Chapter 526: Ultimate—Artifact Refinement Prodigy (10/10)

That day, Zhang Yu arrived at True Lord Magneto’s laboratory as usual to assist in the research of the Nascent Soul Law Husk. But before he could begin, True Lord Magneto suddenly asked, “You plan to directly compete with Jin Jun for the Military License of the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype?”

Clearly, the matter had already reached her ears.

Zhang Yu nodded. “Yes.”

True Lord Magneto pondered for a moment and said, “There are quite a few eyes on me right now.”

“After all, I’m aiming for Nascent Soul promotion, but many people don’t want Wanfa University to gain another Nascent Soul cultivator.”

“Since you’re my disciple, they’ll naturally keep an eye on you as well.”

“If you participate in the prototype’s evaluation, you’ll likely draw even more scrutiny—perhaps even deliberate obstruction. They’ll hold you to harsher standards.”

True Lord Magneto chose her words carefully, explaining the situation to Zhang Yu.

To her, if Zhang Yu managed to secure the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype, it would slightly aid her own ascension.

But if he made any mistakes during the review—especially ones tied to her—then it would instead become a burden.

The worst-case scenario would be Zhang Yu trying to outdo Jin Jun through dishonest means—like proxy refinement or falsified components.

Though she didn’t think Zhang Yu would be that foolish, the stakes were too high not to warn him.

As Zhang Yu listened obediently, his gaze drifted toward True Lord Magneto’s chest, where her Dao Seed grew ever clearer. The words “Heavenly Craft Opens Creation” gleamed faintly upon it, carrying profound meaning.

He thought, “To copy this Dao Seed, I’ll need to refine an artifact of level 30 or higher alongside True Lord Magneto?”

That requirement was far more demanding than any Dao Seed he had attempted before.

After all, with his current artifact refinement skills, he could at best create a level 20 artifact.

“Level 30 and above—that’s something only Nascent Soul cultivators can achieve.”

“Does that mean I’ll have to wait until I reach the Nascent Soul Realm to copy her Dao Seed?”

He frowned slightly. That would be far too slow.

Then another thought came to him. “What if I became her assistant—helped her in one of her artifact projects? Would that count toward fulfilling the condition to copy the Dao Seed?”

He figured it should.

So he began to probe the topic subtly. But he soon discovered… there wasn’t a single artifact project where he qualified as an assistant.

“The difference in our refinement skill is just too vast.”

“Sigh, there must be some way to participate without needing high refinement skill…”

As he pondered, his eyes fell upon the Nascent Soul Law Husk nearby—and inspiration struck.

“Unless, like now, I become part of the experiment itself—the very material used in the project…”

Thinking that, he suddenly said, “Teacher, this Law Husk only has Yin Artifacts but no Yang Artifacts?”

True Lord Magneto gave him a sharp look. “What are you getting at?”

She’d already noticed the boy’s shifty eyes earlier and knew he was scheming something.

Zhang Yu said, “I was just thinking—Yin and Yang must be balanced. Wouldn’t adding a Yang Artifact advance the experiment further?”

True Lord Magneto said flatly, “You think I haven’t tried? Ordinary Law Husks are useless.”

Zhang Yu stood straighter. “That’s why we shouldn’t use ordinary ones!”

Her gaze flickered. “You mean… refining a Law Husk from your own body parts?”

Zhang Yu froze and quickly waved his hands. “That’s not what I meant! I meant, just use mine as a reference…”

But True Lord Magneto was already murmuring, “Indeed, one experimental body alone is too few—it’s slowing the project. If I could refine certain parts of your body into Law Husks and make copies, the progress might greatly improve.”

A faint smile appeared on her face as she reached out toward Zhang Yu, as if to take a closer look.

Zhang Yu quickly protested, “Teacher! What if it fails? What if altering my body causes the Nascent Soul Law Husk to reject the experiment?”

“Better to use my data first—build a bionic Law Husk from new materials, just to test it.”

True Lord Magneto considered it and nodded. “That makes sense.”

Zhang Yu quietly exhaled in relief. “That should count as refining an artifact together with my teacher, right?”

…

By late July.

In Ye Xingli’s laboratory, electric arcs flashed between Zhang Yu’s palms as he used the Five Thunder Emergency Refinement Technique to carve mana circuits into a secondhand artifact.

That technique marked the tenth and final set of skills needed to complete his “Artifact Refinement Prodigy” talent.

When the last cycle of the technique finished and reached level 20, the final layer activated.

Ultimate—Artifact Refinement Prodigy (10/10): The more and higher your mastered crafting techniques, the faster your refinement speed—up to a twofold increase.

