Ji Yuanxu looked at Zhang Yu’s social media feed with a bitter expression, muttering, “Darn it…” He seemed to foresee himself without even a chance to switch teams, failing to earn any overall points in this competition. He was falling further behind Gongshujin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xinghan. As the 5th-ranked student in the class, he would ultimately be dragged into endless darkness by seven credit cards.

Just then, Ji Yuanxu suddenly received a message.

Ping Han: Is your team still looking for members?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Li Xiao closed his chat with Ji Yuanxu and arrived at the construction site on the 668th floor. When he located Zhang Yu, he found Ying Xin already there, energetically helping Zhang Yu with the work.

Zhang Yu said, “Xiao Ying, I can do this work by myself.”

Ying Xin replied, “No, no need. I just love shoveling dirt. I’ve been doing it since I was little, and I feel uncomfortable if I don’t do it for a day.”

Watching this scene, Li Xiao was slightly surprised and exclaimed, “Ying Xin came so early?”

From the side, Gongshujin’s voice came: “Early? According to the security guards here, this fellow started helping Zhang Yu days ago.” Gongshujin sighed, “Having some soul-cultivating relatives at home does have its advantages, at least for staying well-informed. She’s probably one of the earliest students in our class to know that Zhang Yu could get the military certificate.”

As early as the day the military certificate exam ended, Ying Xin learned about Zhang Yu’s performance in the exam hall from her great-grandfather. Since then, she had appeared by Zhang Yu’s side from time to time. And just recently, people had been continuously sending Ying Xin messages, offering spirit coins to buy her substitute spot, with many prices tempting her greatly.

Li Xiao, standing by, sighed inwardly: “Ah, without Ying Xin’s background, I can’t even flatter them better. Ying Xin’s substitute position is becoming more and more secure.”

Just then, divine power surged in the sky. Under the gaze of Li Xiao, Ying Xin, and others, golden lights transformed into a staircase, appearing step by step in mid-air. Many workers nearby were also startled and looked over curiously.

Deng Bingding descended slowly with several righteous gods. Looking at Zhang Yu, he chuckled, “Congratulations, Student Zhang Yu. I’m here to present you with the Military Civil Engineering Certificate.”

At this moment, Zhang Yu had a calm and composed expression, while Ying Xin, Gongshujin, Li Xiao, and others beside him looked excited.

Tu Lishan had appeared beside Zhang Yu at some unknown point. Deng Bingding looked at Tu Lishan in surprise and asked, “And you are?”

Tu Lishan smiled slightly, “I am Tu Lishan, Zhang Yu’s basic civil engineering instructor.”

Deng Bingding nodded, “Teacher Tu has nurtured a pillar of talent for Wanfa University.”

Tu Lishan chuckled. He had made a special trip today specifically to stand beside Zhang Yu and take a photo when he received his military certificate.

Deng Bingding spread his palms, and a gleaming golden certificate, in the form of a spirit realm projection, appeared before Zhang Yu. “Student Zhang Yu, I wish you abundant wealth in the future, further progress on the path of immortality, and new contributions to Wanfa and Kunxu.”

The next moment, the military certificate transformed into a light image and was gently received by Zhang Yu. The moment Zhang Yu accepted the military certificate, he saw his overall departmental ranking sharply increase. This was the increase in overall points brought by the military certificate, which instantly raised him from his original position in the sixties to twenty-ninth place in the entire department.

Watching this scene, Gongshujin sighed inwardly: “If Zhang Yu weren’t only a junior, lacking the credits from advanced civil engineering courses, he wouldn’t be at this rank. My friend’s strength can no longer be measured by overall points or departmental ranking.”

Then Ying Xin, Gongshujin, and Li Xiao all gathered around Zhang Yu, who was holding the military certificate, to take a group photo, which they then each posted to their social media feeds.

Ying Xin: Senior Brother passed the military certificate exam. Wishing him all the best!

Gongshujin: My best friend got the military certificate! Celebrating with him today!

Li Xiao: Passed the military certificate exam as a junior! The pride of us first-floor residents!

Meanwhile, Tu Lishan received a message from Director Gao.

Director Gao: Has the military certificate been awarded?

Tu Lishan: Yes, Director.
Tu Lishan: [Military Certificate Award Photo]

Tu Lishan had accurately captured the awarding ceremony, also including himself and the entire construction site, forming a scene of a righteous god arriving at a construction site to present a military certificate to a student pouring concrete.

Director Gao: Nicely shot [Thumbs up]
Director Gao: Very much in line with the spirit of our Civil Engineering Department.
Director Gao: Post it in the group first.
Director Gao: Remember to also send it to the school’s news website and social media.

In the Civil Engineering Department Teachers’ Group:

Tu Lishan: Congratulations to Zhang Yu, a junior in our department, for successfully obtaining the military certificate [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]
Tu Lishan: [Military Certificate Award Photo]

Civil Engineering Teachers: [Thumbs up], [Surprised], [Fireworks]

Lang Yougong: Is this Director Gao’s disciple?

Another teacher replied: Director Gao is excellent at teaching! Both students in our department who’ve received military certificates are your disciples now.

Another teacher replied: Director Gao, please send a red packet!

Director Gao: This achievement is inseparable from the collective efforts of all colleagues. In the future, we must all work hard together, promote the spirit of civil engineering, and build a better Civil Engineering Department.

Director Lin watched the flattery from the teachers in the group coldly, thinking to himself, “Hmph, just one military certificate… Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d become the principal.”

He messaged Master Jiaolei: Keep trying to poach Zhang Yu. Tell him any terms are negotiable.

