finance department, as he continued to accumulate followers and gather luck, more and more people would believe in him, follow him, and obey him. Eventually, a single thought, a single word, would be able to change the hearts of hundreds of millions, guide the flow of countless spirit coins, and control where luck converged…

Ji Yuanxu understood that Zhang Yu was no longer worth worrying about, and the Civil Engineering Department was merely an insignificant stop in his life. His future lay in the broader world of finance. Glancing at the time and seeing that the competition was about to begin, he stood up, exited the operating room, and headed towards the arena.

Ma Xuan and the others had already arrived at the arena. Seeing Ji Yuanxu approach, a smile appeared on his face. He had been observing Ji Yuanxu’s increasing strength during this period, which further convinced Ma Xuan that he had made the right decision in keeping him.

Inside a one-square-meter meditation pod.

With the sound of a bell, Che Yufei slowly opened his eyes.

Che Yufei hadn’t worked for three consecutive days. For these three days, he hadn’t worked overtime. He simply studied normally during the day and meditated through the night. This was the first time since he entered university that he had gone over 72 hours without working. The reason for this was the upcoming Civil Engineering Competition; he chose to rest and recuperate. He wanted to conserve more energy and physical strength for the competition, to avoid being willing but unable during the match, or even suddenly dying.

So, for these three days, he forced himself not to work overtime, not to work, and not to earn money. He watched helplessly as his spirit coins decreased daily without increasing, while he could only painfully rest and recuperate… All of this tormented Che Yufei’s heart.

“This is truly agonizing…”

“Indeed, resting is the most demanding test of one’s Dao heart.”

“If I can’t find a job after graduation, I’ll have to live this painful life every day, won’t I?”

At this thought, Che Yufei couldn’t help but tremble, a shiver running through him. To secure a good job after graduation, Che Yufei resolved that he must achieve a top 10 ranking in this Civil Engineering Competition.

“After all, I’m already in my seventh year of university. If I can’t even get a competition ranking by graduation, it might be difficult to find a good job on the second layer later on.”

Che Yufei knew he was poor, so he couldn’t participate in competitions during his earlier years… He accepted that. But having finally made it to his seventh year, he didn’t aim for a high ranking. He would be satisfied with just a top 10 finish. Checking the time, Che Yufei took a deep breath. Feeling his body restored to peak condition, he emerged from the meditation pod and headed towards the arena.

On the way, he encountered Shi Yunxiang. Seeing the new hand spirit bone on Shi Yunxiang’s right hand, he showed a hint of envy: “Xiang, the Boundless Palm from Vajra Xuanzao? Haven’t you always used the ‘Local Dweller’?”

Shi Yunxiang smiled, extended his left hand, and said: “The ‘Local Dweller’ moved to this hand.”

Che Yufei’s gaze shifted: “So your original left hand…”

Shi Yunxiang replied: “I sold it. Otherwise, how could I afford this Boundless Palm in full?” He remarked: “After all, I’ve tempered it for so many years. It sold for a good price this time, so it wasn’t for nothing all these years.”

“Once I replace all my flesh and blood with spirit bones, I won’t have to worry about being coveted anymore.”

Che Yufei looked at Shi Yunxiang with a touch of envy. They both had flesh and blood, but Shi Yunxiang’s flesh, being marketable as food, gained multipliers like deliciousness and freshness compared to his own, resulting in a significantly higher price. Though the risks of possessing it also increased, the profits were high.

When the two arrived at the arena, they saw their captain, Shi Huaiyu, already waiting by the main entrance, waving to them. Shi Huaiyu was in a very good mood today, simply because she had finally temporarily resolved the side effects of her ghost kidney. At this thought, she secretly felt grateful to Yu Xinghan. It was thanks to his reminder that she seized an opportunity during a surge in Emotional Coins.

“Next time, I’ll ask him for a massage, and support his business.”

“And I must thank Teacher Tu for lending me money to trade coins.”

Recalling how she had almost gone bankrupt from stock trading last year, and how Tu Lishan still trusted her this time, a wave of emotion surged in Shi Huaiyu’s heart. Tu Lishan’s reply echoed in her mind once more.

“Stock and coin trading are serious matters. If I don’t lend you money for this, wouldn’t I be failing as a teacher? Take the money; the interest can be calculated like a consumer loan.”

The profits from the Emotional Coins trade this time allowed Shi Huaiyu to purchase a Ghost-Suppressing Seal. Once inserted into her internal organs, it could specifically deal with her kidney that had lingering consciousness.

Just then, a line of information popped up in her eye bone, from the soul cultivator within the Ghost-Suppressing Seal.

Soul Cultivator: “Boss, the competition hasn’t started yet. Can I step out for a bit?”

Shi Huaiyu: “No, I hired you for a full day. I’ve hired many soul cultivators before. Don’t treat me like a fool, trying to work two jobs at once.”

Shi Huaiyu knew that these soul cultivators always tried to find ways to take on multiple gigs, so she naturally wouldn’t let him leave. After all, the soul cultivator in the Ghost-Suppressing Seal right now was the original owner of her ghost kidney, an expert in suppressing it. After chastising the soul cultivator, Shi Huaiyu sent a message to the competition team’s group chat: “Why aren’t you here yet?”

Myriad Law University City, 88th Floor.

Zhang Yu slowly exhaled, finally managing to advance the sixth martial art of the Martial Saint Body to Level 20 before the competition.

Elementary Martial Saint Body (6/6): Any Foundation Establishment martial art, when performed by you, will have its combat power significantly increased.

“Oh?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered slightly. He recalled that a similar effect of combat power enhancement, in the Qi Condensation stage’s Martial Dao Saint Embryo, was the final layer.

“So, the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Martial Saint Body is to increase the combat power of martial arts?”

“Is this the transition from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, from Martial Dao Saint Embryo to Martial Saint Body?”

However, Zhang Yu was not disappointed; instead, he felt it was even better. After all, his current physical defense was extremely strong, to the point where he felt it was excessively robust. He needed other methods to expand his strength.

“This first layer of the Martial Saint Body might have a miraculous effect in this Civil Engineering Competition.”

Seeing the urgent messages from his eye bone, Zhang Yu smiled faintly. With a flicker of his figure, he had already shot into the anti-gravity channel. He soared upwards like a bolt of lightning, arriving at the arena entrance in an instant.

Shi Huaiyu looked at Zhang Yu before her, and pulling him along, said: “Let’s go, let’s go! The first round of eliminations is about to begin.”