Zhang Yu felt a stir in his heart as he listened to Director Gao. He knew that the departmental competition was a selection event organized by Wanfa University itself. The rule that the first-place team would represent the Civil Engineering Department in the inter-university league was also set by the department, essentially to resolve factional disputes like those between the ‘War Faction’ and ‘Peace Faction’.

Theoretically, the composition of the participating team could be adjusted to some extent.

However, this would somewhat resemble under-the-table dealings or backdoor maneuvers.

But Zhang Yu considered that by then he would have already obtained his Military Certificate, so even if he did pull some strings, probably no one would gossip.

“It feels great to use one’s strength to get a backdoor entry.”

Director Gao continued, “Alright, now you need to focus on recovering from your injuries. If you have any issues and don’t want to go to the hospital, you can try getting treated by Xiao Qingxuan. However, ancient medical techniques are not entirely ‘immortal’ in many respects, and their principles haven’t all been fully explored yet. Believe in them at your discretion.”

Zhang Yu asked, confused, “At my discretion?”

Director Gao replied, “Believe it if it works well, stop if it doesn’t.”

After signing the contract, Zhang Yu gained a monthly reimbursement limit of 30 Spirit Coins.

On his way back to the dormitory, he began to ponder how to spend this money.

“Spirit Realm services are definitely a must.”

“Also, potions and Taoist spell services.”

“Sigh, alchemy materials can’t be reimbursed… So other expenses will have to rely as much as possible on these 30 Spirit Coins.”

“The saved Spirit Coins will then be used for cultivating alchemy skills.”

With a hint of helplessness, Zhang Yu returned to his dorm, then went back to the Taiqing Realm to resume his alchemy courses.

He thought to himself, “Once the Military Certificate comes through, I’ll probably have to rush to master the Seven Civil Engineering Techniques. There might not be much time for online courses then.” Although he was very likely to obtain the Military Certificate this time, Zhang Yu didn’t get overly complacent. After all, his goal was to participate in the Top Ten Leagues and gain admission to one of the Top Ten Sects.

To achieve this, he still felt a significant lack of time. Especially after witnessing last year’s battle between Mo Shangjin and Xuan Liangtian, he better understood the huge gap that still existed between himself and those senior students who had mastered military-grade martial arts.

Furthermore, Mo Shangjin had not managed to defeat Tianyao University and claim first place in the inter-university Civil Engineering League. Above Mo Shangjin, there were students in ace programs at top universities who had mastered military-grade Taoist spells, military-grade Dharma skeletons, military-grade magic artifacts… and even those with divine spiritual roots.

Zhang Yu mused, “I’m still at least three or four levels away from the truly top tier among university students, aren’t I? If I want to successfully transfer to the Alchemy Department during university, time will be even tighter…”

Upon this thought, Zhang Yu felt his entire body tense up again. He began to make the most of his recovery period by studying online courses in the Taiqing Realm.

While Zhang Yu was diligently studying and making the most of his time, on a training ground, a senior Civil Engineering student smiled and said to Ping Han, “Han Ge, the Military Certificate is surely yours this time, isn’t it?”

Ping Han waved his hand and replied, “The results aren’t out yet.”

The senior student said, “We’ve all heard from the participating examinees that your performance was the best overall. If you don’t get the Military Certificate, who will?”

Ping Han stopped him from continuing, “Don’t talk nonsense. Let’s wait for the official announcement.”

Just then, another student asked, “Han Ge, what’s your take on the future trend of Qiongjiang Coin?”

Ping Han smiled slightly, a confident expression on his face, and said, “Lord Qiongjiang is an established Soul Transformation expert, backed by Hehuan University. Dual cultivation is an indispensable element in immortal techniques, a fundamental need for countless cultivators… Especially with Lord Qiongjiang’s lottery starting tomorrow, under such favorable news, the coin price is bound to surge again after tomorrow. The ‘Thousand Fellow Cultivators Conference’ for prize redemption will even be livestreamed, signaling a new chapter for the dual cultivation industry like a spring thunderclap, creating a siphon effect. Now is the window of opportunity to seize wealth. If you’re asking for my advice, it’s to buy. It’s never too late to buy Qiongjiang Coin, no matter when.” The surrounding students nodded repeatedly, listening more intently than they did in class.

As soon as Mo Shangjin arrived, he saw everyone gathered around Ping Han, listening to him talk about Qiongjiang Coin. Mo Shangjin frowned slightly at the sight and cleared his throat, “Time for training.” After several reminders, the competition team members reluctantly dispersed. Mo Shangjin’s frown deepened imperceptibly.

Ping Han looked at Mo Shangjin and smiled, “Old Mo, have you seen the information I sent you?”

Mo Shangjin said calmly, “Qiongjiang Coin fluctuates too much. I’m not involved in that.”

Ping Han chuckled, “I know, you’re a loyal university supporter, only buying our Wanfa University’s coin. But you really should try this time. From Lord Qiongjiang’s lottery to the Thousand Fellow Cultivators Conference, Qiongjiang Coin is sure to skyrocket during this period. It’s like picking up money with your eyes closed…”

Mo Shangjin waved his hand, stopping him, and said, “Alright, you don’t need to tell me. And during training, stop talking about coin speculation with others. It affects everyone’s focus.”

