Chapter 271: Fu Ji Upgrades, Passing the Second Level

Hearing Fugi's voice in his mind, Zhang Yu was first startled, then delighted. "You're finally awake," he thought to himself.

Fugi, as if hearing his thoughts directly, replied, "Yes, I'm awake. But it seems I've been asleep for quite a while."

Zhang Yu paused slightly at her words, then thought, "You can sense my thoughts?"

Fugi chuckled. "Relax, it's not mind-reading. It's just that now, I can communicate telepathically with my believers. Not only can my voice enter your mind, but your thoughts, which you wish to convey to me, can also be perceived by me. From now on, there's no need to text me on your phone in public. After all, I've gained a lot this time. I've recovered from a Tier 1 minor evil god to the rank of a Tier 2 evil god. Hehe, the Eight Divisions also call evil gods of this rank 'Wandering Evil Shadows.'"

Zhang Yu tried transmitting a thought to her: "Why did you sleep for so long this time?"

Fugi replied, "It's because the process of capturing my colleague was too rushed, wasn't it? It took a lot of effort to seize him, then I fought him for half a day, and finally, after much difficulty, I defeated him. Then, while digesting and recovering, it took a very, very long time for me to awaken. But at least I've recovered to the rank of a Tier 2 evil god, hehe... Now I don't have to constantly fall asleep to hide from the righteous gods. In most cases, I don't need to worry about being discovered."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, then asked a crucial question: "So, can you boost my potential again?"

Fugi said nothing, but Zhang Yu felt an evil power surge from the black bead that Fugi had transformed into. It flowed up his arm, over his shoulder, his neck... finally rushing into his sea of consciousness.

The next moment, Zhang Yu felt a slight pain in his palm. He opened his palm and saw a translucent symbol forming within it.

"It's similar to the symbols that appeared when the Feather Scripture first manifested and when it later upgraded to reveal the Chain Dharma Diagram, but this one is far more complex," Zhang Yu thought.

However, this time, the translucent symbol didn't fill rapidly as it did when the Chain Dharma Diagram appeared during the last upgrade. Instead, it was slowly being filled with black, little by little, just like when the Feather Scripture first appeared.

Zhang Yu estimated, "It will probably take three or four days to be completely filled. Presumably, only then will a new page of the Feather Scripture open."

After boosting Zhang Yu's potential, Fugi then asked, "What about Bai Zhen Zhenren? I should help her upgrade too... Speaking of which, why are you on a flying ship? Where are you going?"

Zhang Yu then recounted what had happened while Fugi was asleep.

Hearing that Bai Zhen Zhen had awakened a divine spirit root, was taken to Heavenly Sword University, and became a disciple of Lord of Seven Emotions, Fugi was astonished. "Hmm? Heavenly Sword University. Is Zhen going to be refined into a divine spirit root flying sword?" she wondered. "Sigh, I already advised Zhang Yu to extract the True Spirit Root for his own use. Now it's been snatched away, a complete miscalculation of investment. But it might not be a divine spirit root flying sword after all. Her spirit root can evolve. If I were the investor, I'd at least cultivate it into an immortal spirit root, and then refine both the person and the root instantly. Besides, taking in a divine spirit root disciple like this can boost one's reputation. Perhaps other poor cultivators with innate spirit roots might emerge, following suit? Damn it, thinking about it like this makes it an even bigger loss."

Although Fugi wasn't familiar with the Lord of Seven Emotions' background, could any Incarnation Stage cultivator in Kunxu be truly good? Trusting an Incarnation Stage lord was less reliable than making a wish and vowing to her, Fugi. Yet, despite her continuous lamentations and feeling like she'd suffered a terrible loss, Fugi didn't dare voice her suspicions in front of Zhang Yu. After all, in her view, even if Zhang Yu knew, it would be useless and would only hinder his cultivation.

"Good thing last time when I analyzed Wang Yin's self-destruction of his Foundation Establishment cultivation, I only told him that severing the spirit root after Foundation Establishment would destroy it, but I didn't tell him about refining the person along with the root. Hmph, True Monarch Xinghuo also kept quiet. It seems he understood that this matter shouldn't be spoken of too much."

Her thoughts flashed and concluded in an instant, and Fugi already smiled, "That's wonderful news, truly wonderful! Zhen has truly stumbled upon good fortune, caught the eye of an old Incarnation Stage monster. Her cultivation is sure to advance by leaps and bounds from now on. Zhang Yu, you must keep up as well. Otherwise, you won't be able to enter their circle later. Then, when you send congratulatory messages during holidays, they won't even reply to you."

Zhang Yu pursed his lips, thinking, "Zhen isn't that kind of person. Besides, there's no need for us to send holiday greetings to each other. If something comes up, a simple word is enough."

Zhang Yu thought, "While in Layer 1, Heavenly Sword University didn't allow anyone to contact Zhen for safety reasons. But once we reach Layer 2, I should be able to contact her. After all, Zhen also said she would come find me then."

Just then, Xiong Wenwu's loud shout came from ahead: "How long are you going to keep me pinned down? This is discrimination against demon descendants!"