Zhang Yu’s eyes brightened. “Perfect. For the upcoming Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype, I’ll need to study plenty of blueprints anyway.”

“The more I learn, the faster I can refine—this will massively speed up the prototype construction.”

He reviewed the earlier layers of his prodigy ability: “First layer doubles blueprint learning speed.”

“Second layer enhances artifact quality while reducing cost.”

He glanced around the lab and thought, “Time to leave here and begin studying the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype.”

Not far away, Ye Xingli had just completed another experiment. She detached her hands and passed them to Ziyun Zhen.

Those were her specialized Law Husk hands—used for safety in artifact purification projects.

Ziyun Zhen accepted them reverently, gazing at them like priceless works of art. Every inch gleamed with refined beauty.

After all, as a genius of the Artifact Refinement Department, Ye Xingli’s Law Husk components were objects of study for many. Each viewing offered fresh insight.

Having replaced her hands, Ye Xingli casually pulled out a chunk of cement and took a bite, grimacing slightly.

Zhang Yu asked, “Senior Sister, are you filming a video?”

Ye Xingli took another two bites and nodded. “Mm. Most of my followers are lower-academy or junior college students. They love watching me eat cement.”

Then she began slapping her legs, showing off her starlit prosthetics—the luminous Law Husk limbs that made her a sensation online.

Zhang Yu had learned that Ye Xingli had over three million fans in the Spiritual Realm Network—an influencer, through and through.

Once, cultivators aspired to be sword cultivators, alchemists, or talisman masters…

Now, the most desired profession was “influencer.”

The money came fast and easy.

According to Ye Xingli, “I don’t even know why they’re so stupid. I just post a clip of my Law Husk, and those idiots start liking, promoting, and throwing ads at me.”

She chuckled. “In real life, it’s best not to get involved with lower-academy or college students. But in the influencer world—those who win over college students win the world.”

“They’re the biggest demographic, the most eager to idolize the rich, and they crave some spiritual or Dao Heart sustenance.”

After a few casual remarks, she turned to her ocular module.

Her interest in Zhang Yu stemmed entirely from True Lord Magneto’s high regard. Once she heard that her teacher described Zhang Yu as “sentimental,” she decided to adjust her own interaction style accordingly.

Now, she used the “Poor Person Simulator”—an app within her ocular interface—to guide conversations.

Whenever she input what Zhang Yu said and the current setting, it generated recommended responses suited to a “poor man’s mindset.”

Poor Person Simulator: Offer the cement to the other party. Ask if he’d like to try a bite.

Poor Person Simulator: Reminder—this simulator mimics poor-person mentality, speech, and reactions for entertainment purposes. Do not fully internalize its output, or you risk actually becoming poor.

Poor Person Simulator: Warning—once you become poor, you can never go back.

Ye Xingli handed him the cement. “Want a bite?”

Zhang Yu shook his head. “Senior Sister, I’ll be leaving the lab for a while. I’m going to start studying the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype blueprints.”

To master the prototype’s design, he needed to study all its component schematics—each representing a different field of technology.

Unlike cultivation techniques, blueprint study could be accelerated through simulation in the Spiritual Realm.

So he planned to head into the Supreme Purity Realm to speed up the process.

As he bid Ye Xingli farewell, his gaze flickered briefly over the spiritual energy core glowing in her chest.

He thought, “Spending the past two months with her every day wasn’t for nothing.”

But he knew that, for a while, he wouldn’t be able to keep her company.

To build the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype, there were three main stages:

First, study the blueprints and master the technologies.

Second, craft the prototype at level 1.

Third, gradually upgrade it level by level.

“If I want to secure the Military License, I’ll need to push it to at least level 11—ideally level 15 or higher—for a solid pass rate.”

“Then there’s the timing of the evaluation.”

“If Jin Jun applies before me, I’ll have to apply at the same time.”

“Otherwise, if he passes first and takes the only license slot for this academic year, I’ll have to wait for the next.”

With that thought, Zhang Yu picked up his pace, said his goodbyes, and left the lab.

Watching him go, Ziyun Zhen thought, “He’s really going to compete with Jin Jun?”

“It’s been two months since they last met, and he’s only starting the blueprints now? Can he even make it?”

A few days later, Jin Jun also thought of Zhang Yu. “That guy still hasn’t shown up?”

He messaged Ziyun Zhen: “Is Zhang Yu still in your lab?”

Ziyun Zhen: “He left a few days ago. Said he’s going to study the Heaven-Sun Radiance Divine Prototype blueprints.”

Jin Jun chuckled at the reply. “Starting now?”