Zhang Yu looked at Che Yufei and sent a private message: “Senior, how did you end up on this team?”

Che Yufei smiled and replied, “Tu Lishan introduced me.”
Che Yufei continued, “Do you know that Shi Huaiyu is Tu Lishan’s disciple? I asked you before if you had a competition team because I wanted to recruit you. Don’t be fooled that this team isn’t complete yet; Tu Lishan will definitely bring in more people.”

Zhang Yu was slightly surprised, thinking, “No wonder Tu Lishan introduced me. So he’s recruiting for his own disciple?”

Zhang Yu then asked Shi Yunxiang, who was standing nearby. Shi Yunxiang replied, “Old Che and I were both brought in by Tu Lishan.”
Shi Yunxiang explained, “His disciple originally had a competition team, but due to a conflict with the captain, she chose to quit and rebuild the team herself.”

Zhang Yu asked, “What kind of conflict?”

Shi Yunxiang replied, “During training, Shi Huaiyu’s kidney was ruptured by the captain’s collision. When assessing the damage, Shi Huaiyu demanded that the damaged kidney be fully replaced, or even replaced with a magical artifact. But the captain thought it could be repaired and continue to be used. Shi Huaiyu disagreed, believing that a kidney that had undergone major repairs would still have hidden problems even if fixed, and insisted on a new one. The two sides couldn’t agree on the price, and it ended up in a lawsuit. Shi Huaiyu then left the team.”

Zhang Yu’s heart sank upon hearing this, thinking, “That was close! Luckily, I didn’t cause any serious injury to Le Mulan yesterday. Indeed, as my strength grows, I must be careful with every action. I can’t let my increasing power lead to fewer friends in the end.”

Zhang Yu then asked, “What about her kidney now?”

Shi Yunxiang said, “She got a second-hand ghost kidney. The performance is fine; it’s just that you can occasionally see lingering thoughts from the previous owner.”

“A ghost kidney?” Zhang Yu thought, “It seems Tu Lishan’s disciple isn’t particularly wealthy.”

Zhang Yu, Che Yufei, and Shi Yunxiang were all experts in the Foundation Establishment realm, and their private chats using eye artifacts were extremely fast, completing their conversation in an instant.

At the same time, Shi Huaiyu looked at Zhang Yu and said, “Junior, you should also help call for people. See if you can recruit some more teammates.”

A moment later, Zhang Yu posted a message recruiting competition teammates on his social circle, which immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Li Xiao: “Senior Disciple Brother, do you think I’m suitable?”

Zhang Yu closed one useless dialogue box after another, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

Tian Yang: “Emergency competition? Does it pay?”

Tian Yang was the senior who had previously accompanied Manager Wang with Zhang Yu in the underground catacombs.

So Zhang Yu asked Shi Huaiyu, “I found someone, a senior from Class Seven, but he might charge money.”

Shi Huaiyu waved her hand and said, “I’ll talk to him; give me his contact information.”

Meanwhile, other students were still contacting Zhang Yu.

Gongshu Jin: “Can I be counted? Even as a substitute.”
Zhang Yu: “How much money will you give?”
Ying Xin: “Senior Disciple Brother, can I come?”

Zhang Yu thought about the urns at home and said, “I’ll try to reserve a substitute spot for you, but you know the rules.”
Ying Xin: “I understand! I’ll pay the substitute fee.”

Li Xiao: “Transfer 0.0001 spirit coins.”
Zhang Yu: “Xiao Li, I won’t accept this money from you. You’re different from others; focus on your studies first.”

In the Civil Engineering Competition, besides the six main players, three substitute players could also be registered. Because substitute players also contributed to the overall score, many teams capable of competing for top ranks would sell substitute player spots. Ma Xuan’s team had done the same before, but Zhang Yu didn’t get a share of the money then.

Yu Xinghan: “How much for a substitute spot?”
Zhang Yu: “The price hasn’t been set yet. I’ll discuss it with the team and let you know.”

Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly, thinking that the main team wasn’t even full yet, but there were so many substitute players that he couldn’t arrange them all.

Just then, another figure stepped into the simulated construction site. Seeing the newcomer, Zhang Yu and the others activated their Foundation Establishment Domains to observe.

A notification appeared: “Grand Cultivator in Foundation Establishment Realm, Xiao Qingxuan, is within 10 meters of you. Please be aware! This user’s debt has exceeded 10,000 spirit coins. He cannot repay any losses he causes you. Please maintain your distance!”

As the Foundation Establishment Domain manifested, Zhang Yu and the other three suddenly turned their heads. A man, two meters tall, with dark skin and wearing an assortment of spiritual artifacts, was slowly approaching.

Looking at this man and hearing about his debt of over 10,000 spirit coins, Che Yufei felt as if he were a debt black hole, frantically devouring everything around him; even light seemed to be swallowed. Che Yufei gasped in his heart, “Debt over 10,000 spirit coins? Is this guy a terrorist? He’s a colossal debt!”

Shi Yunxiang zipped backward, shielding the others, thinking, “Why! Why can someone who owes over 10,000 spirit coins appear alive right in front of us?”

Zhang Yu retreated behind Shi Yunxiang, thinking, “Are we seeing a ghost? No, even a ghost wouldn’t be here with so much debt…”

The man seemed accustomed to Che Yufei and the others’ tension. He simply looked at Shi Huaiyu and calmly said, “Tu Lishan introduced me. Are you still short on people?”

Shi Huaiyu’s eyes lit up. She looked at Xiao Qingxuan and said, “Don’t be nervous, everyone. Although Senior Xiao owes a lot of money, he’s not a dangerous person.”

