After a long silence, Ma Xuan finally replied to Cong Na, “No need to change.”

He continued, “Ultimately, we are the main force. Ji Yuan Shu’s standing, whether slightly stronger or weaker, makes little difference.”

“Furthermore,” Ma Xuan added, “Zhang Yu has not trained with us for a considerable time. Re-establishing our tacit understanding would be a troublesome matter. Let’s just stick with Ji Yuan Shu.”

Though Ma Xuan offered a litany of explanations, he understood in his heart that his decision to keep Ji Yuan Shu was not due to these reasons.

Gazing at the ranking chart, Ma Xuan mused internally, “The old director’s lifespan is nearing its end…”

Ma Xuan was aware that the current prominence within the Civil Engineering Department lay with Director Lin of the Peace Faction and Director Gao of the War Faction.

As for the true, official director of the Civil Engineering Department, who was also the leading figure of Ma Xuan’s own faction, his finances had been in deficit for the past decade or so, gradually making it impossible to afford the cost of extending his life. It could be said his lifespan was about to be exhausted!

“The Finance Department can provide the old director with a loan!”

Ma Xuan thought to himself, “For the sake of this loan, the old director, who was originally neutral, has already decided to side with the Peace Faction!”

Ma Xuan understood that compared to the individual scores of the students, the departmental factions held far greater importance!

Just then, Cong Na’s reply arrived, “In that case, Zhang Yu might quit the team.”

Ma Xuan responded, “Then there is nothing that can be done.”

Within the hundred-square-meter suite on the 450th floor, Ji Yuan Shu read the message sent by Ma Xuan in the competition team, and his internal organs trembled uncontrollably!

He struggled to suppress it, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not. Finally, with a ‘噗’ sound, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, and the aura around his entire being weakened at an astonishing speed!

At this moment, with the announcement of the scores, he was no longer the number one in people’s hearts!

The crowd’s confidence in him constantly dissipated, and the luck he had suppressed in his mind scattered and fled!

Even the luck he had initially contained, the confidence people had in him as a sixth-layer student in the past… also began to dissipate significantly!

Feeling the change in the luck within his body, Ji Yuan Shu thought bitterly, “These fellows, I merely spoke a few flattering words, and they would have expectations of me exceeding my actual strength!”

“And once I fail, they immediately despise me and attempt to trample me into the mud, constantly lowering their judgment of my strength!”

Ji Yuan Shu let out a cold laugh, knowing that whether it was luck or people’s hearts, it was always like this: either overly overestimated or overly underestimated. There was never any objective evaluation!

However, feeling the backlash within his body at this moment, a hint of bitterness still flickered across Ji Yuan Shu’s face!

Originally, when he displayed his strength, guided people’s hearts, and gathered luck, under the blessing of luck, his magic power operation became smoother, his Dao heart became more flawless, and even the Qi and blood in his physical body became more vibrant. His thinking and memory were even enhanced to varying degrees!

Now, after the backlash of luck, not only were these blessings gone, but instead, his magic power operation became sluggish, his physical body’s reactions were somewhat slow, and his thinking and memory all experienced varying degrees of decline!

It was as if his entire state had suddenly plummeted into a valley!

But this was still not the most terrifying!

Ji Yuan Shu attempted to circulate the techniques within his body, only to find that the techniques that were originally effortless to perform now made constant mistakes when executed, and he could not get into the right state!

Techniques that were originally at the fifteenth or eighteenth level could only display the effect of the tenth or even the eighth level!

All of this caused his strength to suffer a severe regression!

“At least one or two months will be needed to gradually recover!”

“This will delay many courses and also delay the enhancement of basic data!”

Numerous messages flickered in and out of his vision from time to time, but Ji Yuan Shu was unwilling to look at a single one!

He knew they were nothing more than some people’s snide remarks, ridicule, and mockery, or certain people’s showing off and bragging. However, he had no choice but to look at the message sent by Director Lin!

