In the refining laboratory.

As the last trace of spiritual energy was injected into the Lihuo Furnace, faint traces of energy circuits appeared on the surface of the Azure Cloud Pouch.

Over the past few days, through Zhang Yu’s repeated refining, the material quality of the Azure Cloud Pouch continuously improved, and its internal energy circuits became increasingly complex and intricate.

The quality of this magic treasure also steadily rose to Level 7.

Not only did the range of the Azure Sand it could release increase from a dozen meters to several tens of meters, but its ejection speed, volume, and accuracy also significantly improved.

While it originally could only support 10 Formless Warriors, it could now stably support over 20.

Zhang Yu’s crafting mastery of the Azure Cloud Pouch had also reached Level 10 a few days prior.

Although it was a relatively basic magic treasure with straightforward crafting techniques, Zhang Yu still smiled faintly as he looked at the Azure Cloud Pouch in his hand.

This was the first magic treasure in his life that he had repeatedly refined, gradually enhancing its level.

“However, Level 7 is sufficient. I won’t have time to refine this magic treasure anymore.”

Zhang Yu’s next goal was the Grand Unity Golden Elixir, a magic treasure for the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, this time, facing a Foundation Establishment-stage magic treasure, he planned to change his approach.

“First, I’ll advance the crafting technique for the Grand Unity Golden Elixir to Level 20 in the Spirit Realm’s simulation laboratory. Then, I’ll return to the real world to refine this treasure, hoping to craft a Level 20 Grand Unity Golden Elixir in one go.”

In the Spirit Realm’s simulation laboratory.

“First, purify the Grand Unity Quintessence…”

“Then, use formations to stabilize the materials…”

“Next, extract…”

“Insert into the reaction cauldron…”

“And then, rune etching…”

In the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu formed hand seals, controlling a magic treasure called the Gold-Devouring Worm to etch runes onto the target material.

He knew that runes were a fixed pattern of spiritual energy circuits, capable of realizing the circulation of spiritual energy and accomplishing various functions through the most concise and effective means.

A long while later, a dull, grayish iron bead appeared before Zhang Yu.

It possessed no miraculous qualities whatsoever; even spiritual energy injected into it would immediately dissipate.

Watching this scene, Zhang Yu sighed to himself, “The first attempt… indeed failed?”

Although Zhang Yu had already mastered the prerequisite techniques for the Grand Unity Golden Elixir, his refining experience was still far too limited.

However, glancing at the Grand Unity Golden Elixir technique, already at Level 1 in his Feathered Book, Zhang Yu smiled slightly and began his next attempt.

In the following period, Zhang Yu commuted daily between the construction site and the Spirit Realm’s simulation laboratory, earning money while spending it.

Despite his income from the construction site and the spirit coins sent by Zhang Pianpian and Wen Wuya, Zhang Yu watched the balance in his account steadily decrease.

However, as a result, his refining skills also soared.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

It was now mid-February.

Inside the pharmaceutical factory’s office building.

Production Manager Qu Lecheng looked towards the construction site, his gaze sweeping over the thick, cloudy expanse, a hint of envy in his eyes.

“Zhang Yu’s life is truly enviable. Doing so much work alone, he probably earns five or six spirit coins a month, right?”

“He doesn’t have to manage anything, doesn’t need to worry about vocational college students maliciously dropping dead or taking malicious leave, nor does he have to fear disruptions to the export channels to the upper levels…”

Qu Lecheng knew that many of the factory’s medicines were sold to the upper echelons.

However, selling to the upper levels didn’t mean high profits; on the contrary, the profit margin on each product from the factory was very thin. Earnings primarily depended on volume.

“Alas, if the export volume to the upper levels is insufficient, the factory won’t just struggle to make a profit; it will be difficult to sustain itself.”

As for raising prices for the upper levels? Qu Lecheng wouldn’t even dare to think about it.

“However, if the scale of the university war continues to expand, selling more medicine to the teachers and students on the second floor should bring in more earnings…”

Just then, the turbulent clouds over the construction site suddenly settled. Qu Lecheng wondered, “It’s not off-work time yet, is it?”

Within the clouds, Zhang Yu had finally advanced the tenth cultivation method of the Martial Saint Body to Level 20, activating the final effect of this linked spell chart.

Ultimate Martial Saint Body (10/10): Understanding through one leads to understanding through a hundred. The more martial arts of the same type are cultivated, the greater the enhancement in related martial arts’ breaking, parrying, leveraging, evasion, destructive power, range, attack speed, attack frequency, and force penetration effects, up to the limit of Foundation Establishment.

“Finally…”

Looking at the effect of the Martial Saint Body’s final layer, Zhang Yu’s face broke into a smile, and he exclaimed inwardly, “Good! Powerful!”

Just by seeing the description of this final layer, Zhang Yu could discern the immense power of the Martial Saint Body.

As he subsequently unleashed the Xuanhuang Mountain-Suppressing Seal, Great Wilderness Mountain-Moving Force, Heaven-Overturning Seal, Demon-Slaying Life-Extending Art, Star-Cloud Meridian-Impacting Great Law, and other martial arts in succession, he increasingly felt the formidable might of the Martial Saint Body.

“Martial arts of the same type seem to be categorized by unarmed combat, qi manipulation, weapons, and so on.”

“The several martial arts I frequently use have all experienced a qualitative leap when performed.”

“Coupled with the Martial Saint Body’s first layer, ‘Combat Prowess,’ and the second layer, ‘Martial Arts Insight’…”

Zhang Yu believed that with the three effects of his current Martial Saint Body, he could defeat his past self (without the Martial Saint Body) within dozens of moves.