The staff member pinning him down sneered, his muscles rippling as a leopard print pattern became visible on his skin. Then the staff member said, "Discrimination against demon descendants? I'm a demon descendant myself, why would I discriminate against my own kind? Let me tell you, I discriminate against all of you from Layer 1."

With that, he pointed to his own eyes, then to everyone present, warning, "Remember, I'll be watching all of you closely. You'd best not have any ill intentions. Otherwise, if you try to bring anything inappropriate through, I will surely catch you."

Amidst the commotion, Le Mulan, Qian Shen, Song Hailong, and the others around them all watched silently. Some had passed the Top Ten exam, some the 36 Colonels, some the 72 Lieutenants, and others were planning to enter a specialized college. All were traveling together on the flying ship to the Ascension Platform. Yet, standing before the staff members, they all shared a single identity: people from Layer 1. Of course, this excluded soul cultivators like Zhao Tianxing, as he and other soul cultivators were inside the cargo containers.

Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan watched the scene, clenching his fists tightly, a hint of indignation in his eyes.

Zhang Yu patted his shoulder, comforting him, "Hanzi, don't get worked up. Didn't Old Deng say it? People from above are just like that; they look at those from below as if they're beggars. We just need to endure for a while and work hard up there... Once we endure long enough... to act like locals from Layer 2 so convincingly that we aren't recognized as Layer 1 people, we won't be discriminated against anymore."

Yu Xinghan said, "I know everything you're saying. I'm not agitated, I'm just afraid..." He touched his stomach and asked, "Do you think I should take out all the synthetic food hidden in my rectum?"

"What the hell!" Zhang Yu quickly moved several meters away from him. "If you're going to get yourself killed, don't drag me into it. Didn't Master tell you about the food carrying limits?"

Yu Xinghan said helplessly, "Didn't I just want to bring more, save more once we get up there, and take a few more steps on the path to immortality in the future? Didn't you hear Master say that one cup of water up there is worth many days of living expenses down here? Besides, I hid it in my rectum. Even if they find it, I'll just say I like to eat without unwrapping the packaging and swallowing it whole..." At this point, Yu Xinghan still shook his head, lacking confidence. "Never mind, I'll just take it out and eat it now."

Shortly after Yu Xinghan left, Le Mulan approached again and invited Zhang Yu, "Going to eat? I heard the food provided on the flying ship is in the Layer 2 dining style. Shall we try it together?"

Zhang Yu asked, "Is it expensive? Can we use Layer 1 currency?"

Le Mulan replied, "I checked. Although it's Layer 2 dining style, they use Layer 1 ingredients and accept Layer 1 currency."

Relieved, Zhang Yu followed Le Mulan to the flying ship's restaurant, but he was a bit stunned the moment he saw the menu.

"Combined Dosing Capsules... Three Forces Elixir... Needlepoint Gaze..."

Even Zhang Yu, who had tasted many famous Kunxu dishes, was somewhat taken aback. "These are all medicines, not food, damn it!"

Just then, Li Xuelian walked over and sat down beside them, saying casually, "The food industry on Layers 2, 3, and 4 has long been mostly displaced by the pharmaceutical industry. Most people consume medicine as food; only the wealthy can afford to eat actual dishes. Oasis barely sells any food here. After all, most people eat to quickly replenish their stamina, energy, magic power, and nutrients, as well as to improve focus and alertness for work and studies. The poor might at most supplement their diet with a bit of 'cement' to suppress overly strong digestive abilities."

Le Mulan nodded upon hearing this. "In comparison, ordinary food is completely uncompetitive against medicine, so its elimination is only natural."

Li Xuelian smiled slightly, glancing at her. "I heard you're applying for pharmacology at Myriad Dharma University? It seems you've already researched the situation in Layer 2? Indeed, your Le family also has predecessors in Layer 2."

Fugi asked in surprise, "Is Li Xuelian going to Layer 2 with you all too?"

Zhang Yu mentally explained to Fugi, "It seems Li Xuelian already had a job up there. She specifically requested to go to Layer 1 to accompany True Monarch Xinghuo and train disciples."

Fugi thought, "It looks like Li Xuelian is doing quite well to be able to arrange her movements between layers like this. Or perhaps True Monarch Xinghuo left behind some connections that she inherited?"

Li Xuelian asked Zhang Yu, "Where's that kid Yu Xinghan? I couldn't find him."

Zhang Yu replied helplessly, "He went to the restroom."

Just then, an announcement came over the flying ship's broadcast system: they would soon arrive at the Ascension Platform, and services such as customs registration and currency exchange would begin.

Zhang Yu and Le Mulan quickly finished their meal and followed Li Xuelian to the designated area to begin queuing. Together, they disembarked from the flying ship and arrived at the Ascension Platform.

The Ascension Platform was a massive palace floating among the clouds. Stepping into it meant entering the territory of Layer 2. After completing their procedures, everyone would then board different flying ships according to their various destinations, traveling to different cities within Layer 2.