Director Lin: The matter of the Finance Department, put it aside for now.

Director Lin: Next, focus on learning Civil Engineering.

Director Lin: You must suppress Zhang Yu, and cannot let him get first place again in terms of learning.

Director Lin: And, when he goes to get his military certificate in a few years, you go and push him down.

Seeing the words of Director Lin, Ji Yuan Shu’s heart thumped, and he felt as though his most worried matter had still occurred!

“Not letting me transfer to the Finance Department…”

As early as before Ji Yuan Shu even attended high school, he knew his future goal was to test into Wan Fa University, then study the Three Absolutes in the Civil Engineering Department, and then transfer to the Finance Department. This could be said to be his life’s plan, a goal he had paid countless days and nights, countless prices to achieve!

But at this moment! This life plan had been completely overturned!

“Staying to learn Civil Engineering, huh…”

“Master, do you not know what learning Civil Engineering means?”

“It was you who said not to let me wallow in the mud pit of Civil Engineering!”

He repeatedly looked at the message sent by Director Lin, and Ji Yuan Shu seemed to feel the deep disappointment in the other party’s words, both overtly and covertly, towards himself!

Beyond that, he still read another meaning from it!

“Wanting me to stay in the Civil Engineering Department to hinder and snipe at Zhang Yu, huh…”

Ji Yuan Shu let out a bitter laugh, knowing that at this moment… he had already transformed from a long-term investment into a short-term investment!

He had never in his life wished for someone to die as much as he wished for “Zhang Yu” to die!

But Ji Yuan Shu understood that even killing Zhang Yu would be useless. Only by defeating his opponent openly and honestly, and obtaining a higher ranking with absolute strength, would it be possible for him to regain his master’s heavy regard!

Defeating Zhang Yu was just the first step!

“I want to graduate as the top student of the entire department, then pursue postgraduate studies in the Finance Department, and return to the right track of life!”

Feeling the weakness within his body, Ji Yuan Shu muttered to himself, “But to achieve this step, I need stronger assistance!”

With a determination gradually forming in his heart, a strange dialogue box appeared in Ji Yuan Shu’s vision!

Ji Yuan Shu: The wish you spoke of, I agree to it.

Ji Yuan Shu: Tell me how to conduct the ritual.

At the construction site on the 667th floor!

The double-headed white bull in Zhang Yu’s mind roared, and his Limitless Heart Inner Dharma Body was instantly activated to the eleventh level!

Feeling the even faster speed of his thought processes, Zhang Yu continued to multitask, checking the messages that popped up in his vision from time to time while simultaneously operating his Gang Qi and working at the construction site!

At the same time, the Heart Method and the Spirit and Flesh Unity realm within his mind continued to operate, growing stronger step by step!

In the blink of an eye, the night passed. When Zhang Yu returned to the new dormitory, he found that besides himself, everyone else had not yet arrived!

He first took the portion of the prepared medicinal pills for himself and ate them. Not long after, he saw Yu Xing Han return to the dormitory with a trace of a smile!

He heard Yu Xing Han say, “I have successfully taken on a master.”

As a passer of the first-layer Foundation Building exam, Yu Xing Han also had the same right to specify a mentor as Zhang Yu!

However, just like the Magnetic Pole True Person, the mentor Yu Xing Han chose also imposed a requirement on him: his academic year ranking had to be within the top five of his class. If he failed to meet the other party’s requirement, even if Yu Xing Han specified the other party as his mentor, he would not receive any teaching!

So, after the final scores came out yesterday, Yu Xing Han took his scores to find the other party and finally smoothly became his disciple!

Zhang Yu asked curiously, “Which mentor?”

Yu Xing Han replied, “It’s Professor Gong, who researches construction site health management!”

“Ah?” Zhang Yu was surprised to hear this!

Construction site health management? And researching this kind of thing, can it have any prospects?

Yu Xing Han seemed to understand Zhang Yu’s surprise and explained, “Professor Gong is a newly appointed professor!”