However, over the next few days, as rumors of Ping Han securing the Military Certificate spread throughout the Civil Engineering Department and Qiongjiang Coin continued to rise, Mo Shangjin noticed that the team’s atmosphere became increasingly off. During training, teammates often appeared distracted, clearly checking coin price trends from time to time. Often, team members would stand there in a daze, or approach Ping Han to ask about coin speculation whenever they had a moment. Several even approached Mo Shangjin to borrow money, wanting to invest more in Qiongjiang Coin. Even Ping Han himself… Mo Shangjin could sense that he was increasingly neglecting training, either chatting with people in his guidance group or posting various endorsements for Qiongjiang Coin online.

So, one day, Mo Shangjin finally couldn’t help but confront him. But facing Mo Shangjin’s accusations, Ping Han retorted self-righteously, “We’re clearly first in the departmental competition, so there’s no need to rush training, is there? With this time, it’s really better to borrow more money and buy some Qiongjiang Coin. The improvements from steady coin speculation are far more reliable than your superficial training, aren’t they?”

After multiple failed attempts at negotiation, a more intense argument erupted between them. Finally, with a loud bang, Ping Han was sent flying by Mo Shangjin’s palm strike. Mo Shangjin said coldly, “If you continue to ruin the team’s morale by having everyone obsess over Qiongjiang Coin all day, then leave the team.”

Standing up silently, Ping Han stared deeply at Mo Shangjin and slowly said, “Mo Shangjin! I have an opportunity to help everyone make money together, what’s wrong with that? You’ve already missed your chance, do you want us to earn less too?”

Mo Shangjin: “Get out.”

An invisible force sent Ping Han flying with a thud, like a meteor shooting out, covering hundreds of meters before finally crashing heavily to the ground.

Mo Shangjin looked at the other team members and said coldly, “Anyone else who shares his thoughts, leave now. If not, then focus on training from now on.”

Meanwhile, Ping Han slowly stood up, his heart boiling with rage: “Mo Shangjin, you may be stronger now because you’ve mastered military-grade martial arts. It’s fine that you kicked me out. Once my Military Certificate comes through, and I master the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power… I’ll wait for you to beg me to return.”

Inside the dormitory. Zhang Yu swung his fists and kicked, assessing his physical condition.

“My injuries are about 70-80% healed.”

“Looks like I’ll be able to go back to work at the construction site tomorrow.”

Just then, True Lord Magnetic Pole sent him a message.

True Lord Magnetic Pole: From now on, with your monthly cultivation allowance of 30 Spirit Coins, you can have magic artifacts custom-made by Ye Xingli.
True Lord Magnetic Pole: Ye Xingli will assign the orders to you, and then you can craft the magic artifacts for yourself.

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up as he read True Lord Magnetic Pole’s message. If he did this, wouldn’t the magic artifacts themselves and the funds for purchasing them all go to him?

“At most, I’d just pay for the material costs.”

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “This way, I can use the monthly 30 Spirit Coins allowance for alchemy.”

So, over the next few days, Zhang Yu returned to his routine, moving between the classroom, the construction site, the Spirit Realm, and the Taiqing Realm. Attending classes, working, studying civil engineering, taking alchemy courses, and practicing alchemy skills… these activities consumed almost all of Zhang Yu’s life. With more abundant financial support, Zhang Yu felt his alchemy skills advance by leaps and bounds, and an idea began to form in his mind. Zhang Yu looked at the “Chains of the Treasure Appraisal Art” and the “Alchemy Genius” sets in his mind and thought, “With more ample funds, perhaps I should also find some time to try cultivating alchemy cultivation techniques.”

As Director Gao had mentioned, the departmental Civil Engineering competition was indeed held earlier than expected. Zhang Yu, Shi Huaiyu, and their teammates still formed a team and participated in the first round of selections. The content of the selection round was the same as the previous year: high-speed sprinting within a chaotic force field, ultimately selecting the top 20 teams based on their overall performance. As for the battles among the top 20, they were scheduled for several days later. However, the battle roster had already been decided, and seeing his opponent for this round… slightly surprised Zhang Yu.

“Ma Xuan again?”

Zhang Yu recalled last year’s tough battle and his progress over the past year, thinking to himself, “This time it should be much easier.”

In Ma Xuan’s competition group chat.

Ma Xuan: Can’t believe our opponent is Zhang Yu again this time.
Su Yanyang: I’ll carry you all this time.
Su Yanyang: I’ve seen Zhang Yu’s level. His progress this year is probably far less significant than mine.
Ma Xuan: Haha, with the two of us teaming up and activating the Small Three Combination, we’ll definitely beat him and Shi Huaiyu.
Ji Yuanxu read the conversation in the group chat and felt secretly excited: “With Su Yanyang joining us, we’ll definitely beat Zhang Yu’s team. Then my overall score can catch up and even surpass his.”
Ma Xuan: Let’s discuss specific tactics.
Su Yanyang: Ever since our last defeat, I’ve thoroughly studied Zhang Yu’s fighting style and have already devised a winning strategy.
Su Yanyang: Although his tactics are annoying, they have major flaws. As long as we control him, the others are nothing to worry about.
Su Yanyang: What’s more, we’ve significantly increased our strength recently through coin speculation.
Ma Xuan, Ji Yuanxu, and the other team members watched Su Yanyang speak confidently, feeling that his analysis was exceptionally precise and his tactics well-prepared. The more they listened, the more confident and invigorated they became. But suddenly, Su Yanyang stopped sending messages. Ma Xuan waited a while, then called out to him in the chat, but there was no response. He sent a message: Old Su?
Ma Xuan: Where are you?
After a long pause, Su Yanyang finally replied: [cracked face emoji]
Su Yanyang: [bitter face emoji]
Ma Xuan: Speak properly, stop just sending emojis. What happened?
Su Yanyang: The Military Certificate results are out.