Che Yufei cursed inwardly, “Someone this poor, with 10,000 spirit coins in debt, isn’t dangerous?”

Shi Huaiyu clarified, “He’s a company legal representative.”

Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang realized what she meant.

Che Yufei then asked, “You’re a student from Class Nine? Ranked 40th in the whole department? Why did you become a legal representative?”

Xiao Qingxuan didn’t speak. Instead, Shi Huaiyu explained, “When Xiao Qingxuan was at an outdoor construction site, he accidentally fell into an ancient tomb and was possessed by an ancient cultivator. Later, to regain control of his body, he found an opportunity to trick the ancient cultivator into becoming a company’s legal representative and taking on massive debt, which eventually scared off the ancient cultivator.”

Upon hearing Shi Huaiyu’s explanation, Zhang Yu and the other two looked at Xiao Qingxuan with extremely strange expressions. Although Shi Huaiyu said it simply, the three knew there were many intricate and exciting details behind it, especially since he was still attending school normally…

Fu Ji commented, “The depths behind this person are unfathomable.”

Shi Huaiyu joyfully said, “With Senior Xiao and Junior Zhang joining, plus Tian Yang… our team is complete!”

On the other side, after learning about the team’s composition, Tian Yang also recognized that this team had a chance to compete for the top ten and stopped discussing payment.

The three substitute spots were sold to Yu Xinghan, Gongshu Jin, and Ying Xin through Zhang Yu’s introduction. The six team members equally split the money from selling the substitute spots, each receiving 0.2 spirit coins.

“The team is complete, and the substitute spots are sold. Everything is finally on track.” Shi Huaiyu touched her ghost kidney, her eyes gradually burning with fighting spirit, and she thought, “Those guys… just wait and see.”

Once Tian Yang arrived, Shi Huaiyu addressed everyone: “It’s early September now, and the competition in early December is three months away. So, we’ll train once a week from now on. Everyone knows the competition rules, right?”

Zhang Yu nodded. The Civil Engineering Competition was a confrontational athletic event. When Team A and Team B competed, Team A would first carry out construction within a set time limit while being attacked by Team B. Then, Team B would perform construction under attack from Team A. Finally, the completion rate and quality of both teams’ projects would be compared.

Zhang Yu thought, “Another rule set that simulates a battlefield environment. The entire competition tests both teams’ construction abilities and their combat abilities.”

After Shi Huaiyu briefly explained the rules, she began assigning positions for the six-person team.

Just then, Xiao Qingxuan, who had been silent, spoke: “This person…”
Xiao Qingxuan pointed at Zhang Yu and said, “He’s only a sophomore now, which means he was just a freshman a few days ago, right? Are you sure you want a new student who just advanced from freshman year to compete? If we kick him out, we can probably find a stronger student, can’t we?”

Shi Huaiyu began to say, “Senior Xiao, Junior Zhang is class valedictorian, and also Dean Gao’s unofficial disciple…”

Xiao Qingxuan calmly said, “So he’s exceptionally rich? If that’s the case, I have no objections.”

Zhang Yu knew he couldn’t stay silent anymore. He stood up, looked at Xiao Qingxuan, and said, “That’s the thing… I’m not rich. I’m here mainly because of my own strength. It’s just that my year level and exam results limit my scores, preventing my ranking and overall score from fully showcasing my abilities. Moreover, I’m currently making rapid progress, and my strength will be even greater in three months.”

Xiao Qingxuan calmly said, “Talk is useless. In our Civil Engineering department, we prove ourselves by doing. Let me test you.”

As he spoke, Xiao Qingxuan struck out with a palm, and a torrent of violent, dragon-shaped gangqi surged out, kicking up dust and rushing towards Zhang Yu. As this dragon-shaped gangqi swept in, every claw, tooth, and whisker formed by the gangqi was lifelike, with even each scale clearly visible, like a true giant dragon. Zhang Yu understood that this meant the gangqi conductivity had surpassed 95%, allowing the gangqi to transmit power like one’s own flesh and blood, with unparalleled control and destructive force.

A formless warrior emerged, blocking the dragon-shaped gangqi, and punched towards the giant dragon. But in the next moment, the formless warrior was torn apart by the dragon-shaped gangqi, unable to even briefly hinder it. More formless warriors leaped out, charging towards the giant dragon like fearless fighters, only to be instantly shattered one by one.

Facing the descending giant dragon, Zhang Yu let out a low roar. His muscles bulged, gangqi surged, and various cultivation techniques circulated, raising his power to the extreme. Then he punched skyward.

With a loud bang, Xiao Qingxuan’s expression changed. He felt as if his palm first struck a ball of cotton, constantly being absorbed and deflected. After finally breaking through layers of gangqi, it was like hitting an incredibly hard nail. The dragon-shaped gangqi completely pierced through Zhang Yu’s body, slamming straight into the ground. Yet, Zhang Yu stood in place, completely unharmed.

Although Xiao Qingxuan was far from using his full strength, seeing Zhang Yu so easily block his attack still brought a hint of surprise to his eyes. “Such a resilient body,” he acknowledged. He nodded and said, “I recognize your strength. You’ll be fine in a defensive position.”

Just then, a formless warrior appeared beside Xiao Qingxuan. Zhang Yu chuckled and said, “Senior, you should take a move from me too.”

The next moment, accompanied by a dragon’s roar, the formless warrior unleashed a force that Xiao Qingxuan found incredibly familiar, striking him head-on.