Inside the spirit realm.

As the match time ran out, the final outcomes of the five duels were settled one by one. Among them, the most surprising result for the many teachers present was undoubtedly that of Zhang Yu’s team and Su Yan Yang’s team. In fact, one could say that Zhang Yu and his teammates had been consistently exceeding the expectations of many teachers ever since they defeated Ma Xuan’s team.

True Person Jiao Lei looked at Zhang Yu, Gongshu Jin, Ying Xin, and Yu Xing Han from his class, who, as sophomores, had secured a top 7 finish in the Civil Engineering Department’s competition. He thought to himself that his bonus for the year was going to be substantial. However, the smile that had just appeared on his lips vanished immediately as he glanced at Director Lin, who stood emotionless and silent nearby.

On the other side, Tu Li Shan had no such reservations. He laughed heartily and said, “It seems no matter how much money Su Yan Yang throws around, or how fancy his smart buildings get, it’s not as effective as the honest hard work of Zhang Yu and Shi Huai Yu.” Tu Li Shan was clearly delighted that his disciple, Shi Huai Yu, had secured seventh place. Originally, after this disciple went bankrupt from stock trading, he thought her immortal destiny was lacking and her future potential limited, believing that the resources he invested in her wouldn’t yield much return. But now, it seemed things had taken a turn for the better.

“However, I definitely can’t lend Huai Yu money for stock or crypto trading anymore.” Recalling Shi Huai Yu’s extreme exertions during the competition, pushing herself almost to the point of collapse, Tu Li Shan thought to himself, “I originally thought that after taking so many losses, she might change her impulsive personality. But it seems this habit won’t be broken anytime soon.”

Lang You Gong remarked, “I feel that Zhang Yu had another subtle breakthrough, both mentally and physically, in the final stage. This indicates that the greater the pressure, the better he performs.” Tu Li Shan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. He, too, had noticed that Zhang Yu, this young man, seemed to be the type who thrives under pressure and performs better when facing tougher challenges, whether it’s his construction style, construction system, cultivation path, or his personal character.

“Those of us in civil engineering truly need this kind of resilience.” Tu Li Shan thought to himself, “To further extract his potential, I should arrange some truly demanding tasks for this young man. For instance, unfinished buildings, forced demolitions, underground historical sites, environmental projects, or even those projects that haven’t been completed in hundreds of years… perhaps these could further accelerate his growth. But for now, given that this young man can advance the Profound Yellow Earth-Suppressing Seal to over level 10 and both the Demon-Slaying Life-Depleting Art and Nine Heavens Cloud-Soaring Force to a full level 20 in such a short time, his talent is truly rare. Director Gao probably won’t be comfortable sending him to overly dangerous places in the short term.” As he pondered, more plans on how to maximize Zhang Yu’s potential and profit streamed into Tu Li Shan’s mind.

Meanwhile, Director Gao, who was nearby, was reviewing the chat logs from Zhang Yu’s competition group. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “This kid, he’s actually spending his own money on his teammates? How many spirit coins does he even have? He’s acting like a rich person throwing money around!” What surprised Director Gao even more was that three of his classmates had also pitched in with money. Looking at Zhang Yu, Director Gao suddenly felt a sensation that was both unfamiliar and nostalgic, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

On the other side, True Monarch Magnetic Pole was also reviewing the communication logs of both competition teams. “Su Yan Yang is very skilled at achieving the best results with the lowest possible cost,” he mused. “Give him a 5 spirit coin budget for a project, and he might achieve a 10 spirit coin effect. If he were under me, I might have him manage a group of soul cultivators.”

“And Zhang Yu…” True Monarch Magnetic Pole slowly mused, “This young man, clearly not wealthy, yet he earns his teammates’ trust. Perhaps he has a talent for attracting investments and securing funding.” True Monarch Magnetic Pole knew that compared to talents in martial arts, artifact refining, or alchemy, the charisma that makes people trust you, and the ability to attract further investment even under high pressure and risk, are far rarer. “Give such a person 5 spirit coins, and they might lose it, but they might also create an effect worth 100 spirit coins. Currently, all the mighty figures in Kunxu who have amassed vast wealth by creating currency possess this extraordinary talent, capable of leveraging immense resources on their own.”

“Quite interesting.” True Monarch Magnetic Pole thought to himself, “But there’s no rush on this front. Let’s continue to cultivate him and see how far he can go. After all, it’s Director Gao’s money that’s being spent.” The thought made True Monarch Magnetic Pole even more satisfied. Free… that was what he liked most about Zhang Yu.

Meanwhile, Director Lin, on the other side, was replaying Zhang Yu’s special performances in the arena multiple times at a hundred times the speed. He mused, “This isn’t Gao Chong Guang’s style. The person guiding Zhang Yu… must be from either the Architecture Department, or the Artifact Refining Department, or the Talisman Department. He’s even throwing money to win people over? It seems Gao Chong Guang really gave him a lot of spirit coins.” At this thought, an idea welled up in Director Lin’s mind: “I wonder what price it would be to bring him under my wing?” Ever since the Finance Department became his backer, Director Lin had grown increasingly wealthy and audacious over the years. He thought to himself, “Let Jiao Lei talk to him. At least anything under 2.5 times Ji Yuan Shu’s price would definitely be a good deal. If it’s higher, we’ll have to consider other conditions…”

Concurrently, with the battle results revealed, the rankings after this round of matches emerged, based on each team’s building completion. First place was secured by Xuan Liang Tian’s team from the Peace Faction, second place by Mo Shang Jin’s team from the War Faction, and third place by the Neutral Faction. The remaining fourth and fifth places were taken by the Peace Faction, sixth by the War Faction, and Zhang Yu’s team ranked seventh. Thus, among the top seven, three teams belonged to the War Faction, three to the Peace Faction, and one to the Neutral Faction.