“But this doesn’t mean Professor Gong is weak!”

“You must understand, with the increasingly prosperous development of immortal cultivation, the research in various professions has also become more complex and difficult. Subdivided fields are becoming more and more numerous, and many research directions are very obscure. Achieving results is also becoming increasingly difficult!”

“The fact that he can forge a Golden Core and become a professor in this era only indicates that his talent is even more terrifying than those Golden Core True Persons of a few decades or centuries ago!”

“Heh heh, and I am indeed interested in the things he researches!”

Just as Yu Xing Han and Zhang Yu were chatting, Li Xiao called out to them from outside, specifically coming over to attend the first class of their second year with them!

Yu Xing Han opened the door, and looking at Li Xiao before him, he suddenly paused slightly, staring at the other party’s hands and saying, “You’ve changed your Dharma Artifact?”

Li Xiao smiled and said, “En, I saved up spirit coins the hard way and changed to the hand portion of the Vajra Profound Armor Dharma Artifact!”

“No,” Yu Xing Han questioned, “How did you manage to buy the Vajra Profound Armor? It’s not fake, is it?”

Li Xiao replied, “How could I buy fake goods? It’s genuine Vajra Profound Armor!”

Looking at the information about the Dharma Artifact sent by the other party, Yu Xing Han said angrily, “How can you be so vain? Why bother buying the Vajra Profound Armor? Are you someone who uses Vajra Profound Armor? It’s not zero down payment and a thirty-year installment! If you carry on like this, people outside will only think you’re using fakes.”

Looking at Li Xiao’s branded Dharma Artifact, Yu Xing Han only felt that his good mood from earlier had vanished!

But the next moment, looking at the content of the Dharma Artifact information, Yu Xing Han suddenly laughed again, “Second-hand, huh!”

Yu Xing Han patted his chest and thought to himself, “Damn, you scared me to death. I thought you had also leveled up and your loan limit had increased!”

He smiled broadly and patted Li Xiao’s shoulder, praising him, “Second-hand is good! It’s practical to use, and the performance isn’t much different from new ones!”

“As university students, we should be mindful of being thrifty and frugal. Spend when you should, and save when you should!”

Just as Yu Xing Han and Li Xiao were chatting, Zhang Pian Pian also returned to the dormitory!

Zhang Yu swept a glance at the top of her head and discovered that the senior sister, now in her fourth year, had already become the 44th ranked in the Talisman Department’s Foundation Building realm!

“Senior Sister has progressed again!”

“But this should still not be her true strength, right? I remember she wanted to control her score!”

Zhang Yu could imagine that Zhang Pian Pian would progress gradually like this, entering the front ranks of the entire department at a relatively gentle pace!

Next, Zhang Yu looked towards Zhang Pian Pian’s chest again, looking at the Dao Seed, the Grand Clarity Talisman Seal!

Last night, when his deposit amount broke through 56 spirit coins, he finally had the opportunity to activate this Grand Clarity Talisman Seal!

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “It’s time to have a chat with Senior Sister!”

So, Zhang Yu sent a message to Zhang Pian Pian: Senior Sister, are you short of money?

Zhang Pian Pian: Why do you suddenly think of asking this?

Zhang Yu: Before, you were only ranked in the top 50 of the entire department, but your living place and the things you use are all very ordinary.

Zhang Yu: You must be always saving money, wanting to spend it on something big.

Zhang Pian Pian was not surprised by this, after all, it was not a difficult conclusion to guess. She casually replied: Do you want to lend me money?

Zhang Yu: I now have 56 spirit coins. How much do you need?

Zhang Pian Pian was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting Zhang Yu to have saved so many spirit coins without using them!

This was definitely a huge sum for a university student, enough to cause brothers to turn against each other and fathers and daughters to become enemies!

Zhang Pian Pian looked deeply at Zhang Yu and sent a message: You yourself don’t use it? Are you willing to lend it to me?