Of course, this assumes his past self without the Martial Saint Body also hadn’t activated the Earth-Wood Saint Body.

However, combat prowess was secondary; with the enhancement of the Martial Saint Body’s final layer, Zhang Yu was confident that his construction site income would increase once again.

But Zhang Yu also understood that his future expenses would be even greater.

“Cultivation of techniques will pause for now.”

“For the foreseeable future, I’ll leverage the Martial Saint Body at the construction site to generate income.”

“All the money I earn… will go into refining artifacts with full effort!”

Time flew by, and it was mid-March in the blink of an eye.

In the dormitory.

Zhang Yu’s palm lifted from Xuange’s back, as he sensed the Dao Seed he had copied from the other party.

Although his daily studies, work, and cultivation were already very demanding, Zhang Yu still occasionally made time to help Le Mulan’s classmate improve their spiritual energy quality.

Finally, on this day, he raised the other party’s spiritual energy quality to 150, successfully copying their Dao Seed.

Zhang Yu thought, “The Blazing Sun Dao Vein?”

Meanwhile, Xuange, feeling the surging fiery power within her, joyfully exclaimed, “My spiritual energy… it feels like it’s undergone a qualitative change?”

Zhang Yu nodded casually, glancing at the Dao Seed on her body, and thought, “Does a Level 2 Blazing Sun Dao Vein require 200 spiritual energy quality?”

He knew that spiritual energy quality became increasingly difficult to improve at higher levels, and achieving 200 spiritual energy quality was impossible in the short term.

So, after perfunctorily dismissing Xuange, Zhang Yu began to carefully perceive the effects of the Blazing Sun Dao Vein.

“It enhances the efficiency of qi circulation, improves physical movement efficiency, and also has a destructive heating effect…”

Zhang Yu spread his palm, looking at the invisible aura emerging from it, and wondered inwardly, “I wonder if this will help my refining.”

He looked at his Feathered Book; the Grand Unity Golden Elixir technique displayed there had already reached Level 12.

His savings, meanwhile, had reached 45 spirit coins.

In the cultivation building outside.

After completing the pharmaceutical factory project, Zhang Yu was assigned here for construction work.

The so-called cultivation building was one of the few places where the company grew Sky Essence Rice and Earth Qi Wheat.

Because most land was designated as medicinal fields to satisfy the demands of the upper echelons, the cultivation of Sky Essence Rice and Earth Qi Wheat was confined within the cultivation building, occupying the smallest possible area.

Despite its small size, as Zhang Yu walked through, he found the cultivation building heavily guarded both inside and out, feeling less like a farm and more like a treasury.

Che Yufei explained, “Personnel allowed to enter and exit the cultivation building are either colonel students or students from the Top Ten universities.”

“Forget about vocational college students; it’s rare to even see a lower-tier student.”

Zhang Yu curiously asked, “Why aren’t vocational college students allowed to farm?”

Che Yufei looked at Zhang Yu strangely and replied, “Vocational college students are fit for farming? How many of them could one handful of Sky Essence Rice hire? They’re so poor, would they even understand how to farm?”

“Farming is such a high-value job; at least colonel students are qualified to operate it, and the key techniques must be controlled by students from our Top Ten universities.”

Zhang Yu helplessly pursed his lips. “Alright, where do I need to repair?”

Although this current project offered higher pay than the pharmaceutical factory, the higher costs of outdoor network access forced Zhang Yu to suspend his artifact refining simulations in the Spirit Realm.

“I’ll save up some money here, then go back and continue cultivating.”

The Grand Unity Golden Elixir technique in his Feathered Book had now reached Level 17.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s savings had dropped to 35 spirit coins.

It was now April.

In the refining laboratory.

The cultivation building project was finished.

Not long after returning to the university town, he finally advanced the Grand Unity Golden Elixir technique to Level 20.

At this moment, with his qi flowing freely, he skillfully operated various instruments and equipment in the laboratory, commencing his first real-world refining of the Grand Unity Golden Elixir.

As the primary material, Grand Unity Quintessence, was tempered, purified, and shaped…

Afterward, Zhang Yu added various other precious materials into the reaction cauldron.

This time, just for the basic materials to refine the Grand Unity Golden Elixir, he spent 18 spirit coins.

The refining process for the Grand Unity Golden Elixir, which he had familiarized himself with repeatedly, was now being reproduced by Zhang Yu in reality.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, “In reality, relying on the Blazing Sun Dao Vein indeed makes purifying the Grand Unity Quintessence and controlling the heat of the Lihuo Furnace much easier for me.”

Finally, as a perfectly round golden orb gradually formed during the Lihuo calcination, Zhang Yu tapped out a stream of spiritual energy from his fingertip.

Inside the golden orb, layers of spiritual energy circuit light flashed, then completely receded.

“A Level 20 Grand Unity Golden Elixir…”

After inspecting the golden orb’s effects, Zhang Yu exclaimed with excitement, “It’s a success!”

As Zhang Yu injected spiritual energy into it, the Grand Unity Golden Elixir seemed to come alive, suddenly expanding and, following Zhang Yu’s will, transformed into a shapeless mass of shifting golden liquid.

Then, Zhang Yu enveloped it with his qi, and the golden liquid wrapped around the qi, changing with its form—at one moment a long sword, then a giant palm, then flowing down like a long river.

Ultimately, under Zhang Yu’s manipulation, the Grand Unity Golden Elixir enveloped the Formless Warriors, seemingly transforming them into golden armored divine generals.