Currently, the Peace Faction’s overall performance seemed to have the upper hand, while the Neutral Faction appeared to be significantly lagging. Consequently, the Neutral Faction teachers all thought of Su Yan Yang. If Su Yan Yang had managed to squeeze into seventh place, the Neutral Faction’s results wouldn’t look so bad. Director Lin observed this scene and secretly thought, “We currently have the overall advantage, but Mo Shang Jin will definitely challenge Xuan Liang Tian and his team in the next round.” Director Gao simultaneously thought, “Next, the opposing side will surely try to wear down Mo Shang Jin and hinder his chances of a successful challenge.”

True Monarch Magnetic Pole privately messaged Director Gao: “Work’s done. Let’s go.” The next moment, True Monarch Magnetic Pole’s figure had vanished without a trace. Director Gao, seeing this, quickly replied: “Don’t forget the time for the next match.”

Outside the arena.

“Seventh place!” Seeing their team ranked seventh, Yu Xing Han excitedly clenched his fists, then burst into hearty laughter with Ying Xin beside him. On the other side, Gongshu Jin also let out a long breath, feeling that his spirit coins hadn’t been spent in vain.

Immediately after, Gongshu Jin began to borrow money. He thought to himself, “The team can get two ‘Seven Wonders,’ and Zhang Yu is definitely getting one. As for the other one… Shi Huai Yu originally had the best chance, but she probably doesn’t have any money left. As long as I bid enough, I’ll have a chance to secure it, and it shouldn’t be too expensive.” Gongshu Jin immediately understood that now was the time to compete based on immortal cultivation potential, bloodline ties, and family heritage.

Meanwhile, despite being covered in injuries, Che Yu Fei, Shi Yun Xiang, Tian Yang, and others nearby were all filled with a joyful atmosphere. Some were taking screenshots, others were posting on their social media, and some were updating their resumes.

Shi Huai Yu looked at Zhang Yu and said, “Your final rebar placement was truly terrible… I mean, terrible in a good way! It made it hard for them to dismantle and hard to recycle.”

“Stop, stop,” Zhang Yu quickly interrupted her. “Although we won this competition, it went against too much of my conscience and integrity as a civil engineer. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, I will never do such a thing again.”

Shi Huai Yu looked at Zhang Yu with a hint of admiration: “This guy… he’s as thick-skinned as Teacher Tu. He must have picked up a lot of scraps at construction sites.”

Just then, a heated argument erupted in the distance, as Su Yan Yang and his teammates began to quarrel. Shi Huai Yu turned her head with a hint of schadenfreude, watching Su Yan Yang surrounded by his teammates. A smile even crept onto her lips: “Ha, Su Yan Yang might have to rebuild his team next year.”

A furious shout came: “Su Yan Yang, by what right do you fine me? I think your leadership was the biggest problem! I said we should have just charged in and been done with it. The opponents couldn’t even defeat us. If we had just swarmed them, we might have won outright. It’s all your fault! Insisting on those smart buildings, those grand formations…”

Looking at his furious teammate, Su Yan Yang coldly stated, “My leadership was not the problem; it was your attitude towards the competition, especially yours… Both your combat duration and construction scale were the lowest on the team. According to team rules, you should be fined.”

The other person angrily retorted, “Wasn’t it you who sent me to clear the malevolent energy pollution right at the start? Then I ask you, did the data record how I cleared the malevolent energy pollution? And I’ll ask you again, did the data record your soul cultivator’s operational errors? Answer me!”

At the same time, the soul cultivators sent a message to Su Yan Yang: “Boss, you haven’t paid yet.” Su Yan Yang replied: “You have the nerve to ask for money with work like that? I’ve already applied for a refund.” After blocking the sender, Su Yan Yang continued to argue with his teammates, only to quickly receive a payment reminder from the intermediary company behind the soul cultivators.

Intermediary Company: “Mr. Su Yan Yang, if you insist on defaulting on payment, we will have no choice but to sue you.”

Simultaneously, a reply from Fa Hai Company appeared in Su Yan Yang’s mind’s eye.

Myriad Dao Craftsman Sect Customer Service: “Hello Mr. Su Yan Yang, according to the on-site information tracing, the Fa Hai did not malfunction. Rather, your internal meridians were invaded, thus your claim for compensation cannot be processed.”

Just then, the substitute players also approached, demanding that Su Yan Yang return their money. At that moment, Su Yan Yang felt his anger growing stronger and stronger. “A bunch of good-for-nothings, every single one of them holding me back.” At this thought, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with them anymore. He shoved his teammates aside with a bang and left by himself.