Director Lin thought to himself: “Even if I can’t poach him, I’ll still annoy you and see if it creates a rift between you.”

But Master Jiaolei quickly replied: It won’t work, Director. Zhang Yu has already signed a contract.

Master Jiaolei: I checked; the company has a connection to the Artifact Forging Department, and True Monarch Ciji is one of the shareholders.

Director Lin cursed inwardly: “Oh, Gao Chongguang, you talk a good game, but aren’t you just selling out our department’s talent and sending people to the Artifact Forging Department to make money?”

Master Jiaolei: Director, should I continue?

Director Lin: Stop for now.

At the construction site, the light image of the military certificate had vanished from others’ sight, appearing only within Zhang Yu’s ocular-bone vision. As he looked at the numerous details within it, Zhang Yu felt thoughtful.

Then he opened the continuously refreshing messages.

Yu Xinghan: Is the ceremony over?
Yu Xinghan: It’s infuriating, I’m working overtime and can’t make it.
Yu Xinghan: Tonight, you absolutely must hold the military certificate and take another photo with me.

Che Yufei: Senior, Shi Yunxiang and I discussed it. How about we pay you a team member fee?

Zhang Yu: You don’t need to call me senior.

Che Yufei: Your grades are so much better than mine, you are indeed a senior.

Seeing Zhang Yu’s delayed reply, Che Yufei suddenly felt conflicted and anxious. Thinking that several people were offering to buy his competition spot, he felt both tempted and troubled. “Do I want the ranking or the money?”

Shi Yunxiang: I’m replacing my heart artifact soon. Do you want the Lionheart?

Shi Huaiyu: Junior Zhang Yu! The Nectar Coins you bought with 100x leverage?
Shi Huaiyu: Holy crap, Su Yan Yang said he’s going to pay me for my kidney!?

Zhao Tianxing: Zhang Yu, can I take the picture from your social media feed and post it?

Feng Tingting: Junior! You’re in the news! [Congratulations to Zhang Yu, a junior in our school’s Civil Engineering Department, for receiving the Military Certificate]

Ye Xingli: [3 Spirit Coin Red Packet] Congratulations

Ye Xingli thought to herself, “Master said he values old connections… A red packet should count as a type of old connection, right?”

Zhang Yu quietly accepted the 3 spirit coin red packet from Ye Xingli, sighing to himself, “Why is Wanfa University so full of human touch? Is this really Kunxu?”

Just then, his gaze sharpened, and he noticed that Ma Xuan and Su Yan Yang had both added him as a friend.

Ma Xuan: Junior Zhang, are there still spots on the competition team? I’m willing to buy one, the price is negotiable.

Su Yan Yang: Bro, I was wrong.
Su Yan Yang: Can I buy a competition spot? I can offer 20 spirit coins.
Su Yan Yang: Don’t worry, I made money from crypto, I definitely won’t default.

Seeing Su Yan Yang’s offer, a hint of temptation arose in Zhang Yu’s heart. However, after a second thought about his teammates, he felt he couldn’t bring himself to say such a thing to them and could only shake his head helplessly.

Then Zhang Yu noticed someone calling him in the Songyang Fellow Villagers group chat. Zhang Yu clicked on it and briefly saw that at first, Lian Tianji was promoting Nectar Coins to everyone, and many people were complimenting him. But then Zhao Tianxing started speaking.

Zhao Tianxing: I recently participated in the military certificate exam and successfully helped my boss obtain the military certificate.

Lan Ling: A vocational student taking the military certificate exam? [Facepalm emoji]

Zhao Tianxing: [Military Certificate Public Roster]
Zhao Tianxing: Zhang Yu got the military certificate; I was just there to help him out.

Mo Tianyi: Old Zhao, your control of that Level 20 artifact was pretty good.

Lan Ling: Level 20 artifact?

Mo Tianyi: Old Zhao and I both went to control Level 20 artifacts. Even the soul cultivators we worked with were old graduates of Wanfa University.

Qian Shen: What’s Zhang Yu’s ranking now?
Qian Shen: Wanfa’s ranking system has problems!

Zhao Tianxing looked at the praises, curiosities, and various inquiries from his fellow villagers in the group. Especially when students from the 36 and 72 schools were consulting him, a vocational soul cultivator, a sense of pride and vindication swelled within him.

Then he looked up at the spirit realm space before him, no longer dark, and a wave of contentment washed over him. After adding another qualification of participating in the military certificate exam, his income had increased again in recent days, and he had moved from the previously dark space to reside in the spirit realm space before him. Looking at the pixelated walls around him and his own pixelated body, Zhao Tianxing smiled faintly, feeling that life was getting better and better.

At the same time, a blocky, pixelated roommate next to him messaged privately: “Old Zhao, can you introduce me to work with your fellow villager? I can pay you a commission. I’m about to enter my Mind-Melting Period, and I promise not to slack off.”

Another roommate on the other side also messaged privately: “Little Zhao, you’re so capable, you know the military certificate students from Wanfa. Can you introduce me to some work too? I’m at the end of my lifespan, so I guarantee I’ll work hard.”

Yet another roommate messaged privately: “I’ll give you half the commission. Introduce me to Wanfa, I just want to see what the Top Ten is like.”

Looking at the private messages, Zhao Tianxing instinctively wanted to scratch his head, then realized he couldn’t perform such delicate movements here. He felt a bit troubled, hesitating whether to refuse, but ultimately replied earnestly to each one: “I can help you ask, but I can’t guarantee success.”